ArcaMax

When Jean Monnet brainstormed the modern European Union, he based his peace-driven idea on America’s model of independent states, united by a greater goal. With the help of the US, Monnet planted the seeds for a bloc that has not only established today’s European peace and prosperity – but also impacts how we experience Europe.

When ...Read more

Last week, a Parisian bench in Washington, DC, got me thinking about how the European Union was created as a peace project. But it’s grown far beyond just sharing coal and steel resources to avoid war among its countries.

Now 75 years old, today’s European Union oversees common political policies while also funding infrastructure projects, ...Read more

Double-sided benches — with bottle-green planks separated by a thin backrest — are a trademark of Paris, lining the bustling sidewalks of the Champs-Elysées and the tree-dotted banks of the Seine. And so I was intrigued when I learned there’s one in Washington, DC…and even more so when I found out it’s a memorial to an architect of ...Read more

A highlight of one of my European summers was a day I spent hiking in the Berner Oberland region of the Swiss Alps. I was with a wonderful group of traveling friends, all eager for a ramble in the high country.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a mountain climber to see the Alps up close. The Swiss transportation system is as remarkable as ...Read more

France's bustling, modern Reims greets travelers with cellar doors wide open. As the capital of the Champagne region, it features a lively center, a historic cathedral, and, of course, Champagne tasting. And thanks to France's slick high-speed rail, it's just 45 minutes from Paris – making it an easy day trip.

Reims (pronounced like “rance�...Read more

They say that for every church in Rome, there’s a bank in Milan. The economic success of postwar Italy can be attributed, at least in part, to this city of bankers, publicists, and pasta power-lunchers.

Like any great city, the more you know about it, the more it entertains. On a recent trip I gained an appreciation of Milan’s “Big Canal�...Read more

Once trapped in communist East Germany, bustling Leipzig is now a city of business and of culture. It’s also a city of great history – Martin Luther, Goethe, Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Angela Merkel, and many other German VIPs have spent time here.

There are many reasons for visitors to spend time here, too. ...Read more

We have New York, but England has old York, one of the country’s top tourist destinations outside of London. The town offers a captivating tour of historic sights mixed with an easygoing pedestrian ambience – all lassoed within its formidable medieval wall.

York has a rich, long history, serving as a Roman provincial capital in AD 71, ...Read more

Some of my most vivid memories from my first visit to Istanbul in the 1970s are of the colorful locals. Scruffy kids sold cherry juice, and old men would grab huge cucumbers from wheeled carts, then peel, quarter, and salt them, and sell them for pennies. While the Old World magic in many parts of the city has been plowed under by modern ...Read more

If you're in the mood to surrender to a city's charms, let it be in Barcelona. Life bubbles in its narrow old town alleys, grand boulevards, and elegant modern district. While Barcelona has an illustrious past – from Roman colony to 14th-century maritime powerit's enjoyable to throw out the history books and just drift through the city.

A ...Read more

If you're traveling in the Czech Republic south of Prague, you may have the famously cute town of Český Krumlov on your itinerary. While it’s delightful, two nearby towns – straddling the regions of Bohemia and Moravia – feel less commercial and, for many, equally worthwhile.

Třeboň, a well-preserved town with an inviting Renaissance ...Read more

Jane Austen turns 250 this year, and England is rolling out the Regency red carpet to celebrate. So, if your 2025 travel plans include Britain – Bath, in particular – you might encounter larger-than-usual crowds at Austen hotspots … and a surplus of people sporting high-waisted gowns, petticoats, and long white gloves.

Austen is one of ...Read more

Alsace is French with a German accent. Cultures mix across the region’s enchanting, cobbled villages, scenic vineyards, hearty cuisine, and art that's still as vibrant as the medieval day it was painted.

Standing in the eastern corner of France like a flower-child referee between France and Germany, Alsace has weathered many invasions. Once a...Read more

As a young backpacker, I fell in love with the picturesque village of Rothenburg, in Germany’s Franconian heartland. At that time, the town still fed a few farm animals within its medieval walls. Today its barns are hotels, its livestock are tourists, and Rothenburg is well on its way to becoming a medieval theme park.

But Rothenburg is still...Read more

Two hundred and 50 years ago, Bath was the Hollywood of Britain. Today, this former trendsetter of Georgian England invites you to take a 90-minute train ride from London west and sample its aristocratic charms.

The entire city, built of the creamy limestone called "Bath stone," beams in its cover-girl complexion. Proud locals remind visitors ...Read more

The medieval Belgian town of Bruges attracts hordes of day-trippers – but don't let that keep you away. While the ultimate sight is the quaint town itself, the city also entertains with an infectious passion for good living. And it hides some sweet surprises.

The Flemish who live in this part of Belgium call this city “Brugge,” but the ...Read more

On my last visit to Toledo, it seemed holier than ever: Dark El Greco clouds threatened overhead, stark against bright, clear horizons. Hail pelted the masses of people clogging the streets as they awaited the Good Friday procession.

A look back at my write-up reveals nothing but superlatives: Toledo’s street plan is the most confusing in ...Read more