The Discerning Traveler » Snippets of New Zealand

—The Discerning Traveler is written by Philip Wagenaar. (First of two parts) It was our third trip to New Zealand. We were on a 4-week Elderhostel (11 Ave. de Lafayette, Boston, MA 02111; 800/454-5768, www.elderhostel.org) tour of the North and South Islands. Our last journey, in 1984, had culminated in the county hospital in Nelson on the South [...]

Portugal’s isle of Madeira boasts a profusion of blooms and a bounty of its namesake wine

by Harvey Hagman, Fort Myers, FL After spending the winter of 1419 on the barren, white sands of the island of Porto Santo, Portuguese explorer João Gonçalves Zarco set sail for the mist-shrouded land on the horizon. Zarco found an island of towering peaks and thick, ancient woods — madeira means “wood” — with rugged, cliff-lined [...]

Cones, caves, and capstones — Cappadocia plus more in Turkey

by David Tykol, Editor Our bus parked at the lip of the valley and everyone gasped. Looking out at a landscape of bleached-tan earth nearly devoid of green grass or vegetation, we saw hundreds of giant cones and pillars — like 3-story-tall termite mounds tinged in yellows and reds — that seemed to be piercing through [...]