Gummy Bear sails out of busy Auckland Harbor. Betsa Marsh photo

Gummy Bear zoomed half-way around the world this fall to discover New Zealand during the annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers. Gummy travels for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio.

Gummy learns about coffee roasting from Master Roaster Joseph Stoddart at Havanna Coffee Works, Wellington. Betsa Marsh photo

Gummy found herself in–or at least near– some hot water at Havana Coffee Works in Wellington, which roasts 14 types of coffee. Master roaster Joseph Stoddart took the time to show Gummy the giant coffee roaster, which heats up to 204 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wow! Gummy sipped a flat white coffee to recover.

And what goes better with coffee than chocolate? Gummy went to the little town of Greytown to jump right into Schoc Chocolates, the Global Home of Chocolate Therapy, Ltd. Gummy is a firm believer in “the spiritual benefits of chocolate,” as Schoc puts it.

She was ready to try lemon-and-black pepper chocolate, sea salt bittersweet, lemon white and tropical heat with curry powder, coconut and pineapple in white chocolate.

Gummy even tried a blind taste test, and realized she needs to work on her chocolate palate. She didn’t pick out many of the flavors, such as apricot and rosemary, dried basil, lavender, or lime and chili, which is Schoc’s bestseller.

Gummy Bear with truffles at Schoc Chocolates. Betsa Marsh photo

Gummy dives into chocolate nibs during her visit to Schoc Chocolates in Greytown. Betsa Marsh photo

After eating her way through Wellington, Gummy hopped onto a catamaran out of Auckland Harbor and set sail for the Hauraki Gulf. It’s pretty smooth sailing through these protected waters, and she loved her berth on the luxurious Island Passage.

Gummy Bear whispers nautical advice to Capt. Vincent Maurice of the Island Passage. Betsa Marsh photo

Soon, the Island Passage sailed over to Waiheke Island, where many Aucklanders live and commute by ferry into the city each work day. Gummy met Paora, a sculptor who began as a jewelry designer, then moved to jade carving and is now sculpting. He showed Gummy a pukaea, a trumpet he carved of granite. Among the native Maori people of New Zealand, it was used to tell a tribe that a battle was about to begin.

Gummy Bear meets sculptor Paora on Waiheke Island. Betsa Marsh photo

Sculptor Paora demonstrates the native Maori pukaea trumpet. Betsa Marsh photo

Gummy also learned to fish, with the help of the Island Passage fishing guide James Brown.

Fishing guide James Brown takes Gummy out on a fishing excursion. Betsa Marsh photo

One shore trip was especially exciting, as Gummy met 4-year-old Pippa at Glenfern Sanctuary on Great Barrier Island. Her parents, Dr. Emma Cronin and Scott Sambell, are busy trying to save some of New Zealand’s rarest birds from predators such as ship rats, cats and pigs.

Gummy meets Pippa at the Glenfern Sanctuary on Great Barrier Island. Betsa Marsh photo

Gummy climbs up to enjoy a view of Port Fitzroy on Great Barrier Island, above Glenfern Sanctuary. Betsa Marsh photo

Also on Great Barrier Island, Gummy takes the tender over to Sven and Trish Stellin’s place, where they make Barrier Gold lotions from the manuka and kanuka plants. And Gummy couldn’t resist one more flavor of New Zealand–sampling the strong flavor of manuka honey.

Gummy gets ready to dip into strong manuka honey, distinctive to New Zealand. Betsa Marsh photo

The quaint streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Emily Cooper photo

I just spent a blissful half-week break in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and would cheerfully have stayed longer. This charming town has a pair of main streets that burst with flowers and shops, and lovely, tree-lined side streets full of historic houses, many of which are bed and breakfasts. 

The main summer event is, of course, the Shaw Festival, celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2011.  The Festival mounts nearly a dozen productions each season: plays by George Bernard Shaw, both familiar and obscure, as well as a host of other plays and musicals. 

Festival director Jackie Maxwell takes great care to select plays that relate to each other, so if you see multiple productions, you’re bound to make the connections.  The Shaw is also a repertory company, with actors returning season after season, so it’s fun to recognize faces onstage from one production to another, and from years past.

