Elissa Gilbert

So much of the traditional food in Iceland sounds like it was invented for an episode of "Fear Factor". Fermented shark. (Recipe: bury in a hole and come back in a few weeks, or a few months.) Singed sheep heads (Recipe: use a flaming torch to burn the wool off, then boil in water.)...

It's easy to pass Knoxville by as you head to the nearby Smoky Mountains. But this small city on the banks of the Tennessee River has a surprising number of attractions to satisfy whatever interests your family has...

The only thing I remembered about the Alamo from school was "Remember the Alamo!" Now that I've been to San Antonio, I remember much more than a slogan...

We set out from the island of Caye Caulker in Belize in our small boat, turning off the motor and poling slowly through the mangroves. At first we saw manatees, those ungainly mermaids, simply as distant gray lumps...

Southern Utah was settled late during America's westward expansion, and the area still attracts a certain kind of rugged adventurer seeking to conquer the terrain....

"If we were in any other vehicle, we'd be upside down right now." Our guide Cody has steered us through Hell's Revenge to park the Hummer at a crazy angle against a slickrock hill. Through the open roof the dark sky looks as if someone emptied a salt-shaker of stars on it...

Drive just a little too fast around the curve and you'll leave Cetara without even knowing you arrived. Like most towns on the Amalfi Coast, Cetara announces its presence with a piazza by the side of the road. But unlike the bigger towns, there's no strip of restaurants and postcard shops...

This was outlaw country. Butch Cassidy hid out in the rugged passes and other bandits maneuvered rustled cattle through these canyons before selling them with no questions asked in Wyoming. Mormon polygamists fled into Cohab Canyon to hide from the marshals chasing them...

I landed in Amsterdam and it was like I hadn’t left New York at all. I couldn’t read the street signs and the skyline stopped at the fourth floor, but the city felt very much like home...

New York’s urban jungle draws its visitors and residents from all over the world; some of them wear furs and feathers. So where do go you when your safari vehicle is a subway car?

Moab can be intimidating, with its reputation as an extreme adventure-seeker's paradise. But even someone who likes their adventure soft, with an even softer pillow at night, can enjoy exploring the area...

Through the picture window at Ristorante Nettuno we gaze at buff-colored columns reaching skyward, the remains of 2,500-year old temples. The old city wall, large square blocks of gray stone still stacked atop each other, separates the parking area from the street....

Chinese desserts need explanation. The first time a fortune cookie arrives on a plate in front of you, someone has to warn you to split it open to avoid biting paper. Now I need my guide to tell me what to do with the odd fruit on the dessert plate. It looks like a cherry with a brown, papery skin...

The colors usually associated with Delft are the blue and white of its famous pottery. But on one day a year, April 30, Dutchmen in Delft and throughout Holland turn their towns orange...

“This is the most endangered ecosystem in Canada.” The naturalist’s words startled me. As we cruised to Vancouver Island, the environment surrounding the ferry appeared pristine....