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After a string of personal losses, a writer heads to Tamil Nadu seeking solace from her sorrows. It takes two temples, a palm leaf astrologer, and the driver of a velour-lined taxi to make her feel whole again.

Young artists stake their claim to the city’s open spaces.

Chris Walker and Morgan Hartley spent three months cycling through central Asia as part of an 18-month bike trip. Here is part one of five of their account, in which their trip is almost thwarted from the start.

We had been to Gollem for a drink and a snack (note: the meat platter is hearty) the evening before, but when we found ourselves on Overtoom after visiting Vondelpark, with Gollem just opening for lunch, we went for it again. After all, it was our last day in Amsterdam and there was beer to be drunk. The servers are very knowledgeable and helpful, and will guide you to specific styles or rhapsodize over undiscovered breweries. Fries, fried in beef tallow, were wonderful. Sweetbread croquettes tasted mostly like any other croquette, with perhaps a whiff of sweetbreadiness. The ham and Chimay cheese sandwich was good. It was all fresh, and all went very well with the wide selection of Belgian beers they offer. And for dessert? Gueuze.

Stockholm’s ubiquitous bakeries offer the traveler much in the way of sweet delights. Head to these spots to sample some of the city’s best baked goods—marzipan pastries and princess cakes, cardamom buns and cinnamon rolls—to go with that all-important cup of coffee.

The give and take of a 20-year friendship.

In Japan’s capital, youth dress up—and let loose—in over-the-top themed establishments.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent writer Ryan Knighton to Egypt’s sprawling capital with just 24 hours’ notice.

Washington is famous for its apples, and fall is the best time of year to try our crisp, juicy fruit. The most coveted breed is Honeycrisp, prized for its extremely crunchy and crisp texture and lightly sweet flavor. Cameo is a pretty, tiger-striped fruit with a good crunch, discovered as a chance seedling in a Washington orchard. Other varieties you’ll find in local stores include Pink Lady (a sweet-tart, pink and green apple), SweeTango (a hybrid offshoot of Honeycrisp), Ambrosia (a crunchy, very sweet apple with champagne-like flavors and white flesh), and Jazz (a sweet red-and-gold apple). If you venture out to rural areas or fruit-orchard regions like Wenatchee, you’ll find fruit stands with these apples and many more, plus jugs of cloudy, freshly made cider that’s nothing like the store-bought version. And if our apples aren’t sweet enough for you on their own, there’s always the local Aplets and Cotlets fruit jelly candy, locally produced in Cashmere.

One traveler returns to Laos.

A writer seeks out the disappearing workshops that have been the source of elegance in Naples for generations.

Mole could be seen as a symbol of Oaxaca. Just as Oaxaca is very diverse, with a variety of terrains and ethnic groups, so is mole. Spicy or sweet, it is made from a wide selection of ingredients, both native and European. Mole negro (black mole) is the best known, but there are many different kinds.

A journey through one of the world’s last, best travel secrets.

An amateur baker apprentices with a Paris boulanger and learns the secret of artisan bread.

Not long ago, the flat whites served in Darwin were a little too flat. The city hadn’t yet been swept up in the coffee craze that’s taken Darwin’s cosmopolitan cousins by storm. But the beards, bikes, and baristas have arrived, and with them local roasters, single-origin beans, filtered pour overs, and cold brews—a godsend in the sweaty summer. From a garden oasis to a cafe serious about sweets, here’s where travelers can find the best coffee in Darwin.