Such a busy time of year

Now that the holidays have past, the real fun begins. We have some huge plans for this summer and so many trips coming up for our guests. Since we do for others as we would want done for ourselves, we will be attending some of these trips. Coming in June we have "Outlander" Summer Solstice Tour, an 11 day/10 night Novel Adventure. We will be touring through both book and film locations for Outlander.

I know, I know a group tour. Please, I can see it now. A bus full of old people slowing touring around to the same ol' spots. Get on the bus, get off the bus. Herded around like cattle. Uh, no! While that sort of tour does have it's place, it's not quite the way we do things. Yes, we will have a coach, but just as a means to get us to the good parts.

So, as we travel around Scotland each itinerary is customized for each individual traveler. At each of our 11 stops along the way we will arrange activities for every fitness and adventure level. On the subdue end we have gentle nature walks an hop on hop off busses. On the more extreme end we have munro bagging and canyon scrambles. That's where you'll find me, of course. No trip is complete for me unless I destroy at least one good pair of jeans and trash my boots.

Along with the group tour we have some guests who have opted to add pre or post trips to visit family sites and additional places that this tour just isn't going to. I happen to be one of the lucky ones to be adding on to this tour. I will be adding the Isles of Mull and Ulva to my pre-trip. This is the land of my ancestors and I could not be more excited to finally get to visit. I have found the most amazing B&B with a proprietor who knows the history of the islands and it's past inhabitants. I will have to make some time to have tea and learn all she knows. Besides my family history Mull is a spectacular wildlife refuge. I plan on taking hundreds of pictures, so be prepared to be reading about my acceptance into National Geographic :)

My post tour will be on Skye. One of my most favorite place in the world. Here, accompanied by some of the ladies on the main tour, I will be staying in a B&B above a pub. Just like Jamie and Claire. I truly am excited for this adventure, I'm not planning on getting much sleep. The last time we visited Skye we ran out of time for the Fairy Pools and I have been disappointed since 2012.

The best part about traveling with a group is that we are already getting to meet some of our fellow adventurers. It's interesting to see what part of Outlander excites them the most and their reasons for wanting to visit Scotland. It changes the way you look at a place when you look at it through someone else's eyes. We are blessed to have the opportunity to get to travel with such amazing people from so many places and backgrounds. We have a closed Facebook group where we are all sharing our ideas and excitement and generally getting to know each other. It will be great to get to see all of my "friends" again, for the first time.

Don't be jealous, there is still a few spaces and you can join us. Come with us!

-Andrea

The Miller Tree Inn AKA The Cullen House

The Miller Tree Inn AKA "The Cullen House"

     Hidden away in the reserved little town of Forks, Washington is a gem of a B&B, The Miller Tree Inn. The home itself is over 100 years old and fits Stephenie Meyer's description of The Cullen House, with the exception that this home is located in town. That of course didn't matter once we stepped inside. Each room is decorated with Twilight memorabilia with the theme of each of the members of the Cullen family. It's a fun little game to guess who's room you are staying in. 

     The rooms themselves are spacious, with beautiful views and most importantly incredibly comfortable. While we are a bit spoiled in our travels and stay in some swanky hotels whenever we get the chance. There is just always something special about staying in that perfect B&B. When the house is warm and smells of fresh cooked meals. When the photos on the walls reflect memories and not just prints to impress. It makes you feel as if you are "home" with family. 

    The welcome we received from Bill and Susan was just as welcoming as a homecoming. They were very gracious in accommodating our requests. Unlike most vacationers we typically start our morning before breakfast is served. There is just too much adventure waiting for us! Expecting a simple cup of hot coffee, Bill and Susan, made sure we didn't leave without a proper hot breakfast. This turned out to be just what we needed for our walk out to the Hole in the Wall at Rialto Beach.

     Forks is the perfect place to delve into a Twilight Novel Adventure. The backstories of the town and how Stephenie Meyer's writings and the Twilight Saga changed the town are fascinating. With the story aside there is just so much more to Forks. It's a great location for some amazing hiking trails. Hoh Rainforest is just a short drive outside of town, as are amazingly beautiful beaches.  

Rob, our own personal "Alec of the Volturi" 

The Miller Tree Inn aka "The Cullen House"

Carlisle's Home Office 

Andrea the Tree Hugger

That's me Andrea, of Novel Adventures  hugging a giant spruce in Hoh Rain Forest. I am in awe of just how big the trees were. This tree was one of the biggest that we saw but not the biggest in the park. While we did get a nice hike in, this tree is right off the road in and even has it's own parking spaces so anyone can make it to this tree. We visited the park on November 9, and it was a perfectly rainy day in the rain forest. About an hour outside of Forks, WA on a beautifully tree lined drive. 

I have been blessed and fortunate to be able to travel and am amazed at the things I see on every trip. I have only been back since yesterday afternoon and am already booking my next flight. Novel Adventures will be attending the Thru the Stones Convention in the Quad City. We'll see you there!

