Lifestyle

It’s April. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and our homes are screaming for a good cleaning. Spring cleaning is an opportunity to freshen up our homes, weed out all the clutter, and get a fresh start for the new season. These tips will make cleaning your spaces a snap and much easier to maintain throughout the year.

Quiche is loved by many people all over the world. There are so many varieties and combinations of this delicious French tart, far beyond the traditional quiche Lorraine, which includes bacon and cheese. Quiche can be enjoyed warm or cold, can be prepared in advance, can simply be adjusted to all tastes and can easily be transported, making it a picnic superstar. And, let’s face it, you will rock that picnic if your sandwich-expecting family is blown away by this delicious pastry dish.

Let’s begin in the ivy-shrouded tea room at river’s edge. Located near one end of the ancient stone bridge that spans the river from the valley village of Llanwrst, it looks like a hobbit house or something from a fairy tale. But this place — the Tu-Hwnt-I’r Bont tea room — is sturdy and real. We duck through solid wooden stable doors and nestle up to a worn table near a crackling fire. Biting rain swirls outside, and no matter. Here, in the coziest spot in northern Wales, we take a cup of tea, a warm plate of bread and melted cheese known as Welsh rarebit, and get down to discussing the wonders that surround us.

Spring is here, which of course means spring cleaning. But spring cleaning is not, and should not be, limited to your home.

Little soothes the soul as well as a tour through a Japanese garden. These bastions of tranquility have it all: water features, beautiful koi, delicate cherry trees and an almost otherworldly sense of good order. In all honesty, Japanese gardens are needed now more than ever. Fortunately for you, Kaiserslautern […]

Pforzheim embodies so much that is good about Germany. With more than 100,000 people, it’s large enough to offer something for every traveler, and small enough that navigating it doesn’t feel overwhelming. There is an excellent blend of culture, commerce and nature. And, crucially, Pforzheim offers wonderful access to one […]

Heidelberg Castle is one of Germany’s iconic destinations — with good reason. Poised high on a mighty hill overlooking Heidelberg’s old town and the Neckar River, the castle is a photo op paradise. If you’ve never visited, you should. If you’ve already been, here are seven reasons to entice you […]