TravelWorld International Magazine Fall 2023

ALASKA
FALL 2023
travelworld
INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
The Magazine Written and Photographed by North American Travel Journalists Association Members

Letter from the Editor
TravelWorld International Magazine
is the only magazine that showcases
the member talents of the
North American
Travel Journalists Association
FALL
2023
travelworld
INTERNATIONAL
MAGAZINE
The first two stories in this fall issue are about Alaska. NATJA's
inspirational and enriching annual conference this year was
held in Fairbanks and gave writers great opportunities to enjoy
the scenic beauty and adventure of Alaska and also learn about
its indigenous heritage first hand. Terri Marshall and Vanessa
Orr comically share their two, at times opposing, perspectives
of traversing the final frontier, while Barbara Marrett shares
her quest to attain knowledge, stemming from her great
appreciation of indigeneous culture.
After this impressive start, the writers take you around North
America. You visit Ted Turner's vast reserves in New Mexico
and learn about the historical Isabella Bird, Lady of the Rockies.
Also you surprisingly find badlands and tacos in Kansas! Then
there's a creepy little story about accused murderess, Lizzie
Borden's Massachusett's house, which has become a Bed and
Breakfast! A photo essay on the people of Cuba, from Getty and
Istock photojournalist Dennis Garrels, brings a humble look at
the meager and simple lives of this flash-back-in-time society.
This is followed by three Canadian stories, one, Canada's first
unique city, St. John, two, places to visit in Calgary in the fall,
and three, the nouveau gourmet foodie scene in Quebec City.
Group Publisher:
Publishers:
VP Operations:
Editor in Chief:
Copy Editor:
NATJA Publications
Helen Hernandez &
Bennett W. Root, Jr.
Yanira Leon
Joy Bushmeyer
Omar Rodriguez
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Donna Adinolfi
Linda Ballou
Jo-Anne Bowen
Heide Brandes
Lisa Evans
Jeanne Neylon Decker
Dennis Garrels
Alex Kallimanis
Barbara Marrett
Terri Marshall
Vanessa Orr
Jill Robins
Linda Stewart
Rich Warren
Lina Zeldovich
ALASKA: The Last Frontier Terri Marshall & Vanessa Orr 6
In Search of Native Culture in Fairbanks, Barbara Marrett 12
Alaska's Golden Heart City
Lady of the Colorado Rockies: Isabella Bird Linda Ballou 18
Experiencing Ted Turner's New Mexico Reserves Donna Adinolfi 22
The Wow Factor of Kansas, Badlands and Beyond Jill Robbins 28
Lizzie Borden's BnB in Fall River, Massachusetts Rich Warren 32
Los Cubanos son Muy Buenos - The People of Cuba Dennis Garrels 36
6
12
Last, but not least, are four beautiful stories about Europe!
From relaxing aboard a Star Clippers ship under a Corsican
moon to hiking the gorgeous Dolomites in Italy and from
exploring the abundant and beautiful bridges of Hamburg,
Lübeck and Travemünde in Northern Germany to reaching a
trifecta of beautiful visuals and information about Norway's
Oslo, Alesund and Bergen, your journey accross Europe is
exceptionally enlightening and inviting.
Thank you NATJA writers!
This issue has something to inspire
everyone to get out and travel!
DMO CONTRIBUTORS:
EnRoute Communications
Explore Branson
Love Catalina
Visit Oneida County, NY
Editorial /Advertising Offices:
TravelWorld International Magazine
3579 E. Foothill Blvd., #744
Pasadena, CA 91107
Phone: (626) 376-9754 Fax: (626) 628-1854
www.travelworldmagazine.com
18
22
28
2
Joy Bushmeyer, Editor in Chief
Cover Photo
Cover photo provided by Vanessa Orr
The majestic brown bear on the cover lives at the Alaska
Wildlife Conservation Center just south of Anchorage, Alaska.
The AWCC is a nonprofit sanctuary dedicated to preserving
Alaskan wildlife and is home to bear, wood bison, wolves,
moose, muskox and more. www.alaskawildlife.org
Volume 2023.03 Summer 2023. Copyright ©2023
by NATJA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written
permission is prohibited. Advertising rates and
information sent upon request. Acceptance of
advertising in TravelWorld International Magazine
in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by
NATJA Publications, Inc., nor do products or services
advertised. NATJA Publications and TravelWorld
International Magazine reserve the right to reject
any advertising. Opinions expressed by authors
are their own and not necessarily those of Travel
World International Magazine or NATJA
Publications. TravelWorld International Magazine
reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity
and length, as well as to reject any material submitted,
and is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
This periodical’s name and logo along with the
various titles and headings therein, are trademarks
of NATJA Publications, Inc. PRODUCED IN U.S.A.
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36
3

"You know me for my work
in the summer, but I'm a
hit in the fall too."
- Vacation
FALL
2023
travelworld
INTERNATIONAL
MAGAZINE
Canada's Oldest Incorporated City - St. John Lisa Evans 41
Fall: In Love with Calgary, in Alberta, Canada Jo-Anne Bowen 45
Quebec City, Canada's Nouveau Gourmet Scene Lina Zeldovich 48
Under the Corsican Moon in France, on Star Clippers Heide Brandes 50
Autumn in Italy's Dolomites: A Hiker's Heaven Jeanne Neylon Decker 55
Hamburg, Lübeck and Travemünde - Alex Kallimanis 60
Bountiful Bridges and Beauty in Northern Germany
Norway's Trifecta: Oslo, Alesund & Bergen Linda Stewart 65
41
45
48
50
55
60 65
4
Sure, you give your Vacation its outdoor time in the summer. But when fall
rolls around you forget all about it. You should know a healthy vacation lives
an active lifestyle all year. Your Vacation needs cool weather surrounded by
changing leaves and lakes full of fish. Your Vacation needs Branson in the fall.
Find out more at ExploreBranson.com
5

As we approach the massive ice chute, I tell Terri
that we need to be quiet. Though the avalanche
has already happened, you never know what
sounds or vibrations might cause more ice to
break.
“I am being quiet,” says Terri.
“I’m being very quiet.”
“You’re still talking,” I say.
ALASKA
Explore the Last Frontier
Two Perspectives/Same Trip
Story & Photos by
Terri Marshall
and Vanessa Orr
“Would you rather I sing?” she asks.
VANESSA: Having lived in Juneau, AK for
seven years, I felt pretty comfortable with
my knowledge of the state and what to
expect. What I did not count on was having
a passenger who laughed in the face of
danger…mainly because she didn’t realize
that we were in it.
TERRI: Having been to Alaska several times
previously and made it out alive, I couldn’t
possibly understand why Vanessa had so
many concerns about avalanches. And bears.
And basically anything that could kill us.
VANESSA: Because I don’t have a death wish.
And I do have common sense.
The avalanche chute, which surprisingly did
not kill us, was one of our stops near Whittier,
a quirky little town that is only accessible by
car through a one-lane tunnel shared with a
train. Timed entry is required in order to avoid
a most unfortunate collision. Our goal was to
arrive on time – train free – and take a look
at an abandoned apartment building where
everyone in Whittier once lived.
VANESSA: Can you imagine? Everyone in
town in one building? I couldn’t stand to have
that many neighbors.
TERRI: You can’t stand to have one neighbor.
Vanessa: One is one too many.
TERRI: I wonder what lives there now that
they’ve all moved to the new apartment
building.
Most of the town of Whittier used to live in this building.
Rumor is, now the bears call it home.
Traveling to Alaska is always an adventure, and
getting to the NATJA conference in Fairbanks
this past May was no exception. Knowing that a
week in the Last Frontier wouldn’t be enough,
Terri and I decided to fly into Anchorage and road
trip through Southcentral Alaska. We had quite
the lineup on our itinerary, starting in Anchorage
and then traveling to Seward, Homer, Whittier,
Girdwood and Talkeetna.
Avalanche season
in Alaska means
getting up close and
personal with ice.
If we survived the first avalanche!
Most of our route was
marked by these signs.
We did not stop.
VANESSA: Bears. And no, we’re not going to
spend the night.
We’re not sure if the rumor is true that bears
have been seen in the building, though it
wouldn’t be at all surprising. These massive
mammals can be found all over the state,
including at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation
Center (AWCC), located about 50 miles south
of Anchorage, where seeing a grizzly was a
highlight.
You don’t realize how big these things are until they are this close.
6 7

How close is too close? And how safe is that fence?
We stood in torrential rain and whipping winds,
desperately trying to keep our hoods on while
watching a grizzly pace back and forth, inches
away behind a fence made out of what looked
like chicken wire. Visibility wasn’t great…and
neither were our survival instincts.
TERRI: I was paying attention (like a sane
person should) and realized that there was a
second bear walking up behind Vanessa. Intent
on videotaping every animal in sight, it wasn’t
until she saw my eyes get really wide that she
turned around.
Oh, the Places
We Stayed
We overnighted in a yurt in Homer,
where we were greeted by a moose in
the front yard. It was one of the more
unusual places we’ve ever stayed—and
it became even more intriguing when
a 2.3 earthquake made our beds rock
and the walls breathe. It might be a
luxury tent, but it held up through the
earthquake—so we are big fans.
Everyone has a moose in the backyard, right?
Finding a moose in Alaska turned out
to be a lot easier than we thought.
Taking a breather
during the eagles/
seagulls battle royale.
VANESSA: “Oh, #!!**&%#@!!!”
TERRI: “That’s going to be some video!”
And it is. One moment there’s a bear…and the
next, there’s a lot of running and swearing. It’s
classic. Turns out, a 700-pound bear can be
pretty darn stealthy when it wants.
Our wildlife days weren’t over, either. Though
we spent hours scanning the landscape
alongside the highway for moose on our
journey, we only saw one during the first
part of the drive, and it was a good distance
away. Little did we know that by the time we
reached Homer, there would be moose standing
alongside the road like eager hitchhikers. For
the record, we didn’t pick any up.
We encountered even more wildlife on the
Homer Spit—and we’re not referring to the folks
drinking alongside us at the Salty Dawg Saloon.
VANESSA: Where we may or may not have left a
few dollar bills and/or our bras on the wall.
TERRI: You have to honor the local traditions.
We walked down to the beach where the eagles
and seagulls were having a turf war, gathered
en masse and screaming like they were
auditioning for the Albert Hitchcock thriller,
The Birds.
In Seward, we stayed in an adorable
cabin just outside of town. It was,
however, precariously close to the
Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield in
Kenai Fjords National Park, where the
glacier seemed to be making an exit
from the mountain to head straight
toward our humble abode. We were
thrilled in the morning to realize that
we had survived the night, though
the road that we’d driven on was now
closed to prevent people like us from
getting too close to the icefall for
photos.
TERRI: It’s almost like they knew us.
VANESSA: I'm sure our reputation
precedes us.
With the glacier on the move, we
chose to spend the morning venturing
through town instead of digging out
from under the ice. In doing so, we
discovered the original starting point
for the Alaska Iditarod, as well as a
highly entertaining flagger in the
Seward Highway construction zone
who kept motorists entertained with
dramatic dance moves.
Not only beautiful but hardy. This yurt barely moved during the earthquake!
TERRI: He almost distracted us
from all of the avalanches taking
place around us.
VANESSA: I never liked that movie.
VANESSA: Not hardly. I was still
TERRI: I like it even less in real life.
quite aware that we were barely
Sweet little cabin so, so close to the avalanche zone!
Dollar bills and bras line the ceiling and
cheating death.
8
walls of the Salty Dawg Saloon.
9

Staying at The Grove means a
welcome from Zeke the Wonder Dog.
Every accommodation should
come with its own reindeer.
We journeyed on to Talkeetna,
a charming town that is also an
Alaska Railroad stop, where we
discovered the Fairview Inn, built
in 1923. Turns out that President
Warren G. Harding died a couple
of days after eating there when
he was in town to drive in the
Golden Spike in Nenana which
signified the completion of the
interior Alaska railroad. Since this
story seems to be quite a point
of pride among the locals, we
decided not to eat there, though
we did have drinks. We like to
think we make good decisions.
We then drove to The Grove,
located just outside of Talkeetna,
which is a world-renowned
bar turned Airbnb. There we
were met by Zeke the Wonder
Dog, who accompanied us to
our rooms in what is known as
the Sistine Chapel of Alaska—a
former drinking establishment
with a ceiling covered in colorful
murals depicting heaven, hell,
Alaska and numerous topless
women. Turns out that a bar
patron painted the art on the
ceiling in lieu of paying his
bar tab.
Roadside Attractions
One of our favorite things about road trips are the
unexpected discoveries along the way, and Alaska
did not disappoint. As we drove from Girdwood
to Talkeetna, we came upon Eklutna Village and
Eklutna Historical Park, which included a cemetery
with over 100 colorful spirit houses built over graves.
A combination of Russian Orthodox traditions and
Alaska Native practices, the houses were painted to
represent family colors. While some spirit houses
were deteriorating, Athabaskan tradition says that
what is taken from the earth must be returned, so the
graves were left to crumble.
Other discoveries were anything but spiritual. On the
Parks Highway, we discovered the abandoned Igloo
Hotel, a never completed accommodation that was
left to rot when the builder lost a battle with zoning
laws. Now the only guests are of the grizzly variety,
so we decided to leave them to their abode. Even we
aren’t that stupid.
Which brings us to Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn.
Vanessa: Should we go in?
It’s not like us to pass a weird bar by.
Terri: Look at the billboard. It shows a pair of
polar bears doing the nasty.
Vanessa: I can’t even imagine what’s going on inside.
Eklutna Historical Park includes a cemetery
with over 100 colorful spirit houses.
Tourist attraction or terrible idea? You be the judge.
Of course we stayed in a former bar turned Airbnb outside Talkeetna.
Terri: I’m not sure how I feel
about these murals. They’re
so ... strange.
Vanessa: I have died and gone to
heaven. I’m just going to lie on
the floor and look up all night.
The view outside was pretty
incredible, too. The property is
home to two reindeer that live in
a pen next to the cabin, so you
can get your wildlife fill without
ever leaving the comfort of the
couch.
Discretion being the better part of valor, we
journeyed on to Fairbanks, where we arrived
safely at the conference, ready to explore even
more of what the 49th state had to offer.
Looking back, it’s hard to believe that in only
one week, we got to experience moose, bear,
avalanches, earthquakes and more, while taking
thousands of photos, laughing until our sides
hurt, and exploring all that Alaska has to offer.
Here’s to doing it all again on our
next trip to the Last Frontier!
Built in the 1970s, the abandoned Igloo Hotel is
now home to bears, wolves and other wildlife.
There are no bad views in Seward, AK.
10 11

