A Magical Walk Through Hemingway’s Paris Magically enchanting and much-loved Paris, the Urban Empress of Europe, remains eternally young and amorous. Occasionally vain, always passionate, and with a long and turbulent history, the legendary city has a special flair for life that has captivated many of the world’s most inspired artistic talent.

Belgium: A Gastronomical Delight Eat, Drink, And Be Merry, Part 2 Spring is definitely here and many folks are in the midst of planning their European vacations. Not to be missed is Belgium, an extraordinary blue white diamond of a tiny country, not much bigger than Maryland. Jammed packed with culinary delights that will satisfy food lovers, from fine dining to street food, including, of course, those famous Belgium waffles, and frites.

Alaska - Part II: A Whale of a Good Time The cry goes out -- orcas on right, 9 o'clock -- and I tried desperately to spot a spout or tail or fin a mile and a half out. Still, it was the closest I'd ever come to a whale up to now, and I could be patient. Looking around at my fellow passengers aboard the Orca Enterprises, I realized that the idea of seeing a whale was almost as exciting as the actual viewing of a fin or part of the flank.

Images of Basel: An Alchemical Crossroads In the Swiss city of Basel, I am between everything. The city is not "at" the intersection of three countries; rather, it "is" the intersection of three countries. Positioned in Switzerland, but with suburbs in both in France and Germany, Basel exudes a distinctive between-ness.

Turning Hatred into Harmony By Masada Siegel In Germany, the land of my ancestors, the country where my grandfather fought in World War One for the Germans, in 17 battles for three years in the trenches and was awarded an iron cross for bravery, is where I met Abdul from Syria in 2009.

Norway's Three Capitals Norway crowns the top of Europe in its own inimitable fashion, a spacious land of blue skies and grey fjords and green valleys - and in winter a terrain so white it would dazzle the eyes if only the landscape saw more of the sun. Only four percent of Norway is inhabited. No nation in continental Europe has a lower population density.

Berlin's Hoppegarten: A Day at the Races By Frank Mazer Powerful horses, with jockeys astride in their brilliant silk colors, are loping towards me. I stand in the middle of the turf track staring through the camera viewfinder while my "All Access Press Pass" clings to my wrist. The brilliant green splendor of the scene captivates me.

Jimmy Carl Black As an original member of the Mothers of Invention, Jimmy Carl Black and his band mates were often considered the counter-counter culture. What hippies were to the Summer of Love, the Mothers were to the Burnt Weeny Sandwich.

Time Travel Oligarchy Some argue that the United States is a failed empire that is descending into a doomed corporatist oligarchy. Ask visitors from other countries, and travel to Europe, where political cynicism has always been more rampant than in the USA. Look at failing economies and bankrupt states across the globe.

The Moonscape of Normandy’s Pointe Du Hoc France has some truly gorgeous scenery, charming champagne communities, riveting rivers and countryside walks in pristine areas so lovely you sometimes think it’s a mirage. So how, you might ask, how is it that the French allowed this moonscape piece of real estate to be in almost the same devastating condition it was back then – and still is today? Good question.

Christmas Markets in the Alps I lived in a village in the Swiss Alps for two years when I was a little girl and I remember the delicious crunch of the new fallen snow under my shoes on a cold, still Christmas Eve when I was allowed to attend midnight Mass in the village church. The bells rang sharp and clear in the frosty air, the stars twinkled in the dark sky and I knew I would soon see my Christmas present. All was well with my wee world.

Ojai - A Little Piece of Heaven Off the 101 Just a one-and-a-half hour drive from Los Angeles, lies this little oasis and one of the oldest town in Ventura, called Ojai - a soothing retreat from the assaults of every day Los Angeles living and the Ojai Visitors Bureau wants you to experience it for yourselves.

The Escalators of Toledo, Spain’s Walled City I recently returned from a visit to Spain, the number one tourist destination in the world. As I traveled the Spanish countryside of La Mancha, just outside of Madrid, staying in the government owned Paradores chain of hotels, I kept marveling at how innovative Spain has been in promoting tourism.

