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What kind of hotel might attract such diverse guests as Pablo Picasso and Elizabeth Taylor, Mata Hari and FDR, Queen Victoria and Jay-Z, Tchaikovsky and the Olsen Twins? The answer is Le Meurice. Opened in 1815 as one of the world’s first five-star hotels, this icon near the Tuileries Garden has long appealed to both the posh and creative sets; its ties to the art world are particularly strong, having hosted Picasso’s wedding dinner and served as Salvador Dalí’s Parisian pied-á-terre for over 30 years.

For recent renovations of the public spaces, interiors guru Philippe Starck and his designer daughter, Ara Starck, took inspiration from Dalí for some of the more playful touches (like the quirky portraits of 18th-century personalities painted on the backs of leather seats). In the 118 rooms and 42 suites, designer Charles Jouffre maintained a French classical style, with traditional and antique furnishings, rich fabrics, Garnier Thiebaut linens, deep-soaking tubs, and—in higher-category rooms like the Pompadour Suite—oak floors and fireplaces.

Michael and I take the lead up a scree-choked stream draining from the Gangjam glacier. Two hours of climbing through talus brings us to ice-blue seracs rising like frozen waveforms from the mottled glacier. An hour further, in the cirque beneath the black wall of Kailash, we begin to sink up to our knees in sun-softened snow. Michael’s altimeter reads 17,500 feet, and above us, the mountain’s north face rises in a 4,000-foot vertical thrust of glazed rock, capped by a treacherous overhanging white cornice. Jaws gone slack, we lift our eyes in awe toward the Throne of Shiva. “How about it, bro? Break out the crampons?” “Jesus! I am not seeing a good route on that wall,” Michael replies, and we both laugh. Kailash remains one of the few legendary mountains on this planet left unclimbed—out of reverence. “And look at that freakin’ cornice!” Michael adds “Nevé ice for sure. Like frost on a windowpane. Won’t hold your points for shit.” There were rumors, nearly a decade ago, that the legendary Austrian mountaineer, Reinhold Messner had surreptitiously planned to bag Kailash, a task which he certainly had the skill and resources to accomplish. But when Messner saw the Precious Snow Mountain for himself, he realized what a desecration it would be to set crampons on its face or boots on its summit. He’s since become a vocal proponent of keeping Kailash off-limits to climbers in perpetuity.

Downtown Orlando is a very social place, with blocks of bars and restaurants that stay busy from happy hour through late night. Along Orange Avenue—but delightfully removed from the more boisterous downtown stretch—this rooftop lounge overlooking Ivanhoe Row is a local favorite for drinking craft cocktails al fresco. Ride the glass elevator up the third-floor deck, where a horseshoe-shaped bar is shaded from the sun but open to the breezes. Seasonal sangrias spiked with whatever fruit is at peak ripeness go down easily. And another house favorite is the Majors Mule, which puts a tequila twist on the ginger beer and fresh lime classic.

Located next to Les Praz’s par 72 golf course, La Cabane des Praz offers a charming, out-of-town dining experience, along with views of Mont Blanc and other majestic peaks. Golfers and couples alike come here to enjoy modern French cuisine by the crackling fire, or afternoon tea on the sunbaked terrace. The menu ranges from fillet of beef in Béarnaise sauce to arctic char with parsnips and mushrooms. During the week, diners can also opt for a $36 three-course lunch menu.

Dasheene, the restaurant in the award-winning Ladera Resort, is a magical place unlike any other on the island. The open dining room, overlooking the sea, is so close to the Pitons that you feel as if you could reach out and touch the peaks. The menu, which focuses on ingredients sourced from local farms and plantations, puts a creative spin on classic St. Lucian cuisine, including plantain gratin with a coconut rum sauce, and roast conch. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch as well, but there’s no beating the romantic atmosphere and sunset views at dinner, which make a meal here well worth the high price.

The popular Dale Ball Trails system offers 23.4 miles of interconnected high-altitude desert trails in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where piñon and juniper forest greet sturdy ponderosa trees as you ascend to higher altitudes. The system passes pretty close to town, and navigation is simple thanks to clear trail markers. If you’re so inclined, follow the steepest path along the ridge to the top of Picacho Peak. The reward for your hike is a breathtaking 360-degree view.

France is the world’s third-largest producer of lavender, with a 559-mile-long Lavender Route that passes directly through Provence. Driving the route—at least from Manosque to the Plateau de Valensole to see the most vivid patches of purple—is practically a must when visiting this part of the country, with stops along the way to walk through the fields, stock up on lavender products, and snap as many pictures as possible. Peak lavender season runs from the third week of June through July, although the annual lavender parade in Dignes-sur-Bain, known as Corso de la Lavande, takes place the first weekend in August, with the Lavender Fair following later that month. To really experience the season, time your drive to the various tours, workshops, and events offered at farms along the route.

If you’re searching for the best gourmet offerings from Europe’s forests and fields, don’t miss the Champigros shop near Place Saint Catherine, in Brussels. The shop’s name comes from a combination of the French words “champignons grossiste,” or mushroom wholesaler. If you are a friend of the fungus, this is your shop. Step inside to discover the best truffles, morelles, girolles, chanterelles and more. Even if you aren’t a mushroom fanatic, there are still foodie delights to tempt you. Champigros also sells beautiful fresh produce and delicatessen treats that are easier to pack in your suitcase than a kilo of Cêpes. The shop is fantastic year round but it is particularly wonderful in autumn when the majority of the wild forest mushrooms are in their peak season.

