By Ed Boitano, photographs by Deb Roskamp noted in the text.

After our UNIWORLD Nile riverboat arrived in Luxor, we flew back to Cairo and then to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport on the Asian side of Egypt. To say we were sleep deprived and weary was an understatement; we were overwhelmed by all the knowledge which we had enjoyed and absorbed, but the daily 5 a.m. wake up calls on the Nile riverboat had clearly taken its toll.

As our van arrived in Sharm El Sheikh, we were weary no more. For we were greeted with something which we found to be profound and very much more; the Icon of Peace, the symbol which serves to remind us that someday the world will no longer live with senseless wars. The Icon of Peace is the tallest and largest peace icon in the world, which stands at 113 feet. It consists of three parts; the middle has Welcome, written in many languages, the right bears a map of Sharm El-Sheikh, while the left displays a map of the nation, in which we currently stood.

After we checked into our suite at the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheik we were impressed with its spaciousness, amenities and tasteful design. Our balcony garden seemed more like an open-air room for a Saudi prince, complete with fire pit, lounge chairs and couches, and large colorful pillows. But, we had had an unrealistic vision of what our time at a real Sharm El Sheikh luxury resort would really be like; imagining that we could simply jump from the balcony of our suite and charge into the Red Sea with snorkeling gear and towels.

The Red Sea was in the distance, and we were able to catch a few glimpses from the shore, though we weren’t actually sure where it parted for the prophet Moses who escaped the wrath of the pharaoh’s soldiers. Some believe the date is in the 13th century B.C.E., and the pharaoh was Ramesses II, who is often regarded by Egyptologist as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom of Egypt. After ruling Egypt for 66 years, he left a legacy of new cities, temples and monuments, along with the slaves and bounty he had collected from other empires. The warrior pharaoh had also been busy, winning 15 military campaigns, but not too busy to father over 100 children and have 200 concubines and wives, which included his favorite, Queen Nefertari, still regarded as the most beautiful woman throughout Egypt today.

And now back to the man we call Moses and his crossing of the Red Sea, which is defined in the Book of Exodus as the liberation of the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery. And it was God’s plan for Moses to find the Promised Land; a name often used as a metaphor, for the promise of better things still yet to come.

A few things we learned

But the Israelites failed to obey God, almost immediately breaking commandments by indulging in idolatry. Because of their lack of loyalty to the God who had just liberated them from tyranny, he punished them with 40 years of wandering through desert wilderness before being able to enter the Promised Land. – Attributed to Bible Tools.

It took Moses 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil – Attributed to Golda Meir, fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.

After upacking, we took comfort in our suite at the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheik, we were surprised that walking to the beach, or going to restaurant, required a pickup by a golf cart driven by a polite member of the staff. We had no choice but to embrace this new world of luxury and golf carts, driven over intricately designed cobblestone paths. We were clearly outside of our element, but it became something we struggled to endure. And by the mention of a restaurant, our well-versed driver would not hesitate to drive us there.

We were awestruck by the themes of the many restaurants, which ranged from Lebanese, Japanese and Mediterranean to morning breakfasts and starlight feasts, all on the edge of the Red Sea. We noticed one was named, Waha, believed to mean mouth in English, or, in my case, a rather loud one.

Arabesque served unique Egypt dishes, many of which were unknown to us. And our palates were not disappointed when we sampled many of the new recipes; Warm Rahe, made with charred aubergine caviar, red capsicum, lemon confit, aged homemade pomegranate molasses, roasted walnuts, and pomegranate kernels; Muhammara, which includes mild spiced red capsicum, breadcrumbs, garlic, chili paste and nuts; as well as Zitounia‘s, onions, sweet capsicum, Roma tomatoes, marinated crushed olives, pomegranate, almonds, pine nuts and lemon dressing.

In one early morning, as I returned to our patio table after one too many trips to its buffet breakfast bar, it was easy to marvel at the tranquil surroundings of well-manicured vegetation and palm trees, set in traditional Egyptian décor. With a fragrant soft breeze gently blowing from the Red Sea, we felt as if we were in an Arabian fairy tale. But then realized, that this could pass for a fairytale setting at many other five-star resorts – like the one in Tahiti, where we once paddled and swam, or in South Beach, Florida, or at the beaches in Ecuador – before the realization struck me that I should simply seize the moment, where deep contemplation should be ignored, and continued to bask in the restaurant patio’s new found world of luxurious galore.

Sharm El Sheikh (Bay of the Senior) is also known as the City of Peace, due to the many International Peace Conferences that have been held within its boarders, which has included the U.S. Commander-and-Chief, the very active and never sleepy, President Joe Biden. Apparently, it’s still yet to be determined if America’s last and final emperor’s invitation was lost in the mail.

As one of the Egypt’s important Asian cities, Sharm El Sheikh is a vastly growing one with international five-star resorts on southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, along the Red Sea.

It was easy to notice many Russian tourists in its coastal towns, which I had assumed were primarily from landlocked Russian states, where it is considered a good deal for a two-week vacation without a visa at $1500 U.S., or with something less than palatial, for $500. As for our own lodging at the Four Seasons Resort, my photographer gently informed me, it seemed a little bit more than we thought.

Outside of the resorts, Sharm El Sheik pulsated with nightclubs, light shows, golf courses, world-class shopping and handicraft stands. In a sense, Sharm El Sheik defined consumer consumption, with tourist who were more than ready to hand out their money. This we understood, for statistics indicate that a tourist’s favorite past time while on vacation, is simply doing that.

The city fathers have devoted time to conservation where the southernmost tip of the peninsula has been designated as a national park, protecting the area’s wildlife, natural landscape, shoreline and coral reefs.

