Coming Up in 2027
Wild Blue Yonder Trips has new trips for you to enjoy in 2026. You can’t register for these yet, but you can be put on a list for the earliest announcement. For that, simply email Sheila Campbell: scampbell@wildblueyonder.biz and tell her which trip(s) you’re interested in.
Please note that the dates right now are approximate, and some details may change.
Politics & Prose trips are always made up of small (usually 18 people) groups of congenial people. You’ll have two experienced trip leaders with you every day to make sure you’re having an experience of a lifetime. Come join us!
Politics and Prose Invites You to Join Us for
A Moroccan Adventure
January 18 – January 26, 2027
Escape winter this year with a visit Morocco with its cool temperatures and sunny days. We’ll begin our trip in Casablanca, where a gentle breeze tall palms greet you as you leave the airport. We’ll spend some time in Rabat, the country’s capital, and then in Fes, one of the Imperial cities. The souk there is thrilling, the food enticing, the mint tea is delicious, and – well, let’s just say you’ll probably want to buy something or other. On our drives from place to place you’ll see olive groves, cork farms, grazing sheep and bustling small villages. We’ll also skirt the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains.
From Fes we’ll visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Volubilis, which began as a Roman capital and continued in habitation for ten centuries, ending as a Muslim center. The ruins are extensive and illustrate much of what we know about those ancient civilizations, their history and their architecture.
We’ll spend most of our time in Marrakech, where we’ll explore the old city’s palaces and public squares, markets and cafés – plus some of the most beautiful gardens on the planet.
Morocco is famous for its foods – tagines, pastilla, kebabs and cous cous, among others. And in many restaurants, before your main course they’ll serve you a number of little plates of vegetables, salads and olives with traditional bread.
We’ll learn about Morocco’s history, including its time as a French protectorate, and the story of the Jewish population. If you speak French, you’ll delight in talking with some of the locals. We’ll also be accompanied by an English-speaking guide every day, so you’ll have plenty of time to ask questions and learn even more from someone who lives in the country.
Experience the Art, Culture and Spirit of Santa Fe
April 8 – 16, 2027
Everything just feels different in Santa Fe. Maybe it’s sharp line between the crisp blue skies against the iconic adobe architecture. Santa Fe is a place where different cultures have mingled over the centuries: from the Spanish colonialists to the indigenous American Indians, from its historic draw for many artists to the technical know-how of nearby Los Alamos National Labs.
In the city, we’ll visit the historic Governors Palace which houses an impressive art collection by local artists, as well as the stunning Museum of Indian Arts and Culture on Museum Hill, where there’s also a folk art museum and beautiful botanic garden with local flora.
We’ll drive an hour or so out of the city to Abiquiu, where Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and studio have only recently been open to the public. And of course we’ll see her art at the Georgia O’keeffe Museum back in town.
We’ll spend time in Taos, which had the state’s first art colony and remains an artistic mecca. Leaving Taos, we’ll take the High Road back and visit the Chimayo Sanctuary, one of the most beautiful examples of Spanish Colonial architecture.
In the city, we’ll spend a day visiting the Railyard District. This neighborhood has emerged as Santa Fe’s epicenter for diverse local markets and artisans and is home to SITE SANTA FE. Founded in 1995, and guided by artists rooted in New Mexico, SITE SANTA FE is a non-collecting Contemporary Arts Institution.
And of course we’ll spend time strolling Canyon Road, Santa Fe’s historic art district. A half mile long, the famed road is home to over 100 galleries, studios, boutiques and restaurants.
On another day, we’ll drive to Acoma Pueblo. Dating back to 1100 AD, Acoma is considered the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America. On the way back, we’ll stop in Madrid, one of the most interesting arts and crafts (and a bit of quirkiness) towns on the Turquoise Trail.
We’ll take a morning to explore Bandelier National Monument, where we’ll wander through the ruins of the villages and homes of the Ancestral Puebloans. (You can even climb a ladder to get inside the high cave dwellings.) On the way back, we’ll pause in Los Alamos to visit its museum about the Manhattan project and the history of the area.
Paris for Art Lovers (and History and Culure)
With Eric Denker, Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the National Gallery of Art
September 12 – 20, 2027
No matter how often you’ve been to Paris, or even if you’ve never been, a trip to the City of Light with Eric Denker will open your eyes to art, culture and history in ways you’ve never experienced before.
We’ll spend time in the Louvre with some of the most iconic French paintings, as well as the great treasures from Italy, the Netherlands, England and elsewhere. At the Musée D’Orsay, we’ll stroll through the Impressionist galleries to visit some of the most famous pictures of their time. At the Musée Marmottan, we’ll enjoy more works by Monet and one of the few women Impressionists, Berthe Morisot.
One day we’ll venture out to Giverny to wander to Monet’s lush gardens and waterlily ponds, plus we’ll have time to enjoy the charming village itself. On another day, we’ll go to the Orangerie to absorb those vast waterlily paintings in two rooms dedicated only to them.
For modern art, we’ll visit the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton, and, in the Palais Royale, the newly opened Fondation Cartier.
Early one morning, we’ll venture to Notre Dame for both its history and art. And we’ll have a private guided tour of Saint Denis, the very first Gothic cathedral ever built, where most of the kings and queens of Paris were buried.
We’ll also have time to visit the historic apartments only recently opened at the historic Hotel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde. And we won’t want to miss the Galerie Dior, a glimpse into French haute couture and a celebration of Christian Dior’s designs and those of his successors.
Splendid Venice: Art and History with Eric Denker, Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the National Gallery of Art
October 19 – 26, 2027
Join Eric Denker, Ph.D., author, expert in Venetian art, and long a favorite lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, on this exploration of beautiful Venice. (Yay, Eric speaks Italian!) Among many other publications, he is co-author with his friend Judith Martin (better known as “Miss Manners”) of an etiquette guide to the city, No Vulgar Hotel: The Desire and Pursuit of Venice.
Eric will take us to his favorite sites, including the enormous and art-filed Palazzo Ducale, the Academia art museum, and the majestic Tintoretto’s at the Scuola Grande San Rocco (where Eric is one of a very few American members).
We’ll wander to the Ca d’Oro historic house, and to Ca’ Rezzonico where Henry James stayed and John Singer Sargent painted. The views both inside and out of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection are stunning. We’ll pursue glass at the island of Murano, and visit Burano and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon as well.
One day we’ll walk into the Jewish Ghetto, the oldest ghetto in the world, established in 1516. We’ll experience the grand Basilica San Marco in the sanctuary in the evening, as the lights are lowered and then suddenly rise to reveal the stunning mosaics surrounding us.
And of course we’ll visit some of the other most iconic places in Venice: Piazza San Marco, several of the art-studded cathedrals – the Frari, San Giorgio Maggiore -- with Eric to help us find what’s most spectacular, and the Rialto Market. Even if you’ve been to Venice before, you’ll love getting deeper into its art, architecture and history.
