WINE DINE &
TRAVEL WINTER EDITION JAN-MARCH 2014
GREAT! BRITAIN FLAT BROKE IN LONDON CHURCHILL’S WAR ROOMS THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY WESTMINSTER ABBEY THE “TOY “ RAILROAD OF WALES THE OXFORD EXPERIENCE
ANTARCTICA ADVENTURE RETREAT TO SAWTOOTH KAUAI ADVENTURE SAVOR NORWAY
Winter 2014 winedineandtravel.com 1
Wine, Dine & Travel
with Authors
Connect with authors and their books on an intimate basis through unique, interesting & adventurous travels & events
Join Us On Our Next Great Adventure. www.AdventuresBytheBook.com
“Adventure Under the Tuscan Sun� with authors Frances Mayes & Dario Castagno
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COVER PHOTO: One of the joys of travel is the serendipity. While walking in London’s St. James ‘s Park one morning we spotted the mounted Royal Horse Guard on their way to Whitehall Parade Grounds. We followed them and watched them perform a changing of the guard and an unexpected concert. I took this shot with a FUJI Finepix HS30 exr . ~ Ron James
NEXT EDITION | SPRING 2014
INDIA NEPAL
Cruising the Panama Canal
Normandy: A Visit to Omaha Beach A Photographer’s Guide to Bruges, Belguim Meeting Henry VIII at Hampton Court NYC Dinner and a Broadway Show
New next issue: Susan McBeth’s TRAVEL BY THE BOOK
Planning a vacation to an exotic destination, or perhaps just dreaming of one? Let a good book transport you to places you’ve often only dared to imagine. Don’t miss Susan McBeth’s “Travel by the Book“ for good reads that will whisk you away.
Winter 2014 winedineandtravel.com 3
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www.sterlingtoursltd.com | 800-976 9497 4 Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2014
RON JAMES
publisher/executive editor
CHEERS
M
uch has happened since Wine Dine & Travel Magazine premiered three months ago. We have traveled extensively – from the great ports of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and New England to India and Nepal, and our adventures in all those places will be chronicled in future issues. As exciting as our travels have been, the reception of our first issue featuring Amsterdam was perhaps just as rewarding.
Ron James is the "wine and food guy." He is a nationaly award-winning journalist., television producer and radio personality. He is a pioneer in online journalism with the first major online city publication, San Diego Magazine. He helped implement Time Warner's Road Runner network and led the San Diego Union-Tribune's online editorial efforts for nearly a decade. The native Californian's nationally syndicated wine and food columns have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world. He is passionate about great wine and food and enthusiastically enjoys them every day!
MARY JAMES publisher/editor
We were thrilled by the hundreds of enthusiastic comments we received about the magazine. Also gratifying was fact that more than 100,000 travel enthusiasts from almost every country on the planet enjoyed it from their homes and work. We thank those of you who loved the magazine and passed the link to friends and colleagues. Despite the travel schedule, we managed to birth a new edition of the magazine which is 16 pages thicker and we think even better. In it we welcome three newcomers to our family of contributors Maribeth Mellin, Priscilla Lister and Nancy Carol Carter. All of our contributors have three things in common: They love travel, they are veteran journalists and they are our friends. We hope you appreciate them as much as we do. We also hope you enjoy our in-depth foray into Great Britain. This exciting destination rich with history and beauty is a favorite of most travel writers, especially our friends and fellow travelers Sharon and Carl Larsen. They contributed four stories including visits to the historic Churchill War Rooms and the real Downton Abbey. Other features travel the globe to explore Idaho’s Sawtooth wilderness, share adventures in Kauai, sample great eats in Norway and view the stunning landscape of Antarctica.
Mary Hellman James is an award-winning San Diego journalist and editor. After a 29-yearcareer with the San Diego Union-Tribune, including 13 years as Home and Garden editor, James currently is a freelance garden writer and a columnist for San Diego Home-Garden/Lifestyles magazine. She also is executive editor of California Garden, the award-winning 102-year-old magazine published by the San Diego Floral Association. She and her husband, Ron James, travel extensively. Upcoming this year is a an Asian cruise and a first visit to the Black Sea and the Holy Land.
