Tagged With "St. Anne's canyon"
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Re: Mar. 21, 2016: St. Augustine Beach
The recession really hit Anastasia Island hard. There were lots of foreclosures and empty hotels, restaurants and stores. But the last couple of years has seen a total transformation and the island is crowded and businesses are packed like never before.
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Re: Saguenay Fjord — Deep and Long but not very Tall
Thanks for this one! I was last in that area as a teenager, 50 years ago, treated to a steamer ride from Quebec with my uncles. We spent part of a day going up the Saguenay, and then stayed a few days at the Manoir Richelieux...a very ritzy resort surrounded by poor farmers. The whole trip was full of beautiful sights.
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Re: Saguenay Fjord — Deep and Long but not very Tall
Thanks for your note, Pheymont! Glad it brought back some good memories. The scenery is beautiful, like much of the Canadian Shield, with the added benefit of all those maple trees. I hope to get there in September again to enjoy the fall colors and hopefully to see some of those whales migrating. I have to admit that I had my heart set on seeing whales this trip and did spot even one. We were there in early June, which was just too early.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
This is spectacular. A good example of one of those places that is just sitting there, not really getting a lot of attention from US travelers.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Thanks for the note, Chatterbot2. Yes, Quebec is relatively under-touristed, especially when compared to Europe. If you want to visit a 400 year old European stype fortress, don't want to fly across the Atlantic, want to go to place where French is the dominant language, want great food and friendly folks, then Quebec City should be at the top of your travel list.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
The Quebecois were very amused at my attempts to speak French. It is always great to see people laugh.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
They may laugh, Chatterbot2, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that your fumbling attempts to speak their language melted their hearts. You were a valued guest, if not one of them, after trying.
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Re: Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Monsieur, vous êtes très gentil de le dire. I do try to make a stab at the local language wherever I travel. Around the world, people are amazingly patient with my mangling of their language. It does create good entertainment. Almost always, my puzzled efforts put people at ease. They are instantly willing to help "the poor confused thing".
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Re: Verona: More than Romeo & Juliet
There are places in Verona in which you can still see the Roman cart wheel ruts cut into the paving stones. We found that evocative and fascinating. Seeing physical evidence while on vacation from ages past gives the expression "time trip" new meaning.
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Re: Verona: More than Romeo & Juliet
True...Verona is one of those cities where you can feel past and present in the same moment. It's a bit like the Allen Ginsberg quote that reflects my fascination with Paris: "You can't escape the past in Paris, and yet what's so wonderful about it is that the past and present intermingle so intangibly that it doesn't seem to burden."
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Re: Verona: More than Romeo & Juliet
For garden lovers, one of the best-preserved renaissance gardens in Italy, the Giardini Giusti: http://www.zainoo.com/en/italy...rona/giardini-giusti
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Re: Verona: More than Romeo & Juliet
Verona was definitely a highlight of our 2012 pilgrimage to the "old country." The city was modern and old at the same time. People watching in the Piazza Bra was like having a peak into the living room of the Veronese. It seems like a place on a secondary travel network: like a place to go after you've seen the "big 3." This trip was a return after not stopping here since 1982 and we were very pleased. The sites were interesting, the people were friendly, and the gelato was first-rate.
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park
Costs for the existing parks is mostly maintenance and salary. In the face of a broke federal government, I would favor increased user fees. $10-20 for a family to visit a national park for a week is the greatest bargain out there. People who love the parks would happily pay twice as much and I don't think the extra cost would be a deterent. Also, it's reasonable for those with concessions to pay up more than they are. They are given a monopoly and some of those profits should go back to the...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 4, 2013: St. Boniface Cathedral, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Fascinating picture, with the sky as a rose window!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 4, 2013: St. Boniface Cathedral, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Thanks, Ready2Go! The photo doesn't do justice to the size and scale of the place, but it is a lovely setting. I never thought about the sky as a rose window, but why not?
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 2) the Rock of Cashel
Dr. Fumblefingers, you take amazing photos! We can't wait to go. Reminds me of the sweet song my mother used to sing around our house when I was a girl: "It's a long way to Tipperary."
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 2) the Rock of Cashel
It is a long way to Tipperary, but it's worth the journey! You'll love your visit to Ireland, Rosemary. It's just a fun destination.
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Re: Crater Lake — The Most Beautiful Lake In The World(!?)
I would describe both Crater Lake and the Grand Canyon as Awe inspiring.. A fitting use of the word. You all have yourself an Awesome year too - eh ?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? #64
Train seems right. It's long and narrow. Green. Not a rock canyon. Plenty of flat terrain - except right where it's crossing.
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Re: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
GutterPup -Great job sharing about the lighthouse. Anastasia Island, or known as "the Island" there has some pretty cool sights, beaches and restaurants. It's friendly and relaxed atmosphere is commented upon frequently and I found it's really true.Many people come back year after year and stay for months at a time. The historic sights of downtown bring people in, but the Island brings them back.
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Re: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
Thank you Travel Rob! St. Augustine is a place I visit once every couple of years, and I always include a visit to Anastasia.
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Re: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
GutterPup, You posted some great pics of the place. The St. Augustine Light is one of the 10 most beautiful lighthouses in the USA. I read that in a travel magazine, so this is not just my opinion. It's gorgeous! In another lifetime, ex-wife type other lifetime, we were going there for a winter interlude in February from 2002 until 2006 and we stayed on Anastasia Island, not far from the light. We joined the member society, bought bricks in our kids's names, and visited there frequently.
