I have a great affection for swimming pools. Jumping into refreshing, crystal clear waters in Southern California has always had a way to soothe my senses. I’ve noticed when my Pacific Northwest friends and families realized that I had a swimming pool in my backyard in Burbank, some were curious and wondered why someone like me, a former Seattleite with a fondness for rain, should actually have a pool. I would remind them that having a pool down here is not uncommon. In fact, due to the heat, our pools are often not heated.

Once, after an exhausting final lap in my pool, I remembered a story when a former U.S. president was asked what we would like to show Mikhail Gorbachev when he visited Southern California. He said that he would like to take him for a plane ride over the San Fernando Valley to show him that American workers live harmoniously and have the freedom to afford swimming pools. And the former Soviet President supposedly replied, though it was never confirmed, for the plane ride never really happened, In my nation, our workers have the freedom to live without poverty. Yet, they managed to forge a mutual respect between one another, that led to a friendship, a friendship which ultimately thawed the Cold War.

Later, when first lady Nancy Reagan led Madame Raisa Gorbachev on a tour of the White House grounds, she was unable to show her its swimming pool, for a former president had turned it into a pool for the press. Eventually, the former president would find himself drowning in his own pool of remorse.

Fortunately, he was able to swim to the edge of the pool, in realization of the harm he had done to his nation. And, as this is an American story, where past misdeeds generally transition into the good, our former president reinvented himself, and joined the human race. With thanks to John Lennon, for allowing me to mutilate his lyrics in the song, Instant Karma.

The birth of the world’s first Swimming Pool…

The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro.

The Great Bath of Mohenjo-Daro is considered the earliest public water tank of the ancient world. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Great Bath was built in the third millennium BCE, soon after the raising of the citadel mound on which it is located.

And the birth of my first swimming experience…

The Green Lake Children’s Wading Pool in Seattle.

In the early days of my Seattle youth, nothing signaled the beginning of summer quite like the Green Lake Wading Pool. With the mercury rising, this little aquatic sanctuary in the heart of Seattle was the premier venue for us kiddos to wade, splash and beat the heat. As an unsteady swimmer, I found its shallow waters to be particularly enjoyable, for my feet could always touch the bottom of the pool.

Through the years, I’ve noticed some pools have themes…

Jayne Mansfield’s heart-shaped pool of love in Beverly Hills, built and designed by Mickey Hargitay.

While others have themes of history…

The indoor Roman swimming pool at San Simeon.

And, with some, you can look up and look down…

The swimming pool on a sheet of glass, at Houston’s Market Square Tower.

But, if it was during lunch hour, you’d barely see a soul on the streets, for most Houstonites have taken a reprieve in a cool, underground city to avoid the blasting heat. Houston’s underground is a bit of a reverse, though, modeled after, Montreal’s own winter underground world, where a Montréaler can simply traverse throughout it without even wearing a cold storage coat.

And then look down again…

The swimming pool used in Steven Soderberg’s The Limey.

This time look down at the vegetation in the Hollywood Hills, but be warned, it’s the swimming pool used in Steven Soderberg’s The Limey, and you might find yourself falling head-first into the ground. That is, if British actor, Terence Stamp has crashed the party and is in the hunt for the murder of his estranged daughter, who he last saw when he was in a British prison very long ago.

You can use a lagoon as your own swimming pool…

At an alluring lagoon in Bora Bora.

The Pacific Ocean island of Bora Bora is a paradise with its breathtaking lagoons, crystal-clear streams, lush jungle vegetation and soaring mountains. Bora Bora provides a genuinely remarkable experience in natural splendor, along with a unique Polynesian culture.

Or at a bay…

Isola di Procida.

In the Bay of Isola di Procida, Naples’ smallest island, is where you’ll find that the people of this quintessential Mediterranean paradise are more than just proud of what they gave to the world: UNESCO certified Pizza Napoletana’s marinara, Margherita, and Margherita extra.

So friends, Romans and countrymen, please take note:  Pizza Napoletana is the first and only real pizza on the globe. Anything else is a mere imitation, despite your preference for its crust and flavor in your mouth. With thanks to Amirali Mirhashemia for the enlightenment and the photograph, via Unsplash, above.

And, if you desire a spa experience in the Land of Fire and Ice…

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is the island nation’s number one tourist attraction. Sadly, the Blue Lagoon is currently closed after the volcanic eruption that began at Sundhnúkagígar on March 16, due to its close proximity to the eruption site.

The countdown begins for the selection of the FIVE (5) best swimming pool in the world, but let’s start with an Honorable Mention…

The natural salt water swimming pool at Vancouver’s Stanley Park Seawall.

