https://travelbyjannie.com/the-travel-table daily 0.75 2026-08-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/e3e366b8-34ff-4459-9d31-267d8428d421/imgg-woz-qr72zijh.png https://travelbyjannie.com/the-travel-table/minnesota-northshore-summertrip monthly 0.5 2026-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/6c0ce337-3661-4bf5-9b56-9c581f8654be/2harbs.jpg The Travel Table - Minnesota’s North Shore - Getting to Minnesota's North Shore One thing that surprised me was how accessible the North Shore can be. Most of my family made the roughly eight-hour drive from Chicago, while I flew into Duluth International Airport and met them there. The airport was small, easy to navigate, and made the trip much more manageable for someone who doesn't necessarily consider eight hours in the car a fun part of vacation. We didn't spend much time exploring Duluth together, although other members of our family did and particularly enjoyed learning more about the area at one of the local museums. From Duluth, we continued north along Lake Superior and made Two Harbors our home base for the week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/81d2083b-9257-412c-b147-0142695afe94/The+Fitz.jpg The Travel Table - Minnesota’s North Shore - Our Home Base The Fitzgerald Manor We stayed at The Fitzgerald Manor, a bed-and-breakfast in Two Harbors. This was my first visit, and two things stood out immediately: the hospitality and the breakfasts. There's something about staying at a B&B that can change the pace of a trip. Instead of rushing out the door each morning, breakfast became part of the experience. And because this trip was ultimately about spending time with family, having a welcoming home base complemented the reason we were there. The innkeepers also became a source of local knowledge which led us to what would become my favorite discovery of the entire trip. Pro Tip: If you stay on a Sunday, Becky, one of the innkeepers makes an amazing spiced coffee! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/c5a39d11-6041-4b9f-9b5d-0e3be2dc09ea/Ionas.jpg The Travel Table - Minnesota’s North Shore - Listen to the Locals! One of the owners of The Fitzgerald Manor, Becky, recommended that we visit Iona's Beach. The beach is known for its smooth pink rhyolite stones, which create an unusual sound as Lake Superior's waves move them along the shoreline. At least, they're supposed to. We arrived, found what we thought was the right spot...and heard nothing. For a moment, we wondered if we'd misunderstood what we were looking for. Eventually, we realized we simply hadn't walked far enough. And then we heard it. As the waves came in, they lifted the smooth stones and then pulled back, allowing them to settle against one another with a gentle, almost musical sound. It was peaceful and completely unexpected. It was one of those travel experiences that's difficult to capture in a photograph and one I'll remember far longer than many places I've intentionally set out to see. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/b76a9257-0d76-4a83-90e1-ec8fa47a04c5/Gooseberry.jpg The Travel Table - Minnesota’s North Shore - Waterfalls, Wildlife and Lake Superior Views The scenery was probably the biggest surprise of the trip for me. I hadn't fully appreciated just how dramatic Minnesota's Lake Superior coastline could be. The combination of water, forests, rocky shoreline, and towering bluffs made each day feel different. One of my favorite places to explore was Gooseberry Falls State Park. There are plenty of hiking trails, making it easy to tailor your visit to how active you want to be. And during our visit, we even spotted a bald eagle, which made an already beautiful day particularly memorable. We also visited Palisade Head, Split Rock Lighthouse, and spent time exploring the waterfront around Two Harbors. But one of my other favorite experiences put us directly on the lake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/16eede60-a6f8-498e-9b94-8be166deb304/kayak.jpg The Travel Table - Minnesota’s North Shore - Kayaking Burlington Bay We rented kayaks in Burlington Bay, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the week. The kayaking itself was easy to navigate and approachable even if you aren't someone who spends every weekend paddling. We were fortunate to have good conditions on the day we went - the following couple of days were much choppier and wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable. That reinforced an important lesson when planning activities around Lake Superior - listen to the locals and pay attention to water and weather conditions. A beautiful lake can change quickly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/0466dab5-2a91-49f3-8c14-b874d33f4835/PIE.jpg The Travel Table - Minnesota’s North Shore - And then there was PIE… A family vacation isn't complete without a culinary mission, and