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The weather may stay mild and snow may not fall from the sky, but Christmas still arrives in a big way to downtown St Petersburg. By the day after Thanksgiving, bayfront North Straub Park is all decked out with animated light displays, sparkle lights, and the town Christmas tree. The tree is officially lit on the Friday evening after turkey day (at 7pm) Located off of Beach Drive and overlooking the Vinoy Yacht Basin, North Straub Park becomes a winter wonderland complete with skating rink, Santa, the City Christmas Tree and for one afternoon (usually the first weekend in December) SNOW!!! Brought in by the truckload, it gives the chance to Florida kids to play in the snow. Around the same day as the snowfest, the City of St Pete hosts the annual Santa Parade which starts on Central Ave and ends at North Straub Park. Last but not least, the St Pete Rotary Club sponsors the annual Illuminated Boat Parade, (this year on December 14th). Scores of boats of all sizes load up on lights, reindeer, inflatable santas, and boom boxes blasting out holiday cheer. Locals bring beach chairs and sit along the waterfront to watch the cheery parade.

Amsterdam isn’t exactly known for its stellar food, so finding delicious Dutch food on a busy tourist street at an affordable price on my latest trip was a big surprise. A few friends and I wanted to try Dutch food on our last night in Amsterdam, so we decided to try a place we had passed earlier on Leidsekruisstraat, a street near the popular Leidseplein that’s lined with tourist restaurants. Between the three of us, we had eaten dozens of meals in the Netherlands. Very few of them were memorable, so we weren’t getting our hopes up. But inside De Blauwe Hollander, we discovered the magic that is hotchpotch. Hotchpotch is a traditional Dutch dish made of potatoes mashed with vegetables and garnished with meat or with cheese croquettes, pictured above. I tried the vegetarian hotchpotch with carrots, but kale, sauerkraut, sausage, bacon and liver are common ingredients. It may just be the best meal I’ve had in Amsterdam, and for under 20 Euro each including a shared bottle of wine and dessert, it may be also be one of the better dining deals in Western Europe.

OK, there may be better cafes. You may have alternative preferences. But I absolutely adored the Dad Cafe in Miera Street. I came across it at just the right moment - a long morning of walking had left me desperate for an even longer sit, and this place is the kind where no one will mind if you nurse a hot drink for a couple of hours. Not only does it feel like an old-fashioned tearoom, but they actually serve Earl Grey tea, for which I could have kissed them. They also make a home made quiche so delicious that I ordered a second piece as soon as I had finished my first. Chintzy furniture, artfully distressed, lots of lovely women sitting around chatting intellectually (they looked intellectual anyway, I suppose they could have been talking about Jersey Shore). I started a conversation with a drama student who was writing an essay on site-specific performance and we ended up having the most fascinating chat about how theatre is currently the most popular art form among the young in Latvia. Couldn’t have asked for more.

Whether it’s for breakfast, brunch, or a late eat after a night of revelry on King Street, owner Carrie Morey whips her mother’s recipe of the freshly baked, handmade Southern staples inside this counter-serve bake shop. Consisting of flour, butter, cream cheese, and buttermilk, biscuits come in sweet and savory flavors such as cheese and chive, country ham, blackberry, and black pepper bacon. For a more substantial meal, specials like fried chicken and pickle, and pimento cheese sandwiches are available. You’ll definitely stand in line at this sunny little counter-only shop, but here’s an insider tip: You can order ahead on the Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit app.

The coffee may not be the best in Siem Reap and the food can be hit and miss. But there are few more relaxed places to hang out than the wooden tables and benches at the front of this sunny cafe opposite the riverside. Owned by two Melbourne sisters who do a lot of charitable work, it’s a good spot to meet expats and there’s a noticeboard promoting volunteer opportunities and other ways to give back.

The Bermuda Triangle and Kansas Rectangle may be places of mysterious disappearance, but Milan‘s Fashion Quadrilateral is a small area of style where you will definitely want to get lost. With Via Montenapoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga, and Corso Venezia defining the sides of the quad, the internal area is a fashion lover’s oasis. The best shops in the world fill up the area, and the Quadrilateral is considered the most important fashion district in the world.

