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BY Nancy Mueller 4 Comments ON April 11, 2013

J is for Jungfraujoch

ViewfromJungfraujochedwin.11flickr (450 x 300)

Photo courtesy of edwin.11 – flickr

Though more of a summer beach kind of wandergal, I’m intrigued by one of  Switzerland’s most popular sights. Billed as the “Top of Europe,” the country’s Jungfraujoch lays claim to the region’s highest railway station at 3,471 meters (11,388 feet). Whether attracted by the journey or the destination, visitors cite the Jungfraujoch rail excursion as an exceptional alpine experience for its stunning surrounding views of snow, ice and rock. This is one trip you want to take in clear weather.

FromJungfraujochedwon.11flickr (450 x 300)

Photo courtesy of edwin.11 – flickr

Passengers board the train from Grindelwald or Interlaken for the full-day round trip. Stops along the way include a train change before tunneling through the inside of the Eiger Mountain for the last leg of the journey to the final destination. From “I think I can . . . I think I can . . .” to “There. We’ve done it,” Swiss engineers celebrated the completion of their railway to the stars in 1912.

SphinxObservatoryJungfraujochKevinPohflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of Kevin Poh – flickr

Travel highlights of the Jungfraujoch, a UNESCO World Heritage site, include: the Ice Palace, a grotto carved from a glacier featuring ice sculptures; the 23 km (14-mile) long Aletsch Glacier, and the Sphinx Observatory, the highest point in the Jungfraujoch offering spectacular views of the Mönch and Jungfrau peaks.

What about you, wanderboomers? Have you ridden the Jungfraujoch Railway? Would you like to?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Switzerland, Travel Experiences Tagged With: Aletsch Glacier, alpine, Eiger Mountains, Europe, Grindelwald, Ice Palace, Interlaken, Jungfraujoch, Monch, railway, Sphinx Observatory, stairway to the stars, Switzerland, train

BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON April 10, 2013

I is for Ireland

IrelandIvanWalshflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of Ivan Walsh – flickr

Ireland had never been high on my list of must-see world sites. Why make a trip to the Emerald Isle when I already live in the Emerald City? Could Ireland possibly claim a greener landscape from its year-round misty rains than the Evergreen State?

But reading my mother’s  initial journal entry after her own heritage trip – her first and only trip abroad near the end of her life – gave me pause: “The beginning of the first day of my life . . .” Hmm . . . Maybe she was on to something.

IrishBeachSharonMollerusflickr (450 x 300)

Photo courtesy of Sharon Mollerus – flickr

Through a family priest in Upstate New York, she had managed to connect with distant relatives of my great-grandmother who had emigrated from Carlingford. Before long, she was speed dialing her Irish family with one hand while packing her bags with the other.

Skimming through the pages of  my mother’s journal now, I’m tempted to do the same: “Everyone here is so friendly, interested, and affectionate . . .”  “The Irish have something very precious – the art of making and keeping family, friends and neighbors . . . ” “The scenery here is so beautiful . . .” “We had a great laugh over that . . . “ shows up on almost every page.

IrishLandscapeobbinoflickr (450 x 321)

Photo courtesy of obbino – flickr

Now why wouldn’t I want to take my own heritage trip to Ireland in the not-so-distant future?

What about you, wanderboomers? Have you made a heritage trip to trace your ancestral roots? Please share your experience with us here.

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Ireland Tagged With: ancestral roots, family, green, heritage, heritage trip, Ireland, Irish landscape, journal, roots, the Emerald City, the Emerald Isle

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON April 3, 2013

C is for Catching Carnival Fever in Rio

RioCarnival

Souvenir Postcard

Simply put, there’s no adequate way to prepare for the over-the-top spectacle of Rio’s famous 5-day bacchanal celebration.

Leading up to the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, Brazil’s most famous festival celebrates life on a grand scale, compensating for the Christian faithful’s fasting in the days ahead.

NancyinRio (450 x 336)

WanderBoomer, before Carnival

I had arrived in Rio de Janeiro a few days before the start of Carnival, eager to meet up with Brazilian friends I had met on their visit to the States. Everywhere I turned in the city, newspaper headlines, billboards and TV announcers screamed in Portuguese, “Carnaval! Carnaval!” accompanied by photos of smiling dancers in elaborate costumes partying on top of lavishly decorated parade floats. Samba music filled the airwaves. And all that happened before the festival started.

RioSambaDancer (336 x 450)

Once Carnival began, all-night neighborhood street parties sprang out throughout Ipanema and Copacabana. Many Cariocas (locals) had already fled the city, businesses shut down and traffic came to a halt.

SambainRio (336 x 450)

Cross-dressers took to the streets, teasing passerby’s with their come-hither looks and invitations to embrace the spirit and mischief of Carnival. The fun spilled over into the nightclub scene where the music never stopped, allowing individual musicians to slip off stage for only a short break while the rest of us danced on and on.

So, go ahead, add Rio’s Carnival to your travel bucket list, but only if you’re ready to accept that life as you know it today will never – ever – be the same again.

NancyPostRioAdventure (391 x 450)

WanderBoomer, after Carnival

What about you, wanderboomers? Ready to blame your new persona on Rio?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Brazil, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Rio de Janeiro, Travel Experiences Tagged With: A - Z Blogging Challenge, Blame It on Rio, Brazil, Cariocas, Carnival, Copacabana, cross-dressers, Ipanema, Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Samba, street parties

BY Nancy Mueller 14 Comments ON April 2, 2013

B is for Biking the Backroads of Provence

BicycleinProvenceEllBrownFlickr (450 x 338)

 Photo courtesy of Ell Brown, flickr

Peddling a bike on a leisurely ride through the back roads of Provence sounds like a slice of heaven, doesn’t it? No crowds, no deadlines, no hurry . . . Just riding along from village to village, stopping only to quench your thirst, take in the scents and colors of a local farmer’s market or strike up a conversation with locals.

