The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California
When we needed a place to stay in the Los Angeles area before our Panama Canal cruise aboard Cunard’s newest ship, the Queen Elizabeth, we thought of Cunard’s legendary Queen Mary. She has been a floating hotel steeped in history and docked in Long Beach, California since ending her transatlantic runs in 1967.
Read More
The Panama Canal aboard Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth
The first thing we noticed when we entered the Grand Lobby of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth was the sweeping staircase and impressive two-story marquetry mural of a cruise liner. The exotic veneers and Art Deco details reminded us of our pre-cruise stay aboard the legendary Queen Mary, which was renowned for its exotic woods from throughout the British empire.
Read More
Montréal to Boston: A Canada/New England cruise aboard Holland America’s Maasdam
Montréal is the cultural capital and largest city in Québec, second largest city in Canada, and the second largest French-speaking city in the world. It’s either the first or last port, depending on the sailing, which creates a great opportunity for an extended stay.
Read More
Iceland: Land of Fire and Ice
It is said that when the Vikings first saw Iceland–with volcanoes, black lava fields, sulfurous steam, and bubbling mud pools– they thought they had discovered the entrance to the Netherworld.
Read More
Wonderful Copenhagen
The capital of the world’s oldest kingdom is a world of wonders– tales of kings and queens, Vikings, and a mermaid, with a fortress, castles, palaces, and crown jewels. The largest of the Scandinavian cities, once the capital of an empire that included Norway and Southern Sweden, cosmopolitan Copenhagen, or “merchants’ harbor”, is a city as enchanting as the fairy tales inspired here.
Read More
Holiday in Chicago
With its world-class shopping, dining, architecture, parks, museums, performances, and special events, it would be hard to top the holiday spirit of the Jewel of the Lakes, the Gem of the Prairie– Chicago.
Read More
Canada and New England cruise: Coastal Gems with the Jewel of the Sea
The ever-changing kaleidoscope of crimson, amber and gold of autumn is something we don’t like to miss. When Royal Caribbean offered a foliage season cruise along our Atlantic coastline on the Jewel of the Sea with the convenience of sailing roundtrip from Boston, we booked a stateroom right away.
Read More
Arkansas’ Ozarks: head for the hills
The essence of the Natural State is found in the soaring limestone cliffs, glorious vistas, verdant forests, colossal caverns, and cool, clear waters of northern Arkansas’ Ozarks.
Read More
The American Queen
Walking to the Robin Street Wharf, we could see her fluted 109 foot tall stacks rising above the buildings, and we knew we were in for a treat.
Read More
Holland America’s Mediterranean
Our Western Mediterranean cruise began in Rome, center of the empire that once controlled the entire area, and sailed westward to Lisbon, capital of Portugal, whose 15th and 16th century navigators helped build an overseas empire.
Read More
Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg was established and ruled not by royalty but by the wealthy merchants of the medieval trade monopoly known as the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic merchant guilds began their alliance in the 12th century to protect members on their trading voyages.
Read More
Mt. Nokogiri aerial ropeway and the Buddhist temple Nihonji
About 70% of Japan is covered by forested mountains. We took the aerial ropeway up Mt. Nokogiri, in Chiba’s city of Kyonan, and enjoyed a spectacular view of Tokyo Bay. This was a stone quarry in the Edo period, and for over a thousand years monks trained here.
Read More
A lunch of the morning’s catch at Banya in Awa-gun
For a meal of the morning’s catch we tried Banya in the Tokyo Bay fishing village Awa-gun. We thoroughly enjoyed the assortment of...
Read More
Ryugujo Spa Hotel Mikazuki
Japan is known for its communal bathing in its hot springs. This destination spa just outside Tokyo is a popular one for good reason.
Read More
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Omotesando Road, Chiba, Japan
Chiba is a microcosm of traditional Japan that is easily accessed from Tokyo or the airport. From traditional shops in centuries-old buildings to ancient temples, it’s a place of serenity, excitement, and cultural immersion just outside the bustling city.
Read More
A week in Virginia’s Blue Ridge
The 469 mile drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of America’s most scenic road trips. This mountaintop roadway provides scenic trails and vistas from Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. It also runs through a region of cities and towns rich in historical, cultural, and culinary experiences.
Read More
Galveston, Texas: A treasure of an island
We were on an island with gentle breezes and shimmering water, the lyrics of the 1969 Glen Campbell hit dancing in our heads. We heard the “sea winds blowing” and watched the “sea waves crashing”, and “sea birds flying in the sun” — in Galveston.
Read More
Morocco: Rabat, Casablanca, and Agadir
We docked in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, and the busiest seaport in North Africa. We would soon discover that this leading commercial and industrial center of Morocco is strikingly different from the city in the movie of the same name. But first we headed for the capital city, Rabat…
Read More
A Royal Rendezvous of Cunard’s Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth cruise ships
On September 25, 1967, as the Queen Mary was about to make her final transatlantic voyage en route to Long Beach, she passed her sister ship, the original Queen Elizabeth. Their captains stood on deck while the ships’ horns sounded.
Read More