For a seriously good summer holiday destination, it’s pretty hard to beat San Sebastian on Spain’s Atlantic coast. Set on a gorgeous piece of coastline in the heart of the Basque region, this buzzing seaside town certainly packs a punch. It’s got three divine beaches, hundreds of tapas bars (apparently more per square kilometre than any other city in the world), a vast selection of historical buildings and churches (if the urge to sightsee takes over), clubs, boutiques and countless festivals all year round. Plus, if you’re really into your tucker, the area surrounding San Sebastian is arguably the best in Spain for gastronomy – boasting several of the world’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants.

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On the coastal side of Trujillo in Perú, you can find the old abandoned city of the Chimú (900-1400 AC) culture, an impressive site of just twenty square kilometer. It’s a dusty place, which is being rebuilt and looks like a Hollywood stage surrounded by enormous ancient walls. If you’re lucky, you can see some reminders of the original Chimú sculptures. You can take a tour of the city or go by yourself in a local bus. I recommend the latter, because it’s a very atypical experience that you won’t forget easily. [Photos by Jessica Parra Nowajewski]

Seriously, is there anywhere in the world more glamorous than the French holiday town of Biarritz? I recently visited Biarritz for the second time, and this visit, was even more wowed by the endless array of buffed, leggy, chain-smoking Europeans — each of them dripping in jewellery, swanning about in their caftans, and sipping champagne like it was water.

Over the years, Biarritz has been a popular holiday destination for European and British royalty, and it became even more renowned when Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napolean III, built a decadent palace on the beachfront in 1854. The town is packed with fabulous bars, boutiques, cafes and restaurants — and if you’re not too intimidated by the locals, you can even paddle out for a wave – as the area is renowned for having one of Europe’s best surf breaks.

Okay, so these days we have global warming, rising sea levels and terrorism to deal with. But you’ve really got to feel sorry for the hapless souls who lived in the seventeenth century, especially if they happened to live in the Basque village of Zuggaramurdi. In this picturesque and seemingly tranquil village, the infamous witch hunts of the Spanish Inquisition reached fever pitch — and it was in the town’s caves that hundreds of alleged “witches” were burnt in front of cheering crowds. Today, you can take a tour of the creepy caves, and in June every year, the locals hold a night-long party in the caves to celebrate the summer solstice. If you dare, you can even stay in a witch-themed auberge for the evening. Spooky stuff!

Every weekend, the Book Thing opens its doors and people from all over Baltimore flood in to rummage through its vast and perpetually replenished selection of free books. The non-profit establishment accepts donations of unwanted books from the community and redistributes them to those that want them. Surprisingly, there is never a shortage of good stuff. I’ve found amazing children’s books, a good cross-section of classic literature, science fiction, contemporary novels, photography books, science books, and even a book on making wine at home. It’s a great public resource, especially during these tough times when many people don’t have extra cash to spend on things to read.

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The owner of the Bone Room had worked in a store that sold reptiles, cobras, and spiders since 1987. Now he’s running his own business where he sells bones of all kinds: from human skulls written with the corresponding natural record to different kinds of animal bones, skulls and even embalmed laboratory rats and dissected insects.

Hmmm, hmmm. I’m heading along to Cook Eat Drink Live in New York this weekend to indulge in a three-day modern food and wine event at The Tunnel and La Venue, at which there will be a sampling of ‘ultra-premium gourmet foods and spirits, plus appearances from some of the city’s premier chefs’. It’s going to be an event of gastronomical indulgence, so I’ll be fasting for at least, errr, three hours in anticipation.

Having been raised a proper Italian-American girl in New York, I was taught from a young age how to spot a good cannoli: those tasty desserts made of hollowed fried dough stuffed lovingly with creamy, sweet ricotta and topped with a marvelous dash of powder sugar. Yum. These tiny Southern Italian treats are not the stuff of nouvelle cuisine. Or are they? Enter Stuffed Artisan Cannolis.

This recently opened New York City-based store takes a modern twist on the old world classic, with flavors like peanut butter cup, peaches and cream, and the recent Halloween special, candy corn. Admittedly, I have not yet tasted the blinged-up cannolis so I can’t say much on how it all plays out, except of course that my grandmother would never approve — but then again, I think that’s the point

Shattering the phrase, ‘don’t shit where you eat’, the Taiwanese restaurant The Modern Toilet offers the option of eating on a toilet, as well as eating from plates in the shape of toilets, bidets or bathtubs. Luckily there’s food inside. In the restroom, you answer nature’s call on dishes and clean yourself with napkins.

