Paris: a city of misconceptions

It’s been nearly 20 years since I last visited my old school, Stowe (a private boarding school, called an independent or public school in the UK) set in the bucolic Buckinghamshire countryside of England.

On our first day at school, we were informed that we were to meet with the headmaster. We were fresh-faced kids, all somewhere around 12 years old, most of us terrified in the knowledge that this was where we would be spending the next five years, punctuated only by infrequent trips home to see our parents.

Ireland is a country of unmatched natural beauty, fascinating history, and home to the best pint of Guinness around.

For 10 days my family and I toured the area around the city of Cork, seeing sights that will stay with us forever and learning about the history behind this fascinating country.

At historic Hopsewee Plantation in Georgetown, S.C., afternoon tea is much more than a tea bag dunked into a pot of boiling water. Raejean Beattie serves her delicate scones on doilies with a homemade preserve made from fresh figs picked from the tree in her yard.
``Well gosh, I wouldn't know how to do it any other way,'' says Beattie in her reassuring drawl.
Beattie, who lives at the 18th century plantation with her family, prepares the dishes for her tea luncheon from scratch. And I joined three church ladies in enjoying her sugary hummingbird cake, dainty cucumber sandwiches, flaky tomato tarts and quiches.
Dining in Coastal South Carolina goes beyond Southern hospitality; every day can be like eating at your grandmother's house during the holidays.

Pity the poor Pilgrims. As they stepped off the ship next to Plymouth Rock and walked a few yards up the hill into the woods, they had no spa where they could enjoy a massage, ginger tea and total body honey wrap.
But today, a landing in Plymouth can include such delights at the Beach Plum Spa in the John Carver Inn.
Once you've changed into your spa robe and gotten cozy with a cup of ginger tea in the relaxation room while awaiting your treatment, you'll really feel away - the spa is a nice place for a day trip, or combine it with an overnight stay at the inn for a romantic weekend.
Even Plymouth residents themselves have been known to do a quick getaway here.

Some people think cruise and see the sunny Caribbean. But in reality, cruise ships sail around the world, including to the increasingly popular destination of South America.
From fall to spring, on a variety of lines, you can cruise the Atlantic or Pacific sides of South America, or both if you go around Cape Horn. Many of the cruises are for two weeks or more - it's a big continent. Destinations are as diverse as desert, rainforest and glaciers. The cruises are offered fall to spring.
I got a taste of the desert on a Pacific cruise from Lima, Peru, to Valparaiso (the port for Santiago), Chile.

Stowe Mountain Resort and Stowe, Vt., share more than a name. Until this year, for all practical purposes, Stowe resort stood all by itself at the end of Rte. 108, providing the reason to be there, while Stowe (the town) provided all of the beds, meals and other necessities for the people the mountain attracted.
Then, Stowe resort did a little upgrading. One side of Rte. 108 remains "traditional Stowe": Mount Mansfield and the fabled Front Four (Goat, Starr, Liftline and National), trails that define hard-core New England skiing and riding). On the other side of Rte. 108 is now "Nouveau Stowe": Once forgotten little sister Spruce Peak - now connected via a gondola that gets you across the roadway in two minutes.

The MBTA has announced its service schedule for the holiday period. Schedule adjustments to Worcester Commuter Rail service will be made to accommodate customers departing Boston early on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

When exploring Northern Morocco, you sometimes have to pinch yourself as a reminder you're in the 21st century. That is certainly the case in the historic city of Fes and the tiny mountain town of Chefchaoun.

The north may not be as frequented by travelers as places like Casablanca and Marrakech, but it's certainly a region where you'll witness how modern rubs shoulders with medieval in this North African kingdom.

About 25 miles north of Philadelphia, in an office park near car dealerships and strip malls, is a museum for those who know their "woo woo woo woo woos" from their "nyuk nyuk nyuks."

It's The Stoogeum, the only museum in the world dedicated to the Three Stooges.

The museum was founded by Gary Lassin, 53, a CFO for a retail company and Three Stooges fan extraordinaire - he's also president of the Three Stooges Fan Club.

Majestic Pacific waves slid up the ivory sand as my boyfriend and I walked barefoot down the long beach, nearly deserted except for two young Mexican women watching the surf. Just behind us in a palm grove, a waiter was setting up brightly painted tables and chairs on the sand under a restaurant's thatched palapa for lunch.
We were just up the coast from Puerto Vallarta in the resort region recently dubbed the "Riviera Nayarit" - Nayarit being the name of the Mexican state and "Riviera," perhaps, to suggest the cachet of this just-being-discovered coast and its beauty. If the beach where we strolled was any indication, the name fits.

