WE LAND BY PROP PLANE on the Greek island of Páros, almost exactly two years late.
The plan had been to celebrate a friend's 60th birthday-but as we know, most plans in 2020 went awry. Time passed, Doug turned 60, then 61, and during those years spent in his New York apartment, love bloomed, and birthday plans gave way to wedding plans. And so we were all reinvited, two years later, to celebrate his marriage.
I understood very well. I spent those lockdown years in Milan, and love bloomed there, too, so I am bringing Enrico, my Italian boyfriend, who taught me how to cook Italian. I know very few of the invited guests; Enrico, none. It is to be a week in a glass house above the Aegean. "A murder mystery," I wrote to Doug when I accepted his invitation. Part of a long history of stories about characters trapped in a secluded place, like in Clue or an Agatha Christie novel or, I will later realize when I see the movie, Glass Onion. Doug asked who would be murdered. I wrote back: "Guessing is the fun part."
At the airport, Enrico and I are met by Thanos, a wiry, tanned man with wild white hair. He and his brother run a car-rental business together. "It's windy on Páros," he warns us, just as we feel a burst of the strong Meltemi breezes that have touched these islands since antiquity.
Páros has been famous since the sixth century B.C. for its flawless marble-Parian marble, it's called-used to make the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. It is an island of beaches, mountains, and windswept rocky cliffs, scattered with broken pillars, sarcophagi, mosaics-evidence that the place was passed from the Greeks to the Romans, from the Byzantines to the Venetians, and from the Ottomans, at last, to independent Greece. Round-shaped Páros: an island worn smooth from so many hands.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Travel+Leisure US.
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The Luxury of Silence - Grieving a dissolved marriage, Nora Walsh seeks peace and compassion at a meditation retreat in California.
My decade-long marriage to a man I deeply love had dissolved, and I had come to the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, in the secluded hills of Marin County, north of San Francisco, to steady myself. Led by the author and meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer, the seven-day silent retreat focused on the four brahmavihāra, or Buddhist virtues: loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Family Values - Gay father and blogger Jonathan Bailey shares his proudest moments of traveling with his partner and daughters.
My partner and I grew up in families that didn't travel a lot, so we've always had a sense of wanderlust. Before we had kids, we traveled together, and it was life-changing-travel opened our minds to different ways of life.In 2000, Triton and I decided to have kids. At the time, my mom had terminal cancer, and we were all about connecting with family. We wanted to adopt, because we felt like there were so many children in the world who needed love and a good home. In 2002, my mom passed away, and Sophia was born two weeks later. We welcomed our second daughter, Ava, in 2004.
Back to Sri Lanka - The past few years have not been easy on this alluring South Asian island. But on a return visit, Prasad Ramamurthy finds a place-and a people-on the upswing.
I was at the end of a five-day journey that had begun in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Galle Fort, in southwestern Sri Lanka, and taken me across the southern tip of the island to the leopard reserve of Yala National Park. In between I had taken in the dramatic coastline of Weligama and had stopped for some beach time in Hiriketiya. Sri Lanka is a country I'm particularly fond of, so when I was asked to revisit to report this story, I seized the opportunity. Yes, I was dying to go back, but I'd had another motive for coming: I wanted to see if the island nation was ready to welcome international visitors again.
Experiences: Hands On - Single-malt whiskies and triple-cream cheeses are the stuff New York's Hudson Valley is made of.
The Hudson Valley has long drawn New York City dwellers in search of clean air, spectacular hikes, and upstate culture. Now a budding community of artisans-young farmers, bakers, vintners, distillers-is turning the region into a modern breadbasket.It is a tightly woven ecosystem that also extends to restaurants and hotels. At Tenmile Distillery, in the town of Wassaic, for example, the grain used to make whiskey comes from a farm in Tivoli, 30 miles away, while the gin and vodka it produces are served at stylish addresses like the Troutbeck (doubles from $580), a hotel in Amenia, and the restaurant Stissing House (entrées $22-$155), in Pine Plains.
LAGOS RISING
Africa's biggest city is a powerhouse of art, culture, and fashion. Shirley Nwangwa reflects on her relationship to her family's home and to her Nigerian identity, while photographer Ike Edeani captures the creative scene.
DEEP DIVE
Go for a swim with sperm whales, and you may find yourself hooked. Maggie Shipstead journeys to the Caribbean island of Dominica, where these giants of the deep are making a big splash.
AMERICAN VINTAGE
After years of being in the shadows, Virginia winemakers are finally getting the attention they deserve. Wanda Mann takes a tasting tour.
Take a Hike
A beloved Malibu spa renowned for embracing the outdoors makes its way to the East Coast. Jess Feldman takes an inside look.
Just Dive In
The most nautical Four Seasons has to be this scuba-centric ship, which sails a rarely visited corner of the Pacific.
The Next Frontier
With deep pockets and mighty ambitions, Saudi Arabia is building a high-end resort area with serious green cred.