ours became pie. We made the obligatory stop (well, let’s be honest…. multiple stops) at the well-known Betty's Pies and took our research quite seriously. Between us, we sampled mixed berry, French cherry, French blueberry, rhubarb raspberry and five layer chocolate which was probably enough pie to qualify this as a legitimate tasting exercise. But then we discovered the Rustic Inn Café (another recommendation from the owners of the B&B)! And… we had a winner. Their upside down lemon meringue pie completely changed the rankings. Instead of a traditional pastry crust, the meringue itself formed the crust, topped with tart lemon curd and whipped cream. It was unusual, delicious, and gluten-free. Rustic Inn Café won our family pie competition, hands down. I’m still talking about this pie long after our vacation ended! https://travelbyjannie.com/the-travel-table/wonder-of-the-seas-review monthly 0.5 2026-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/4040949a-6a6d-4114-8a9d-d220883cee9c/unsplash-image-L4v4T5aDtnE.jpg The Travel Table - Wonder of the Seas - Our Sailing Our itinerary included Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau, where we spent the day at the new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island. With two beach-focused port days and so much to experience onboard, this itinerary felt more like a resort-style getaway than a traditional destination-focused cruise. Both beach experiences deserve a story of their own, but the main course is what I'd really come to experience on this trip: Wonder of the Seas itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/5ecd5c26-636c-43e5-a025-abbdcbc5ea77/royal+ice+show.jpg The Travel Table - Wonder of the Seas - SO Much More Than I Expected! The biggest surprise for me was the sheer variety of entertainment. I knew there would be plenty to do as this is Royal Caribbean, after all but I wasn't expecting the entertainment to blow me away. The opportunity to watch more traditional shows, an ice-skating show and an elaborate water show at sea left me blown away. The ice show was my favorite. The talent and production quality were impressive. Some shorter shows on cruise ships lack a depth in the story, but this one was perfect - both in the length of the show and the storytelling. It was one of those moments when I found myself thinking, I'm watching this on a cruise ship? That variety is one of Wonder's greatest strengths, particularly for families traveling with older teens and young adults. Everyone can find something that interests them without the family needing to spend every moment of the vacation together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/355b29a6-9660-4ad1-88d6-337ae9aacd93/Royal+Wonder+Grand+Central.jpg The Travel Table - Wonder of the Seas - Does a Ship This Big Feel TOO Big? This was one of my questions before sailing. Wonder is enormous, but I found the ship's different neighborhoods helped break it into more manageable spaces. Rather than feeling like we were constantly navigating one giant ship, different areas had their own personalities. My favorite was Central Park. The greenery, restaurants, and quieter atmosphere made it feel almost removed from the rest of the ship. I loved having somewhere that felt calmer when I wanted a break from all the activity. The themed art was also lots of fun - we spotted the astronaut multiple times. Ask me about my connection to the astronaut! And that's worth mentioning because Wonder can be loud. The Royal Promenade (the main indoor area where you'll find places like pizza and coffee) was one of the spots where I noticed the crowds most. With music, entertainment, people coming and going, and so much happening at once, it could feel both busy and noisy. For travelers who thrive on energy, that's part of the fun. If you're looking for a consistently quiet cruise experience, it's something I'd consider when choosing your ship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/8a389488-28f2-4555-8567-098c65791c9f/dessert+day.jpg The Travel Table - Wonder of the Seas - Let’s Talk About Food Food is always part of how I experience a trip, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the included dining aboard Wonder. The Main Dining Room was very good, and the prime rib was a standout for me. I also appreciated the sheer variety available throughout the ship. You certainly don't need to book specialty restaurants every night to eat well. The variety & quality of the buffet was above average. After cruising food lines known for their food, I wasn’t expecting too much from the buffet. I was pleasantly surprised both by the variety and quality on offer. And any buffet with scooped ice cream earns bonus points in my book. Don’t miss the last day cake and dessert extravaganza - that was a lot of fun! That said, my favorite meal of the entire cruise wasn't included. