Cruising the lower Danube and Experiencing Banner Elk

Parliament, Budapest, Hungary by night. Photo by Judy Wells.

Hungary to Croatia to Serbia to Bulgaria to Romania may be the only river cruise about which you will say, "If it's Tuesday it must be Bulgaria."

Fields of wheat, corn, sunflowers and paprika.














Houses topped by red-tiled roofs and a Mediterranean climate to go with them.

Sleeve detail, museum, Vukovar, Croatia.

Beautifully embroidered fabrics, Veliko Tarnova, Bulgaria.

Work in progress, woodcarver and icon painter, Street of artisans,

whimsically carved wooden figures,

Icon, Ruse, Bulgaria. Photo by Judy Wells.

gleaming icons.

Orthodox church, Donji Milanovac, Serbia. Photo by Judy Wells.

Spires of Orthodox churches.

Roman Necropolis, Pecs, Hungary.

Traces of repressive Roman,

Turkish style home built by a Bulgarian merchant. Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.

Turkish, Austro-Hungarian,

German armaments from World War I, Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade, Serbia

German, Yugoslavian and Russian rulers.

Art Nouveau-style hotel, Budapest, Hungary.

Graceful Baroque, art nouveau and art deco architecture among dispiriting, crumbling, monolithic flats from the Communist era.

Water tower and former pharmacy, Vukovar, Croatia.





Stubborn independence, centuries of wars and pride in having achieved freedom at last.

All of this, like the Danube that flows through them, you find in all five countries.

Some mornings you have to consult the ship's itinerary to make sure where you are. Then try to remember what the cruise director said about the currency at last night's port talk.

Each country has its own and, despite European Union membership, some don't accept euros, some will accept low denomination dollars if they are pristine but never any coins other than their own. Change will be in their currency. Souvenirs often cost more when you whip out a credit card.

Fascinating, frustrating and unforgettable. You will return to America feeling incredibly fortunate that you call it home.

Celebrating the Fourth of July here was more meaningful than any amount of red, white and blue bunting or bombs of fireworks bursting in air.

Vantage River Splendor

The Ship  
I was on the Vantage River Splendor along with about 168 others. Almost all were Americans, some of whom were on their 12th trip with the line. Why? They liked the atmosphere aboard, the amenities, the food, the itineraries and the price.  

Taking the mountain air

What can you do in a one-stoplight town?  If it is Banner Elk, NC, quite a bit.

Breakfast croissant.

Catch breakfast at Dunn's Deli. Owner, chef and jolly good company Mike Dunn's signature breakfast croissants and breakfast bowls start the day nicely. As he says, "It's not fast food, it's good food done as fast as I can." He also owns Perry House B and B up the hill next to the Deli.

 Stop on the Deli's deck and try your hand on one of the six "Go Ahead and Play Me" painted pianos scattered around town. This Chamber of Commerce project has been very successful.

Work off breakfast with a stroll along the Greenway with its streams and parcour.

Kids in tow?

Mr. Pickles is a local star.

Angora goats personify cute.

Take a tour of the Apple Hill Alpaca Farm where owner Lee Rankin and her staff will introduce you to the resident llamas, Mr. Pickles the pig, chickens, donkeys, angora goats, horses and dogs as well as the alpacas.

 

Don't miss the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, part of Lees-McRae College. During the summer and on weekends they have animal presentations. We met a barred owl,  a red-tailed hawk, a crow and a baby bobcat and observed a Canada Goose receive acupuncture treatment. 

Feel like a swim? Wildcat Lake is just the ticket. Fishing piers, canoes and kayaks are available too. No charge.

Disc golfers often lose discs,

On a clear day or even a cloudy one, drive up Beech Mountain Resort. Hike 30 miles of trails, mountain bike, play disc golf or take the chairlift to 5506' Skybar to enjoy the view and the Beech Mountain Brewery craft beer.

Master brewer Billy Smith selects a flight for tasting.

Both it and Grandfather Mountain are a 20-minute drive away.

Speaking of tasting adult beverages, Flat Top Brewing Co.

Banner Elk winery

and Banner Elk Winery are good spots to take your thirst. The winery's "front yard" with its chairs and fire pits is a popular spot for watching sunsets.

All ages get up and dance at Concerts in the Park.