Three and a half days was enough time to see six of this year’s 11 productions. Everyone told me not to miss My Fair Lady, the Lerner and Loewe musical based on Shaw’s Pygmalion.  It was a gorgeous show, and I have to confess that I’ve never seen costumes for the “Ascot Gavotte” with a tied-dyed look that could almost have stepped out of Hair.  (Almost.) 

"My Fair Lady" at the Shaw Festival. Emily Cooper photo

My favorite plays were a lively rendition of The Admirable Crichton, by Shaw’s contemporary J.M. Barrie, which featured actors dressed as stylish, stylized animals in tailcoats, wittily delivering both stage directions and great song and dance numbers. Plus the engrossing new Australian play When the Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovell, full of shifting time and relationships. 

 The Shaw Festival stages works in four theaters:

• a large, modern proscenium

• a small, adaptable studio

• a World War I vaudeville stage and

• a converted 1840s courthouse.  All of them are within easy walking distance from each other.  At the height of the season, you can take in a production morning, afternoon and night, with as many as seven to choose from each day. 

Niagara-on-the-Lake lies about 15 miles north of Niagara Falls, in a triangle formed by Lake Ontario, the Niagara Escarpment and the Niagara River.  The climate is sunny and mild – perfect for producing ice wine, dessert wine made from grapes left on the vine until they freeze.

So the area is full of wineries, which also turn out some excellent regular wines.  On a day when you’re not taking in a matinee, you can visit one vineyard after the next, tasting to your palate’s content.  You don’t even have to worry about designating a driver.  Many wineries are within the space of a few miles, and the terrain is completely flat, so the best way to get around is by bicycle.  Several places in town rent bikes for the day or just a few hours. 

Along with all the wine, Niagara-on-the-Lake has some very good restaurants.  And if you’re a fan of farmers’ markets, don’t miss St. Catherines, just to the west. From 6 a.m.-3 p.m Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, you can eat yourself silly on local produce, cheese and sausage, plus some outstanding Middle Eastern food and Polish baked goods.

So next time you’re headed for Niagara Falls, resist the temptation to stay there. Ride the Maid of the Mist, take your photos, and then head 20 minutes north on the Niagara Parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Theater, wine, food, natural beauty on Lake Ontario—it’s a little paradise.

Gummy Bear is ready for the road and National Passport Day, armed with her Pawsport from Build-a-Bear. Betsa Marsh photo

Gummy Bear, the new SATW Traveling Teddy for St. Joseph Consolidated School, is gearing up for National Passport Day Sept. 17. “Have pawsport, will roam” is the Traveling Teddy motto!

Gummy travels for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph in Hamilton, Ohio.  The class named her in their first Traveling Teddy meet-and-greet.  The Traveling Teddy program is a geography outreach of the Society of American Travel Writers, a group  of travel professionals from the U.S. and Canada.

Gummy’s first adventure was close to home, visiting the Ohio Statehouse in the capital of Columbus. She got to check out the beautifully restored rotunda and count the memorials to President Abraham Lincoln. The 16th president once spoke on the lawn of the Statehouse.

Gummy Bear at the Ohio Statehouse. Betsa Marsh photos

Gummy with a Civil War cannon. Union troops once camped on the Ohio Statehouse lawn. Betsa Marsh photo

A singer leaps for joy at the 2012 World Chor Games kickoff. Betsa Marsh photo

Listen! Fingers are already snapping as more than 80 choirs from around the world rehearse for the World Choir Games July 4-14, 2012, in Cincinnati.

This is the first time the biennial games have been held in the U.S. Choirs from 18 countries are already registered, including singers from China, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Singapore Ukraine and Venezuela. Cincinnati expects 20,000 singers and 200,000 spectators.

Cincinnati has a long history of choral music, back to 19th-century German immigrant singing societies and beyond.

Cincinnati native Drew Lachey, member of the Grammy-nominated group 98 Degrees and winner of the second season of “Dancing with the Stars,” emceed the kickoff on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. Atlanta gospel singer Byron Cage and the Cincinnati Citywide Mass Choir performed, along with the Eleventh Hour Choir from Kettering, a finalist in the NBC show “The Sing Off,” and Kelly King, star of “The American Dream.”

