Tourists seek enlightenment in land of Merlin lore
In an upstairs bedroom of a lighthouse on the breezy southern shore of Wales, an astrologer pronounced me “psychic.”
Photo: Carreg Samson, West of Abercastle, Pembrokeshire ©PCNPA, VisitWales.com
Category: * LITERARY TRAVEL *
Travel features, lyric essays, and humorous anecdotes about encounters in faraway places. Originally published in print only, they are now posted online at JackieCraven.com.
Hay Castle, Home of a Self-Made King
Next time you visit Wales, be sure to stroll by Hay Castle, the one-time home of Richard Booth (1938-2019), self-proclaimed King of Hay-on-Wye. His title was well-earned.
Photo: Hay Castle, Wales. Crown Copyright, VisitWales.com
Whirlwind Tourists Do Japan
One summer, before the earthquake-tsunami-nuclear crisis, I think I saw Japan. I traveled the country on a motorcoach with 30 other Americans, mostly art students and their spouses and children. We were an odd mix…
PHOTO: Japanese Sculptures / Pzhere, CC 2.0.
Belgium’s Castles Offer Cozy Comforts
When my editor asked me to check out castles in Belgium, I conjured images of opulent palaces and imposing châteaux. Instead I found something better.
Above: Château de Waleffe, Belgium. Photo Jean-Pol GRANDMONT
The Tao of Taos
So many stories surround Taos, New Mexico, I felt a bit trembly when Highway 518 emerged from the evergreen Carson National forest and looped down into the remote New Mexico valley. According to legend, people who enter Taos are destined to remain there forever…
Shown Above: Organ Mountains Desert Peaks, New Mexico. Photo by Lisa Phillips, Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces District Rangeland Management via Wikimedia