Sharm El Sheik also serves as an important component for tourism outside the resorts – tourism is Egypt’s third largest industry – with treks to St. Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai, and considered the world’s oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery.

But Who Are The Bedouin?

I and my brother are against my cousin, I and my cousin are against the stranger. – A widely quoted Bedouin apothegm.

As we continued our trek deep into the Sinai Peninsula’s endless desert sand, I noticed the remnants of many Bedouin camps.

But exactly who are the proud people in this waterless desert land? Our all knowing guide, Salaam, replied, “The Bedouin originated in the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and soon spread across the rest of the Arab world, primarily in West Asia and North Africa due to the advent of Islam. They consist of nomadic Arab tribes who live in the desert regions. Bedouin means desert dweller, and they are traditionally divided into tribes or clans, sharing a common culture of herding camels, sheep and goats. And also adhering to a culture of poetry recitation, music, religious festivals and sword fighting rituals. There is a Bedouin expression, a knife is never just a knife; for it serves as a symbol for their love of country, home and lineage. Unlike Western civilizations, courage is not defined just by prowess in battle, but also in patience, suffering and dedication to the sacred rules of one’s own tribe.” It occurred to me that the tribe of the January 6th rioters at the U.S. Capitol might have overlooked that sacred memo.

Camels, regarded as a gift from God, serve as a main form of transportation and are often eaten when wounded or close to death due to age. The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. Mansal is considered the Bedouin’s most famous dish, made with goat or lamb cooked in a soup, which consists of Jameed (a dehydrated salted Labneh made with goat’s milk), but is generally only served for celebrations. Their daily diet is a simple one, primarily of beans and vegetables, grown in al-sidda, between two hills, in the open air, and watered by rainfall.

Salaam contradicted the quoted Bedouin apothegm about strangers, and explained, that the Bedouin People are renowned for their hospitality, to the point of having three-day-long feasts for complete strangers without even knowing their name. I asked him, what about this stranger who is currently speaking with you now? He smiled, You’re not a stranger, Ed… and by the look of you, it appears you’ve never missed a meal in your life. I forced a smile back to our guide, who had patiently explained many things to me which I should have already known.

He continued with his narration, Bedouins remain Muslims, who observe the “Call to Prayer,” and will face Mecca from the desert. But with the scarcity or complete absence of water, they still manage to obey the Muslin traditions of cleanliness and respect, and will cleanse themselves with sand.

Since the mid-1980s, the Bedouins have no land rights of their own coastal properties as they were sold by the Egyptian government to hotel operators, such as our own five-star lodging at Sharm El Sheikh.

As our van continued its route to Saint Catherine’s Monastery, I could see camps with empty homes of concrete and stone made by the Egyptian Government for the Bedouins to live for free. And Salaam explained, “The Bedouin People are humble and frugal, and not comfortable with handouts and a life on the government dole, preferring the comfort of liberty, living in open-air traditional shelters of yarn, palm fronds and mangrove poles, constructed by themselves.” Amazing, I thought, how very different than my own nation’s billionaire clans, who always appeared to be so fond of receiving handouts from select government clans.

But where are all the people?

Salaam replied with a shrug, They are in a world without time.

And finally, at last, we took our first look at the handsome Bedouin People, whose life still remains a mystery to us. They were at the gates of Saint Catherine’s Monastery to greet us, with an offer for a slight fee, to take escorted camel rides to Sinai’s mountain top. But the cheapscape inside of me, realized that cost of admission to enter the monastery, included the treasures inside, which seemed more important than an authentic Bedouin camel ride.

And, with apologizes to the gallant Bedouin People, who were simply trying to earn an honest dollar in order to survive in the cruel and unforgiving desert land, which the world calls the Peninsula of Sinai.

Related Articles:

• Part Three: Saint Catherine’s Monastery, more Russians, Bedouins and camels, a redefining seafood meal on the Red Sea, Back to Sharm El Sheikh for an undersea adventure in the Red Sea.
• Egypt: A personal interpretation of its land, people and antiquities, Part 1

The post Egypt, Part II: The Sinai Peninsula appeared first on Traveling Archive.

We begin the day following the duchess through the narrow passages of the vibrant, noisy Capo market. Nicoletta navigates the stalls with the assurance of a regular, explaining that in Sicily a market goer only frequents certain vendors with whom a rapport is well established. “In return for my loyalty they take care of me,” she explains, as she examines the freshness of an enormous tuna, caught that very morning off the island’s west coast. “I know that when I ask them to filet this fish they will not substitute it with an inferior piece.” Nicoletta shares insights into these codes of Palermitani behavior as we fill bags with almonds and lemons and inspect mountains of tomatoes and eggplants. She tells us about fairly recent times when pickpocketing was so rife that the police set up bureaus in tourist hotels to help victims replace their lost documents. “The idea of trying to stop the thefts did not even seem to be an option,” she says with a smile of resignation. Then she takes an unexpected turn into an alley to show off a brilliant Art Nouveau mosaic, gleaming on a broken facade that stands like a skeleton amid a field of rubble.

Many ruins like this still litter the old city, where Allied bombs leveled streets of fine old palaces in 1943. Others were damaged but have been splendidly restored, and some have been left to molder, their marble staircases and fine woodwork either lost to the elements or carted off by scavengers. The Palazzo Lanza Tomasi survived the bombings relatively intact if a bit the worse for wear. Gioacchino began restoring the palace in the 1970s, dislodging hens from the courtyard and eventually reclaiming a labyrinth of rooms. Now, above family living quarters and a floor of stately salons are 12 charming apartments that the duke and duchess rent to short-term guests.

