Pilates in Andalucia and Walking/Eating in Crete

If you are looking for a spring get away, two of my most trusted colleagues are offering intimately scaled tours that will get you walking (or doing Pilates) as well as delving into regions rich in history and culture, and, with superb food and wine.  Consider five days of Pilates and Gourmet Touring in Andalucia or one of two week long guided walking tours (April and May) in SouthEastern Crete.
Email me for details.  s.peabody@verizon.net  Either (or both) would be absolutely wonderful experiences.

Eiffel Tower Tickets Pre-booking

The good news is that you can book entry times at the Eiffel Tower online, saving long waiting times on entry lines.
The bad news is that there are websites that will sell you tickets at a healthy, and unnecessary, mark up.  Purchase your tickets directly from Eiffel Tower site http://toureiffel.com/.  Visiting the tower a little before or around sunset is a lovely time to go to watch the lights and illuminations of the major monuments coming on.

The Istanbul Biennal is On

I just returned from ten days in Istanbul, which is, as ever, an unbelievably beguiling, dynamo of a city.  One of the most interesting things I did was visit several venues of the 14th Istanbul Biennal, entitled Salt Water: A Theory of Thought and Forms.  This Biennal is quite different than others, there are exhibitions in 30 very different spaces and places on the European and the Asian side. Running through November 1, this is a series of opportunities to engage with contemporary Turkish artists that is so worth the time.  The Istanbul Modern is (sort of) ground zero, but there are also significant exhibitions in places like the lovely Pera Museum and group exhibitions in Arter, the Italian High School and the Galata Greek Primary School. Google the Biennal and see what is on and where...  The curator of this biennal is Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev.