"Very many pleasures are almost only pleasures because we hope and intend to recount them." –Giacomo Leopardi
About Amy Laughinghouse
"If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?" Well, probably, Mom--if I thought it would make a good story...and if I was sure the bungee cord was tied on really, REALLY tightly.
To that end, and to my mother's chagrin, I've paraglided 007-style in the Swiss Alps, walked with lions in Mauritius, swum with sharks in French Polynesia, dangled from chains on Scotland's Fife Coastal Path, and--my most terrifying challenge ever--taken ballroom dance lessons in London. (Fortunately, that's the only incident that nearly ended in a bloodbath).
As a London-based globetrotting freelancer (and natural coward attempting to conquer my fears through my travel adventures), I've contributed stories to Qantas Airlines' in-flight magazine, Australia's Vacations and Travel magazine, The Irish Times, The Scotsman, The New York Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Globe and Mail, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and Virtuoso Life magazine, among other publications.
Beyond travel, I've written about historic homes for BRITAIN magazine, and I previously worked as a television news producer in the Cayman Islands, as a freelancer for People and Teen People magazines, and as a regular contributor to Better Homes and Gardens and other architectural magazines while living in the U.S. I also wrote "The Orvis Book of Cabins," which was published by The Lyons Press.
Lexington, Kentucky may be best known for bourbon and betting on the horses, but it has also gained a reputation as a magnate for some of the world’s most talented street artists. PRHBTN, an organisation focused on connecting artists with commissions, has helped to transform this hip Southern city into one super-sized, graffiti-covered canvas. You’ll find a map of their locations here. Or, just kick back in your armchair and scroll through a gallery of some of my favourites.
Make tracks to see Gaia’s mural on the side of West Sixth Brewing, featuring horses…of course.
Eduardo Kobra’s larger-than-life Abe Lincoln is depicted in all his psychedelic glory on the back wall of the Kentucky Theater.
Amy takes a dip in Arosa, Switzerland’s ice-cold Untersee lake. Courtesy Carmen Prantl of EisbadiArosa.
My mother has offered lots of advice over the years. Some of it I’ve heeded: “Look both ways before you cross the street.” “Always buckle your seatbelt.” Some of it I haven’t: “Don’t talk to strangers.” (As a journalist, that’s part of my job…and generally speaking, the stranger the better).
But one topic evaded her maternal warning system. “Never set foot in a frozen lake in a bikini.” Or rather, “Never set foot in a frozen lake, full stop.”
Carmen Prantl, a volunteer with the EisbadiArosa ice-bathing organization, coaches Amy through her frozen dip in Switzerland’s Untersee lake. Courtesy Tschuggen Hotel Group.
If your idea of the perfect holiday season escape is like something out of Hansel and Gretel—charming half-timbered cottages and all-you-can eat sweet treats (minus the cannibalistic overtones, obviously)—then buckle up for Bavaria, my friends. Just be prepared to loosen your belt a notch or two, because this trio of festive destinations—Rothenburg, Bayreuth, and Nuremberg—will leave you full to bursting with the Christmas spirit, not to mention gingerbread and glühwein.
A present-laden car and stately nutcracker mark the entrance to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop and museum in Rothenburg. Copyright Amy Laughinghouse.