Travel Examiner

Beach view at Dream Inn hotel, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz Boardwalk for Twenty Four Hours of Teenage Fun

August 30, 2023September 11, 2023 California, California, Destinations

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. This summer our granddaughter, Lauren, visited California on her own for the first time. On her last family

Share

Domo, and restaurant Cefalù, Sicily, Italy

In Sicily, Dining with the Deities

August 11, 2023 Destinations, Italy

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. If I could sum up the Italian character in three words, I would say: emotive, social, gastronomic. Of

Share

Jagmandir Palace on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, the white city, Rajasthan, India

Colorful Rajasthan: India’s Scenic State in Five Days, Part Two

August 8, 2023 Destinations 1

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. Feature Image: Jagmandir Palace on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, the white city In Part One, I viewed tigers

Share

The lakeshore in Udaipur at Gangaur Ghat , Rajasthan, India

Colorful Rajasthan: India’s Scenic State in Five Days, Part One

August 1, 2023 Destinations

Story and Photos By Libor Pospisil. Feature image: The lakeshore in Udaipur at Gangaur Ghat (described in Part Two). Rajashan’s beauty comes from the

Share

Temple of Concord, Valle die Templi in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy

Sicily for the Magic, the Lore and the History of Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

July 19, 2023July 19, 2023 Destinations 1

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. A month is a trickle of time to tackle Sicily’s landscape, temples, and architecture. I flew into Northwestern

Share

Benediction statue, Villa San Giovanni, Sicily, Italy

Sicily With Unpredictable Events Connecting to Chance Encounters

June 28, 2023June 28, 2023 Destinations, Italy 2

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. Sicily to Rome by train was never on the map of my travel itinerary.Then nature intervened. My flight

Share

Mendocino Coast Adventures: Wine, Food and So Much More

May 21, 2023May 22, 2023 California, Destinations, Mendocino County, WineTasting

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. Mendocino is 1.4 times larger than my home state of Delaware. This may explain why I am always

Share

Cabrillo Point Lighthouse, Mendocino, California

On the Mendocino Coast, a Frolic on the Rocks

April 14, 2023April 14, 2023 Destinations 1

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. In 1850, Frolic, a sailing ship bound from China to San Francisco with cargo for the Gold Rush,

Share

Femme piquee par un serpent (Mamadou Gueye), 2022. Photo: Ugo Carmeni/COURTESY Kehinde Wiley and FAMSF

The U.S. premiere of “Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence” creates sacred space at San Francisco’s de Young Museum.

April 7, 2023 Art and Architecture, California, Carol, Destinations 4

Story by Carol Canter. Digging through “An Archaeology of Silence,” the powerful Kehinde Wiley exhibition at San Francisco’s de Young Museum, feels like an

Share

Sunset at Kaimana Beach with windsock faintly visible on the left. (Photo by Carol Canter)

An Ode to Swimming

April 3, 2023April 4, 2023 California, Carol, Destinations

A personal tribute to my fellow “swimmin’ women,” to the swim-themed room at the Joan Brown Retrospective at SFMOMA, and to the inspiring film

Share

California Skiing, Lake Tahoe, California

California Dreaming: A Nod to my Love Affair Skiing the Golden State

March 25, 2023March 25, 2023 Destinations 1

Story by Stephanie Levin. My love affair with skiing began in the cradle of the San Bernardino Mountains with the first snowfall. Four of

Share

Marin Headlands, Marin County, Northern California

Traveling the Continent’s Edge on a California North Coast Journey

March 21, 2023March 21, 2023 Destinations 2

Story by Carol Canter. (Feature Image: Marin Headlands, Rodeo Beach) Traveling north from San Francisco on Highway 1, one of the world’s most glorious

Share

Cartagena, Colombia: Colorful, Compelling, Festive

February 4, 2023February 14, 2023 Columbia, Destinations

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. The flight from the U.S. to Cartagena lasted only three hours, but those were excruciating hours for me.

Share

Sleigh Rides highlight a winter holiday in Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland near the Arctic Circle.

