Posted by David Porter on June 23, 2018 · 4 Comments
Painting: Monet’s Japanese Bridge. Click for large view.
We Visit Monet’s Water Lily Pond and Gardens in Giverny, France with Avalon Waterways
On May 6, 2018, we enjoyed a visit to Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, France as we sailed the River Seine with Avalon Waterways.
During Cruise Director Jean-Loup’s cruise briefing the night before, he told us all that we needed to be ready to board the coaches at 8:15 in the morning as they expected heavy crowds as it was VE Day Weekend in France.
There was a bit of mumbling in the crowd as that meant that we needed to set alarms to rise at 6:00, breakfast at 7:00, and off of the ship at 8:00.
We arrived around 9:00 and quickly scooted off for the water lily pond to begin our tour.
Here is a short video I shot which made for a wonderful first impression as the frogs greeted us as they croaked among the lily pads.
There is a sidewalk that circumnavigates the pond and here is a photograph I captured looking across the pond at Monet’s famous Japanese Bridge.
Another photograph as I peeked through the trees on our journey around the pond.
Not surprisingly, it was very crowded on the Japanese Bridge as folks (like Carol in my photograph) posed for a photograph as loved ones captured their photograph with zoom lenses from afar.
Between Monet’s house and his pond, he built beautiful gardens.
And when we visited in early May, the tulips were in full bloom.
By the time we got to explore Monet’s house, the place was a mob scene. But I did manage to grab this photograph of Monet’s studio without any tourists in my shot. After my photograph, you can see another photograph of Monet in his studio that was taken years ago.
After a bathroom break, and the obligatory ushering through the gift shop, we walked outside to find this massive crowd of folks waiting to get in the gate.
Travel Tip: get there early and avoid the busy summer months. I can’t imagine what this line must look like in July. YIKES!
We both enjoyed our visit to Monet’s house, studio, pond, and gardens. And, the little town of Giverny is big fun to stroll around. We highly recommend a visit.
For more information or to book an Avalon Waterways river cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
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Posted by David Porter on June 20, 2018 · 1 Comment
Cuckoo Birds Singing on River Seine as we Sail With Avalon Waterways
While river cruise itineraries are port intensive and generally involve a fair amount of walking through the various destinations along the way, you are also able to enjoy moments of peaceful solitude.
Here is a short video I captured from our stateroom as we sailed the River Seine with Avalon Waterways.
If you crank up the volume on your phone or computer, you can hear the cuckoo birds serenading in the early afternoon as we sailed along on a beautiful day, May 6, 2018. Also, take notice of how quiet a river cruise is and how we seem to move through the water with very little wake and absolutely no water movement felt on the ship.
The map below shows our exact location on the Seine. We enjoyed a beautiful morning exploring Monet’s Garden in Giverny and now we were again moving north as we make our way towards Normandy and the Normandy Beaches.
We hope you enjoyed that brief moment of tranquility. Stay tuned for more from our sailing on the River Seine with Avalon Waterways.
For more information or to book an Avalon Waterways river cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 19, 2018 · 3 Comments
Looking for the Best, Authentic Mexican Food in Scottsdale and Phoenix
I’ve had this unquenchable hankering for mind-blowing, authentic Mexican cuisine of late.
I can’t really explain why; but I figure as long as I live in Arizona, I might as well take advantage of my geographic location and do a little culinary exploration.
I’m finding it a little frustrating to find the best of the best because an Internet search will bring up Yelp (or the like) where “touristy Mexican food” tends to top the list.
I’m looking for the real deal. Mind-blowing, authentic Mexican cuisine. Does that exist in Scottsdale and Phoenix?
I made the first stop on my quest to Carolina’s Mexican Food to try out their Oaxaca Special Burro. That was good, but I didn’t take a photograph. So, it gives me a reason to go back. Right?
Image from MexGrocer.com
They had me at Huitlacoche
For the second stop on my journey, we ventured to Los Sombreros primarily because I wanted to try the Huitlacoche Crepes.
I was first introduced to huitlacoche by Chef Mel Mecinas when he was at the Four Seasons Scottsdale.
