By: julieannavogel August 22, 2017February 3, 2018 north america, road trip, travel, usaadventure, eclipse, exploring, featured, green trees ranch, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, oregon, road trip, travel3 Comments

total eclipse of the sun

When your friend, who you swear was James Bond in an earlier life and his equally fabulous wife and daughter invite you to hop on their plane and go see the eclipse it is pretty hard to say no. So, I didn’t.

By: julieannavogel April 10, 2017February 3, 2018 colombia, hunter and jack, luxury, touristy stuff, traveladventure, amazon, calanoa, colombia, featured, Jack Vogel, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, jungle, travel2 Comments

calanoa amazonas

Seems gap years are absolutely not for hanging out with your mother. So I was particularly pleased when Jack agreed to spend two weeks of his surprisingly action packed year traveling with me. We met in Bogota. Then we headed 1000 km south to the small town of Leticia right where Brazil, Peru and Colombia…

By: julieannavogel August 18, 2016February 3, 2018 canada, food, north america, restaurant reviewsadventure, canada, Eigensinn Farm, featured, food, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, PineSpiel, restaurant review, stadtlander, Sunday lunch5 Comments

julie in wonderland

Magic does exist. I found it in the woods of Eigensinn Farms last Sunday when I was invited to Michael Stadtlander’s PineSpiel Project. I thought it was just lunch, albeit a 12-course lunch. It was so much more. Yes there was pine. And food… fabulous, creative and unbelievably delicious food including the best duck I’ve…

By: julieannavogel June 25, 2016February 3, 2018 europe, russiaadventure, featured, Hunter Vogel, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, peterhof, russia, travel2 Comments

great to be peter

When Peter the Great visited Versailles he thought, “I want one”. I’ve always thought the same thing. An upside of being Tsar is that you actually can have one. When Peter returned from his 1717 stay in France, he began expanding on the small, for a tsar, island complex he called Peterhof, determined to have…

By: julieannavogel June 21, 2012February 3, 2018 china, daily lifeadventure, china, exploring, featured, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, travel1 Comment

lama temple

I have discovered what Buddhists have apparently known for centuries… size does matter. On a freezing morning in my first February, with guidebook in hand, I visited the Lama Temple. I hoped to find respite from the biting Beijing winter and bustling crowds that fear no weather. I knew from my guidebook that the temple…

about me

I have always wanted to go places: discovering food, people, natural and created things. I have traveled to more than 95 countries. For years I dragged my family with me as I sought adventure. Now, often as naught, I go by myself. Staying put is a challenge. I have lived in Canada, the UK, China,…

about the blog

Ah! The next adventure! The wonderful opportunity to explore, discover and learn. The days of schlepping kids are behind me. I have more time, less responsibility and a bigger appetite for adventure than ever. I will always enjoy luxury but am willing to forsake it in exchange for a great experience. These blog posts document…

let me help you

I have joined forces with the remarkable crew at North South Travel. Our goal is to make dreams come true. Darcy Hibberd started this agency in 1981 after traveling the world as a flight attendant. She believed she could help others discover the wonders she had experienced. She and her dedicated team have been hard…

Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal, Canada

By: julieannavogel November 17, 2018November 17, 2018

best beds, canadabest beds, curated hotels, montrealLeave a Comment

When the Queen Elizabeth opened in 1958 it became THE place to go in Montreal. The rich and famous, including Princess Grace of Monaco, John Travolta, the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, made it their home when visiting the city. Queen Elizabeth herself was a guest on 4 different occasions. They were wowed by the…

my favourite things: PETRA

Petra is on everyone’s bucket list for a reason. No matter how many times you have seen the Treasury, Petra’s most famous image, in movies or guide books, nothing prepares you for the first breathtaking moment you lay eyes on the real thing. Once you get past this initial thrill there is so much more to…

looking for a reason to visit montreal?

By: julieannavogel October 29, 2018November 7, 2018

art & culture, canada, north america, the arts2001. Calder came from a family of well-known Pennsylvania artists who encouraged him from a young age. Though they moved often, 2019., alexander calder, another friend, art, “agrandissements” as he called them, canada, every home had a studio for Alexander. That said, exploring, his jewelry and even fabric that he designed. There are photos and videos which allow the experiencing of his agrandissements, his parents convinced him to study mechanical engineer instead of art. They knew the life of an artist was unpredictable. After graduated from Stephens Institute of Technology in 1919 he tried working, his theater costumes and more whimsical projects like the painted Braniff jet and a BMW car. Go see it if you can! Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor runs until February 24, If you’ve ever needed an excuse to go to Montreal this is it. Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor at the Museum of Fine Arts is a must-see exhibit. This major retrospective includes the expected. His, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, luxury, montreal, montreal museum of fine art, spending the rest of his life creating between France and his native America. The Montreal show also includes the unexpected. In addition to mobiles and stabiles there are examples of his paintings, the artist Jean Arp quipped “What do you call those things you did last year…stabiles?” about Calder’s stationary sculptures. Calder was amused by both labels. Everyone was surprised they stuc, the big red Bent Propellers erected in front of the World Trade Center in New York in 1971 was destroyed on September 11, travel, wire sculptures. Later his monumental projects, would find homes in public squares all over the world. Sadly2 Comments

If you’ve ever needed an excuse to go to Montreal this is it. Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a must-see exhibit. This major retrospective includes the expected. His famous moving sculptures. They were jokingly dubbed “mobiles” by his friend Marcel Duchamp. In response, another friend, the artist Jean Arp quipped…

the stunning staircase of an aiirbnb we stayed in belgrade

how to nail a great airbnb

By: julieannavogel October 22, 2018November 7, 2018

tips & adviceairbnb, airbnb tips, exploring, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, travel, travel tips6 Comments

Airbnb… the best or the worst? Personally, I love them! A great way to have a different experience, save some money and feel like a local. But there are horror stories. Filthy bathrooms, bad location, or places that don’t even exist. Knock wood, I haven’t had a disaster….yet. Hopefully if you follow these tips you…

one of magnificent new kingdom statues at the egyptian museum

5 things to do in cairo that aren’t the pyramids

By: julieannavogel October 16, 2018November 7, 2018

art & culture, egypt, middle east, traveladventure, cairo, egypt, exploring, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, middle east, shopping, travel12 Comments

Cairo is big. The largest city in the middle east. 10 – 20 million people depending on who you ask. Yet most tourists only stay here 2 days. 3 days tops. Huge mistake. Cairo is like an onion. Once you get past the pyramids and the garbage there are layers and layers of places to…

beirut baby!

By: julieannavogel October 8, 2018November 7, 2018

destinations, lebanon, middle eastadventure, beirut, exploring, julie vogel, julie-anna vogel, julieabroad, lebanon, luxury, middle east, travel9 Comments

“Hi, kifak, ca va?” One phrase says it all. English, Arabic and French. Hi! How are you? Fine!…. the quintessential Beirut expression. The perfect symbol of this multi-cultural city. The Paris of the Middle East has had some pretty major downs over the past 40 years. But Beirut is back! And should feature high on…