The saltwater Kitsilano Pool is located at Vancouver’s Stanley Park Seawall, formerly known to the Coast Salish people as Skwa-yoos. The Kitsilano Pool opened in 1931, and was originally billed as North America’s Largest Swimming Pool, with the size of 660 by 200 feet and 2 by 8 feet deep, covering 2.3 acres, and containing 1.3 million liters of water. It was filled by tidal water from English Bay, where mud sharks, octopuses and other sea life were occasionally found. It was designed as a spot for bathers to swim during low tide, and had a sandy bottom until the 1960s, when it was filled with concrete. Over 5,000 swimmers arrived on opening day to experience the new oceanside swimming pool.

The Stanley Park Seawall is a popular running and biking route. On the beach you can watch people fishing, sitting on logs, laughing, chatting, playing music and waiting for the final glimpse of the sun in the late afternoon or early evening. My own senses have always been endowed with tantalizing aromas from Robsons Street’s cutting-edge restaurants, where many seafood entrees were caught that very day at the bay

And at Number Five (5), the graceful and culturally vibrant swimming pool at…

The Costa Baja Resort & Spa in La Paz, Mexico.

As the first 5-star resort in La Paz, Costa Baja Resort & Spa is just ten minutes from downtown La Paz, set on the Sea of Cortez, overlooking a 250-slip double-basin marina and a white sand beach. At the resort and spa, you’ll discover that Baja Lower California Peninsula is much more than the birthplace of fish tacos and hot dogueros, (the La Paz hot dog). You’ll also find margaritas, stronger cerveza, colorful homes, music and folkloric dance and citizens with a higher literacy level than the U.S. Sometimes it’s hard to take it all in with the sun setting on the glimmering Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau christened the world’s aquarium, with one of the planet’s most abundant ecosystems. But, remember to bring your bathing suit and scuba gear.

La Paz is dubbed The Peace, so not exactly sure why I was unable to notice any murders, rapists, drug cartels and some real mean hombres. Perhaps I was too busy reading that the national cuisine of Mexico was inscribed by UNESCO on their List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. I beg to wonder if any of the rapists, drug cartels and some of those real mean hombres, ever smuggled over the U.S border: corn, beans, tomatoes, avocados, squash, chili peppers, wild turkey hens for Thanksgiving, vanilla, or Cacao beans – you know, the bean which gave the world chocolate. Now, I’ve just stolen and revised a line from T-Boy restaurant critic, Audrey Hart, who recently wrote and revised from Adam Sandlers’ Chanukah Song: “And what do they all have in common? All Mexican!“

Yet, I struggle to understand why La Paz experiences only a fraction of the robbery, rape, assault and murder found in most US cities, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In fact, it’s so safe that the infamous drug cartel, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman made La Paz his hideout. And still I wonder, why is Mexico allowing reckless Americans into their country?

Number Four (4). The many swimming pools at…

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa at the Ka’anapali Beach Resort.

By taking a plunge at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa, you will be on your way to a journey through long channels of clear water, where you will swim under water falls, with the destination of a swim-up bar, or, should I say, a secret swim-down bar, hidden in a grotto.

The history of Ka’anapali Beach dates back nearly 250 years to the legend of the king of Maui – Kahekili II – who would demonstrate his bravery by diving 400 feet into the sea from a cliffside Black Rock. Kahekili would force his warriors to do the same; showing him that they were fearless, loyal and bold. The very same iconic Black Rock still stands at Ka’anapali Beach today. The feat is emulated once a day at five p.m., when a diver stands at the top of the rock, recites a Hawaiian chant, offers a torch and lei to the ocean, then leaps into the sea without making a splash. And, after a day of activities, there was no better way to enjoy a five p.m. cocktail hour while swimming and marveling at the man’s heroic dive. PR reps, take note of this brilliant marketing strategy.

Ka’anapali Beach Resort is the original master planned resort in the Hawaiian Islands, and has become the benchmark for all other self-contained resort destinations. Its diverse location can appeal to any kind of traveler when it comes to activities. Not only has it been rated as a top beach in the world, which lends itself to multiple water activities, but the mountains of Maui are behind the resort, also rich with things to do.

Hawaiian Regional Cuisine is available at all Ka’anapali Beach Resort restaurants, which continues to welcome global visitors and make them aware of the beauty of Polynesian culture through the amazing cuisine, which has changed the way the world prepares food, by mixing traditional and inclusive combinations of flavors from a variety of cultural influences.

I’ve always been impressed how Ka’anapali Beach Resorts embraced traditional Hawaiian history and culture; taught the world that it is possible to mix culture, recreation and community in a world-class setting. Ka’anapali Beach Resort, in Maui, is an exotic location with a unique eco-system and rich culture that you can experience without leaving the U.S.