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The Laneways: By George! project runs in Sydney until January and has seen eight laneways along inner-city George Street transformed with ‘creative, innovative and inspiring high quality temporary artworks, encouraging people to explore these forgotten spaces in the heart of the City. Some of the lanes include a canopy of birdcages and forgotten birdsongs, a prosthetic skin with heartbeat, a pop up kitchen and nightclub, a seven metre bar highlighting climate change and a magical infinite’ forest’ [above]. Sounds like a very clever use of an otherwise indistinct strip of Sydney.

Monsieur Cabinet has been making the mundane beautiful by emphasising its natural qualities, as reflected in these wonderful drain artworks.

Gaming blog UK Resistence just posted rare photos of an arcade in Pyongyang. The dingy, poorly-maintained building and game consoles remind me a lot of an arcade I went to in Beijing in the early 90s, although slightly more depressing.

When Barcelona’s ‘it crowd’ are hankering for some good tucker, I’m pretty sure they head straight to Cuines Santa-Caterina. And why wouldn’t they? Located inside the actual Mercat de Santa Catarina (a fresh produce market) this hip restaurant/bar serves up tasty cuisine from breaky right through to dinner. Ranked as one of Barcelona’s top places to eat and be seen, it’s got several open grills — and you can either sit at the bar, peering into the kitchen, or at large communal tables. Head there early for a tapas-style breakfast, or choose from three oddly grouped cuisines for lunch or dinner: Vegetarian/Sushi, Mediterranean and Asiatic. Thanks to the Scandinavian-inspired decor, you feel like you’re inside a giant warehouse, surrounded by giant shelves topped with boxes, wine, olive oil and vinegar. The prices are surprisingly reasonable, the staff are welcoming, and if you’re there for breakfast, you can hit the market with a full tummy afterwards.

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One of the deepest canyons in the world is located six hours away from Arequipa. This amazing Peruvian landscape offers you old villages, terrace cropping, condor birds, and a surprising oasis near the Colca river. The best tour option is three days trekking downwards and then climbing more than 1,200 meters in three hours from 2,100 feet over sea level. Or you can always do it by yourself without taking a tour. Just ask the locals for information. [Photos by Jessica Parra Nowajewski]

Next time I find myself on my fifteen minute walk to the C train, I plan on cramming a little Halloween in. New York’s Merchant’s House Museum has a new hotline where you can call up and simply listen to the cell phone audio tour, Tales Of The Strange and Inexplicable, featuring some of the Museum’s most notorious ghost stories. Should that whet you appetite for something more tactile, the Museum is currently holding candlelight ghost tours and will even be hosting an authentic 19th Century funeral — antique coffin to be physically borne down the Bowery and all. The hotline is 1-877-646-1832.

Two months ago, a very special and unique place opened in Barcelona: TAKE IT EASY, an anti-stress space. Inspired by The Eagles song, Ramón Regada created a comfortable area in the district of L’Eixample in which people can unplug and take a short nap in hi-tech massage chairs. It is aimed at workers with only short time after lunch to take the famous siesta. And all for just five Euros. Regada asks each customer to write down a phrase or word after taking the nap and each week he selects one as a banner in the front window of the space.

Normal’s Books and Records is a Baltimore institution, a point of convergence amongst the city’s artists, musicians, and literary buffs. Specializing in great used books — their art, design, science fiction, and literary sections are particularly good — the store also stocks local zines and hosts The Red Room, a weekly improvised jam session run by the collective of avant-garde musicians behind the annual High Zero festival.

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Chemically inconvenienced, distinguished, at peace with the floor, every single ‘-faced’ prefix, all phrases amongst the 2,964 synonyms for being totally wasted. DRUNK, The Definitive Drinker’s Dictionary by Paul Dickson, has been illustrated by former New York Times Art Director, recent GOOD Magazine Guest Art Director and current temporary Stockholm resident, Brian Rea. His hilarious and whimsical pieces are hanging right now in Brooklyn’s own Melville House. Stop in for a look, check the book and exit immediately to the nearest glass of whiskey. Being drunk never has been so explicable.

Brad Eastman (aka Beastman) has made my running errands around Darlinghurst, Sydney days all the merrier thanks to his recent blue faced mural which graces The Recordstore’s side wall. It looks amazing on the street, so swing past the corner of Arnold Lane and Goulburn Street for a mesmerising geeze.

In an attempt to have a more comfortable life, Sim Jae-duck, a Korean activist from Suwon, south of Seoul, decided to build a house of extraordinary proportions. The result is a 4,508-sq-foot toilet-style structure in the shape of a toilet. It’s a symbol of Korean hygiene. Sim Jae-duck, who is the President of the Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association, nicknamed his home, Haewoojae, which in Korean means ‘the place or sanctuary where you can solve your problems’. It will be available for those who want to enjoy its facilities for just U$50,000 a day.