History

Versailles — The Ultimate Royal Residence

Mary Gilbert Europe, History, Tours and Sightseeing May 1, 2014Apollo, Ceremony of the Rising Sun, Chateau de Versailles, France, French Revolution, Grand Trianon, Hall of Mirrors, King Louis XIV, King Louis XV, King Louis XVI, Louis III, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Palace of Versailles, Paris, Petit Trianon, Private Tours Paris, Royal Etiquitte, Sun King, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writer, UNESCO, Versailles, World Heritage Site 0 Comment

It’s good to be king. Surely that thought occurred to King Louis XIV of France in 1682 when he moved his family and the seat of the country’s government to the Chateau de Versailles, the extravagant and majestic 2,300-room palaceRead more

The Secret Bunker Where Churchill Battled World War II

Mary Gilbert Europe, History, Tours and Sightseeing April 23, 2014Adolph Hitler, Cabinet War Rooms, Churchill Museum, Churchill War Rooms, England, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Imperial War Museums, London, Luftwaffe, Number 10 Downing Street, The Blitz, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, V-bomb, Winston Churchill, World War II 6 Comments

The year was 1938. The times in London were tense and uncertain as Adolph Hitler threatened mass war in Europe. As a safeguard against sudden and unexpected air attack, the British government decided to establish a central emergency working refugeRead more

Help! We’re Imprisoned In The Tower of London!

Mary Gilbert Europe, History, Tours and Sightseeing April 21, 2014Anne Boleyn, Ceremony of the Keys, Edward II, John the London, Thames River, Tower of London, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, William the Conqueror, Yeoman Warder 4 Comments

Under the gleam of the full moon, Bill, Ann and I were locked inside the Tower of London. Literally. Locked up in the formidable stone-walled complex on the bank of the Thames River that has served as a fortress, palaceRead more

Miracle on the Hudson – A Survivor’s Story

Mary Gilbert History, Interviews, United States April 16, 2014Airplane, Airplane crash, Beth McHugh, Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, Ellen Degeneres, Flight 1549, Miracle on the Hudson, North Carolina, Sully Sullenberger, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, US Airways 6 Comments

Beth McHugh believes in miracles, and well she should. Little did she know when she boarded US Airways Flight 1549 on January, 15, 2009, that she would be among the 150 passengers and five crew members who would survive theRead more

Miracle on the Hudson and More Stories of Flight

Mary Gilbert History, United States April 15, 2014Airbus A320, Airplane, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, Chartis Insurance Company, Congressional Medal of Honor, First Officer Jeff Skiles, Harrier jet, Hudson River, LaGuardia Airport, Miracle on the Hudson, New York City, North Carolina, Reynolds Tobacco, Smithsonian, Stearman, Sully Sullenberger, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, US Airways, Wally Coppinger, Wright Brothers 5 Comments

“It’s the white elephant in the room.” That’s how Wally Coppinger somewhat facetiously referred to the US Airways plane that was before us during my recent private tour of the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, where he’s executive director. It’sRead more

Fort Ross — The Russian Stronghold in America

Mary Gilbert History, Tours and Sightseeing, United States April 11, 2014Alexander Rotchev, American Viticultural Area, CA, California, Coast Miwok, Elena Rotchev, Fort Ross, Fort Ross Conservancy, Fort Ross State Historic Park, Hank Birnbaum, Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, Jenner, Kashaya Pomo, National Historic Landmark, Rossiia, Rotchev House, Russia, Russian River, Russian River Valley, Russian-American Company, Sea otter, Settlement Ross, Sonoma County, Southern Pomo, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Tsar Paul 2 Comments

Hank Birnbaum selected a sea otter pelt from a pile of skins displayed on a wooden table and let me caress the soft, luxurious fur. “Sea otters don’t have a layer of blubber to help them keep warm, unlike otherRead more

Luther Burbank – No Small Potatoes

Mary Gilbert History, Tours and Sightseeing, United States January 30, 2014Baked potato, Burbank potato, California, Elizabeth Burbank, Garden, Henry Ford, Historic home, Horticulture, Idaho potato, Luther Burbank, Luther Burbank Home & Gardens, Luther Burbank Home & Gardens Association, Russet Burbank, Santa Rosa, Shasta daisy, Thomas Edison, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing 8 Comments

Chances are you rarely, if ever, think about Luther Burbank when you eat a baked potato. You’re too caught up in savoring the crisp golden skin on the outside, and the pure white, fluffy texture on the inside. If yourRead more

Cavallo Point Lodge – From Army Post to Luxury Resort

Mary Gilbert History, Hotels and Rentals, United States January 10, 2014Cavallo Point, Cavallo Point cooking school, Cavallo Point Lodge, Colonial Revival style, Conde Nast Traveler, Conde Nast Travelers Readers' Poll, Euan Taylor, Fort Baker, Golden Gate bridge, Golden Gate National Parks, Healing Arts Center & Spa, Horseshoe Cove, Murray Circle restaurant, National Parks Service, National Register of Historic Places, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Travel+Leisure, Travel+Leisure Global-Vision Award, Travel+Leisure Readers' Poll, U.S. Army 4 Comments

The location was reason enough to book a night at Cavallo Point – the Lodge at the Golden Gate to celebrate Bill’s recent birthday with our friends, Penny and Gil. Serenely situated on Horseshoe Cove in the shadow of theRead more

Museum Magic for the Peanuts Gang

Mary Gilbert Arts and Culture, History, United States August 21, 2013Barney Google, Cartoon, Charles M. Schulz, Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Charlie Brown, Coddingtown Mall, Comic strip, Jean Schulz, Lucy, Morphing Snoopy, Museum, One Snoopy Place, Peanuts, Peanuts comic strip, Santa Rosa, Snoopy, Sonoma County, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Warm Puppy Cafe, Yoshiteru Otani 8 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA “The only thing I ever wanted to be was a cartoonist. That’s my Life. Drawing. I would draw comic strips even if I weren’t getting paid for it…..I’m obsessed with thinking of funny things.” CharlesRead more

Say Cheese!

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, History, United States August 17, 2013Brie, California Gold Rush, Camembert, Cheese, Cheese making, Curds, France, Golden Gate bridge, Guernsey cow, Hicks Valley Ranch, Holstein cow, Jersey cow, Jim Boyes, Lynne Devereux, Marin County, Marin French Cheese Company, Marin French Dairy, New Normandy, Petaluma, Rians, Sonoma County, Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail, The Cheese Factory, Thompson Brothers Creamery, Travel, Travel blog, Travel writing, Triple creme brie, Whey 2 Comments

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA “First you taste sweet, which is the cow’s milk. Then salt, which balances and enhances the sweet. Then a finish that’s slightly earthy, like mushrooms, from the bloomy rind, bringing a depth and pleasing bitterRead more

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Welcome to The Roads Traveled

Greetings! I’m Mary Gilbert, a writer and blogger sharing stories and discoveries about people, places, and passions. While I live in Charlotte, NC, travel begins as soon as I walk out the front door, and home becomes wherever I am at the moment. Click here to learn more.

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