Quicker than you can say “Doctor Zhivago,” The Palladian Traveler satisfies his craving for some Odessian fare as he tucks in and files his 15th dispatch from a table at one of Moscow’s most popular restaurants.

I had only two days' layover in Amsterdam and wanted to make the most of it. I had a long list of "stuff" to see and do, destinations that I had not had the time to see and experience the year before, when I had a short trip to this charming city of canals, tulips, and bicycles, among its many draws.

A pilgrimage is defined by Oxford Dictionary as (1) A journey to a holy place for religious reasons, or (2) Journey to a place that is connected with someone or something that you admire or respect.

The great ship designed for transatlantic crossings is negotiating a heavy Atlantic sea with white caps appearing like melting snow flickering atop curling 20-foot waves. There is muscle in the wind as an enormous stream of strength converges on the ship twisting the light in tight Picasso-like curls.

Do you know what a NARROW BOAT is? You might well wonder why I pose such a question – I mean it should be obvious: a boat that’s very slim and trim. Well, you’re almost right. A Narrowboat (notice NO hyphen) epitomizes the often weird and many wonderful ways of tourism in Great Britain.

The Palladian Traveler crosses over a short bridge, passes under a stone archway and enters the largest fortress in Europe as he files his 14th dispatch from inside the Kremlin.

Depending on where you travel, you may come to realize that leaving home was a terrible mistake. That's because every destination with a public relations budget endeavors to attract tourists and drive revenue. Yet every destination doesn't deserve a visit from you.

After years of long winter months of Seattle's nonstop stop rain and a sun which refused to shine, I packed up my car and followed the sun to the warmth of San Diego. I was not disappointed; the city was blessed with 12-months of sunshine with an an average temperature between 55 to 75 degrees.

Santa Fe, New Mexico is more than a place. It is a spirit, an energy that enters your soul and takes residence in your worldview as well as your inner vision. A state of mind more than a city; a way of life more than a place to live. It’s a lifestyle, not a destination.

Banks, including on Wall Street, fear no one like they fear Bernie. I’m sure they’re not keen on Elizabeth Warren, but Bernie strikes a unique terror, because banks know anyone taking them on will have to wield the bully pulpit against them like FDR did.

Under the deft, delicate hand of Swedish director Levan Akin, who is of Georgian decent, And Then We Danced is a tender love story that combines the long-standing tradition of exciting Georgian folk dancing, which just about every child learns growing up...

Throughout our travels the past several years we’ve often tended to wander towards off-the-beaten path nature destinations, shying away from crowded locations as much as we can. But there’s something beguiling about the busy and chaotic setting that is Hanoi, Vietnam and its celebrated Old Quarter.

The Palladian Travel holds his breath as he passes by the old KGB Headquarters on his way to a daytime stroll around iconic Red Square and a bit of window shopping at the ornate GUM indoor mall.

If you’re a germaphobe you might want to stop reading now. You could be freaked out by the displays in this museum showcasing in sometimes graphic detail the sorts of diseases that — no pun intended — plague humankind.

Nena Anderson is in constant motion. She has to be. She has a garden and confesses “I like to cook out of it.” There are also two dogs, three chickens, teen-agers, a husband and five on-going, musical projects. Six, if you count her collaboration on Alex Woodard’s, For the Sender.

The Palladian Traveler heads 50m below the surface to discover well-kept Soviet art as he joins countless Muscovites as they commute via the museumesque Moscow subway system.

A Gathering of Eagles; A Pride of Lions, or a Flight of Airline Pilots; any of which might well be a description of an aviation heaven that’s about 50 miles from London, and is only 45 minutes by express train. It’s also far better known as the Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford.

The Palladian Traveler takes a bullet, a bullet train that is, as he rockets out of St. Petersburg and arrives in Moscow just in time to take a sunset stroll with seven very tall sisters.

Echoes of time linger over Westminster City, the stunning architecture of its historic buildings emerging above the Thames as if preserved in a time capsule. The celebrated London Marriott County Hall overlooking the south bank of the Thames with its immense palatial columns and façade give it a demeanor of both strength and influence in keeping with its role as the historic seat and stronghold of the London County Council.

The most depressing place on the planet is my hometown of Seattle in the month of January. The December holidays are over with January’s grim back-to-realty winter looking us straight in the face. In Seattle that generally means endless light showers and a sun that has completely disappeared. But leave it to the Canadians who embrace the long winter months of ice and snow with celebrations that warm both the heart and soul.

Well, it’s been a week. And once again I find myself sitting on the park bench in Vevey, Switzerland next to the statue of Charlie Chaplin, with whom I share the panorama of shimmering Lake Geneva and the pristine snowcapped Alps in the distance.

Even for those already in the climate choir, Jane Fonda’s sermon last month at the National Press Club is well worth your time to read or watch and listen to. I’ve logged loads of press club luncheon speeches over the years. This was one of the finest I’ve heard.

Its 2020, so it should be perfectly clear to you there is simply no better way to start the decade than with a new project from Sue Palmer. She continues to mine her four decade, freakishly large catalog of music in order to provide us with Gems: Volume 2.