Come Thursday, don't miss the weekly Concert in the Park. Residents and visitors alike make a party of it, picnicking  and dancing.

I've saved the best for last: Banner Elk has become the gourmet center of the high country.

I had two favorites.

Chef Bill and Anita Greene.

Chef Bill Greene at  Artisanal will knock your socks off and his wife, Anita, will make sure you leave happy. Reared in Banner Elk, he sped up the culinary ladder from CIA to the Ocean Reef Club, The Phoenician Resort, Le Cirque 2000  the Waldorf Astoria's Peacock Alley and the Bellagio.

Family brought the Greenes back to Banner Elk and the first, small version of Artisanal. When Wayne Huizinga was seeking a chef to develop a special restaurant to enhance his exclusive Diamond Creek Golf Club, he turned to Bill and Anita.

The result is a new "old" barn with a tasteful equestrian decor. Dining is on the first floor and deck overlooking a stream. Downstairs is the wine cellar for the restaurant's 8,000-bottle collection and a handsome tasting room.

The food? Organic fruit and vegetables are picked in the morning and served that night. Meat and seafood are the best to be had and what Chef Bill does with them all is extraordinary. He had me at the first course, a bright assortment of summer flavors including heirloom tomatoes, gently roasted South Carolina peaches and an arugula puree so good I wanted a whole soup bowl of it.

Chef Patrick Bagbey.

Laurie Bagbey

Louisiana Purchase the restaurant is as good a deal as Thomas Jefferson's original Louisiana Purchase. Another husband and wife team, Chef Patrick and Laurie Bagbey, keep tables filled and diners happy. It's the third chef-owner team in the spot's 28-year history.

First timers' expectations are usually low approaching the nondescript strip of stores where the restaurant is located. Once inside the picture brightens considerably with attractive painted vignettes on the walls and white linen service. Framed Wine Spectator certificates of excellence help, too.

Eggplant with crawfish.

The wine list is excelled only by the food and service. My crab cake was on the overly breaded side but the tempura eggplant filled with crawfish tail meat and the holy trinity of minced vegetables more than made up for that. So did the fresh blackberry pie. It's easy to see why this gem is open year round.

Two other spots are worth mentioning.

Spinach melt

Since 1983 Sorrento's has offered southern Italian cuisine and huge portions. Chefs Nicole and Anthony Palazzo are the third generation to prepare the family's treasured recipes.

Andy and Les Broussard.

It is easy to see why Andy and Les Broussard's Banner Elk Cafe has prospered, going from 600 square feet to the current 5,500 square feet with two separate kitchens and multiple menus. It's packed summer and winter. Dog friendly, too.

See, you never know about those one stoplight towns.#Visitbannerelk



























 

Amsterdam in the rain, Raleigh in the sunshine

Cold and Wet Amsterdam.

I was in Amsterdam in April with the rain that would bring the tulips and other bulb plants to this hub of the floral trade. Fortunately, my plan was to see the newly renovated Rijksmuseum and as many as possible of the smaller museums that I had never had time to visit much less explore. Rain kept me on course except for one day when sun had me making a beeline the glorious Keukenhof Gardens.

Pannier supreme at the Rijksmuseum.

The Rijks is better than ever, with a well-lit spacious atrium lobby and more spacious exhibition spaces

Vermeers are wonderful but don't miss other collections at the Rijksmuseum.

Give yourself time to inspect beyond the Rembrandts and Vermeers. I was surprised to find there was a costume collection, not to mention how good it was.

Amterdam's canal houses are fascinating.

Visiting smaller museums has two benefits. You can see some amazing things and in many cases, you can also see the insides of the city's famous canal houses.

The best way to do both: go to the Museum of Bags and Purses and the Van Loon Museum.

 Purse Museum













As you walk through the purse museum you see not only the trends and art of superbly decorated bags from the 16th century to present day designer beauties, but two period rooms where visitors can enjoy lunch and high tea.

The Van Loon Museum

The Van Loon Museum is authentic and period throughout, from front entrance to gardens and carriage house in the rear. The van Loon family were among the founders of the Dutch East India Company and prominent members of the highest Dutch society.

Micropia showcases and explains microbes.