Number Three (3) on the list is the swimming pool at Sun Valley Resort.

The swimming pool at Sun Valley Resort.

As I sat on the edge of the resort’s famous outdoor circular pool, it was so cold outside that I couldn’t see across the surface, due to the fog and steam. I began to contemplate if I would have noticed Ernst Hemingway if he was in the pool, before realizing he was probably pounding away on For Whom the Bell Tolls, in the Ernst Hemingway Suite at the Sun Valley Lodge.

In 1935, Austrian Count Felix Schaffgtosch was hired by Averell Harriman of Union Pacific Railroad to find the perfect location for a grand American resort. It should be noted that the U.S. diplomat Harriman helped seal the Lend-Lease deal between the U.S. and Great Britain in the early days of WWII. After fruitless months of searching the mountains of the west, the count became aware of Ketchum, a dying mining town in Central Idaho. He quickly made a sharp U-turn to Ketchum, and was overwhelmed by what he saw. He immediately wired Harriman with these words: This combines more delightful features than any place I have ever seen in Switzerland, Austria or the U.S. for a winter resort. Harriman rushed over to join him, and purchased 4,300 acres of what was to become Sun Valley Resort. Harriman was determined to build Sun Valley into a resort worthy of its majestic setting, which would include a timeless four-story mountain lodge, complete with a glass-enclosed pool, world-class cuisine, ice-skating rink, impeccable service and nightly orchestra performances. After seven months of construction, Sun Valley Resort opened in the winter of 1936. And the PR was nothing less than brilliant, where Harriman shrewdly marketed the resort to the Hollywood elite, in an effort to drum up publicity. Celebrities such as Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman and Clark Gable, were invited to enjoy the resort without spending a penny in their own pockets. The PR spread across the globe and Sun Valley became known as the place of the stars. Soon local wildlife was sharing the mountain with Hollywood royalty. And the resort wasn’t just for relaxation either, as world-class athletes used the mountain for Olympic training.

Ernst Hemingway, an avid hunter and fisherman, was overwhelmed by Sun Valley’s vast great outdoors, which he found both recreational and inspirational, and could also be enjoyed with solitude and anonymity; unlike the new breeds of celebrities today, where no form of anonymity is ever warranted.

And the selections continue with Number Two (2)…

The Engadin Scuol Health and in Bathing Center in Switzerland.

The Engadin Scuol Health and Bathing Center has developed into one of the world’s major health and wellness destinations.

As my eyes took in the spa’s holistic waters, surrounded by the Swiss Alps, it was easy to see that the quotation: A picture is worth a thousand words; an advertising slogan by Fred R. Barnard, was really true.

Scuol lies cradled between the peaks of the Silvretta range and the Engadin Dolomites. This holiday area has retained its native cultural values and natural surroundings.

But, before plunging into its holistic waters, stand warned: never jump into the pool’s spa waters before showering first. You’ll find that North Americans are considered to be somewhat dirty, and, if the staff notices you haven’t showered first, there’s a chance you’ll be issued a one-way ticket back to the Canadian provinces or U.S. states.

Plus, you might miss the historic 2½ hour-long Roman-Irish Bath, a blending of two ancient cultures. The Romans believed in the health benefits of steam baths of varying temperatures, while the ancient Celts enjoyed a combination of bathing in hot water, followed by dry air. This rejuvenating bathing tradition encompasses 10 different stations, beginning with an invigorating massage, and ending with a 30-minute nap with the Swiss Alps as a backdrop.

I’m not going out on a limb when I proclaim Switzerland to be one of the world’s most spectacular tourist destinations. Within an area roughly the size of the state of Maryland, there is such an abundance of awe-striking beauty, recreational activities and cultural attractions that the nation has become a Mecca for visitors of every age and nationality.

The varied Alpine world of the canton of Graubünden is brought within reach by a dense network of railways that offers journeys so scenic that many visitors can’t resist hanging their heads out train windows to bask in a world of lush valleys, sweeping mountain peaks, glacier-fed rivers and lakes. And it is in this spectacular Alpine valley region, where you can witness some of the wildest and most breathtaking landscapes on the globe.

And closes, with the Number One (1) favorite swimming pool in the world…

The Molino Stucky Hilton in Venice, Italy.

At first, it seemed strange that we would be staying at a Hilton property in Venice, but that was before my eyes set on the palatial Molino Stucky, a former flour mill that has been painstakingly refurbished into a swank hotel, but still very much in the Venetian character. While luxuriating by the roof top pool, with Venice’s unforgettable city skyline in the distance, it occurred to me that I was experiencing something that even a Doge in all his glory would find unimaginable.