But since I’ve never traveled to the South of France, I wonder if the reality of Provence would live up to the idyllic countryside of my imagination. Maybe I’ve been reading too much Peter Mayle whose international bestseller, A Year in Provence, did more to stoke my wanderlust for France than any regional travel brochure I’d stumbled upon.

BikingProvenceEllBrownFlickr

Photo courtesy of Ell Brown, flickr

I fear that my vision of peddling the back roads of Provence might be more like groups of hardcore biking enthusiasts zooming along at the speed of light, challenging active Boomers like us to pick up our pace or risk missing out on a biking adrenalin high.

ThreeWheelBikeProvenceEllBrownFlickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of Ell Brown, flickr

Still, after discovering bikes like this colorful three wheeler, with a spot for a passenger in the back, I hold out hope for that leisurely ride in Provence after all.

For more information on how to plan your own bike tour of the South of France, check out DiscoverFrance.

Would you like to add biking the back roads of Provence to your travel bucket list, Wanderboomers? 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations, Entertainment, France, Provence, Travel Experiences Tagged With: A - Z Blogging Challenge, A Year in Provence, Biking, France, Peter Mayle, Provence, South of France, travel travel brochure

BY Nancy Mueller 4 Comments ON November 5, 2012

European Travel Tips from Rick Steves and Friends

I’m spending the day in Edmonds, Washington to attend a free European Travel Festival (“Teach-A-Thon”) hosted by travel expert Rick Steves and and his Europe Through the Back Door team to kick off their 2013 tour season. With 10 classes to choose from – ranging from Steves’ session on “Travel Skills” to “Packing Light & Right”, from “1000 Years of European Art & History” to country-specific information, here are a few travel tips I picked up along the way:

Rick Steves

To get off the beaten path and away from the tourist crowds . . .

  • Tour the most popular sights early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Then plan to spend the night.

Spice Market in Istanbul, photo by exfordy, courtesy of Flickr
  • Get into the markets. Buy something even if you’re not hungry. Talk to people.
  • Go to local sports events. You’ll learn local swear words (but be sure you’re wearing the right [team] colors).
  • Think of the cruise ships or buses as your base and then go off on your own. Be independent in the context of the big tour operators. Get out and stroll and meet people. Travel is about connecting with people.
  • “There are two IQs of European travelers: those who wait in line and those who don’t. If you’re waiting in lines, you’re screwing up.” For example, go to Versailles any day but Tuesday when the museums are closed because that’s when all the tourists head to Versailles.

Tourist Information Office in Hunstanton, photo by Ell Brown, courtesy of Flickr

To find out what your options are at your destination . . .

  • Look at TripAdvisor for sightseeing, tours and entertainment possibilities.
  • “The first place I stop is the Tourist Information Office no matter how well I know a town. I can find out what’s going on this week and get free passes.”
  • Guided tours sponsored by the local tourist office are always time and money well spent.
  • If you use a local tour guide, you’ll have much more value in your sightseeing trip. Prices can range from $200. for half a day in the most expensive cities like London to $100. a day with a car in less expensive countries like Poland.

Ramiro’s in Lisbon, Portugal, photo by crystalmartel, courtesy of Flickr

To be an adventurous eater while minimizing the risk  . . .

  • Always order a different dish from your travel partner and share.
  • Find places that specialize in local clients. You can tell if the menu’s handwritten in one language and not extensive which shows that it’s seasonal and changes daily.
  • Ask the people in the tourism office where they go for lunch.
  • Department store cafeterias or government subsidized cafeterias for workers are a relatively good bargain.
  • “Eat in a good restaurant but eat sparingly. Share small plates.” Have a salad and a glass of wine, tapas, or antipasto spreads.
  • Pick up food at a local market and have a picnic.

Passport and Luggage, photo by Sean MacEntee, courtesy of Flickr

On packing light . . .

  • “If there’s one thing you can take home that translates to travel happiness, it’s to pack light.”
  • You want to be mobile.
  • Only take carry on bags.

On accommodations . . .

  • “The more you spend, the higher the wall you build between you and what you came to see.”
  • When you stay in a B & B, you have a friend, and as a bonus, you get your own local mother. You don’t have to, but you can.
  • Smaller towns also have hostels, not just for younger travelers.

Euros, photo by patola, courtesy of Flickr

On money . . .

  • You will have more versatility if you get a credit card with a chip in it. Ask for one at your local bank.
  • Flights within Europe have come down in cost. Investigate pricing of air travel before taking the train or bus.
  • “Wear a money belt tucked inside your shirt for security.”

The bottom line . . .

“If you expect yourself to travel smart and you’re equipped with good information, you can travel like a pro.”

For travel writing advice from Rick Steves, be sure to check out my earlier post here.

What are your favorite travel tips, Wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Entertainment, Europe, Food & Dining, Hotels, Travel Tips Tagged With: antipasto, armchair traveling, B & B's, cafeteria, Europe Through the Back Door, European art and history, European Travel Festival, Euros, hostel, Istanbul, London, Luggage, off the beaten path, passport, Poland, Rick Steves, spice market, tapas, tour guide, tourism office, travel pro, TripAdvisor, Versailles

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Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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