Santa-bound for a holiday visit to Finnish Lapland

December 21, 2022 Destinations 4

Story by Carol Canter with Photos by Jack Heyman. Dashing through the snow, meeting Santa with his reindeer, and awaiting the Northern Lights; all

Share

Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California

Tomales Point, a hike for all seasons at Point Reyes National Seashore

October 28, 2022November 1, 2022 California, Destinations, Wildflowers 3

Story by Carol Canter with photos by Lee Daley. Tule Elk grazed on the grasslands along the Tomales Point Trail, seemingly indifferent to the

Share

Perusing Paris at Night

August 23, 2022 Destinations, France, Paris, Stephanie

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. The first time I heard “My Father” lyrics by Judy Collins: “my father always promised me we would

Share

The Redwood Room, Clift Hotel, San Francisco, California

The Redwood Room in San Francisco

August 11, 2022August 12, 2022 Destinations

Review by Lee Daley Welcome to the Redwood Room—an unforgettable San Francisco destination just steps away from downtown Union Square. Whether at the bar,

Share

The Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicolás, Granada, Spain

Granada, Spain Is Now a Short Journey Away

June 9, 2022 Destinations, Train Travel, Train Travel

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. (Feature Image: The Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicolás) It used to be hard to get to Granada.

Share

Corsica Rond Point and the Stick Shift Saga

June 4, 2022 Destinations, Mediterranean, Stephanie

Story by Stephanie Levin. Let me put my domestic and international driving record into perspective: it’s perfect. My foray into driving began with the

Share

Ironstone Vineyards, Calaveras County, Gold Country, Sierra Nevada Mountain foothills, California

Calaveras County for Mining, Hiking, Biking, Wining, Dining, Fishing, Camping and Jumping with Mark Twain’s Frogs.

May 10, 2022April 14, 2023 California, California, Destinations, Winery News, WineTasting 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Gold country in the Sierra mountain foothills is just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from San Francisco. For my wife

Share

Napa Valley Wine Train, Napa County, California

All Aboard to Napa On One Train and Two Wineries

April 30, 2022May 4, 2022 Destinations

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. Onboard the Napa Valley Wine Train, the staff welcomed us with a refreshing “Napa Valley breakfast,” a mimosa

Share

View of the Golden Gate Bridge from Angel Island State Park, Marin County, San Francisco Bay, California

Angel Island escapes into nature, spectacular views and California history

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022 Destinations 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Longing for a little recreational travel experience and a brief break in the pandemic humdrum, an Angel Island

Share

Yosemite 2022, Yosemite National Park, California

Did you want to visit Yosemite this Summer 2022 but didn’t have a Reservation?

March 21, 2022November 16, 2022 Destinations

Here were some options that might work in 2023. “It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was

Share

Carneros by the water at Bouchaine winery (Photo: Deborah Grossman)

Get Acquainted with Carneros Wine Country: Chill Out and Enjoy the View

March 20, 2022March 22, 2022 Destinations

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. “The Carneros wine region is like Switzerland,” said Jon Priest, General Manager and Winemaker at Etude winery. “Carneros

Share

Howelson Hill, Ski town USA©, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Ski Town USA© nurtures Olympic medal winners in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

January 20, 2022 Colorado, Destinations

Story by Stephanie Levin with ski-jump photos by Rory Clow. Travel is always filled with surprises, especially over beer and conversation on a soft

Share

John Steinbeck’s Valley of the World Revisited: A Photo Essay

November 15, 2021 California, California, Destinations 1

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. A ranch in “the wilder hills” from Old Stage Road “I would like to write the story

Share

Travel Amtrak’s Scenic Coast Starlight from Seattle to Southern California.

November 9, 2021 California, Destinations

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. “The journey is too fast, it passes too quickly; what a yearning I have now for long journeys!”

