Florida Agenda

Continuing with last week’s castle theme, we’ll examine the jewel of coastal Scotland, Glenapp Castle, and the magic city that lies between all of these storybook fortresses – Edinburgh. Read Here: CASTLES IN THE CLOUDS PART I: Ashford and Inverlochy Glenapp Castle High on the lush hilltops of Ballantrae, Ayrshire, gazing over Scotland’s pristine southwestern [...]

By PAUL RUB Sprinkled along the Gaelic-rich countryside, historic relics and towering castles from the Middle Ages to the 19th century create fairy tale settings for reliving the histories of Scotland and Ireland. A number of these castles have been reinvented as hotels, doling out the Full Monty “Once Upon a Time” experience, combining “Harry [...]

By PAUL RUBIO Rising above the caricature of media punching bag, Mexico is finally regaining its stature as a truly majestic nation, eager to welcome tourists south of the border.  And thanks to some recent laws and court rulings, today’s Mexico holds very special interest for LGBT tourists. After Mexico City legalized gay marriage in [...]

By PAUL RUBIO Anchored by protected lands that are teeming with extraordinary natural arches and seemingly-otherworldly dimensions of tiered red rock landscapes, Moab (discovermoab.com) has evolved as the gateway to one of Utah’s most impressive and popular parks, the 73,000-acre Arches National Park (nps.gov/arch). Unlike Capitol Reef and Monument Valley, Arches’ accessibility from Salt Lake [...]

By Paul Rubio   Near the Utah-Arizona state border, Monument Valley (navajonationparks.org) has long served as Hollywood’s quintessential Western back lot, beginning with John Ford’s Stagecoach in 1939 and continuing to more modern blockbuster films such as Mission Impossible II and Back to the Future III. This vast expanse of unique sandstone formations and historic [...]

BY PAUL RUBIO A ruddy, rugged land imaginatively painted by the geological time clock, Utah boasts some of the world’s most unsurpassed natural beauty. antibiotics no prescription Though the homophobic rhetoric of the LDS church and HBO’s Big Love have made Utah a household name for the GLBT community, there’s far more to the Mormon-centric [...]

Timeless elegance and irresistible opulence fuel this epic train journey through the Scottish highlands By Paul Rubio Reinstituting the glory and grandeur of train travel circa early-to-mid-20th century, the Royal Scotsman pays homage to a bygone era of luxurious peregrinations through Europe’s most romantic landscapes. A series of delicately restored vintage Pullman cars, the Royal [...]

By PAUL RUBIO According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American spends $935 on Christmas gifts, but we all know people who fork out thousands for the holidays. This year, think twice about wasting money on the latest consumer fads or even cut a few peeps from the gift-giving list. antibiotics no prescription [...]

By PAUL RUBIO There’s a lot of talk about “foodies” these days. This relatively new entry to the urban dictionary has become one of American society’s most overused words, albeit with good reason. Finally we have a politically correct term that accounts for our unapologetic indulgence in our greatest fat kid fantasies, extra reason to [...]

By Paul Rubio Beyond South Bali’s crowded shorelines, life quickly changes heading east. antibiotics no prescription Frenetic traffic gives way to isolated roads bordered by stacked rice terraces and lush jungle. Scenes of daily village life quickly usurp the fast food and motorcycle calamity. Circumventing the eastern coastline towards the traditional villages of Manggis, Cadidasa, [...]