On the grounds of Versailles, away from the palace, and away from her house on the grounds, Marie Antoinette had a rustic village and farm constructed where she could get away from palace life and pretend to be a peasant.
Here’s more about this interesting area of Versailles, that I actually enjoyed visiting more than the Hall of Mirrors.
Seattle is home to some great mountain biking and some of the best beginner mountain bike trails in the Pacific Northwest. This is a sponsored post from evo — a Seattle based retailer that specializes in outdoor equipment…mountainbikes and more!
When you’re stuck at home one way to possibly assuage your travel lust is to go on some virtual tours.
Plenty are available on your laptop or desktop and, if you’re lucky enough to be staying home with a VR headset, you can heighten the escapism with plenty of 360 degree videos and adventures.
Here are some of my favorites.
The Path of Philosophy is a classic Kyoto walk — especially in Spring as the path is lined with cherry trees.
This is an extended route (with accompanying routemap) that takes you not only on the Tetsugaku no Michi itself, but also through many nearby temples.
The Pacific Northwest is a great place for water sports, but it can be cold. Here are some great tips for choosing a wetsuit for the Pacific Northwest from evo — a Seattle based outdoor gear retailer.
Whether it’s Pi Day (in March) or Pie Day (in January) you’re likely to see a lot of posts about pie. But any day is a good day for Pie.
So we’re weighing in on our favorite go-to pie spots in Seattle, Western Washington State — and we’ll add some from the PNW in general.
We’re collecting poll responses for this post from readers, so give your suggestion for the best pie place in the PNW.
Here’s a quick checking of what to bring ski camping from evo a Seattle retailer who knows about outdoor and backcountry gear.
I had the chance to go to a media preview of this year’s Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. The gardens, as always were fabulous, there looks to be a promising lineup of speakers, but the real stars of the show were the “Fleurs de Villes.”
Sometimes referred to as “America’s Provence,” Sequim sits in the Olympic rain shadow, so it sees more days of sun that some other parts of western Washington State — and grows a LOT of lavender!
Here’s more about Sequim’s Lavender Festival that takes place each July, tips for visiting, information about a few of the farms, and a link to an interative map of area lavender farms you might want to visit.
Toyko (and much of Japan, for that matter) is a great place to find kawaii (cute) desserts! If you’re a Studio Ghibli fan visiting Toyko, you might find these cream puffs a little too cute to eat! Here’s more about visiting Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory.
This is a sponsored post from Greystone Castle. This place looks like a fabulous luxury vacation rental near Seattle that I would definitely consider for my next local getaway!
Guest author Mark Bennet discusses the best hiking trails at Mount Rainier National Park from the skyline trail at Paradise to the Summerland Trail.
If you’re like me, sometimes when you travel you’re tempted to spend part of your trip behind the lens of a camera or snapping photos on your phone to share later. But putting down the gadgets and picking up a pencil can help us to slow down and have a more “mindful” journey. Here are six hand-drawn books I’ve recently enjoyed about travel or places that just might inspire me to put down the camera (only for a bit) and pick up a pencil.
Seattle is a literate city — Seattle tops many lists for things such as “most well-read population,” and “most literate city.” And in 2017 Seattle earned the UNESCO “City of Literature” designation. Yes, Seattle is home to Amazon — but Seattle is also home to some wonderful independent bookstoresl. Here are our favorite (independent) Seattle bookstores that we’ve visited — both new and used.
I usually hate the words “simply must,” in a blog post. But if you go to York you simply must visit York Minster Cathedral. Here are some things to do and see at this wonderful medieval gem that is my personal favorite of the cathedrals I’ve had an opportunity to visit.
When I was growing up I used to play in Alleyways — but York has Snickelways, which are more than just alleys. Snickelways are narrow passages between buildings that locals use to take shortcutes to navigate the city faster. And York’s still-standing walls are, perhaps, its largest Snickelway.
Guest author Henry Taylor used to think that he couldn’t achieve his travel goals due to budgetary restrictions. In this post he shares budget travel tips that have helped him travel without breaking the bank.
One Seattle Christmas memory was watching How the Grunge Stole Christmas on Almost Live, a Seattle TV comedy show. Here’s more.
“Gifts for the traveler who has everything,” comes to mind when thinking about holiday gift lists to create. But what about gifts for the traveler who has…nothing? When my daughter asked me to borrow my carry-on I, instead, put together a holiday package that would serve her for the many years of travel she has ahead of her. Hint: these are also good basic things to put in your carry on bag in general.
The Seattle Walk Report is a charming Instagram account. — and now book — especially if you’re a local. How did I miss it until now?
This is a blog update post…but also a post about some retro Seattle t-shirts that I found online.
Pigeons mean problems in Venice and other cities with ancient architecture. But tourists insist on feeding and handling them — when they wouldn’t do so at home.
Are you a believer? It’s OK if you’re not. Ghost tours are fun, especially in October when the days are growing shorter and the leaves are falling. And good ones are also a bit of an (entertaining) history lesson. Here are three Haunted Tours in and (relatively) near Seattle to take this Autumn: Seattle, Port Gamble, and Port Townsend
Are the Paris Catacombs worth visiting? It depends on what you like. If you’re not somebody who enjoys visiting cemeteries when you travel, it might not be the place for you. But there aren’t too many other places quite like it and it has an interesting history.
Here’s a bit of the history of the Paris Catacombs, a few interesting facts and some tips for before you go and how to get there.
Here’s more about the catacombs, with some tips for visiting.
Why would a skeptic love ghost tours? There are a few good reasons why the unbeliever or undecided would enjoy taking a ghost tour. The post includes a poll you can answer about your experience with ghost tours.
