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JAMAICA: OCHO RIOS & AREA ATTRACTIONS
For Christmas 2016 I flew from Ft. Lauderdale direct to Jamaica and stayed at Rooms on the Beach where cruise ships docked in front of me. I booked tours in advance, including Shaw Park Gardens, Konoko Falls & Gardens, Fern Gully, and Sun Valley Plantation. For 50 photos, click here »
NOEL COWARD'S FIREFLY & BLUE HARBOUR
As a Noel Coward devotee, having joyfully directed many of his plays, my main reason to visit Jamaica was to visit his beloved vacation properties Firefly and Blue Harbour east of Ocho Rios. Caretakers at both properties gave me a Grand Tour. For 50 photos, click here »
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PORT ANTONIO, GIVEN FAME BY ERROL FLYNN AND VISITED BY NOEL COWARD & IAN FLEMING
Indescribable beauty greets you when you drive along Jamaica's north coast and visit Port Antonio with its Blue Lagoon and Errol Flynn Marina. For many colorful photos, click here »
BRIGHTON: ROYAL PAVILLION & BRIGHTON PIER
Visit the United Kingdom with me! First, witness how the extravagant King George IV countered his dissolute way of life with his patronage of the cultural arts. Then, walk the Brighton Pier for a carnival in the water. For three dozen of my photos, click here »
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RYE: MERMAID INN, LAMB HOUSE & TOUR OF THE HISTORIC VILLAGE
After Henry James wrote “Washington Square,” which we know as the play and film “The Heiress,” he lived in the Lamb House in the magical, historic village of Rye. There he wrote many more popular novels. Walk Rye’s cobblestone streets with me. For photos, click here »
CANTERBURY: CATHEDRAL & RIVERSIDE WALK
The interior and exterior of the Canterbury Cathedral are always stunning, but so is the Riverside Walk in this friendly, picturesque town in Kent. For my photos, click here »
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MARGATE: SEASIDE TOWN & NEW TURNER CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM
I train to Margate primarily to visit the new Turner Contemporary, named in honor of artist JMW Turner, but the touristy seaside resort has other features as well. For my photos, click here »
GLASGOW: KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM & TOUR OF THE HISTORIC CITY
Stroll with me through the majestic Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, Scotland, then tour this once-golden city as it now begins to make a comeback. For photos, click here »
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EDINBURGH: GEORGIAN HOUSE, NATIONAL GALLERIES AND HOLYROODHOUSE
Of course I love Edinburgh because I grew up in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, but the real reason for my visit is to see “Lady Agnew,” my favorite painting by John Singer Sargent. Tour with me through the castles, historic places, Holyroodhouse and magical sites in the Scottish capital. For photos, click here »
SCOTTISH BORDERS: ROSSLYN CHAPEL, WALLACE STATUE & MELROSE ABBEY
You read or saw “The DaVinci Code.” Now visit Rosslyn Chapel which holds the key to that best-selling book and film. Along the way, join my day trip through the Scottish Borders and see Melrose Abbey and the statue of “Braveheart,” William Wallace. For my photos, click here »
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PETWORTH: PETWORTH HOUSE, ANGEL INN & PETWORTH VILLAGE
I visited Petworth years ago with Caldwell Theatre co-founder Frank Bennett and never forgot his passion for the Netional Trust’s gorgeous Petworth House.
To see it again, I stayed at the irresistible Angel Inn and roamed the delightful village. For my photos, click here »
MALTA: A PERSONAL TOUR OF THE MAGICAL ISLAND
For total change, I cap a twenty-one day vacation by flying from England to Malta, an island north of Africa, south of Sicily.