Share

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

August 17, 2021 Destinations

Hiking, biking, soaking in Steamboat Springs pristine mountain air. Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. Like many people in 2021, I chose domestic over

Share

Rainforest Symphony in the Amazon jungle, Peru

Rainforest Symphony in the Peruvian Amazon

August 11, 2021 Destinations

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. An all-women’s hike through the Amazon rainforest with two barefoot professors. “Para bailar la bamba, Para bailar la

Share

View from the terrace at the back of the Capitoline Hill, Hidden Rome, Italy

Hidden Rome: A New Way to Explore the City

August 3, 2021August 5, 2021 Destinations

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. In June 2021, Italy opened its borders to tourists from a range of countries, including the U.S., and

Share

The Top of the Mark, InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco, CA

A venerable San Francisco comfort zone closed but didn’t succumb

July 15, 2021March 2, 2023 Destinations 2

The Top of the Mark, an iconic landmark, is reopened. Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Updated March 2, 2023 The Mark Hopkins Hotel

Share

A Safe Get Away to Hawaii’s Big Island

June 12, 2021June 12, 2021 Big Island Hawaii, Destinations, Hawaii

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Lyrics recorded by The Animals in 1965 have been running through my mind lately.“We gotta get outta o’

Share

Yosemite in Winter

February 25, 2021 California, Destinations 2

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. I whirled around the skating rink in Yosemite National Park, under a full moon illuminating Half Dome. As

Share

Point Sur Lightstation, Monterey County, California

Point Sur Lightstation: A Haunted Ghost Town on Prime Big Sur Real Estate

February 18, 2021 Big Sur, California, California, Destinations 1

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. Towering three-hundred feet above the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean, one of California’s most faithfully restored

Share

Juniper Canyon trail to High Peaks, The Pinnacles National Park, California

Rock Star Birding in Big Sur

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020 Big Sur, California, Destinations 2

Story and photos by David A. Laws. “Birdwatchers look at birds. Birders look for them” – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Birdwatching, feeding

Share

Pikes Peak viewed from Cloud Camp, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Up and Away to Colorado Springs: Exploring the Wild West at The Broadmoor

October 7, 2020October 8, 2020 Colorado, Destinations

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. At 9,200’ with a view of Pikes Peak, the inspiration for “America the Beautiful,” I got chills on

Share

Burley Market Cross, New Forest National Park, Burley, Hampshire, UK

Dragons, Ghosts and Witches: Every Night is Halloween in Burley

October 2, 2020 Destinations

Story and Photos by David A. Laws For most of us, dragons, ghosts, and witches raise goosebumps but once a year. For the citizens

Share

Anaeho'omalu Bay, Kohala, Big Island, Hawaii

Hawaii’s Kohala Coast-Legend and Lore

September 17, 2020September 29, 2020 Big Island Hawaii, Destinations, Hawaii, Stephanie

Story by Stephanie Levin. Update 9/29/20: Hawaiian Airlines has implemented a Keeping You Safe program and is now offering 36 hour and same-day drive-up

Share

Beach in Wai’anapanapa state park, Maui, Hawaii

Two Roads to Paradise on Maui

August 30, 2020September 29, 2020 Destinations 1

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Update 9/29/20: Hawaiian Airlines has implemented a Keeping You Safe program and is now offering 36 hour and

Share

Pyramid Mountain, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Summer tripping through the Canadian Rockies

August 21, 2020 Canada, Carol, Destinations, Wildflowers 1

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. Jasper: canoes, canyons and Charming Inns With daylight in the Canadian Rockies extending until almost 11 pm at

Share

Steinbeck, Discove Cottage, Somerset, UK

Steinbeck in Somerset: “The Time at Discove”

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 Destinations 2

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. “Bruton is the only spot in the world I have refused to see again since John died.”

Share

Monferrato region route, UNESCO heritage site, Monferrato area, Piedmont, Italy

Monferrato— A unique wine landscape of Piedmont, Italy

July 27, 2020 Destinations, Food and Wine, Italy, Winery News, WineTasting 1

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. When friends ask me to choose my favorite region of Italy, I never hesitate. It is always Piedmont.

