The Bracebridge Dinner at The Ahwahnee is a long-held Christmas tradition at Yosemite National Park. Each December, The Ahwahnee hotel dining hall is transformed into a 17th century English manor where guests are invited to join Squire Bracebridge for a Christmas celebration. This 4-hour Yuletide celebration is a dazzling whirl of singing, acting, and pageantry which revolves around a 7-course feast. Obviously, I had been wanting to attend this venerable dinner pageant since I first heard about it several years ago. This year for Christmas instead of exchanging gifts, Ethan and I spent three days and nights in Yosemite and attended the Bracebridge Dinner at The Ahwahnee Hotel. If you are interested in attending or just want to find out more about this event, read on and we’ll tell you how to attend and share our experience of attending the Ye Olde Bracebridge Dinner at Yosemite. Some History, Information, and… Read the rest
A Guide to Going to the Movies in France
How hard can it be to go to the movies in France? We found out it is not super difficult, but it did turn out to be a bit trickier than we expected. While in Paris this past Spring, we decided after a long travel day that we wanted to see a film. We found the film listings in Pariscope, but then we were a bit surprised to have some difficulty interpreting the movie listings across the multitude of cinemas in Paris. What is the difference between v.o. and v.f. films? What does sf Lun mean? How do I make sure I am seeing the new release of the movie and not an older version? At the time, we couldn’t locate any good online English resources to help us interpret the movie listings, so we thought we’d share our experience and tips here to help others who may be trying… Read the rest
Top Five Things to do in the Southern Part of Yosemite National Park
While the Yosemite Valley is the most popular place to visit during a trip to Yosemite National Park, the Southern part of the park near Wawona should not be missed. A visit to the Southern part of Yosemite offers the park’s largest group of ancient giant sequoia trees, the best place to learn about the history of Yosemite, the historic Victorian-era Wawona Hotel, and less crowded hiking and climbing opportunities. One of the great highlights to many visits to Yosemite National Park is a walk among the ancient giant sequoia trees in the Mariposa Grove. If you are interested in spending some time in the south end of the park, then read on to discover our list of the top five things to do in the southern end of the Yosemite National Park. If this is your first trip to Yosemite, you might start by reading our article on planning… Read the rest
Planning a Day at Yosemite National Park: An Introduction to the Yosemite Valley
The Yosemite National Park in California is one of the many gems of the American National Park System. Yosemite National Park is a World Heritage Site known for its giant granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear rivers and streams, ancient Giant Sequoia tree groves, large meadows, and a wilderness that supports a variety of wildlife. The passing of the 1864 Yosemite Land Grant by President Abraham Lincoln was the first instance of park land being set aside specifically for preservation and public use by the United States, and set a precedent for the 1872 creation of Yellowstone as the first official national park and the beginning of the National Park System. While this giant park encompasses over 750,000 acres of land, most people only spend time in the popular 7 acres known as the Yosemite Valley. Ethan and I just visited Yosemite National Park for the first time last week and we share a… Read the rest
Travel Research: Slum Tourism in South Africa
Today I would like to focus on the topic of slum tourism in South Africa, also known as township tourism. Slum tourism is defined as the practice of travelers visiting poor urban areas of the Global South to view its impoverished conditions and understand more of the lifestyles of local inhabitants. Organized slum tourism tours exist around the world in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Cairo, and Mumbai. Slum tourism is a controversial issue and I have written about the different viewpoints and potential pros and cons of this practice in a previous article that focused on research about slum tourism in Cairo, Egypt. This post will specifically focus on the research of a fellow researcher and blogger, Jeanett Andrea Søderstrøm who runs a blog called The Gipsy Giraffe, writing about her travels, passions, life, and research. Although born in Norway, her holiday travels… Read the rest
Philosophers’ Walk in Heidelberg, Germany
The Philosophers Walk in Heidelberg, or the Philosophenweg, is a path located on the northern banks of the Neckar River in Heidelberg, Germany. Historically, this was just a simple rough path through the vineyards; however, it would later be renamed Philosophenweg during the Romantic Period because of the many professors and philosophers of Heidelberg who enjoyed the path for its solitude, natural beauty, and great views of the town. Today, this path is still there, complete with gardens and informational plaques, offering lovely views of the Neckar River, Old Town of Heidelberg, and Heidelberg Castle. These views of Heidelberg from along this path are said to have inspired the famous German poets Joseph von Eichendorff and Friedrich Hölderlin in their writings. On our recent trip to Germany, we stopped in Heidelberg specifically to see the views along this path and see if we could indeed find some of that solitude and beauty… Read the rest
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse: A Little Town in Provence with a Giant Spring
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is a small Luberon town in Provence France. It is most famous for being the town where the source of the Sorgue River is located, which gives the town its name. The Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is the largest spring in France and one of the most powerful resurgent springs in the world. The main reason it is a tourist attraction is that the spring happens to be located in an enclosed valley at the mouth of a cave, surrounded by high cliffs with a ruined castle located high above, making it quite a picturesque site. The area is also famous for being the place where the Renaissance Italian poet and scholar Petrarch wrote about his love for Laura de Noves. Most travelers, like us, come here before or after a visit to nearby L’Isle sur la Sorgue to examine the source of all the water that runs throughout the pretty town…. Read the rest
Fun & Wacky Museums: Our Visit to California’s PEZ Museum
This weekend Ethan and I visited the Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia—that’s right a PEZ Museum! The one-room museum is dedicated to the history of this iconic candy and displays over 800 unique PEZ dispensers. It was voted one of the “top 50 American roadside attractions” by TIME.com and has the world’s largest PEZ dispenser on display! In addition to PEZ, the museum also includes exhibits on classic toys and banned toys. After hearing that this quirky museum was located so close to us, we had to stop by and check it out. We grabbed our PEZ dispenser (Batman) and headed to Burlingame, California to learn about PEZ candy. Basic Information about the PEZ Museum Here is some basic information for planning your visit to the PEZ Museum. Location? The Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia is located at 214 California Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010. It is located in San Mateo… Read the rest
