Shalom European Travel
  • AFT HOME
  • Steve Berry Adventure Tours
  • 2019 Cuba Cruise
  • Outlander Tour
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Off the Beaten Path: New York

7/28/2013

0 Comments

 
big apple
For the first edition of “Off the Beaten Path”, we are heading to the Big Apple to visit a hidden, but popular destination for many tourists: Mood.  If you are a fan of the hit reality show, “Project Runway”, you know all about Mood!  If not, I will explain...

Project Runway pits aspiring fashion designers against each other for big prizes.  Contestants are expected to create clothing from such “unconventional” items as parachutes, coffee filters, car parts, candy…you get the idea.

Sound crazy?  It is!  That’s the fun of the show!

So how does Mood come into this and exactly what is it?  Mood is the fabric store where contestants purchase materials to be used in the other, more conventional challenges.

Now, down to business…

How to get there:

Finding Mood can be a bit tricky, unless you know where to look.  The store is hidden inside a business building on the third floor.  As the elevator doors open, there's Mood, directly in front of you, in all its glory!

There are four essential things you MUST do when visiting Mood:

Picture


1) you must take a picture of yourself under the Mood sign; 

Picture


2) you must purchase some type of Mood paraphernalia; 
ie: a t-shirt, a bag, etc.; 

Picture


3) you must get your picture taken with Swatch (Swatch is the boston terrier that hangs out in Mood).  It's not difficult to find him.  He is usually stretched out somewhere on the floor, resting from the all attention;    

PictureMichael Costello

And finally,

4) you may get a picture of one of the previous contestants from the show!


Picture

Another place to snap a photo is in front of Parsons The New School for Design.  Parsons is located around the corner and up a bit from Mood.  This where is the actual design work, and the ensuing drama of the show takes place.  You may not be able to get inside here, but you may see Tim Gunn walking around, if you’re VERY lucky.


Picture


One final tip: the Mood bag is HUGE and you can stuff A LOT of things into it.  If you are looking for an extra carry on to get all those Mood items you purchased home, this bag is perfect!

‘Til next time,

BC



0 Comments

ThrillerFest 2013

7/21/2013

 
ThrillerFest VIII
Recently, Kathleen and I attended ThrillerFest-a conference for well-known, new, and aspiring thriller writers. While there, we had the exciting opportunity to meet many of Steve and Elizabeth Berry's friends, including Michael Palmer, John Lescroart, David Morrell, and Brad Meltzer (who just happens to be Jewish!)!  We will be featuring these authors and more on our Facebook page throughout the coming week!

In addition to meeting these wonderful authors, we were able to see Steve receive the Silver Bullet Award, give advice to new authors, and attend a personal interview with the Berrys, conducted by M.J. Rose, on History Matters. History Matters is an amazing organization, created by Steve and Elizabeth Berry to help preserve rare and unique books, buildings, paintings, sculptures, and decorative art housed in museums and archives around the world.  The Berrys use their own money and time, conducting workshops to raise money to protect these precious artifacts.   It is nice to know that there are people like Steve and Elizabeth making a difference in the world.  
Picture
There is one more reason that we attended ThrillerFest: Steve wanted to discuss the particulars of the Cruise for this fall and the London Tour.  As a participant in these meetings, I can honestly tell you that the cruise and tours that Shalom European Travel presents involving Steve Berry, really DO involve him.  Kathleen makes all of the arrangements but Steve has final say on the places we visit and what we will see at each location.  The majority of the tours are led by Steve himself.  He is a natural guide.  He is so interesting and makes everything exciting.  You'll see what I mean next July (2014) when you join us for the London Tour!

If you have any questions or comments regarding the tours, feel free to contact Kathleen at any time: 
801-809-2434.  She loves hearing from you!

'Til next time!

BC
PS Steve and Elizabeth have to be two of the most fun, not to mention sharpest people I have ever met.  For example: I asked Steve to film a spot inviting you to join our tour of London next year.  He did it in one take!  Now I know that may not be a big deal to him, but I was way impressed!  You can see the spot on our Facebook  page!

