I consider my travel cup half empty there are so many other places in the world I want to see. But I have been fortunate to have seen so many places thus far, and some, like the great cities of New York and London and Paris, several times.
I count Old World countries of Europe among my favourites; I’m sure I once lived in the late 19th century, so drawn am I to turn of the century literature and art. (The Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg was fabulous.) Some countries, like Denmark, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and Egypt, and the little iles of Gurnsey, Rhodes and Cortez, were part of European and Mediterranean cruises, while other cities, like Porto and Budapest became part of river cruising, which we found very enjoyable. Some, like France, Chili, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Hong Kong and China (Shanghai), NZ and Australia, South Africa and Japan were destinations in themselves.
Winter getaways in sunshine destinations included Barbados and Turks & Cacois in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Cancun in Mexico and the Southern States of Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, and California. Arizona’s 363 days of sunshine and warm winters keep me coming back.
How I wish I had kept a journal of all those trips. A few years ago, I promised I would write about my travels and, in hope of many more trips to come, have devoted a section of my site for more such tales, hence the blog moniker word traveller.
U.S. travel stories
Back when Canadian newspapers accepted freelance travel stories, I was fortunate enough to have vacationed in the US and several of the stories I brought back were published.
Arizona, the 48th and last state to join the Union, is brimming with quirks and contradictions. This southwestern state has red rock mountains and pine tree forests and hot dry deserts. It’s got the Grand Canyon, one of the 7 wonders of the world, and a mile wide meteorite crater in the Colorado Plateau. It’s got relics from the old wild west days, the best night views of the stars and somewhere out in the empty cold desert, the place to observe UFOs. Leave the big city of Phoenix behind and head to some of the quaint little spots.
Check out my Travel section to see three stories about off the beaten path locations in this desert state.
The Old South is beautifully preserved by locals in the secluded six-square kilometre garden city of Savannah, Georgia.You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the existence of this charming town that surrendered to major-general Sherman in 1864 to avoid being razed to the ground. We are delighted and thankful for this quaint piece of living history. If you’ve read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil you’ll enjoy this travel story even more.
It’s hard to believe only five per cent of Californian wines come from the counties of Napa and Sonoma, in Northern California. Napa is famous for its Cabs while Sonoma was the first county to start growing grapes 160 years ago. Add in the world-renowned cuisine and vine-woven hills and you have the makings of a perfect cycling trip through wine country. Well, it started perfect, as you’ll see from this 6 day account.
Please check out the travel category for more published stories.
word traveller 