There’s no shortage of sex shops or love stores in LGBT-friendly Zona Rosa, but Erotika may be the cleanest and most inviting, with its hot pink color scheme and “No shame here” attitude. This is one of several stores Erotika runs throughout the city. The surrounding neighborhood is filled with gay-themed nightclubs and bars, so you’ll have plenty of choice about where and how to spend an evening in Mexico City.

A shutterbug’s dream come true: two buildings of several floors each house any camera, lens, or piece of photography equipment you could ever want. From brand-new DSLRs to vintage Hasselblads and everything in between, this behemoth market is likely to have whatever you may be looking for, or hold surprises you didn’t even know existed. Tip: keep an eye out for a few original Seagulls manufactured in Shanghai.

Poor Little Rich Girl may be off the beaten path but once discovered, the curated selection of hand-picked affordable vintage finds will keep you coming back. Whether looking for a full outfit or that unique accessory to make a current outfit pop, PLRG is the place to discover something original. Catering to all styles and budgets, PLRG even lets you rent in the right situation.

Few names in fashion have the cachet of Balenciaga. That’s why it may come as a surprise that he is from the tiny village of Getaria. After years of contention and fighting over precious pieces, the Balenciaga Museum finally became a reality. It’s a lovely piece of modern architecture—airy, spacious, and sleek. The permanent collection holds Balenciaga’s most iconic dresses, and rotating exhibits explore different aspects of the designer’s life, such as his role in cinema.

From May to August, a ferry runs from the port of San Sebastián to the island that sits serenely in the middle of the Concha Bay. The island is quiet, isolated, and empty. There is a café on the island with a mysterious timetable, and a lighthouse that makes for a picturesque snapshot. Grab a loaf of bread, some cheese and ham, and settle down for a picnic and a reverse view of San Sebastián.

All across Antigua you can find what may, at first glance, appear to be regular pineapples, but if you pass up on sampling the Antigua Black Pineapples, or just Antigua Blacks for short, you’d be missing what many call the sweetest pineapple on the planet. It’s said that Arawak Indians brought the first pineapples to Antigua’s shores more than 1,000 years ago. Upon cultivation in the island’s unique environment, these early pineapples soon adopted the distinctive flavor, appearance, and make-up of the Antigua Black we know today. The flavor being crisply sweet, not cloying, thanks in part to the Antigua Black’s low acidity. The appearance is so diminutive that you may think these pygmy pineapples aren’t ready for primetime compared to their oversized cousins from Hawaii, but one taste and you’ll change your tune. Check out Cades Bay Agricultural Station down south on Old Road to learn the history and explore the Antigua Black’s cultivation first hand.

The chance to try Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s first Pan-Asian restaurant is what brings most people to this Disney Springs spot, which opened in 2015. The menu blends flavors from China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, while the decor impresses with a glass staircase, sparkling chandeliers, and a 270-foot-long bar. This is the kind of restaurant where sharing plates makes for the most satisfying meal, so come with a group and cover your table with Peking duck, sushi and sashimi, shumai dumplings, pad Thai noodles, and more. Just be sure to save room for the revelatory desserts, which range from Oreo tempura to house-made churros.

An Easter Monday spanking with a hand-made whip of twigs (pomlázka) may not seem like the ideal way to bring about good health and fertility, nor the best way for a boy to get eggs from the village girls, but this centuries-old tradition still lingers on in the smaller towns and villages of the Czech Republic. In the eastern region of Moravia, this is often replaced by the equally dignified dousing by cold water. Thankfully, neither option needs to be experienced to enjoy the festive atmosphere of Easter in Prague. In the Czech Republic, Easter is a nearly week long celebration. Even under the strictly non-religious days of Communism, Easter was an important celebration of springtime and its symbolic rebirth. Easter markets can be found on three of Prague´s most famous squares – Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and the Square of the Republic. Decorated Easter eggs, hand-made wooden toys, puppets, lace and a variety of foods can be found throughout the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. There are also cultural performances including traditional folk dancing and local choirs that are worth checking out. The markets can get crowded, particularly on Easter Weekend, but it’s still usually less packed than during peak summer months.

Top chefs clamor for the hams cured at Bentons, an unassuming smokehouse in Madisonville. Online orders can take more than a month; instead, drop in for a tour and take home some bacon. This appeared in the May 2014 issue.