The Road Scholar Organization Do you love to travel and learn, but don’t want the trouble of researching and planning a trip? Then the Road Scholar organization is designed for you! In the past, you had to be at least 50 years old to participate in their programs, but now any adult may join in! Click here to visit the Road Scholar website. Road Scholar is a not-for-profit organization geared toward adults aged 50 and over. It was founded in 1975 as Elderhostel, when its attendees were housed mostly in university dormitories and taught by university professors. They changed their …
Some of the Veterans were “brothers” since high school. Others served during Vietnam but got to know each other later— through their volunteer work with the prideful Patriot Guard, who provide a motorcycle brigade escort during a veteran’s funeral. On one beautiful spring day in Washington, D.C. these veterans shared their memories with comrades who know best of the sacrifices made years before. Having returned from Washington, D.C., on my second of such trips, I’m full of gratitude and pride for our Veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. A non-profit organization, Alabama Freedom Flight, provided a day …
Jimmy Buffett’s 1974 A1A album cover photo said it all — with his surfer-dude look, sitting under a palm tree. If the Baby Boomers had not already taken a road trip to the Florida Keys on the famous highway, this album cover was surely the inspiration to travel to a laid back paradise. My first trek South on Florida Highway A1A was as a college student in a Miata convertible with very little money, a two-man tent and sleeping bags in the tiny trunk. In the ’70s, we didn’t even need reservations in campgrounds, and hardly anyone referred to us as …
By Melanie Pollard Wild horses and wild women have ruled Cumberland Island, Georgia for years. There’s an old saying on the island that if you’re a man, move somewhere else. Men don’t last long on this island. Many unlucky men have met their demise here, but that’s another story for another time. The Spirit of Cumberland Island Of all the islands I visited off the coast of Georgia and Florida, Cumberland was my favorite of the islands. Cumberland has a spiritual quality to it, a oneness with nature that I have not found on the other islands in the area. …
MY LOVE STORY WITH NEW ORLEANSBy Guest Author, Sinclair Mitchell This love story begins when I was at the tender age of 15. It was my first trip to New Orleans, going with my momma and meemaw and three little sisters (all of them I already loved). I did not get to explore all the nooks and crannies of the French Quarter, as it so carefully should have been — as my boy curiosity (wanting to be a man) so strongly craved. Aromas of New Orleans I found this place to have the best and worst smells of any place …
By Melanie Pollard Things to Do on Jekyll Island Ahh…the heroines of Victorian novels had it made. They lounged all day and were waited upon as they read poetry while overlooking the family’s sprawling estate. Power was in the wealth they inherited, and they were beloved by all. Don’t we all dream of such a time? But the island is now a modern vacation spot, and there are many things to do on Jekyll Island. Imagine stepping back in time to the Victorian Era, 1886, to a place of unspoiled beaches, multitudes of deer, quail, pheasant, and turkey roaming about, …
Savoring the simple pleasures of a new place or a new experience is what I love most about traveling. After spending seven days on a Mediterranean cruise where we had inundated our senses in seven cities on a non-stop schedule, we were back in Barcelona for two days before returning to the U.S.– whew! TIP YOUR WAITER On our last evening, we dined at our favorite Barcelona “side-street” restaurant, enjoyed a scrumptious dinner, and a little more to drink than usual. After all, the half-liter of Sangria was the best value. We had intentionally used the last of our …
So what do two grandmothers who don’t speak Spanish do for a day trip in Barcelona, Spain? We embark on an adventure to live like the locals and take the train to Montserrat, the site of the Benedictine monastery. It was established in the 800s and is home of the Virgin Mary of Catalonia statue. How to get there Most tourists take a guided tour service to Montserrat from Barcelona, but I had already been in Barcelona for an entire two days prior to Marla arriving and felt like we could handle this journey on our own. As we started …