Category: Travel

 

Traveling the world has been a long time passion. this is where I share all my  travel stories and experiences.

A Paris to Chartres Day Trip – Exploring One of France’s Greatest Cathedrals

I discovered that a Paris to Chartres day trip was an easy escape to see the historic Chartres Cathedral with its beautiful stained glass windows. I also enjoyed discovering the quaint and not overtly touristy town of Chartres.

If you are not “churched” out after a visit to Paris, then take a Paris to Chartres day trip, to see one of the greatest Gothic churches still in existence, along with a quant French town that will not be overly touristy.

The Chartres Cathedral is considered the pinnacle of high Gothic architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. As one of the best preserved Gothic churches, it is still adorned with most of the original sculptures and numerous beautifully detailed stained glass windows.

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A Day in Versailles at a Golden Palace Designed to Impress

Louis XIV’s palace and gardens at Versailles are a popular excursion from Paris. If you have the time, I suggest spending a day in Versailles to have enough time to explore the palace and vast gardens. I share my impressions of Versailles and also trips on how to get there and how to make the most of your time.

For King Louis XIV of France, size mattered. There is nothing small about the Palace of Versailles and its gardens. Along with size, there is also lots of bling. He built it purposely to impress and overwhelm, feelings that are as much a part of a visit today as they were 350 years ago when the palace was built. Spend a day in Versailles and let yourself be awed by the experience. Continue reading “A Day in Versailles at a Golden Palace Designed to Impress”

Impressions of Monet – Spend a Day in Giverny in Monet’s Garden

A day in Giverny is an easy trip from Paris for all those that are fans of Clause Monet impressionist paintings. I am sharing all the information you need to make this an easy excursion by train from Paris.

If like me, you like impressionist paintings and gardens, then a day trip to Claude Monet’s home in Giverny is a must. Giverny is about 50 miles northwest of Paris and can easily be reached by train for a relaxing scenic break from the busy Paris scene. Continue reading “Impressions of Monet – Spend a Day in Giverny in Monet’s Garden”

My Memories of the Eiffel Tower – Is the Eiffel Tower Worth Visiting?

Is the Eiffel Tower worth visiting? After visiting this famous icon numerous times over the past 20+ years, I would definitely still say yes!

For about 4000 years or so, the tallest man made structure was the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, with an original height of 481 feet. A few European cathedrals eventually topped out a bit higher than the pyramid, but they also didn’t reach heights much above 500 feet. Even the Washington Monument built in 1884 was only 555 feet high and only held the tallest structure title for 5 years.

Then, in 1889, Gustave Eiffel built his tower as the entrance for the Paris World’s Fair, and in one fell swoop, almost doubled the height of the tallest building in the world with his tower topping out at 986 feet. The Eiffel Tower has since become one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and the defining icon for the City of Lights. For me, the Eiffel Tower is also  entwined with many memorable visits to Paris over the past 20+ years. Continue reading “My Memories of the Eiffel Tower – Is the Eiffel Tower Worth Visiting?”

Famous Churches in Paris – Gothic at its Best

The French invented Gothic architecture and Paris is one of the easiest places to experience it. Within a twenty minute walk of the Cathedral of Notre Dame are a number of other historic and famous churches in Paris that should also not be missed.

There are many beautiful and famous churches in Paris, France, but the grand dame Gothic Paris church is without a doubt the Cathedral of Notre Dame. And while visitors flock to see it, within a twenty minute walk are a number of  other lovely historic churches that also should not be missed. Read on to discover some of the other churches of Paris at their Gothic best. Continue reading “Famous Churches in Paris – Gothic at its Best”

A Costa Rica Cooking Class – Forging Local Connections On An Atypical Cruise Excursion

A traditional Costa Rica cooking class showed me that I could still make local connections in a meaningful way on a cruise ship excursion.

I love cruising, but I am very picky about my cruise excursions. Typical ship excursion involve big busses and large tour groups that take passengers to the most popular sights. This may let you check off one more item on the “bucket list” but does nothing to provide a true connective experience to the local culture or the environment.

However, on my recent Princess Cruise through the Panama Canal, a ship excursion in Costa Rica billed as one of their “Local Connections” program had me intrigued. The tour promised to take us to the Macaw ecolodge high in the rainforest where we would take part in a cooking experience using locally grown ingredients. This sounded quite appealing and would not be something I could easily do on my own, so I signed up and hoped for unique glimpse into Costa Rican culture.

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A Full Transit Panama Canal Cruise – Passing Through an Engineering Marvel

A full transit Panama Canal cruise was on my travel wish list for a long time. I finally had the chance to experience it and was not disappointed.

There are some places on this planet that are easiest to experience from the deck of a ship – the Panama Canal is one of those sights. This “Engineering Marvel” was built to aid in the faster transport of goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus bypassing the long and hazardous journey around South America and Cape Horn.

But transiting through the Panama Canal has also become a very popular cruise ship destination. I recently took a  16 day full transit Panama Canal cruise from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco on the Ruby Princess and going through the canal was the highlight of my cruise.

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One Day in Cartagena, Columbia – A Colorful, Independent Cruise Excursion

I had only one day in Cartagena, Columbia on my Panama Canal cruise and I made the most of it by exploring the city’s UNESCO listed sights on my own.

2022 NATJA awardThis story was recognized by the North American Travel Journalists Association with a Silver award in the Photography – Cover or Feature Photo/Illustration category in the 2022 annual media travel awards competition .

The first stop on my Ruby Princess full transit Panama Canal cruise was Cartagena, Columbia. This was my first visit to Columbia, and I would only have six hours in port so I was going to make the most of it. My focus for my one day in Cartagena was on the UNESCO listed Old Town and the nearby Fort Castillo de San Filipe de Barajas.

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