Destination: Europe

Volunteers from around the world come to the province on Italy’s Adriatic coast to help shore up historic sites.

Eastern Europe is opening up at a dizzying pace and nowhere more so than in Poland.

Beneath Joycean kitsch, a visitor can find the literary soul of the city, past and present.

THE pubs here are as much a literary institution as a social one.

Former convents, one-time castles, previous palaces. They’re now historic hotels in Spain’s parador system.

Just off Newfoundland lies France’s last claim to North American territory, the colorful islands of St.-Pierre and Miquelon, where even the sun salutes Bastille Day.

Innovative galleries and artists, museums packed with treasures give the city its soul.

South of Austria and east of Italy lies a Slovenian town awaiting discovery.

A self-guided winery tour around the scenic island leads to adventure and some cool discoveries.

Ashore on the peaceful, bucolic Isle of Arran, a small-scale Scotland.

Hop on, hop off. Everything is a la carte with a new low-cost cruise line based on the Riviera.

A couple sees the City of Light in a whole new light when they take along the baby.

In northern Catalonia, where the Surrealist artist lived and worked, three off-the-tourist-path museums share his vision with the world.

In France and Britain, a literary pilgrim follows the trails of George Sand and George Eliot, 19th century women who flouted convention.

Madrid has become one of Europe’s most dynamic cities, combining exceptional art galleries with its gently hedonistic passion for the good life.

A butcher shop with a restaurant and a wine cellar proves to be a wonderful discovery.

A new wing of the German Museum of Technology in Berlin exhibits two centuries of aviation history with 40 historic aircraft.

Like the rest of Ireland, Cork is a bursting-at-the-seams success story that’s giving rise to a yearlong party.

Denmark is plotting big events for Hans Christian Andersen’s 200th birthday in April.

Known for its orchids and floral festivals, the British-flavored isle of Jersey is awash in colorful blooms.

A search for ancestral roots leads an Italian American family back to Grandpa’s homeland, a place of deserted coves, pebbled beaches and massive cliffs.

When every meal isn’t researched -- and booked in advance -- who knows what lies around the corner?

His baby rattle, the red velvet suit he wore during bombing raids, his Nobel Prize. A new London museum is thorough on its subject.

Movie buffs don’t have to look far in this metropolis for posters, books and magazines dedicated to films. These shops stock collectibles and memorabilia.

Why visit this legendary city only to while away the hours in the recesses of its fantastic movie palaces? Film lovers say it’s cinematic heaven.

Creative chefs in the once-traditional Spanish capital mix it up with new ingredients, ethnic influences and affordable prices.

Faith, disappointment, bitterness, joy -- the men of Wales give voice to it all in more than 100 choral groups.

A new arts and entertainment venue, affectionately called ‘the Armadillo,’ is part of Cardiff Bay’s revitalization project.

Mt. Blanc looms over an Alpine valley once thought to be populated by dragons. But there are no fire breathers, just thrill-seeking skiers.

To visit these royal and religious residences is to step back into Britain’s past, to a time of murder and mayhem.

After a night at Auschwitz in the ‘70s followed by a strange roadway incident, a visitor savors his return to the free world.

Missed signals and a lack of familiarity with male-female dating rituals result in an awkward night out on the town in Istanbul.

It was late December, and Brian and I were sharing a plate of boiled vegetables in peanut sauce at a cafe in the seaside town of Candidasa on the Indonesian isle of Bali.

On a wilderness adventure gone startlingly awry, a teen’s fellow campers are the scariest creatures of all.

It should be easy to catch a few zzz’s during a transpacific layover in Guam. But they didn’t expect to be bounced out of bed.

Trying to follow etiquette in Japan lands two visitors in hot water. They find that in a communal bath, tact is a matter of degree.

When a grizzly hears the supper bell in the Tetons, he sits where he likes and the kids have to persuade Mom to leave before dessert.

