Christmas is the time when we all want to spend a little extra on our loved ones and the Piccadilly area of London is the perfect place to indulge in some top quality, luxurious retail therapy.  The Piccadilly Arcade is a treasure trove of tiny shops selling a vast range of luxury items from modern and vintage jewellery, handmade waistcoats and tailoring to unusual and unique giftware.  Beautifully festooned Christmas decadence decorates its colonnades, ornate ceiling, balconies and domes, all conspiring to make you feel extra special as you wander along its marble floor.  Bespoke tailors Benson & Clegg have Royal Warrents for both King George VI and HRH The Prince of Wales.  If you can’t afford one of their hand-made suits then maybe purchase a pair of cufflinks to give to Dad.  I’d love an embroidered shantung silk jacket or a velvet coat from Favourbrook Womenswear.  Santa Maria Novella was established in 1612 and is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world.  The smell of their beauty products made from natural herbs and oils is temptation enough to buy an armful of product.  For a collector of military memorabilia, how about a regimental bugle or toy soldier from the Armoury of St James? 

On the other side of the road, next to the Royal Academy, is the famous Burlington Arcade, built in 1819 by Lord George Cavendish, apparently to prevent passers-by throwing their rubbish into his garden …  There’s a smartly-uniformed ‘Beadle’ at the entrance who has the authority to eject anyone who runs, to carry large packages, open an umbrella to shelter you from precipitation and also to whistle, hum or sing!  Just stroll along the wooden fronted shops and dream of what you would buy if you won the lottery. One of my favourite shop

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Dakar Rally chief Etienne Lavigne said that the next edition of the competition which takes off from Mar del Plata, Argentina next January first and ends in Lima, Peru, fifteen days later, is the most renewed and challenging version since the rally moved to South America in 2008.

Etienne Lavigne warns about the several legs in south Peru

“It’s a completely different Dakar. It

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The tradition of the Christmas market, or Christkindlmarkt, began in Germany, Austria, and Alsace. Over time the idea spread, and though youll still need to book a flight to Europe to visit the best ones, you can experience the festivity of a cozy Christmas market here in the United States as well.

From the original Christmas markets in Germany to the latest incarnations, Christmas markets keep people coming out in the cold to celebrate the season. The smell of cinnamon and freshly baked sweets fills the air, lights sparkle on the trees and in shop windows, and visitors stay warm sipping hot mulled wine, called gluhwein.

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Smithsonian Study Leader Cassandra Hannahs is a medieval historian specializing in British cultural and architectural history. Here, she describes an action-packed journey from Galway to Killarney. To learn more about Cassandra and traveling with her, .

As our Smithsonian group left Galway, I was struck again by the stunning contrasts of the Irish landscape. There are many types of beauty here, from the wild hills of Connemara which we saw yesterday to the elegant lake and parkland awaiting us in Killarney. We stopped

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