Share

Celebrate Monterey’s 250th Birthday with a Virtual Tour

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 California, Destinations, Monterey 2

Story by David A. Laws. Monterey, California, planned a big celebration today, June 3, 2020, of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the

Share

The Nile Passage to Antiquity

May 4, 2020 Destinations, Egypt 1

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. The banks of the Nile looked golden in the late afternoon sun. A lone figure wearing a white

Share

Machine Gun Flats, Fort Ord National Monument, Monterey, California

Fort Ord National Monument: From Military Mayhem to Coastal Gem

April 27, 2020 California, California, Destinations, Fort Ord, Monterey, National Monuments, Wildflowers 2

Story and photos by David A. Laws. Beach Range, Engineer Canyon, Machine Gun Flats: These are not typical landscape features you’d expect to find

Share

In Germany the Carl Duisberg Japanese Garden

April 5, 2020June 4, 2020 Destinations, Europe, John 1

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. UPDATE 6/4/20: Although nonessential travel to Germany is prohibited at present, the land of poets and thinkers intends

Share

Sausalito Kayak Tour, Sausalito, California, full moon magic

Full moon and comet create kayak magic

March 29, 2020May 13, 2020 California, Carol, Destinations 2

Story by Carol Canter. Photos by Lee Daley. I was standing in a circle of 16 kayakers on Schoonmaker Beach in Sausalito at 6:30pm

Share

Golden Gate Park, Moon Garden, San Francisco, California

Splendor in the Grass: Golden Gate Park Celebrates 150 years and you are invited to the party

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 Destinations, San Francisco 2

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. San Francisco’s gorgeous gal, Golden Gate Park celebrates her 150th birthday in April. Like many in the Bay

Share

Chicago: A Dining and Cultural Gem

March 7, 2020March 8, 2020 Chicago, Destinations, Food and Wine, Hotel Reviews 1

Story and Photos by Deborah Grossman. My first visit to Chicago years ago was spent in crowded meeting rooms representing my company at an

Share

Sevanavank monastery on the shores of Lake Sevan, Armenia

Discovering the Treasures of Armenia

March 6, 2020March 11, 2020 Destinations, Europe, Mediterranean

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. Like any other monastery in Armenia, Sevanavank occupies a spot that is dramatic and definitely Instagram-able. The 9th-century

Share

Winston Churchill, RLS, & the Literary Chines of Bournemouth

Winston Churchill, RLS, and the Literary Chines of Bournemouth

February 17, 2020March 11, 2020 Destinations 2

Story by David A. Laws. Images from vintage postcards. “To plunge or not to plunge, that was the question!” – Winston Churchill. Dashing onto

Share

Golden Gate Bridge from Travis Marina, Fort Baker, Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California

Marin Headlands: Just Across the Golden Gate Bridge

February 3, 2020March 11, 2020 California, California, Destinations, John, Marin County, San Francisco 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Living in, or visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, we are blessed with the boundless beauties of nature.

Share

Note 1: Portion of 1982 Silicon Valley map by Maryanne Regal Hoburg. Courtesy: The David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford University Library

Exploring Silicon Valley’s High-Tech Heritage Trail

January 30, 2020March 11, 2020 Destinations

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. In an earlier article, “Silicon Valley High Tech Tourism: Selfies and Swag,” I reported a lighthearted survey

Share

Loire Valley: The True Heart of France

December 29, 2019June 4, 2020 Destinations, Europe, France, Loire Valley

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. UPDATE 6/4/20: Travelers who enter the country, with the exception of EU citizens or arrivals from the UK,

Share

Venice For The Weekend

December 26, 2019August 17, 2021 Destinations, Europe, Italy, John, Venice 1

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. UPDATE 6/4/20: Travelers from the EU, along with the UK and the microstates and principalities of Andorra, Monaco,

Share

Point Sur Naval Facility Tour, Big Sur, Monterey County, California

Point Sur Naval Facility Tour Reveals Cold War Secrets

November 27, 2019March 11, 2020 California, Destinations 3

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. John le Carré dismissed Cold War spy heroes as “A squalid procession of vain fools” in his