It’s unique, bizarre and, well, like nowhere you’ve ever been. Prepare yourself for amazing architecture, the stunning Caravaggio paintings in St. John’s Co-Cathedral and a million up and down stairs. For photos, click here »
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WISCONSIN: TEN CHIMNEYS & THE INN AT PINE TERRACE
On a three-day trek, I visit the summer home of actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Grand Depot, Wisconsin, then stay overnight at The Inn at Pine Terrace in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Theater folks: don’t miss the Ten Chimney pictures! For 50 photos, click here »
MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM & THE BREWERS INN
Visiting the architecturally brilliant art museum in Milwaukee features an exhibition of American paintings by Thomas Hart Benton with an emphasis on his Hollywood connections. Then explore with me a former Pabst Blue Ribbon factory newly renovated as Brewers Inn and Suites. Copper kettles on display! For 50 photos, click here »
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MOVING AUNT LUCY’S CHANDELIER & RETURN TO SAVANNAH
My friend Nick Delopoulos packs the chandelier that I inherited from Frank Bennett originally from his Aunt Lucy’s mansion in Savannah. I consign it to Florida friends but we go to Savannah first so they can see where it came from. Includes photos of historic Savannah and Bonaventure Cemetery. For 50 photos, click here »
THE MIRACLE OF MAPLE SYRUP
Researching the production of maple syrup while adapting a book into a play, I return to my hometown of Edinboro, Pennsylvania, to watch tree sap drip into buckets, get poured into an evaporator, and turned, ever-so-carefully, into syrup. It’s winter-before-spring – bitter cold, then surprisingly pleasant. For 50 photos, click here »
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MY HOMETOWN, EDINBORO, PENNSYLVANIA
Edinboro, in the “little corner of Pennsylvania,” has colorful old buildings, a scenic lake, a college-turned-university, an active Historical Society, the Hurryhill Maple Farm and Museum, working dairy farms, and a new historic marker celebrating author Virginia Sorensen's “Miracles on Maple Hill,” winner of the 1957 Newbery Medal. For 50 photos, click here »
TARPON SPRINGS and ST. PETERSBURG
The statue of a Greek sponge diver greets you when you walk dockside in Tarpon Springs. This beautiful city north of Clearwater is a tourist’s paradise. In the heart of St. Petersburg, the Salvador Dali Museum has 96 of the artist’s oil paintings and 100 watercolors. The architecture reflects Dali’s eccentricities, including a sculpture of his famous moustache. For 50 photos, click here »
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SARASOTA and PUNTA GORDA
During the 2015 Christmas break, I went from St. Petersburg to Sarasota to visit the Ringling Museum’s circus and art galleries, John and Mabel Ringling’s glorious home, and Mabel’s rose garden. I continued south to Punta Gorda, a haven for boaters and visitors who prefer quiet beauty to popular attractions. For 50 photos, click here »
ASHEVILLE, THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, LAKE TOXAWAY and HIGHLANDS in NORTH CAROLINA
Friends Lindy and Jerry Voorhees invited me to join them on an all-day visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. We turned the visit into a full week, traveling along the Blue Ridge Parkway one day, then taking another day to see the famous Greystone Inn, original home of Frank Bennett’s Aunt Lucy Armstrong Moltz, and further west to Highlands, my old summer stock stomping grounds. For 50 pictures, click here »
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BOTANICAL GARDENS in ASHEVILLE and a CAILLEBOTTE EXHIBITION in TEXAS
In Asheville, I took photos at the lush Botanical Gardens. Two months later, I flew to Dallas, rented a car and visited art museums in Fort Worth. At the Kimbell: “Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter’s Eye.” At the Amon Carter: bronzes by Frederick Remington. For photos, click here »
MANCHESTER
The city that exploded during the 19th Century's Industrial Revolution is rich in architectural treasures, Pre-Raphaelite art and contemporary history. Visit the Town Square, the statue of Alan Turing (pictured here) and other delights as you tour this major city with me and two of my Florida friends. For 50 photos, click here »
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LIVERPOOL, YORK and CASTLE HOWARD
Visit Liverpool famous for its seaport, art museums and the Beatles, plus York, celebrated for its Roman ruins, tourist delights and the York Minster. From York, we go to magical Castle Howard. For 50 photos, click here »
LONDON, WELLS CATHEDRAL and DARTMOOR