Discovery II & Discovery I, taken from the
deck of Discovery III at the Steamship
Landing and Trading Post.
Captain Wade Binkley,
in the wheelhouse of
Riverboat Discovery III.
Riverboat Discovery III can handle
several hundred passengers, but it feels
the opposite of impersonal. A family
affair, it is run by the friendly Binkleys
who have been navigating the interior’s
river system for generations, servicing
Sourdoughs and Alaskan Native
peoples alike. Their pride is evident in
every aspect of the experience. Captain
Wade Binkley, the personable blueeyed
4th generation captain, invites me
into the wheelhouse where the largest
steering wheel I’ve ever seen guides
the boat, a 60” diameter teak and oak
beauty – salvaged by his grandfather
from the 170-foot, 1913 sternwheeler
steamship Yukon which was damaged
by ice on the Yukon river in 1947. He
tells me, “My grandfather held onto
the wheel until 1987 when Discovery
III was being built and he finally had
a boat big enough for the wheel.” As
an ocean sailor, I’m fascinated by
the challenges of navigating a river.
Captain Binkley tells me, “The rivers
are always changing, you deal with it
by learning to read the rivers’ different
patterns.”
Captain Binkley first pauses in front of
Trail Breaker Kennels, those of the late
Iditarod Champion, Susan Butcher,
where we see puppies in training
and sled dogs running in tandem
pulling a cart. It’s hard to imagine on
this snowless, sunny day, the same
dogs participating, and often winning, the
grueling 1,000-mile icy Iditarod race.
We tie up and disembark at Chena Village
for a captivating introduction by Native
guides to frontier living as experienced by
Athabascan tribes who have survived local
harsh winters, sometimes as cold as -70
degrees, for over 10,000 years. Guides point
out the different dangling pelts and explain
how the wolf, fox, martin and beaver were
used to provide food and protection for
generations of Alaskan Native peoples.
Heading back, as we pass Captain Binkley’s
grandmother’s house she waves a welcome
from her very green lawn on the banks of
the Chena River.
In search of Native Cultural Experiences in
Alaska’s Golden Heart City
Story and Photos by Barbara Marrett
The author in the wheelhouse of the Riverboat
Discovery III, the wheel was salvaged from the
wreck of the 170-foot sternwheeler steamship
Yukon, in 1947. Photo by Wade Binkley
12
I am looking out from the bow of the
sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery III as
we glide up the calm, khaki-green Chena
River. It is mid-May, 70-degrees with a
blue sky and puffy cumulus clouds; I peel
off unnecessary layers while listening to
our guide’s lively narration on the natural
history and cultural history of interior
Alaska. We are sailing to Chena Village
Living Museum, a replica Athabascan
Native village with spruce log cabins,
bark huts, live reindeer and stretched
pelts of bear and moose.
My most memorable travel experiences
have always unfolded in destinations
deeply rooted in indigenous culture.
From Easter Island’s giant moai, to
New Mexico’s sky-city adobe villages
and Costa Rica’s Borucan “Diablo”
villages, all have made indelible
impressions and afforded tastes of our
planet’s cultural diversity. My trip to
Fairbanks is fueled in part to research
how I might experience the same in
Alaska’s Interior.
Historical Athabascan-style fish camp on the Chena River, where traditional ways of
catching, drying and filleting fish are explained to Riverboat passengers.
Hides stretched to dry at Chena Village.
Native Guide explains materials in her
fur coat, Chena Village Museum.
From L to R pelts:
timber wolf, lynx,
wolverine; three
color-varied
examples of red
fox, and one arctic
fox. The oil in
timber wolf, lynx
and wolverine fur
helps keep away
frost-bite. All parts
of hunted animals
are used for food,
clothing, tools and
utilitarian items.
13

Alaskan Indigenous Peoples and
Languages Map
Contemporary
Koyokon Athabascan Mask
by Kathleen Carlo-Kendall,
Morris Thompson Center
Located on the banks of the Chena
River, the Center’s Exhibit Gallery
allowed me to embark on a journey
through the seasons that guide
the lives of Interior Athabascan
Natives—11 linguistically distinct
tribes—whose territory encompasses
half the state of Alaska and is bigger
than the state of Texas. As I walk
through the life-sized diorama of a
rural summer fish camp, watch a bear
hunting squirrels in fall, and then see a
screen with winter’s dancing northern
lights, I gain an understanding of the
resilience and adaptability needed to
face dramatic seasonal changes that
affect everything from the Athabascan
diet to their art. The exhibits also convey
the people’s deep respect for the land
and the animals that sustain them and
their belief that everything possesses a
soul, even inanimate objects. Films and
a theatre for live dance performances
further enhanced my cultural
immersion. affect everything from
the Athabascan diet to their art. The
exhibits also convey the people’s deep
respect for the land and the animals
that sustain them and their belief
that everything possesses a soul, even
inanimate objects. Films and a theatre
for live dance performances further
enhanced my cultural immersion.
For many years I’d worked at the Arctic
Raven Gallery in my homeport of Friday
Harbor, Washington. Here I developed
an appreciation for both Northwest
Coast and Alaskan Native Art. I’d sailed
Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage and was
familiar with Northwest Coast Native
artists and villages. With their dramatic
articulating potlatch masks, monumental
totem poles and big houses, Northwest
Coast Native artwork reflects the once
abundant salmon and the now quickly
disappearing old-growth cedar forests
along the southeastern coastline of
Alaska and British Columbia.
In Fairbanks, I wanted to become more
knowledgeable about the vastly different
Display of Athabascan Utilitarian items,
Morris Thompson Cultural Center.
cultures that created the fossilized ivory,
whalebone and birchbark Alaskan
artwork we also carried at the Gallery.
Reflecting their nomadic lifestyle, I
learned that the Athabascans of Alaska’s
interior carried essential utilitarian
objects, such as baskets, tools, coats,
mittens and boots, from camp to camp.
These everyday objects formed the
foundation of their art. Willow and birch
bark, fur, feathers, antler, animal hide,
quill and, later on, manufactured beads
feature prominently in these everyday
items which are intricate and colorful.
Alaskan coastal tribes such as the
Inupiaq, Yup’ik and Alutiiq artworks
reflect a culture more dependent than
Athabascan Birch Bark Baskets,
Museum of the North.
Athabascan peoples on the sea and its
mammals. Here polar bear and sea otter
fur, walrus ivory, fossilized mammoth
ivory, fossilized whalebone, baleen,
sealskin and seal gut are the stars of the
show, used for masks, clothing, children’s
toys, kayak construction and items for the
tourist trade.
The Morris Thompson Cultural Center's
focus is on Athabascan art. However, the
University of Alaska Museum of the North
in Fairbanks, Anchorage Museum, the
jewel-box Sheldon Jackson Museum in
Sitka and the impressive new Alaska State
Museum in Juneau have selections from
all Alaskan Native tribes. Several of these
museums also have virtual tours online.
Athabascan Mittens,
Museum of the North.
Dolls, Museum
of the North.
Despite the
challenges of
a long, dark,
cold winter
the Northern
Natives’ art
often has a
whimsical
component;
their toys
and dolls
demonstrate
a love of
children.
Dancer’s Boots, Pauuva Dance Troup.
Boots may be made with calfskin or
moosehide; reindeer, beaver or fox fur, and
beads. The use of rare wolverine fur is a
status symbol that signifies family wealth.
Yup’ik Toy
Ball, sealskin,
caribou,
sinew
and ivory,
Museum of
the North.
Detail,
Athabascan
Grass
Basket,
Museum of
the North.
14
15

The few hours I have to explore here
are not enough to do justice to the art,
cultural history and science galleries.
All are housed in this breathtaking
museum whose angular arctic white
architecture evokes icebergs and the
boreal landscape. I spend all my time
at the Gallery of Alaska on the ground
floor. The Gallery is broken up into
five geographic regions, explaining the
cultural and natural history of each area
through a collection of carefully crafted
objects and intricate artifacts. I find this
an excellent opportunity to compare
and contrast how geography and
climate affect the lifestyles of Alaska’s
distinct areas. I completely miss the
Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery upstairs
which includes 2,000 years of Alaska art
from “the functional to the fantastic”
including ancient ivory carvings,
whalebone, ceremonial and everyday
objects. “Next time,” I tell myself.
Fairbank’s Chena Village Museum,
along with the soaring University of
Alaska Museum of the North and
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors
Center provided engaging introductions
16
University of Alaska, Museum of the North, Fairbanks. From every angle, the
museum’s architecture captivates the viewer and evokes the arctic landscape.
to Athabascan Native heritage. Now,
steeped in this knowledge, I hope to
one day venture out to visit a Native
village or two where this resilient
culture, though threatened by climate
change, continues to adapt as best it
can. (see sidebars on visiting villages
and climate change)
In ending, I would be remiss in not
emphasizing the historical importance
of dogs, which were, before the advent
of snowmobiles, the backbone of winter
travel for northern Alaskan Natives.
My few days in and around Fairbanks
afforded ample opportunity to meet
and see Alaskan sled dogs in action,
sans snow. I heard many times, “Our
dogs are not bred for their looks but
for their behavior.” I came away feeling
the same way about Fairbanks. The
city’s sprawling, primarily utilitarian
architecture is bred for function,
not form. Ah, but as for behavior,
Fairbanksans seem to have been bred—
for generations—to display a fierce
community pride and connection to the
land, which makes them the true heart
and soul of “The Golden Heart City.”
Banner outside Museum of the North,
the museum shop is a good place to
find authentic Alaskan Native artwork..
Gallery of Alaska,
Museum of the North.
“Gus” one of the Alaskan sled dogs at
the Denali National Park, about an hour’s
drive from Fairbanks. Dog sleds are used
in the park to reach wilderness areas.
At the NATJA conference, Explore
Fairbanks shared the seriousness of
climate change impacts in Alaska,
something I wish more destinations
took seriously. At the Conference, Marie
Yaska, a Koyukuk, Athabascan elder
born in 1938, related, “Growing up we
went wherever the food was, we went
from camp to camp, we all had jobs. In
summer camp, salmon used to be our
main food and then we would dry some
for winter. Now there are no fish to fish.
The water is really warm now, the water
was really cold when I grew up and the
outside temperature was 50, 60, 70 below
back then. We could only go by dog
team or row by boat from camp to camp.
Just a few people could afford small
10-hp engines, we called them “tuk-tuk”
At the Conference we learned from
Malinda Chase, the Tribal Liaison for
the Alaska Climate Adaptation Center,
to not call Native villages “remote”
and keep in mind that Native people
may not wish to be interviewed or
quoted, ask permission. The best way
to arrange a village visit is through the
local chief or village council, allow a lot
of time for planning. You can connect
with the chiefs through the Tanana
Chiefs Conference (TCC). Keep in
mind only 9 villages can be accessed
Climate Change and Cultural Impacts
engines. Our only income was from fur,
there was a lot of it back then.”
Scientists from the Alaska Center for
Climate Assessment and Policy, related,
less colorfully, that Alaska is warming
2-4 times faster than elsewhere on the
planet and species are generally moving
northward and upward in elevation,
called “borealization.” Wildfires are more
common than in the past and the boreal
forest is invading the tundra, changing
the migratory patterns and abundance
of animals that Native peoples depend
on for subsistence. In addition to the
stress of food insecurities, entire Alaskan
Native villages have had to be moved
as storm surge gets higher eroding the
Visiting an Athabascan Village
by car and 11 have access by boat. Flights
to some villages can be arranged through
Warbelow’s Air (800) 478-0812.
Day trips to Fort Yukon are set up for
visitors. A spectacular one-hour flight from
Fairbanks will take you above the Arctic
Circle where a Native guide will share what
it’s like to live in the Interior today and
you’ll learn about the Gwich’in Athabascan
Native peoples who continue to live a
subsistence lifestyle here. The Northern
Alaska Tour Company (800) 474-1986.
Where to Find Genuine Alaskan Native Art
banks of rivers and beaches. Extreme
weather events, sea level rise and the
disappearance of sea ice and permafrost
create this perfect storm of climaterelated
disasters and psychological stress.
In the village of Huslia, which also
happens to be Marie Yaska’s village, a
project by the World Wildlife Federation
called the Climate Witness Project has
engaged elders and students in recording
their observations on climate change.
The hope is that by hearing stories of
extreme climate change, people around
the world will look at ways to conserve
energy and be inspired to advocate for
alternative energy systems and travel
more consciously.
When I asked Maggie Crandall, a
young woman at the Morris Thompson
Cultural Center, if there was a Native
village that was accessible to visitors
she suggested Minto, which she
considers home even though she
didn’t grow up there. The village has
approximately 250 people and is about
a 2 to 4-hour drive from Fairbanks,
depending on road conditions. Best
to arrange a visit through the Minto
Village Council (907) 789-7627.
• University of Alaska Museum of the North Shop • Anchorage Museum • Alaska State Museum
Alaska Silver Hands Artists –The Silver Hand program helps Alaska Native artists promote their work
in the marketplace and enables consumers to identify and purchase authentic Alaska Native art.
When purchasing Alaskan artwork that contains walrus ivory, polar bear fur, or sea otter fur, be an educated consumer.
Only Alaska Natives may harvest these protected species and use them to make art or products.
More information: Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Barbara Marrett took part in the NATJA Annual Conference held in Fairbanks, Alaska, May 2023.
She wishes to thank Explore Fairbanks and the many generous institutions, tour companies, businesses,
climate change experts and indigenous peoples for sharing their wisdom with conference attendees.
17

Isabella
Bird
Tracking the
Lady of the Rockies
Story and Photos by Linda Ballou
he highway crests over South Park, a
massive expanse of flatland that looks
like a meteor might have landed here a
millennium ago. A rolling plain, seventyfive
miles wide, elevated over 10,000 feet,
treeless, girdled by mountains, the park was
once the summer hunting grounds for Native
Americans. Large herds of elk and other game
are long gone, but I spied a herd of fluffy whitebottomed
antelope grazing peacefully. Rushed by
miners in 1859 when gold was discovered in the
Tarryall Valley, South Park was pocked with mining
outfits when Isabella arrived. She rode here with
an unlikely companion named Comanche Bill, a
notorious Indian killer draped in guns and knives.
At Jefferson, a spit in the road, I took Hwy 77,
which snakes through Tarryall Valley through
a rust-colored meadow, split by a meandering
stream. This less-traveled byway lined with pudgy
brown cliffs allowed me to cruise slowly, without
traffic pressing me to go faster. Dilapidated,
weathered cabins that dot the roadside are left
from the days Isabella rode through Tarryall. Today
you will find a few people and picnic tables at the
Tarryall reservoir.
South Park Museum
Fall color in
Terryall, Colorado
Once in historical Fairplay, I settled into my cozy
room at the Hand Hotel, built in 1879. Isabella
spoke of ruffians and vigilante law in this stop
in time. A recent lynching saw a man swinging
on a tree nearby. Today there is an outdoor
western museum where you can wander among
43 structures, built in the 1800s, that have been
relocated here at great expense. For ten bucks you
may explore The South Park museum for as long
as you like.
Weathered cabin in Terryall, Colorado
18
sabella Bird was
a plucky English
woman who rode 800 miles
solo through the Front
Range of Colorado in 1873.
Horseback riding through the
rugged outback while the gold
rush was raging seemed a
miraculous feat. I wanted to
see the region she described
so vividly in her book A Lady’s
Life in the Rocky Mountains.
She made this trek in the
winter, often ending her day
with her feet frozen to the
stirrups. I followed her tracks in
September when the mountains
are ablaze with aspens spinning
gold.
I left Denver on the 1-70 to
Highway 285, which was once
the Denver Stage Coach road
that Isabella described as the
worst stretch of her Mountain
Tour. She slogged through
shoulder-high snow, following
freight wagon tracks that were
often drifted over by snow.
Today Highway 285 swoops
through gorgeous country,
climbing ever higher on the way
to Fairplay, where Isabella ran
into rowdy miners working the
early gold mines. It traces the
energetic Platte River where
fishermen cast their lines.
Mostly private property, with
little opportunity to explore, it
frames the highway until you hit
the Kenosha summit where you
can pull off at the Colorado Trail
Head for an adventurous hike
with stunning views.
South Park Museum in Fairplay
Hand Hotel in Fairplay, Colorado
19

