Destinations Archive September 2014

When we were planning our summer 2014 trip to France, we decided to start with a week in the south before our two weeks in Paris, and one of the planned items on our "bucket list" was a long drive through the picturesque villages of the Luberon...

    Gumbo's on the go again, leaving the world of French parks and taking a journey to this place.     THE RULES Share your suggestions, hints and discussions with others by posting them here as comments... If you absolutely know...

  "Cannery Row...is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream." — John Steinbeck, from his novel ' Cannery Row'   Wow!    With a beautifully written introduction like that,...

Paris's Parc des Buttes Chaumont, in the eastern part of the city, can fool you. In this case, it fooled all but PortMoresby, who somehow knew this seemingly tropical wilderness, with its sketchy bridge and photographed through falling rain, was...

  I recently spent 3 days in Rio de Janiero. It is a big city, one that has thrust itself into the 20th century. It is a center of banking and business, home to Petrobras and the former capital of Brazil. It is also home to some of the iconic...

There are hundreds of churches in Paris, many even sharing names, but my favorite of the moment is Saint-Jean de Montmartre, which must be among the most unusual in the city. Its history is not that of centuries and kings and great events, like Notre...

  Tuktoyaktuk is a village on the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Canada. It has a population of about 950. About 80% of the population are Inuvialuit (formerly known as Eskimos but they have reverted to their original name instead of the one that...

A small recap of my "No. 1" article, if I may. Each July, just for one day, the Wingfield-Digby family put on one of the best shows of automotive excellence in England that I have had the pleasure to attend. The venue is the historically...

  Lynn Millar spotted Gumbo's last locale, the faux-Bavarian village of Leavenworth, WA.   But Gumbo hates when everyone knows where he's gone, and he's now taken himself far from there...but where?   Can you and your fellow Gumbo...

  Officially called the Pigeon Point Light Station, it’s been my sentinel, standing at the edge of my personal territory, telling me I’m nearing, or leaving, my family on the coastside of the Bay Area, south of San Francisco.  I...

  Gumbo was visiting the small town of Leavenworth (population ~ 2000) in Washington state.  Leavenworth is situated on the eastern slopes of the Cascade mountains only a few hours drive from Seattle.  Gumbo has only visited this town...

  When you visit a city for the first time—especially if it's just a short stop—you can't do much more than grab a quick general view, and promise yourself to return. It's sort of like the New York Times' "36 Hours In..." series, and...

    One of my favorite regions to hike is anywhere near the transition between the great Central Plains and the Rocky Mountains.  The region offers opportunity to explore several ecosystems and to enjoy grand panoramic views of the...

  Gumbo's on the move again.  Having left the halls of knowledge and learning, this time he's visiting a town in the mountains.  Gumbo likes the ambiance of this town.     THE RULES Share your suggestions, hints and...

Roderick Simpson seems to always know where TravelGumbo is...the Puzzlers have had a hard time hiding from him, and once again he's found the answer. He's so good at it, we've invited him to join the crew of Puzzlers...   The Library of Congress...

This year is the 40th anniversary that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's Home Run record and a great time to see Hank Aaron's Childhood Home and Museum. I  had a chance to go to Mobile, Alabama this past month and see the home.  It's an...

  Just outside of Puerto Vallarta, set along the Bay, is a large aquatic facility, housing dolphins and several sea lions, along with a few other exotic animals. There are many opportunities to interact with the sea life, but we chose to do the...

Each July, just for one day, the Wingfield-Digby family put on one of the best shows of automotive excellence in England that I have had the pleasure to attend. The venue is the historically highly-significant Sherborne Castle in Dorset county,...

  Gumbo was ridden out of town (or at least Western Canada) by PortMoresby and by Roderick Simpson, who recognized the rail bridge at Lethridge, Alberta. So Gumbo's taken himself to other places, and now finds himself contemplating the contrast...

  Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not really a believer in “things happen for a reason”, more a believer in “things happen”.  But I will say I was lucky, one day last month, to be waiting at a stop sign...

  Our excellent group of puzzle solvers quickly put an end to this travel quiz.  The puzzle was first solved by PortMoresby, who emailed her correct answer at 8:25 am to:  suggestions@travelgumbo.com .  Roderick Simpson...

  This is the second and final segment on the St. Lawrence Market.   Part 1 focused on the produce sold at this market.  This gallery focuses on the rest of the items sold here -- seafood, meat, cheese and such.     The meat...

Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, is situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,300m and has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years. It was one of the few cities that existed when there were only tents to be found in the Arabian Peninsula....

  Gumbo's on the go again, leaving the world of art and grasping hands in Mexico, and finding this rather sturdy-looking structure.     THE RULES Share your suggestions, hints and discussions with others by posting them here as...

  There must be thousands of churches and other institutions devoted to Mary, known to Christians as mother of Jesus. Paris alone has more than 20 churches called Notre-Dame. And yet, throughout the world, say you've been to Notre-Dame, and...

