Rituals and Traditions

A list of more great books to read while traveling

More Great Books and Where Best to Read Them

A continuation of last week's list of the author's favorite reads

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The Long Journey of Chief Joseph’s War Shirt

Important Native American artifact seen in Smithsonian portrait fetches $877,500 at Nevada auction

The bra is a lot older than we thought.

Q&A: Archaeologist Unearths 600-year-old Bra in Castle

Though in tatters, the undergarment looks thoroughly modern. But was it comfortable!?

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Great Books—and the Best Places to Read Them

Reading while traveling can serve as a sensory supplement to one's surrounding environment. Here are some of my favorite books and where to read them

A pack of street dogs naps on a traffic island in Bucharest, Romania. In spite of a culling program, the animals swarm the streets—and occasionally maul residents and tourists.

Man’s Best Friend or the World’s Number-One Pest?

With perhaps 600 million strays skirmishing for food on the fringe of the human world, street dogs are a common element of travel just about everywhere

The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of New York

A Short Walking Tour of New York’s Lower East Side

Known as Klein Deutschland circa the 1860's, the Lower East Side had the 5th largest German-speaking population among cities in the world at the time

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The Tallest, Strongest and Most Iconic Trees in the World

Where to see the greatest trees in the world

Does it get any better than this? Trees, shade, green grass and a pair of horizontal bars beside the Dordogne River, in Souillac, add up to one of the finest outdoor workout stations in France.

Fitness Afar: Great Places to Hang Out at the Bar

Going abroad needn’t mean going flabby—globe-trotters can find pull-up bars and other outdoor gymnastics equipment in some of the most unexpected places

Cork oaks recently harvested of their bark are a common sight in the southern Iberian Peninsula. These middle-aged trees are growing in the Spanish province of Extremadura.

Cork Trees: Soft-Skinned Monarchs of the Mediterranean

A cork tree stripped of its bark will be harvested again in nine years—if people are still using cork by then

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The Swimsuit Series, Part 2: Beauty Pageants and the Inevitable Swimsuit Competition

In the latest chapter of the series, we look at how bathing suits came to be an integral part of the Miss America competition

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The Hunt for a Bottle of Asturias Cider and the Stories of More Drinks From Northern Spain

In this part of Europe, a glass of rioja is nice, but nothing beats apple cider, a way of life

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Spain: Of Sun, Siestas — and Salmon?

About a dozen Spanish streams support native runs of Atlantic salmon, but anglers are deeply divided about how to fish for them

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Six Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World

From Eagle Summit in Alaska's White Mountains, watch as the sun dips, dips, dips---but remains just above the horizon

Andorra makes no effort to charm those crossing the border from France. Shown here is the entry point into the commercial hub of Pas de la Casa.

Andorra: The Ugliest Country in Europe?

They had green mountains, trout streams and wildflowers; meadows and waterfalls, but Andorrans made their country the least charming in all of Europe

The brown bear is among the largest land animals in the northern hemisphere. Whether there is still room for it in the French Pyrenees is uncertain.

Can Brown Bears Survive in the Pyrenees?

The keepers of sheep and cows helped eliminate the Pyrenean brown bear, and shepherds are not thrilled to see France's largest predator return

Follow the arrows, find the cheese. This sign led to a sheep farm in the village of Tilhouse.

On the Cheese Trail in the Pyrenees

Make a fuss in the road and someone will appear. Spit out some gibberish about “fromage a vendre,” and that should do it. You'll get your cheese

Petra Van Glabbeek tows Ouiza (staring out the rear) and Coco (standing, and getting a free snout-scratch from the turning wheel) on a luggage-less day ride. On uphill climbs, the dogs are asked to trot alongside the bikes.

The Family that Never Quits Pedaling

I thought cycling with a laptop and a bottle of wine was hard. Then I met a pair of Dutch cyclists on tour with a grown dog, a puppy---and a baby

The table is set with a heaping salad of beets, soft-boiled eggs, orange and avocado. Dressed with a zesty walnut oil vinaigrette, this dish goes exceptionally well with an anonymous red Gascogne blend from a wine shop bulk barrel.

Sleep Like a Pauper, Eat Like a King

Between grocery stores, wine shops, artisan bakeries and farm stands, I regain each calorie I burn in style and taste

The author, on tour in the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, loved the gold-hued sweet wine of the area but filled his bottle with local bulk red.

Tasting France’s Finest Wines

Sauternes is a village near Bordeaux that would have been cow town if dumb luck, microclimatology and royal wineries had not showered the region in fortune

The author stands at the entrance to the hilltop cave near Saint Julien de Lampon, that served in the 1940s as a wartime refuge from Nazis.

Resistance to Nazis in a Land Riddled with Caves

We wondered if the cave's tenants peered down at the valley and if they wrapped all glassware in cloth to prevent reflective giveaways to the Nazis below

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