If you’re anything like me — and let’s hope you’re not because your dental bills will automatically double — your Christmas wish last year was something as pitiful as this: Time to organize the great sock drawer of your mind.

Along the byways and river bends of the Ardennes, a rambling journey into the hidden corners of a lovely Western European crossroads that beckons in all seasons.

Royal treatment is easy to come by in Sintra, where visitors dine in palaces, sleep in luxury and enjoy the playground of kings.

A new visitor center and other amenities make it easier for visitors to negotiate one of London’s major historic attractions.

A Neapolitan American chef eager to expand her repertoire goes back to the source and learns a thing or two at a Sorrento school.

An amateur historian retraces the treacherous French Alps route the general may have taken to invade Italy.

The faithful of the Middle Ages trod the southern trails of the Chemin de St. Jacques for its religious relics. Modern travelers still follow some of the same paths.

For devotees of single-malt whiskey, Islay, Jura and Arran off the western coast are paradise found. Concentrated there are nine distilleries.

Along the region’s scenic back roads, makers of what Voltaire called the ‘wine of wit’ open their doors for tastings and tours.

The first half-century of one visitor’s life is celebrated with samples of 50 beers -- paced out over a week, mind you.

The pleasures of the islands in France’s Bay of Biscay are quiet ones, especially in the off-season: quaint seaside villages, historic architecture, highways meandering through meadows and forest.

With spotless beaches and few Americans, the town on the Tyrrhenian coast is a respite from Italy’s busier sites.

Dresden residents are ambivalent about the Soviet-era buildings amid the city’s Baroque landmarks. But there are notable sights.

A beloved church rises from the rubble of WWII as the German city is refurbished for its 800th birthday in 2006.

Udine, with its wide, sunny streets and Tiepolo masterpieces, retains much of its historic flavor and gives visitors a warm welcome.

A family travels the Emerald Isle in search of waves and the communal spirit of hostel living.

When you stop fighting it, the slippery Dutch pastime of wadlopen -- hiking across the mucky Waddenzee at low tide -- can grow on you.

The island off the coast of Greece can be crowded, frustrating and even ugly. But its best face is found in old towns, hotels that have stood for centuries and ancient artifacts.

Desert-like Bonaire doesn’t seem like much at first glance, but a visitor finds the island’s true beauty is just waiting to be discovered.

Spurred by the anniversary of D-day, a writer walks where history was made. Her goal is to better understand one officer: her father.

Pasta with cheese and cracked black pepper, gnocchi in tomato sauce. Low-carb it’s not, but it is comforting and inexpensive.

Hotel rooms in Athens are still available, but a rate of $500 a night is not uncommon. The better properties are charging even more.

Along the rugged Tyrrhenian coastline, where gods and mortals have left their marks, sturdy hikers can weave through cliff-side villages set against an azure sea.

The city’s lively southern district of Testaccio has shaken off its blue-collar past but not the organ-meat cuisine that gave it life.

He was 18 and inexperienced — in all respects — when he came to Rome in 1938.

Getting there From LAX, connecting service with Icelandair (change of planes) is available to Keflavik on Northwest, Continental, Air France, United, American, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

There’s much to like on Uto, a speck of land in the Baltic Sea that feels a lot like summer camp.

Getting there From LAX, connecting service to Stockholm (change of planes) is available on Swiss, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and British Airways.

GETTING THERE The nearest major airport is in Madrid, about 90 miles west.

Beara Peninsula by bike: quaint villages, awesome scenery for $45 a day.

Getting there: From LAX, connecting service (change of planes) to Shannon is available on Aer Lingus, Delta and Continental.

Boasting a picturesque cityscape, quaint canals and one of Europe’s great art treasures, historic Ghent weaves an evocative spell.

Lungau valleys entice with top-notch skiing and warm, quirky people.

Lungau valleys entice with top-notch skiing and warm, quirky people.

Idyll Ltd. of Media, Pa., offers a two-week package for independent travelers in Provence, France, starting at $1,639 (March 26 departure) or $1,859 (April 9) per person, double occupancy.