The World Choir Games mascots, Whirl and Twirl, added their furry support as the giant WCG clock started ticking.

Girls concentrate on the kickoff choirs. Betsa Marsh photo

Byran Cage with the Cincinnati Citywide Mass Choir. Betsa Marsh photo

Whirl and Twirl mascot fans come in handy at 96 degrees. Betsa Marsh photo

Eleventh Hour Choir from Kettering rocks with their a cappella precision. Betsa Marsh photo

A singer helps send out the Cincinnati USA postcard to the world. Betsa Marsh photo

The video postcard gets bigger and bigger. Betsa Marsh photo

A choir cuddles with Mr. Red. Betsa Marsh photo

The clock's ticking until July 4, 2012. Betsa Marsh photo

Whirl and Twirl have the World Choir Games mascot business cornered. Betsa Marsh photo

Kelly King sings "The American Dream." Betsa Marsh photo

Johnny X with his polar bear cousin from Manitoba. Betsa Marsh photo

Johnny X goes north of the border to Montreal to meet his Francophone pals!

The bear travels for Meredith Schroeder’s third-grade class at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio, as part of the Traveling Teddy program of the Society of American Travel Writers.

Johnny X is a cousin of Cookie the Bear, who represents Rita Urry’s class at Karori West Normal School in Wellington, New Zealand. Johnny X and many of the SATW Traveling Teddies will have a chance to meet this November during the SATW convention in Wellington.

Johnny X sailed in the Montreal harbor, met the boat crew and even spent time with beavers at a historic canal. He made sure that there was also time to slurp some fabulous Canadian honey and maple syrup!

CHECK OUT THE TRAVELING TEDDY VIDEO!

Johnny X with a beaver at Lachine Canal National Historic Site in Montreal. Betsa Marsh photo

Johnny X with First Officer Yohan Mattard, left, and Capt. Eric Asselin of the Cavalier Maxim. Betsa Marsh photo

Johnny X's sweet tooth gets the best of him with Canadian maple syrup. Betsa Marsh photo

The Titanic Museum Attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and Branson, Mo., are sponsoring the tours.

• Winners will receive airfare to and from Ireland, ground transportation and hotel accommodations. The tour moves from Belfast to Dublin, Cobh and Kilkenny, and includes a presentation by Rory Golden with the first-ever images of the discovered Titanic wreck.

• In May 1911, the RMS Titanic slid down Slipway No. 3 at the Queen’s Yard of Harland & Wolff into the Victoria Channel in Belfast, Ireland, while more than 100,000 people looked on. At the time, she was the largest movable manmade object on earth.

• The following April, Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage, carrying such celebrities as the Astors, the Strauses and Guggenheims. Four days later, she struck an iceberg on her starboard side, and the great ship sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, with a loss of more than 1,500 people.

Johnny X gears up for his shark dive at The Bistro off Beqa Island. Betsa Marsh photo

By Betsa Marsh

Johnny X the SATW Traveling Teddy crossed the International Dateline to explore Fiji–the two-day odyssey felt a bit like a mini-hibernation.

Johnny flew across the US and the Pacific Ocean, took a bus and then hopped two boats to get to Beqa Island, pronounced “Mbenga”–that word took some practice! Johnny X travels for the third-grade class of St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio.

Johnny was coming to scuba dive in the warm water, where giant soft corals sway in the current and divemaster Joeli Delana led a shark dive! At 86 feet below the surface, we watched nurse, lemon and bull sharks swim by and snap severed skipjack fish heads out of Joeli’s hand in a fluid buffet line. Yikes!

Back on land, Johnny X went to the Methodist Church in the village of Raviravi, and later that day met a young chorister performing with the full church choir back at the Beqa Lagoon Resort.

Johnny X meets a young chorister of Raviravi Methodist Church on Beqa Island. Betsa Marsh photo

After catching two return boats and heading to Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu, Johnny X traveled inland a bit, meeting young friends in the pottery village of Lawai. And he even jumped into the arms of the village’s  young warrior, Inosi Navoto of the warrior clan. That warclub he was carrying looked serious!