In the palace garden, flourishing beneath lemon and palm trees on an enormous sea-facing terrace built atop Spanish ramparts, we gather herbs and jasmine flowers, ingredients for the lunch we will prepare. Nicoletta walks us through her living room, a casually aristocratic-looking assemblage of comfy, slipcovered couches and armchairs and fine old tables piled high with books, then up a back staircase to the blue-tiled palace kitchen. There, she delegates tasks as we prepare dishes that combine raisins, almonds, currants, cinnamon, and other ingredients of a cuisine that merges the island’s Arab, Spanish, and French heritage. Her repertoire consists mostly of local dishes she’s encountered around the island. One team chops basil for Pasta col Pesto alla Trapanese, a deliciously simple concoction with almonds, tomatoes, and toasted breadcrumbs that the duchess came across 30 years ago on the terrace of the Albergo Paradiso on the island of Levanzo, off Trapani. Another group prepares a thick chickpea batter for panelle. Nicoletta’s special technique for this street-food staple is to scoop the batter into a narrow can from which both ends have been removed and slowly push it through the oiled cylinder and out one end, cutting it into thin slices that are then fried in oil to puffy, golden perfection. We mash anchovies with mint and pistachios and stuff this aromatic paste into slits we pierce in an enormous slab of tuna. No food could be more Sicilian than tuna, Nicoletta explains. Greek colonists were catching these giants 3,000 years ago, though fishermen no longer stage the ages-old mattanza, in which they lured the fish into mazelike labyrinths of nets and butchered them in a bloody frenzy. Dessert is a biancomangiare, a sweet almond-milk pudding garnished with zuccata (candied pumpkin), more pistachios, and jasmine flowers we’ve gathered in the garden.

Our creations seem impressively lavish as white-jacketed footmen serve us in the elegant dining room, where sunlight gleams off the Mediterranean and bathes creamy walls, oil paintings, Murano chandeliers, and majolica. The duke is an engaging conversationalist who glides easily and assuredly from one topic to another, a staging of the Benjamin Britten opera Peter Grimes to the clumsy restoration of La Zisa, the Norman pleasure palace at the edge of the city where an elderly princely cousin once lived, to the maddening quirks of the little elevator he’s installed in one corner of the courtyard. Nicoletta tells the story of the palazzo, where in the mid 19th-century Prince Giulio Fabrizio used to retreat to observe the stars over the sea. He was the great-grandfather of Giuseppi Tomasi di Lampedusa and the model for The Leopard’s main character, the nobleman Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, who witnesses his way of life changing with the Risorgimento. The historical and psychological upheaval is summed up in what is perhaps the novel’s most famous line, “Everything must change for everything to remain the same.” The author moved to this palace in 1943, when bombs leveled his childhood home, the grander Palazzo Lampedusa. He and his wife, Licy, a noblewoman and psychoanalyst who lost her estate in the Baltics to the Nazis then the Soviet army, lived in a few habitable rooms amid dripping ceilings and collapsing walls. They shared a deep longing for the lost homes of their childhoods, and Tomasi di Lampedusa evoked his sprawling ancestral seat in The Leopard with “A house of which one knew every room wasn’t worth living in.” He spent his days in cafes reading and writing and died of lung cancer in 1957, a year before his novel was published.

After lunch the duke and duchess walk us through a suite of salons and libraries, showing off furnishings from various family palaces and sharing stories: of the duke’s fun-loving mother, daughter of a Spanish diplomat and granddaughter of the governor of Cuba, a grandmother whose pet panther used to jump over the garden walls of her Roman villa, a branch that includes saints and mystics. Pride of place belongs to the typewritten manuscript that made its way around Italy’s leading publishing houses before Feltrinelli brought out The Leopard to immediate acclaim in 1958. Luchiano Visconti directed a lavish, color-saturated 1963 film starring Burt Lancaster as the prince, and a ballroom scene was shot in the Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi, just a few blocks away on the pretty Piazza Croce dei Vespri. The novel and film and their Sicilian settings are lush and transporting, but not more so than a day with this amiable duchess in her palace.

A Day Cooking with the Duchess classes cost about $180 a person, including a market expedition, instruction, lunch, and a tour of the palace. Large, character-filled apartments, all with fully equipped kitchens and some with terraces and sea views, sleep from two to six guests and rent from about $95 a night. Visit this site for more information.

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Our bungalow looked at best rustic on the outside, but I was wowed once I opened the door. It was positively perfect on the inside with modern amenities and best of all with doors that open right onto an waterfront view.

My goal on this road trip adventure was spending quality time with my husband, seeking beauty, relaxation, fun and an attempt to switch off and tune out the world as my ever-busy brain is always on the move. So San Diego, Carlsbad, and Santa Barbara were on the agenda.

Paradise Point Resort and Spa was the escape that it promised to be with waterfront views, several swimming pools, a marina and delectable restaurants such as their signature restaurant Tidel, which was filled with international flavors.

Each day was filled with activities from relaxing massages to surfing lessons to romantic boat rides around the marina while watching the sun set and the seeing the firework rise high into the sky.

After a few days, we ventured onwards to San Diego proper and stayed at lovely property called Hotel Indigo which had an amazing beach vibe, casual yet elegant. Our room had a balcony where ocean breezes lifted the curtains and little birds chirped happily outside our window. Located in Del Mar it was central to everything such as the farmers market, outside shopping malls, parks and the beach.

The culinary choices in San Diego are endless. The Kitchen 1540, located in the L’Auberge Del Mar Hotel, is the place to experience its devotion to fresh local ingredients, organic produce and farm-to-table delicacies. One evening, we shared a delectable dinner with old friends Jeff and Lori and dined on an exquisite meal filled with steak, seafood and salads all bursting with taste and rich with vibrant colors. The desserts were spectacular and complemented by after dinner drinks. It was a feast filled with flavor.