While you’re enjoying this issue’s entertaining trip around the world, we’ll be working on the next issue. In it we’ll share adventures in India and Nepal as well as a transit the Panama Canal as it celebrates its centenary. In between our editorial work, we’ll squeeze in an Asian cruise with stops in Hong Kong, Viet Nam, Thailand and Singapore. Enjoy the magazine and Bon Voyage wherever you may travel.
Ron & Mary James
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Alison DaRosa
CONTRIBUTORS
Alison DaRosa is a six-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for travel writing, the most prestigious prize in travel journalism. She served 15 years as Travel Editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune. She was the award-winning editor of the San Diego News Network Travel Page. She produces and edits the San Diego Essential Guide, a highly rated and continually updated travel app for mobile devices. Alison is a regular freelance contributor to the travel sections of U-T San Diego, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.
Sharon Whitley Larsen
Sharon Whitley Larsen’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including Los Angeles Times Magazine, U-T San Diego, Reader’s Digest (and 19 international editions), Creators Syndicate, and several “Chicken Soup for the Soul” editions. Although she enjoys writing essays, op-ed, and people features, her favorite topic is travel (favorite destination London). She’s been lucky to attend a private evening champagne reception in Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, to dine with best-selling author Diana Gabaldon in the Scottish Highlands, and hike with a barefoot Aborigine in the Australian Outback. Exploring sites from exotic travels in the Arctic Circle to ritzy Rio, with passport in hand, she’s always ready for the next adventure!
Carl H. Larsen Carl H. Larsen is a veteran journalist based in San Diego. He now focuses on travel writing, and is summoned to pull out his notebook whenever there’s the plaintive cry of a steam locomotive nearby. His hike along Hadrian’s Wall was a bit off character, but allowed for an exploration of remote pubs and welcoming B&Bs. In San Diego, he is a college-extension instructor who has led courses on the Titanic and the popular TV series “Downton Abbey.”
John Alongé
Popularly known as the Wine Heretic, John Alongé is a well-respected “educational entertainer” on food and wine topics. He has written a variety of articles for international wine publications and is oft-quoted in food and wine industry trade journals. Alongé began his career working in the vineyards of the Loire Valley in France. He has studied at both the Ecole d’Oenologie in Bordeaux as well as UC Davis Extension in viticulture and viniculture. “The Wine Heretic’s Bible”, Alongé’s latest book, offers “Plain English Advice for the Casual Wino”.
Maribeth Mellin
Maribeth Mellin is an award-winning journalist whose travel articles have appeared in Endless Vacation Magazine, U-T San Diego and Dallas Morning News among others. She also travels and writes for several websites including CNN Travel, Concierge.com and Zagat, and has authored travel books on Peru, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, Hawaii and California. Though known as a Mexico pro, Maribeth has written about every continent and was especially thrilled by the ice, air and penguins in Antarctica.
Priscilla Lister Priscilla Lister is a longtime journalist in her native San Diego. She has covered a many subjects over the years, but travel is her favorite. Her work, including photography, has appeared in the U-T San Diego, Los Angeles Times, Alaska Airlines magazine and numerous other publications throughout the U.S. and Canada. She currently writes a weekly hiking column for the U-T, photographing every trail and its many wonders. But when the distant road beckons, she can’t wait to pack her bags.
Nancy Carol Carter Nancy Carol Carter writes and lectures on horticulture and landscape history, nurserywoman Kate O. Sessions, San Diego’s Balboa Park, and related topics. In addition to annual visits to England, her itching feet have taken her to 50 other countries across the globe. She is an Associate Editor of California Garden magazine and has published in the Journal of San Diego History, Eden--Journal of the California Garden and Landscape History Society and Pacific Horticulture.