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Re: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
I appreciate your kindness I did notice all the bricks at the entrance with folks names on them, pretty cool. I haven't been to many lighthouses I must confess, something I hope to change, but this one was really fun and had tons of history behind it - I'm a fan!
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Re: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
Here's a view of the exterior of the lighthouse, from Wikimedia/Jubileejourney
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Re: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
I have never been, but my wife just spent 6 days in St. Augustine and it has been added to our list of MUST GO places. Thanks for the info on the lighthouse, it will be one of our stops.
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Re: Fort De Soto Park, Florida – A Tropical Utopia
A truly beautiful place! I imagine the kayaking and fishing are quite good. Are there any alligators about/ Is it a first come, first serve campground, or are reservations allowed?
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Re: Fort De Soto Park, Florida – A Tropical Utopia
Thanks!What an excellent beach GutterPup!
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Re: Fort De Soto Park, Florida – A Tropical Utopia
Originally Posted by Travel Rob: Thanks!What an excellent beach GutterPup! You're welcome! My little secret
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Re: Fort De Soto Park, Florida – A Tropical Utopia
Originally Posted by DrFumblefinger: A truly beautiful place! I imagine the kayaking and fishing are quite good. Are there any alligators about/ Is it a first come, first serve campground, or are reservations allowed? The kayaking and fishing are out of this world! No worries about running across any gators, they like fresh water and Ft. DeSoto is salt water, but there are sharks! Reservations are recommended at the campground, especially during the winter and spring months. The summer...
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Re: Fort De Soto Park, Florida – A Tropical Utopia
This is a beautiful beach. Is it a daft question to ask if there are alligators around? I'm Australian, and our more northern beaches get huge crocodiles as well as sharks, so I'm not quite sure if the same goes for alligators in Florida!
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Re: Fort De Soto Park, Florida – A Tropical Utopia
Hi Jessica! While it is not impossible, it is quite rare to see a gator at this beach, I only know of one time that a gator was ever spotted there, and that was only a 3.5 ft long one. It is much more likely that you'll see a shark before seeing a gator
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Re: Gallery: Signs of Quebec
Were these pix taken in one area of Quebec or are they typical of the City ?
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Re: Gallery: Signs of Quebec
They were all taken in the historic area of Quebec City, Garry, which is not that large an area. Probably geographically in a square mile area or less.
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Re: Rafting Montana's Clark Fork River
Great pictures! quite different from the Upper Delaware (my only rafting experience). I noticed the old water chute in one picture...what was it used for? It looks a bit like the wooden aqueduct we saw a few years ago in Colorado that moved water along the edge of a canyon to a work site.
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Re: A Day at the Zoo: San Diego, California
Thanks IslandMan! Probably the rarest animal at the zoo is the California Condor. Only the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos exhibit these birds and were instrumental in saving them from extinction. With only a few dozen birds left in the wild, a controversial decision was made several decades ago to capture them all and place the remaining birds in these two zoos for a captive breeding program. They now number several hundred and are slowly being re-introduced into the wild, with limited...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 18, 2015: The Winged Lion of Venice
The winged lion is a symbol you see everywhere in Venice -- palaces, flags, statues -- everywhere. It seemed a somewhat unusual mascot for a seafaring power and made me wonder what the origin to the symbol was. Turns out the...
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The Sunshine Skyway Bridge – The Creepy and the Miraculous
If you follow Interstate 275 south through the city of St. Petersburg, Florida until you run out of land, you’ll be greeted by a gentle slope of road that seemingly rises from the waters of the Tampa Bay. This...
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Saguenay Fjord — Deep and Long but not very Tall
I’d heard as a schoolboy that the Saguenay Fjord was one of the longest in the world. Years later someone told me the area around Tadoussac was pretty, sparsely developed and inviting. Given a spare day or...
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Montreal: Je Me Souviens
There are many great cities to visit in Canada, two of my favorites (for different reasons) being Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver has one of the most breath-takingly beautiful settings of any city in the world, and I’ll be discussing it...
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Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Quebec, like New York, is both a city and a state (or rather, a province). It’s an island of French heritage and culture within our Anglo-North American continent. We combined this visit with stops in Montreal and...
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Verona: More than Romeo & Juliet
Verona from the hills, looking toward St. Anastasia and the Ponte Pietra My visit to Verona last summer was almost an accident—but a lucky one. It wasn’t on the original plan for our three weeks in Northern Italy, but online...
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A springtime hike on the Yakima Rim Skyline Trail
After a rather long winter I was ready for a pleasant dayhike. While I’d rather head up to the mountains for a stroll in an alpine meadow, there’s way too much snow up there in April. Fortunately in the Northwest there are some...
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Steamboat Rock, Washington — Wildflowers and Vistas galore!
The large basalt mass of Steamboat Rock is a distinct landmark in Central Washington state. Steamboat Rock State Park is a dozen miles southwest of the massive Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. The Park is on a peninsula...
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Christmas in Arizona--what to do?
Two friends at work and I are trying to plan a Christmas trip to somewhere warmer than New Haven...and one of them says Arizona is where we should go. All I know about Arizona is from old westerns and a Barbara Kingsolver book. I know it's got...
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A Visit to Ireland: Part 2) the Rock of Cashel
There are few places in Ireland with a richer history than the Rock of Cashel . Situated at the edge of the town of Cashel, the rock is a huge outcropping on top of which rests a complex of old buildings situated some 60m (200ft)...
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Columbia River Gorge, Where Gumbo Was #82
Gumbo was visiting the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, which straddles northern Oregon and southern Washington states. Specifically, Gumbo was enjoying the amazing view of the Gorge through the lobby window of the Skamania Lodge in...