Earlier, after charging through the congested streets of Venice, I somehow managed to reached the Bridge of Sighs, where the crowd had grown so thick that (ironically) I could barely look above the mandatory Venetian straw hats to get a glimpse of the famous window. Of course, this is the window which prisoners would pass and take their final view of Venice before their descent into the darkness of the dungeons. A petite woman, almost hidden in the crowd, asked me to take a photo of the window with her camera; for she could not see what it looked like outside. As I returned her camera, she politely smiled a thank you and disappeared before I could say goodbye. My own personal sigh illustrated that I needed a break from the sweltering hordes of tourists, and it was best to take a reprieve.

My cruise pass allowed me two days of lodging at the Molino Stucky Hilton, which not only included dips into Molino’s almost unimaginable terraced swimming pool, but trips to Stucky’s Rialto Bar & Lounge, which offered complimentary regional snacks, coffee and the Venetian mainstays of spritz, grappa and Prosecco. Both the rooftop pool and Stucky’s bar and lounge, proved to be a welcoming venue to relax and refresh. Plus, my batteries were soon recharged for a further exploration of Venice’s major attractions. This time, hopefully, with less heat and crowds.

Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 small islands, formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridge and remains the only functioning city in Europe in the 21st century where every form of transport is entirely on water or foot. Also the main public transportation means – motorized waterbuses (vaporetto) – which serve regular routes along the Grand Canal and between the city’s islands.

As a city built on water, Venice offers a strong relationship with its citizens in their natural element. So, one of the main activities for a Venetian in their leisure time is to be close to water. Most local people own a boat, either a sailing one, rowing one or with a motor. When summer arrives, everybody seems to take out their boats. There are also many traditional rowing or sailing boats, which were created from the local environment, that can be considered as a piece of art for their design and construction. Besides the great deal of rowing boats in Venice, the most famous one is the gondola, which is conducted in a standing position, something very unique to this city. Even the sailing boats have special shapes in both the hull and the sail, to be able to cross shallow waters.

To keep the boating tradition alive, there are many local associations, along with the City of Venice, organizing various events in the lagoon such as regattas, races, parades, etc. Many of the most important traditional feats, still celebrated in the city – Festa del Redentore, Festa de la Sensa, the Historic Regatta – take place on the water, offering citizens and visitors both sports and culture at the same time. In recent years, there has been an important movement entitled, the Vogalonga, a non-competitive race which started as a local protest against motor wave movements. It has become a worldwide appointment for all sorts of rowing boats. Motor wave movement is still a great issue inside the Lagoon of Venice because more and more people enjoy outdoor weekends between the island of the lagoon and at the sea, using motor boats with speed engines that erode salt marshes and damage the edges of the city.

And, the Molino Stucky Hilton in Venice will always remain in my heart, as well as the most essential stay at my favorite swimming pool destination in the world.

The post The Swimming Pools in My Life appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Ever heard of a Sgroppino? Well, it’s a lemon-flavored, creamy-smooth, frothy alcoholic beverage.

More a digestivo (digestive) or liquid dessert than an aperitivo (cocktail), the Sgroppino was created by the inventive and masterful Venetians back in the 16th century.

Sgropin, as it’s called in the Venetian dialect, means to untie a little knot – the kind one finds in his/her stomach following a rather large meal. Further away from La Serenissima it’s called a Sgroppino, or simply Sorbetto.

Made with milk-free lemon sorbetto (sorbet) and a bit of alcohol, the Sgroppino was served in aristocratic Venetian homes during dinner to cleanse the palate between the first and second courses – normally fish to meat – and to also help digest all that was consumed at the tail-end of the dinner. That tradition continues today, with a few minor twinks to the centuries-old recipe.

Today, the classic Sgroppino is made with lemon sorbetto, vodka and Prosecco sparkling wine. Variations include strawberry, grapefruit or mandarin sorbetto vice lemon, and, for some, a bit of limoncello (lemon liqueur), too.

 Here’s the recipe I’ve tested out at my place and my friends were quite impressed.

Step-1: Thaw-out the sorbetto to a creamy consistency then place in an aluminum mixing bowl and whisk lightly.

Step-2: Pour in the vodka, whisk lightly, followed by the Prosecco and whisk a bit more.

Step-3: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the mix in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.

Step-4: Dampen the glasses and place in the freezer to chill.

Step-5: Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and give the mix one final whisk to re-froth.

Step-6: Pour the mix into the pre-chilled glasses up to the top, garnish with a lemon wedge and some mint leaves, then serve.

