As a late winter snowstorm barreled toward Washington, D.C., this week, my seasonally depressed thoughts turned to the Mediterranean climate of Croatia, whose island residents enjoy up to 2,800 hours of sunshine each year. It certainly isn’t fair to the rest of us, but it helps explain why the Dalmatian Archipelago is quickly becoming one of the world’s most desirable vacation destinations.
As the American Civil War raged into its third year a century and a half ago, the divide between the North and South had scarce been deeper. The year ahead would bring the bloody Battle of Chancellorsville, the Union siege and fall of Vicksburg, and a marathon three days of fighting at Gettysburg. But as President Abraham Lincoln commanded his generals from Washington, D.C., his rebel counterpart sat just 100 miles south, in the Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia. The wounds of the Civil War have long been healed, yet Richmond retains much of the magnetism that made it…
After nearly 50 years as a singer, songwriter, musician, and actress, it’s a difficult task to pinpoint Dolly Parton’s greatest accomplishment. But hidden behind “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors” is her role in a 1986 made-for-television movie, A Smoky Mountain Christmas.
On May 21, 2006, the people of Montenegro flocked to the polls to cast their ballots in a referendum for independence. It was a dramatic proposition for this small Balkan region, whose populace had spent much of the 20th century under the umbrella of Yugoslavia. But by the slimmest of margins—2,300 votes out of more than 400,000 cast—Montenegrins declared themselves an independent nation.
Whether you’re an avid traveler contemplating your next destination or a novice tourist in search of recommendations, the New York Times online travel section is among the best resources out there. Between the clever writing and the transportive photographs, it’s easy to lose hours to The Gray Lady on a slow workday, as certain long weekenders have been known to do. So imagine my thrill and surprise as I clicked through my favorite travel portal yesterday, only to be greeted by a photograph of my own.
The Long Weekender 