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This little village fuels many a Chilean’s vision of the south—Germanic towns nestled among sapphire-hued lakes—and is often synonymous with summer vacation. Frutillar, just north of Puerto Varas, seems to be straight from Bavaria with its majestic “casonas,” built in the German tradition—a nod to the strong ancestry and settlement in the region. Frutillar’s lakefront has black-sand beaches, the shimmering lake dotted with white swans, magnificent views of the Osorno volcano, manicured lawns, and darling boutiques and cafes along the town’s streets. During the last week of January and first week of February, music lovers flock to Frutillar for the classical music festival where maestros from all over the world play in the Teatro del Lago, with some of the best acoustics in Chile. Besides strolling the relaxed lakefront, Frutillar is perfect to stop for a coffee and “kuchen,” a delectable German cake found throughout the lake district made with seasonal fruit.

The Moorish Castle is strategically located on one of the top hills of Sintra to defend both the local territory and the maritime access to the city of Lisbon. The castle was built around the 10th century by the Muslim populations that occupied the Iberian peninsula. The castle acted as a control tower for the Atlantic coast and the land to the north, mostly serving as an outpost for the city of Lisbon. The castle’s Muslim rule ended in 1147 when King Afonso Henrique conquered Lisbon. In 1995, UNESCO listed Sintra hills as a Cultural Landscape, World Heritage, including the Moorish Castle. Highly recommended to climb and walk along the walls of the castle, carved out of the rock, to have a panoramic view over Sintra and its castles and palaces.

Teotitlan del Valle is world-renowned for its production of high quality woven goods. The weaving tradition in this village dates back to ancient times, when they paid tribute to the Aztecs in weavings, although at that time they wove mostly cotton and used the backstrap loom. The majority of the residents in this community speak Zapotec as well as Spanish and have conserved many of their traditions. On a visit to Teotitlan you can visit a family of weavers and they will show you the whole process of how the rugs are made from spinning the wool to dyeing it (using natural colors such as the cochineal and indigo) and weaving the rugs. Designs range from traditional geometric patterns like those found on the walls of the nearby Mitla archaeological site, to more modern designs such as reproductions of the work of contemporary artists.

What started in 2002 as a little café tucked into a Newtown laneway, Campos has become one of the biggest household names in Australian specialty coffee. The company’s success stems from its simple but ambitious mission: to buy, roast and serve the finest quality coffee. Today, the Campos menu rotates more than 10 direct-trade coffee varieties grown in nine regions around the world. The café continues to experiment with beans, machines, and barista techniques to maintain its order pace of hundreds of coffees per hour. Now operating in Queensland and Melbourne as well as Sydney, Campos has recently introduced cupping classes Thursday through Saturday held in a dark upstairs lounge above the Newtown location. Customers pay $30 to compare five coffee varieties from different regions and learn the different processing and preparation styles. Sydney’s newest Campos café in the Alexandria neighborhood features a siphon bar that only serves select single origin coffees.

South Point on the Big Island is the most southern point in the United States. The cliffs were ancient mooring places for canoes belonging to the first settlers on the Big Island. Fishermen still use this place to cast their lines, and adventurous locals dive into the turbulent but clear waters below (not recommended for tourists who are not aware of ocean currents, as the undertow is usually quite strong and has swept many lives away in the turquoise clear waters). Several miles up the beach (toward the Hilo side of the Island) is the Green Sand Beach colored by olivine that formed as part of the volcanic eruptions long ago. It is worth hiking to (or paying for a local to drive you in their 4x4). Green Sand Beach is one of only four green beaches in the world.

What is more romantic than an intricate and well-used Spanish fan? Fans are a highly personal item, and like perfume, one should only use the best they can find (or so my mother always said). For the royal minded there is only one choice, Casa de Diego. Founded in 1858, this a business steeped in international approval, and the generations have been privileged to create masterpiece shawls, umbrellas, and of course fans for royal families all over the world. Proudly facing the Puerta del Sol is the window display of fans, giving only a glimmer into the magic on the other side of the doors. Right outside is the hustle and bustle of city center, but inside the shop you are transported to a haven of beauty. Take home a piece of Spanish tradition with you, and smile every time you fan yourself, remembering Madrid.

In the medieval city of Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Bavaria, the Wurstkuchl tavern has been operating for over 500 years. The tavern is situated beside the town’s Old Stone Bridge and directly on the banks of the Danube. During the Middle Ages, Wurstkuchl began serving hot, home-cooked meals to stonemasons and dockworkers. Over the centuries, the menu’s focus changed to a secret-recipe, chargrilled pork sausage. The small sausages are served steaming hot with a side of sauerkraut (fermented in Wurstkuchl’s cellar). With a light sear on the outside, the sausages give a satisfying snap when you bite into them. Tangy sauerkraut and cold, crisp beers perfectly offset the richness of the sausages. The setting can’t be beat—a stone terrace with a view of the historic bridge and Danube River. In 2013, historic flooding overwhelmed Regensburg. Be sure to look for the high-water mark on the side of the tavern! www.wurstkuchl.de/tavern.html

A short boat ride north from San Pedro will deposit you onto a portion of Ambergris Caye that feels worlds away from any town or city. Once ensconced in a private bungalow on a private beach, there isn’t much to distract the guest from complete enjoyment of the charms of Caribbean water, sunshine, and the slower pace that characterizes day-to-day life in the North Islands. Massage therapists are available, as are spa services, and a full range of excursions and activities can be arranged via the concierge. Thirteen exclusive villas are available, one of which includes a steam room and private infinity pool, while other villas either feature beach access, jacuzzi tubs, private outdoor showers, or decks that stretch over a saltwater lake. El Secreto’s full-service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a bar is poolside in the main lodge. Rates begin around $3,000 for a three-night stay, and more information is available at www.elsecretobelize.com.

