Slow travel takes on new meaning  from the top of a green mountain overlooking sprawling, dusty Kathmandu.  I am at  Kopan, a Buddhist Monastery  in the Tibentan tradition.  Quiet permeates the air with an occasional eagle spreading its wings soaring overhead.  The mountains in the far distance are an ever changing tableau-variously swathed in gray clouds, hidden by white puffy ones, or shining clear in the aftermath of a monsoon rains shower. A golden temple looms in front of me, dominating the center of the mountain.  Peering inside, one can see an enormous ..read more

Paradise is just a plane ride away, or so it seems. There is no better way to describe the eight days we spent on Kagi Island in the Maldives.  As picture perfect as life on this earth can get, with sparkling turquoise waters, and blue skies, punctuated with an occasional fluffy white cloud, Kagi Island is a brand new resort in the North Male Atoll in the Maldives. And slow travel it was! After two landlocked years, we spread our wings and flew. Water villas stretching out to the Indian Ocean What are the Maldives and where are they?  The Maldives consists of 26 atolls in the Indian ..read more

There we were, a combined 153 years between the two of us, in a white 2007 Mazda, spinning our wheels, not proverbially, but actually.  We were thoroughly and completely stuck in the mud, not just any mud, but thick, brown, oozing, sticky mud. Now, if you have to be stuck in the mud (and that indeed is a philosophical question of epic proportions, which we will leave for discussion to a later date) choose a sunny day, world-class scenery and a good friend.  I did. To round out a lovely visit with my dear friend A., we decided to drive among the fishponds to see what birds we might sp ..read more

A recent week long vacation north of Barcelona found us cycling the byways and bike paths of Catalonia, Spain.  While some might consider a cycling vacation a bit too strenuous to be considered  a “slow” vacation, to my mind, cycling is a wonderful way to leisurely experience and savor a little slice of Spain.  In the Costa Brava region of Catalonia stark coastlines where mountains meet the sea, green fields as far as the eye can see, vineyards, medieval villages, tapas bars, wonderful coffee, and fish so fresh it fairly jumped off the platter, all joined forces to mak ..read more

After one week of total relaxation in Northern Bali, we encountered a new holiday, and began to understand an added layer to the word “relaxation.” Nepi, the Balinese New Year, this year celebrating the year 1938, is a day of quiet, reflection, and meditation. Lasting twenty-four hours from sun up to sun up, the airport closes, with no incoming or outgoing flights.  There are  no cars or motorbikes are on the road, no radio or television, no internet, and most importantly, no electricity.   While we had prepared for the day, laying in a stock of food, downloading movies, an ..read more

An extended layover on a recent cross Atlantic trip gave us the perfect excuse to spend a day in Bruge.  But who needs an excuse for a city that boasts the ABCs: atmosphere, beer and chocolate?  Many cities will tell you that they are famous for these three things but Bruge truly is. Starting at the top, Bruge is a perfectly preserved medieval city with buildings dating from the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth century.  It is a compact city and easy to sample in a day, but a genuine slow traveler would more likely enjoy two or three days to partake in more of its pleasures. W ..read more

After a whirlwind month filled with transatlantic travel, family visits, and a trip to New York City, it is time to reconnect with the kids, with nature, with myself and scuba diving down south seems to fit the bill.  Since diving in the Sinai is tricky these days due to an unstable political situation, and the Great Barrier Reef is half way around the world, we settle on a three-day diving safari to Aqaba, Jordan, a three hour drive from home, that hosts some pretty terrific Red Sea diving. Our uneventful drive south through the predawn darkness is subdued, each one of us wrapped in thou ..read more

  Can a four day adventure to Greece be considered slow travel?  The answer is a resounding yes if you are lucky enough to stay at the Costa Navarino about one hour south of Calamata, in the southwest Pelleponnese, the southernmost peninsula off the Greek mainland, and four hours south of Athens.  This area is world renowned for its olive trees, olives (hence Calamata olives) and extra virgin olive oil.  In fact the bus trip to the hotel introduced us to the lush foliage, the rolling hills of olive orchards and grape vines, and beautiful wild flowers. Olive Orchard -Me ..read more

Travelling the Dalmatian Coast from Dubrovnik to Split with my daughter Shoshi could hardly be considered Slow Travel. Or could it?  Weighing in on the plus side is the fact that in the week we spent in Croatia we focused on one relatively small area, the 163 kilometer (101 miles) stretch from Dubrovnik to Split.  Although we considered driving to the world famous Plitvice Lakes, a mere eight hours from Dubrovnik, and almost went to it’s smaller and less famous sister the Krka National Park, we bagged them both and decided to slowly enjoy the drive.  What might seem to indicate ..read more

Our recent trip to Slovenia was the essence of Slow Travel.  After spending a quick overnight in the city of Graz, and visiting the infamous synagogue that had been dynamited on Kristallnacht, and rebuilt and dedicated on November 11, 2000, 62 years after Kristallnact, we made a beeline for Lake Bled where we spent six glorious days.  That was followed by three more days at a Slovenian spa in Rimske Toplice, but more on that later. Graz Synagogue Lake Bled, an hour’s drive from the capitol of Lublijana, is a shimmering blue gem, with surfaces that are so still, they reflect the lush ..read more