We train to London to visit Trafalgar Square (see "legless" mime), the National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum. Lindy and Jerry depart for home as I join Back-Roads Touring to Wells (see Wells Cathedral), and continue to Dartmoor and into Cornwall. For photos, click here »
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"Doc Martin's" PORT ISAAC, PADSTOW
& FALMOUTH, A Back-Roads Tour
Fans of the TV series "Doc Martin" will love photos (see left) of Port Isaac, site of Doc's fictional "Port Wenn," and nearby Padstow. The port city of Falmouth has an art gallery (see sign, left) with wondrous hidden treasures. The Back-Roads tour I joined is called "Corners of Cornwall." For photos, click here »
"Poldark's" BOTALLACK, MINACK THEATRE,
ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT
& TREGOTHNAN GARDENS
For pictures of the copper mining town used to film "Poldark" to the outdoor, seaside Minack Theatre, majestic St. Michael's Mount, and the spectacular gardens at Tregothnan, click here »
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TREBAH GARDENS, FOWEY, POLPERRO
& LYME REGIS
Glorious Cornwall! This file includes the glorious seaside towns Fowey and Polperro (pictured at left) plus Lyme Regis and other must-see places in the sub-tropical part of England. For photos, click here »
GREAT HOUSES OF THE SOUTH WEST, Part One A Martin Randall Tour
Join me on a tour of Great Houses of the Southwest of England, including The Vyne, Wilton (statue, far right), Kingston Lacy, Longleat House, Corsham Court, Stourhead (garden gallery, near right) and Montacute. Marvelous manor houses and acres of magnificent gardens. For photos, click here »
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GREAT HOUSES OF THE SOUTH WEST, Part Two A Martin Randall Tour
This eight-day tour continues, visiting Saltram House, Castle Drogo, Dunster Castle, Tyntesfield House, Berkeley Castle (film location for "Wolf Hall," far left), Lacock Abbey and Dyrham Park (under major roof construction, near left.) Photos: click here »
KEY WEST
I receive an invitation for myself and guests to spend two nights at the posh Hyatt Windward Pointe Residence Club in Key West. Friends Charlene, Jerry and I reside in splendor in a four room, ocean-front apartment. Mid-day we tour the island and its beaches, see the house where Tennessee Williams lived, visit the new Tennessee Williams Museum, and, at sunset, visit the Zachary Taylor Historic Park. Weather is perfect, scenery spectacular. For photos, click here »
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FLAGLER MUSEUM & VIZCAYA
Cross one of the Intracoastal bridges to Palm Beach and visit the Flagler Museum's Whitehall, the estate that railroad magnate Henry Flagler completed in 1902. Stroll along the Lake Walk past the Flagler for great views of Florida's Intracoastal. At another time, drive south to Vizcaya, the magnificent home and gardens built by James Deering from his International Harvester fortune. For photos of Flagler and Vizcaya, click here »
FAIRCHILD GARDENS with CHIHULY GLASS EXHIBITION
Twice I endured traffic on Interstate 95 from Delray Beach to Miami to visit Fairchild Gardens. It was worth it. A Chihuly Exhibition graced the stunning botanical gardens. I took pictures of Chihuly glass in the shape of balloons, flamingos, colored balls, canes and exotic formations. Objects floated in water and trees. It’s a perfect combination of nature and man-made art. For fifty photos, click here »
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GRAPE HAMMOCK & LOXAHATCHEE WILDLIFE PRESERVE
For a true venture into the glades and hammocks of south Florida, visit the Grape Hammock Fish Camp where my cousin Gail's husband Larry took me for an amazing airboat ride on Lake Kissimmee. Then, close to where I live, you can wander through the Loxahatchee Wildlife Preserve with its native vegetation – and gators! It's west of Boynton Beach. For photosa, click here »
SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS,
BUTTERFLY WORLD & FLAMINGO GARDENS
For beauty, visit the gardens at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach. To enjoy butterflies contemplating a rest on your shoulder, go west on Sample Road to Coconut Creek and stroll through Butterfly World. West of Fort Lauderdale in Davie you will see flamingos, otters, gators and exotic birds at Flamingo Gardens. For photos, click here »
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MOUNTS BOTANICAL GARDEN
Opposite runways of the Palm Beach International airport, on Military Trail between Southern Boulevard and Belvedere, you'll discover a magical garden open to the public since 1954. It's free of charge. Mounts Botanical Garden is paradise for photographers with its 2,000 species of tropical plants, butterfly garden and rose and fragrance garden. As planes fly overhead, look for orchids in the trees. For fifty of my photos taken at different times of the day, click here »
ART & AUTUMN, Part 1
