Preeti Sam

Although Lima was supposed to be a short pit-stop on the way to Cusco and Machu Picchu, we ended up staying there longer than expected due to stand-by issues on the way back. The first day was spent just walking around Miraflores, drinking, eating and gambling. Although I didn't end up a big winner, I did have a great time! Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru and is known as the Gastronomical Capital of Latin America. The coast allows for the freshest seafood and ceviche is by far the the dish of choice. It's the "Peruvian national dish" and with it's fresh and bold flavors I'm not at all surprised. FYI - The panorama on top of this listing is actually of the Plaza de Armas in Cusco (Cuzco)... read more

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Prague (Praha) has become one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations. It's the sixth most visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. Prague suffered considerably less damage during World War II than most other European cities, allowing most of its historic architecture to stay true to form. Prague's compact medieval city center remains a beautiful mixture of cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless spires. Prague is a charming city where one feels transported back in time with its medieval, at times gothic, architecture with tall skinny buildings and churches with long spires. Keep walking and you find yourself in the newer districts of town where the colors are brighter and you are transported to yet another place in time. The contrasts of this city are ... read more

Oktoberfest was a blast. Ameesh and I had a great time tasting a variety of foods and beers and visiting some huge tents and enjoying their festivities. The German word for cheers is "prost", and the local drinking customs require the clinking together of steins and a collective PROST about every 10 minutes or so. The band would play a typical Bavarian song and afterwards the mc would hold his Bier Stein up high and chant the following toast for all of us to sing along: Ein prosit, ein prosit die gemüdlichkeit. Ein prosit, ein prosit die gemütlichkeit ... EINZ, ZWEI, DREI - SUFFA! (A toast, a toast, that good/cheerful feeling. A toast, a toast, that good/cheerful feeling … ONE, TWO, THREE - DRINK!) And then everyone at the table clinks their steins together and chants ... read more

Bruges is charmingy referred to as the Venice of the North by most Belgians I have met. It is one of the best preserved pre-motorized cities in Europe and the historical city-centre is small and best viewed by foot, bicycle, horse-drawn carriage or boat. Bruges offers street after street of charming historic houses and canal ways. The houses are centuries old and at times one can imagine what life in the late middle ages must have been like. Bruges has most of its medieval architecture intact and houses one of the world's highest brick towers, the Church of Our Lady whose brick spire is 122m high. I had the pleasure of enjoying a canal boat ride through the city which locals liken to the gondola rides of Venice.... read more

Amsterdam was initially a small fishing village and the damming of the river Amstel gave the city its name. Because of the canals, the city has been compared to Venice, but I did not see the similarities past that association since the architecture is completely different in both. Amstel beer is also named after the river. The brewery was situated so close to the Amstel river that the river water was used to chill the beer. Amstel was bought out by Heineken in the 1960's and as you walk around Amsterdam you will notice that you will not find both beers served in one location. Bars will have a sign up for either Amstel or Heineken, but not both. You will also notice a variety of coffeeshops around the city. But don't confuse them with cafe's ... read more