Possibly the most important and influential publishers of graphic novels in the last 20 years, Drawn & Quarterly has a must-visit shop in the cool Mile End neighborhood. It sells work from the extensive D&Q catalog (which includes Joe Sacco, Lynda Barry, and Adrian Tomine) and from other publishers. Check out 184 Rue Beaubien by local graphic artist Cyril Doisneau.

Fete Paradiso, the much buzzed about traveling vintage French carnival that has taken over Governor’s Island for the summer, features an incredible collection of extremely rare artisan-crafted carousels, rides and games. Families and Francophiles have been lining up for the 5-minute ferry from downtown Manhattan since opening weekend, which coincided with Bastille Day, to check out this whimsical weekend fair. A few of Fete’s highlights include the late 19th century bicycle carousel (one of only 2 bicycle carousels left in the world — the other, featured in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, is in France), a Chinese Dragon Carousel with a misleading name (though our daredevil 2 year old didn’t mind being whipped around fast and then backwards) and a ball-toss game with life-size caricatures of Charlie Chaplin and Edith Piaf called the Music Hall Ball Guzzler. Set to run from now until September 29th, 2013

This sprawling museum is located in four buildings near Battlefields Park—the most recent of them, the Pierre Lassonde pavilion, opened in 2016 and was designed by starchitect Rem Koolhaas’s OMA. The 25,000 works in its permanent collection cover the history of art in the province, beginning with the French colonial period and including artists who are still active today. The museum also holds one of the world’s most important collections of Inuit art, with some 100 pieces—mostly carvings in stone, whalebone, or ivory—on display at any one time. Temporary exhibitions focus on both local and international artists. If you have time for a sit-down meal, Tempéra Québecor—helmed by Marie-Chantal Lepage, one of Québec’s best-known chefs—is near the entrance of the new pavilion, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the grounds and the Grande Allée.

New Leaf Restaurant & Bar is an upscale eatery located in NYC’s Fort Tryon Park. Perched on one of the highest points in Manhattan, the 67-acre park features pristine views over the Hudson River. New Leaf is a wonderful dining option if you are visiting the park or its crown jewel, The Cloisters, the world-famous museum devoted to medieval art and architecture. The restaurant is housed in what was formerly a food concession facility from the 1930s. A renovation in 2001 enhanced the natural beauty of the cottage’s cobblestone exterior, 18-foot high ceilings and shaded outdoor patio. The food is fresh, seasonal and modern American cuisine - a top-notch Ceasar salad, plus Maryland crab cakes, hickory bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, ricotta ravioli and more. The non-profit restaurant benefits the New York Restoration Project - all proceeds support a cleaner, greener New York City. So feel good while eating well! www.newleafrestaurant.com

Devout foodies flock to the hawker stands in Singapore, one of the world’s cleanest cities. Check out the tasty Hainanese Chicken Rice at the famous Maxwell Food Centre; you’ll want to find the Tian Tian stall. Explore the other stands and salivate over the combination of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European flavors with such items as barbecue pork, steamed pork buns, fish cakes, and Hokkien mee (seafood pasta infused with special flavors). —Susan Sparks This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue.

The Contemporary Art scene in Brussels is thriving, but it can also be intimidating to newcomers. Many galleries can feel cold or stuffy, and visitors can be put off by the high prices of the works on display. Maison Particulière is a different kind of gallery. Here, nothing is for sale and the space is warm and inviting. Visitors are encouraged to relax on comfortable furniture and enjoy the art as if it was in their own homes. The art on display is on loan from private collectors, passionate about sharing their art with the public. They choose which of their works to include, based on a particular theme. Each room, in this beautiful gallery, reflects the personality of the individual collector, and stepping inside is like taking a peek into their own private world. Maison Particulière makes contemporary art feel accessible and demonstrates how you can live with art in a non-confrontational way.

Admit it. Come on. You saw butter museum in the title and you giggled. Then you made a promise to yourself to visit this place the next time you’re in Ireland. I don’t blame you. I did the same thing. This may very well be the most boring museum in the entire world, but it’s boring in a great way - you’ll laugh and chuckle and poke your travel companion in the ribs as you tour through this place, as you sit through the excruciating 30-minute informational butter videos, as you churn, baby, churn! It’s all in good fun, and the museum is housed in a beautiful building in Old Cork, so it’s worth checking out on those merits alone. And you know you want to tell your friends you visited the Butter Museum in Ireland. You know you do.