Escaping the Summer Heat

Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine are three pretty sister villages on the Maine Mid-Coast with populations ranging from 5,300 in Camden up to 7,700 in Rockland. Each town still shows off grand homes and gardens from a time when shipbuilding, timber, wool and lime industries brought prosperity in the 19th century. We came for the cooler weather and schooners. The towns’ fleets of tall-masted schooners and windjammers ply Penobscot Bay for daysails and over-night pleasure trips. We are looking forward to spending Friday at sea on the Schooner Olad with Captain Aaron Lincoln. We’ll sail out of Camden and be part of the annual Rockland Breakwater Windjammer Parade. Our favorite strategy for visiting Maine is to rent a cottage by the sea, which can be surprisingly affordable. Please let us know if we can help you arrange for your Maine get-away. Give us a call at 855-GOBUCKET

Celebrity Cruises has partnered with Bravo, bringing the excitement of the Emmy Award winning television show - Top Chef - to sea. We were fortunate to share in the Quickfire Challenge fun on a recent cruise to Bermuda on the SUMMIT. Celebrity has four very special Top Chef Signature Sailings planned for later this year, hosted by Top Chef past winners and chef’testants. The cruises will offer cruisers a chance to meet the chefs, sample their creations, attend chef demonstrations, private cooking classes and participate in Quickfire Challenges.

Call Go Bucket List Travel today at 804-557-3006 or toll free at 855-GOBUCKET for more information and to book one of these wonderful Top Chef cruises:

• Bermuda - SUMMIT - Depart Cape Liberty July 27. Chefs: Spike Mendelsohn, Ash Fulk and Angelo Sosa [on sale this week: book no later than Wednesday. Inside from $499 plus tax and port charges per person. Cabins subject to availability]
• Alaska - SOLSTICE - Depart Seattle Aug 15. Chefs Paul Qui, Tiffani Faison, Brooke Williamson and Nina Compton
• France/Spain - INFINITY - Depart Harwich Sep 19. Chefs Chris Crary, Kristen Kish and Sarah Grueneberg
• Eastern Caribbean - REFLECTION - Depart Ft Lauderdale Nov 11. Chefs Hosea Rosenberg, Casey Thompson and Tiffany Derry

The Moongate is a national symbol here on Bermuda. Many homes are graced by this unique stone entrance. However, the Moongate is not a Bermuda invention. A sea captain returning from Asia brought the design to the island in 1860. Today, the Bermuda Moongate is a symbol of prosperity and good luck, especially for newlyweds who pass through.

Mark Twain may have said it best: “You can go to Heaven if you want. I’d rather stay in Bermuda.” What’s not to like about Bermuda - our little island neighbor in the Atlantic? Friendly people, pink-sand beaches, snorkeling and scuba wreck diving, colorful houses, championship golf, scooters and the iconic pink bus, crystal-clear turquoise waters, shopping, fishing, history and fun. It has been a few years since we last visited Bermuda. It’s great to be back rediscovering this sociable little island.