River Walk in Breckenridge, Colorado
Georgetown Loop Train
Georgetown Loop
Train Station
and Trestle
n the way to trendy Breckenridge,
I saw swaths of lemon-colored
aspen carving a path through the
deep green of the pine-sheathed
peaks. This stretch on Highway 9 is
a bit of a nail-biter with dizzying descents
and tricky hairpin turns, but worth the
butterflies. I stopped for a leg stretcher on
the charming riverwalk in Breckenridge.
When raindrops started falling on my head
I pressed on toward Hwy 119, the glorious
Peak to Peak Highway.
A stop at Georgetown, home to the most
restored Victorian homes in the state,
garnered a BBQ lunch to fortify me for the
rest of the drive. The popular Georgetown
narrow-gauged train that puffs its way
through aspen, spruce and pine trees is an
adventure anyone can enjoy. Isabella came
through here on her way to Green Lake. She
was warned off of making the climb but was
undaunted. When she arrived at her ultimate
destination, after an arduous slog through
snow drifts, she found the lake frozen solid.
t is a short hop from Georgetown
through Central City, to the Peak-to-
Peak Highway (aka Hwy 119 that turns
into Hwy 7) that delivers you to Estes
Park, where Isabella began and ended
her mountain tour. It is a spectacular cruise
through some of Colorado’s most glorious scenery.
Isabella averaged 25 miles a day on Birdie, her
steadfast mare, to do her mountain tour in about a
month. On especially horrible days she would have
to ride fifty miles to reach a cabin with a light in the
window where she could stay the night. After seeing
the vast expanses through some of our country's
most daunting landscapes, my admiration for this
indomitable woman has only deepened.
I agree with Isabella that the Front Range, with
dramatic ascents, charging rivers, and daunting
peaks, is not to be missed, but that Estes Park
remains the fairest. It is the gateway to the Rocky
Mountain National Park, with miles of well-groomed
trails to lakes and waterfalls for all to enjoy. She is
considered to be the Mother of the RMP because her
powerful descriptions brought throngs of tourists
and writers like me to know what she described so
lovingly in her letters to her sister Henrietta in 1873.
Linda Ballou
with statue
of Isabella
Bird in
Estes Park,
Colorado
Linda Ballou is the author of
Embrace of the Wild
inspired by equestrian explorer Isabella Bird
www.LindaBallouAuthor.com
20
21

Ted Turner Reserves:
An Epic
Southwestern Adventure
Story and Photos by Donna Adinolfi
Sierra Grande
Truth or
Consequences
New Mexico
Truth or Consequences was originally
known as Hot Springs, and they renamed
it Truth or Consequences (T or C by the
locals) after the radio show called Truth or
Consequences, in March 1950. It's a quirky
and artsy town with a laid-back vibe.
A peaceful setting while
exploring Vermejo.
My first stop was to revisit Sierra Grande in
Truth or Consequences as it had been quite
a few years since my last visit and since that
time it became part of Ted Turner Reserves
(in 2013).
The historic 17-room Sierra Grande (built
in 1928-29) sits on (104°F) geothermal hot
springs, which is a highlight at this wellness
resort as your stay includes one 30-minute
complimentary soak per day. There’s a
full-service spa (services are a la carte) and
a restaurant that currently serves breakfast.
Go for the blue corn pancakes!
Soaking in the
private outdoor
Mineral Tub –
good for muscles
and joints!
My latest solo cross-country road trip
through New Mexico gave me the
opportunity to discover new wide-open
spaces with one revisit to a favorite spot
from my first quest many years ago.
My adventure included some areas in
New Mexico that I’ve never explored
and oh, what a journey!
I’m always searching for something
more. A deeper meaning of life with
lessons along the way. Maybe we all do
that as travelers. I just know that I’m
different when I’m on the road. I lose
myself in the beauty of what surrounds
me and reconnect to a deeper part
of myself when in nature. There’s an
I consider myself to be “in the know” about most things travel and I didn’t know about these Reserves
until late 2022 and visiting them was, well, life changing. My adventure was more than eye-opening, it was
soulful, it was an awakening, and I know it will stay with me as I continue to learn more about the work that
Turner is doing for the environment, which, of course, has an impact on travel and tourism.
One of the common threads belongs to the American Bison. More on that later.
emptiness and a fullness at the same
time. I yearn to be on the road – it’s
been my greatest teacher.
This journey was also about nature, conservancy,
and what Ted Turner is doing for the environment. Ted Turner?
“The open road is a beckoning,
a strangeness, a place where
a man can lose himself.”
William Least Heat Moon
Yes, this adventure brought me to what will be one of his legacies: TED TURNER RESERVES.
While I enjoyed the Turner Suite for my
stay at Sierra Grande, a more private area
is the Adobe Casita. It’s a lovely space
with a family room, two-bedrooms, twobathrooms,
and a private courtyard with an
outdoor hot springs tub. This is the one
to stay in if you’re traveling with friends or
family.
A few restaurants are within walking
distance of Sierra Grande including The
Giddy Up Café with their Macaroni &
Polenta house specials and they’re also
known for Sunday Brunch.
With a limited number of restaurants in the
area, you’ll want to add Giddy Up to your
list and Outer Edge Pizza. In addition to the
interesting pizza menu at Outer Edge, they
also offer salads, sandwiches, pasta, and
locally produced wine and beer.
The rustic entrance to the
private Casita at Sierra Grande.
Cooked to order Blue Corn
Pancakes – a resort favorite
(and mine, too!).
22 23

Armendaris and Ladder , Southern, New Mexico
Save Everything
From Sierra Grande you can
explore the two Reserve ranches,
Armendaris, and Ladder, and
they’re both about 30-minutes away
from Sierra Grande on an unpaved
road for part of the way. El Paso,
TX and Albuquerque, NM airports
are about 2-hours away and the
closest options.
One of my favorite movie quotes, which Ted Turner
mentions in his book, “Call Me Ted,” certainly
sums up Ted’s environmental endeavors, the “Save
Everything” mission, and these two guest ranches.
“Why, land is the only thing in the world worth
workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for,
because it's the only thing that lasts.”
Gerald O’Hara, Gone with the Wind
When I’m driving in the
desert and surrounded
by wide-open spaces …
I often wonder what
could be out there.
Well, I got that question
answered on the stretch
of road that led me to the
first ranch.
A welcome sign
letting you know
you’re almost at the
country house.
New Mexican chiles
adorn the outdoor patio.
Yes, please! A private massage after a
full day exploring Armendaris.
Ladder’s Master Bath – get lost in relaxation!
Armendaris Ranch~ Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Armendaris, located in the Chihuahuan
desert, sits on 360,000 acres and saying
wide-open spaces does not begin to
describe this vast land. To say that I
was in awe when I arrived would be an
understatement. I don’t think I would ever
have had this experience if it wasn’t for this
visit, and hopefully, there will be a future
stay with some friends.
Views of the Fra Cristobal Mountain range
are breathtaking, and the dark skies are
perfect for stargazing.
If you want to truly relax on your vacation,
this is the place, with four guest rooms
including a master suite (king), two
king bedrooms, and a double-queen
bedroom. Did I say it’s spacious?!
There's a beautiful Santa-Fe style
kitchen, Southwestern décor for the
dining and living room areas with
wood beam ceilings, game room, bar,
reading and entertainment spaces, and
fitness and massage areas.
The spacious New Mexican Chileadorned
courtyard has a fire pit along
with an outdoor kitchen, which allows
Wood beams,
Mexican Barrel Chairs,
and Pottery for an
authentic Hacienda vibe.
more opportunities to be outside. A
stay at Armendaris includes a private
chef, host, and activity guides.
Adventures available from this
location include biking, hiking, and
culinary adventures, the Jornado del
Muerto historic trail (90-mile stretch
on El Camino Real), a Paleontology
(Sierraceratops turneri – large horned
dinosaur - discovery site), Bighorn
Sheep, and one of the most exciting
experiences is to witness 1.6 million
free-tailed (Mexican) bats on their
nightly flight during the summer
(June-September).
Did you Ted Turner know? is one of the largest individual
Did you know
24 Ted Turner is one of the largest individual landowners landowners in the in U.S. the with U.S. with 2 million 2 million acres. acres.
Ladder sits on 156,000 acres and is
located by four Rio Grande tributaries.
This property offers sweeping mountain
views, and historic and wildlife tours.
You can even go for an e-bike ride, hike,
or visit a ghost town.
The two-story four-bedroom country
house is completely different from
the Hacienda at Armendaris and
equally beautiful with newly renovated
bathrooms, a master bedroom and
two other bedrooms on the first floor.
The inviting porch reminded me of a
simpler time of life. The 2nd floor suite is
accessible via the outdoor stairs and also
has a sitting area and bathroom.
Just like Armendaris, there are tours
that can be arranged, and this property
offers opportunities to visit petroglyphs,
pottery shards, and adobe ruins.
If you want to see wildlife, then early is
best, and although I didn’t see bison, elk,
or deer at Ladder, I did see a family of
javelinas…from a distance.
As mentioned earlier, there were
lessons along the way, and nature was
my teacher as I learned so much about
wildlife, biodiversity, and more about the
New Mexico desert despite living there
at one time and traveling there many
times over the years.
Where the private chef creates your included meals.
Ladder Ranch, Caballo, New Mexico
Another interesting point about
Ladder is the partnership for the
species restoration program with
the Turner Endangered Species
Fund, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and New Mexico Department of
Game and Fish. The Mexican gray
wolf, the Chiricahua leopard frog,
and the Bolson tortoise are just
three of the species in the program.
25

VermejO
Raton , New Mexico
Snow-capped mountains in the distance lured me closer to
my destination and I had a distinct feeling that they were
going to be part of Vermejo, an all-inclusive luxury resort on
over 550,000 acres. It is much more than a resort and was my
greatest teacher on this journey.
While I loved visiting the other Reserves, I found inspiration
at windy “Inspiration Point,” with views as far as your eyes
can see and I resolved to live my life more fully with a sense of
adventure in more of what I do.
Hiking, UTV tours, horseback riding, disc golf, and the list
goes on. There is so much for adults and kids to experience at
Vermejo.
When you stay at Vermejo you are part of the true American
West with a deep connection to nature, eco-tourism, outdoor
adventure, roaming American Bison, elk, and so much more.
Back to the Bison……they appeared out of nowhere and it was
such a thrill to see the herd from a close and safe distance. My
eyes met their eyes, and, in that moment, I felt more connected
to Save Everything.
“When we connect with nature, we heal ourselves.
When we protect nature, we heal the planet.”
Ted Turner
Casa Grande Mansion – luxurious, elegant, and grand.
Castle Rock Bison Herd Roaming Vermejo
FOUR MUST DO'S AT VERMEJO
Upon arrival, I met my personal guide, Jason Arrington,
Vermejo’s Groups & Events Supervisor. Little did I know
then how much the next 48 hours would mean to me.
Those snow-capped mountains were part of the Sangre de
Cristo Mountain range and were even more breathtaking
from many vantage points at Vermejo.
• GO FOR A HIKE
There are hiking paths and nature trails for exploring
meadows, creeks, and lakes. A guide will assist you in
finding your best path.
• GO FLY-FISHING
First, learn how to cast a fly-fishing line and then find a lake –
there are 19 of them!
Casa Grande (built in the early 1900’s) was my home during
my stay. It has 7 guest rooms (with private bathrooms) and
beautiful spaces including a chef ’s kitchen, expansive living
room area, sitting areas, and a conservatory. It’s the main
building – actually, a mansion - and filled with character and
charm. If walls could talk…. oh, the stories they’d tell.
In addition to Casa Grande, guests can also stay at the Turner
House, Costilla Fishing Lodge (45-minutes from the main
lodge and great for a retreat), and there are several cottages on
the property.
Back to the adventure – Jason and I toured the high country,
and remember, over 550,000 acres, so a lot to explore and we
were only going to scratch the surface. We were also on the
lookout for bison, as I didn’t see any at Armendaris or Ladder,
so my heart was set on getting a glimpse at Vermejo since
more than 1,200 roam the property.
An idyllic setting for our canoeing adventure.
As we were driving back toward the Lodge, Jason explained
that when Bison graze, their high angled hooves cut into
the land as opposed to cattle, which then creates a natural
aeration and opportunity for wind-swept seeds to take hold
thus supporting overall ecology.
I learned that a straight river is an unhealthy river, and a
meandering river is a healthy river. I also learned more
about the importance of beavers and dams, about Riparian
Restoration in the upper Vermejo River watershed, and the
restoration of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout to Costillo
Creek. I (finally) learned how to cast a flyfishing line (not
sure how to choose a fly yet) and I experienced a wobble deck
at the shooting range and succeeded in hitting a clay target.
Dramatic Views of the Great Lawn from
the Veranda at the Main Lodge.
• EXPERIENCE THE COWBOY BREAKFAST
Get up early, grab your hat, and mosey up the trail.
• CLAY-SHOOTING ON THE WOBBLE DECK
A first for me and I hit one out of five – not bad for a novice.
BONUS: WILDLIFE SAFARI
This Safari offers an opportunity to see elk, whitetail deer, bison,
and more animals roaming on the range.
GETTING TO VERMEJO:
Colorado Springs Airport is about 2 ½ hours from Raton, NM.
Denver, CO and Albuquerque, NM airports at 3 ½ hours.
WHAT TO PACK:
Closed-toe shoes, sandals, long pants/shorts, jeans, hiking
boots, backpack, hat, short and long sleeve tops, sweater/
jacket (seasonal), bandana, bathing suits, camera, sunscreen,
sunglasses, cowboy hat.
Munn Lake, one of Vermejo’s 19 fish-able lakes, offered an
idyllic setting for our canoeing adventure with views of Ash
Mountain and Little Costilla Peak in the distance. Nothing
says mindfulness like the stillness of a lake.
26
“At Vermejo, the environment enhances even
the simple pleasures.” Jason Arrington,
Vermejo’s Groups & Events Supervisor
Vermejo’s Jason
Arrington and I
exploring high country
and on the lookout for
roaming bison.
A serious moment
for my first time. No
Annie Oakley but I hit
one clay target.
The Sangre de Cristo Mountain range in the
distance and what lured me to Vermejo.
TRAVEL TIPS AND INFO:
TED TURNER RESERVES AT:
https://tedturnerreserves.com/
SAVE EVERYTHING MISSION AT:
https://tesf.org/
27

The Surprising Wow Factors of Kansas...
Yes KANSAS!
Monument Rock, near
Oakley, Kansas, is one of
the most well-known rock
formations. This keyhole is a
popular picture-taking spot.
Visitors can walk
among the Castle Rock
Badlands and climb or
stand on the rocks.
The Sternberg Museum of Natural
History in Hays was my first stop
in Kansas. I was still holding tight
to mental images of flat, colorless
stretches of prairie and farmers on
the watch for the next big twister. A
university-run paleontology museum
wasn’t what I was expecting. “Toto, I
don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,”
sprang into my mind. Dorothy’s phrase
from the iconic 1939 movie has come
to mean how we feel when we step
Story and Photos by Jill Robbins
On my quest to visit all 50 states, I always expected Kansas to be sort of an afterthought or a straggler state I’d have
to check off when I was getting close to 50. As it turns out, Kansas was state number 39, and it wasn’t the uninspiring
expanse of prairie and Wizard of Oz lore I expected. Here’s what will wow you about the Sunflower State.
28
Kansas:
Badlands & Beyond!
SUNFLOWER STATE PALEONTOLOGY
outside what we consider normal or
expected.
Ironic? Definitely, but the tone was
set for Kansas being a surprising
experience, and the state continued to
deliver.
If you’ve never thought about what
Kansas was like 300 million years ago,
you’re probably not alone. The state’s
high amount of fossil discoveries and
current terrain result from what used to
be the Western Interior Seaway. That’s
right, the middle of the continental
United States was once underwater.
A series of seas, some deep and some
shallow, covered Kansas during the
Pennsylvanian and Permian periods
of geologic history, and deeper water
covered western Kansas during the
Cretaceous Period, which is the reason
for the various chalk formations that dot
the West-Central Kansas landscape.
KANSAS BADLANDS
While Kansas has its share of prairies and
sunflowers, Western Kansas is full of craggy
badlands and unique rock formations that
defy expectations of Kansas topography.
The most well-known is Monument Rocks,
a 70-foot-tall sedimentary chalk formation
that once sat on the ocean floor. The rocks
are on private land but free to enter and
explore; just make sure you heed the signs
warning visitors not to touch or climb
on the fragile rocks. There’s a keyhole
formation that makes a fantastic picturetaking
spot. If you can time your visit to
align with sunrise or sunset, even better.
Little Jerusalem State Badlands State Park
and Castle Rock Badlands are lesserknown
but spectacular formations. Little
Jerusalem has Kansas’ largest expanse of
exposed Niobrara Chalk formations. The
100-foot-tall spires are 85 million years old
and earned their name when early settlers
believed the rugged terrain resembled the
walls of the famous city in Israel. The spires
can be seen from the park’s Overlook and
Life on the Rocks trails, but travelers who
want a closer look can book a tour with a
park naturalist and hike amongst the spires.
Castle Rock Badlands is a true hidden
gem that rarely appears on searches of
things to see in Kansas. Located on private
land near Quinter, the badlands are fully
accessible to the public and free to enter.
The actual Castle Rock formation consists
of three impressive spires and was used as
a landmark for stagecoach travelers. The
natural chalk has eroded throughout the
years, and a 2001 storm caused the top of
the tallest spire to topple. Historic photos
show a different view than what visitors
see today, but Castle Rock is nevertheless
impressive.
One unique aspect of visiting Castle
Rock is the “look but don’t touch” rule is
more relaxed. Visitors can walk among
the badlands adjacent to Castle Rock
and climb on the formations. The area is
shared with a herd of grazing cattle who
pretty much mind their business but are
willing photo subjects as long as you don’t
get too close.
The actual Castle Rock tower sits in
the shadow of Castle Rock Badlands
outside Quiner, Kansas.
Although Monument Rock is Kansas's
most well-known rock formation, Little
Jerusalem Badlands State Park and
Castle Rock Badlands are more scenic
and offer a richer experience and more
adventure versus just a photo opp.
Mushroom Rock State Park outside of Wamego, Kansas, is only five acres but offers
some unusual rock formations and a short, easy-to-navigate trail that leads you to the
top of some of the rocks so you can actually stand on top of them, and a picnic area.
29