While many might think of San Diego as simply a beach town, there are many attractions such as the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Pepper Grove Children’s Playground and Mission Trails Regional Park.

One of my favorite places was the Self Realization Fellowship Hermitage & Meditation Gardens in Encinitas which is both peaceful and beautiful. It is an oceanfront garden with colorful plants, meditation nooks and koi ponds. Visitors can walk through, study, meditate and gaze as the spectacular shoreline. It’s not widely found it guidebooks, more-so word of mouth type of place and it is worth a visit.

In my quest for scenic and serenity we headed to Rancho Valencia, which again is a short drive from the bubbling city, but an escape with a Mediterranean feel where we touched down in a hacienda-style-suite. Our room had a private garden, outdoor Jacuzzi and I must confess the most hilarious part was the Japanese style toilet. It opened up the moment one walked in the door, had a seat warmer and provided a myriad of other functions which were both hysterically funny and useful.

The property is filled with Spanish style courtyards, gushing fountains and boasts an uber-relaxing atmosphere where it’s easy to unwind and forget the world outside. I indulged with a massage and truly relaxed in the spa while enjoying cakes, fruits, specialty teas and an actual newspaper.

After just chilling out, which is something I don’t excel in, we headed to a sumptuous dinner which was a culinary masterpiece at the resorts signature restaurant Veladora which is run by Executive Chef Jarrod Moiles and Chef De Cuisine Josh Holt. Everything was mouthwatering from the Heirloom tomato salad to the pan seared salmon complemented by fresh nonalcoholic fruit infused beverages and over the top desserts that to this day make my mouth water.

Our journey continued driving up the coast to Carlsbad which is known for surfing, whale watching tours and the nearby Del Mar Racetrack. For families with kids Legoland is often the nearby destination of choice.

The streets were filled with wandering tourists and simply strolling throughout the city was entertaining as there are many art galleries, eclectic antique shops and of course ice-cream and candy stores. After all what city is complete without a good piece of chocolate!

A great place to stay is the West Inn & Suites, an 86-room boutique hotel that boasts creative excursions for its guests. One fun option is the Hops Highway Retreat, which is a four hour tour, a must for beer lovers (and it includes luxury style transportation) to the Stone Brewing Co., The Lost Abbey and Mother Earth Brew Company.

The hotel also offers a tour of its 3 acre farm, where the chefs use the seasonal vegetables in their extraordinary meals. Additionally it’s a fun place for families as there are pop-up beach parties, game nights and it makes every kid feel at home with cookies and milk at bedtime. It’s a thoughtful hotel which also offers free shuttle services in the area too.

Our next stop was the magical city of Santa Barbara. Perhaps it is the almost always perfect weather, the pristine beaches or just something in the air, but if nature, calmness, peacefulness and beauty is on the agenda, it is the city to visit.

The farmers market never ceases to delight with fancy fruits and unending colorful, fragrant flowers as well as vibrant vegetables filled with flavor. It is the perfect city to have a hotel with a kitchen.

While cooking was not on our agenda, relaxing was, and the beachfront view from the Fess Parker Hotel is the way to go if you wish to dreamily stare at the ocean. The hotel is centrally located so visitors can walk to the center of town and enjoy The Santa Barbara Museum of Art which always boasts great exhibits as well as a fantastic permanent one.

Another venue to explore is the Granada Theatre, which hosts everything from the ballet to top international touring acts.

Perhaps one of the most unique and special places we visited was Ganna Walska Lotusland, which located in Montecito, a short drive outside the city.

The 37 acre gardens were created over four decades by Polish opera singer Madame Ganna Walska, a fascinating woman who had been married six times She owned the property as a private residence from 1941 until her death in 1984.

Visitors need to make an advanced reservation and are taken on an incredible journey with a guide throughout the gardens which are phenomenal. There are species of plants from all over the world and one can see everything from cactus to Japanese gardens.

It reminded me of gardens in Europe. Lotusland was filled with colors, flavors, fruits and what made it even more special was the stories behind the woman and her massively beautiful creation.

Traveling is always full of surprises, and this trip seemed to have an international, exotic flavor without even needing my passport. A peaceful, perfect, relaxing vacation. In other words, my mind was cleared, I was relaxed – so yes mission accomplished.

Happy Traveling!

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The Holland America ms Veendam

My connection with Holland America began in 1947 when my Dutch mother-in-law took a passage across the pond from Amsterdam to Ellis Island on the Holland America line. She recalled how enthralled she was by the comfort aboard the vessel and the tantalizing meals at the dinner table. Now, 63 years later, I found that her accolades still lived up to those expectations, and, shall we say, a bit more. The creature comforts were endless with five restaurants; venues dedicated to classical violin and piano performances, dance music, Flamenco dancing and flautist recitals at the Showroom At Sea theater; state-of-the-art fitness center, yoga and Pilates classes; two outdoor pools and seven Jacuzzis; shopping area and casino. My favorite was the Crow’s Nest Lounge, situated at the front top of the vessel. As a beer connoisseur,  I should note that the lounge featured an end to my own personal quest for the Holy Grail: finally encountering the original Budweiser Budvar, first brewed in Bohemia circa 1245. Budweiser Budvar is a pale lager brewed with ice age lake water, Moravian barley and Saaz hops. By EU’s standards,  Anheuser-Busch’s Bud is not considered a beer, but a malt liquor with rice as one of its ingredients.

I was in an unsurpassed comfort zone of luxury.  Most importantly, the cruise was relaxing and mellow, with a sophisticated clientele, as opposed to a riotous in-your-face ‘fun cruise’ crowd. The ms Veendam chimes in at 719 ft. in length and 101 ft. wide with a passenger capacity of  1627 guests — but it still felt spacious. The service was outstanding, with a guest-to staff ratio of 3 to 1. I could have stayed on the vessel forever, but I was excited for more explorations of the ports-of-call to come.