Share

The Temple of Athena, The Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Athens For The Weekend

November 16, 2019August 17, 2021 Destinations, Greece, Mediterranean 1

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. UPDATE 10/2/20: Greece announced and displayed spectacular new lighting for the Acropolis posting online images that are both

Share

Zebras at a communal pool deep in the Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa

Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa: Hunt for The Big Five

November 8, 2019March 11, 2020 Africa, Destinations, South Africa 2

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. Just one day left in the country – as usual. Going to the Kruger National Park, the ultimate

Share

A blizzard of Sanderlings on Moro Bay, California

A Blizzard of Sanderlings: Watching Wildlife on Morro Bay

October 24, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations, Morro Bay

Story and photos by David A. Laws – except as noted. (Feature image courtesy Danna Dykstra-Coy.) Our kayak slid effortlessly over the glassy-smooth water

Share

New York State of Mind, aka I’ll Take Manhattan

October 10, 2019January 10, 2020 Destinations, New York 7

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. Summer has turned to fall, and a long New York sojourn has ended, but I’m still in a

Share

Lebanon: Temples and Trees

September 10, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations, Lebanon, Lebanon 2

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. According to Elie’s plan, which I did not want to destroy, just expand, our first stop would be

Share

high tech tourism, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, California

Silicon Valley High Tech Tourism: Selfies and Swag

September 1, 2019March 11, 2020 California, California, Destinations, San Francisco 3

Story by David A. Laws. Personal digital devices and online social platforms are enabling a new kind of Silicon Valley tourism. Previously only of

Share

Metekhi Bridge and the Old Town of T'bilis, Republic of Georgia

T’bilisi, Georgia: a city of stone and glass

August 2, 2019June 4, 2020 Destinations, T'bilisi

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. UPDATE 6/4/20: Eager to revive its tourism sector, the country’s government says it plans to reopen to international

Share

Cityscape San Francisco Hilton Lounge and Bar with incredible bay and city views.Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

Hilton San Francisco Union Square Staycation

July 31, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations, San Francisco 3

Story by Carol Canter. Photos by Carol Canter and Jack Heyman. Sipping a sunset cocktail at Cityscape, from its sleek perch on the 46th

Share

Margerie Glacier, Glacier National Park, Alaska

Inside Alaska’s Inside Passage

July 26, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations 1

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. More than two million visitors a year traverse the great marine highway of Alaska’s Inside Passage in

Share

Hurtigruten "Midnatsol" in Geiranger fjord, Norway

Cruising Norway’s fjords aboard Hurtigruten’s ship Midnatsol

July 21, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations, Norway 3

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. With a 50th wedding anniversary to celebrate with family and friends and a life list of dream trips

Share

View of Sonoma Coast AVA, Russian River, from Thomas George vineyard in Guerenville

Russian River Rendezvous

July 20, 2019March 11, 2020 California, California, Destinations, Food and Wine, John, Russian River, Winery News, WineTasting 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. “Hurry up and drop your bags. We’ve been waiting for you”, urged Jersey Tom from the door of

Share

Cuba, Noted Travel Journalist Chris Baker, Havana, Cuba, Carriage Ride

Cuba: Updated Travel Advice from renowned Cuba author

June 29, 2019October 26, 2019 Cuba, Destinations, Lee, News 1

Story and Photos by Lee Daley Update Oct. 26, 2019 – NBC News Article “The Trump administration Tuesday introduced new travel restrictions on U.S.