Johnny with children at Lawai pottery village. Betsa Marsh photo

Johnny with warrior Inosi Navoto in Lawai pottery village. Betsa Marsh photo

During a Waitui breakfast at the Warwick Fiji Hotel, Johnny X did a double-take–was that really a mermaid? Sure enough, and she wanted to cuddle with the furry little bear.

Johnny with a mermaid at Warwick Fiji Resort. Betsa Marsh photo

Even closer with a mermaid! Betsa Marsh photo

To wrap up an unforgettable Fijian trip, Johnny X jetboated up the Sigatoka River and met the village elders of  Naveyado Village. Afterwards, he joined a giant communal feast,

Yum! The village feast in Naveyado Village. Betsa Marsh photo

sitting on the floor, then dancing with his new village friends. Soon it really was time to hibernate on the two-day trip across the International Dateline to his den back home.

Johnny X travels for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio.

The bears also met Cathy Oerter, widow of Al Oerter, four-time Olympic gold medalist in the discus. It was his dream to create a museum showcasing the paintings, sculpture, photography and other creative expressions of his fellow Olympic competitors.

Prince Albert has competed in five Winter Olympics in the bobsleigh, and is on the International Olympic Committee.

Al Oerter painted by throwing his discus onto tri-color pools of color, and Prince Albert and his fellow Olympians tried out the technique under the Florida sun.  SPLAT!

Suiting up...

Taking aim...

Up close and personal...

A final toss.

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra.

Cleopatra, Egypt’s  last autonomous pharaoh, is being unveiled through excavations of her mighty palaces and temples at “Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt” now through Sept. 5 at Cincinnati Museum Center.

The show has nearly 150 artifacts, including statues, jewelry, coins and religious items that are all visiting the US for the first time. The marvel of the show is that “most of the artifacts were underwater five or six years ago,” Franck Goddio, director of European Institute for Underwater Archaeology.

Underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and the Serapis head pulled from the waters of Canopus. Betsa Marsh photo

“These artifacts do not come from museums around the world, but they have been crafted, designed, to be together. It’s so good to see them here together.”

In just 20 years, Goddio and his team have discovered a cluster of three lost Egyptian cities: Heracleion, a strategic trading post; Canopus, a religious pilgrimage site; and the Portus Magnus of Alexandria.

The exhibit continues through Sept. 5 at Cincinnati Museum Center.

Johnny X prepares for his pretzel class at Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn. Betsa Marsh photo

Traveling Teddy Johnny X ran hot and cold on travel early in the New Year—heading north to frozen Michigan and out west to sunny San Diego.

Johnny X is the SATW Traveling Teddy who globetrots for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio. Right after he tossed confetti and twirled his noisemaker on New Year’s Eve, Johnny X headed to Traverse City and Petoskey, to ski at Boyne Mountain and taste some fabulous Michigan cherries.

Johnny X prefecting the pretzel. Betsa Marsh photo

He visited the enclave of Bay View, which has been setting a good, sober example in Petoskey since 1875. The Methodist Church created a Chautauqua-style summer village, and today this little Victorian chunk of town still has 440 private cottages. Johnny X is drawn to the gingerbread houses at the Terrace Inn—he had to be restrained from nibbling on the carousel, church and museum.

Johnny X with Bay View carousel. Betsa Marsh photo

Johnny X with Bay View Museum. Betsa Marsh photo

Wrapping up his Michigan trip , Johnny X flashed back to his Germany trip last as soon as he entered the little Bavarian village of Frankenmuth. He learned to roll pretzels the old-fashioned way at the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn, then munched through his own handmade delicacy fresh from the oven.

Shedding his boots and ski gear, Johnny packed his T-shirts for San Diego, where it was a glorious 80 degrees. He wandered the seaport and met the locals, blissfully forgetting the 20-degree temperatures back home. He toured the USS Midway, admired the iconic World War II statue of a sailor kissing a nurse, and got to practice his surfing.

Johnny X looking for a wave in San Diego. Diana Lambdin Meyer photo

Johnny X admiring the victory statue in San Diego harbor. Diana Lambdin Meyer photo

Johnny X with the USS Midway in San Diego harbor. Diana Lambdin Meyer photo