October 2014. In search of Art and Autumn, I fly to Hartford, Connecticut, and spend my first night in scenic Simsbury. I visit glorious Elizabeth Park in West Hartford with its Halloween display, see art in Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum and the Springfield Museum Quadrangle. I visit Worcester Art Museum and Salisbury Mansion before crossing central Massachusetts. I stop at State Parks and the Emily Dickinson House in Amherst before traversing the Mohawk Trail. For a scenic journey of Part 1, click here »
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ART & AUTUMN, Part 2
The winding Mohawk Trail in northwest Massachusetts blazes with color. There's sublime art at The Clark in Williamstown. In Bennington, Vermont, I admire Grandma Moses paintings, the Battle Monument and three covered bridges. I visit the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, New York, see the State Capitol and Hudson River at Albany and travel west to the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie. The Beech-Nut founder built the Arkell in this tiny town to house his Winslow Homer watercolors. For Part 2, click here »
ART & AUTUMN, Part 3
Flying Hartford to Atlanta, I rent a car and drive to Highlands, North Carolina, going past Bridal Veil Falls. (Years ago I directed a summer stock company in Highlands. It's there that summer resident James Caldwell inspired and motivated the creation of Caldwell Theatre Company in his winter city, Boca Raton.) Visiting locations at elevations peaking 4,100 feet, I drive the Dillard, Cashiers and Franklin Roads to photograph autumn. After a stop in historic Madison, Georgia, I fly away home to sunny, summery Florida. For Part 3, click here »
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KING LUDWIG II OF BAVARIA, PART 1
Young King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886) was deemed "mad," but his legacy as patron of the arts and commissioner of fanciful castles lives long after his mysterious death. United Kingdom's Martin Randall Travel conducts a 6 day journey to Bavaria, visiting Schlessheim and Nymphenburg palaces built by Ludwig's predecessors, and three of Ludwig's own castles including his favorite, Linderhof. For Ludwig II Part 1, click here »
KING LUDWIG II OF BAVARIA, PART 2
Part 2 includes my photographs of Ludwig's boyhood home Hohenschwangau; his fairy tale castle Neuchwanstein; Herrenchiemsee, his version of Versailles built on a private island; and Lake Starnberg where his body washed ashore. Travel with me through the Bavarian Alps and glimpse splendors of Ludwig's life and achievements during the 19th century. I made this trip in July 2014. For Ludwig Part 2, click here »
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GERMAN GOTHIC TREASURES, PART 1
Walled cities and Gothic architecture fascinate me. Immediately following my Ludwig adventure, Martin Randall Travel began an 8 day luxury coach tour of 11 towns in south and central Germany, visiting Gothic cathedrals and medieval cities. After two days of sightseeing in Munich, I trained to Frankfurt to join fellow Gothic admirers from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For German Gothic Part 1, click here »
GERMAN GOTHIC TREASURES, PART 2
We spent three nights in urban Erfurt and four nights in the 14th century Dinkelsbuhl. Imposing spires reign over romantic cities like Annaberg-Bucholz, Naumberg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Ulm and Ingolstadt. (Yes, study maps of Germany!) It was festival time in walled Dinkelsbuhl with townsfolk parading in historic costumes. I walked the walls, explored distant locales and clicked the Canon. For German Gothic Part 2, click here »
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NORTHERN IRELAND 2014, PART 1
My 2011 Enchanted Ireland tour took me from Connemara south to the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, and Cork. (See Southern Ireland also on my site.) After Germany 2014, I joined a C.I.E. tour to visit northern Ireland. In Part One, visit Drogheda; 5,000 year old Neolithic burial tombs; Victorian architecture in Belfast; the new Titanic museum; and Sheans scenic Heritage Farm. For Northern Ireland Part 1, click here »
NORTHERN IRELAND 2014, PART 2
See the amazing Ulster American Folk Park with its depictions of rural Ireland in the 1800s when the Irish struggled to emigrate to America; city views of wonderful Derry; the Belleek Pottery Factory; a breathtaking Achill Island tour; the abandoned stone cottages of the Deserted Village; County Mayo and the stately Westport House; and Kilbeggan Distillery, the oldest distillery in the world. For Northern Ireland Part 2, click here »
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MUNICH, BELFAST & DERRY
