Exploring the old Jewish ghetto, synagogues, and cemetery was profoundly moving and likely the most impactful tour. Census data from the 1930s indicates there were about 300,000 Jews in Czechoslovakia before WWII; today, it's estimated that currently only 2,300 Jews reside in the country. Around 86,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis, while a significant number escaped and never returned. The Jubilee Synagogue is also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue. It was built in 1906, de

Istanbul, home to 16 million residents (compared to NYC's 8.4 million), is the most populous city in Europe, bridging the Bosporus Strait between Europe and Asia. Established as Byzantium in the 7th century BCE, it became the imperial capital under Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, initially named New Rome and later, in 330 AD, Constantinople. In 1930, the city was renamed Istanbul. Regardless of its name, the city boasts a rich history as an imperial capital, particularl

Hagia Sophia (532-537) was initially built as a church and remained the largest cathedral for almost 1000 years until the Seville Cathedral was completed in 1507. Following the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, when the Ottomans captured Constantinople, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. This transformation involved removing bells and altars and concealing images of Jesus, Mary, and the saints and angels. Large wooden black discs with Arabic calligraphy were place

I knew immediately after landing in Lamu and saw that our taxi was a dhow (traditional sailboat with a motor) to take us to our hotel, that this was going to be a magical place to hang for a few days.   Lamu Island is a port, city, and island just off the shore of  Kenya  in the  Indian Ocean approximately 150 miles from  Mombasa.  Lamu was founded in the 12th century.  Lamu Old Town is a World Heritage Unesco site and is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in

We hired a guide to take us through the Tokyo National Museum with a goal to learn something about Japanese art. People from the West (which means me) are familiar with western art from the renaissance to impressionism and abstract expressionism, but learning about Asian art is not something one gets taught much in an arts humanities class in college. At the gallery, we had the pleasure of being guided by Rafa, the most organized and exceptional guide we've ever encountered.

Contemporary Japan has its own unique aesthetics and architecture; this was the focus of our last tour in Tokyo with Context. Our guide was Jay, who holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Tokyo and is an ex-pat from the US. Before settling in Japan 25 years ago, Jay spent time in Syria, Russia, and the UK. The quality of the Context guides continues to impress me. We met up with Jay in the Harajuku district , famous for its cutting-edge fashion retai

In Tokyo, we chose Context  to book our tours. We appreciate both ToursByLocals  and Context, and our choice usually depends on what each company offers for the destination we're visiting. Additionally, I find it optimal to stick with one company per location, though there is room for flexibility. Context typically features guides with a slightly higher academic background. We spent the entire day with Angel, an aspiring PhD candidate from Spain, who is studying the impact of

We attended a dance performance in the town of Tokushima  at the Awa Odori Kaikan Museum . Dance has been a significant aspect of theie local culture for 400 years. The dancers were graceful and athletic, and although it was not like seeing an evening of Balanchine and the NY City Ballet, they were enjoyable to watch.

We traveled along the steep slopes of the Iya Valley to a ravine with a 300-year-old thatched farmhouse, part of the Chiiori Trust , a unique project that seeks to preserve age-old rural traditions in the valley. A delightful 80-year-old lady prepared our lunch and entertained us with a traditional folk song. She truly embodied the essence of life in a blue zone. The tempura was amazing!! We continued on to have tea in a village in Ochiai, a community featuring traditional ho

There are many historic sites along the Singapore River, such as The Fullerton Hotel , the Old Parliament House , Chinatown , and Little India . Another "must see" is the top of Marina Bay Sands SkyPark  for a panoramic view of Singapore: we did not see any obvious crazy rich Asians. One observation is that there are no grocery stores on the streets. I believe you can learn a lot about a place by visiting its supermarkets. We discovered a network of underground malls that in