June 13, 2010. The word's out: Croatia is one of the hottest destinations in the world. A boomerang-shaped nation tucked between the Adriatic Sea and the fringes of the Balkans, the country has emerged from its bloody past and has grown into a beautiful teenager who knows how to throw a party without totally leaving its storied past behind. Blessed with a beautiful Adriatic coast and a great culture, never has Croatia seen a brighter future than today. The view isn't without its share of blemish, though. Accession to the EU remains a tantalizing prospect to many Croats and war crime issues still linger (Ante Gotovina still enjoys a hero status in his homeland despite reproach from the UN). Despite display of steady growth recently, the economic climate remains patchy. Corruption still provides a major headache, ... read more

June 9-12, 2010. With 44 World Heritage Sites strewn across the country, Italy can lay claim to being the planet's treasure attic, in whatever sense of the word. The country is filled with such exquisiteness all throughout that you can spend a month in, say, Rome and still not exhaust all the city has to offer. The capital is not the Eternal City for nothing. It's a city that served as the seat of a powerful empire, and stood witness to numerous pivotal points in history. As such, various sites within its borders have gone on to modern times still carrying the weight and prestige of its grand history. And tourists come in droves. Refined and gritty in equal doses, Italy's charms will definitely bowl you over for some time until, just like your grandpa's attic, ... read more

June 3-6, 2010. The hills are alive with the sound of music... not quite. With limited time on our hands and piles of laundry in our bags, the trip to Austria took to a different dimension. There were no Salzburg and Linz, but there was Mauthausen. There was no Stephansdom, but there was Schloss Schönbrunn. And there weren't much of the usual wanderings around the country, but there were loads of Filipino hospitality. Bad weather continued to hound us the morning we left our hostel in Prague to the Eurolines bus station for the trip to Vienna. For the first time, other parts of Prague came into view, although dark clouds and strong rains weren't much help in providing a better glimpse of them. The 14 of us had to take three separate taxis because there ... read more

May 26-31, 2010 Situated at the crossroads of Western and Central Europe, Germany exerts a significant influence not just on the continent but on the whole world as well. This is, after all, the nation that gave us Einstein, Luther, Bach, Marx and MP3. While a relative newcomer as a political entity, Germany is a veteran in a historical sense, being at the forefront of scientific and cultural advancements. Today, the country's an economic and technological powerhouse (Where else will you see modern Mercedes Benz models being used as taxis equipped with hi-tech GPS equipment?) inhabited by a people that takes recycling rather seriously. Yet past the veneer of rigidity are classical sights (Castles! Lots of 'em!) and picturesque villages etched into lush forests that provide visitors to this splendid nation an aspect of Germany often ... read more

May 18-23, 2010. Hollywood, in its usual preference to bypass subtleties for in-your-face stereotypes, usually like to portray the French at, if not at their impossibly worst, their impossibly best. So, I thought, if travel writers and casual tourists alike wax lyrical about the French capital like superlatives about La Ville-Lumière are going out of fashion, then they're probably leaving out parts of their trip and basing it on their version of the city predicated to subscribe to silverscreen idealism. France in general, and Paris in particular, has always carried a cachet that evokes a million images for different people. The Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine... all basking in a diffused golden-hour sunshine while an accordionist plays a romantic tune nearby. Is it possible to have any city live up ... read more