This is my first time hosting the Carnival of Cities event here on Roaming Tales. I’m delighted to be invited to host and welcome anybody who is here for the first time, as well as regular readers.

This is a blog carnival; one blog hosts, and other bloggers send in one of their posts that pertains to the carnival topic. The readers get links to lots of interesting posts and the participants benefit from increased traffic. It’s a nice way to build community among bloggers, which is something I have been trying to encourage on Roaming Tales.

The Carnival of Cities is about any aspect of a single city (or mid-sized town). If you’re interested in learning more, the main Blog Carnival site has over 3000 carnivals listed.

So without further ado, here are the entries for this week’s Carnival of Cities. Thanks to everyone who took part.

  • Seattle: Mary Jo at the Seattle Traveler shares the inside scoop on WhirlyBall, a bit of inside fun when the winter weather is getting you down. It’s a team game played in small cars, like bumper (dodgem) cars.
  • Guam: Bill at ProjectsPossible has written about the island of Guam and the unique sculptures by artist Michael R. Genereux made out of a rare Micronesian wood that he takes only from fallen trees.
  • Male, Maldives: Maldives Island Travel has written about flora and fauna on the islands. Not surprisingly for a tropical island paradise, colourful fish are a star attraction, so don’t forget to pack your snorkel and flippers or your diving licence if you have one.
  • Monterey, California: If you want to see fish without getting wet, head to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, described by Patricia on the Kango blog. While you’re there, check out the rest of the family-friendly attractions the city and surrounding area has to offer, from the Dennis the Menace theme park to the Hansel and Gretel architecture in Carmel.
  • Rotterdam: Sheila at Family Travel shows us that there is more to Rotterdam than you might think. The Dutch city is not just an industrial seaport but also has some interesting architecture and cool activities for kids.
  • Paris: Stefan, the assistant art director at Intelligent Travel, spent a year in Paris as a student. Here he shares his Parisian museum picks - we’ve all heard of the Louvre but what about the Musée Gustave-Moreau?
  • Barcelona: Me, My Kid and Life shows us how to enjoy Barcelona on the cheap, from graffiti art to chocolate. Meanwhile, the Spanish Language Site blog lets us know about a gourmet tapas walking tour in Barcelona. Food and sightseeing? Now that’s my kind of tour.
  • Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Provence: It’s not quite a city, but I’ll always make a detour for wine, so let’s visit the French countryside, for this post on an organic vineyard in Provence on Diary of 1.
  • Venice, Italy: Venice is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in Europe but also one of the most expensive. Less Than a Shoestring shows you how to enjoy it without breaking the bank.

PS I rejected a couple of entries that were either completely off topic or overtly commercial. Also, please accept my apologies for the fact that I am late posting this - I’ve adjusted the time stamp to reflect when it should have gone live.

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