Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope show

Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope

Summary: I share my personal perspective on cultural tourism in each episode of Travelscope. Travelscope was first created as a syndicated radio show more than 24 years ago. It has since expanded into a PBS television series, an eMagazine, as well as video streaming, a travel blog and audio pod-casts. Travel provides the missing link between cultures. We close each show with a quote from Mark Twain: ‘Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” It’s a truth that first turned me on to travel and has kept me hooked for more than thirty years.

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Podcasts:

 Storming The Castle In Ireland! | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:11:26

Ireland is a country of history, myths and legends. Ireland’s capital city of Dublin is where the Irish have lived since before 988AD. Dublin, located on the River Liffey, is the city of Saint Patrick, writers James Joyce and Brendan Behan and the Patriots of the Easter Rebellion.  Dublin is a city of music pubs where you can find good “craic.” It’s the home to Guinness, Trinity College and the Book of Kells. And Dublin is a city of warm hearted, good natured people, a city that has seen much pain and suffering, but today has not only managed to survive but to prospers. It’s all that and castles too. An Ireland Adventure is hardly complete without a stay in an Irish Castle. I speak with Stephanie Hayes of the Clontarf Castle Hotel—just ten minutes from Dublin—on my latest podcast. For more information on Ireland go to Ireland.com and for more on the castle visit ClontarfCastle.ie. And watch for Joseph’s new Ireland adventure in Dublin, Northern Ireland and the Great Atlantic Way coming on PBS this fall as part of Season 9 of Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope.  

 Joseph takes off to the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:40:24

On this pod cast Joseph takes off to the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. In the heart of Southwest France, half way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Midi-Pyrénées is France’s largest, most varied and most over-looked region. Join Joseph on his journey of great food, beauty and art. For more information on the Midi-Pyrénées Region of France go to FranceTourism.com.

 Hip Urban Oasis on Lower East Side | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:11:15

I may be a life-long loyal Californian, but I love New York. I just returned from speaking at the New York Times Travel show for the 9th year and Julie and I made sure to stay at the Hotel on Rivington In New York’s Lower Eastside—one of Manhattan’s last authentic neighborhoods. It’s a cool, hip hotel and a fascinating historic neighborhood. In this latest podcast I speak with general manager, Daniel Tenant, about the hotel and share some great neighborhood discoveries on my latest podcast. For more on the Hotel on Rivington go to HotelonRivington.com or call 212-475-2600. For information on all of the unique, quality boutique properties under the House of Kooser umbrella go to HouseofKooser.com.  

 Christmas Smoke | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:08:35

It’s holiday time and at this time of year Joseph’s childhood memories take him back to his grandparents home in Miami, Florida. Cuban immigrants, they celebrated a traditional “Noche Buena” with roast pork, red wine, black beans, white rice, yucca, plantains and, in his grandfather’s case, a long, dark, fat Cuban cigar. Joseph’s grandfather, Carlos, was a cigar maker from Pinar de Rios, Cuba.  Just in time for Christmas, Joseph tells his “Christmas Story” in this moving and evocative pod cast.

 Hong Kong Dim Sum | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:07:56

In his latest pod cast Joseph samples a taste of the new in old Hong Kong.  A venerable culinary tradition it turns out Dim Sum is even better when it has a touch of the gourmet.  For more information on Hong Kong go to DiscoverHongKong.com.

 Eastern European River Cruise with Emerald Waterways | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:11:06

In July we shot the last episode of Season 8 of Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope. Although I’ve never been a big fan of big ship cruising, it’s a completely different experience when you’re on a small, intimate vessel.  So, the fifteen shows in our latest season (107 shows and counting) was on an Emerald Waterways Eastern European river cruise. It always amazes me everything they can get aboard these river ships. The Emerald Dawn has a heated swimming poo,l with a view – it has a retractable roof – and when they put the floor over it, it’s used for Movie Nights or private functions.  Surprisingly, they even squeeze in a wellness center where you can work out, get a massage or get your hair done. If you want more exercise, bikes are available for use free of charge and on the sun deck there’s a walking track, a putting green and an oversized Tic, Tack, Toe board. One thing everyone loves about cruising is the all-inclusive aspect. Yet, some ships are more inclusive than others. For the luxury, Emerald Waterways cruises are very reasonably priced and include an excursion in every port, all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, and something few lines include, gratuities, both on and off the ship. To find out more about River Cruising I met with general manager, Elizabeth Sadler, in the pool area. For more on Emerald Waterways, go to EmeraldWaterways.com.

 Fishing on the Miramichi River - New Brunswick, Canada | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:54:06

It’s spring and the salmon are jumping on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada.  Joseph tries his hand at snaring the big ones and along the way he shares some of non-fishing experiences as well.  All this and more on this Travelscope Adventure.