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/50c1a918-aff8-4731-9f17-02ef636f94fc/Royal+Wonder+Wonderland.jpg The Travel Table - Wonder of the Seas - Wonderland Was Worth the Splurge Wonderland was 100% my favorite specialty dining experience. This isn't simply dinner. The whimsical presentation and theatrical elements are part of the experience, but I was equally impressed by the food. The tomato water soup was one of the most delicious things I’ve tasted on land or at sea! From smoked eggs on a “birds nest” to one bite cream of mushroom soup that was texturally interesting and definitely not soup to tuna tartare with lime granita, I recommend letting your server and the chef taking you on a guided experience. But, definitely get the mushroom meringues for dessert! For us, Wonderland was worth the additional cost for both the food and the theatrics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/a1962f80-7535-4067-9dcf-805e7d38b79d/Taste+of+Royal.jpg The Travel Table - Wonder of the Seas - One Experience I'd Probably Skip Next Time Not everything needs to be a repeat. We tried Taste of Royal, a culinary experience that included a behind-the-scenes tour of the ship's galley. The kitchen tour itself was fascinating. Seeing the scale and organization required to feed thousands of passengers gave me an entirely different appreciation for cruise operations. The meal, however, wasn't a standout for us. Traveling with a vegetarian, we found the vegetarian alternatives fairly basic compared with the experience we were expecting. I'd recommend Taste of Royal more strongly to someone interested in the behind-the-scenes operation of a cruise ship than someone looking primarily for a memorable culinary experience. For the latter, I'd choose Wonderland. https://travelbyjannie.com/the-travel-table/1he2nf67jkld130z8wroi9mx52lznv monthly 0.5 2026-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/814f7708-bef8-4814-be49-ee8952af0cfc/Taste+of+Toulouse.jpg The Travel Table - Toulouse, France - Discovering Toulouse Through Food Food is one of my favorite ways to explore a destination, so a Taste of Toulouse pastry and chocolate tour was an easy addition to our plans. Rather than simply sampling French pastries and chocolates, the experience gave us a window into the city's food culture and the history behind it. We discovered local specialties, learned more about French chocolate and pastry traditions, and visited places I likely wouldn't have found on my own. Two particularly memorable discoveries were Criollo, where unexpected savory influences shape some of the chocolate flavors, and L'ine Choc, where we were invited to savor the experience as well as the hot chocolate itself. Their chocolates shaped like tiny chocolate croissants (or chocolatines, as they're known in southwestern France) were almost too adorable to eat. Almost… One of the reasons I often recommend a food tour early in a trip is because it’s a great way to get a taste for the city and identify what piques your interest. You leave with a full stomach and a list of places you may want to return to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/3ca01b35-b386-4475-9ebb-bfef98696651/Victor+Hugo+Marche.jpg The Travel Table - Toulouse, France - A Morning at Marché Victor Hugo If there's a market in a city I'm visiting, I'll almost certainly find my way there at some point! Toulouse's Marché Victor Hugo is exactly the kind of place I love to explore: stalls overflowing with produce, cheeses, meats, seafood, bread, and other ingredients that give you a glimpse into how people actually eat and shop. My family and friends know my market routine: I always "do a loop" first, then return to the places that caught my eye. Instead of treating the market as another sightseeing stop, we shopped as if this were our local market. We brought our discoveries back to our rental property and turned them into a home-cooked meal. It was simple, but it’s one of my favorite memories from Toulouse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a28cccfac9a3d0a43060f27/68c7cd87-296c-4517-af09-e0977bd767ac/Aux+Pieds.jpg The Travel Table - Toulouse, France - Make Room for the Neighborhood Restaurant One of the pleasures of a city like Toulouse is that you don't need a long list of elaborate reservations to enjoy delicious meals. Aux Pieds Sous La Table was one of our neighborhood finds, and meals like this are one of the reasons I enjoy building flexibility into an itinerary. Doing so allows you to experience the place you're visiting beyond a checklist of “must-see” spots. There's certainly room for destination restaurants and special occasion meals. But I also want to discover the restaurant tucked into a quiet neighborhood, the charming café you wander past on a morning stroll, and the market lunch with fresh, local ingredients. 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