Fueled by mulled wine and sausages, city Christmas markets abound with good cheer.

It may be cold outside, but the city heats up as residents and visitors, fired up on fireworks and champagne, ring in the New Year.

Returning over the years to a favorite little Parisian inn on the Left Bank: Its story tells it all.

Returning over the years to a favorite little Parisian inn on the Left Bank: Its story tells it all.

GETTING THERE: From LAX, KLM and Northwest have nonstop service; United flies direct (one stop).

It may be cold outside, but the city heats up as residents and visitors, fired up on fireworks and champagne, ring in the New Year.

Fueled by mulled wine and sausages, city Christmas markets abound with good cheer.

Away from the crowds, the quieter squares of the city lead to great surprises. Fine art fills even the littlest of its 100-plus churches.

Britain may have a reputation as a stiff-upper-lip nation, but London can take a joke. Comedy clubs have become a nightlife staple -- as well as an outlet for the slightly uptight.

Inexpensive dining doesn’t always mean resorting to fried food wrapped in newspaper. Mine London’s ethnic restaurants.

The history of 17th century terrorism can be traced from London north.

Getting there: From LAX, nonstop service to London’s Heathrow is available on British, Virgin Atlantic, American, United and Air New Zealand.

Outside London, Roman ruins and an ancient abbey hint of an enchanting past in a quaint town that is too often overlooked.

Getting there: Nonstop from LAX to London, which is about 20 miles from St.

In the shadow of the Matterhorn, the nation’s famous precision meets breathtaking Alpine beauty.

From her base on Ireland’s western shore, Grace O’Malley pillaged ships into her 70s. Four centuries later, her legend grows.

With beauty and charm this beguiling, it’s no wonder that world powers fought over this tiny island and its two sisters for 7,000 years.

Centuries-old St. Martin- in-the-Fields Church has a cafe where visitors can stop for refreshments and atmosphere while in London’s bustling West End.

A family on a Beatles pilgrimage to England’s port city discovers plenty to satisfy avid fans -- museums, shops and the Fab Four’s childhood homes.

The laid-back islands lack night life and are so sparsely populated that visitors may end up with a stingray as a dance partner.

The dance of hawker and patron endures in the city’s colorful, always-evolving street markets, some of them in business for centuries.

A pulsating new wave of music imported from far-flung points of the globe is turning up the heat in Paris. And seeking out the scattered venues only adds to the adventure.

Saxons, Vikings and Normans have invaded the ancient city and left reminders of themselves -- some solid and some ghostly. With an intrepid grandma as guide, the city is stormed anew.

Two hours by train from Madrid, the town is a breathtaking panorama of medieval buildings that persevere on their perch along a wild river gorge.

Under Venice’s long shadow, the city is often overlooked by Americans, who miss out on its architectural and artistic treasures.

With its rock outcroppings and walls, the Burren, a 100-square-mile landscape in County Clare, can seem stark. But in this case, looks are deceiving.

A family touring the country takes a refreshing break for a week on a warm, sandy beach, with Rome’s history and culture only a two-hour train ride away.

In the countryside beyond Reykjavik, visitors saddle up hardy purebred horses for a guided expedition into a land of volcanoes and geysers that is unchanged by time.

Once the home of popes, this French town offers diverse architecture, museums and, of course, fine food within easy walking distance.

Visitors to the canal-lined medieval city find it a friendlier, gentler and more picturesque version of anything-goes Amsterdam.

Domes 270 miles west of London create exotic environments where visitors can enjoy botanical beauty and learn about the importance of plants.

The former capital of Europe offers visitors a pass to the past. The city’s thermal springs and cathedral are still major attractions.

With historic castles and sleek modern lodgings, the country’s lake district catapults visitors between the turbulent Middle Ages and the peaceful present.

Father and son soak up history and customs on a low-cost bicycle tour of the peaceful island near London.

The grape harvest season provides the perfect opportunity for drinking in the region’s charms.