Share

Colonial Guanajuato, Mexico

June 11, 2019June 4, 2020 Destinations, Mexico 2

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. UPDATE 6/4/20: Mexico is aiming to welcome visitors back within weeks. While the nation remains in lockdown, with

Share

A Pilgrimage to Wales: Or how I learned about the American invasions of Britain

June 6, 2019June 4, 2020 Destinations, Wales

Story by David A. Laws. UPDATE 6/4/20: While other destinations are relaxing travel restrictions and bringing in measures to lure travelers back, the UK

Share

Arequipa, Peru: between the desert and the volcano

May 16, 2019January 10, 2020 Destinations, Peru

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. As I was sitting on the second floor of an open-air café, I looked out of a stony

Share

Awaiting sunrise from Soda Point, Carrizo Gold - Sunrise to Super Bloom, Carrizo Plain National Monument, California's Serengeti, California

Carrizo Plain Gold – Sunrise to Super Bloom

April 29, 2019March 11, 2020 California, Destinations

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. I pulled my jacket close against the chill stirring of an early breeze. A heavy silence enveloped

Share

Masterpiece Mystery Tour, Midsomer County, Great Britain, England, UK

The Magical Masterpiece Mystery Tour

March 25, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations, UK 2

Story by David A. Laws. D.S. Jones: “This village is weird, sir” D.C.I. Barnaby: “Jones, they’re all weird.” From: Midsomer Murders: The Made-to-Measure Murders

Share

Mexico City in Roma film times and today,The family house that was used as the shooting location for the movie Roma, Roma Colonia, Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico City during Roma film times and today

March 15, 2019March 11, 2020 Destinations, Mexico, News 3

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. The walk toward the now-famous house was supposed to be just my early morning stretch. I left the

Share

Three Gorges Cruise on the Yangtze River, Chongqing, China

Yangtze River Cruise in the Three Gorges.

March 8, 2019November 29, 2021 Barge Tours, China, Cruises, Destinations, John 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. A Yangtze River cruise was never high on my list of travel options, but it should have been.

Share

Cruising the Galapagos Islands with Ecoventura

March 7, 2019March 11, 2020 Cruises, Destinations, Galapagos Islands 7

Story and Photos by Carol Canter. When my daughter was a young child, we learned the courtship dance of the blue-footed boobies at the

Share

Colchagua Valley in Chile: not only for wine-sipping

February 13, 2019March 11, 2020 Chile, Destinations, Winery News, WineTasting 6

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. When I stepped onto the wooden viewing platform on Cerro Chaman, I could see the deep, wide valley

Share

MontereyMovieTours, Monterey, California

Monterey Peninsula: A Movie Star for the Ages

January 28, 2019March 11, 2020 California, Destinations, Monterey 2

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. Location. Location. Location. The real estate promoter’s mantra applies equally to the magicians of the silver screen.

Share

Visit Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa -From the Pool to the Table

January 27, 2019March 11, 2020 California, Destinations 2

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. Like a beacon of good will that is anchored in the history of a bygone era, the Flamingo

Share

The Shanghai Bund as viewed from the Vue Bar at the top of the Hyatt Hotel, Shanghai, China

Revisiting The Bund in Shanghai with Harry and Selma.

January 15, 2019March 11, 2020 China, Destinations, John, Shanghai 5

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Shanghai was where my Great Uncle Harry died and my Great Aunt Selma was imprisoned during World War-II.

Share

Monterey Harbor from Lower Presidio Historic Park, California

Monterey’s Mosaic Mural Memorializes Missions, Marauding Mariners & More

January 9, 2019March 11, 2020 California, Destinations, Monterey 4

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. With more Mexican-era adobe buildings preserved and restored in downtown Monterey than anywhere else in the state,

Share

Escape to Chimney Rock at Point Reyes National Seashore,San Francisco Bay Area, Marin County, Northern California, California (Photo: John Williamson)

Point Reyes San Francisco Escape

December 27, 2018March 11, 2020 California, Destinations, Marin County, San Francisco 3

Story by Lee Daley Photos by John Williamson & Lee Daley. We are blessed in the San Francisco Bay Area with the stunningly beautiful

Share

In the Footsteps of a Genius Outlaw in Malta

December 9, 2018March 11, 2020 Destinations, Malta 2

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. Many places in the world claim to sit at some kind of crossroads. Malta, a small island in

