Scotland
As regular readers of this blog know, I have a soft spot for off-the-beaten-track destinations.
Yes, I love Paris and Venice and London, but I also like to explore the lesser-known out-of-the-wsy places that many travelers never reach.
Once years ago, I set off by train from Paris to visit Mont-Saint-Michel, a medieval abbey off the coast of Normandy that I had read about in college in the Henry Adams’ book, Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres.
The trip took two full days because the train connections were awful, but I made it, and didn’t regret it. It’s a dramatically situated Gothic masterpiece, rising atop a rocky island with a maze of narrow streets surrounding it.
Traditionally, Mont-Saint-Michel has only been reachable by land when the tides are out, via squishy mud flats. When the tides come in,… Continue reading
Regardless of your feelings toward last year’s “nae” vote on breaking away from the UK, Scotland’s spirit of independence, natural beauty, and rich enduring cultural heritage make it a remarkable place to visit any time of year. (Yes, we know it gets a wee bit chilly and damp in the off season, but that just adds to its atmospheric charms.)
Baby boomers will have heard about many of these attractions most of their lives (Harry Potter sites and Edinburgh Festival Fringe excepted — but it’s always good to experience something new).
Here are my favorite reasons for booking a trip to this nation of 5.3 million people that has less land than South Carolina — but boasts an inordinate number of claims to fame:
- Edinburgh and Its Castle
One of Europe’s most architecturally stunning capitals, Edinburgh lies a mere 332 miles… Continue reading
An old friend who I used to play golf with in school sent me a newsletter item from the National Golf Foundation (NGF) that questioned whether or not baby boomers would go bust in retirement — and, as one result, not be able to afford to play golf as much as retirees usually do.
According to the NGF, about 10 percent of boomers (aged 49 to 67) play golf, about one-third of all golfers in the U.S.
Typically, the NGF notes, retirees play more and more golf the older they get, until they’re too elderly to swing a club anymore. And the fact that boomer retirees 65+ will almost double the number of current retirees — there being 76 million of us, after all — means that golf should be looking at a, well, green future for the next… Continue reading