Just when we thought breakfast couldn't get any better, we heard a gentle puffing sound in the sky. Looking up we saw a giant, colorful hot air balloon slowly rising above our bungalow like a red, blue and yellow planet. It was an awesome sight and it made our breakfast in the middle of a lush vineyard even more memorable.

May is white asparagus season in Germany. The plump stalks of the sweet, delicious vegetable are paired with Hollandaise sauce, or butter, and sometimes ham and boiled potatoes. They are on every restaurant menu, in every grocery store, in every market. The season is short – from April until June 26. When it’s over, it’s over.

So, that's their claim to fame: The Oldest Winery in the Americas. Catchy, but we had never heard of this place before. My wife, Sheri, and I are wine drinkers with 50-bottles of wine at our home. Alright, it's not a cellar, but we have a small house. We belong to a few wine clubs. We have been to many wine regions around the U.S., Baja California, and other countries such as South Africa, but what is this place that has such a significant title? One might think that a landmark like this would come up in conversation or be read in articles. Nope, not even on our radar.

There is nothing better in a travel-foodie blogger's life than to receive an invitation to attend a special event involving a knife, fork, spoon and wine glass. I scored such an invite several years ago from Bottega S.p.A., an award-winning Italian estate built inside Villa Rosina, a renovated and expanded 19th century manor house surrounded by ten hectares of just-picked vineyards, in tiny Bibano di Godega di Sant'Urbino, just 45 km (27 mi) north of La Serenissima, Venice.

The genesis of the Best Films of 1971 poll was highly influenced by Christina Newland's thoughtful piece in BBC Culture, "Why 1971 was an extraordinary year in film."

When I encountered my first giant Sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, my head did not tilt back far enough to see the top. Walking around the trunk practically required a GPS. Leaving noise and civilization behind to walk among these ancient trees brought us to the famous Grizzly Giant, the grove's elder statesman, which rivals the Statue of Liberty in height and sports a branch extending outward that is larger than the trunks of most trees.

PORT LLIGAT, Girona, Spain - What's old in Girona, in Catalonia, Spain, but as tomorrow as a trip to Mars? Not the ancient ruins at Empuries, nor the coast-hugging Roman road, the Via Augusta, now paved and numbered. Nor is it Girona's ancient vineyards or the Costa Brava's sandy shores and emerald coves.

The sins of progress have barely touched one of the world's most prestigious wine regions. Once a sleepy, laid-back hideaway where the residents of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga smugly enjoyed the fragrant air, tended their vines, and quietly celebrated one of the planet's most attractive setting, the valley today remains the home of farmers and winemakers working the land and vines hand-in-hand. Wineries are still mostly family-owned and operated, some appearing like grand estates plucked from the French countryside.

Lonnie McIntosh was a country boy, born and raised in Southern Indiana. Growing up just an hour west of Cincinnati, Lonnie was drawn toward the guitar very early in life and was musically influenced by every genre in the region. Country music, gospel and bluegrass reigned supreme, but there was a mix of R&B, jazz, blues and Rock & Roll emanating from the Ohio side of the state line. As a teenager in the 50s, he absorbed it all.

The two-acre Lego Movie World was designed after the two blockbuster movies The LEGO Movie and The LEGO MOVIE 2 The Second Part. The new attraction takes the movies to another dimension with an elaborate recreation of Bricksburg, complete with the flagship ride Emmet’s Flying Adventure, which is staged on a triple decker flying couch. Kids of all ages can tap into this thrill-seeking virtual escape ride featuring cutting edge technology, 180-degree turns and flights above Middle Zealand, Cloud Cuckoo Land and Pirates Cove.

Encircled by miles of neatly planted vines that seem to stretch to the horizon, a large realm of the senses is overwhelming while lingering in Napa’s historic Bennett Vineyard with legendary winemaker Mark Herold.

Iceland’s Keflavik Airport handles most international flights and is the convenient gateway for Icelandair’s connection from North America to a many European destinations. Transfers are the quickest and easiest than I have found in any other European airport. Even if your flight is less than an hour from landing …

“You want me to get on THAT and go down to where?” I wailed from high atop the Alberta Falls waterslide, looking down to an alleged pool that was well out of visual range. My 11-year-old grand-daughter nodded with a look of both consternation and resignation that I tried very hard to take in stride. Such was my introduction to …

The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s latest poll is devoted to our 20 favorite films of 1971. Part One in the series focuses on films voted by our members from eleven to twenty. Part Two will feature the final top ten. The genesis of our poll was highly influenced by Christina Newland’s thoughtful piece in BBC Culture, entitled, Why …

Italy has been the backdrop for some of our favorite films, and the beguiling scenery often upstages the acting. Don’t Look Now (1973), Room with A View (1985), Cinema Paradiso (1988), Il Postino (1994), Call Me By Your Name (2017) . . . well, we could go on and on. The stars, too, have often been smitten with the settings …

With NASA in the background, I arrived before sunrise in Port Canaveral on Friday, June 4th. Leaning on the sixth-floor wall of the parking garage, I watched more than 1,500 Floridians cheering and waving flags on the shores of Jetty Park nearby. The water stirred and bubbled. Making her arrival in the channel was the new Carnival Mardi Gras. The …

Francis Ford Coppola Palazzo Margherita, Bernalda, Italy– Francis Suite 9 Films and hotels have many aspects that are the same. For example, there is always a big vision, an idea. – Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola purchased Palazzo Margherita in 2004, transforming it into a luxurious Italian boutique hotel, believing it was time to introduce visitors to the stunning Basilicata region …

With the U.S. seemingly winning the battle against the Covid pandemic, there’s a sense of euphoria that envelops our nation. But our hearts go out to T-Boy’s Canadian and Italian writers who are still in the thick of things, struggling with the pandemic. So, the fight continues and we look for better days of a united world that is Covid free. And, we must always remind ourselves to Donate to Direct Relief in support of our courageous frontline workers.

Quarantine to me always meant science fiction movies where something untoward has happened to the characters and they are forcibly removed by men in hazmat suits to an undisclosed location. I’d never imagined that for my next vacation I’d be actually booking my quarantine. A bit like shopping for your prison cell: Can we get something with a southern exposure and …

In Part 3 of our series on Celebrity Hotel Rooms and Suites, we hand off the episodes to Traveling Boy writer extraordinaire, Stephen Brewer. His selections are devoted to screen legend Katherine Hepburn, surrealist and personality Salvador Dali, and current Hollywood A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow. Celebrity Hotel Rooms and Suites, Part 3 Katharine Hepburn: Rosellen Suites at Stanley Park, Vancouver, British …

June 6th is a historic and memorable day for me. In 2004, when I was on KNX1070 with my travel show, I was in Normandy, France, at the invite of the French government, to be part of the world-wide media celebrating the 60th anniversary of D-Day – June 6th in 1944 when the allies invaded Europe. It was spine-chilling and …