The Sallie House might not look ominous from the
outside, but it is rumored to be one of the most haunted
houses in the United States. Make arrangements to
spend the night if you’re courageous.
HAUNTED KANSAS
If your idea of fun fall travel includes a good dose of the spooky
stuff, Kansas has its share of resident ghosts and haunted
places. I’m a little tenderhearted when it comes to ghost stories,
and I usually don’t seek out haunted places. My imagination
runs away from me at the most benign noises and creaks, so a
vacation itinerary heavy on anything flirting with paranormal
activity wouldn’t normally be my cup of tea. Since my most
recent trip involved traveling with a braver friend, I agreed to
mix a few haunted Kansas sites into our road trip across the
state.
Atchison is known as the most haunted city in Kansas. We
toured the Sallie House, rumored to be haunted by the ghost of
a young girl who died in the house during appendicitis surgery.
Daytime tours are available, and, for the truly brave, overnight
stays. The McInteer Villa is another haunted Atchison spot.
Aside from the ghost appeal, the building is a gorgeous
example of Victorian architecture. Nine documented deaths
have occurred over the years in McInteer Villa, and various
paranormal activity has been reported, from flickering lights
to the scent of powdery ladies' perfume. Book a daytime selfguided
tour or an overnight stay.
Kansas also has several haunted hotels. I’ve stayed in the
Midland Railroad Hotel, rumored to be haunted by the ghost
of a little girl. Other guests have reported hearing the pitterpatter
of her ghostly feet in the hallway. I didn’t hear anything,
but I slept with earbuds and cranked the air conditioner up to
make sure I wouldn’t.
San Antonio Carniceria y Tortilleria in Kansas
City is inside a Mexican Grocery store and
tops my list for the best-tasting tacos.
It might not look like much from
the outside, but the food inside is
fantastic and authentic.
My taco crawl strategy was to ask the people
behind the counter what type of tacos they
liked. They did not steer me wrong.
UNEXPECTED FOODIE FINDS
Kansas just keeps on surprising you in a good way. Exploring the delicious Kansas City Taco Trail is worth its own
dedicated day, if not an entire trip. With over 60 locations featuring all types of tacos, Kansas City, Kansas, has put itself on
the map as a spot for taco connoisseurs. It’s hard to impress a girl from South Texas with anything claiming to be remotely
Tex-Mex, but KC’s taco scene is solid.
If you’re interested in something more upscale, make a trip to rural Hoxie, population 1,211, to dine at the Elephant
Bistro & Bar. The menu offers everything from Hawaiian ginger-lime ahi tuna to bison steaks. Housed in one of the oldest
buildings in Hoxie, Elephant Bistro is the passion project of Kansas-born, Seattle-trained chef Emily Campbell, and it’s an
absolutely delightful “middle of nowhere” find.
Haunted or not, the 1889 McInteer Villa is an
example of beautiful architecture.
Other haunted hotels in Kansas include the Eldridge Hotel in
Lawrence and the historic Wolfe Hotel in Ellinwood. If you
want a spooky experience without staying the night, the Wolfe
Hotel has haunted tunnels underneath the property. Tours
must be booked in advance, but they’re worth planning your
day around.
San Antonio Carniceria y Tortilleria
Tacos El Gueros Kansas City
California tacos in Kansas City
The Midland Railroad Hotel is rumored to be haunted
by several ghosts, especially on the third floor. I
stayed on the third floor and didn’t hear or experience
anything out of the ordinary, but the hotel is a fun
place to stay in quaint Wilson, Kansas, and has not
one but two restaurants on site.
More than just spooky history, the tunnel tour offers a glimpse
into the underground world during prohibition days. The
tunnels once spanned two city blocks, but just a small portion
of the tunnels are currently open to visitors. The only access
point is the Wolfe Hotel.
If you’re interested in learning more about Kansas ghosts, the
Kansas University Press has published an entire book dedicated
to hauntings in the Sunflower State, Haunted Kansas: Ghost
Stories and Other Eerie Tales, by Lisa Hefner Heintz.
If you’re shooting to visit all 50 states, don’t approach Kansas with the mindset that
it’s something to merely get through so you can check it off your list.
With haunted history, tacos, and mild autumn weather perfect for outdoor adventure,
Kansas – yes, Kansas – deserves a spot on everyone’s list of unique places to explore.
https://sternberg.fhsu.edu/
https://geokansas.ku.edu/castle-rock
https://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/primer/ED6.pdf
https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700609307/
REFERENCES:
https://www.visitkansascityks.com/taco-trail/
https://www.travelks.com/
https://theelephantbistrobar.com/
30
31

es, that Lizzie Borden.
The 40 whacks to her
mother and 41 whacks to
her father Lizzie Borden.
She was a real person
— a 32-year-old spinster
still living at home — and
those brutal murders really
did take place in Fall River,
Massachusetts, on August 4,
1892. But the case is so bizarre and
so convoluted that if you read up on
it to any degree, I dare say you’ll find
yourself obsessed — just like me —
about whether Lizzie was the culprit or
not. More on that in a minute.
Perhaps the most tell-tale sign of my
obsession is the fact that I’ve actually
traveled — twice — to the Lizzie
Borden House in Fall River, which is
now a bed-and-breakfast furnished
almost exactly how it appeared in
1892. Not only can you spend the
night there, but you can also take tours
outlining what happened that day. You
can also take night-time ghost hunts
in an attempt to make contact with the
spirits of the unhappy Borden family.
I’ve done all three.
32
LIZZIE BORDEN
Photo courtesy of the Fall River
Historical Society, Massachusetts
Lizzie Borden took an axe !
Or did she?
Stay in the Lizzie Borden House
Bed-and-Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts
and decide for yourself!
Story and Photos by Rich Warren
Lizzie — Lizzie Borden was a 32-year old unmarried woman still living at home when her
father and stepmother were brutally murdered in their home at Fall River, Massachusetts on
a brutally hot morning of August, 1892. Lizzie was tried but acquitted for the murders.
Here’s how obsessed I am with Lizzie Borden: I’ve got her meatloaf recipe!
First, the ghost hunt. Even though we
were laden with all manner of equipment
(including sensors that would light
up and beep if a spirit was close by),
relatively little happened on the night I
wandered the rooms trying to conjure up
paranormal activity.
Other ghost hunters have hit the jackpot,
however, especially in the extremely
haunted room once occupied by Bridget,
the family’s Irish maid. Tour guides
arrived for work in the morning to
find the overnight renters of that room
huddled in their cars, no longer able to
cope with what was happening upstairs.
The house’s previous owner once decided
to spend a night in Bridget’s room only
to find that a rocking chair that had been
across the room when she fell asleep was
sitting next to her bed when she awoke.
Plus, it was rocking!
I highly recommend the fascinating
daytime tours of the house. You’ll get
a comprehensive overview of what
happened that fateful day, and you’ll also
see the very places the murders took
place, including the upstairs guest room
where Lizzie’s mother — or stepmother
as she’d have been quick to remind you
— was struck down while making up a
bed. You’ll also see a replica of the couch
where Mr. Borden lay down to take a
lunchtime nap and — well, you know what
happened then.
Our spirited guide, Louise, led us from
room to room regaling us with Borden
anecdotes. She certainly didn’t pull any
punches in her descriptions, however.
Louise forcefully demonstrated how Mrs.
Borden’s murder likely took place, with
the killer standing astride her prone body
while he (or she) hacked from above. She
invited us to consider how much noise the
hefty 200-pound body of Abby Borden
would have made as it fell to the floor —
she told us that when tour guides tried it
themselves, the entire house shook.
Since the house also operates as a bed
and breakfast, the upstairs bedrooms are
rented out to overnight guests. And since
“macabre” is my middle name, I just had to
stay in the room where Mrs. Borden was
slain. If you ever visit, you’ll be struck with
how cozy it looks, filled with Victorian
bric-a-brac and furnishings, including the
bed with the towering wooden headboard
and a matching dresser, both of which
featured prominently in the famous
murder photographs, since Mrs. Borden’s
body was found lying between them. The
night I stayed there, the bedspread was an
appropriately blood-red chenille.
earing of my plans, my friends all
clucked their tongues, wondering
how anyone could stay in such a
place. Myself, I didn’t start getting
the heebie-jeebies until I actually
arrived. I figured I was in for a
sleepless night, with all the stories
about the night-time antics of the
house’s spirits dancing through my head.
I needn’t have worried. To my astonishment, I
fell asleep the instant my head hit the pillow, and
I awoke at dawn after a full eight hours of sleep.
This never happens — I’m a very restless sleeper
who always wakes up several times during the
course of a night. What’s more, I’d had one happy
dream after another, many focusing on reunions
with long-lost friends. I slept so soundly that the
entire Borden family could have danced around
my bed all night long or even climbed under the
covers with me for all I knew. To this day I am
still mortified: What kind of scoundrel sleeps so
blissfully in such a setting?
Other Lizzie-related places in Fall River
include the cemetery where she lies buried
beside the parents she supposedly murdered
and Maplecroft, the Victorian mansion where
she spent her final years. At the Fall River
Historical Society, there’s an entire room of Lizzie
memorabilia, including a bloody pillow sham
and a hair piece that flew off Mrs. Borden’s head
as she was being struck. The Historical Society
is where I got Lizzie’s meatloaf recipe, which
sounds so incredibly dry and bland I will surely
never try making it.
But as I mentioned, I’m not at all certain Lizzie
did the deed. She was acquitted, yes, partly due
to a lack of solid evidence, but many people
still think she’s really the only person who the
finger of blame can be pointed at. By her own
admission, she was on the premises when the
murders took place, claiming to have been in the
dining room ironing handkerchiefs while her
stepmother was being struck down and out in
the backyard barn looking for fishing gear when
her father met his Maker. Everyone else in the
household had solid alibis — Lizzie’s sister Emma
was out of town visiting friends, Bridget the maid
was outside washing windows, and the family
guest of the night before, Lizzie’s maternal uncle,
was out conducting business around town.
The Lizzie Borden House on Second Street near downtown Fall River,
Massachusetts, was the scene of the brutal murders of Andrew and
Abby Borden in 1892. It’s now a bed and breakfast and museum that also
offers tours and ghost hunts to its guests.
Murder Bedroom — The room where Abby Borden was murdered, the
former guest room of the Borden home, is one of the rooms available
to bed and breakfast guests for overnight rental. Mrs. Borden’s body
was found lying between the bed and the dresser. Historic photos of the
actual murder scene can be found on the dresser.
33

lus, Lizzie did have a motive. She and
her sister loathed their stepmother
so intensely they refused to call her
anything but “Mrs. Borden.” Her
wealthy father had infuriated Lizzie
and Emma when he transferred a piece
of property to someone in his wife’s family.
Perhaps the sisters were fearful they were
losing their inheritance?
Couch with hatchet — An almost exact replica of the couch where Mr. Borden
was killed while he was napping is in the drawing room of the Lizzie Borden
House. A plastic hatchet has been placed there by the tour guides just for fun.
Although the murder weapon itself was never found, forensic evidence shows it
was a hatchet, not an axe, that was used to perform the murders.
Ironing Board — Lizzie Borden claims to have been in the dining room ironing
handkerchiefs while her stepmother was being murdered upstairs. In case
she would ever decide to return and finish her work, a small ironing board has
been set up on the dining room table.
34
Sheet Music — A piano in the Borden’s formal parlor has
a piece of sheet music on it entitled “You Can’t Chop Your
Poppa Up in Massachusetts
And yet, when Lizzie called for help after
supposedly discovering her father’s body, first
responders arrived so quickly they observed that
Mr. Borden had been so freshly murdered there
was still blood oozing from his head wounds.
They also noticed that Lizzie didn’t have a drop
of blood on her clothing, face, or hair.
And that’s why I’ve always thought someone
other than Lizzie had to have been the murderer.
Both of the victims had portions of their skulls
caved in, and the killer kept striking well past the
point where the deed was done. Whoever carried
out such brutal murders would surely have been
covered in blood. Lizzie was not, and as quickly
as she called for help, she wouldn’t have had time
to wash up and change clothes. Also, a thorough
search by the police failed to find any bloody
clothing or the murder weapon itself. To this day,
that weapon has never been found.
And so, for a lack of anything but circumstantial
evidence, there are two things we’ll never know
for certain: (1) Did Lizzie do it? And (2) If not,
who did? Perhaps a third person crept into the
house while Lizzie and Bridget were otherwise
occupied, but it strains credulity to think no one
saw that happening. And if Lizzie was somehow
“in on it” but didn’t actually do the killing, why
didn’t she clear the premises and give herself an
alibi?
Phil Devitt, another tour guide at the house,
summed it all up: “People usually leave the
house with more questions than when they
walked in. That’s a sign we’ve done our job.
Even with all the facts of what we know
happened, we can’t piece together an answer
that’s going to satisfy everyone. That’s the
frustration that lies behind the Lizzie Borden
story. But it’s also the allure.”
GUANAJUATO.MX
DOLORES
HIDALGO C.I.N. YURIRIA
Get to know the Cradle of National
Independence, famous for its
colorful majolica ceramics, exotic
flavors of ice cream, beautiful
vineyards and the birthplace of José
Alfredo Jiménez, the quintessential
ranchera music singer-songwriter.
MINERAL
DE POZOS
Walk among the cobbled streets of a
glorious past and enjoy resting in
one of its exclusive boutique hotels.
Take advantage of the tranquility of
Mineral de Pozos once considered a
ghost town to rest, breathe and relax.
COMONFORT
Meet the Parish of San Francisco de
Asís, the Civic Square, the temple of
the Virgen de los Remedios that
keep an impressive architectural
heritage. It is also a culinary gem
where you will get to taste the
ceremonial tortilla that is associated
with giving thanks for the harvest.
You can walk its beautiful
boardwalk to enjoy its scenery and
gastronomy, visit its monuments and
celebrate its festivities. It is the ideal
place to leave behind the rushed life
of the city and rediscover our roots.
SALVATIERRA
It has a large number of colonial
houses and haciendas that give it
great architectural beauty. More
than 300 buildings built between the
17th and 18th centuries are currently
cataloged and protected by the
National Institute of Anthropology
and History.
JALPA DE
CÁNOVAS
Here you will find tranquility in its
landscapes and get closer to the
inhabitants of the town, learn about
their customs and celebrate the
patron saint’s festivities with them.
Live the experience of an authentic
Mexican town in Guanajuato.
Guanajuato, Mexico
brings more to the world
fUlL Of cOlOr
35