 Martinique – France with a dash of Caribbean Spice | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:12:36

Located in the heart of the Caribbean, Martinique is a wonderful mix of Caribbean spirit and French joie de vivre. Its eastern coastline borders the Atlantic Ocean while its western coast is flanked by the Caribbean Sea. Although the island is 4,350 miles away from France, it still offers visitors some of the best of France – spectacular natural beauty; great cuisine, fine imported wines and local beverages, as well as lovely people who epitomize the French love of life. In this pod cast Joseph shares his visit to Martinique for the Fort de France festival – a celebration of art, music and theater that these days is best seen at the annual four-day Carnival. For more information on Martinique go to Martinique.org or call 212-838-6887. Happy Traveling!

 South Africa Adventure | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:33:13

Joseph heads out on safari at the Shamwari Wildlife Preserve then visits the town of Alicedale – where people power is thriving. Along the way he visits a Capetown area winery for some rest, relaxation and wine tasting.

 New Brunswick, Canada’s Bay of Fundy Isles | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:51:06

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. The contrast between low and high tides may reach 45 feet. The people whose lives are most influenced by this amazing natural phenomena are the inhabitants of New Brunswick, Canada’s Bay of Fundy Isles – a string of scenic islands where lives are dependent on the sea and lived with respect for nature’s awesome power. Grand Manan, Deer Island and Campobello are the three most frequented islands. On this adventure Joseph visits all three and meets New Brunswick, Canada’s secret treasure—its people.

 Cartagena, Colombia | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:11:10

Julie I recently visited Cartagena, Colombia and were impressed with its offerings and how easy it was to have a good time.  The bad old days of drug cartel wars felt eons away as we wandered the streets of the old walled city and enjoyed the music pouring from its many bars and restaurants. When it came to finding a place to stay we sampled a few of the options. The Evoca Historic Boutique Hotels is a collection of 11 independent small hotels in Cartagena’s historical center and on nearby Caribbean islets. Evoca Hotels feature something for every interest and budget: including properties that are luxurious, glamorous, historic and modern, with experiences that cater to leisure, romance and business visitors. To learn more, to book and for last-minute discounts and promotional rates, go to EvocaHotels.com. I speak with Evoca Group Marketing Director, Karl Sandrock about the boutique hotel concept on my latest podcast.

 History Meets Hip at the Refinery Hotel | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:11:16

  In the heart of Manhattan The Refinery Hotel is one of the city’s newest properties.  It combines the elegance of its turn-of-the-century historic site with hip and cool 21st Century style and amenities.  Manya duHoffman is the hotel’s director of sales and marketing and is Joseph’s guest on his latest pod cast.  For more information on the hotel go to www.RefineryHotelNewYork.com.  The Refinery Hotel is one of the House of Kooser’s 28 boutique-style hotels worldwide.  For information on their properties including the Magic Castle Hotel Hollywood, the Hotel Zetta in San Francisco and several hotels in New York go to HouseofKooser.com.  

 Unexpected Ireland! | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:11:22

Ireland is a country of song, poetry and breath-taking beauty. It’s a county of steaming hot teas, hearty soups and delicious fresh foods. And, of course, great drink. It’s a country where even though you’ve never been there before, you’ll immediately feel at home.  On Joseph’s latest podcast, he explores some of the little-known and unexpected attractions of Ireland with Allison Metcalf, executive vice-president for Canada and the United States for Tourism Ireland. For more information on Ireland go to Ireland.com or call 1-800-SHAMROCK. Join Joseph on his The West is the Best Irish adventure on Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope on your favorite PBS or public television station. Follow this link to watch a promo and purchase a DVD of the show.

 Christmas Smoke | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 08:32:00

It’s almost Christmas and as much as I love my life in Topanga, California, at this time of year my thoughts invariably drift to my boyhood home in Miami, Florida. While Christmas was not big deal in my parents’ home, Christmas and, in particular Noche Buena (literally “Good Night” and aka Christmas Eve in Latin cultures) was a big opportunity for celebrating for my grandparents. There was always a huge Christmas tree, gifts, cousins, food, drinks and lots of hugs and kisses from lots of very happy adults. As I was growing up during the 1950s my grandparents lived on Ninth Street in downtown Miami. I just took a look at the site on Google Earth and where their and my aunt’s houses were is now pretty much a huge parking lot under the shadow of the Miami Heat’s American Airlines Arena. So, it goes. My grandmother or Abuelita ran a three-story rooming house for Jai alai players and other single men and next door my aunt or Tia did pretty much the same thing. My uncle was an ex-boxer and limo driver and my grandfather or Abuelito made Cuban cigars — using genuine, not yet forbidden by the ridiculous U.S. boycott of Cuba, Cuban tobacco — which leads me into my Christmas story. It’s called Christmas Smoke and it’s my tribute to my grandfather, my family, old Miami, and, of course, Christmas. You can hear it right here. I hope you enjoy it. Julie and I wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. God bless us, every one!

 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | File Type: audio/x-mp3 | Duration: 00:54:11

When we think exotic, romantic, exciting beaches — Rio comes to mind.  When we think celebrations — Carnaval! — Rio comes to mind.  Yet, Rio is more than beaches and a non-stop party.  We’ll discover the many faces of Rio on Travelscope’s Rio de Janeiro adventure.

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