World's Best Places to Visit

I have to thank the Basque Country. Even though it is known for its cloudy and cold weather, it gave me the perfect moments of sunshine when I needed them the most. In reality, we spent most of our four days in there covered by thick fog and drizzle.  When all hope was lost, a perfect, bright day allowed me to contemplate the views from Mount Igueldo in San Sebastian. Another one of those cloud free moments came when I caught my first glimpse of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.  The steel surface glistened before my eyes as soon as I entered Plaza Moyua.  At that moment, the sky was still overcastted. Once I started to approach the building through Ercilla Street, thin rays of light made an appearance. We humans tend to be fascinated by several sights and places.  We see pictures, TV shows and videos of those places we want to visit. However, in my opinion, a sight (statue, building, pyramid, etc.) becomes alive to us when we actually visit it. Yes, I went to Bilbao because I want...

What do you think about when you hear the words “Mexican food”? I am sure you get delicious mental pictures of tacos, tortas and tamales. Oh, and let’s not forget about a huge burrito stuffed with carne asada, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Whatever your idea of Mexican food is, I am sure you get a mouth watering feeling when you think about it. But, let’s put this entire Mexican food thing into a different perspective. Mexico covers an area of two million square miles (760,000 square kilometers).  It has a population of over 125 million people, including numerous indigenous groups. My point: it is very difficult to say “I know Mexican food very well” when we are talking about a country so big and varied.  We foreigners (and to be fair, some natives too) have only explored the tip of the iceberg in terms of what this country can offer in terms of food. I think that is why I love Mexico so much. Since I do not live that far from the border between California and Ba...

After admiring the 360 degree views from the Chapel of the Holy Cross, we continued moving south along State Route 179 towards one of the most famous spots in the Sedona area:  Bell Rock . Sedona is notorious (mainly) by two things: the red rocks (of course) and the vortexes. According to some New Age practitioners and metaphysics students, vortexes are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. The vortex energy is not exactly electricity or magnetism, although it does leave a slight measurable residual magnetism in the places where it is strongest. It is believed that the energy that exists at these locations interacts with who a person is inside and strengthens the interior. Turns out believers of this phenomenon place one of the Sedona vortexes (there are four or five depending on what source you consult) at (or around) Bell Rock. Because of its accessibility, the spot is flooded by visitors to the area. Some visitors (like me), are just interes...