Three very different cities beckoned my camera: cosmopolitan Munich with its striking architecture and plethora of public squares and glorious art museums; Victorian Belfast, stately and imposing, now progressing peacefully and offering the new and contemporary Titanic museum; and the charming small town called Londonderry by some, Derry by others. For photos of three diverse cities, click here »
PLANTATIONS OF MISSISSIPPI & LOUISIANA 2014
When my cousin Judy told me she and her husband Lew were stopping in Natchez, Mississippi, during a six-week RV journey, I said I'd meet them in that historic city. I flew to New Orleans and rented a car. Together we visited Rosalie, Longwood, Stanton Hall and Rosedown. Before escaping August heat in Louisiana, I also visited Destrahan, Nottoway and Oak Alley. For Plantation photos, click here »
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MY FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM 12 STATES
Over the years I traveled throughout the U.S., often using Rapid Rewards points from my Southwest Airlines credit card. For this collection, I chose photographs for their unusual locations. See, for example, the Lunts’ Ten Chimneys in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin; Caldwell’s Mizner Festival; my photos from Fairmount, Indiana, to visit places where James Dean grew up; the John Deere Museum in Moline, Illinois; and more. To view, click here »
MY FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM 13 COUNTRIES
Photogenic Italy wins hands down. Everywhere you visit in this beautiful country, there’s a picture waiting to be snapped. But I invite you also to visit the United Kingdom where scenery changes every fifty miles; Canada, our neighbor to the north; and return to Croatia, Germany, France and Ireland with me. Enjoy a beach in Mexico and a brief look at Slovenia! To view, click here »
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LEAVES IN NEW ENGLAND 2013, VOL. 1 AND VOL. 2
To see autumn leaves in the peak season and to visit major museums in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine, I flew Southwest Airlines from West Palm Beach to Manchester, Hampshire, for an eight-day adventure October 12 - 19, 2013. As a long-term transplant to Florida, I hadn’t seen leaves change color and fall from trees for a very long time. Along the way, I visited museums I hadn’t seen before and re-visited ones I love, including the MFA in Boston with its special exhibit of John Singer Sargent Watercolors. I took so many photographs I had to create two separate slide shows to let you view them. To view more, click here for VOL. 1 » or click here for VOL. 2 »
EUROPEAN JOURNEY 2013 - VOL. 1: MADRID TO STONEHENGE
In May 2013 I booked two tours, one with Martin Randall Travel based in London going to Madrid for visits to multiple art museums, the other with Adriatic Tours to explore the Adriatic Coast. In between I had three days in London where I booked day trips to Cambridge and Oxford, and Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge. Following this section, you may visit my photographs from the remaining 18 days of 26-day trip. For Madrid to London: click here »
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EUROPEAN JOURNEY 2013 - VOL. 2: DUBROVNIK TO MONTENEGRO
The Adriatic Coast Tour included three overnights in historic Dubrovnik, Croatia, where I walked the Old City wall, and a full day exploring various locations in breathtaking Montenegro. For these photographs: click here »
EUROPEAN JOURNEY 2013 - VOL. 3: CROATIA
& SLOVENIA TO VENICE
Croatia is constantly surprising, with stunning cities and towns along the coast, and the inland National Park at Plitvice Lakes where I completed a 6-mile walk under, over and around amazing waterfalls. To view: click here »
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EUROPEAN JOURNEY 2013 - VOL. 4: FLORENCE, SIENA, SAN GIMIGNANO & FIESOLE
On my own I took a train from Venice to Florence where I booked an ideally-located hotel for five nights, allowing me to re-acquaint myself with the Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Palazzo Vecchio, and to join day trips to three more Italian cities. To view: click here »
THE NETHERLANDS
Tiptoe through tulips from the magnificent Keukenhof Gardens to the Open Air Museum of Enkhuizen to vibrant Amsterdam. To view more, click here »
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SOUTHERN IRELAND
The enchanted island boasts of ancient monasteries, medieval castles, exotic scenery, The Burren, The Ring of Kerry, and the photogenic cities of Leenane, Cork and Dublin. To view more, click here »
RUSSIA
Glorious and diverse St. Petersburg, the Venice of Russia! Opposite, you see the green dome of the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, and a boy with a bear. Enter the site to see The Hermitage, the summer homes of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Emperor Paul, and the city of Novgorod, one of Russia’s oldest towns. To view more, click here »
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