But First, More on Monaco

As late as 1869 the main export of the struggling Principality of Monaco was citrus. Despite its climate and location, which towers over the Mediterranean Sea, with France bordering on the other three sides, it was difficult to reach as a result of bad roads. This changed with the marriage of the enterprising French stage actress, Marie Caroline Gibert de Lametz, to Florestan I, Prince of Monaco. The Beaux Arts-style Casino de Monte-Carlo was established, and income tax was eliminated. Monaco was soon promoted as a resort for wealthy tourists and a tax haven for businesses. Curious enough, its citizens — Monégasques — are prohibited from gambling at the casino. I suspect the city fathers knew, like all casino owners, that the player always loses, despite Joseph Jagger’s  “breaking the bank at Monte Carlo,” due to finding imperfections in the balance of the roulette wheel, which only gained the casino even greater publicity.

The Ballad of Grace and Rainier

In 1956, the glamour campaign continued when Prince Rainier III married Hollywood Royalty and Philadelphia socialite in the name of 26-year-old Grace Kelly.  Her brief acting career and striking refined beauty had already made her an international household name. She had appeared in John Ford’s Mogambo;  The Country Girl, for which her deglamorized performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress in the otherwise dismal film;  High Noon;  and three Alfred Hitchcock masterpieces, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief. Prince Rainier, always desperate for money, met with billionaire shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis,  who suggested the prince find a Hollywood beauty to marry. Aristotle believed the added media publicity would attract more investment opportunities and make the principality a greater alluring destination for tourists. Rainier jumped at the idea. His first choice was Marilyn Monroe, who laughed at the thought, but did jokingly say, “Give me two-days alone with him and of course he’ll want to marry me.” A meeting was arranged with Kelly while she was in the Riviera filming the last stages of To Catch a Thief. Apparently it  wasn’t love at first sight for Kelly, but the prince was relentless, initiating a long correspondence by mail, which eventually led to their marriage. Rainier insisted upon a two-million dowry for the union to proceed, made Kelly take a fertility test, give up acting and banned the screening of all her movies in Monaco. The marriage was described as the wedding of the century. Following a long honeymoon cruise, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace devoted her life to raising three-children, and then founding the World Association of Friends of Children, based on her vision that every child, whatever their social, religious or cultural origins are, would have the capacity to live in dignity and security;  and the Princess Grace Foundation, to support local artists and craftsmen. In 1982, tragedy struck when Princess Grace was driving a Range Rover down a steep road and suffered a minor stroke. She lost control of the vehicle which violently plunged 120 feet off a cliff.

Princess Grace passed away the next night. Her death was a shock to the entire world, and her funeral, like that of Princess Diana, was watched by millions of people around the globe. With the death of Rainier in 2005, Prince Albert II assured the succession of the now 700-year-old House of Grimaldi.

Monaco is walkable, but visitors face strenuous hills and steep stairs. I opted for the all-day hop-on, hop-off bus tour which follows a loop, stopping at points of interest every fifteen minutes. Highlights included Monaco-Ville, also known as “the rock,” which is a picturesque medieval village with century-old villas; and the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium, directed by Jacques Cousteau for 17-years, and considered the definitive authority on the Mediterranean’s tropical marine ecosystem. Monaco showcases a number of stunning gardens and the Jardin Exotique (Exotic Gardens) was my favorite. Several thousand rare plants are on display as well as breathtaking views of the harbor and grandiose yachts courtesy of Saudi princes and Russian oligarchs. Also your map should include the ornate Opéra de Monte-Carlo, designed by architect Charles Garnier, known for Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris; and the white marbled-Byzantine-style Cathédrale de Monaco where Rainier and Princess Grace are buried side-by-side.

Sitting at a sidewalk café by the Casino de Monte-Carlo with Bugattis,  Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces parked in front,  I spoke to a young German man. He was there to walk the length of the two-mile lap of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, Monaco’s event of the year. At the length of 161.734 miles with 78 laps, the race features white knuckle hairpin turns, taken at 160 mph through the Monaco’s densely populated neighborhoods. Due to the tight and twisty nature of the harrowing circuit, the skill of the driver is more important than the power of the car. I wished my German friend luck as I relaxed over an Aperol Spritz cocktail, observing the ostentatious culture of this tiny nation, the second smallest in the world.

Despite the opulent, unsurpassed luxury, Monaco must be doing something right for it tops the list as the nation with the highest life expectancy in the world at an average of 89.5 years. Maybe it has something to do with walking those steep hills. Stand warned, though; the streets are chock-full of wide-eyed curious tourists, in which I was now one.

Stay tuned for Part II, where I address Livorno – gateway to Lucca and Pisa, Malago and Gibraltar. BTW, never get into a tug-of-war over a camera or food item with Gibraltar’s Barbary monkeys; those cute little creatures always win.

For further information, logon to www.HollandAmerica.com

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How was your journey? The Gambardella family, several generations of whom are usually on the scene, have been asking this question ever since they began welcoming guests to their villa-like retreat on the edge of a cliff along the legendary Amalfi Coast of southern Italy in 1904. It’s understandable if some of their arrivals are at a loss to sum up the hair-raising trip along the famed Amalfi Drive. This narrow ribbon of pavement and hairpins floats hundreds of feet above the churning surf. The writer John Steinbeck described the route as “hooked and corkscrewed on the edge of nothing” and confessed that “in the back seat my wife and I lay clutched in each other’s arms, weeping hysterically.” Even so, he found the coast, where entire villages cling improbably to green hillsides that plunge into the blue Mediterranean, to be “a dream place that isn’t quite real.” Another writer, Gore Vidal, lived in a cliffside aerie in nearby Ravello, and he abandoned his typical churlishness to say he was blessed with “the most beautiful view in the world.” You’ll probably come to some of the same conclusions when you take a seat on one of the many terraces, sip a chilled Prosecco, and surrender to the sensation of being suspended here between sea and sky — or the sense that you’ve stumbled onto the set of a very stylish movie.

