by Terry Conway
Looking to celebrate the Summer Solstice?  Jump behind the wheel and travel to Dover, Delaware for the Firefly Music Festival. Set on the edge of a low-density woodland, the  three-day event will host …

Switzerland’s Turnip Festival
By Vivienne Mackie
What do you get if you combine turnips, Jack-O’-Lanterns, and outdoor carol singing in the frosty night air? The Swiss Räbechilbi, or Turnip Festival, also called Räbeliechtli-Fest (Eine Räbe is a …

La Fete des Vendanges de Montmartre, annual in October
By Vivienne Mackie
This grape harvest festival has just taken place (October 10-14, 2012), and I heard that it was a lot of fun.
Up on the hill of …

St Louis: An Exhibit With a Difference
By Vivienne Mackie
Through January 27, 2013
Corset. Chemise. Drawers. Petticoat. Crinoline. Hoops. Girdle. Bra. Pantaloons. Thong. This is part of the language of women’s underwear, the subject of this most …

Scenes from the 60th edition of the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa. Make your plans now for 2013! www.tulipfestival.ca

As we made our way across the causeway from the mainland and onto Chincoteague Island, we could sense that things were a little different, a little quieter, on this small, secluded island off Virginia’s Eastern …

Golden Gate Turns 75 on Memorial Day weekend in USA
By Vivienne Mackie
This coming Sunday (May 27, 2012) marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on …

St Louis: Art in the Park
Text and Photos by Vivienne Mackie
St Louis has many fun things to do, and here’s another to add to the list: the annual Art Fair in Laumeier Sculpture Park. It’s …

Claude Debussy at the Orangerie Museum, Paris
By Vivienne Mackie
Until June 11, 2012, there is a special exhibit on the life of Debussy at the Orangerie Museum (Musee de l’Orangerie) in Paris, where you can see …

Berthe Morisot at the Marmottan Monet Museum, March 8-July 1, 2012
By Vivienne Mackie
A retrospective devoted to one of the most illustrious of the women Impressionist painters, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895).

Do you want to witness stunning artworks …

National Nutrition Month. Making A Rainbow Plate
By Vivienne Mackie
March is National Nutrition Month, a time to try and encourage people to re-think their eating habits and develop a healthier daily diet.
This year (2012), the themes for …

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (Jinga) Turns 1300
By Vivienne Mackie
KYOTO, JAPAN: On October 8-9-10, 2011, the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in southeast Kyoto turned 1300 years old. It was a weekend of intense celebrations, made even …

Photos by Will Davis
Accolades abound for Charleston, SC the number one tourist destination in the US (Conde Nast), one of the top five rated food festivals in the country (Forbes),  “Husk” the top new restaurant …

Washington, DC: A Special Celebration for Cherry Blossoms
By Vivienne Mackie
“Mirror, Mirror Near the Mall, Which Cherry is Fairest of All?”
Thus cleverly begins a short article in the latest Arbor Day newsletter, put out by www.arborday.org
As winter …

Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World
By Vivienne Mackie
If you are planning to be anywhere near Louisville, KY, before April 22, 2012 it’s well worthwhile to take an extra day to visit this wonderful exhibition. …

Kan Yasuda in Sapporo, Japan
By Vivienne Mackie
A special exhibit of sculptures by Kan Yasuda, called “Touching the City”, is in Sapporo September 3-November 20, 2011.
Earlier in June he had an exhibition in Turin at Valentino …

The Fun of Halloween is Spreading
By Vivienne Mackie
Japan is a land of contrasts in many ways. For example, modern buildings, bright neon lights flashing, and huge colorful-gaudy ads almost side by side with quiet and …

San Francisco Celebrates!
By Vivienne Mackie
Pier 39, San Francisco: Sea lions are still here.
The California sea lions are a real draw for the San Francisco waterfront—a free, live show. But, we’d heard rumors that these famous …

Happy Birthday Madiba!
By Vivienne Mackie
Honoring an amazing man, an inspiration to many around the world.
Nelson Mandela, or Madiba or Tata, as he is affectionately known, is 93 years old today.
In November 2009, the United Nations …

Celebrate Water on World Water Day, March 22
By Vivienne Mackie
(photos by Vivienne Mackie; logo courtesy of the World Water Day website)
Why water? It’s Like the Earth’s Liquid Gold

Almost daily, we hear news around the globe …