Well, I’m still basking in the memories of my cruise experience aboard Holland America’s ms Veendam. At the end of each day’s illuminating tours of the ports of call – Lucca and Pisa, Malaga, Barcelona, Monaco and Gibraltar – I would excitedly rush back to the vessel to my favorite lounge, the Crow’s Nest, where I’d compile my notes over a crisp, full flavored Budweiser Budvar (circa 1245).
Do YOU believe – really believe – in witches? I mean on October 31st all kinds of craziness comes to the fore, with people – mostly kids – dressing up in all kinds of weird looking clothes, and outlandish outfits to celebrate Halloween. But the truth is Halloween night is one of the biggest nights of the year for witches. How do YOU imagine a witch actually looks?
Every summer, throngs of tourists from Germany and Great Britain descend to splay their pallid bodies on the glorious beaches that ring this island off the coast of Spain. They soak up the sun, swim and sail in the Mediterranean, swarm Mallorca's shops and restaurants, drink her wine, consume her olive oil, and snore in her hotels.
As a rule, I generally don’t post press releases, but Jo-Ann Gaidosz of Active Gourmet Holidays is so dedicated to art of international cuisine, I though her latest global culinary campaign is worthy of my readers’ interest.
Ancient cobbled walkways wandering off from Placa Saint Jaume in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter just wide enough for horse and carriage and strangely mysterious and mystifying on this late May evening, pulled us in among the darkness of Barcelona’s medieval times past shards of Roman walls with tales to share.
The attractive Catalan language drifts through Barcelona, an ancient port city built atop Roman ruins with bits and pieces of 4th century architecture proudly standing tall amidst the mad crush of 21st century tourism. With its countless tree-lined streets and glorious architecture, Barcelona appears to have been blessed by a goddess from the World of Art who draped her large silk scarf over the city to ensure an artistic bent.
Mountaineers from the Indian army on a expedition in Nepal have found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they think belong to the Yeti... Anthony Bourdain rarely shied away from any crazy food choices, but he did refuse to visit one surprising country.... The brand new $960-million Spectrum of the Seas mega cruise ship is protecting itself against pirates on the way from Europe to the Middle East
While visiting the coastal town of Bermeo, one of the oldest towns in the Basque Country of Spain, I received a most unusual invitation to dine with friends of friends. It was unusual not just because it began in a seafood market or ended in a mountaintop bodega. No, this was a rare invitation to dine at one of the Basque male gastronomy societies.
Standing on the ship’s deck felt like being on the stage of an ancient amphitheater, rugged stone walls ringing hillsides rising steeply around me. But these walls didn’t hold seating for toga-clad spectators awaiting some amusement. They lined row after row of grape vines, terraces tumbling down the banks of the Douro River flowing across northern Portugal.
An extraordinary chain of events came together for a most amazing journey to Barcelona, Paris and London. The 60th Anniversary of an art organization that has been my sponsor for over 30 years determined that Barcelona would be the site for our celebration. We would mark the occasion by inviting our niece who had recently graduated from nursing school to …