The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful, glamorous, legendary, gossip-soaked strips of land anywhere, the haunt of film stars and poets, the rich and famous, exiled royals and pretenders, bigwigs and flaneurs, lovers and lotharios, and plenty of ordinary folks just looking to relax in style. Everyone feels right at home in these sprawling, tile-floored lounges and vine-laced dining rooms. In these swell surroundings you wouldn’t be too surprised if the bejeweled woman at the next table purred, “Gimme a whisky . . . ginger ale on the side . . . and don’t be stingy, baby,” or if a well-tanned gent ordered a martini, shaken, not stirred. The white-jacketed attendants, who seem to know every guest by name, will be just as solicitous as you wrestle with a decision to have the sea bass salted and baked or simply grilled or if you should indulge in the lemon soufflé for dessert.

“I need something truly beautiful to look at in hotel rooms,” said actress Vivien Leigh, who used to vacation in these parts. She would find plenty to admire in the 66 rooms and suites, each different, that ramble through the main house and are tucked into gardens fragrant with oranges and lemons. Furnishings are homey rather than ostentatious, enlivened with a smattering of family heirlooms, and warm whites are accented with Mediterranean hues that offset glistening hand-painted tile floors. Many of the deep bathtubs have sea views, and you might just be tempted to call room service and order a bottle of Champagne as you settle in for a long soak. These are the sorts of digs to which Greta Garbo yearned to retreat when in the film Grand Hotel she famously said, “I want to be alone.” Actually, Garbo and her lover, the conductor Leopold Stokowski, once hid out in a villa up the mountainside in Ravello. They probably would have been just as content in the Giulietta e Romeo Chalet, a hidden garden cottage dripping with bougainvillea and jasmine, or for that matter any other accommodation here.

A Bond-worthy glassed-in elevator whooshes 10-stories down a rock face to a cove that shelters the beach club. You expect to run into Cary Grant and Grace Kelly down here, lying around in beach togs as they do in To Catch a Thief.  Adding to the laidback glamor is an army of Polo-attired attendants who appear with a towel and bottle of water the moment you climb out the sea or saltwater pool. Settle in with a house made Limoncello and you can almost see Odysseus sailing by—legend has it that as he plied these waters he had himself bound to the mast to prevent him from answering the lure of Sirens promising “love, sweeter than honey.”  It’s easy to understand how he might have succumbed to local pleasures. You might also imagine that you’ve stumbled into a scene from Evil Under the Sun. You know, the lush film of the Agatha Christie thriller in which Maggie Smith is a former actress and royal courtesan who looks after a bunch of spoiled toffs at her seaside villa-turned-guesthouse. Thing is, it’s hard to imagine anything evil happening under this sun.

Hotel Santa Caterina is perched on a clifftop less than a mile outside Amalfi, at S.S. Amalfitana 9. The hotel is open from mid-April through early November. Visit their website for more information.

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The word is that the Dali Theater-Museum, celebrating the life and work of its enigmatic founder Salvador Dali, (1904-1989), Girona’s world-famous surrealist artist, is now one of the city’s most visited tourist attractions. The revival of interest in his paintings, both revered and ridiculed during his lifetime, are now seen as visionary.

Dali’s most recognized painting, the Persistence of Memory, now in the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, depicts — according to some — a dying world, marked by a scorched landscape and melted pocket watches. Or as one of the guides in the Dali Theater-Museum explained to the tour group I joined, the painting clearly suggests that dream time is elastic, the drooping clocks a clue to its creator’s inner life.

Are his paintings symbolic or are they a joke? asked a frowning young man who’d been standing silently, pondering an image of Dali’s wife titled Galatea of the Spheres. The guide blinked and the query went unanswered. Fortunately for historians, Dali, the man, who spent most of his life in Girona, left as many clues as he did art.

Dali’s life in Girona, his home in Port Lligat and his wife’s home in Pubol, both open for guided tours, offer surprising insights into the artist and the man. Sunny summers in the beach town of Cadaques, 15 minutes from Port Lligat, where his family often summered – and where I spent a charmed afternoon – fostered a love of the sea. For clues to his last decade, and some of his largest most ambitious projects, the answers are found in the Dali Theater-Museum, a building he designed and built on the site of his favorite movie theater, in Figueres, where he grew up.

I should have started at the museum when I headed to Girona for a long-planned, two-week escape. But Salvador Dali was the last thing on my mind. I’d been to the Costa Brava years earlier, stayed a couple of days and spent most of my time there on the world’s most inviting  beach. Going back again, I realized Girona was a town with a history. Settled 2000 years ago by the Iberians and officially founded by the Romans in the 5^th century, it has been a proud survivor. 

Free to wander, I spent a couple of days exploring the Old Quarter, first circling the area on the path of 4^th century Roman wall, then visiting various 10^th century monasteries and churches. Deep in the middle of the ancient streets I discovered a wide spot, with a couple of shade trees and a café, my lode stone from that moment on.

On the advice of Marco, the hotel clerk, who said he was more interested in movies than history, I climbed the 91 stone steps up to the entrance of the 12^th century Romanesque Cathedral, built on top of a mosque, after the Moors were defeated and driven out.  They’re the same steps that the “Game of Throne” used when they were filming the last season, he said, beamingly.  Counting each step, I thought of the countless people who’d been there before me.  

