As San Francisco Bay Area locals living just south of the city, we have many opportunities for great day trips and getaways. One of the well-known areas within our reach for short visits is the Napa Valley wine region. Recently, we took a ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train and had a tour of Long Meadow Ranch during a two night stay at the Napa River Inn. I'd previously heard very positive reviews of the hotel and can now understand why it gets … [Read more...]
What do Van Morrison, The Godfather of Punk, and Seamus Heaney have in Common?
There is a theory of “primitive affluence” that suggests that when a society has its primary needs met by Nature...food, shelter, clothing…then it will turn to creativity. Bali, a tropical island in Indonesia where the rich volcanic soil produces an abundance of food and materials for fabrics and building, is held as an example. The trope is that “everyone in Bali is an artist.” Yet, while it is true that most everyone spends days carving, … [Read more...]
Going Deutsch: The Pennsylvania Dutch Country is really German
John M. Edwards arrives like gangbusters in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, a fundamentalist locavore dreamscape straight out of the Harrison Ford flick “Witness.” When my British friend Vicky Langdale arrived at my apartment above Tullio’s Hair Salon in Westfield, New Jersey, I began brainstorming for something different to do, and I decided on a car trip to the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Both of us had seen the Harrison Ford movie … [Read more...]
A Fine Day on Kangaroo Island, South Australia
As you get older and experience more you innately lose some sense of youthful exuberance and excitement that is fueled at times by that awesome and rare combination of place, music, weather and experience. It has been a while since I truly felt this unique and rare inspiration on my travels, but today, Kangaroo Island certainly rekindled this for me. On such a fine day I needed music. Other genres of music have their appropriate times to … [Read more...]
Contiki set to Kick off #noregrets Adventure Challenge Around the World
Contiki gives away a trip each week throughout exciting 8-week campaign Anaheim, Calif. (February 10, 2014) – Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, an adventure taken on with passion and looked back on with absolutely no regrets. Sampling exotic tastes in Thailand and Spain, diving in the open waters of the Galapagos and speed boating through canyons in New Zealand – the world is home to countless adventures waiting to be explored. As the … [Read more...]
“Pelican Pete”, Kangaroo Island
"Pelican Pete" I called him. I never found out his real name or even if he has a nickname but I know that he has been feeding pelicans on Kangaroo Island for some time - "every day of the year", he said to the tune of $40,000 AUD for food for the birds. With "pelican feeder" as a job description, one needs an appropriate nickname! We pulled in to the Pelican dock around 445pm (the pelican feeding always starts at 5pm) near the small town of … [Read more...]
Disneyland for Romance
Having recently married, (an unlikely side effect of Obamacare) I seem to find my brain stuck in amorous overdrive - the unlikely beneficiary being my husband, with an impromptu trip for two to the Magic Kingdom. It’s true that many react incredulously to the idea of adults wanting to frolic in a place so firmly aimed at the juvenile but, as a child from Southern California, I have always loved Disneyland and my affection hasn’t waned one bit. … [Read more...]
The New Alchemists of Prague
Prague Spring Break: Bohemian Rhapsody or Bozo Nightmare? The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Time Traveler in Prague In a possessed city Kafka called “a mother with claws,” John M. Edwards discovers the unbearable lightness of being a tourist in overcrowded Prague. Here a cost comparison of Communist and Capitalist Prague reveals a long history of alchemy and occupation, sorcery and intrigue, apparatchik chic and uneasy redemption. Welcome … [Read more...]
Camels to Sounds of Silence, Uluru Australia
Riding Camels in Australia? I thought present day camels were native to parts of the Middle East and parts of the Horn of Africa? In fact they are, but were brought to this part of the country in 1840 from the Canary Islands. Nine camels were originally brought over - all but one died en route and that one was eventually killed - but then more arrived. More than fifteen hundred camels were released into the wild many generations ago - and … [Read more...]
How I Got My Glow On in St. Thomas
Three if by land, two if by sea. Sorry, Paul Revere, but you got lit up your way, I’ll do it mine. I was at Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort on St. Thomas recently, a glorious iconic resort perched high on a bluff and overlooking the capital city of Charlotte Amalie, which a few years ago did a $48-million renovation, jazzing up the spacious rooms (which start around $220 a night), and adding a fitness center, two pools, … [Read more...]
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