T
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A 1957 Chevy Bel Air taxi cruises through
“Fusterlandia” on the western outskirts of Havana.
For over 40 years, artist José Fuster has decorated
walls, houses, buildings, and more with mosaic tiles.
Los Cubanos son Muy Buenos
Story and Photos by Dennis Garrels
Bicycles in Cuba are used to
transport loads of all kinds.
They are rarely ridden for
entertainment – even by kids.
e were face-toface
as Marcelina
clasped my
cheeks and looked
me in the eyes.
“Two words: Moo-ee
Boo-ā-no. Say it with me.” After
several attempts, she smiled and
repeated it as she shaped my mouth.
“Muy bueno.” I thought I had been
complimenting her on the tocino
y huevos that she fried for me and
Luis, her husband. He circled his
right ear with his index finger and
pointed at his wife – our sign for
crazy is universal. We all laughed out
loud and high-fived. I guess I wasn’t
complimenting her for making good
bacon and eggs.
So, yes, Americans can travel to
Cuba. Visiting only for tourism
is not allowed by U.S. law, but the
statute provides 12 legal ways to do
so. “Support for Cuban People” is
the most-used provision to visit the
island. Staying in family-run casa
particulares (guest houses) is a rule
of that provision. I dined on homecooked
meals and shared stories
with the families. That’s my kind of
prerequisite. Isn't that what many
travelers want to do?
It also requires participation in
activities with Cuban people. Tour
a tobacco farm or volunteer for a
church or other organization, and
take salsa or rumba dance lessons;
they all count under the law.
Eating at paladares (locally-owned
restaurants) is something I would
have sought out – it is required
under U.S. law. We hosted a pig roast
for a small village. Many Cuban
tourist services will help arrange
almost any ideas you may have.
On the way from the airport to our
casa particular, I saw the expected
old American cars – click, colorful
buildings – click. Click-click-click at
anything that caught my attention.
Walking in my free time, I saw musicians
– click, salsa dancers – click. And many
more clicks of sites I wanted to show folks
at home. Havana is a big city; there are a
lot of activities and sections to visit. I like
the mosaic-decorated neighborhood in
the western part of the city. Take a ‘50s
convertible taxi out there.
After the big city activities, we drove
west to a rural Pinar del Rio province
village. My roommate and I stayed at a
bright blue casa particulare that had silky
purple bedspreads. The bedspreads would
be gaudy in a Chicago hotel. Here, they
only added to the charm of rural Cuba.
I chuckled to myself. The proprietors
introduced themselves as Luis and
Marcelina and invited us to breakfast in
the morning.
I would have never guessed that the
woman who chose purple bedspreads
would be inches from my face during
breakfast. It was Marcelina who taught me
to say “muy bueno” after I told her “moy
bwano” one too many times. That broke
the ice and we had an enjoyable breakfast
together.
That evening I searched for a paladares
(family-owned restaurant) Luis had
recommended. Although he said it was
not far down the road, I had difficulty
finding it. Except for the colors, all the
houses looked like his. The first house
I ruled out had full clotheslines in the
front yard. I kept walking and searching. I
finally turned around to check with Luis.
Only then did I see a small “restaurant”
sign in the corner of the clothesline yard.
With some trepidation, I took a path
around the side of the house. There, the
owners of the small eatery greeted me
with warm smiles. They joined me for an
authentic Cuban meal. Déjà vu.
The next day was the pig roast we had
arranged – we invited everyone in the
village. We chatted with these Cubans
and heard all about their lives. It’s a gift
that only traveling permits. Chatted?
Well, it was more like separate games
of charades with very much laughter.
American travelers cannot sunbathe
on the beaches. We did something
better. The host of a casa particulare
led us to a swimming hole known
only by a few locals. Muddy water
pooled at the bottom of a ten-foot-high
waterfall making a perfect, albeit dirty,
swimming hole. The braver ones of our
group slid down the falls. Then, after a
water war between the two countries,
we laughed and declared a détente
between Cuba and America.
We had some time to explore Havana
on our own and to buy some souvenirs
on our last day in Cuba. I went to the
same open-air stand I had found a few
years earlier. I noticed the vendor was
looking at me as I walked up the street.
As I walked up to his outdoor display,
he wore a quizzical look and pointed at
his head. I smiled big.
He looked under his counter and came
up with his own big smile. He put on
the Cardinals baseball cap I had once
given him. I had been wearing that cap
three years earlier when we discussed
American baseball. He knew more
players and stats than I knew. After I
paid my bill, he smiled and said, “Te
veré la próxima vez!” Big laugh. “I will
see you next time!”
I looked out the plane window and
said, “I will see you next time!” Back in
America, people asked about my trip.
I smiled, laughed, and answered in
proper Spanish. Muy bueno!
g
36
37

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There are
produce stands
and markets
of all sizes
scattered
throughout
Havana.
A proud family wanted a family picture taken in
their modest home. Notice that the photos on the
wall include a clipping of Fidel Castro.
This proud
grandmother
pointed at herself
and smiled big as
she said, “Abuela”
(grandmother) with
a big grin. She told
our translator that
she loved sitting her
daughter’s bebé.
T
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38
This man loved having his picture taken.
He posed alone and then pointed for two
men in our group to pose with him. He
didn’t speak any English, and we didn’t
speak Spanish. That didn’t stop him from
gesticulating wildly and talking non-stop.
People in the
rural province
of Pinar del
Rió get around
in many ways,
including
horse-drawn
carts.
A mother and
son watched
me as I walked
along a dirt
road. Soon,
they smiled
and came out
to greet me.
A bicyclist
delivering
flowers crosses
a typical busy
side street in
Havana.
A Havana taxi driver in
his ’56 Chevy Bel Air
waits for his next fare.
Driving a car is not
recommended in
Cuba. Many roads
like this one in
Pinar del Rio
are trafficked
by pedestrians,
motorcycles,
bicycles, trucks,
horse-drawn
carts, and even
oxen.
Before she developed
problems in her feet
and lower legs, this
woman was a worldtravel.
Sporting a warm
smile, she tells stories of
visiting Rome and places
far from her Cuban home.
A woman at
a Christian
church on the
outskirts of
Havana sings
to worship
Christ. About
27% of Cubans
are Christians.
Santerians
make up 13%,
while 44% of
Cubans are
non-religious.
Regardless of what they
live in, Cubans take pride
in keeping their homes
looking nice.
A banner featuring
Che Guevara over
his shoulder, a
cigar maker in
the province of
Pinar del Rió,
demonstrates his
craft.
P
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39

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The bright middle house is a family home with
a small restaurant. It is common for host family
members to join guests as they enjoy home-cooked
meals. U.S. law prevents Americans from using the
more prominent state-owned restaurants.
I have a question for you.
Could you pinpoint the location of
Saint John, New Brunswick, on a map?
I'll be frank – up until several months ago,
I couldn't either. I am so glad I learned!
P
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Visitors to Morro Castle (fort) across from Havana
Bay have a good view of Havana’s skyline.
A man in a late
‘50s Chevy
convertible
drives past
Hotel Nacional
de Cuba. The
hotel was
popular with
celebrities
such as Frank
Sinatra, Mickey
Mantle, and
Marlon Brando.
Now, by U.S.
statute, it is
off-limits to
American
tourists.
Saint John
New Brunswick
By NordNordWest, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12221789
Canada's Oldest Incoporated City
C
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40
A fort called
Morro
Castle, built
in 1589,
stands on
the far side
of Havana
Bay. Now it
is accessed
by a tunnel.
Each night,
workers
in period
costumes
reenact the
firing of a
cannon.
A commercial fishing boat
passes a lighthouse as it
leaves Havana Harbor.
Story and Photos by Lisa Evans
A Mixture of History and Progress
Saint John is the only city on the breathtaking Bay of Fundy in what is known as Atlantic
Canada. Saint John was founded in 1785 and is the oldest incorporated city in Canada.
The Bay of Fundy is one of the most unique spots in the world. It is home to the highest
tides in the world, experiencing two high tides and two low tides each day. Depending
on where you are along this magnificent body of water, the surge can range from 35 to
56 feet. The tides change approximately every 6 hours and 13 minutes. Living in this area
means you must be mindful of the tide cycles as part of your daily routine.
41

The ship that was
docked in port
during my visit.
Taken within Area 506
showing some of the lovely
murals which have been
painted on the containers.
Taken while heading over to the spot in Dominion Park
where you can see 1 billion-year-old fossils.
The City Of
Saint John
s Saint John was Canada's first incorporated
city, there is terrific history everywhere. Due
to its location, the water plays an integral
part in the past and future. Shipbuilding
was the city's first primary industry, and
the way the town grew reflects this. In Saint John,
downtown refers to the waterfront area, whereas the 'hub'
of the city is uptown. It is a city of hills. One travels upward
to reach the shops, restaurants, bars, homes, and office
buildings.
One exception to this is their newest endeavor – namely
Area 506. The unique 506 Waterfront Container Village is
just as the name implies. It contains over fifty refurbished
shipping containers to house shops along the waterfront.
Yes, old shipping containers – a fitting nod to their
significance as a port city – into storefronts of all kinds. In
addition, there is an open stage for entertainment, a turf
grass area for picnic tables, food, and libations, and a threetier
patio that allows an enhanced view of the stage.
As a port that hosts 70-80 cruise ships each year, Area
506 is a marvelous place for those cruisers to meander
through and experience a bit of the city's vibe. During my
visit, a cruise ship docked at the port, and these visitors
thoroughly enjoyed this one-of-a-kind experience. Many of
these containers, painted with murals from varied artists,
add another layer of enjoyment as one wanders through.
Take at a geo site within
Stonehammer called Irving
Nature Park, showing the
various tide line levels.
Old post office,
now a retail
furniture store
building. Built
in 1878. One
of the different
styles within
the city.
n 1877, a massive fire destroyed a
great deal of uptown aint John. The
damage was crippling. In showing
remarkable resilience, the people
rebuilt, only this time in brick.
The result is a stunning city with
a unique and extraordinary blend of
architectural styles reflecting over 100
years of history. There is the Georgian
style noted for rectangular blocks and a
balanced façade. There are many in both
the Greek and Gothic Revival style. The
former is classical, fashioned like Greek
temples, and the latter is more rebellious
against formality. Other types include
Italianate, Mansard, and Queen Anne
Revival. All blend in a fascinating array
of buildings, green space, and squares
within the city – namely King's Square,
Saint John High School: Another
example of architecture. Also is
the oldest continuously publicly
funded high school in Canada.
Chubbs
Building.
Another
example of
the varied
architecture
within the
city. Also
shows how
the buildings
were build
going ‘uphill’.
DESTROYED BY FIRE AND REBUILT
Queen Square, and Market Square – as
well as an Old Loyalist Burial Ground.
Visitors can find a few streets from
Area 506’s forwarding thinking, many
boutique stores and art galleries, and an
eclectic mixture of bars and restaurants.
To show their constant commitment
to progress, the waterfront area along
the downtown area of Saint John will
experience many changes for the next
ten years. Construction of a continuous
boardwalk is underway, along with
adding a new hotel, condos, apartments,
retail, and business space, an outdoor
skating rink and entertainment venues,
and other green space. All of this with a
front-row view of the Bay of Fundy.
Historical
1879 Building.
Showing
more varied
architecture
and that they
placed the
year built on
many of the
buildings.
Old Loyalist Burial Ground:
One of the parks within the city
paying tribute to their history.
The place within Area 506 where bands and
other entertainment appear for the visitors.
42
43

NATURE, GEOLOGY, AND OVER 1 BILLION YEARS OF ROCK HISTORY
o you know what a Geopark is?
Did you know that the entire
city of Saint John falls within
the Stonehammer Geopark?
Again, admittedly, before I
visited, I did not know either of
those things. My fascination to learn
more was my reward. I cannot overstate
the natural beauty and wonder of this area.
As stated eloquently on the Stonehammer
website, “A geopark is an area that
holds all kinds of stories about our past,
present, and future. It is a designation
that attracts tourists wishing to explore
the connections between geology, local
communities, culture, and nature." I can
tell you from firsthand experience, from
this very non-science-loving person, I
became utterly enthralled with everything
I saw and learned during my visit to this
area.
Stonehammer is one of 177 UNESCO
Global Geoparks. How an area is
designated as such is complicated. Still,
there must be outstanding geological
heritage, which must be used to develop
conservation, education, community
engagement, and sustainable tourism.
It is also a designation that UNESCO
could rescind. However, from what I
Taken during low tide when
the Wolostoq River (St. John
River) is barreling over the
varied waterfalls underneath.
These are actual fossils that
have been found within the
Stonehammer Geopark.
observed, the people and businesses in
the area take this very seriously, and
maintenance of that designation is
essential to them.
The geological history in Saint John
goes back to the time of Pangea, when
the continents, as we know them today,
were all as one. It tells the story of
tectonic plates and how the continents
broke apart. I could see Stromatolite
fossils that are approximately 1 billion
years old. I followed a central fault
line called the Caledonia Fault, which
separates two geologic terrains in this
area. I was able to view the stunning
Reversing Falls Rapids. This tidal
phenomenon forces the St. John River
– or, as known to the First Nations
people - The Wolastoq River – to flow
backward when the Bay of Fundy
reaches high tide. It is truly a fantastic
sight. It is an area of whirlpools, Class
5 whitewater rapids, and a ledge and
waterfall that descend below the
surface.
The Reversing Falls - in simple
layperson's terms - were caused by
the fault lines, the clashing of tectonic
plates and their eventual separation,
and glaciers moving through the area.
The science eerily coincides with the
story, passed down through the oral
traditions of the Indigenous people in
the area. I was honored to be able to
hear this story from a member of the
First Nations. It was simply fascinating.
Saint John and the area along
the Bay of Fundy are steeped in
history and surrounded by simple
beauty. The residents are open and
welcoming, proud of their city and its
accomplishments. They are embracing
the modern changes and progress that
continue to evolve while keeping steady
on the path to honoring the natural
beauty given to them and revering
those that came before.
I look forward to returning one day
and experiencing more of this calmly
stunning area.
Exactly that – showing there three different
types or rocks collide – verified through
geology – one originally from Africa, one
originally from South America, and one
from North America.
Fall: In Love With Calgary
in Alberta, Canada
Calgary, a city of 1.6 million, is
located in Southern Alberta. It is
Alberta’s largest city and the thirdlargest
city in Canada. The city is
known as one of the most livable
cities in North America. An efficient
mass transit system makes Calgary
an accessible city to navigate. The
best times for fall colors in Calgary
are September and early October.
Here are some of my favorite places
to enjoy the fall foliage.
WHERE TO ENJOY
NATURE’S FALL COLORS
The Bow River Pathway is a
27-mile network of pedestrian and
bicycle paths connecting several
parks. Edworthy and Shouldice are
two of the most popular parks.
Story and Photos by Jo-Anne Bowen
From brilliant hues of aspen, golden shades of larch, year-round sunshine,
crisp cool nights, warm days, jaw-dropping views of the Rocky Mountains, and
historical museums, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a delightful city to visit.
of aspen, willow, and balsam poplar.
The 417 acre park includes the Douglas
Fir Trail and Lawrey Gardens. There
are picnic sites, ample parking, public
washrooms, and off-leash areas.
Shouldice Park, in Northwest
Calgary, has beautiful river walking
paths and is part of a giant athletic
complex with an aquatic center and
arena. There are also picnic sites, fire
pits, and BBQ stands.
Bowness Park, also in Northwest
Calgary, is an urban park of 74 acres.
Situated along the Bow River, the
walking paths along the shallow lagoon
are a favorite for many. There are ample
parking and picnic sites.
Confederation Park, a 395-acre park
in NW Calgary, was created in 1967
to celebrate the centennial of Canada’s
Confederation. Stroll along the
pathways, stream, and wetlands and
Fall colors
in the
Calgary Hills
Great for leaf peepers and birders. Look
also for small wildlife. There is ample
parking, picnic sites, tennis courts, and a
golf course.
WHERE TO FIND ALBERTA’S
GOLDEN LARCH TREES
The Alpine Larch trees are found
throughout southern Alberta in the
mountain regions, such as Lake Louise
and Banff. This makes a lovely day trip
from Calgary- only about 79 miles.
On the drive, you will be awed by jawdropping
views of the Rocky Mountains.
Whereas other conifer trees stay green all
year, larch trees turn a spectacular golden
color in the fall before the needles drop to
the ground.
The season is very short - only about
mid-September to early October. Then,
all the golden glitter is gone. So plan
your trip accordingly. Here is a link to 19
Edworthy Park, located in
Southwest Calgary, offers lovely
skyline views of downtown Calgary
44
with fall colors of the turning leaves enjoy the sparkle of the yellow poplars. amazing larch hike trips.
45