For something entirely different try Micropia, the world's only museum of microbes. Trust me, it's fascinating for kids and adults. The little "bugs" that get us down or keep us going are not only powerful, some are pretty and colorful.

Keukenhof is unbelievably beautiful.

Speaking of colorful, if you get a sunny day don't miss Keukenhof Gardens. Designed to showcase the best of each season's bulb plants developed in the Netherlands, it is closed and dug up in September and reopened in April with all new designs. Spectacular isn't powerful enough a word to describe the array of color and glories there.

Downtown Raleigh.

Warm and worth a visit Raleigh.

It was sunny and breezy in Raleigh, NC, a surprisingly interesting city with a lively arts community and a thriving food scene.

Symphony in rehearsal.

All of the arts are booming. The North Carolina Symphony is filling also concert halls all over the state as well as in the handsome concert hall downtown. Keeping it company is CAM the non-collecting Contemporary Art Museum, where the exhibits change every 16 weeks. Admission is a nominal $5 but no one is ever turned away for lack of it. Best of all, middle school students are taught to be docents, giving them public speaking skills and art education as well as hefty doses of self confidence.

Artists find studio and gallery room and camaraderie and everyone finds classes and workshops at Art Space, a re-purposed 1911 livery and car dealership.

Rodins in the reflecting pool.

Beyond downtown, the North Carolina Museum of Art sits amid a 164-acre park with sculpture, a theater and a separate building for special exhibits. Consider it a must-see, with its history-spanning collection strong in pre- and Renaissance work of Giotto and Botticelli, the 29-statue Iris and B. Gerald Cantor collection of Rodins and 20th century modern and contemporary art.Time your visit for lunch at Iris, the museum's excellent restaurant.

Iris

Now that food has been cited, here are two that impressed me. Raleigh Beer Garden is perfect to while away a casual, balmy evening. The variety of local, regional and imported brew is expansive and the food fits it to a T.

One of many delicious courses at Babylon.

Inside or out, Babylon is a treat. Moroccan to the core, thanks to its ebullient owner Samad Hachly and his long-time French chef John Paul Fontaine. Everything from decor to food is impressive. Entrees run $14 and up, but splurge for the Moroccan sampler at $45 per person; your taste buds will thank you.

Wherever in Raleigh you go, take a ride on a pedicab. "Drivers" work for tips alone and know all about their city. Fun way to go.

Golden Isles specials. 

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

It's a good time to plan some time at Jekyll Island Club Hotel. From May 31 to August 4, room rates are 20 percent off.  Packages include the July 4th celebration, July 3-5 or July 4-6, with daily breakfast buffet and annual cookout at the Morgan Center, $689 for two nights, double occupancy. August 1 to September 1 Escape for $250 a night with Clubhouse or Traditional accommodations,  a four-course dinner for two in the Grand Dining Room or Courtyard at Crane Cottage with a bottle of signature wine, still or sparkling.

Kids Cooking Camp convenes June 26-29 with three days of breakfast buffet, a welcome reception, hands-on cooking classes, education in kitchen safety and food handling, chef demonstrations, a graduation dinner and two tickets to Summer Waves Waterpark and Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Cost is $999 for one child and one parent. Relax at a Yoga Retreat Weekend August 5-7 led by Savannah Yoga Center's founder Kelley Boyd, $539 single, $699 double.

Discovery Days are coming at Little Simons Island. During Shark Days, July 10-15, guests join shark researchers from the University of North Florida, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and NASA  to learn about Georgia's sharks. Two spots on the special charter boat fishing trip July 14 are included in the special $1,999 inclusive package for two. Three days without the fishing trip is $1,425. Taxes and 18 percent service charge are extra.

During Turtle Days, July 17 to August 18, the 100 Loggerhead Sea Turtle nests on the islands's 7 miles of beach are expected to erupt with newly hatched baby turtles heading out to sea. Guests get to learn about monitoring techniques, participate in post-hatch nest evacuation and data on and data collection and possibly watch hatchlings go from nest to ocean.he Afieldst

Polar Ice, Bears and More.

Want to go where almost no one else does? Explore Franz Josef Land, an archipelago of 191 islands in the high Arctic, now the Russian Arctic National Park. Poseidon Expeditions is your only way in and space is still available aboard the Sea Spirit July 7-20 and July 30-August 12 sailings from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, starting at $7,295.