Hampton Court Palace

7/7/2013

 
Well, here we are, finally, at Hampton Court Palace!  The Palace is such an amazing place!  There is so much information that I could share with you regarding the Palace, but for the sake of time, I have chosen the stories and places that are of interest to visitors: The Haunted Gallery, the Gardens, and, of course, the Maze!

Hampton Court Palace is a short jaunt from London; just under 12 miles or 20 kilometers.  The quickest and easiest way to get to the Palace is by train.  As you exit the train there are signs to guide you to the palace gate.  When you arrive at the gate, you get your first view of this incredible palace:
HCP from gate
And now for the stories!  We begin with...

The Haunted Gallery

HPC Haunted Gallery

There have been numerous stories of ghosts within the Palace.  The most famous account involves the ghost of Catherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife.  

Catherine was in her teens when she married the King.  He, being considerably older, found renewed vigor in his relationship with Catherine.  Unfortunately, rumors began to circulate concerning the queen's relationships with younger men, both friendly and sexual.  Catherine was accused of adultery, a treasonable offense, and was sentenced to death by beheading.  While passing through the Gallery, she saw Henry at the opposite end, heading toward the palace chapel.  Catherine ran to him to plead for her life, but to no avail.  In modern times, her ghost has been seen by many guests and palace workers repeating the run.  I have yet to see anything of the like while there, but I have noted  a cold and eerie feeling to the room that made me feel as though I was being watched!



We turn now to the gardens.  They are breathtaking!  Here, see what I mean:

The Gardens

According to the HRP website, "The park covers 750 acres (304 hectares), the formal gardens 60 acres (26 hectares) and the palace buildings 6 acres (2.5 hectares), all set within a loop of the River Thames."  Note that the majority of the gardens were created after Henry's time during the reign of William III.  You must see them to believe them!

The Maze

Picture
The palace maze was planted in the late 17th century, long after Henry's death, so, unlike many palace visitors, he never had the opportunity to get lost in it.  There are two different ways to get through the maze quickly without getting lost.  One is shown on the Wikipedia diagram.  The other is to keep to the right.  There is a funny story that goes with "keeping to the right" that can be found on the official HRP website.  It goes as follows:

"'We’ll just go in here, so that you can say you’ve been, but it’s very simple. It’s absurd to call it a maze. You keep on taking the first turning to the right. We’ll just walk around for ten minutes, and then go and get some lunch.’

"So said Harris,  from Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat (1889). The tourists he led into the Maze subsequently got lost for hours."
Regardless of the bad luck of Harris' group; "keeping to the right" WILL get you quickly through the maze.  It will take you a bit longer as there are more twists and turns than the route shown on the map, but you will get out before your friends and they will be wondering how you did it!
Picture


Hampton Court Palace plays an exciting role in "The King's Deception".  Steve will share his inspirations with us, at the palace!  Ghosts, Gardens, The Maze, and 
Steve Berry!  What could be better?!  Don't miss out.  Call now!

'Til next time!

BC


    Picture

    Brad Charon

    Field Coordinator/Guide

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2013 Steve Berry Cruise
    2014 Rebecca Cantrell Berlin
    2014 Steve Berry London
    2015 Steve Berry Tour
    About
    Berlin
    Bratislava
    Budapest
    Canada
    England
    France
    Germany
    London
    Melk
    New York
    Off The Beaten Path
    Prague
    Salt Lake City
    Salzburg
    Special
    Vienna

    Archives

    April 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

Picture
2018 
SHALOM EUROPEAN TRAVEL
Industry Affiliations: 
ASTA - ARC - IATA - CLIA

STEVE BERRY

Key West / Dry Tortugas
Adventure

INFORMATION

ABOUT
BLOG
CONTACT
​
AUTHOR FAN TRAVEL
​
(That's us too!)
Picture