Market Days in Provence: Visiting the L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Sunday Market
The L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Sunday market is the largest outdoor market in the idyllic Luberon area within the Provence region of France. The large Sunday market at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is a food market, flea market, and antique market rolled into one so you can buy everything from olives to fine art here. The town itself stretches across the Sorgue River—earning it the nickname “Venice of Provence”—and makes a very lovely backdrop to this large market with its shade-providing plane tress, babbling river, historic waterwheels, and flower-filled riverside cafés and restaurants. The town is famous for being a big hub for antique dealers and is the second largest antique center in France (after Paris). Interested in visiting this famous Sunday market? We’ll share everything you need to know to plan your trip to the L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Sunday market and tell you about our own experience visiting L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Basic Information on Visiting the Sunday Market at Isle… Read the rest
Secret Sweater Cardigan: A Perfect Travel Accessory for Women who Layer their Clothing
The Secret Sweater cardigan may be the perfect travel accessory for women looking for a way to layer their clothing without the bulk. It is a lightweight but durable sweater that works well as a hidden middle layer of warmth or as a fashionable outer layer. While not created exclusively with travel in mind, the Secret Sweater cardigan can help keep you warm on your travels, whether it involves exploring ancient ruins, perusing air-conditioned museums, or sipping coffee at outdoor cafés. I was excited to try out the Secret Sweater cardigan over the past several weeks and I share my experiences below. I have found the Secret Sweater cardigan to have a number of uses and it has become a valuable addition to my wardrobe. NOTE: Since this article was written Secret Sweater has closed and it appears the last Secret Sweater products were sold in 2018. We do have… Read the rest
A Guide to Rothenburg ob der Tauber: Planning a Perfect Day in Rothenburg Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a cute medieval town in Germany that is the perfect place to spend a day or two. Rothenburg has a lot to offer visitors, including photo-perfect medieval views, tons of shopping, a few interesting museums, a spectacular 500-year-old wood carving, and one of the funniest one-hour walking tours in Germany. Rothenburg is also the place to go if you want to get into the Christmas spirit as it hosts one of the most popular Christmas markets in the world. So if you are planning a trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we’ll provide you with a good general guide of how to plan a day in Rothenburg, give you our top seven things to do in Rothenburg, and provide tips based on our own visit to Rothenburg. Basic Information about Rothenburg ob der Tauber How to Get Here? You can arrive and depart via car,… Read the rest
Computer History Museum: A Museum for Geeks Located in the Heart of Silicon Valley
The Computer History Museum contains the largest international collection of computer-related artifacts in the world and the museum’s exhibits guide you through the past 2,000 years of computing history. Depending on your background, that sentence may either get you excited or have you wondering why on earth someone would pay to see a collection of outdated computer hardware. However, whether you are interested in computers or not, this is a first-class museum that contains an amazing amount of artifacts and information. It is also not all about mainframes and supercomputers, but has exhibits about computer games, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, and robots. At what other museum can you learn how to do calculations using Napier’s bones, play Pong, see models of the earliest computers, hear the personal stories of the foremost innovators in the technology industry, and learn the role that computers have played in almost every aspect of our… Read the rest
Tea in Paris: Afternoon Tea at Mariage Frères
A cup of tea from Mariage Frères always reminds me of Paris, France. Interestingly, for most people tea does not come to mind when they think of Paris. People generally imagine Parisians at cafés chatting over coffee and wine (and maybe even absinthe à la Hemingway) rather than sitting down for afternoon tea. It’s true, Paris isn’t London or Beijing, but tea has been gaining popularity in the City of Lights over the last few decades and tea rooms and afternoon tea services have been popping up all over Paris. We’ll take you on a quick tour of the oldest tea company in France, Mariage Frères (translated: Mariage Brothers), which was founded in 1854. We love their teas and we were excited to finally make it to one of their tea salons for a cup of tea and some pastries during our last visit to Paris. Some Basic Information about… Read the rest
17-Mile Drive Visitor Guide: Scenic Drive in Pebble Beach California
The 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California first opened in 1881 to horse-drawn carriages and has since become one of the most famous scenic drives in the world. 17-Mile Drive is a privately owned 2-lane road that winds its way along the Monterey Peninsula through the Del Monte Forest, along the rocky Pacific Coast, and alongside several popular golf courses, including the world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Links. Even if you don’t have the money to spend on the expensive shopping, dining, and golfing at Pebble Beach, you get still get some million-dollar views of Monterey Bay, rocky beaches, cypress trees, marine animals, birds, exclusive homes, and famous golf courses by taking this coastal drive. We’ll provide all the basic information you need to know to take the 17 Mile Drive, share some tips and advice so you can get the most out of your trip, and tell you about… Read the rest
Travel Blogging: The Importance of Your Physical Blogging Space
As I have been travel blogging for several months now, I have begun to realize how important my blogging space is to me—by which I literally mean my physical blogging space. This past week, I have been trying to write posts from a hospital as Ethan has been recovering from surgery this past week (he was born with a congenital heart problem), While I thought that having hours and hours to sit around each day would allow me to still blog, I haven’t written a single post this past week. In addition to the obvious stress of the situation, the hospital is not a place I can work with bustling healthcare professionals, loud beeping sounds, blinking lights, and constant interruptions. I recently wrote a guest post on Kate’s Diary of an Essex Girl blog about physical blogging space after a recent move, and this last week trying to work in a… Read the rest