OTHER ADVENTURES TO ENJOY IN CALGARY
Along with marveling at the fall foliage, explore these exciting places.
Glenbow at the Edison - The Glenbow
at the Edison was previously known as
the Glenbow Museum. The center is being
renovated and will re-open as the JR Shaw
Center for Arts & Culture. The focus is on
Western Canadain History and Culture. The
museum works closely with First Nations to
preserve their stories. The collections
include artifacts from Blood, Cree, Siksia,
and other peoples. I have spent many hours
at the museum. I also enjoyed learning
about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and reminiscing over the collection of
vintage toys. Check the link for updates.
Lougheed House - Another of my
favorites is the Lougheed House National
and Provincial Historic Site. The Victorian
Mansion, built in 1891, was the home of
Sir James Lougheed and family. The stained
glass windows feature the flora and fauna
of Alberta.
Guided tours are available and highly
recommended - must be booked in advance.
A photo from the
artifacts of the
renowned
Glenbow Museum.
Stained glass windows
in Lougheed House,
featuring the floral
and fauna of Alberta.
Lougheed House
Former home of the Loughed family
Canada Olympic Park - Winsport: Formerly called
Canada Olympic Park, home to the 1988 Winter
Olympics, offers visitors many sports events. Fall events
include hiking, mountain biking, summer bobsledding,
mini golf, wall climbing, and zip-lining. Readers of a
certain age will recall the debut of the Jamaican National
Bobsled Team and Eddie, The Eagle, ski-jumper. We all
cheered them on!
Spruce Meadows - Spruce Meadows, the multi-purpose
equestrian and sports facility, has twice been named the
#1 show jumping facility in the world. With their own
production studios, they produce “Spruce Meadows
Chronicles,” the show-jumping TV series broadcast to
over 100 countries. They also have a fine reputation for
training and breeding Hanoverian horses.
Calgary Zoo - The Calgary Zoo is the second-largest
zoological park in Canada, with over 1,000 different
animals from more than 100 species. Visit different sites
such as the Canadian Wilds Area, Destination Africa,
Exploration Asia, Prehistoric Park, and the Dorothy
Harvey Gardens.
One of the missions of the zoo is research and
conservation. Check Gorillas On The Line to learn
about the plight of gorillas in Africa and what you can
do to help by collecting and recycling old cell phones.
The Calgary Zoo is the only Canadian partner in
the Whooping Crane Recovery Program, which has saved
the species from the threat of extinction.
Calgary Downtown
Calgary
Arts
District
Fall is one of the nicest times to visit Calgary. The colors of nature dazzle and Canadian hospitality
and traditions delight visitors. Plan a visit soon - you will be glad that you did!
Overlooking the City of Calgary
Calgary Hills: Fall Colors Abound
Edworthy Park: Annie and Her Mom Enjoying Fall Colors.
46
47

Quebec City’s Nouveau
Gourmet Scene is Sizzling:
Here’s Where to Savor it.
hef Jérôme Gilpin
of Verre Pickl’—
Quebec City’s recent
addition to its culinary landscape—
places a wonderfully fragrant dish in
front of me. “It’s scallops in aguachile,
a traditional Mexican broth made
with Serrano peppers, lime juice,
cilantro, and tomatillo,” he tells me.
As I take a sip, the spicy broth sears
my lips, but the irresistible tenderness
of the scallops keeps me slurping
the fiery brew. As if to sooth the
burn, Gilpin tempts me with the
next entrée in tonight’s tasting series:
a foie gras donut with guava jelly
and hibiscus sprinkled on top. With
48
Story and Photos by Lina Zeldovich
the first bite the sweetness of
guava, the richness of foie gras
and the softness of the donut
fuse into a satisfying amalgam
of gourmet comfort food. “Your
dishes are very unique,” I share
my admiration for Verre Pickl’
menu. “That’s because we design
them that way,” Gilpin answers.
Gilpin’s heritage is French but
his partner chef Alexandra
Romero hails from Mexico. The
restaurant, which the couple
owns together, serves a unique
FrenchMex fusion, he explains.
“We combine French techniques
with Mexican flavors.”
Historically famed for its classic
French fare, Quebec’s culinary scene
has gone through a 21st century
upgrade. There’s still plenty of duck
a l'orange and onion soup, but now
the city dishes out a whole new level
of epicurean indulgence. And while
hyperlocal and seasonal has long
been the top priority in Quebec
gastronomy, now the chefs are taking
it to the next level, each finding their
own special niche. The traditional
dinner format is changing too—many
restaurants are forgoing the archetypal
three-course menu, and are switching
to small tasting plates, often served in
family-style settings.
erre Pickl’ is a prime
example of this culinary
evolution, but hardly
the only one. At Melba,
Alexandra Roy and Charles
Provencher-Proulx serve a familystyle
feast of small sharable and
seasonal plates, featuring their
signature bison carpaccio and
steak bleu d'Elizabeth—both
are an absolute must-try and
Instagram-worthy. At Chez Rioux
& Pettigrew chef Dominic Jacques
experiments with local meats
and faraway spices, dishing out
salmon tataki with sesame Temari,
along with roasted lamb with
cumin juice, corn salsa and fried
polenta. The daring omnivores
can also try black pudding with
shrimp, in which the former is
made with blood, which gives it
the inky color and rich taste. The
less adventurous may just skip to
the dinner’s final accord—frozen
strawberry Pavlova, seasoned with
fennel and rose.
More unique flavors await at the Île
d’Orléans, an island in the middle
of Saint Lawrence River, three miles
from the city, where local artisans
surprise travelers with their own
distinctive specialties. Here Cassis
Monna & Filles makes black
currant liquors as well as artisanal
products—think cassis-infused
foie gras and terrine. Confiturerie
Tigidou specializes in jams made
exclusively with the island’s berries
and hosts a variety of tastings.
Fromagerie Ferme Audet beckons
with cheeses and ice creams made
from goat milk—the latter is a
surprisingly smooth and buttery
treat.
At Tangier, chefs François-Emmanuel
Nicol and Alexis Lemay find
inspiration in the herbs and flowers
of the boreal forest that surrounds
the city. Both regularly forage in the
woods for edible flowers, plants and
mushrooms, bringing in a new type
of fare they call boreal cuisine. Their
daily gatherings help create Tangier’s
unique 12-course tasting menus,
where dishes retain the aromas and
textures of nature, aimed to awaken
one’s senses. Here appetizers may
include fraiche of coltsfoot—a small
yellow, edible forest flower, followed
by fresh lilies served with edible
earth. Meanwhile, the entrées may
feature quails with grilled cucumber
and arctic char that arrives on the
bed of non-edible but fragrant spruce
shoots. Dishes are served in dim
dining enclaves as if ushering in the
ambiance of an evening forest with
spotlights illuminating food just
enough to intensify the epicurean
indulgence. “Forests are full of food
and our ancestors lived off them,”
Lemay tells me. “So, we are reviving
this centuries-old wisdom and
bringing the amazing forest flavors to
our patrons.” But regardless of where
chefs look for ideas, one thing is
certain. In Quebec City, dining is no
longer about satiating one’s hunger. It
is about experiencing the food to the
fullest—with each and every bite.
49

The Corsican Moon
On Star Clippers’ Mediterranean Journey
For almost 30 years,
Star Clippers has been
introducing travelers to
the thrill of modern tall
ship sailing.
Under
Story and Photos by
Heide Brandes
n the aft deck of the fourmasted
luxury clipper ship
Star Clippers, a dozen or
so passengers stood in the
moonlight and howled at the
night sky above the waters near
southern France.
Our intimate little sailing ship had just
left the historic medieval port of Calvi in
Corsica, France, and the alchemy of the
Mediterranean full moon made us drunk
on its bright magic… Like the Corsican
corsairs of old, the sea was in our blood,
and we were heady with the sound of the
winds pushing us toward St. Tropez.
This was my first sailing with Star
Clippers, and I reveled in the charm of
traveling on a vessel that harkened back
to the legendary era of sailing. After
scrambling up the ropes to the crow's
nest, lounging lazily on the bow nets,
and learning to tie knots with the crew, I
understood why more than 60 percent of
Star Clippers’ guests are repeat bookings.
At 115 meters long and carrying just
166 guests in pampered comfort, Star
Clippers’ Mediterranean itinerary
from Rome to Cannes carried us from
Civitavecchia, Italy along the ports of
Sardinia and Corsica to explore port
towns steeped in history and sunny
beaches. On the voyage, I whispered to
ghosts in historic graveyards, stalked the
battlements of medieval fortresses and
walked in the footsteps of conquerors
and generals.
Star Clippers is a leader in the
sustainability efforts in the
cruise ship industry.
I’m one for an active adventure, but I’m
certainly not opposed to intimate luxury
under full sails either. On my first trip
to Italy and France, and my first on a
genuine tall ship, I felt that irresistible
pull of freedom and adventure that
millions of sailors before me must have
felt - I just didn’t have to battle pirates or
swab the deck to enjoy it.
Star Clippers
has expansive
teak decks,
swimming
pools,
informal
dining,
convivial
tropical bars
on deck and
piano lounges.
50
51

Corsica and Sardinia are filled with the
ghosts of history, making it easy to
explore ancient ruins.
Portoferraio was
the first stop on
Elba Island.
Stintino is a charming
community to explore
on the coast of
Sardinia.
Sailing is an integral part of
life for the port cities along
the Star Clippers itinerary.
As one of the historic ports Star Clippers
visits, Ajaccio creates a beautiful
backdrop.
Star Clippers arrives at the port of Bonafacio.
(Photo provided by Gillies and Zaiser)
At Bonifacio, the dramatic
harbor is flanked by the
ancient citadel.
Bonifacio’s ancient cemetery, known as Campu
Santu locally, is considered one of the most
beautiful cemeteries in the Mediterranean
52
A Sail Back in Time
My home state of Oklahoma was made a U.S. state just barely 100
years ago, so wandering the ancient streets of Portoferraio on Elba
Island nearly knocked me down with the weight of its history.
Napoleon, the exiled Emperor of France, found refuge in this walled
fortress city and dreamt of the days he would return to glory.
Ancient Etruscan civilizations carved out a life on this high-cliffed
island and Jason and his Argonauts are said to have landed here in
Elba during the quest for The Golden Fleece at a place near Ghiaie
Beach in Portoferraio.
On our first port stop of the Star Clippers cruise, we climbed those
hills too and swam at a beach covered in perfectly round white
smooth stones. Even before Napoleon and Jason wandered these
cobbled streets, the town was already a fierce fortification, and
those ancient bastions and historic walls are still well preserved. We
spent a whole day huffing up battlements and wandering those cathaunted
cobblestone streets.
That ancient city wasn’t the only destination on the trip cloaked in
tales of battles and heroics. During the seven-day cruise, we stopped
at the historic ports of Bonifacio, Ajaccio and Calvi on the French
island of Corsica and the Sardinian port of Stintino before ending at
the hedonistic beauty of St. Tropez and Cannes in southern France.
For lovers of history, the cruise delivers. At Bonifacio, the dramatic
harbor is flanked by the ancient citadel town perched like a sentinel
on a seemingly impenetrable cliff, but the hilltop “old city” is filled
with romance-novel restaurants serving up seafood and Aperol
Spritz. For the truly adventurous, the L’Escalier du Roi d’Aragon
challenges the brave with its 187 ancient steps carved into the cliff
face. Just know that if you go down those steps, the only way back
is to climb back up. Bonifacio’s ancient cemetery, known as Campu
Santu locally, is considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in
the Mediterranean.
n the Sardinian port city of Stintino, we roamed the streets looking
for authentic Italian pasta and flirted with old Sardinian men who
served up bowls of mussels and seafood before beach walking the
powder white sand on the crystal-clear turquoise seas. In Ajaccio,
we shopped area markets for plump olives and heady cheese and
gazed at seafront statues and museums.
By far, one of my absolute favorite stops was Calvi, Corsica and its
mountain villages Sant’Antonino and Pigna.
The highest village in the area, Sant’Antonino’s medieval alley-like streets
wound up the steep hills, and the sky was inky with thunder. We sipped
on freshly pressed juices tart enough to make you cry and wandered the
impossibly-old stone streets that snaked between buildings that looked
as if they came straight out of the Middle Ages. They probably did.
Pigna is a community saved by art. In the 1960s, this charming village
was in danger of becoming abandoned with only a few stalwart souls
clinging to the old way of life. One of those souls started creating musical
instruments to sell, and Pigna became a village of arts and crafts. More
than 50 craftsmen make everything from pottery to paintings, and we
bought delicate little pottery cups awash in color and drooled over music
boxes made into fantastical shapes of snails, cats, donkeys and more.
In St. Tropez, we
lounged on the beach
like starlets and
window-shopped
throughout the
infamously “rich folk”
town, but everywhere
we went, the masts of
our ship beckoned us
back home.
What would a Mediterranean cruise
be without some beach lounging in
St. Tropez?
Passengers have
plenty of time to enjoy
walking the natural
beauty surrounding
the ports on Corsica
and Sardinia.
Sant’Antonino’s
medieval alley-like
streets wind up the
steep hills near Calvi.
Corsica is home to astonishingly
pretty mountain villages like
Sant’ Antonino.
53