  A tip of the Gumbo hat to all the guessers who took a shot at this puzzle, and for all the clues you used for your interesting guesses...but Lynn Millar takes the laurels this time, identifying the scene in Mexico City's very central park, the...

  Readers of TravelGumbo know that we've great affection for Farmers' Markets, and we visit, shop at, and feature them often.  One of the finest markets I've ever been to is the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.  This market was...

  This is a day full of emotions for me, mainly happy ones! For me, the Iron Curtain ended on Sept 12th, 1989 when my son was born. I lived  in Communist Romania for a lot of  1988-1989. I was one of the few Americans banned from...

    On this, the thirteenth anniversary of 9/11, I thought it would be a nice idea to tell a story of courage, hope, inspiration, of a hero...Terry Fox was all of these, and more.         For those of you who may not be...

Allmächd!  is a typical Franconian dialect exclamation—best translated as “almighty!” After my tweet @TravelGumbo a few days ago (“Sage travel advice: never call a ‘Franconian’ (native of northern Bavaria)...

Too cold to stay in Iceland any longer! Gumbo's off again, this time to a pleasant park with an unusual statue—think of all the things it might mean! But one thing it means for sure: Gumbo knows where he is, but it's up to you to puzzle it out...

  On the outskirts of Pescadero, at the end of North Street, where it converges with Pescadero Creek Road and the back way to La Honda, is Harley Farms Goat Dairy.  My granddaughters know the place because it’s a favorite destination...

  Congratulations to Roderick Simpson for correctly identifying Reykjavik Harbor in Iceland and specifically Harpa, the building from which this harbor was photographed!   Dominating Reykjavik’s waterfront,  Harpa  is the...

      In the first five parts of this series, I have discussed cars from the 1920's , the 1930's . the 1940's and the 1950's , and the 1960's ( Part 1 and Part 2 ).   Today I conclude my blogs dedicated to the beautiful...

Most of the hikes I've featured on TravelGumbo are in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, with good reason.  The scenery in these mountains is truly spectacular, the altitude not overly taxing, and the long summer days are usually dry and sunny.  But...

I lost my heart in Paris a long time ago, but every time we visit we plan some out-of-city experiences as well. Last summer, as part of our two weeks in Paris, we planned a two-day side-trip to Normandy, visiting Mont-Saint-Michel.   For our...

Spotted this beautiful machine sitting in front of an antique shop in Minturn, Colorado, a few days after seeing my most memorable "on the road" car (which you can read about at this link ) . It's a grand Fairlane Crown Victoria, about 1955 vintage...

If you still haven't decided to visit Bulgaria after my 7 reasons to do so , this may be the right inspiration to come here.  Rila Monastery is the most gorgeous, peaceful and authentic place in Bulgaria I've been so far. It's a huge tourist...

  Today Gumbo finds himself staring at water.  It's a lovely and pleasing view, but water looks the same everywhere, doesn't it?    THE RULES Share your suggestions, hints and discussions with others by posting them here as...

  By now, you should have had plenty of time to go through the application process and get your visa to visit Saudi Arabia. You are now ready to see the sites.  But--wait a moment: You aren't allowed to see the sites. Of course, you can see...

Today is Gumbo's first birthday. We'll be celebrating again in a couple of months when we reach the first anniversary of our public opening, but one year ago today we posted our first blogs and our first Picture of the Day.   As you can see at...

  Let's not kid ourselves...after having the last puzzle demolished in a day, Gumbo needed a break and a morale boost—and where better for that than an elegant cafe with rich pastry and world-renowned coffee? In Budapest, for over 150...

Frommers' "Color Complete" France Guidebook 2015 is a great guidebook and a marked change from most of the later Wiley Frommer's Guides. The big differences I noticed are that the info is current and there are a lot of budget options.The...

  I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area, mostly in Redwood City on the Peninsula, 25 miles south of the City, on the east side of the mountains that separate the bay from the ocean. During my teens, on warm weekends and hot...

    In the first four parts of this series, I have discussed cars from the 1920's , the 1930's . the 1940's and the 1950's , and a few cars from the 1960's (Part 1) .   Today I continue my blogs dedicated to the beautiful...

We often highlight some of the memorable vehicles we encounter during our travels in posts on our website, like the beauties seen in Ottoman's gallery today featuring classic cars from "Cruise Night" in Canada.     Of the many cars I...

    One of the most scenic hikes in the Canadian Rockies, and also one of my favorites, is in a high subalpine meadow in Banff National Park.  The season for hiking here is limited to only a few months because of the high altitude....

  Gumbo's going back to city life for a bit...the sheer speed at which the guessers snapped up Puzzle #60 was frightening!   So, here he is, seeking refreshment and a sense of well-being at this long-famed establishment. Gumbo knows the...

This puzzle had a rather short shelf life.  Congratulations to Lynn Millar who quickly recognized the fountain in front of the historic Wawona hotel in Yosemite National Park.  You can see the relationship of the fountain to the Wawona in...