Jerusalem lends itself easily to pictures. I found this scene while wandering through the Muslim Quarter last May. Parts of the Quarter are fairly chaotic and crammed with tourists (the Via Dolorosa, where the Stations of the Cross begin, starts here), so I appreciated the quiet of the chess game.

Out of a travel schedule that included two sailing cruises in the Caribbean, two trips to Europe, one long weekend in Mexico, and time exploring cool new regions in the U.S. (Hocking Hills, I’m looking at you!), I’ll always remember 2010 as the year when I first went to the Middle East –...

I’m not a religious person. But I did feel stirrings of something spiritual while touring the sites that are holy to Christianity on my May trip to Israel, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism.  Although it’s been years since I’ve picked up a Bible, the stories from the Old and New...

Confession time: I have this thing for Peter O’Toole (not old alcoholic Peter O’Toole. I’m talking Lawrence of Arabia Peter O’Toole). And I also have this thing for rebels, be them of the Star Alliance, Jimmy Dean or Robin Hood variety. Peter Strauss isn’t too bad either.Needless...

Bauhaus architecture has never earned the respect of, say, Art Deco, Art Nouveau or Craftsman style buildings, at least among the general public.But the Bauhaus school, based in Germany between 1919 and 1933, laid the foundation for most Modernist design.  Noted practitioners included Swiss painter...

Before my trip to Israel last week, I wondered if I should allow immigration officials to put an Israeli stamp in my passport. It’s not that I didn’t want the stamp, which is partially written in Hebrew, as a souvenir.  I love collecting passport stamps and am genuinely disappointed when...

Spa types have always told me that minerals and mud from the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, are good for your skin. But our guide Tamar from the Israel Ministry of Tourism made it sound more like the Fountain of Youth than a facial. “People come out and say they feel 10 years younger,”...

Israel’s great culinary debate, akin to pizza faceoffs in Chicago or cheesesteak wars in Philly, boils down to one question: Where can you find the country’s best hummus?On my trip sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Tourism, we sampled an entry today at Sa’id, a classic hummus establishment...

I’m in Israel this week as a guest of the Israel Ministry of Tourism. We have an action-packed itinerary that takes us through Haifa, Rosh Pina, Tel Aviv, Masada and the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. I had to get here first, of course. And, true to their reputation as the most security-conscious airline...