One Very Rainy Day in Florianopolis

Story and photos by Kayte Deioma Even though I write for Rainy Day Traveler, I prefer that it doesn’t rain when I’m on the road. It just makes the trip all around easier. But since I do travel for Rainy Day Traveler, I at least pack appropriate rain gear to go out and get the story. So waking up at the Majestic Palace Hotel in Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil and looking out my...

Caboclo Coffee Experience – From Plant to Cup

Having a cup of coffee with brother and sister Claudio and Ginha Andrade is not exactly like sitting down at your local Starbucks. It starts with a drive to the Santo Antonio de Lisbao neighborhood in Florianopolis on Santa Catarina Island in Brazil. There, in an old manioc flour mill, the local ceramic artist and his sister initiate guests in the art of creating a good cup of caboclo, a type of Brazilian...

Plaza Itapema Resort & Spa

story and photos by Kayte Deioma A concerted zen mindset lets me ignore the discomfort of walking on rocks as I make my way slowly around the knee-deep loop of the meditation pool. The rounded stones are designed to massage your feet, but mine are saying ouch – in a good way. I’m not complaining. No one is forcing me to walk this watery path. I’m just doing my best to experience all that Plaza...

Rainy Day Fun Spans the River in the Quad Cities

story and photos by Kayte Deioma People on the outer edges of the United States may never have heard of the Quad Cities, but for residents of America’s heartland, this collection of towns on the Iowa/Illinois border is a popular destination with much to offer visitors. On a bend in the Mississippi River where it flows from east to west, the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa on the north bank, and...

Exploring Hamburg Speicherstadt During a Rainy Hamburg Harbor Birthday Bash

story and photos by Kayte Deioma Hamburg, Germany is a gracious lady with her elegant architecture and posh shops along Jungferstieg. Waterfront cafes line the colonnade adjacent to the regal Town Hall, and swans glide gracefully across the Inner Alster Lake. The grande dame also has a naughty side with her red light district known as the St. Pauli Reeperbahn, where the Beatles made their continental debut...

Xcaret Eco Park: History, Culture, Ecology and Water Play

story and photos by Kayte Deioma Although much of what Xcaret Ecological and Archaeological Park has to offer is outdoors, there are a variety of indoor activities that can keep you dry on a rainy day, and you won’t care if it’s raining if you are in the water. Architect Miguel Quintana Pali came up with the idea of building a theme park around some of the Mayan Riviera’s natural wonders and ...

Mexican Folk Art Museum: The Art of Hands

story and photos by Kayte Deioma The Casa de Arte Popular Mexicano or Mexican Folk Art Shop and Museum, is an enchanting excursion into the diversity of Mexican folk art traditions. Located in an upstairs storefront in the Embarcadero shopping center, it seems more shop than museum at first glance, especially because you enter through the gift shop. Admission includes the use of an audio cassette tour,...

Kukulcan Plaza: Shop and Play

story by Kayte Deioma There are many places to shop in Cancun, but Kukulcan Plaza  is top of the line. It is an all-purpose enclosed, air-conditioned mall including restaurants, a bowling bar, a casino, and a designer shopping paradise. Art The shopping center incorporates some beautiful public art including a 75-foot stained glass atrium by Clemente Cameo Misrahi and Erika Almazán Quintero based on the...

The Atomium

story and photos by Kayte Deioma One of Brussels’ most striking landmarks is the Atomium, a giant iron atom that towers over the Heysel Plateu. The 390 foot structure, designed by engineer André Waterkyn, was built for the 1958 International Exposition of Brussels. Like the Eiffel Tower, it was planned as a temporary attraction, but due to popular demand, became a permanent part of the Brussels...

The Belgian Comic Strip Center

story and photos by Kayte Deioma There’s something irresistible about a city as devoted to comic strips as Brussels. There are no less than four museums devoted to the history, the creators and the production of the bande dessinée or comic strip. There are over a dozen stores specializing in comic books and merchandise, and even a comic-themed bar. As if that weren’t enough, you can see larger than...

The Former Palace of Brussels: Coudenberg Archaeological Site

story and photos by Kayte Deioma The saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” could be the motto of the field of archaeology, where a broken pottery shard, a flint or a chicken bone can elicit more excitement than discovering gold. The archaeologists hit the jackpot in Brussels when new construction in 1995 revealed that the lower levels of the Royal Palace on Coudenberg Hill...

A Taste of Art: A Bite-Size Visit to the Met

story and photos by Kayte Deioma The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s largest and finest museums. Ironically, that’s why I hadn’t visited it in any of my previous trips to New York. I felt that a great art museum like the Louvre, the Prado or the Met deserves a full day to really appreciate its collections, and I’ve never stayed in New York long enough at one time to be...