That Time I was Called an Ugly American

I met the meanest woman in the world on cruise ship.

David & I were sitting in a near-empty onboard restaurant after an afternoon cooking class, and had a jovial group of fellow classmates seated with us – new friends from all over the world. 

Yes, we were a bit loud.

 Yes, we were critiquing the food – we had prepared it, after all – and, I was being exceptionally... CONTINUE READING >>



Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

There was so much we didn't know about the tower until we visited!

Did you know it's been painted a bunch of different colors?

Did you know that you could have lunch there?

 Find out what was creator Gustave Eiffel's real name was - and how different the tower's name would be if he had kept it, why there is a mannequin on the outside of the elevator, and what it looks like to step out on the glass... CONTINUE READING >>

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - StumbleUpon - RSS Going Gypsy One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Coming in February 2015 from Skyhorse Publishing! Pre-Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold!

Conquering Hate Mail... and 10 Things You Don't Know About NYC

A comment on our site:

“In my opinion, anyone who would refer to children in such a disgusting and disrespectful way (adult or not) is an emotionally bankrupt shell of a person..."
BAM! My first hate mail.

 I read a lot of blogs. Any of them worth their salt raise strong emotion and spark debate on their message boards. Sometimes it can get a bit heated, but makes for a nice balance.

 We have had comments on our website that strongly disagree with our opinions and we relish them, we value every... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

Ten Things You Don't Know About New York City - Even if You Live There!

Your GypsyNesters found the wild, weird and wonderful not-so-known sights, sounds and flavors of The Big Apple!
Even if you are a New Yorker - we bet you don't know most of these!.. CONTINUE READING >>

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - StumbleUpon - RSS Going Gypsy One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Coming in February 2015 from Skyhorse Publishing! Pre-Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold!

War & Peace, Volume II... and How We Became Travel Bloggers

A reader wrote:

"The best part is when they finally get it, and tell you sorry for being such pain in the ass during those (teenage) years. My son told me he now understands everything I was trying to convey to his logic blocked brain back then..."

 Oh man, I can relate.

 I was pretty certain that at least one of my envelope-pushing teens would flee the nest -- i-Pod at full volume and a certain finger in the air -- never looking back or speaking to me... CONTINUE READING >>


Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

By Popular Demand - How We Became Travel Bloggers

We've never formally talked about being travel bloggers on our website. But we're being asked about it more and more, so we thought we'd open a dialogue.

In truth, we've always felt like we kind of stumbled blindly into our recreated lives - and by no means consider ourselves experts (in travel or blogging).

And, seriously, we thought, who wants to hear us talk about what goes on behind the curtain?

When we hit the road ... CONTINUE READING >>

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Whales, Icebergs, Wine & Getting "Screeched In" in Twillingate, Newfoundland

Join your GypsyNesters in beautiful Twillingate, Newfoundland!

We kayaked with whales! And dolphins! AND icebergs!

We became honorary Newfoundlanders by getting "Screeched In" - we kissed the cod, shot the Screech and took the oath (in varying degrees of success)!

Sample toutons and tea, check out a real-deal musical group and enjoy wine made from... CONTINUE READING >>

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A Black Friday Rant, our iPad Mini Giveaway & A White Sands National Park Photo Gallery

We saw this quote and just had to share.

It struck us that we may be losing sight on what is truly important this holiday season.

 Last year, in our post-turkey bloat, we grabbed the remote and settled into something we rarely do: We vegged in front of the boob-tube. Immediately we felt bombarded.

The blaring onslaught of Black Friday ads was funny at first. We sat and mocked in our usual.. CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

Click to enter to win an iPad Mini from your GypsyNesters!

White Sands National Monument in New Mexico is a blinding alien landscape with giant shifting dunes of pure white gypsum... CONTINUE READING >>
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More Grandchildish Behavior

I am drool resistant, attract dirt, love to wallow, don't mind eating things off of the ground and sometimes need changing. I fit right in with kids.

I am a sucker for the little buggers, most likely because a good part of me still is one.

I can get down to and play at their level with no effort whatsoever. So... I guess I want grandkids more than Veronica does... CONTINUE READING >>

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Grandchildish Behavior

I've had two unexpected conversations recently that have given me pause for reflection. The first was with my father-in-law while dining over Mexican food in Kansas. While catching him up with our kids' lives, he asked me if they were dating anyone of note. I told him that at the moment there were no significant others. Then, the bolt out of the blue,

"Oh, you must be sad that you won't be having grandchildren anytime soon."

The next exchange was with my daughters, The Piglet and Decibel.

“All of our friends' mothers are on crazy grandma patrol. How come you aren’t nagging us about having babies?”

It started out as gentle teasing, but... CONTINUE READING >>

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Boomerang Brats

The author of "The Benefits Of Being A Boomerang Kid" lists three reasons that full grown adults should continue to force their parents to support them and, consequently, avoid contributing to the economy and society at large.

On the top of his list, spending Mom and Pop's money instead of his own.

"Saving Up- With no rent or utilities, you can build up your nest egg as long as you're disciplined."

