Olivia Katrandjian

Miniature hot-air balloons of red, violet, lime and canary swing with dancing painted ladies from the ceilings of handicraft shops. Bossa nova beats spill out of bars and restaurants. A grey-haired woman stares out of a first-floor window, keeping watch over the cobblestone streets. This is the scene I discover...

Secretly crossing the Thailand-Myanmar border, sneaking past military checkpoints and landmines, is not something most people would call a vacation. But Dr. Pierre-Louise Olland and Serge Israel make the trip whenever they have time off work.

The two Frenchmen travel into Myanmar's Shan State illegally, into territory controlled by a...

The beat of the samba drum spread through the streets and beaches of Rio like a disease, infecting all those who flocked to this city for the festivities with the spirit of Carnival.

Wings made of brightly-colored feathers glittered on the backs of women wearing little more than jeweled bikinis....

Despite Portugal's proportionally enormous coastline and the large number of local fish available, the country's most popular fish is cod, imported from Norway and Canada.

Today, the Portuguese have hundreds of recipes for cod.

"There are more than enough cod dishes for each day...

If you're looking for an adventure through largely unknown territory, Nagorno Karabakh, a landlocked autonomous region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, is the place to go. A country recognized by no one, it's the kind of place that's so contested that not only does it not have an embassy anywhere, but...

Heavy medieval silence drapes over a Portuguese village built in the 15th century on the banks of the River Duoro. Sun rays bounce off rivers that seem to run through every city in the country. Decorative ceramic tiles line the walls of otherwise simple buildings.

This is the Portugal of...

The Volvo Ocean Race, a yacht race around the world, began in Alicante, Spain in October, stopped in Cape Town, South Africa and was redirected to a secret port due to potential pirate attacks in the Straight of Hormuz. The six participating boats raced into Abu Dhabi, where they were...

Classical melodies seem to waft out of every open window in Prague, not to mention its many concert halls. For a city of only 1.2 million people, Prague has an overwhelming number of venues for opera, ballet, orchestra and chamber music.

The city is home to three opera houses, the...

After a long day in Pucón, Chile -- exploring the region's rainforest, fly-fishing its rivers or hiking its smoking volcano before skiing down it -- nothing is more relaxing than cozying up in front of a fire at the Hotel Antumalal.

The Antumalal, an architectural gem designed...

"What should I say, Pilar?" José Saramago, the Portuguese writer, asked his wife, when asked to give a Christmas greeting during a television interview.

"That Christmas should last all year," Pilar del Rio replied, always knowing what to say when the Nobel...

When I told my parents I was going to Egypt, they freaked out. My dad, who was sure I'd come home in a body bag, threatened to steal my passport. Such are the views of a conservative father with only one daughter. Even when that daughter is 24 years old....

"I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees," wrote the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in his poem "Every Day You Play."

Cherry trees are in bloom for a week or two at most....

Quinoa, with its slightly nutty taste and high protein content, is the grain "du jour" among health-food junkies in the United States. In the last decade, the price of a 12-ounce box has jumped from 99 cents to $4.50, according to the brand Ancient Harvest.

Cultivated in the Andes...

My first job out of college was writing a travel column for an American newspaper as I backpacked through Southeast Asia, China and Korea. I took my assignment seriously and wanted to write once a week, taking time to edit each piece. But the newspaper had a different plan for...

When Maw Keh was 34 years old, he asked the question so many of us ask ourselves: What am I going to do with the rest of my life?

A lieutenant for the Karen National Union (KNU), a rebel group in Burma, Keh had his leg blown off by a...

Even before Prince opened the 32nd Montreal International Jazz Festival on Friday night, the streets were buzzing with music. A street performer drew the longing notes of Bésame Mucho out of his tarnished saxophone. Indian drummers in native costume pounded relentlessly on tabla drums as a bride and groom mounted...

On Saturday night, when the Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist Milton Nascimento walked onto the stage of Théâtre Maisonneuve to perform at the 32nd Montreal International Jazz Festival, he didn't have to warm up the crowd.

Outside, some of the nearly 3000 performers who play...

September 19, 1914: The German army, camped at the gates of the northern French city of Reims, shot a cannonball onto the steps of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Statues lining the grand archways lost their heads. Wooden scaffolding on the cathedral's front façade caught fire. Seven-hundred-year-old stained glass windows shattered from the heat. The timber roof started burning, but the Germans continued, not stopping until they had shot off 400 explosive shells. Soon all that was left of the gothic masterpiece were its columns, standing 125 feet high.

In one week's time, the Germans shelled the entire city, leaving 80 percent of Reims in ruins. Inhabitants were forced to live underground for months at a time in the city's 75-mile network of champagne cellars.

The German bombing turned the leveled city into a laboratory for architects, who took this as an opportunity to go beyond the typical Haussmann-style buildings and experiment with styles like Art Deco and Art Nouveau.

Today, Reims is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Notre Dame Cathedral, thanks to the generosity of American billionaire John D. Rockefeller, who funded its restoration after World War I.

To mark the event, a colorful, high-definition light show is being performed several nights a week for the next six months. Called a "Dream of Colors," the 25-minute spectacle pairs symphonic and techno music with lights that dance on the cathedral's front façade, illuminating its sculptures in the colors they were originally painted.

Reims buzzes with the energy of more than 20,000 university students. Restaurants with names like the Ernest Hemingway Café and the James Joyce Pub spill out onto the wide sidewalks of the main boulevard, the Place Drouet-d'Erlon, enabling their customers to take part in a national pastime: people watching. Lime green and neon pink trams glide through the city, their ends curved up in the smile of a Champagne glass, the region's lifeblood.

As for the Germans? The French finally made peace with them in 1962 when Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer signed an official reconciliation under the vaults of the Cathedral. As Jacques Cohen, the Deputy Mayor of Reims, put it, "This is not just a celebration of the building, but a celebration of our relationship with the Germans."

But it was the Americans who rebuilt Reims after the Germans bombed it. Not only did Rockefeller fund the restoration of the Cathedral, but Andrew Carnegie donated a large library and a hospital was built with American funding and named the White House.

"Even today, we still have Americans who give money for this cathedral," said my tour guide.

For the light show's opening night, thousands of people gathered to watch on the main street in front of the cathedral. The name of the street? Rue Rockefeller.

Getting There:
- Fly into Paris and take a highspeed train from Gare de L'est to Reims. You'll be there in only 45 minutes. You can check fares at Air France and Rail Europe.

Where to Eat in Reims:
- Brasserie Flo, an upscale brasserie in the city center open every day.
- Café de la Paix, try the crabmeat salad over avocado at this laid back but trendy restaurant specializing in seafood.

For more information:
- ATOUT France/France Tourism Development Agency (www.franceguide.com)
- Reims Tourist Office (www.reims-tourism.com)

Video courtesy of Sonja Stark of Pilotgirl...

In the 17th Century, in the chilly northeastern French region of Champagne, little bubbles appeared in wine bottles. Unknown at the time, an accidental second fermentation caused by the cold created CO2 in the wine, turning the bottles into ticking time bombs. Corks jolted away as if possessed. Bottles exploded,...

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