The next time, or first time you find yourself in Venice, untie those knots by asking for a Sgroppino, during or after dinner. It’s the Venetian thing to do.

SALUTE!

View the list of travel recipes here.

View the list of past travel recipes at our old site here.

The post Sgroppino: Untying the Knot in Venice appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Most of us have been on a cruise ship, riverboat or barge; some good, some bad, and generally with a bit of overeating. We’ve asked the members of the T-Boy Society of Film, Music & Travel what were some of their cherished moments, or lack of, when traversing the world’s waterways.

Ringo Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

Chaplin’s “City Lights” Revisited

On a Mediterranean sailboat cruise, an older and heavily intoxicated British gent would approach me and demand I sit at his table. Due to the martini in his hand and strained attempts at a posh British Received Pronunciation, his words were incomprehensible, but I always enjoyed playing along. Later, in the daytime, I would often notice him and greet him with a warm hello. He had no recognition of me at all, and would meet my greeting with a sour grimace as if I had just escaped from a penal colony in Australia. Didn’t I see this in Chapin’s “City Lights”?

Susan Breslow – T-Boy Writer:

Don’t Fall in the Water

On Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe was a place called Water Wilderness, comprised of four houseboats and a lodge. My traveling companion Tony and I were brought there by motorboat, served tea and scones, and then instructed to take a canoe and choose a houseboat. “Try not to tip over,” advised the guide. “There are hippos in the center and crocodiles by the shore.”

Tony complained of not hiking after several days on safari in Land Rovers. “I’ll take you tomorrow,” the guide offered. Good to his word, he showed up bearing a long rifle and had bandolier ammunition belts strapped across his broad chest. They held the longest bullets I had ever seen. The day before, he had talked about what a conundrum it would be for him to decide whether or not to shoot if he were charged by an endangered rhinoceros.

As we motored to a nearby shore for the hike, my mind raced. What if I was charged? What if my legs gave out? What if I fainted? What if I were bitten by a tsetse fly? What if I fell in the water disembarking and a crocodile ate me?

The other hikers eagerly alighted from his vessel.

I burst into tears. The guide looked at me sympathetically.

“Do you want to go back to the houseboat?” he asked. I nodded.

He tossed his rifle to Tony and turned the motorboat around.

“Please, don’t cry,” the guide said kindly. “If someone stuck me in the middle of Times Square, I’d have the same reaction.”

Then Tony called from the shore: “What am I supposed to do if we get charged? Whack him with the butt of the gun?” Everyone laughed.

I spent the rest of the day on the deck of my houseboat, watching a herd of cape buffalo leisurely graze on the hills beyond. Tony, the guide, and our fellow travelers all returned safe.

Roy Endersby – Philosopher:

Regional Food on the Columbia River

The Empress of the North continues to make voyages along the Columbia, Willamette and Snake Rivers. My memories of this historic riverboat voyage; a voyage to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark expedition into the nation’s new Louisiana Purchase, still color my thoughts today. The history, sites and day trips were profound. But I was anxious to return to the dining room for the Empress offered something that is often not found on a cruise vessel: Regional Sourced Food. Menus included everything from Dungeness Crab Cakes Benedict, herb rubbed Ellensburg lamb and Tillamook cheddar cheese soup to smoked salmon, grilled halibut and scallops. You could quite literally taste the landscape and waterways.

Deb Roskamp – T-Boy Writer & Photographer:

Frolicking on a Tahitian Motu

Each port of call was better than the last as my ship glided through the waters of French Polynesia. One day – a day at sea – passengers were offered a luncheon on a motu. As we arrive at the island in Zodiac boats, the cooking staff was already in order with delicious Tahitian and French hybrid dishes waiting for us. To see fellow passengers frolicking around the beauty, food and merriment of the small motu was an experience I will never forget.

Audrey Hart – T-Boy Culinary Writer:

I charged off the vessel, and somehow managed to reached the Bridge of Sighs, where the crowd had grown so thick that (ironically) I could barely look above the men’s mandatory Venetian straw hats to get a glimpse of the famous window. Of course, this is the window which prisoners would pass and take their final view of Venice before their descent into the darkness of the dungeons. A petite woman, almost hidden in the crowd, asked me to take a photo of the window with her camera; so she could actually see what it looked like. As I returned her camera, she politely smiled a thanks and disappeared into the crowd. My own personal sigh illustrated that I needed a break from the sweltering hordes of tourists. Yes, Venice is Venice, and everyone must experience it once in their life. But I felt it best to take a break.

