The latest Inspiration stories on Tango Diva http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&cat=1 Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:02:00 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=581 Looking out the window of a music store in Lisbon, Portugal, I laughed out loud watching a passing parade of vintage convertible cars progressing along Avenue Liberdade. They were filled with brides in all sizes, shapes and ages, dressed in all their bridal finery. The storeowner told me they were the "brides of St. Anthony," and it was part of the saint's feast day traditions. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=579 The army of elephants stood stiffly, alert and imposing, their powerful gray silhouettes staring intensely at our open-aired Land Cruiser. It was our second night on safari, and the sky was dark and foreboding as we drove alongside Botswana's Khwai River, a tributary that feeds into the Okavango Delta, on the northern border of the Moremi Game Reserve. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=555 Some girls deal with tough breakups by eating a pint of Hagen Daaz. Some dye their hair blonde. I happened to be traveling alone for the first time in Australia when it happened, and I went with grueling displays of sport to redirect my pain. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=539 Lake Como is one of the most stunning parts of Italy. Tucked into the Alps that separate Italy from Switzerland, Lake Como’s shape resembles the legs and torso of a stick figure. At the base of the left leg is the town of Como, a bustling city with numerous hotels, lovely piazzas, great shopping and fantastic restaurants. And, of course, the gorgeous promenade lined with exotic vegetation, the shoreline boasting some of the most gorgeous villas in the north of Italy. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=534 If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a group of 29 Rotarians—and one sister-in-law willing to help translate—to change the lives of 143 patients, mostly children, from the university city of Pereira, Colombia. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=531 It is hard to describe the city of Valparaíso, Chile, without using a box of crayons. The houses are of wild design and color choice: deep blue piping creeps along bright yellow homes interrupted only by vibrant fuchsia petals of a wandering flower; powerful red doors steal the presence of all who pass into its portal; winding staircases lead the way into a spotless blue sky. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=521 I've always been fearless on flights. My earliest memory is of sitting curled in an airplane seat thousands of feet above Paris, watching and waiting for the ground to get closer as the plane descended. I've flown through Thai thunderstorms with even the flight attendants screaming and clutching one another through every tilt and bounce. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=517 I am the worst person to write this article. My idea of an outdoor adventure is being approached by an off-leash poodle at the park near my house. Don’t get me wrong—I love the outdoors. I’m glad it’s there. I just don’t feel the need to commune much with its poison oaks and ivies and lyme disease-bearing ticks. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=513 I am 40. http://www.tangodiva.com/index.php?page=features&j=1&cat=4&story_id=505 Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about art. I’ve been painting large 4-foot by 4-foot canvasses covered with layers of electric, abstract colors, and each day that I can, I turn off the phone and court a kind of tingling surrender to hues, shapes and textures as they pass through me.