Robert Whitley Robert Whitley writes the syndicated “Wine Talk” column for Creators Syndicate and is publisher of the online wine magazine, Wine Review Online. Whitley frequently serves as a judge at wine competitions around the world, including Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Sunset Magazine International and the Dallas Morning News TexSom wine competitions. Robert also operates four major international wine competitions in San Diego: Critics Challenge, Winemaker Challenge, Sommelier Challenge and the San Diego International.
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WINE DINE &
PUBLISHERS Ron & Mary James EXECUTIVE EDITOR /ART DIRECTOR Ron James EDITOR Mary James CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Sharon Whitley Larsen Carl Larsen Alison DaRosa John Alongé Robert Whitley Maribeth Mellin Priscilla Lister Nancy Carol Carter Julia Weiler John Muncie Jody Jaffe Photo by Ron James
Susan McBeth WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM CONTACT editor@winedineandtravel.com WDT respects the intellectual property rights of others, and we ask that our readers do the same. We have adopted a policy in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and other applicable laws.
Our old friend Ringo at the Chelsea Flower Show in London where he just found out about Wine Dine & Travel Magazine and ordered two copies on the spot.
Wine Dine & Travel Magazine is a Wine Country Interactive Inc. company @ 2014
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8 Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2014
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, successfully conducted World War II operations here. Many of the rooms are eerily left—or at least reconstructed-just as they were during those dark days from 19391945.
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The royals are married here and more than 3,000 people are buried here including 17 English monarchs.
THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY
The plan was to live like a local in London Town. But the best laid plans sometimes have a mind of their own.
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WESTMINSTER
A dozen must-visit destinations in London. Whether you’re a London regular or a first-timer, this list is most essential.
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CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS & MUSEUM
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FLAT BROKE IN LONDON
ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LONDON
CONTENTS
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“Downton Abbey” fans are drawn here by the TV series, but the unexpected story they find at Highclere is even more compelling than the romantic, political and financial exploits of the fictional Crawleys and their cadre of servants.
Dine in postcardperfect island villages frozen in time, feasting on delectable seafood dishes worth their high prices. Norway will cost you, but your memories will be worth it.
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It is the oldest and northernmost of the four major Hawaiian Islands – and its 64,000 residents aim to preserve its rugged, relaxed individuality as well as its wild natural beauty.
VOYAGE TO ANTARCTICA
Visitors can ride behind the most powerful narrowgauge steam locomotives in the world, visit an iconic castle dating to the 13th century and enjoy the wild and spectacular scenery of north Wales.
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KAUAI HAS IT ALL
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SAVOR NORWAY
This summer school program invites the world to spend one to six weeks in residence at Christ Church, studying with a tutor, living in college rooms and eating three meals a day under the vaulted ceiling of the great hall (think Harry Potter and Hogwarts).
STEAM DREAMS
THE OXFORD EXPERIENCE
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More than 90 percent of earth’s ice covers Antarctica, rippling across plateaus, slithering into mountain creases. The deepest ice, smashed until all air has escaped, is the purest blue you’ll ever see.
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WDT ESSENTIAL GUIDES
LONDON 12 ESSENTIAL THINGS TO DO
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here are so many facinating and fun things to do and see in London that it is almost unfair to try to distill a list to a dozen. When we broached the idea to some of our contributors they all had favorites that fit their interests and expertise. The following list represents the places most agreed upon for first-time vistors and they are not in any particular order.
Photos by Ron James unless otherwise marked
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TOWER OF LONDON The historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London is a must for visitors to get a feel of early English history and culture. Despite the Tower of London’s grim reputation as a place of torture and death, within these walls you will also discover the history of a royal palace, an armoury and a powerful fortress. Discover the Crown Jewels, the awe-inspiring symbols of monarchy that are still in use today. Don’t miss the royal ravens and learn about the wild and wondrous animals that have inhabited the Tower, making it the first London Zoo. - www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/
photo courtesy Visit Britain
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photo courtesy Visit Britain