Gone With The Wind Tour

Return From Gone With The Wind

Another Novel Adventure to add to our completed list. We just spent 6 days touring Atlanta and Savannah and enjoying all things Scarlett. We stayed in some of Georgia's most beautiful Bed and Breakfasts and experienced Southern Hospitality at it's finest. I truly felt I had been invited into the homes of dear old friends. It was an experience I had not expected. We had stayed in many Bed and Breakfasts while in Europe and it is hard to find proprietors who treat guests with such a welcome. Aside from the personal welcoming we received the homes we stayed in were simply breathtaking. I felt as if we were staying in 1860. The homes we stayed in were restored to Pre-Civil War grandeur. Crystal chandeliers in every room. Old wooden floors polished to a mirror shine, complete with the remains of nailed in repairs to only add to the charm. Antiques of the likes I had never seen all meant for use, not just display.  

As we traveled around Atlanta and Savannah the friendliness continued. Everyone we met from shop clerks to museum curators had elaborate stories to tell us about the history and culture of Georgia. It was fascinating. It's not very often that we encounter such storytellers in our travels as we found during this trip. By day three, we had realized that we need to factor in storytelling time into each activity. It was unavoidable, everyone had a story to tell us. I did my best to take notes so I can retell some of the stories that we heard. 

No Novel Adventure is complete without including some of the food eaten in the book. During this trip I managed to scarf down fried chicken and biscuits, many sweet potatoes, barbecued pulled pork, country ham and grits, Scuppernog wine, cornbread, mint julep, bacon, yeast rolls, apples, collards, green beans, and fried green tomatoes. All in keeping with Gone With the Wind, of course. Scarlett did eat all of these things and more during the story. I didn't want to go hungry, six days is a long journey. So, I also indulged in country fried steak, barbecued ribs, a couple gallons of sweet tea and pimento cheese sandwiches among other things. So, when I am not blogging you should be able to find me at the gym working off this tasty vacation. 

Every trip always had that one special moment. No matter how much you plan or how many photos you take, there is always that one time to remember. Mine happens to be having the opportunity to meet with an old high school friend that I had not seen for 20 years. Wow! How fast those years flew by. It was great to have a few moments to catch up on all that we have done, to discuss our families and to remember the people we were. It's amazing how some special friends always hold the same place in your heart. The years go by but the friendship can be picked right back up. I am blessed to have all the memories that we share. I left that brief meeting with remembering the things I have been too busy to remember about myself.

 That's the purpose of travel, to discover things about yourself. The destination is just the place that it happens. While I learned much of the inside story about Gone With the Wind and have a better understanding of the Civil War and how we came out a different country. I too came out different. I was reminded of the girl I once was and brought a little bit of her back home to stay. It was another great adventure.

 Book your Novel Adventure

Three city tour

Here is one of our latest request for a Novel Adventure. How about a three city tour of London, Paris and Edinburgh? This is going to be a fantastic adventure. There will planes, trains, buses, bikes and boats. Right now we are looking at a nine day whirlwind tour of some of my most favorite books. There is a love story walking the street of Paris. Magic of Harry Potter in the Muggle world of London. And mystery and love that spans two centuries in Edinburgh.
Do you have a Novel Adventure you would like to take? Come visit us atNovel Adventures.

Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver Discussion

This has been a rough winter for many of us in the states. I'm not going to argue the fact that out here in Denver we have had it easy compared to what some of you have seen on the east coast. I am tired of seeing grey, shoveling snow, and slipping on the ice. It's time I make a break for some place warmer. 

In my "office" I have two book shelves. One shelf has the books that I have already read and the second shelf has the books I have plans to read. So as I sit here, trying to get warm, my eye wanders across the shelf of book I have yet to read. The Lacuna  by Barbara Kingsolver, of course, I need to be in Mexico. 

I have never been disappointed by a Barbara Kingsolver book and have wanted to read this one for some time. 

Over the past month we have had several travelers coming to us looking for Mexico getaways. At Novel Adventures we specialize in putting readers in the setting of their favorite novel so they can experience the story on a deeper understand of the setting, history and culture. We are always happy to send you on an adventure based on pure fun, no book required. However, since we started traveling through novels I cannot bring myself to vision a destination without a story attached to it. Every story I read now, I have to research the destination. Every destination I see only inspires me to find a novel that matches the beauty of the setting. 

I ask that you join me in reading and discussing Lacuna. Unlike my last attempt at book club, I am going to keep the reading at your own pace. Beware of spoilers, personally I don't mind if you reveal part of the story that I have not read yet.  Feel free to discuss the story. Please remember to be kind to other readers and members. 

As always, come visit us at Novel Adventures when you are ready to book your travel. 

Anna and the French Kiss, and my lack of self control

Anna and the French Kiss

Alright, so I was wrong all along. Dave is a big jerk and I'm happy St Clair took him down. Not that I condone his actions but sometimes you just take the detention. I love the way the story ended. I think St Clair is the sweetest to follow Anna out to California. I get it now. I love how Anna's character grew in the end and how home isn't always a place but it is people. So this concludes our Anna and the French kiss discussions. If you love the story and want to chat about it you can find us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/noveladventure
On a side note follow here for an Anna and the French Kiss giveaway http://www.yabibliophile.com/2014/02/valentines-day-giveaway.html I believe it is today only, so goodluck!