Don't forget your long johns.

Treasure Island: Hunt for your bliss or globes on Jekyll Island

Find a treasured globe.

Fans of WJCT-FM and travel, do we have a treasure hunt and getaway deal for you.

Melissa Ross, host of First Coast Connect, and I invite you to join us for the First Coast Connect Treasure Hunt Friday and Saturday, February 19 and 20, at the new Westin Jekyll Island Hotel.

Our getaway begins Friday night with a welcome wine tasting hosted by Melissa and I at the hotel. Saturday morning, Melissa and I lead a treasure hunt and we all celebrate our findings with a three-course dinner  and a glass of wine at The Reserve that night. In between, enjoy the hotel and explore the history and beauty of Jekyll Island, once a millionaire's retreat.

The deal?
• An ocean-view room for two nights
• Welcome wine tasting
• Treasure hunt
• Three-course dinner
• All for $399 double occupancy, $349 single.
• And - drum roll - the Westin donates $8.98 to WJCT-FM for each reservation.

The treasure hunt?
Each year, from January through February, the Jekyll Island Authority hides treasures, handcrafted glass globes, throughout the island for visitors to find and take home as unique souvenirs. The globes are elegant reminders of the glass floats used on fishing nets for centuries and by fishermen along the Georgia coast in the early 1900s. The ones that broke away and floated ashore became beachcombers' treasures.

Melissa and I would love for everyone - including us - to find one, but there are no promises. After all, it is the illusive that we treasure most.

To reserve your First Coast Connect Treasure Hunt Package call Shakira Walker, 912-319-2855. The Westin - it is pet-friendly, by the way - has 200 rooms and we would love to fill them all. 

Need more reasons to visit Jekyll Island? Try these or read more about Jekyll Island at www.travelonthelevel.com

Roseate spoonbills. Photo © by Judy Wells.

Vistas. 
Marshes here are the nursery for hundreds of species from shrimp to roseate spoonbills.

The Atlantic Ocean offers a never-ending entertaining spectacle and the Intracoastal Waterway is a liquid highway for boaters and fisher folk.

Atlantic Ocean and Westin pool.

Intracoastal Waterway.

Tree canopied paths.

Trees.
Massive, moss-hung oaks arch overhead offering shade on hot days, perches for songbirds and romantic nostalgia. Along the oceanfront, the oaks are small, intriguingly tangled in a maritime forest.

Driftwood Beach

In one stretch of sand, appropriately dubbed Driftwood Beach, skeletons of past maritime oaks provide backdrops for brides and grooms and irresistible angles and shadows for photographers. Cypresses and pines surround ponds in between.

Save sea turtles.

Sea Turtles.
Loggerheads and leatherbacks made Jekyll Island home long before the Morgans and Rockefellers did, coming here to lay their eggs. The 19th and 20th centuries were not kind to these sea giants and in 20007 the Georgia Sea Turtle Center opened to rescue injured sea turtles and to protect the nests so that their circle of life will continue on these sandy shores. Good thing because the sea turtle has become the mascot for Jekyll Island.

Millionaires arrived by yacht.

History
J. P. Morgan, William Rockefeller, Joseph Pulitzer, plus Vanderbilt, Goulds, Astors and a select group of other millionaire titans of American industry bought the island in 1866 and built the Jekyll Island Club as a hunting lodge. Privacy, isolation, beauty and the lure of island life kept them and their families coming back every year between New Year's and Easter until the incursion of German U-boats and World War II made it a major security risk.

Rockefeller Cottage

The state of Georgia bought back the island, turned it into a state park and today we can tour the cottages to them, mansions to us and stay or dine in their elegant club while enjoying what was once the preserve of a privileged few. Best of all, we can reach it by driving across a causeway instead of being tied to a ferry schedule.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

From patio to ocean, Westin Jekyll Island.

Accommodations. 
Take your pick, bed down amid the history and nostalgia of the Victorian Jekyll Island Club Hotel fronted by the Intracoastal Waterway or in the contemporary comfort of the new Westin Jekyll Island Hotel, a short boardwalk across the dunes from the Atlantic Ocean.

Lobby, Westin Jekyll Island

Catch a whopper.