Laurel Hill Cemetery is a hidden gem that many locals don’t know about, and those who do have put it on their bucket list of places to go. The cemetery is also on many “first” lists: The first planned rural cemetery for the city. The first architecturally designed cemetery in the US. The first US cemetery designated a National Historic Landmark. A sprawling 78 acres of hillside overlooking the Schuylkill River, Laurel Hill is now within the city limits but when conceived in 1836, this area was considered a rural suburb. Laurel Hill was the final resting place for Victorian gentry, Civil War generals, a signer of the Declaration of Independence (who was re-buried here), architects, spiritualists and industrialists, and local hero and beloved Phillies sportscaster Harry Kalas (on whose grave are blue seats from the old Veterans Stadium). To appreciate the architecture of the tombstones and mausoleums, visitors can wander the winding paths on a self-guided tour. Download a map from the website or get one in the gift shop (Yes! There is a charming gift shop). Or consider checking the website for unique and informative tours, held year-round. Spring and fall are the best times to go; the grounds are elegantly landscaped and maintained. If you drive, there is a parking lot across from the cemetery’s gatehouse entrance. By public transit, Septa’s Route 61 bus from Center City stops near the entrance. There is a small museum across from the gift shop that shouldn’t be missed.

Saddle-shaped Cradle Mountain is the state’s most popular peak and the starting point for the 64-kilometer (40-mile), six-day Overland Track. For day-trippers, there are quicker walks, including the Dove Lake Loop, which traverses temperate rain forest on the slopes of the park’s namesake peak, as well as rafting and rappelling adventures run by outfitters such as Cradle Mountain Canyons Tours. Other highlights include Waldheim Chalet, a replica of the home of Gustav Weindorfer, the park’s founding father.

Opened in 1915 as Tent City—a string of luxury canvas tents along Lac Beauvert, with vistas of Whistlers Peak and Pyramid Mountain—the iconic Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was possibly North America’s first “glamping” site. The destination proved wildly popular, and in 1922 a main lodge was opened, as well as a series of luxury log cabins spread across 700 acres in the heart of Jasper National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bristling with Douglas firs and pine trees, the property sees herds of elk nibbling the grass, chipmunks scurrying through the trees, and even the occasional bear. The 442 rooming options—all of which were renovated between 2015 and 2017—include cozy spots in the main building, fireplace-equipped Junior Suites, and bring-the-whole-family Signature Cabins, all with views across the lake or the forest and mountains. The newly introduced Estate Cabins, located near the golf course, feature a private gated entrance for a more residential feel. Classic lodge-style interior design is the order of the day in the cabins, with wood beams and a combination of earthy and granite tones, while rooms and suites are clean-lined and decked out in fresh white bedding and light wood accents.

Rembrandt purchased this sizable former merchant’s house in 1639, when he was at the peak of his fame as a portraitist of the city’s elite. He lived, painted, and taught in the multistory building for nearly 20 years, and on the topmost floor—the site of his studio and workshop—crafted what is considered his masterpiece, the Night Watch. The home’s interior is not original but rather a faithful re-creation, based upon a room-by-room inventory conducted after the artist declared bankruptcy in 1656 and was eventually forced to leave. Be sure to catch the free daily paint-preparation and etching demonstrations; the former is particularly interesting to understand how difficult—and expensive—it was to acquire and process paint in that era. Though there are no Rembrandt paintings at this museum, you will find a large number of his superb etchings on view in the ground-floor exhibition space.

There certainly are other ways to while away a summer day in Greater Portland, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better experience than island-hopping aboard a Casco Bay Lines ferry. Sure, you can simply ride out to an island for a look-about and return, or enjoy a sunrise, sunset, or moonlight cruise. But for a real immersion, consider the Mailboat Run. You’ll be among islanders, visitors, pets, and freight to-ing and fro-ing between Little Diamond, Great Diamond, Long, Cliff, and Chebeague islands. The 2½-to-3½-hour working cruise is offered twice daily year-round; bring your own picnic lunch on the morning run or snacks for the afternoon one.

Flagstaff, Northern Arizona‘s winter-playground-college-town, is often overlooked as visitors drive through it on their way to or from the Grand Canyon. But if you have time to linger, this town will reveal its charms. In recent years, it’s become a regional mecca for farm-to-table dining, with new restaurants repopulating its 19th-century downtown. After getting your fill of locavore dining and microbrews, work it off by going for a run or a hike up on McMillan Mesa, an ancient lava flow with superb views of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. Buffalo Park has a two-mile loop through grassland and ponderosa pine forest, connecting to trails that go up into the wooded slopes. Remember, though, that Flagstaff is over 7000 ft/2133 m. above sea level--give yourself time to acclimate to the lower oxygen levels...

A couple of years ago, on Black Friday, my wife and I headed away from the malls of Tucson and into the mountains: Chiricahua National Monument, just west of the New Mexico border in SE Arizona, was one of the last strongholds of the Chiricahua Apaches, who called this area “the land of standing-up rocks.” This particular mountain peak is Cochise Head (elev. 8087'); cock your head to the right and it resembles a man’s profile. The ‘eyelash’ is formed by a tall Douglas fir tree. The volcanic formation is named after Chief Cochise, who died in 1874. About a decade after his death, several hundred of his surviving fellow Apaches were deported to Florida, never to return to their homeland again... The history of the American Southwest is a sobering mix of people on the move with conflicting labels: pioneers/invaders, defenders/terrorists, war/genocide, natives/aliens...It still hasn’t been all sorted out.