There's one feature of Japanese culture that most tourists don't rave about but should. Japan has the best toilets in the world. Bar none.

There’s a series on Netflix called Midnight Diner (Shin'ya Shokudō in Japanese). Kind of like Seinfeld, it’s a show about nothing (because not much happens), except, down deep, it’s about human relationships.

You’ve seen them everywhere, especially in Asian restaurants: small statues, which portray a cat sitting up and beckoning with its front paw.

We recently checked into a VRBO for an eight-night stay in Barrio de las Letras in Madrid, a neighborhood that was home to some great 17th-century writers. 

We are back in Paris and there’s so much to do with hardly any time to do it. However, one of my favorite things is to walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the city’s most beautiful parks.

It’s been a while since we’ve been to Spain so here we go, top to bottom starting in Basque. The Basque country straddles the North of Spain and the South of France. 

I wish I’d paid attention in French class.