To Sail The
Open Seas
Breezing across the Mediterranean Sea under full
sails creates its own bewitchment. Along with curated
cocktails and the chef-perfected dinners, the sound of
14 canvas sails rustling in the evening wind awakens
the swashbuckler inside.
Though we were drunk on the medieval history of all
the stops we made, a trip on Star Clippers is just plain
fun. It’s a type of cruise that makes 20-something
yoga boys with man buns and barely-there beards cast
puppy dog eyes at older women, causes normally-staid
German women to kick off their heels and dance to
disco songs and made me swoon and spin in the arms
of cinnamon-colored Brazilian men.
A view of the Star Clippers ship.
The Dolomites, part of the Italian Alps
and a World Heritage Site, is an autumn
paradise for hikers, mountain bikers and
nature lovers.
Tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers is famous
for pioneering environmentally responsible systems
and practices on its three tall ships, and using
wind propulsion, Star Clippers is among the most
sustainable ships to sail. During the Caribbean winter
months, the company’s Caribbean ships operate 70
percent of the time under wind power.
Using 60% of average power coming from wind
energy saves 1,839 gallons of fuel usage per day,
amounting to a reduction of 671,000 gallons (of fuel)
per ship per year, according to Star Clippers. By using
the clean power of wind, Star Clippers earned the
International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate, the
first ship in the world to receive this certificate.
The experience on Star Clippers isn’t just sustainable,
but intimate and friendly too. With less than 200
guests on board, it’s impossible not to make friends
with both the other travelers and the crew quickly.
Activities like daily afternoon happy hours with live
music, the wildly hysterical Pirate Night and the talent
show all lend to making friends from the more than
20 nationalities represented on our particular cruise.
With a full moon shining down on the last days of
our sailing, the natural beauty, culture and history of
the Italian and French islands of the Mediterranean
sent me home with the sweet taste of history, salt air
and sun-drenched adventure. I stare now at the moon
back home, dreaming of the days when I can return.
54
Special events like Pirate Night,
games, dance parties and a talent
show make the nights full of laughter
and fun on Star Clippers.
The intimate setting on Star Clippers
means plenty of opportunity to
make new friends among the other
passengers and the crew.
The food on Star Clippers
is thoughtfully prepared,
offering a variety of
cuisines each night.
In Ajaccio, farmers
markets lure visitors
with the delicate
taste of locallygrown
olives.
Autumn in the Dolomites
A HIKER’S HEAVEN
Story and Photos by Jeanne Neylon Decker
kiers have flocked to Italy’s Dolomites
for decades but in recent years hikers
have discovered this region with
its dramatic, jagged peaks, Alpine
meadows, crystalline lakes, pine forests,
and rocky plateaus. Summer crowds
keep lifts and trails very busy, but autumn,
with mostly sunny skies and comfortable
temperatures, is the perfect time to explore the
Val Gardena. It’s a paradise for hikers, mountain
bikers, rock climbers, and nature lovers.
After a quick stop to pick up warmer hiking
clothes for my husband, whose plan to wear
shorts was thwarted by a late September cold
snap, we headed North from Trento--the
towering pinnacles of the Italian Alps looming
in the distance.
Weather in the mountains can change suddenly as the clouds descending on
Sassolungo above the Alpe di Siusi show. Our sunny skies turned gray, and the
winds picked up in a hurry, and yes, that is a dusting of snow that fell during an
unseasonal cold snap. Be prepared and check forecasts before heading out!
55

Autumn is the
perfect time
to explore the
Dolomites with its
typically sunny
skies, pleasant
temperatures,
lack of crowds
and a wide variety
of hiking and
biking trails.
The Dolomites’ diverse landscape includes Alpine
meadows, pine forests and rocky plateaus, making hiking,
mountain biking and trail running a pleasure for varying
levels of skill and endurance.
Europe’s largest Alpine Meadow, the Alpe di Siusi is a
short gondola ride from the center of Ortesei. Here’s one
option for exploring if you don’t fancy a hike!
We spotted these sheep, which stopped to pose for us,
on a hike near Selva. We saw plenty of cows, goats,
donkeys and even some llamas on our daily Dolomiti
hikes.
There are
mountain
biking trails
for all levels
of expertise
from easy to
expert- only.
A new bike path
through the
Val Gardena
was under
construction
last October.
The Derjon River runs through picture perfect Ortesei, the
largest of Val Gardena’s towns and our favorite place to
stay in the Dolomites.
The Wolkenstein Castle in Selva is built right into the
Stevia rockface high above the valley floor. It’s a steep
and treacherous climb up to see the ruins but the views
are worth it!
Be sure to stop at the UNESCO World Heritage
panoramic balcony on a hike through Col Raiser.
All the surrounding mountains are identified
and it’s the perfect place to snap that
Instagram selfie.
Val Gardena’s three towns each have three names—in
Italian, German and Ladin, a local language specific to this
area of the Dolomites. Italian Ortesei is St. Ulrich
in German and Urtijei in Ladin.
Selva and Santa Cristina are
the other two towns.
56
s we drove higher into the mountains, the winding
roads took us through spectacular fall foliage, past
storybook dwellings and grazing animals, before
reaching the delightful Alpine town of Ortesei.
Quaint shops specializing in the high-quality carved
wooden items the area is known for, art galleries,
a small church, and bustling restaurants, cafes, and bars
beckon visitors down the town’s main street—a lively
pedestrian zone.
Austrian until after WWI when it became a part of Italy,
German is still the preferred language in this autonomous
region where Italian and Austrian culture and cuisine
mingle. Italian is the national language and English is
common in hotels, restaurants, and shops. Some locals
speak Ladin, a culturally significant language particular
to this small area of the Sud Tirol. Most places have three
names for this reason—Ortesei in Italian is also called St.
Ulrich in German and Urtijei in Ladin, and along with Santa
Cristina and Selva, are the three towns of the Val Gardena.
his stunning region offers
some surprises like Europe’s
highest-altitude rose garden.
We reached Uhrehof
Rosarium in nearby Bulla after
an invigorating hike through the
woods. The garden is perched on the
mountain 5,249 feet above sea level
and features 150 species and more
than 5,000 rose bushes.
Drizzly weather didn’t dampen
our enthusiasm for Europe’s
highest altitude rose garden, the
Uhrehof Rosarium, in Bulla.
Medieval castles abound in the Sud Tirol.
We trekked Selva’s scenic Way of the
Cross with our guide Alexander and then
scrambled up steep, rocky steps to the
ruined Wolkenstein Castle high above the
valley floor. Built into the rugged rockface
in the 13th century by a noble Tyrolean
family, it was the perfect spot to enjoy a
picnic lunch with expansive views over
the valley.
Europe’s largest Alpine meadow, the
Alpe di Siusi, is a short gondola ride
from downtown Ortesei. Crisscrossed
with hiking trails, walking paths, and
mountain bike routes, it’s easy to return
day after day and not explore the same
area twice. A panoramic lookout over
the Sassolungo, visitor information,
restaurant, shop, and lifts to other
elevations (if you’d rather ride than hike)
are just outside the gondola exit.
The Val Gardena is dotted with huttes. These
rustic restaurants offer hearty local fare and
usually feature a cozy indoor dining room
and an expansive outdoor terrace. You can
enjoy a drink, a restorative meal, spectacular
views and get to know your fellow hikers
at communal tables. We had a memorable
group lunch at Sanon Hutte on the Alpe di
Siusi, and thanks to my new friend Claudia,
were introduced to Kaiserschmarrn-- a fluffy
crepe served with berry preserves and plenty
of powdered sugar. Order this local specialty
whenever you can!
Pasta, goulash,
sausages,
mushrooms and
other traditional
Tyrolean
dishes, which
blend Austrian
and Italian
cuisine, are
typical menu
offerings
at huttes.
Breathtaking
views add to
the enjoyment.
57

The towering Puez Odle range
looms over the Val Gardena. Relax
and enjoy the spectacular views
from Monte Pana above
Santa Cristina.
The Adler Dolomiti’s world-class spa and “water
world” with five pools and a new sauna pavilion is a
perfect place to relax after a long day of hiking.
e often heard bells echoing
through the verdant
valley and spotted plenty of
cows, sheep, goats, and a few
donkeys as we traversed mountain trails. We
even had an encounter with llamas on a hike
from Monte Pana near Santa Cristina.
The gondola to Seceda and the funicular to
Resciesa are both a short walk from the center
of Ortesei and take visitors to some of the most
impressive peaks and views in the Val Gardena.
At 8,200 feet, Seceda is part of the Odle Group,
which means needles in Ladin. These aptly
named jagged spires are magnificent!
We found ourselves literally in the clouds
on Resciesa. Lower than Seceda, we hiked
to the enormous cross at Resciesa’s summit,
passing only a few others. Once the summer
crowds have gone, you’ll often have the trail to
yourself.
58
Col Raiser, in the Puez-Odle Nature Park
near Santa Cristina, is another favorite
hike. Be sure to stop at the UNESCO
World Heritage panoramic balcony. At
7,217 feet above sea level, the views are
awe-inspiring!
We also tried Nordic trekking in the Val
D’Anna. It was a great way to explore,
experience a Kneipp trail, and meet some
local cows.
According to Alltrails.com, there are 54
hiking trails, 34 backpacking trails and 17
mountain biking trails in the Val Gardena.
The terrain changes dramatically from
forest to grassy meadows to rugged, rocky
trails depending on where you hike. If
you are setting out on your own, be sure to
research current forecasts and conditions
as mountain weather can change quickly.
Assess the difficulty of the hike you’re
planning and bring the necessary
provisions with you—especially water.
The Puez-Odle Nature Park offers
beautiful meadow trails through Col
Raiser with views of the dramatic
Odle group soaring above.
Once the summer crowds have
gone, take the funicular from
Ortesei to Resciesa and you’ll often
have the trail to yourself. We were
literally in the clouds on this trek.
efore heading out we like
to view the live webcams at
Val Gardena for popular
hiking areas like Col Raiser,
Seceda, Resciesa and Alpe di Siusi.
You’ll also find gondola timetables,
activities, events, and regional
information there.
There are B & Bs, family hotels, luxury
lodgings and rentals in Val Gardena.
I chose the Adler Dolomiti in Ortesei
adler-resorts.com because the Autumn
hiking special includes complimentary
daily guided hikes for varying levels
of expertise, Nordic trekking, e-bike
and mountain bike tours. Equipment
is provided at no charge. Guests can
also enjoy Tibetan sound baths, yoga
and exercise classes, a world-class spa
with a new sauna pavilion, two indoor/
outdoor pools, a jacuzzi, and a salt
grotto. Wine tastings, a weekly BBQ
and visits to a cheese producer are
among the activities you can purchase.
Rooms are large, airy, and comfortable
and many have balconies. The sister
hotel, the adults-only Adler Balance, is
connected via a tunnel and shares the
spa and pools.
On our first visit, we were surprised to
see guests in the lobby, at breakfast, and
wandering the grounds in their fluffy
white Adler robes and slippers. Some
people come to relax and enjoy the spa
and don’t venture out—nor do they don
street attire, except at dinner!
We treated ourselves to well-deserved
massages and enjoyed a daily swim,
sauna and jacuzzi. After a day of hiking,
it was blissful to float in the heated
pools, steam rising, while the snowtopped
mountains soared above. I loved
the Tibetan sound bath, too, and not
pointing a finger at my husband, but I
did hear snoring during that otherwise
relaxing experience!
Many of the mostly Italian and Austrian
guests we met return to the Adler for
Autumn hiking annually. One couple
from Bergamo had been coming for
25 years. We hiked most days with the
same small group of guests and formed
friendships we know will last far longer
than the vacation.
The exquisite beauty of the mountains,
our new friendships, and Adler’s
outstanding hospitality will bring us
back to Ortesei. Chances are once you’ve
experienced autumn in the Dolomites,
you’ll be hooked, too!
Huttes, offering hearty local fare
and drinks, dot the Dolomites’
mountainsides and meadows. We
had many convivial lunches with our
hiking companions at these rustic
retreats.
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Hamburg, Lübeck
and Travemünde
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Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany’s 2,500 bridges are
more than any other city in the world.
Hamburg, Germany has more bridges
than any other city in the world.
Its 2,500 bridges are staggeringly
more than Venice, Amsterdam and
London combined! Packed with chic
restaurants, trendy cafes, museums,
bars and clubs, Hamburg is an ideal
destination for culture vultures,
foodies and partygoers alike.
Bountiful Bridges, Beauty
and the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany
Early Autumn is a pleasant time to visit
Hamburg, as moderate temperatures
offer cooler sightseeing weather.
Visitors are also likely to strike better
hotel and airfare deals, outside the
busy summer tourist season. It’s also a
more sustainable time to travel, with
less strain placed on transport and
resources.
Hamburg’s port is one of the largest
in the world. Adjacent to a waterway
bustling with cargo ships and other
vessels, HafenCity is an intriguing
neighborhood that firmly embraces
an ethos of sustainability. Residents
of luxury apartments can utilize wide
bicycle lanes to venture to work and
play. Visitors can opt to rent bicycles or
electric scooters to explore the area.
Within HafenCity, Hamburg’s
Speicherstadt warehouse district is the
largest in the world. Its tall buildings
Story and Photos by Alex Kallimanis
- Wanderlust Marriage Travel -
Hnestled alongside canals are supported
with the aid of oak log foundations.
Enjoy a canal-side terrace at a chic
restaurant like Michelin Guide
recommended Strauchs Falco, or a hip
cafe and lap up the laid-back ambiance
of northern Germany.
Hamburg has efficient and modern
public transportation, making it more
sustainable by minimizing air pollution
from CO2 emissions. Its wide bicycle
lanes alongside roads offer a sensible
alternative to the constantly clogged
streets that plague many other cities.
An unusual experience in HafenCity
is Dialogue in the Dark. Visitors
spend an hour in complete darkness,
recreating everyday experiences led
by a visually impaired guide - like
crossing the road, navigating the
kitchen and sitting for a drink and
snacks with company. This is an
impactful experience that highlights
the importance of accessibility.
Impairments can happen to all of us at
later stages in life.
Every year in late September, the
Reeperbahn Festival hosts one of the
largest club festivals in the world,
occurring over four days. The Beatles
hailed from Liverpool, England, but
they also performed many early 1960’s
shows in Hamburg’s Reeperbahn.
That helped launch a global music
phenomenon. Reeperbahn, located
in the St. Pauli district is one of
Hamburg’s main nightlife hubs and
also the city’s major red-light district.
Northern Germany offers colorful
autumn foliage. A great place to
experience that near Hamburg is the
Heidi Himmel Observation Tower.
Located in the Lüneburg Heath Nature
Park, the Heide Himmel treetop
walkway is an ideal destination for
scenic vistas and fresh air outside the
city. The neighboring wildlife park is
fantastic for kids to pet animals and to
learn about conservation, making this
an ideal family destination.
After a visit to Heide Himmel, plan
for a delicious lunch at Grillhus zum
Hirsch'n Steakhouse. On a pleasant
autumn day, it's lovely to dine al fresco
on their terrace. The thatched straw
roof house across the street punctuates
its peaceful countryside setting.
Grillhus zum Hirsch'n is fantastic for a
range of succulent steaks. The ribeye I
enjoyed there was the best steak I have
eaten in a while.
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Located 42 miles northeast of
Hamburg, Lübeck, Germany is a
beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site
surrounded by the Trave and Wakenitz
rivers. Comfortable and modern trains
from Hamburg to Lübeck depart every
Lübeck’s Holstentor Gate pictured to the right at dusk from across
the Trave River. Built in 1464, it is considered Lübeck’s symbol.
Lübeck
30 minutes, with travel time taking
around 44 minutes.
Founded in 1143, Lübeck (Luebeck)
was nicknamed “the Queen of the
Hanseatic League,” a powerful Baltic
Sea trade network of towns during the
14th century. Featuring an abundance
of unique architecture, idyllic waterways
and mouth-watering seafood dishes, its
strikingly well-preserved guild houses
resemble a miniature Amsterdam.
Lübeck’s Rathaus (Town Hall) dates
to 1230, standing as a testament
to the Market Square’s unique
architecture. The Town Hall was
expanded over centuries, and the
present-day version showcases a
cornucopia of architectural styles
from different periods. The Rathaus
is the headquarters of Lüebeck’s city
parliament, where regular meetings
are held.
Several charming cafes line Lübeck’s
market square, including Cafe
Erdapfel, which specialized in potato
dishes and coffee. It’s lovely to sit
outside on a sunny day, to chat or
read a book while marveling at
centuries of beautiful architecture.
Constructed between 1277 to 1351,
St. Mary’s Church (Marienkirche or
St. Marien zu Lübeck) is a towering
Gothic cathedral, built to symbolize
the economic and political power
of Lübeck. St. Mary’s Church is
Germany’s third-largest church.
For centuries, it influenced the
construction of other churches
around the Baltic Sea’s Hanseatic
League.
Lübeck’s 13 museums further
enhance the UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Dotted throughout the
charming town, they offer historical
and cultural enrichment that’s
especially ideal for visitors to explore
on a rainy day.
LHolstentor Gate is Lübeck’s proud
symbol. Built in 1464, it stands as a relic
of the town’s significant mercantile past.
The Gothic red-brick city gate lines the
historic center along the Trave River. The
popular Holstentor Museum features
exhibits covering the history of Lübeck,
dating to Medieval times.
Lübeck’s visitors will quickly notice that
Marzipan reigns as confectionary king.
Traditional marzipan is natural, made
with only crushed almonds, powdered
sugar and typically rose water. As the
former capital of the Hanseatic League,
Lübeck was an important trading hub,
ensuring a steady supply of almonds
during times of scarcity.
Marzipan produced in Lübeck during the
18th century became well known for high
quality, thanks to a higher-than-average
almond content. Visitors can learn more
about marzipan at the Cafe Niederegger
Marzipan Museum. It’s located above
an impressive marzipan shop, featuring
elaborate marzipan window displays.
Lübeck’s Hospital of the Holy
Spirit (Heiligen Geist Hospital) is another
architectural gem featuring four slender
spires. Established by wealthy Hanseatic
League merchants in the 13th century,
one of Europe’s first hospitals also
served as a shelter for the homeless and
poor. Visitors can tour the impressive
church hall and longhouse, featuring
beautiful art, as well as the former
sleeping quarters of residents. Standing
as a proud testament to charity and
civic pride, Heiligen Geist Hospital
also hosts some of Lübeck’s Christmas
markets in December.
With its close proximity to the Baltic
Sea, Lübeck is a fantastic destination
for fresh seafood. Fangfrisch Luebeck is
a wonderful restaurant, serving
a variety of fresh seafood dishes,
including salmon, cod, plaice, mackerel
and shrimp. Dishes are beautifully
presented, paired with fresh sides like
crispy roast potatoes. Their canal-side
terrace features lovely views of the
Trave River, ideal for a pleasant autumn
day.
Visitors can rent an electric boat, canoe
or SUP to explore Lübeck from the
Trave River. It's a great way to admire
the magnificent Hanse town's
architecture. Visitors can also embark
on a narrated 1-hour Lübeck scenic
boat ride, with no paddling required.
The Trave River in Lübeck, Germany is a
popular picnic spot when the weather in warm.
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Lübeck’s Bugtor is a fantastic example of late
Gothic architecture. The well preserved north city
gate, near the Hansemuseum, dates to 1444.
Lübeck, Germany’s unique Town Hall (Rathaus)
dates to 1230 and has been expanded over
centuries. It’s among the architectural highlights
of the UNESCO World Heritage Site town.
The European Hansemuseum
(Europäisches Hansemuseum)
is the largest museum in the world
dedicated to the history of the
Hanseatic League. Staged historical
scenes and cabinets with valuable
original objects, combined with
modern technology, tell tales
of centuries past. Its interactive
features present an informative and
fascinating Hanse experience.
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Travemünde
The Passat ship is one of the highlights
of Travemünde’s harbour and promenade.
The Sandskulpturen exhibition in Travemünde can
be viewed between late March to early November.
Each year features a different theme.
T
The Baltic Sea beach resort town of Travemünde is just
13 miles from Lübeck. It features the oldest lighthouse
in Germany, Alter Leuchtturm, which dates to 1539. The
historic Passat sailing ship, moored along Travemünde's
harbor, is among the highlights of the town's charming
promenade.
Every year talented sculptors from around the world
visit Travemünde to create impressive works for the
Sandskulpturen exhibition. Recurring exhibitions feature
large sand sculptures depicting figures from nature,
history, mythology and popular culture. The annual
Sandskulpturen Travemünde exhibition runs from late
March to early November.
Northern Germany features an abundance of cultural,
architectural and culinary highlights. Hamburg,
Lübeck and Travemünde offer a wonderful German
getaway that’s an idyllic destination for a variety of
travelers, with generally fewer visitors and better
value in autumn compared to summer. With efficient
transportation, you don’t need a car to explore
Hamburg, Lübeck, and Travemünde, offering a
greener autumn getaway that also saves money on
parking and car rental fees.
Travemünde Beach is a lovely
beach along the Baltic Sea.
Casino Tour
Built in 1929, the Casino (Italian for
“gathering place”—not an actual
casino) is the most recognizable
landmark on Catalina Island.
Take a tour to learn about its rich
history and opulent design.
Embark on an Eco Tour
WHERE STORIES
WRITE THEMSELVES
GETTING HERE IS JUST THE BEGINNING
Just 22 miles off the Southern California coast,
Catalina Island feels like a whole other world. It
moves at a different pace, follows different rules. Full
of Mediterranean-style charm, blissful coastlines,
and rugged wilderness, the sense of escape here
is undeniable. Wherever your journey takes you,
you’ll find that this is a place full of stories waiting
to be discovered, written, shared. A place where
adventures simply come in with the tide.
The Catalina experience begins before you even set foot on the island. Zip across the
water on a passenger ferry from San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport Beach, or Dana
Point. The ride is only about an hour, and passengers are often greeted by dolphins
and whales on the way. Looking to make an even bigger entrance? Take a helicopter
(only a 15-minute ride) and watch mainland disappear behind you.
ADVENTURES WORTH SHARING
Head Into the Wildlands: 88%
of Catalina Island is protected
wildlands, a tour into this pristine
landscape lets you see all the
unique plants and wildlife up close
and personal - including the iconic
bison that roam the island.
Catalina Museum For Art
& History
Located in the heart of Avalon,
this museum offers a treasure
trove of art and artifacts and a
captivating journey through the
island’s storied past.
Descanso Beach Club
Cabanas? Summer beach parties?
Catalina Island’s very own Buffalo
Milk Cocktails? Yes, yes, and yes.
Descanso Beach Club is one of the
few private beaches in California
open to the public. Kick back and
relax in style.
*Photo Courtesy of Catalina Museum
A PLACE TO STAY FOR EVERY STYLE
Catalina Island is the kind of place where one more night always feels like the right
idea. With accommodations ranging from rustic lodges to historic hotels, cozy bedand-breakfast
inns to jaw-dropping waterfront villas, it’s easy to see why. Whether
it’s a stay in the main town of Avalon or the smaller village of Two Harbors, there are
plenty of options to fit a preferred vacation vibe.
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Learn More at LoveCatalina.com/media
65