Huitlacoche (pronounced weet-la-COH-cheh and pictured right) is a fungus that grows on corn kernels and is highly priced in Central Mexican cuisine.
Huitlacoche has been called anything from Mexican truffles to Mexican mushrooms to the less appetizing corn smut.
Nonetheless, every time huitlacoche has crossed my palette, I have been more than pleased.
So, that very top photograph is an iPhone photo I grabbed when our waiter Jesus brought out the Huitlacoche Crepes: crepes stuffed with goat and blue cheeses smothered with huitlacoche sauce, pomegranate sauce, and cranberries.
At first blush, with the confluence of savory and sweet, my taste buds didn’t really know what the heck just hit them. Even so, as the tastes began to blend on my palette, I found a smile growing on my face with my fork speedily descending for a second bite. Yum, I say, YUM!
That second photograph up there is another iPhone photograph I snagged of my Al Pastor Tacos. More Yum!
You know, while I greatly enjoyed our Sunday brunch at Los Sombreros, I left a little frustrated. Why? Because there were so many other items on their menu I wanted to sample. I guess that means we’ll be back. And real soon, I hope.
Carol and I give Los Sombreros two thumbs up and highly recommend you visit to sample their Central Mexican cuisine.
Where is YOUR favorite Mexican cuisine found in Scottsdale or Phoenix?
Leave us your answer in the comments section below. Thanks!
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Posted by David Porter on June 16, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Travel Tip: Visit a Cheese Shop When in Paris, France
When I (David) was in college, I had the great privilege to spend a month of study abroad each year.
We were tasked with planning a detailed course of study and then given Eurail Passes to travel around Europe for 30-days. It was eye-opening, educational, and great fun!
As a poor college student, one of the things I quickly learned is that I could pick up a loaf of bread, some fabulous cheese, and for hardly any money at all, nosh on this for breakfast and lunch.
Fast forward 40 years and the same is still true. When you’re in Paris, you simply must grab a French baguette, some cheese, and perhaps even some foie gras and have yourself a picnic.
Last week, I wrote this article to share with you where to find some fabulous meats and foie gras in Paris.
And in this article, I’m going to focus on the cheese.
As I mentioned in the article linked above, we were enjoying a private Foodie Tour with our friends from Context Travel Tours. And after getting the meats for our little picnic, we were then off to the cheese shop.
Here is our guide Laurie Nourrigat helping us understand French cheeses and picking a few samples for our picnic. As you can see, she already has our meats in the bag from Maison Guyard.
The cheese shop that Laurie took us to was Androuet, a French cheesemaker since 1909. Below is the shopkeeper slicing one of four different kinds of cheese we were to sample. My favorite cheese turned out to be an ash-covered goat cheese.
Evidently, the cheesemakers of yesteryear would use ash to preserve their cheeses. But today, the tradition continues as the ash (many times vegetable ash or burned grapevine prunings) is found to neutralize the acidic surface of fresh goat cheeses. I know it sounds yucky, but it’s actually very, very good.
Are you salivating yet? I am. In fact, I just did a Google search to see where I might find some authentic craft cheeses here in Scottsdale. 🙂
Well, that’s it for the cheese shop. Our next stop on tour was a local bread shop where we would have our little picnic. Stay tuned.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 15, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Father’s Day Sale: Additional Cruise Savings of up to $800, $400 Shipboard Credit plus up to FREE Air*
PLUS, in addition to Viking’s exciting offer, we have another $200 in shipboard credits for you from Roaming Boomers Travel.
That makes $600 in shipboard credits!
Let’s take a peek at the cruises currently offered under Viking’s Father’s Day Sale.
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Viking Eastern Seaboard Explorer. This is a great one to explore the fall colors of Canada and New England. For more details, click the image below:
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Who wants to go to Cuba? Check out the Father’s Day Special on Viking’s Cultural Cuba: click the image below.
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How about the Caribbean Islands when it’s cold and nasty in most parts of the U.S.? Click the image below!
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And, last but not least, how about the Caribbean and South America. Click the image below.
For more information or to book one of these fun Viking Ocean Cruises + our additional $200 in shipboard credits (total $600), please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
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