Published Articles
The following articles were written for various publications by Wanderlust Tours owner, Shawnie Kelley. All content is copyrighted and can not be used without consent.
On the Trail of the Holy Grail: Knights Templar and Cathars
On the Trail of the Holy Grail: Knights Templar and Cathars Château Montségur, a seemingly impregnable castle perched in the Pyrénées Mountains, became the final stronghold of the Cathars–a heretical religious sect against whom the [...]
On the Trail of the Holy Grail: Pyrénées Mountains
On the Trail of the Holy Grail: Pyrénées Mountains Holy Grail traditions and Mary Magdalene’s enigmatic legend persists from the southern French coast inland to the mountains. Rennes-le-Chateau, a sleepy village in the foothills of [...]
On the Trail of the Holy Grail: Southern France
On the Trail of the Holy Grail: Southern France Southern France is a hotbed of grail tales with a far flung cast of characters ranging from medieval jongleurs to Knights Templars to the biblical Mary Magdalene. Local Provençal legends persist [...]
America’s Grand Dames: History & Hollywood at Pittsburgh’s William Penn Hotel
After hopping aboard a Visit Pittsburgh media tour several years ago, I learned of the William Penn Hotel's Hollywood connection–and have been fascinated with it ever since. The luxurious 1916 hotel has been the Grand Dame of Pittsburgh [...]
A Taste of Travel: A Culinarian Trifecta in Philadelphia
A Taste of Travel looks at the ways food connects us with a culture and each other. Sharing the recipes and restaurants we have encountered along the way... It has been a long time since I [...]
Queen Victoria Made the Riviera Royal, guest post by Carol Drinkwater
We are excited to share a guest post by author and actress, Carol Drinkwater. Years ago, I came across Carol's beautifully-written trilogy about her experience buying a Provençal château and olive grove. The Olive Farm book led me [...]
Cathar Country: Languedoc, France
This article was published in Rennaisance Magazine, issue #55. By Shawnie Kelley Southwest France is synonymous with sensuous Mediterranean beaches, hillside vineyards and peaceful hamlets, but upon closer look, the Languedoc’s rugged landscape reveals a turbulent history [...]
Provence’s Sweet Holiday Tradition: Thirteen Desserts
As published in the Winter 2012 issue of Edible Columbus. Les treize desserts de Noël- or the Thirteen Desserts of Christmas- is a delectable holiday tradition celebrated throughout the south of France. An array of symbolic [...]
La Joute Nautique: The Tradition of Water Jousting
Each August, the Mediterranean village of Sète, located on a pencil-thin peninsula in southern France, plays host to the Festival of Saint Louis. The fête’s main attraction is a spirited sporting event officially known as la joute [...]
The Laurel Highlands: Adventure & History
The Laurel Highlands Adventure: History and Nature in Southwestern Pennsylvania Having grown up in Pittsburgh, I took for granted the city's perfect location only an hour north of a most beautiful region known as the Laurel Highlands. [...]
Santo Domingo: The New World’s Oldest City
Christmas day 1492, a clumsy cargo ship runs aground on the north coast of present-day Haiti. Emerging from the Santa Maria was Italian-born explorer, Christopher Columbus. Not exactly the Orient he was in search of, but nevertheless this [...]
All Roads Lead to Avignon
Avignon: Kingdom of the Popes “All roads lead to Avignon” or so went the saying when, in 1305, Pope Clement V moved the papacy from strife-torn Rome to a peaceful, Provencal town in southern France. [...]