A hundred years ago, the traditional Maine guide leading travelers deep into the northern woods was a Davy Crockett-esque fellow wearing moccasins and a worn felt hat pinned with fishing lures.
Times have changed. Today, more then 1,000 fishing and hunting guides, some of them women, have passed a strict state qualifying exam to escort groups on trips.
One guide of note is Polly Mahoney. Behind the soft-spoken veneer, she's one rugged gal.

Two new ships, the Ruby Princess and Celebrity Solstice, just debuted in Fort Lauderdale on Caribbean itineraries and we were among the first onboard.
Princess tradition with a twist
Why mess with a good thing? The Ruby Princess is a fine, traditional, 3,070-passenger ship that's nearly identical in design to sister ships Emerald and Crown.
But that doesn't mean there aren't fun new features. My personal favorite: The Ultimate Ship Tour. For $150, you get to get a pretty complete look behind the scenes at how a cruise ship operates. Visit areas including the theater's costume shop, galley (where meals are prepared), engine room, laundry, funnel and bridge - for a photo with the captain.

Look for Caribbean cruises at bargain prices this winter, as cruise lines deal with the impact of the recession on passenger numbers.
"There's no better time to book a cruise," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of CruiseCritic.com, the largest cruise news and information Web site. "It's cheaper than staying home."
Several lines, including Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Carnival, have reduced starting fares for one-week Caribbean cruises to $499 - in some cases even less.

A number of years ago, my wife and I were visiting England's Lake District when we decided to pop over the border into Scotland. We made our way to Edinburgh, toured the castle, found a cute little B&B, then went back to England, vowing to return some day.

It took 20 years, but we finally found ourselves on a night flight across the Atlantic, headed for Glasgow. The idea of beginning there came while I was interviewing Scottish actor Alan Cumming a few months ago. "Where would you go on a holiday in Scotland," I asked him. He didn't even hesitate. "Fly to Glasgow, rent a car, then go to the Hebrides," he said. "That's the real Scotland.''

Like most, I knew Andy Warhol as the painter of the Campbell soup cans, Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy. I even once sat next to him at a fancy fashion designer party in New York. The man was painfully shy - he could hardly speak - but I saw that he had a keen and observant eye for what was going on around him.

What I did not realize was that observant eye included many political figures.

Head up to the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H., for the first exhibition of Warhol's political works, through Jan. 4, and you'll see more than 60 paintings, prints, drawings and photographs of political figures created by the pioneer of the Pop Art movement.

My daughter and I have a love affair with Hawaii. So it was to Maui we headed for a weeklong trip that was part mother-daughter bonding, part almost Sweet 16.
This trip was my sixth to Hawaii with Chloe in five years. When people ask us why we travel so far when the Caribbean and Florida are so much closer, we find ourselves waxing poetic.
For one thing, on Maui, Chloe's favorite island, you'll find some of the best water sports and on-land activities - from horseback riding near Haleakala Crater to scuba diving at Molokini Crater. And because you are still in the U.S., you will find the guides and operators well regulated, easy to communicate with and available for online pre-booking.

Famous as one of the prettiest towns in Vermont, in winter Woodstock looks like an old-fashioned Christmas card. And during its annual Wassail Weekend - this year Dec. 12 to 14 - it acts like one.
Now in its 26th year, Wassail Weekend is a salute to the season, the rural traditions of Vermont and, above all, a vibrant community - proud of its distinctive small town, old Yankee character, and delighted to welcome visitors to join in a joyful event. Vermont's most elaborate winter celebration, Wassail combines indoor activities such as concerts, theatrical presentations and house tours with outdoor spectacles.

This fall, Providence welcomed new and exciting cultural offerings: the opening of the new Chace Center at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum of Art, and renovations and new exhibits at Roger Williams Zoo and the Providence Children's Museum.
The Chace Center at RISD
This modern addition to the school's Museum of Art adds 43,000 square feet of gallery, office, retail and classroom space. World-renowned glass artist and former RISD student and professor, Dale Chihuly - who founded the RISD glass department - has set the stage filling the new 6,000 square-foot special exhibit gallery with his works in a show called "Chihuly at RISD."

I came to Aruba to chill out. I hadn't planned on my beach break including a TomCar, the same kind of vehicle the Israeli army uses to patrol its borders. But it turns out there's more to do on this Dutch island than relax in the sun.
Of course the island does boast seriously soft white beaches and clear aqua seas. Those are Aruba's calling cards along with its Southern Caribbean location and its status as a gambling locale. Only 15 miles off the coast of South America, Aruba's position keeps temperatures around 82 year-round.

Just like the children they serve, kids clubs are growing up. Sure, drop-off programs are still available at resorts, but, increasingly, families are looking for opportunities to do things together.

At the head of the pack of this new generation of kids' clubs is the Nature's Wonders program at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Fla.

The resort's kids' facility looks more like a mini-zooquarium than a playroom.