The Wide Wide World

It's a big world. Explore it.

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From what I've sen so far, #hvar takes it up a notch #croatia

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Our little street in #hvar

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The #food and #wine in #croatia does not disappoint #winebar

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Yesterday we took a trip out to Honey Island Swamp, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. It is considered to be one of the most pristine swamps in North America - though legend has it is home to a malodorous swamp monster. The legend tells of a train wreck in the area in the early 20th century. A travelling circus was on the train, and from it a group of chimpanzees escaped and interbred with the local alligator population. We didn’t see the monster, but we did see plenty of other swamp creatures.

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Wandering around Treme in NOLA, marveling at the architectural gems you find on most every block.

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You don’t have to be a WWII buff to appreciate the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. The museum is a fully immersive interactive experience that lets visitors walk through multimedia exhibits that explain what happened in two theaters of war (in the Pacific and Europe). It’s a powerful experience, and one that demonstrates what a museum can be when it focuses on historical storytelling.

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The beautiful Beaux Arts Hermitage Hotel in Nashville was the unlikely epicenter of the final push to extend women the right to vote. Tennessee was the 36th state to vote on the constitutional amendment, both pro- and anti- suffrage causes made the hotel their headquarters as they lobbied the Tennessee legislature, just a few blocks away. After the vote, no doubt more than a few folks retired to the Oak Bar to celebrate.

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Nashville means music, and few places are more old school than the "world-famous" Station Inn. It's nothing fancy, just all about the music. A place where you can sit ten feet from multiple Grammy-award winners - some of the most legendary performers you've never heard of. If you're in town on a Monday night, don't miss Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Val Storey and friends. It's the best $12 you will ever spend.

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For our first night in Nashville we’ve got tickets to see Passenger at the Ryman Auditorium (Passenger, it turns out, is a person, not a group - who knew?) But in the afternoon before the show, we toured the Ryman to catch up on a bit of the venue’s history and the historic role it played in nurturing American music. Highly recommended.

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At BWI heading to Nashville for a few days, then New Orleans. I’ll try not to overdo it with the Instagramming (is that a verb?)

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At last spring is in the air, and buskers everywhere lighten the mood and give reason to smile.

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Last week I was fortunate to attend a meeting at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington. Upon entering the lobby, visitors are greeted by the most extraordinary mural. Artist Roberto Cueva del Río completed the three story mural (painted around the building’s central stairway) in 1941, eight years after he had begun. In this case, seeing is experiencing, and visitors can drop by during business hours on weekdays to view the mural.

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105 years ago this week, the City of Tokyo gave Washington, DC, 3000 cherry trees in recognition our the two nation's growing friendship. With DC's cherry blossoms in peak bloom, here's a look at some scenes from Tokyo's Ueno Park, Japan's most popular city park.

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I stopped by to visit my friend Alan yesterday. His smoky wood stove took the chill out of the early spring day. When he turned 90, Alan bought a Russian-made Ural motorcycle (and got his license to ride it). He’s the personification of the slogan: Never Stop Exploring.

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China’s senior population – those aged 60 and above – is expected to reach 255 million by 2020. That means China’s senior population will be greater than the total population of all but three other countries (India, U.S. and Indonesia).

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Photographers are known to fight (literally) for position to capture a calendar shot across Lake Tekapo with NZ lupine in the foreground and snow-covered Mt Cook in the background. Those requiring forgiveness for their aggression can retire to the Church of the Good Shepherd to confess their sin (and make sure they got the shot).

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In Washington DC, spring came early, then left - and officially returned at 6:29 am this morning. The weather seems to have confused every living thing, but I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Just another Chinese prank.