Problem solved. My cruise pass allowed me two days of accommodations at a hotel. I accessed a water taxi in the Grand Canal to my pre-planned cruise lodging at the Molino Stucky Hilton. At first, it seemed strange that I would be staying at a Hilton property in Venice, but that was before my eyes set on the palatial Molino Stucky, a former flour mill that has been painstakingly refurbished into a swank hotel, but still very much in the Venetian character. Luxuriating by the roof top pool, with Venice’s unforgettable city skyline in the distance, it occurred to me that I was experiencing something that even a Doge in all his glory would find unimaginable. Trips to the Molino Stucky’s Rialto Bar & Lounge offered complimentary regional snacks; coffee and the Venetian mainstays of spritz, grappa and Prosecco. Both the terraced pool and bar and lounge, proved to be a welcoming venue to relax and refresh. Plus, my batteries were soon recharged for a further exploration of Venice’s major attractions. This time, hopefully, with less heat and crowds.

Richard Carroll and Halina Kubalski – T-Boy Writers & Photographers:

Heartwarming Experience on a Cruise Ship

We danced our way across the Atlantic on a 10-day dance-themed crossing from Lisbon to Miami on the Crystal Serenity. The vision of sea and sky, the foamy wake trailing behind, and the ever-changing rhythms of the sky evoked a sense of freedom. The bad news of the world, if only for a moment, could be tucked away in the heels of our dancing shoes. Throughout the cruise we were dancing Salsa and West Coast Swing, and meeting most of the guests on the dance floor, some who had not danced in years but were having a great time.

Following a morning dance session, we would enjoy a casual lunch and Halina, born and raised in Warsaw, quickly became friends with three or four of the Polish waiters. They were excited to speak Polish with Halina, hovering around her, and our service was beyond special. Halfway through the crossing, Halina ordered PlackiZiemmiaczane, one of her favorite Polish dishes which is potato pancakes Polish-style, and it definitely was not listed on the menu. The plate arrived at table and the Polish waiters were silent and staring at one another. One of them in Polish said to Halina, “That is not the correct PlackiZiemmiaczane! The cook on duty is German” and” picking up the plate, “I’m going to the galley and will create the correct Polish PlackiZiemmiaczane.” Guests were staring, but he returned to the table with a steamy plate of PlackiZiemmiaczane, the Polish waiters all broadly smiling. Halina said in Polish, “What about the German cook?” They answered, “No problem, he’s a friend and the Executive Chef is not on duty.”

Then one morning the ship came to a dead stop in the middle of the Atlantic. Everyone rushed to the port side and below was a ragged group of sun-tinged would-be amateur sailors from Boston, near death. standing helplessly in their sailboat. They were far off course, lost in the vast sea for days without food or water. It was a heart-rendering experience to watch the Crystal Serenity lower boxes of food and water down the side of the ship to the sailboat, but no PlackiZiemmiaczane. Crewmen also boarded the sailboat to help them get back on course. Later, the Captain told us that it was a one-in-a-million chance for the ship to encounter the sailboat and if it had been dark they could have easily missed them altogether.

A day later Halina spotted a large double-rainbow from our balcony, and she was thinking it was a positive omen for the sailors on the sailboat. This dance crossing was a travel memory to savor.

Fyllis Hockman – T-Boy Writer:

Love That Drink

So I was just finishing my soup at dinner on a river cruise when I spied a waiter walking by with a bottle of Disaronno Amaretto. Oh, I love that drink I mumbled as he walked by. Without skipping a beat, he stopped and poured a hefty amount into my soup bowl and casually continued on. The recollection has brought a smile to my face for years!

Ed Boitano – T-Boy Editor:

Salty Food in Moscow, Aspirin on a Plane

My group of journalists returned to our cruise ship late at night after a delayed flight from Moscow. Starved and thirsty – yes, thirsty due to the highly salted Muscovite food we had consumed earlier – and well aware that it was too late for dinner and beverages on our ship. To our surprise, we found the vessel’s staff waiting for us with champagne and a lavish buffet, complete with smiles and applause.

Earlier in Moscow, my restaurant tablemates and I had poured down a bottle of champagne and liter of water with a vengeance. When we requested addition water, our Muscovite waiter politely informed us there was no more available. Welcome to the Russian Federation.

Previously, on the tarmac for the flight from St. Petersburg to Moscow, I climbed the stairs to enter the chaotically packed plane that was well past its prime. I flashed my ticket to the flight attendant, but she decided to snatch it away into her own hand. She pointed to my seat, and then opened my hand and returned the ticket into my palm, not forgetting to close it into a fist.

