I read a lot of travel blogs. There are roughly 60 in my blog reader right now, and I visit others via links from various social networks. However, I myself am not a professional travel blogger. My wife and I travel for our own enjoyment, at our own expense, and sometimes I write about it. Travel bloggers and freebies
I don’t often use my blog to pimp other blogs, but today is Mother’s Day here in the U.S., and we all make exceptions for our moms, right? Recognizing my mom's blog
I like drinking coffee. I enjoy eating fast food. I live in Phoenix. You might be inclined to think I’d be a master at ordering a cup of coffee in a local McDonald’s.
You’d be mistaken. Coffee at McDonald's in Phoenix
I managed to get out of bed this morning in time for an early hike before work. It’s one of those few beautiful weeks we see every spring in Phoenix. The sun is up early enough to start a hike at 5:30 am, but it’s not too hot outside. Today was gorgeous. There was no discernible wind, and yet the air was clear. The brown cloud that normally covers the city during the week was nowhere to be seen.
While the most famous Arc de Triomphe in France is undoubtedly the one at the Étoile in Paris, this one in Montpellier impresses its visitors nonetheless. Photo of the Arc de Triomphe in Montpellier
I took this photo of St. Mary’s Basilica in Phoenix several weeks ago, just before dusk. I was at the church for a meeting, and I liked the way the bell towers looked through the trees. St. Mary's Basilica in Phoenix
After not hiking for three straight weeks, I ventured out early on a recent morning and did my favorite hike at Shaw Butte in Phoenix. It’s amazing how quickly one can get out of shape. Safety tips for hiking
In addition to adding new content, I’m constantly tweaking the layout of this blog. This morning, on a whim, I reset the default blog theme, essentially casting aside a year’s worth of customizations. Over the next several days, you’ll see more changes than usual. Unless you’re viewing on a mobile phone, in which case you shouldn’t notice any change at all.
I took this picture of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, France, in 2004, during my late-summer European tour. As you can see, it was a beautiful, clear day when I visited Nîmes. Photo of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes
Although I usually bring a computer with me when I travel, I generally don’t use it when I’m on an airplane. Since I can read what’s on everyone else’s laptop, I know they can read whatever’s on mine. I value my privacy. I prefer to pull out a paper notebook and a pen and write in cursive. Even someone sitting next to me would have to strain to decipher that. Reflections on flying
I took this photo of a statue of two cherubs in Brussels in 2004. I wasn’t in Brussels but for roughly a day, and I don’t remember anymore where I took this picture or what the statue was called. Statue of two cherubs in Brussels
Yesterday may have been my worst day of travel ever, at least in terms of what went wrong. Still, it wasn’t all that bad. Car rental gone bad
I recently uninstalled all the social networking apps from my mobile phone, so I’ll make my pithy observations here on the blog. The following are a few of my thoughts from Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix. Pithy observations from Sky Harbor
Kathryn and I are bound for Florida later this week. We’ll be spending four nights with Kathryn’s aunt in a beachside condo about halfway between Vero Beach and Fort Pierce. I’m hoping to spend the time relaxing, although it remains to be seen whether that will happen. Long weekend in Florida
Sète is a coastal city in southern France, located a short drive or train ride from Montpellier, where I used to live. Sète has the vibe of a busy fishing village, making it a fun place to visit for an afternoon. I’d occasionally come for a seafood lunch at one of the tourist restaurants along the canals, then stroll to the harbor and along the shore. Photo of Sète
When Kathryn and I were in Rome last winter, we used the public transit network extensively. The buses were most convenient for many of our trips, but we also used the Metro trains when we wanted to cover ground more quickly. Riding the Metro in Rome
This photo, taken in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, was one of only a handful of couple photos Kathryn and I have from our travels in Europe in 2007. Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
Kathryn and I were able to spend part of a day at Oktoberfest in Munich in 2007. It seems everyone who has been to Oktoberfest has a favorite from among the major beer tents. My favorite is the Hacker-Pschorr tent. The theme is charming and simple: Bavarian heaven. Beer tent at Oktoberfest Munich
If there’s one thing this blog is lacking, it’s recent photos of me. On that note, I’m posting this photo Kathryn took of me Sunday while we were out hiking at Shaw Butte here in Phoenix. Pilgrimito at Shaw Butte
Curt Gilman is an avid traveler who has been sharing his travel stories on the Internet since 1994. Read more about Curt and his travel blog.