Spread a Little Sunshine Coast in Australia

In our travels we often wonder “How did this place get its name?”

The Sunshine Coast of Queensland is most certainly not one of those places.

This stretch of Australia’s eastern seaboard is situated in the prime position on the planet to provide perfect conditions year-round... 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!

The Isthmus of Why We Speak English... and a little teaser!

Sandwiched between our explorations of Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Halifax we discovered an often overlooked, and historically important, stretch of Atlantic Canada.

Travel with us through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and discover The Bay of Fundy, with the highest tides in the world, learn how folks got around before cars, overdose on blueberries, and find out how the Scots made it to the New World... CONTINUE READING >>

Coming up on GypsyNester.com this week:

Remember that big news we've been spouting off about? The news we were afraid to talk about because we couldn't believe it was actually happening? 

We'll be announcing it on Tuesday! We can't WAIT to share!

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Yin and Yang: Ancient Meets Modern in Shanghai

How does a city with a jaw-dropping skyline and  the fastest train in the world also embrace its roots?

Join us as we discover Shanghai -- the old and the new -- through her art, religion, architecture and food (soup dumplings!)... CONTINUE READING >>

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Goodness Gracious Great Wall (o' Fire... in our legs)

Bucket List: A group of things to do or places to see before one kicks the bucket.

We have never had an official list ourselves, most likely it would simply read "everything," but when we laid eyes on The Great Wall of China we instantly knew it was near the top of that nonexistent list.

Our first glimpse was... CONTINUE READING >> 
 
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Fjords, Carnivorous Plants and Standing on the Earth's Mantle in Newfoundland

Join your GypsyNesters as we trod upon the Earth's mantle, discover the breathtaking beauty of a fjord by water, dodge carnivorous plants, devour a traditional Jiggs Dinner, frolic with massive amounts of butterflies, and learn what a pudding sock... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Something's Fishy in Busan, South Korea

Anyone who has watched M*A*S*H has heard of Busan, South Korea, although on the show it was called Pusan.

As we learned from Beijing formerly being called Peking, early western visitors to East Asia couldn't seem to get their Ps and Bs straight.

As one of the only areas... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Guild Signs of Salzburg

Our obsession with the beautiful and ornate Guild Signs of Salzburg was all consuming. As if the city itself is not charming enough, these wrought iron works of art send Salzburg over the top.

The practice of creating descriptive and elaborate signs outside of businesses began in the Middle Ages, and now are featured outside established establishments, as well as the new. Even McDonald's has gotten in on the game.

Some of the signs are so descriptive, it became a game between us to guess... CONTINUE READING >>

Gales of Galveston

From the moment we crossed on to Galveston Island, Texas, Glen Campbell's voice was stuck in our heads. We didn't even know the words past "Galveston, Oh Galveston," but that didn't stop the tape loop in our craniums. Once we found our campground and parked BAMF, we got to Googling and found a copy of the song to relieve our brains. Thank you "The Glen Campbell Good Time Hour" YouTube page!

Jimmy Webb wrote the song during a visit to the island, conjuring up the story - a Spanish-American War soldier dreaming of his girl back home in Galveston - while sitting... CONTINUE READING >>

Vegas -- Bright Lights, Big Elvis

For many of us, if over a certain age, Las Vegas conjures up images of The Rat Pack tuxedoed up at The Sands, others immediately see Elvis straining the seams of a rhinestone studded jumpsuit. Personally, we can't help but love them both. However Las Vegas today bears little resemblance to either of those eras. Other than a few impersonators there is not much left that The King or The Chairman of the Board would recognize.  Is it better? We're here to find out.

Since our first foray into Sin City, back in the late... read more

San Diego, Padre

San Diego could have a massive inferiority complex, being overshadowed by its giant neighbor to the north -- like a redheaded stepchild, but it doesn't. No need to -- the beauty and attractions have so much to offer.

We discovered San Diego while driving down from that sprawling metropolis above, our buddy Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo found it by sailing up from Mexico.

Although Portuguese by birth, Johnny C. was working for Spain on a find-a-shortcut-to... read more

Mr. Nemechek’s Opus

Mr. Nemechek has used his freedom of speech in a most unusual way. He has erected dozens of eye-catching signs protesting what he sees as a racial attack against his family of Czech descent "like done to the Jews - Czechs in WWII." These signs accuse Noble County, the entire county mind you, of "ethnical cleansing," "law discrimination" and the killing ... read more

Sign Language

Signs we've seen along the way that are funny or just plain off-putting!

... CONTINUE READING >>

The Effingham Cross

 Driving down I-57 on a steel-grey Illinois afternoon, what to our wondering eyes should appear but the surreal sight of the biggest cross on the entire planet.

The 198 foot steel colossus stands ready to overwhelm truckers and tourists alike. With its 113 foot crossbar and 180 tons of steel, this modern day Tower of Babel offers a “Beacon of Hope... read more

Ginormous Abe Lincoln

 On the outskirts of Kankakee, Illinois, visible from I-57 but not easily accessible, is the biggest Abe Lincoln we’ve ever seen. This guy looms over Kankakee, like a midwestern Rio de Janeiro Jesus, with a view from 40 feet high. He dwarfs the Lincoln of Lincoln Memorial fame, who is a paltry19 feet from top to bottom (though in D.C. Abe’s sitting down, so we’ll call it a tie).

After winding through a few side streets off the exit, we made our way to the home of the giant chief... read more

The LIAT Airlines Experience

Traveling is certainly made easier when you heed the warnings of those who have gone before you. Especially when your path winds through the tangled Second World jungle that is “island time.” Laid back charm aside, island time can sometimes make the simplest plan mind-bogglingly complex. With the hope that you may avoid a major pitfall, the GypsyNesters relay this tale:

We arrived at the LIAT Airlines counter in the St. Croix airport the proper two hours early for a 30 minute flight eagerly anticipating our whirlwind 25th anniversary trip to St. Martin. Perhaps, in hindsight, we should have seen the possibility of things going awry when... read more