Yes, I thought I was ready for anything. But as I took my seat, I found the seatbelt was out of order and the back of the seat refused to stand straight. I realized it was useless to complain, but when another attendant passed by and gave me a hello, I took a chance, informing him that I had a headache of the splitting kind. A short minute later he returned with a glass of water on an elegant tray with two aspirins by its side. Spoiler alert: My headache disappeared and I enjoyed a fascinating day of exploration in Moscow, one of the world’s most remarkable cities; salty food or not.

The post Memories of a Cruise appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Welcome to the T-Boy Society of Film and Music’s latest poll, devoted to members’ top Bucket List destinations. To be honest, I thought our well-traveled group had been everywhere, and was delighted to read their informative selections, many of which I will add to my own list. Their selections were akin to Willie Mays naming his favorite baseball teams, Aristotle’s selection of most esteemed philosophers, and Frank Lloyd Wright choosing his top (non-Frank Lloyd Wright, that is) architectural wonders. As always, it was great fun, plus I learned a lot. I hope you feel the same way. So, here it is: the T-Boy Society of Film and Music’s most sought after Bucket List destinations. — EB

Ed Boitano – T-Boy editor:

• Provence, France – To walk the trails of Cézanne, Renoir, van Gogh and experience the intoxicating  light and colors where they, along with an array of other legendary Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, found inspiration.
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana & Idaho – To give thanks to Scotsman, John Muir,  “Father of the National Parks.”
• Iceland – Thingvellir is the home of Iceland’s annual parliament, dating back to the time of the Vikings, from 930 AD to 1798 AD. Now a National Park, the site marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Thingvellir represents the founding of Iceland as a nation, where its first parliamentary proceedings laid the groundwork for a common cultural heritage and national identity.
• Hadrian’s Wall, Northern England – The largest Roman archaeological feature in Britain, where you can walk along the adjoining 73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall Path.
• Calais, France – During the Hundred Years’ War, an eleven-month English siege trapped Calais’ starving citizens behind its fortified walls. A deal was struck where Calais’ most prominent six nobles would offer their lives to save those of the city. In 1889 Auguste Rodin created a bronze cast entitled The Burghers of Calais to commemorate the heroic event, emphasizing the pained expressions, anguish and fatalism of the six men about to be executed. There are eleven other casts and endless copies, but to see the first one among the people of Calais, with possibly the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance, must be something to behold.

Richard Carroll – T-Boy writer:

• Tel Aviv – A dynamic city with incredible dining opportunities, award-winning chef’s, and noted as the World’s Vegan Capital, has a growing wine industry, and a vital nightlife, Tel Aviv is a top destination on my Bucket List with the other four a close second.
• Buenos Aires – Passionate and alive and where border-to-border tango rules, the city sits on a tango C chord creating a feel-good destination where dancing lifts the spirits, and a guitar riff brings smiles all around.
• French canals and rivers – A barge cruise on French canals is the glorious opportunity to experience the beauty, history and antiquity of France via historic waterways that Napoleon constructed. Barging is an inside look at a country with beauty to share.
• Porto – A view city overlooking the Douro River with the historic center a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a Portuguese National Monument, is a step back to another era. The Douro Valley is brimming with wineries and wine tasting opportunities. I’ve also found that the Portuguese are among the world’s friendliest people along with Fiji, Ireland and Mexico.
• Santiago de Compostela – The northern Spanish city is the final destination of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage or the Way of St. James, dating to Medieval Times. Zona Vella or Old Town highlighted by the Cathedral which dates to the ninth century, is considered among the most beautiful buildings in Europe.

Brent Campbell – Musician and composer:

• Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia – Moscow to Vladivostok.
• Vietnam
• Former Soviet Republics – A driving trip through Eastern Europe, maybe start by taking overseas delivery of a new Audi in Germany.
• Remote South Pacific Islands – Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands.
• Mozambique

Richard Frisbie – T-Boy writer:

• Tahiti

As a voracious reader in my boyhood I consumed everything I could on the South Pacific, from Thor Heyerdahl to Robert Louis Stevenson. As a young teen I was hooked on the prurience of Gauguin’s voluptuous South Sea paintings. Later in life I found a new author that pinpointed Tahiti for me as my ultimate destination – Robert Dean Frisbie – my distant cousin. He was gassed in WWI. After the war ended, for medical reasons he decided to live, love, and write in the South Pacific. After moving to Tahiti in 1920 he established the South Seas News and Pictorial Syndicate and began sending stories back to the U.S. for publication. He sailed throughout Polynesia and sired many children, supplementing his disability pension with jobs for trading companies where he was sometimes the only white person on the island. He died the month after I was born. I’ve always wanted to go to Tahiti to see how much it has changed over the years, and look up some long lost Tahitian cousins.

