4 . . 3 . . 2 . .1 . . 0: Mouths hang open and a look of shock plagues their faces. The Saints fans in New Orleans watch the final moments of the game in disbelief, and for ten seconds following the moment of victory, not a word is spoken. They’re still trying …

Our goal was to get people interested in history… from a different angle,” says Upplev Mer owner Anna Broman. So far it seems to be working.

Sweden’s national parks and nature reserves (over 3,200 reserves in total) cover 12% of the country’s surface area, and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a diversity of stunning landscapes in such a small area and in such a short amount of time.

In Sweden, all are encouraged to maximize usage of the outdoors under a common law privilege called the “right of public access,” or as the Swedes call it, “Allemansrätten”

What I witnessed on her return is now a mental picture of my mother, forever frozen in time.

For the first time during the deployment I felt stripped of my uniform; it was as if for a moment we were somewhere else, forgetting the unfortunate circumstances surrounding us. She wanted to understand my world and my culture just as much as I wanted to understand hers.

They radiated samba-reggae rhythms while they drummed in a performance titled “Global Vigil in Support of the Women of Congo.”

If you’re one of the lucky tourists, you might even run into what I call the “Legends of Savannah.”

Do not fight over beads. Remember, at the end of the day they are just plastic, although somehow we’re convinced that they’re worth more than gold during the parades.

The place to be is in uptown New Orleans, on St. Charles Street in the Garden District area. It offers a little more of the easygoing “laissez les bon temps roulez” (let the good times roll) temperament of the natives without the pushing and shoving that you are more likely to experience downtown.