Norway’s Trifecta:
OSLO, ALESUND,
AND BERGEN
Story and Photos
by Linda Stewart
Geiranger Fjord
was designated a
UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 2005.
With dramatic landscapes, picturesque vistas, and over 60,000 miles of coastline,
Norway should be at the top of anyone’s list of countries to visit. This prosperous
Scandinavian country has a population of five million and is often cited as one of the
best and safest places in the world to live. Travelers will appreciate how Norway salutes
its historic heritage, while embracing its modern culture. To experience the beautiful
vibrancy of Norway, explore the cosmopolitan capital of Oslo on the southern coast,
and the picture-perfect cities of Alesund and Bergen on the western coast.
he largest city in Norway,
Oslo has a population of
just over 700,000. Oslo is
the economic and government
center of the country and has a
thriving maritime industry.
Previously used as shipyards,
Aker Brygge (wharf) is a 1980s
master plan multi-use community/
marina on Oslo Fjord. The waterfront
development is a blend of older industrial
buildings and modern architecture.
The Norwegian Opera House is situated
on the Bjorvika district seafront. Built in
2008, it received the European Union Mies
van der Rohe award for contemporary
architecture. The avant-garde design
uniquely captures light from the sun
reflecting off the water. With the roof
slanting to the ground, the public has true
access enabling people to climb from the
bottom to the top of the building.
Oslo is home to several premier museums,
most notably the National Museum, which
Aker Brygge, on the inner
harbor of Oslo Fjord, is a
popular multi-use marina
re-designed from
shipyards in the 1980s.
OSLO
contains a significant collection of
Edvard Munch paintings, including
The Scream. In 2005, the Nobel Peace
Center was opened to exhibit and
honor the work of Nobel Peace Prize
laureates. The building was a former
railway station. While other Nobel
Prizes are awarded in Stockholm,
Sweden, the Nobel Peace Prize is
awarded in Oslo.
While the peninsula of Bygdoy (The
Museum Island of Oslo) can be
reached by bus or car, crossing the
Oslo Fjord by the ferry from City
Hall Pier 3 (which departs every 30
minutes) is an enjoyable ride to the
Fram Museum and the Kon-Tiki
Museum. The Viking Museum is
currently closed for renovation until
2026. The Fram Museum displays the
wooden ship Fram that was used for
Norwegian polar exploration in the
Arctic and the Antarctic from 1893
to 1912. Explorers Fridtjof Nansen
and Roald Amundsen were the ship’s
famous navigators. Nansen’s Arctic
Ocean explorations included
proving east-west current theory
and Amundsen was the first to sail
through the Northwest Passage.
Amundsen also sailed the Fram
from Oslo to Antarctica, where he
continued on dog sled to be the first
person to arrive at the South Pole.
Visitors can go on board the Fram
and experience visual surround
sound effects and a simulated high
seas storm.
THE KON-TIKI MUSEUM
commemorates explorer Thor
Heyerdahl’s filmed 1947 journey on
a balsawood raft across the Pacific
Ocean from Peru to Polynesia,
to hypothesize pre-Columbian
era travel from South America
to Polynesia. His film won an
Academy Award and he later led
additional journeys across the ocean
in reed boats, the Ra and Ra II. The
museum displays the original rafts.
Oslo’s Opera and Ballet House was built with a
“pedestrian” ground-to-roof concept and received
the Mies van der Rohe award for contemporary
architecture in 2009.
The Scream by Edvard
Munch is displayed in
Oslo’s National Museum.
The Kon-Tiki balsa wood raft was
used for Thor Heyerdahl’s expedition
to cross the Pacific Ocean from
Peru to Polynesia to hypothesize
pre-Columbian era travel.
66
Learn about the history of Alfred Nobel and the Peace Prize he
established at the Nobel Peace Prize Center, which is located
in a former train station that was originally constructed in 1872
WHERE TO STAY:
THE KARL JOHAN HOTEL
(centrally located with a
superb breakfast included)
WHERE TO DINE:
RORBUA (traditional Norwegian food)
LING LING (Cantonese dishes with
Norwegian influences, Hakkasan Group) 67

ALESUND
Stunning views of Alesund from the Aksla Viewpoint
The Suitor Waterfall is across
from The Seven Sisters, and
legend states that he turned to
drinking, and into the shape of a
bottle, after the sisters rejected
his marriage proposals.
Stunning Stigfossen
Waterfall greets those
who venture up the
serpentine Trollstigen
Road (Trolls Footpath).
The Seven Sisters Waterfall
- The Seven Sisters
Waterfall plunges into the
Geiranger Fjord from a
height of over 1,300 feet.
The switchback Trollstigen
Road is a white-knuckle
experience with its eleven
hairpin turns to the top.
ocated on Norway’s west coast, Alesund
is the gateway to the Geiranger Fjord, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alesund is an
archipelago with several bridges connecting
to the mainland. It is considered one
of Norway’s most beautiful cities.
The easiest and quickest way to reach
Alesund is by plane. There are daily flights from
Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam. The
airport is about a 20-minute drive from the city.
Alesund emerged as a splendid representation
of Art Nouveau architecture when it was rebuilt
after a fire in 1904 destroyed most of the town.
For stunning panoramic views of the seaport city,
take a short drive up to Aksla Viewpoint, or walk
the 418 steps from Town Park. From this vantage
point you can also see the Sunnmore Alps.
68
Alesund, a port city on the Norwegian Sea, is
one of Norway’s most picturesque towns and is
known as the gateway to Geiranger Fjord.
eiranger Fjordservice’s catamaran
cruises to three fjords in three hours:
Storfjorden, Synnylvsfjorden, and
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Geiranger Fjord. Be prepared
for some spectacular scenery. The
fjord’s majestic grandeur and
exceptional natural beauty are breathtaking. Even
professional photos of the deep blue waters and
numerous magnificent waterfalls fail to do it justice.
Extraordinary cascading waterfalls abound, and
folklore has given some of them names. The Seven
Sisters are seven waterfalls with an impressive fall of
over 1,300 feet and from a distance appear to look like
the long, flowing hair of seven women. Across from
the Seven Sisters is a waterfall called The Suitor. After
The Seven Sisters dismissed his frequent marriage
proposals, he turned into the shape of a bottle.
For “crazy” fun, drive or take a tour bus on the insanely
serpentine Trollstigen (Trolls Footpath) road with
more impressive Norwegian waterfalls and eleven
hairpin turns — not a trek for the faint-of-heart.
View the lush valley and scope of the winding road
from the balcony at the summit. According to Norse
mythology, trolls are cave-dwelling creatures who are
mischievous and sometimes evil.
WHERE TO STAY:
HOTEL BROSUNDET
(excellent breakfast included)
Hotel Brosundet
guests
can enjoy the
outdoor bathtub
overlooking the
Brosundet Canal.
Whimsical Troll
Stop statues are
at the entrance to
Trollstigen Road.
The Brosundet Canal is a beautiful
setting for the Hotel Brosundet
(fourth building on left, golden yellow).
Setting out early morning full speed
ahead from Alesund to the majestic
Geiranger Fjord.
WHERE TO DINE:
SJOBUA
(fresh seafood restaurant —
will re-open in November 2023) 69

ike Alesund, the easiest and
quickest way to reach Bergen,
Norway’s second largest city,
is by plane. The flight from
Alesund is about 45
minutes. It takes an
entire day if traveling
by car or bus. If time allows, another
option is to take the seven-hour
train ride from Oslo to Bergen,
which travels through the beautiful
landscape of western Norway. The
town of Bergen is situated on a
peninsula surrounded by mountains.
BERGEN
There is no need to rent a car as the city has
an abundance of public transportation and
taxis. The town has easy walkability from
the waterfront to Byparken, the large park
in the heart of the city with ponds, water
features, and a music pavilion.
Bryggen, Bergen’s wharf, with its colorful
wooden buildings and nearby famous fish
market, is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. It was an important trading center
between Norway and Europe during the
14th - 16th centuries. Today, the buildings
and alleys contain shops, art galleries, and
restaurants. You can’t go wrong dining at
one of the fish market stalls with its freshcaught
fish and local beer.
The Floibanen funicular from the city
center travels over 1,000 feet to the top of
Mount Floyen where sensational views
of the Bergen peninsula below greet you.
The funicular has been in service for
over a century, and the trip takes a mere
six minutes. You can hike the nearby
nature trails and then reward your efforts
by enjoying ice cream or pastries at the
Floistuen Café.
Composer Edvard Grieg’s
Victorian residence at
Troldhaugen is on the
outskirts of Bergen.
Byparken, located in the heart of
Bergen, is a lovely garden park
with a music pavilion/gazebo.
The Floibanen
funicular is a
fun, short ride
to the top of
Mount Floyen.
Some of Norway’s preeminent pianists perform
lunchtime concerts on an esteemed Steinway grand
piano at Edvard Grieg’s Troldhaugen chamber music hall.
View from
Mount Floyen,
overlooking the
colorful Bergen
peninsula.
roldhaugen, a 15-minute taxi ride
from Bergen, was the Victorian
home of Edvard Grieg (1843–1907),
Norway’s most famous composer.
Today, Grieg’s villa is a museum and
a concert hall. Tickets for the daily
lunchtime concert can be purchased
online. The museum, which has a café
and souvenir shop, is dedicated to Grieg’s
life and music. A short walk from the main
house leads to Grieg’s cabin, overlooking
Nordas Lake. Grieg built a small house away
from his home so he could compose his
music in seclusion. He wrote the musical
score for his friend Henrik Ibsen’s drama of
Norwegian folk hero Peer Gynt in 1875. His
best-known movements from the Peer Gynt
Suite are Morning Mood and In the Hall of
the Mountain King. His other recognizable
works include Piano Concerto in A Minor
and Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.
Edvard Grieg built his cozy cabin
in this serene setting so he could
compose his music in quiet solitude.
Bryggen is Bergen’s famous wharf
and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
WHERE TO STAY:
THON HOTEL ROSENKRANTZ
(amazing breakfast and a
WHERE TO DINE:
FISH MARKET
(check out the fish stalls)
DAILY POT (healthy and delicious)
24-hour espresso machine)
70 71

Getaway to Your CNY Summer.
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