Whattravelwriterssay's Podcast

Mike Keenan, What Travel Writers Say, reviews the Opus Hotel in Vancouver's upscale Yaletown.

Mike Keenan, What Travel Writers Say, reviews the Hampton Inn Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Hotel

We examine the amazing city of Montreal, Quebec, where the food scene is as delightfully diverse as its multicultural inhabitants. 80 languages are spoken here. And its gastronomic delights far exceed Montreal's prized smoked meat and bagels. In fact, Montreal boasts the highest number of restaurants per capita in Canada. And in North America, it is second only to the Big Apple, New York city.

Mike Keenan describes his favourite places and things to do in Rochester, New York, the city that owes a great deal to the influence of George Eastman, founder of the Kodak Company and Rochester's greatest benefactor.

Mike Keenan interviews Irene Butler who talks about her book, "Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps; Twelve Countries in Twelve Months." Irene explains how she and husband Rick planned, organized and carried off this wonderful adventure which has made them true citizens of the world. At age 57, she packed in her work world and set off to see the real world.

Mike Keenan describes two cruises through the delightful Thousand Islands archipelago that occupy a long stretch in the St. Lawrence River, the first originating from Gananoque, Ontario and the second from Alexandria Bay, New York. The amazing Antique Boar Museum located in nearby Clayton, New York is also described.

Jantine Van Kregten, Director of Communications for Ottawa Tourism, describes the year-long series of spectacular events scheduled in Ottawa to help celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary.

Canadian tourists have long enjoyed a North American monopoly on Cuba, its enticing weather and beaches, but thanks to US President Obama, this luxury may soon end. Two US airlines already have resumed flights to Cuba, so the time to see Cuba is now before it gets overrun!

I spent three exhilarating days in Reykjavik, Iceland, and I have assembled my favourite five things to do and see there in this self-reliant city whose rugged inhabitants deal with constant volcanic activity which they use to their own advantage.

Mike Keenan interviews Robert Arends of the San Diego Tourism Authority who talks about their weather, when to visit, new attractions, access, the proximity to Mexico and their sumptuous Cali-Baja cuisine.

Multiple trips to Vancouver feature Yaletown, Stanley Park, Granville Island, English Bay, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Bard on the Beach, the Orpheum Theatre, great restaurants, the WHL Vancouver Giants and several wonderful hotels.

Getting out of Israel may be harder than getting in! We examine Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Negev Desert, the Ramon Crater, Kasur-al-Yahud where Jesus was baptized, Kibbutz Sde Boqer where David Ben-Gurion, Israel's founding father, retired and was buried, Rehovot and Jaffa, taking in some opera along the way.

We cruise (waltz) down the Danube River through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia with stops along the way at Passau, Melk, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.

We examine two Royal Caribbean cruises to Alaska, the Outside Passage from Seattle (after 3 wonderful days in the city) and the Outside Passage from Vancouver - along with stops along the way in such places as Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, Hoonah, the Taku Glacier Lodge, Denali National Park and Victoria, BC.

Flying aboard Air New Zealand from Vancouver, we board Holland America's MS Noordam in Sydney, Australia for a cruise around New Zealand's two islands with stops along the way in Dunedin Wellington, Napier, Rotorua, and Auckland. 

Our journey focused on the beauty and history of Belgian and Dutch waterways and towns and cities along the way. We admire the stunning carpets of tulips at Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse near Amsterdam. We visit the lush, green countryside of Kinderdijk, home to the country's greatest concentration of windmills and we experienced Amsterdam's distinctive architecture, museums and nightlife. The journey was also an opportunity to enjoy the great medieval cities of Antwerp and Ghent.  

Mike Keenan describes how and why he podcasts travel items, the podcasts basically an extension of his travel writing website - www.whattravelwriterssay.com. Mike's travel photos are located at www.pinterest.com/mustang6648/