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BY Nancy Mueller 7 Comments ON April 30, 2013

Z is for Zihuatanejo Bay!

ZihuatanejoBayRoryFinnerenflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of Rory Finneren – flickr

To wrap up my participation in the April A – Z Blogging Challenge – and coincidentally the last day of National Poetry Month – I’m ending with three distinct travel destinations:

I.ZihuatanejoBaySunsetRoryFinnerenflickr (450 x 253)

Photo courtesy of Rory Finneren – flickr

Z zips us to Mexico’s tropical coast, Zihuatanejo Bay.
Come play in the surf, eat lobster, too, and practice
your Spanish – olé!

II.ZwingerPalaceTheLastMoorishKingflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of The Last Moorish King – flickr

The Zwinger Palace in Dresden is
capped by an onion-shaped crown.
With its beautiful setting and showcase for art
it’s a major landmark in town.

III.ZigZagRailwayBotheredbyBeesflickr (450 x 322)

Photo courtesy of BotheredByBees – flicker

Follow the Z in a series of switchbacks, dated 1869.
On Australia’s Zig-Zag Railway, we’ve come . . .
to . . . the . . . end . . . of . . . the . . . line.

 

Thank you for joining our A – Z journey!

But of course, dear Reader, we haven’t seen all.

So pack your bags and a sense of adventure –

there’s so much more to explore.

The whole wide world is waiting,

just as soon as you open your door.

Where are you headed next in your travels, wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Activities, Australia, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Mexico, Travel Experiences Tagged With: A - Z Blogging Challenge, Australia, Dresden, Mexico, National Poetry Month, Spanish, Zig Zag Railway, Zihuatanejo Bay, Zwinger Palace

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 6 Comments ON April 1, 2013

A is for Aurora Borealis

AuroraBorealisBeverly&PackFlickr (450 x 420)

Photo courtesy of Beverly & Pack, flickr

Now I’ve done it. I just signed up for the April 2013 A – Z Blogging Challenge. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the challenge, the idea is to post on your blog six days a week during the month of April. We get Sundays off for good behavior and score extra points if we include an overall theme to our blog for the month.

Obviously, WanderBoomer focuses on travel for active, adventurous women 45 years +, their friends and families. Under that umbrella, I’ve decided to make my blogging challenge center on extraordinary travel experiences to add to (or scratch off, if already accomplished) our wanderboomer travel bucket list.

NorthernLightsmmmavocadoflickr (450 x 300)

Photo courtesy of mmmavocado, flickr

Today is “A for Aurora Borealis,” otherwise known as the Northern Lights, a wondrous night sky view. Though the spectacle may seem like a man-made laser light show, the natural phenomenon occurs when charged particles emitted from the sun collide with gas particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Imagine surreal shimmering skies that range in color from pale yellow and fluorescent greens to shades of blue, lilac and red (the rarest color) and you have an inkling of the dazzling vision before you.

Once on a lucky, late-night first-class flight from Cincinnati to Seattle, when the cabin lights dimmed and passengers dozed off around me, the flight attendant beckoned me forward. As she re-seated me in the front row of our cabin, she pointed outside the window, revealing a spectacular night sky pulsing in waves of brilliant green colors. The lights accompanied me most of the flight to Seattle, leaving me with an unforgettable, you-won’t-believe-what-I-saw, travel story to share with friends.

AuroraBorealismmmavocadoflickr (450 x 300)

Photo courtesy of mmmavocado, flickr

While there’s no guarantee of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights on a planned vacation to do so, you can increase your chances by following these top 3 tips:

  • Plan your trip between late November through March when there’s the best chance for cold, clear skies.
  • Head to remote regions, away from the city lights to sites like Fairbanks, Alaska or Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Northern Canada or Russia.
  • Reserve a room at one of the best places for viewing the Northern Lights, such as the Aurora Borealis Lodge in Fairbanks, Sweden’s Ice Hotel or a Glass Igloo of Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland. Other options for viewing include a Norwegian Hurtigruten cruise or Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.

Just be sure to dress warm and expect to stay up through the wee hours of the morning – unless you’re lucky enough to catch a flight like mine where you can marvel at nature’s wonder through the looking glass from your airplane seat, with a glass of champagne close at hand.

What about you, Wanderboomers? Have you seen the Northern Lights in person? Share your experience with us here.

 

Filed Under: Activities, Alaska, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Entertainment, Travel Experiences Tagged With: A - Z Blogging Challenge, Alaska, Aurora Borealis, Aurora Borealis Lodge, Blue Lagoon, bucket list, Finland, Hurtigruten cruise, Ice Hotel, Northern Canada, Northern Lights, Norway, Russia

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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