Viajes / Travel

Sat19Jul2014

Thermal therapy

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Elena Miramar Print Email

For health benefits or just relaxation, more Hispanics are experiencing spa treatments like this hot mud bath in Calistoga.

Centuries ago, Native Americans and Mesoamerican Indians knew how to relax and rejuvenate. Sweating in a temazcal or soaking in thermal waters was common. Sitting in a hot mud bath was less common, but it is another timeless health practice that people enjoy today.

Sat19Jul2014

Terapia termal

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Elena Miramar Print Email

Por los beneficios de salud o solo para relajarse, más hispanos están experimentando tratamientos de spa como este baño de lodo en Calistoga.

Hace cientos de años, los nativos americanos e indios mesoamericanos sabían cómo relajarse, sanarse y rejuvenecer. Era común sudar dentro de un temazcal o meterse en aguas termales. Meterse a una tina llena de lodo caliente no era tan común, pero es otra práctica saludable que la gente disfruta en nuestros días.

Sun30Jun2013

Escaping to a luxury heritage villa in small town Europe

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Darren Ballegeer Print Email
Villa Tripalo is referred to as a ‘luxury heritage villa’ by Orvas Hotels

Luxury is its own escape, whether it is the simple luxury of being in a tranquil place or the five-star kind that soothes senses and indulges pleasures. A recent visit to a luxury heritage villa in Sinj, Croatia was an experience in both kinds of luxury.

Sinj is a pretty and tranquil place of escape from the larger, more crowded, and more commercialized tourist centers of wonderful Croatia (See our article about Sinj here).
Wed22May2013

TouristLand vs. Hinterland: Experiencing small-town Croatia

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Darren Ballegeer Print Email
The town of Sinj in central Croatia is a prime example of how tourists are rewarded for traveling ‘out of the box’.
 
Breaking from your travel habits is always rewarding, especially when you go against the crowd. Avoiding tourist crowds, though, is not a goal of most tourists, who choose to visit the familiar, recommended, or most popular places. They are often looking for certain comforts and attractions instead of thinking about the overall experience. People generally know that the most popular travel destinations are neither the most authentic nor the best value for their tourist money.
Tue16Apr2013

Dubrovnik: A traveler’s jewelry box delivered with Croatian hospitality

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Darren Ballegeer Print Email

View of Dubrovnik from the ancient wall.

Arriving to the postcard city of Dubrovnik a few weeks ago, I saw a calm, tranquil community that was still enjoying a rest before the tourist crowds start arriving for another season of urban archaeological explorations and food/wine recreation, all served with old-world hospitality of a most gracious flavor. The hospitality of the Croatian people is exceptional, even by European standards.
Thu07Feb2013

Ancient bath therapy reborn

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Darren Ballegeer Print Email

Photos of Hammam Baths, Athens. Photo: Courtesy of TripAdvisor

A healing and history lesson at a modern bath house --- 

Most tourists and locals in Athens, Greece discover the Hammam Baths by chance – only a relatively small (but growing) number of people are aware of hamam, either in word or concept. It is not something that people search for, but it should be.

A hamam combines the functionality and structural elements of the Roman baths with the Central Asian Turkic tradition of steam bathing, ritual cleansing and respect of water. Hamam is also known as a Turkish bath, and naturally so –