Reconnaissance at Point Reyes Station

Mary Gilbert History, Tours and Sightseeing, United States October 1, 2015Book Passage, Bovine Bakery, California, Cheda's Garage, Cowgirl Creamery, Don George, Marin County, Osteria Stellina, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes Station, The Old Western Saloon, Toby's Feed Barn, Travel Writers and Photographers Conference, Travel writing

I’m dropping by parachute into the small, western California town of Point Reyes Station. Sam pilots my private plane. Lucky me that he sports the rugged blond good looks of Robert Redford in his Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidRead more

Boots and Brunch in a Russian River Valley Vineyard

Mary Gilbert Food and Wine, Tours and Sightseeing, United States August 31, 2015airbnb, Big Bottom Market, Dry Creek Valley, Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Morelli Lane Vineyard, Old Hill Ranch, Quivira Winery, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Travel 0 Comment

It was 10:00 am and my stomach was rumbling as I walked through the orderly rows of chardonnay, pinot noir, and zinfandel vines in the Morelli Lane Vineyard at Dutton-Goldfield Winery, my footsteps kicking up the fine, beach-like earth thatRead more

Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Incline and Nationality Rooms Prove Worth the Wait

Mary Gilbert Arts and Culture, Tours and Sightseeing, United States August 3, 2015Carnegie Science Center, Cathedral of Learning, Duquesne Incline, E. Maxine Bruhns, Golden Triangle, Heinz Field, Mount Washington, Nationality Rooms, Pittsburgh, PNC Park, Travel blog, University of Pittsburgh 4 Comments

The trip takes only two and a half minutes, but you have the world at your feet the entire time. Mode of travel: the Duquesne Incline. Destination: the top of Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh. Ask Pittsburghers where to go for theRead more

Paris Unscripted

Mary Gilbert Europe, Hotels and Rentals, Tours and Sightseeing June 24, 2015airbnb, France, Paris, Picasso Museum, Shakespeare and Company bookstore, Travel 2 Comments

Sometimes the best-laid travel plan is no plan. That’s the strategy Bill and I used on our recent trip to Paris, a city we’ve been to several times and one that claims a top spot on our list of favorites.Read more

Better Late Than Never in Luxembourg

Mary Gilbert Europe, Tours and Sightseeing June 12, 2015Benelux, Chemin de la Corniche, Liberty Road, Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Train travel in Europe, U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg, UNESCO World Heritage site 2 Comments

While staying in Brussels, our last-minute decision to visit Luxembourg was almost a V8 moment. Surely you’re familiar with the vegetable juice brand’s classic advertising campaign. An actor consumes a calorie-laden meal or a sugary beverage and afterwards berates himself withRead more

Beyond Belief in Brugge

Mary Gilbert Europe, Tours and Sightseeing May 20, 2015Begijnhof, Belgium, Bruges, Brugge, Sint Donaas Cathedral, St. Donatian's Cathedral, Travel, UNESCO World Heritage site 4 Comments

I spotted a sign on some scaffolding situated in a small park on one side of The Burg Square in Brugge, Belgium, that said “A Place Beyond Belief.” That’s Brugge in a nutshell. Brugge (spelled Bruges in French) is a remarkablyRead more

Windmills, Cheese, and Holland Traditions

Mary Gilbert Europe, History, Tours and Sightseeing May 5, 2015Alkmaar Cheese Market, Edam Cheese Market, Gerk Kazemier, Holland, Holland Personal Tour Guide, Marken, Schermer Windmills, St. Nicolas Church 0 Comment

There’s an old saying in Holland that God made the world and the Dutch made Holland. If they hadn’t, the ground we were standing on at the moment would have been under several feet of water. Bill and I wereRead more

Tiptoeing Through the Tulips in Holland

Mary Gilbert Europe, Homes and Gardens, Tours and Sightseeing April 27, 2015Aalsmeer, Amsterdam, FloraHolland, Flower auction, Holland, Keukenhof, Lisse, Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands, Tulip season, Tulips 2 Comments

Surely anytime of year is wonderful to visit the Netherlands, but when Bill and I discussed what month to travel, the deciding factor came down to flowers. We simply had to be there, in Holland specifically, in the spring whenRead more

April in Amsterdam

Mary Gilbert Europe, Tours and Sightseeing April 24, 2015airbnb, Amsterdam, Amsterdam canals, Amsterdam Centraal Station, Amsterdam Royal Palace, Anne Frank, Anne Frank House, April in Paris, Begijnhof, Brouwersgracht canal, Canals, Concertgebouw, Dam Square, Holland, Holland Personal Tour Guide, Houseboats, Museumplein, New York Philharmonic, Noordermarkt, Red Light district, Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Singel canal, Stedelijk Museum, Stroopwafel, The Nines, UNESCO World Heritage site, Van Gogh Museum, Vondelpark 4 Comments

April in Amsterdam might not have the same ring for a song title as April in Paris, but April in Amsterdam has its own special charms. The weather during our visit to the capital and largest city in the Netherlands has beenRead more

Sunnylands and the Sunny Land of Palm Springs

Mary Gilbert Homes and Gardens, Tours and Sightseeing, United States April 19, 2015A. Quincy Jones, Auguste Rodin, Birba, California, Cheeky's, Chief of Protocol, Copley's, Court of St. James, Gauguin, Impressionist Art, La Maison Hotel, Leonore Annenberg, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mid-Century Modern, Monet, Mt. San Jacinto, Norma's at The Parker Hotel, Palm Springs, Philadelphia Inquirer, Rancho Mirage, Renoir, San Jacinto Mountains, Seventeen Magazine, Sunnylands, Sunnylands Center & Gardens, Tahquitz Canyon, The Annenberg Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, Trip Advisor, TV Guide, Van Gogh, Walter Annenberg 2 Comments

A return to the fabled desert city of Palm Springs, CA, was on our radar after our terrific inaugural visit there last fall; we just had not anticipated that another trip would occur so soon. But fate intervened six monthsRead more