Marco also recommended a sight-seeing bus tour north along the coast to the Cap de Creus, the tip of a rocky peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. The drive, winding through bush-covered hills ended above a windswept rim, looking down at the water and a chain of small bays. Munching a bag lunch and stretching my legs, I spotted a sailboat leaning into the wind, heading north toward the French border, 16 miles away. Before there was a border, Phoenician and Greek ships came this way, stopping at coastal villages like Empuries, to trade.  

Ten days into my vacation, done with museums and the occasional vineyard tour and wine-tasting, I headed to the beach, still the softest sand and freshest water on the Mediterranean’s western shore. Striking up a conversation with a couple of Canadians sunning nearby made the afternoon fly by. They had rented an apartment for six weeks, I was in a hotel; they were going on to Madrid, I was flying back to Denver. We both liked skiing at Whistler Blackcomb, in British Columbia. And they wanted to know more about Salvador Dali.

So, I tagged along, heading first for –  Pubol Castle, the 12^th century mansion Dali bought in 1970 for his wife Gala. Larger than it appears from the entrance, it consists of a main house, a tower and an open-air covered passageway, surrounded by gardens.   

Joining a tour, we were waved through by a guide who offered a brief history: The renovation of the building, Dali’s interior designs and the decade that Gala lived there alone, entertaining overnight guests, both women and men, and banning Dali, except by her written invitation. 

People ask why she wanted a house of her own, said the guide, when the rest of the group drifted away to other rooms. Dali was 67 or 68 then, and Gala was 77, ten years older than he was. Too old to want another man, you’d think. He loved her, but they couldn’t live together. Like many couples.

Whatever the reason, Dali rebuilt the structure and surrounded it with gardens, tucking home-made stick-thin elephants between the leaves. Furnishing the rooms with satin and velvet, he installed modern bathrooms and a kitchen, and he decorated with paintings, ceiling murals, wall hangings, hand-decorated tiles, tiny tables, angular arm chairs, mirrors and dozens of little baubles and charms. A reluctant collector myself, it tickled my heart to see that he, too, couldn’t resist objets d’art.

Spotting a lion’s head lying on top of an 18th century wardrobe (a clothes closet), near an out-of-focus photo of a person, I took a second look. Comic theater? Or was Dali spoofing the book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? He could have read it when they fled Spain for New York City, in 1940, after the Nazis invaded France.

Before we left, I went to the photography exhibit upstairs to see what Dali and Gala looked like together, in plain black and white. They’re in their Manhattan studio, she’s laughing for the photographer, and he, the celebrity of the moment, is mugging for the photographer, with his trademark wide-eyed stare and curvy black mustache.

The next day we headed for Dali’s permanent home on the shore in Port Lligat, a house filled with gewgaws, cartoon figures, knickknacks, a stuffed bear next to the stairs and chains of tiny, dried, white everlasting flowers. The sort of things a teenager collects.

The house, with several six-foot white eggs mounted on the roof, one of them half-cracked, were a link to his older  brother, who died at nine months old. According to Rosia our guide, the cracked egg, big enough for a man to climb inside, symbolized Dali’s other half, without which — it’s said, he always felt incomplete.

I’d already been to the museum in Figueres; now I wished I’d saved it for last. Making another reservation I went again, walking and looking. This time the place was packed, the rooms crowded with guided tours. Don’t come on Saturday if you can avoid it. But if those drooping clocks leave you wondering, come. This is where the pilgrimage ends and disconnected symbols click together, making sense. I hope. At the very least, I left with a new respect for Spain’s greatest 20th century painter.

For more: See Salvador Dali’s Celebrity suites, Part 3 at the Hôtel Maurice in Paris.

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Ibiza, once the playground of Europe’s indulged youth, has matured into a destination with more sobering pursuits. Certainly, the party reputation lends some cache to the older folks looking for some cred with their offspring, and the clubs are still there, but visitors are finally noticing the historic sites and archaeological digs as they take in the charm and beauty of the island.

Ibiza’s old town, Dalt Vila, is surrounded by the best preserved ancient walls in the Mediterranean. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that contains a castle, cathedral, museum, and many private homes – all of which make up the original city of Eivissa. There are restaurants and bars, and tons of funky shops (a remnant of Ibiza’s hippie era) for distractions from the history – if you need them. I enjoyed the architecture and the views from the walls. I love being surrounded by the parapets and ramparts of ancient times; they give an often crazy world some perspective.

But the history is not all contained within the walls. Spreading out below one gate is the Cuban barrio, created when those Ibizans who emigrated to Cuba returned and recreated their old neighborhoods below the walls. The distinctive architecture would be familiar to anyone who has visited Cuba.

A short drive from there will take you to the Necropolis of Puig des Molins, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Phoenicians, who settled here before Christ was born, buried their dead. Subsequent conquering civilizations followed suit, so Carthaginian, Roman, Moor and Christian graves can be found here as well. While most of the graves were looted centuries ago, archaeologists still found ceramics and some jewelry in the stone coffins. I was surprised to see glass and metal that were found in some of the earliest ones. The onsite museum has a large display of them and exhibits that explain the different eras expertly.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site (Spain has more than any other country) is the ruins of the Phoenician settlement in Sa Caleta, atop the red cliffs surrounding the secluded crescent beach and clear blue waters of Ses Salines. Dating from 654 BCE, it is one of the earliest settlements on the island. All that is left to see are the reconstructed foundations of the shelters built here eons ago.

Sharing the same vantage, and for the same reasons, are the remnants of concrete bunkers constructed in the 1930s to protect the island from enemy invasion. Below them, at the water’s edge, the rustic fisherman’s shacks line the shore providing easy access to the sea. Each element is picturesque in its own way, but together, especially at sunset, the sum is greater than its parts, and the beauty in the slanted sunlight is almost surreal.