Juneau – “Alaska's Wilderness Capital City" Let's face it, Alaska is a big place. With over 3,000 rivers and more than 100,000 glaciers, the state is one-fifth the size of the continental United States and two-and-one-half times the size of Texas. Vast expanses of wilderness encompass Alaska, with millions of acres of national parkland and wildlife refuges.

The Long Good Bye to Ireland They left in droves for the new worlds, some to North America, others to Australia and New Zealand. They were the Irish poor, fleeing from famine-ridden Ireland where only the English had enough to eat. From 1848 to 1950, over 6 million adults and children emigrated from Ireland, more than a third departing from Cobh, Queenstown...

Chile is Hot I flew into Santiago, Chile in early March for the wine harvest in one of the world’s great wine producing regions. The day I arrived was also the night of the total lunar eclipse. That evening we watched the earth’s shadow swallow the moon in the private observatory above the Santa Cruz Vineyards, while swallowing Cabernet Sauvignon and warming ourselves by the tasting room fire.

How I Spent My Spring “State-Cation” Each spring break the Steve and Wendy Erskine family of Sherman Oaks, CA, load up their Volvo station wagon for a week-long vacation to one of California’s most spectacular destinations. Yosemite? The Redwoods or Joshua Tree? Wrong. The Erskine’s destination of choice is nestled along the Pacific Ocean, less than a two hour drive south of Los Angeles.

Pesto alla Genovese By now, most of the world knows of PESTO. Though it will never be as popular as pizza, it’s a convenient and tasty sauce for a quick pasta dish, and seemingly every U.S. supermarket now has rows of Pesto in jars lining its shelves. Pesto alla Genovese is quite different from what is found in the stores today. The real Pesto deal – according to the Boitano family – consists of placing a small portion of sweet basil, walnuts, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, non-salted butter, garlic, and a dash of salt and pepper –- into a mortar, where it is crushed and pounded into a paste. Go to Menu

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Traveling Boy's other helpful resources for your travel adventures

Traveling Boy also contains great resources for travel adventures including the following: Travel Resources 1: includes practical links, links to travel bookings, cruise lines, US State and world departments of tourism Travel Resources 2: includes links to other travel resources Travel Resources 3: includes links to travel resources with descriptions Helpful Links: links to other helpful sites on local and world travel, travel booking sites, cruise sites, US and world tourism department sites. Webcam Section: See real time images of some of the world's most interesting views. Traveling Blues Features - blues aficionado Tim Mattox writes about the blues and several outstanding musicians: Bob Hite (Canned Heat) Santa Barbara Blues Charlie Musselwhite Blues Storytellers Frank Frost Honeyboy Edwards John Hammond Field Hollers Eddie Vinson Willie Dixon Mark Hummel & the Blues Survivors John Mayall Lowell George (Little Feat) BB King Johnny Winter Joe Bonamassa Preston Smith Rory Block Mick Taylor SoulSauce Dennis Jones Zen Blues Quartet Rod Piazza Buddy Guy Pinetop Perkins San Diego Blues Festival Lives Well-Lived Pendleton Warrior Promise of the Real/Lukas Nelson Jimmy Carl Black Travel Humor - a collection of jokes (with bits of travel adventures) from graphics artist Raoul Pascual: Airplane Jokes Unusual Funeral Three Priests/Lake Tahoe Marital Negotiations Wong Baby Blonde Kidnapper Can You Get Married in Heaven? 3 Men, 3 Women and 3 Bears Dangerous Snake The Truth About Reindeer Health Warning Want to be a Mermaid or a Whale? Irish Jokes Outback Half-Wit Irish Millionaire Laundry Man Moses and the Red Sea Two Norwegians War Between Ireland & France Jewish Haikus The Middle Wife Alberta Snow Complete and Finished Italian Profiling Alzheimer's Test Welsh Holiday Fairy Tale Paraprosdokians Agricultural Inspector News from Libya Chinese Food Baby Polar Bear Spanish Delicacy Truck Mexican Jews