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Today is the day I wonder about dying. To be clear, while catching my breath on the side of the road, I consider how death might be preferable to the shaking in my hands and legs, the out-of-control sweating and the nausea.

You can blame my Norwegian heritage, but I鈥檓 not so hot on the Swedish countryside. Even so, you can鈥檛 say you鈥檝e seen Sweden if you鈥檝e only been to Stockholm.

Our very first ride is a wee 15-kilometre tour of Seville on locally rented bikes.

It may lack the Botticellis, Guccis, and touristic icons of Venice, Florence, or Rome, but Sicily still packs a punch.

At any point during the West Coast winter, when all there is cold rain, and darkness, and the Trump administration south of the border, the notion of cycling across Andaluc铆a seems like a pretty good idea. It鈥檚 an easy sell.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California 鈥� Yosemite National Park might not seem like an ideal winter destination, particularly if you鈥檙e from a part of the country where you鈥檇 like to trade in road salt for rim salt on your margarita and leave the words 鈥�

Sometimes in travel, the journey is the reward. That is particularly true in Europe, where travellers can enjoy special trains, buses and boats that link destinations near and far, high and low, urban and rural, often through spectacular scenery.

MANAUS, Brazil The warning from our guide made clear that this 鈥渇orest walk鈥� would be anything but a leisurely stroll. 鈥淟ook before grabbing any branches because the ants bite.

A former imperial capital and the home of the czars, St. Petersburg is Russia鈥檚 most tourist-worthy city. Pastel palaces, bucolic gardens, commanding statues, and graceful waterways evoke romantic images of Peter the Great and the Romanov dynasty.

The Dolomites 鈥� the dramatic mountains along Italy鈥檚 northeast border 鈥� offer not only some of Europe鈥檚 most scenic alpine experiences, but a chance to encounter an intriguing mingling of cultures.