You could almost say that about the whole island. Everywhere you look you’ll find stunning architecture and scenery – even underwater. In Playa de Figueretas is another UNESCO World Heritage site, the underwater Posidonia Meadows. Billed as the largest living organism in the world, the sea bed is covered with a posidonia plant that stretches for miles. Posidonia is like sea grass and integral to the livelihood of Ibiza. Its presence keeps the water of Ibiza’s famous beaches clear, while providing food and protection to various sea creatures. Because it is a deciduous plant, its leaves are washed ashore where they pile up and protect the beaches from storm erosion. They can be harvested and used for animal bedding, fertilizer on the fields, and in the early days were layered on roofs between clay as insulation.  No wonder it is so protected!

While in Ibiza I strolled the cobblestone streets, explored the red cliffs and blue sea-caressed beaches, snorkeled the Posidonia Meadows, visited the museums, and dined in some of the finest restaurants. Oh – and I also went to Pacha, the club, to see what all the fuss was about and dance off the many calories I consumed with all that fine dining. It wasn’t hedonistic, it wasn’t drug-crazed, and it wasn’t a drunken party. It was just another side of the complexity that is Ibiza – the jewel of the Mediterranean.

To learn more about Ibiza check out http://tourism.eivissa.es

You can follow Richard on his Facebook page and Instagram account where he posts more content.

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Stand by to set lower top sail,” shouted the captain. Backlit by a late Mediterranean sun, he made a striking figure in his maritime attire. “Pull sheets, lower top sail coming out!” I gripped firmly on the rope. “Heave! Heave! Heave!” commanded the first mate. My group of eight joined in unison as we pulled on the rope. I felt that the man in front of me could have worked a little harder, but the German boy at my rear was quite literally pulling up the slack. A few minutes later, the magnificent sail was towering in the wind above us. With images of Sir Francis Drake and Ferdinand Magellan, I had often dreamed of working on a real sailing vessel. This was a life-long fantasy come true. I made a mental note, though, never again to have two helpings of crème brûlée at the lunch buffet before participating in the drill.

The Royal Clipper

The five-mast 439 foot Royal Clipper is the largest and fastest sailing ship on the sea today. Modeled after the turn-of-the-century Tall Ship, Preuseen – once the world’s fastest sailing ships – the Royal Clipper is a hybrid, like today’s new baseball stadiums, embracing the best traditions of the past with the state-of-the-art amenities of today. It is the real deal and does not use computers for sail handling.

Passengers can participate in sailing drills, climb the mast to one of the ‘crow’s-nests’ for panoramic views, or even take their hand at the wheel. Contemporary creature comforts include luxuriating in the spa and three swimming pools, unwinding in the Captain Nemo Lounge, sunbathing on 18,940 square feet of open deck, and dining at the world-class (no tie dress code) Clipper Dining Room. A popular spot for reading and napping is the secret Widow’s Net – a blanket-like braided net that hangs over the side of the vessel. There is a marina which offers snorkeling, sailing, waterskiing and windsurfing. What I liked best, though, was that with a maximum of just 227 passengers, you could really get to know your traveling companions in a low-key, casual atmosphere, and even make some life-long friends. I had such a great time aboard that it was almost hard to leave the vessel each morning for the day’s adventure.

Ports of Call

Civitavecchia – Port of Rome

Your journey will begin and end in the Eternal City, and it is essential that you spend time either before or after your cruise in this Italian capital where each step forward is also a step back into history. From the Roman Forum and Colosseum to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Cathedral, the attractions are endless. The Royal Clipper offers three-day add on packages, which include accommodations and sightseeing tours.

Pompeii and Sorrento

On August 24, 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius erupted, covering the Roman provincial center of Pompeii with more than 20 feet of ash and stone. Many of the city’s 20,000 residents were killed by sulfur fires or by lava and stone. Pompeii was frozen in time until excavations unveiled this remarkable archaeological site. Plaster was poured into the empty spaces in the lava to make body casts – a man stretches out to protect his mother, a dog lays tethered by his chain. Also on display are luxurious mansions, ancient baths, temples and markets, offering an amazing insight into over 2,000 year-old Roman life.

Amalfi Coast Cancelled – On to Naples

There was a collective moan among the passengers when we were informed that the water was too rough for landing on the Amalfi Coast. We had been warned beforehand that this can be the case aboard the authentic small vessel. The moans became even louder when it was announced that the alternative would be a day in Naples: aka ‘the city that Italy forgot.’ Naples is the most densely populated city in Italy. The traffic is so intense that a simple stroll across the street can be a brush with death. I believe I was the only person on the vessel who was happy about the change in our schedule. For a trip to Naples meant one thing: I could finally sample Naples’ gift to the world – an authentic Pizza Napoletana: Thin crusted and 14 inches in diameter, with a high outer wedge to contain the Marzano tomato sauce, grown in the rich volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius. With dollops of buffalo mozzarella, this gastronomic treat is then baked in an oven made with stones from Mount Vesuvius. I was not unhappy to have the experience under my belt.

Taormina, Sicily

The day began with a Sicilian brunch and wine tasting at the estate of a real baroness. With Mount Etna and the Mediterranean as a backdrop, all wine and food products came from the estate. Next to the hospitality and setting, the highpoint was a simple pasta dish made with only three ingredients: olive oil, diced translucent eggplant and a dry ricotta cheese. Next stop was a bus trip on the coast road to Taormina. Perched on a terrace overlooking the sea, it a great place to sip an espresso and enjoy the local medieval character. On the edge of the town is an impressive 3rd Century BC Greek theater. The next morning it was an enchanting day-at-sea as the Royal Clipper sailed back to Rome.

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