Gee that's right Kid, no worries. Has it occurred to you that while you're "building up your nest egg" that you're depleting your parents'... CONTINUE READING >> 

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What Happened to the Evening News?

I know, I know, I risk sounding like a get-off-my-lawn old guy, but seriously, the network news just ain't what it used to be. In fact, a good bit of it isn't even what I would call news.

I'm not talking about the feel good human interest pieces, those have always been a part of journalism, but when did viral videos become news? It seems that anytime I have a chance to tune into the news, I get treated to the latest YouTube sensation. Since when did cute cats, talking babies and folks getting hit in the nuts become fare that rivals the important events of the day?

Add that to the... CONTINUE READING >>

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I Am NOT a Useless Waste!

Has it happened? Have I become a crotchety old lady? Do I abhor certain kinds of music because I'm too old to get it? Am I shocked at some of the things that "young people" wear these days?

Possibly so. But I'm dead certain of one thing - people are much more rude than they were when I was a young whippersnapper.

Because we have a website  I am painfully aware that there are those that don't treat others with civility. I've quit reading the online comments on news stories – it's horrific.

Then, out of nowhere, cyberspace-type incivility came crashing into Real Life. In a manner that I couldn't ignore or justify... CONTINUE READING >>

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For Valentine's Day - Travel Pick-up Lines!

When Lonely Planet put out the word that they wanted submissions for clever "Travel Pick-up Lines," we were all in. We love us some puns. The more corny the better.

You'd think after thirty years of marriage we'd be a little rusty, but they were flowing out of us so fast it was hard to get them written down. Frankly, it was a bit disturbing how un-rusty we were.

Here are our winning submissions:


... SEE MORE > >

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Islands of Fire

The Galápagos Islands. The name conjures up images of rare birds, giant tortoises and fearless sea lions, but there is another side to this archipelago. A side may appeal to a geologist more than an ornithologist or herpetologist, because the Galápagos are a classic example of a geologic hot spot.

A hot spot is where volcanic islands are formed as a... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Are We at the End of Days? This Mayan Says...

Did the Mayans know something we don't? Does their calendar predict our eminent doom?

We had no idea where these ideas came from and, being lovers of this kind of stuff, set out on a quest for the truth.

We even went as far as traveling to the ancient and mysterious ruins at Tulum in Mexico to ask a REAL Mayan (with a great sense of humor!) what the official scoop is. Here's what we found:

In 1957... CONTINUE READING >>

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War & Peace, Volume II

A reader wrote:

"The best part is when they finally get it, and tell you sorry for being such pain in the ass during those (teenage) years. My son told me he now understands everything I was trying to convey to his logic blocked brain back then..."

Oh man, I can relate.

I was pretty certain that at least one of my envelope-pushing teens would flee the nest -- i-Pod at full... CONTINUE READING >>

More Grandchildish Behavior

I am drool resistant, attract dirt, love to wallow, don't mind eating things off of the ground and sometimes need changing. I fit right in with kids. I am a sucker for the little buggers, most likely because a good part of me still is one. I can get down to and play at their level with no effort whatsoever. So... I guess I want grandkids more than Veronica does... CONTINUE READING >>

A Great Deal on the Brooklyn Bridge

New Year's Eve in The Big Apple and your GypsyNesters were seriously contemplating a Times Square, ball-dropping extravaganza. After a bit of research and chatting up of locals, we felt that wading into a crowd of a million people, getting frisked and herded into little fenced-in safety areas, then standing for hours with no restrooms, food or libation is no way to ring in a new year. Even an article entitled "Fear Conquering & Ball Dropping," as hilarious as that would be, could not entice us to spend that much time needing to pee.

So, what to do?... CONTINUE READING >>

Weird Regional Food Photo Gallery - would you eat it?

The wildest, weirdest and (sometimes) oddly delicious food we've seen so far!

Did we try everything? Yes we did.

Did we survive? Yes.

Did we get sick? Well... you'll have to click in to the gallery to see!

You won't believe what people eat! CLICK TO SEE MORE >>

Just Wangen It (in Germany)

The whimsical fountains alone are reason to come to this charming Bavarian Village. But the reasons to stay are many.

Sometimes dumb luck is our best tour guide. That is certainly how we stumbled upon... CONTINUE READING >>

I Am NOT a Useless Waste!

Has it happened? Have I become a crotchety old lady? Do I abhor certain kinds of music because I'm too old to get it? Am I shocked at some of the things that "young people" wear these days?

Possibly so. But I'm dead certain of one thing - people are much more rude than they were when I was a young whippersnapper.

Because we have a website  I am painfully aware that there are those that don't treat others with civility. I've quit reading the online comments on news stories – it's horrific.

Then, out of nowhere, cyberspace-type incivility came crashing into Real Life. In a manner that I couldn't ignore or justify... CONTINUE READING >>

War & Peace, Volume II

A reader wrote:

"The best part is when they finally get it, and tell you sorry for being such pain in the ass during those (teenage) years. My son told me he now understands everything I was trying to convey to his logic blocked brain back then..."

Oh man, I can relate.
I was pretty certain that at least one of my envelope-pushing teens would flee the nest -- i-Pod at full... CONTINUE READING >>