France French Life French Provinces Paris Romance & Relationships Travel Writing & Books: Hotel du Palais Biarritz Hotel Le Miramar Biarritz Hotel Les Hortensias lodging Biarritz lodging Guéthary lodging Hossegor surf capital of Europe surfing south of France tourism Basque Country tourism Landes travel France travel Paris Villa Catarie
by maribeth
Comments Off on Highlights from My France Trip 2014
Highlights from My France Trip 2014
Maribeth and Steve Do France: Capping Off Our Last Night in France at Julien in Paris
Oysters and Vin Blanc at Lake Hossegor: One of Many Delightful Meals in France
Hossegor Surf at Sunrise
Pâtisserie du Golfe in Hossegor
Biarritz at Night
Glorious Contrasts: Steve Headed Out to Surf at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz
Tapas and Wine at Bar Jean in Biarritz
How silly of me to think that I could work in a few blog posts while traveling through France during these past few weeks! Really.
That was my intention but I’m afraid I failed mercifully at the task. Instead, I was busy experiencing life in France rather than taking time to write about it sur place. Sure, I took tons of notes and I will be churning out stories from this trip–both here at my blog and in updates of my guidebooks–in the months to come. (I’m also doing a downloadable guide for A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France, so the information will serve there, too.)
Arizona Aspen Colorado Crested Butte Cycling Restaurants Shopping Travel Utah Writing & Books: Gateway Goulding's road trip USA Pro Cycling road trips Colorado road trips Grand Canyon road trips Monument Valley road trips the West
by maribeth
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Road Tripping in the Great American West
Mt. Crested Butte
Monument Valley
There’s nothing like a good, old fashioned road trip to give you a terrific sense of freedom. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that you go under your own steam–that you’re not reliant on a plane, train, bus or boat to get you to your destination. The fact that you’re the captain of your ship means that you can leave when you want, go where you want and stop at whatever strikes your fancy along the way. Maybe it’s liberating because if you take your own vehicle, it’s like bringing your personal living room on the road. Whatever the reason, road tripping is so damned much fun. And there’s no doubt that it’s even better in the great American West.
Colorado France Paris Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books: Colorado France Paris Podcasts Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom
Marking Eleven Years in Paris and Telluride with Mom
Me and Mom Early Spring 1990ish Having Tea in the Garden at the Normandy Country House
Podcast (bonjour): Play in new window | Download
France French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts Writing & Books: France French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts Writing & Books
by maribeth
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The Good Life France
Paris Celebrating Bastille Day Last Night
Ahhhh, la France. I never let le quatorze juillet go by without celebrating France. Even though I’ve been busy bopping around Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, this year was no exception. I’ll let you know soon what I did in this hot, desert land to toast the richness of my beloved France on its Fête Nationale, but first I’d like to share with you a slice of The Good Life France. Before I left Telluride, I interviewed Janine Marsh, founder and editor of this terrific website/blog for my Travel Fun radio show.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Colorado Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Telluride Telluride Festivals Writing & Books: Colorado Mountain Living Mountainfilm Outdoor Adventures Podcasts Telluride Telluride Festivals Writing & Books
by maribeth
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Talking Wild with Cheryl Strayed
Cheryl Looking Down at Crater Lake During Her Trek on the PCT
I consider a movie to be good when I find myself thinking about it the next day. My barometer is the same for a book although with most good reads I find myself thinking about them while I’m reading them as well as in the days or weeks after I finish them. That’s been the case with Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed, a superbly crafted memoir that dazzles your senses every step of the way. Her story moved me so much that I plan to read it again, something I never do. Although why wouldn’t I? From beginning to end, I was gripped by this powerful tale of transformation, this raw account of one woman’s life-changing journey both literally and figuratively. Plus, as I learned in Wild, Cheryl often reads books more than once, so I’m eager to crack hers second time around.
Podcast (bonjourcolorado): Play in new window | Download
France French Life French Provinces Hotels & Lodging Paris Restaurants Shopping Travel Trip Planning Writing & Books: France French Life French Provinces Hotels & Lodging Paris Restaurants Shopping Travel Trip Planning Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on The Riches of Paris and The Riches of France Now eBooks
The Riches of Paris and The Riches of France Now eBooks
The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide
If you’re headed to Paris soon or are just an armchair traveler that enjoys curling up with your eBook, may I recommend my books, The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide and The Riches of France: A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces. They’re perfect for Francophiles interested in knowing more about the places they’re discovering.
The eBook versions of my classic guidebooks come just in time for spring/summer travels to the French capital and the provinces of France. How handy it is to pull them up on your mobile device or eBook reader to find out about the most interesting places and products to savor.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books: Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Writing & Books
by maribeth
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Reflections on My Ten Years as a Ski Instructor
Celebrating My Tenth Anniversary with Ski School Top Dogs
As I ease back into my writer’s life, I’ve been considering my other life: that of a Telluride Ski & Snowboard School instructor. The mountain closed just over two weeks ago and I again turned in my uniform with a big sigh of relief. I’m always grateful when I finish the season without having had an injured student or client on my watch. And I’m always relieved when I wind up unscathed myself (except for a variety of aches and pains and gross fatigue). I’m grateful that this has been the case for the past ten seasons: My sterling record of safety has remained intact.
That’s not to say I don’t challenge my charges and sure, I’ve had some tricky moments of over-terraining just like all the other instructors on our mountain and elsewhere. But fortunately, everyone has come “back to the barn” safe and sound and seemingly happy from their ski experience with me.
But way beyond my actual job as a ski instructor, I can’t help pondering what this newly adopted profession means to me, especially after a decade of working day after day on the mountain with children and adults beneath sunny skies, bitter cold, balmy weather and blustery snowstorms. It has made me a better person; it has made me more whole. I was never very athletic and the physicality of this job has given me strength and confidence that spills over to other areas of my life. I have embraced the notion of self empowerment through sports, a concept that I came to know late in life, one of the themes of my travel memoir/love story A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Trip Planning Writing & Books: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Shopping Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride Trip Planning Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on KOTO Fundraising: Fun and Great Giveaways
KOTO Fundraising: Fun and Great Giveaways
KOTO Radio: The Soul of Telluride, Colorado
Join me today, Thursday, March 20, A LITTLE EARLIER at about 6:20 pm (through 7pm) in Telluride, Colorado and within the outlying area and on the internet for my Travel Fun talk radio show. This will be a special live show for KOTO fundraising featuring a variety of movers and shakers from Telluride’s hospitality/tourism world. I will be giving away lots of great premiums including lodging stays, restaurant and retail gift certificates, books and even ski lift tickets in exchange for a donation to KOTO.
KOTO is a local NPR station and one of the few entirely community supported radio stations in the country. Please consider making a contribution to KOTO, so that we can keep community radio alive and well in America. That’s also a way of showing your support for Travel Fun! Please email me from my Contacts Page with your pledge or donation. Many of my Travel Fun interviews are posted on this blog as podcasts here.