Activities.
From the sports once limited to the elite - golf, tennis, horseback riding and croquet (bring your whites) - to the more mundane miniature golf, fishing, swimming, shopping, hiking, dining and just kicking back, Jekyll Island has it.

Causeway to Jekyll Island.

Charming Neighbors.
Jekyll Island is in a very desirable neighborhood known as Georgia's Golden Isles just north of the Florida state line. St. Simon's, Sea Island, Cumberland Island and Little St. Simon's Island are a short drive or pleasant boat ride away.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Island specials 

January and February may not bring the best beach weather to the South Georgia coast, but the flying pest population is sharply decreased and the prices for accommodations are the best you will find.
The Jekyll Island Club Hotel also offers specials in February with room rates beginning at $169 per night Sunday through Thursday, $179 Friday and Saturday. 

Transatlantic special

Many think a transatlantic crossing aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2 is the ideal way to travel. See for yourself and snag significant upgrades (space available) during the month of February.
• A Balcony stateroom for the same price as an Ocean view
• A Princess Grille Suite for the same price as a Balcony or Britannia Club Balcony
• A Queen's Grille Suite for the price of as a Princess Grille Suite
• Free gratuities for two people
These are available also on select voyages aboard Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. 
For details, contact www.cunard.com or your travel agent.

WellsWorld on the radio: Bid your way to adventure

See Rome, Paris, London or Istanbul the Rick Steves way.

Ride across Canada and back with deluxe accommodations from Via Rail.

Stay at the Peabody Memphis and star as its Honorary Duck Master.

Rick and the other members of the 60-year-old  Society of American Travel Writers have once again assembled a stellar list of travel treats and adventures for the annual Travel Auction and you are invited to participate.

Food lovers
Cook books, giant Texas steaks, a food writer's flavorful guide to the flavors of New Orleans and an evening's stay, a five-course dinner and breakfast for two at Paul Kitching Michelelin-starred 21212, Royal Terrace, Edinburgh.

Marcliffe Hotel

 Speaking of Scotland, golfers can choose from the 5-star Marcliffe Hotel with rounds at Royal Aberdeen and Trump International or 5-star Lochgreen House Hotel overlooking Royal Troon. Better yet, combine them.
 

Go to sea for six- to-eight days in the Caribbean with Carnival Cruise Lines or the Atlantic Ocean off Maine on a Windjammer cruise. 


Safari in south India, spend a week in Tobago or a weekend in Trinidad or get away to condos in Destin, FL. or Orange Beach, AL.

Branson

Closer to home, river raft in West Virginia or South Carolina, wellness spa in Texas, hit the speedway in Indianapolis, relax in Santa Fe or spend a week with air, lodging, rental car and show passes in Branson, MO.

Sample the sights and lobster flavor of this year's 2-nation vacation that the Good Girls in the Badlands took and blogged about (www.goodgirlsinthebadlands.com) with stays in Portland, Maine; St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick and at Digby Pines in Nova Scotia.There's also a whale watching cruise you can add.

Bidding continues until 11:45 p.m. EST  Nov. 8, which means you can buy for holiday gift-giving.
http://events.readysetauction.com/satw/2015 

CruiseStay

Cruising out of Fort Lauderdale? Rodeway Inn & Suites offers free shuttles to and from the port plus parking at its secure hotel site with discount packages available beginning at $60 a night. www.rodewayfll.com.

No Single Supplement Safari

Lion World Travel offers four nights in Cape Town, South Africa, and three nights at Bakubung Bush Lodge during its nine-night safari package for $3,299 per person.

The two departure dates - May 5 or Aug. 18, 2016 - include round-trip economy air fare from New York, transfers, welcome service, accommodations at the Commodore Hotel in Cape Town, a tour of the Cape area, Djembe drumming session, seven breakfasts and five dinners and six game drives in the Pilanesburg Game Reserve.

For details and reservations, 800-387-2706 or www.lionworldtravel.com

Cruise Calculator

We all see deals on cruises but just how much will it actually cost you to go on one?

The just announced, FREE, Cruise Calculator will help you figure it out. Fill in the actual prices on tickets, taxes, parking, airfare, port excursions (you can find out from you travel agent or the line's website) or use the calculator's estimates and the site does the rest.

Try it, http://cruisecalculator.net. I think you'll like it.