Lance Longwell

While visiting Malaga, it is hard to figure out why it’s not usually mentioned alongside Barcelona, Madrid and a handful of other prominent Spanish destinations. …

Like ghosts in the mist, white hooded bodies move silently through the 200 year old wooden structure. The dense fog strangles the senses as sight and sound are distorted. Slowly, the bodies pace back and forth. The only noise is the faint trickle of water. These pilgrims come to the Keltenbad spa (or Celtic Bath) in Bad Salzungen, Germany for “The Cure.” As I quickly learned, the Keltenbad Bad Salzungen is like very few places on earth.

We’d heard a lot about the vast natural beauty of Dominica and were really looking forward to visiting this Caribbean island. We’d heard great things about Titou Gorge, snorkeling on the Champagne Reef and Trafalgar Falls. But, as we discovered on our Dominica tour, the island has a long way to go. We were definitely disappointed in Dominica.

Weimar, Germany is a town with an identity crisis. On one hand, it is a town deeply rooted in the Romantic Classical period. On the other hand, it is progressive, modern and gave birth to the Bauhaus movement. The dual traditions – Classical Weimar and the Weimar Bauhaus – are both recognized as separate UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I’ve visited the city several times over the last 20 years, and each time is a truly profound experience.

Have you ever had a really big goal? For many years, mine was visiting all 50 States by the time I graduated from high school. Here’s the story.

The hamlet of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of Germany’s most visited small towns. It is also one of its best preserved: hundreds of years of poverty and neglect left the town in mint shape. In the summer, over 2 million visitors pack its tiny streets. But in the dead of winter, I had the town nearly to myself and was able to explore the many things to do in Rothenburg virtually alone.

On a recent trip to Central Germany, I encountered a man who played an important historical role, but has been relegated to a mere footnote: the painter known as Lucas Cranach the Elder. During the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago, he had a ring-side seat for one of Europe’s most transformative periods. I didn’t go looking for Lucas Cranach, but I’m glad I discovered him.

Buck Island is a national treasure and a great way to spend a day snorkeling while in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island is the nesting home for green sea turtles and endangered Leatherback turtles. But the real treasure at Buck Island is the 4,500 acre underwater reef lying just off shore. It is one of only two underwater national monuments in the United States.

The place called Buchenwald was not just a location. It was a journey into the darkness of the human soul. For me, the Buchenwald Concentration Camp is where the Holocaust becomes most real. Buchenwald was not the first concentration camp built by the Nazi’s. Buchenwald was not the biggest camp in Germany’s World War II machine. But in many ways, Buchenwald is the most symbolic and most important.

There are some days when you are traveling that you really don’t want to tour another church or visit another museum. There are some days when you travel that you just want to be in the moment. For us, Krakow was just such a place. Our goal for deep cultural immersion was abandoned in favor of a slower pace. What started out as sightseeing became a Krakow vodka tasting stroll – complete with several important life lessons.