Share

AmaPrima in Traben-Trarbach, Middle Moselle river, Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Rhine and Moselle Fairytale Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel aboard AmaPrima

December 9, 2018March 11, 2020 Cruises, Destinations 6

Story by Carol Canter Photos by Carol Canter and Jack Heyman. My first Zumba class took place on the Sundeck of the Ama Prima,

Share

Blueberry Memories

November 26, 2018December 30, 2019 Destinations, Food and Wine

Story by Judith Horstman. All year long the color of blueberries sleeps in the mind’s eye, elusive. A few days each year, I go

Share

Helpston Village sign, John Clare Country: Bucolic landscape of the most famous English poet you have never heard of

John Clare Country: the bucolic landscape for the most famous English Peasant Poet you’ve never heard of

November 26, 2018March 11, 2020 Destinations, England, UK 3

Story and Photos by David A. Laws. Byron, Keats, Wordsworth – for a few brief months in 1820, when his first book of verse

Share

Tongjng Hot Springs Resort, Chongqing, China

Tongjing Hot Springs Resort – a Three Gorges diversion on the Yangtze River in China

November 23, 2018March 11, 2020 Destinations 4

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Travelers to China often tour to Beijing (one of the oldest cities in the world; the Great Wall),

Share

Midnight Truffle Hunt

November 21, 2018January 10, 2020 Destinations, Food and Wine, Italy

Story and Photos by Jacqueline Harmon Butler. Somewhere in the distance a church bell chimed the midnight hour. A heavy mist made visibility along

Share

Yucatán immersion cruise: culture, history, archeology and cuisine.

October 29, 2018November 13, 2021 Destinations 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Taking a page from Anthony Bourdain: “Travel is not reward for working, it’s education for living.” For me,

Share

John Steinbeck: “Something to do in Salinas”

October 24, 2018March 11, 2020 Destinations

Story and photos by David Laws. “There was always something to do in Salinas. For pure culture we had The World of Art, with

Share

Oslo to Bergen by Train, Norway by Train

Norway by train: across mountains and through time

October 19, 2018March 11, 2020 Destinations, Norway, Train Travel, Train Travel 1

Story and Photos by Libor Pospisil. Traveling through Norway by train, I boarded the coach at Oslo’s Sentralstasjon (Central Station) and made myself comfortable

Share

Slow and Easy for a Barge Cruise in Burgundy

October 17, 2018March 19, 2019 Barge Tours, Cruises, Destinations, France, WineTasting 1

Story and Photos by Jacqueline Harmon Butler. Taking things slow and easy was Tina Turner’s advice in her song “Proud Mary.” Well, I’m taking

Share

The Andes, Ollantaytambo, Peru, The Road to Machu Picchu, Cusco region, Peru

Road to Machu Picchu: Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes

October 6, 2018August 17, 2021 Agua Calientes, Destinations, John, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Peru, Road to Machu Picchu 2

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. This is the third article in a series entitled “Road to Machu Picchu.” My wife and I thought

Share

Last Song in Mazatlán

September 27, 2018March 19, 2019 Destinations, Mexico 4

Story and Photos by Robert W. Bone. MAZATLÁN – Life moves smoothly along the shores of this Pacific coast town. Sunbathers take their cue

Share

An Appetite for Lisbon

September 6, 2018October 22, 2018 Destinations, Food and Wine, Lisbon

Story and Photos by Wanda Hennig. A gastronomic walking tour takes us on a devouring orgy as we taste our way through ten of

Share

Road to Machu Picchu: Pisac in Highlands Peru

August 20, 2018August 17, 2021 Destinations, Peru, Pisac

Story and Photos by John Sundsmo. Our journey into the Sacred Valley of the Incas, on the road to Machu Picchu, began in Cusco

Share

Stepping out Solo in Paris

August 13, 2018October 29, 2018 Destinations, Food and Wine, France, Stephanie 2

Story and Photos by Stephanie Levin. Traveling alone for a woman affords multiple advantages: she meets people she would never mingle with when traveling

Share