His titles include:

• The Book of Puka-Puka (A Lone Trader on a South Sea Atoll) (1929)
• My Tahiti (1937)
• Mr. Moonlight’s Island (1939)
• The Island of Desire (The Story of a South Sea Trader) (1944)
• Amaru: A Romance of the South Seas (1945)
• Dawn Sails North (published posthumously in 1949)

Rourke – Musician & composer:

Destinations inspired by these movies:

• Champs-Élysées, Paris (Breathless)
• Havana, Cuba (Godfather 2)
• Ischia, Italy (Talented Mr. Ripley)
• Tokyo (Lost in Translation)
• Salzburg, Austria (Sound of Music)

James Boitano – T-Boy writer:

• Greenland
• French Polynesia 
• Portugal
• Newfoundland, Canada
• Cabo Verde, central Atlantic Ocean, Republic of Cabo Verde

Ringo Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

• Temple Mount Sifting Project, Old City of Jerusalem – An ancient  guarded complex, venerated as a holy site for the monotheistic religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. My dream: to participate in the Temple Mount Sifting Project where one collects buckets of earth, rinses with water and then hopefully discovers an artifact that might have important religious and archaeological significance.
• Montmartre, Paris – A return for a third visit, but this time to explore its rich history of struggling painters & writers, little working-class homes & windmills, cafes & cabarets, and Montmartre Cemetery &  Musée de Montmartre.
• Mississippi Delta – Robert Johnson and where it all began.
• The Philippines – To understand its culture and see the beauty of its 7,100 islands.
• New Zealand – Often on a group press trip, civilians will address our team with, What is your favorite place to travel? It is a question that I would ask. Many fellow journalist would enthusiastically reply, New Zealand! Then followed by descriptions of its diversity: rolling green hills, breathtaking fjords, temperate rainforests and an unique Māori culture all packed into an accessible 103,798 square miles.  And that is why this small island nation of 4.84 million people is on my Bucket List.  Plus, I’d like to shake hands with PM Jacinda Ardern.

Greg Aragon – T-Boy writer:

• A cruise down the Amazon River – The mighty Amazon is the largest river in the world by the amount of water discharged and the second longest river in the world. Since boyhood I have dreamed about taking a boat down this legendary waterway to explore and experience lush jungles and forests, fascinating local peoples, exotic animals such as piranha, pink dolphins, sloths, monkeys and giant snakes, and  more.
• The Great Pyramid of Giza – As the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex in Cairo, Egypt, the The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The incredible structure, built more than 4,500 years ago, stands nearly 500 ft tall. While here I can also get a glimpse of the Sphynx!
• The Summit of Mt. Kilaminjaro – It might be a pipe dream, but I’ve always wanted to climb to the 19,341-foot summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I know it would take an incredible amount of determination, preparation and training, but the long 9-day journey up to the very top of Africa is on my travel bucket list.
• An African Safari – Another African dream of mine is to take a real-life safari. I want to ride in a rugged four-wheeler and get up-close to elephants, lions, gorillas, rhinos, hippos and more. I want to sleep in a modern, mobile tent beneath the stars.
• A Cruise to Antarctica – A cruise to the ice-capped bottom of the world has always been a dream of mine. Here, in one of the most remote places on earth, I would love to cruise across the Drake Passage from the tip of South America to see penguins, killer whales and elephant seals in their natural, freezing habitat. I would love to sit aboard a ship and watch immense glaciers drift past in icy waters.

Jim Gordon – Co-host & co-producer Travel Guys TV:

• Berlin, Germany (must film there one day)
• Lake Como/Lombardy Region of Italy (you’ve got us there, Ed)
• Stockholm, Sweden (Copenhagen, Denmark would also be included on that trip)
• Warsaw, Poland
• Lake District of England/Wales (been near and at times all around these ones)

Tom Weber – T-Boy writer:

• Havana, Cuba
• Taj Mahal, Agra, India
• Petra, Jordan
• Etosha and Skeleton Coast, Namibia
• Okavango Delta, Botswana

Fyllis Hockman – T-Boy writer:

• Scandinavia – because I’ve never been and the fjords are calling to me.
• Another Safari – because I have been and it wasn’t enough.
• China – because my husband, after 10 trips (I’ve only been 4), wants to go back just one more time (but probably not now…).
• Wyoming – because it’s Wyoming.
• Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks – because everyone should at least once – and I haven’t.

Weave Cleveland – Cinematographer Travel Guys TV:

• A one week drive through Quebec’s Eastern Townships – In the ’80’s I spent a few days in a place called North Hatley, Quebec and I thought I was in the most enchanted place ever. There has to be more to experience there. It’s a must to explore further.
• Suriname – I was invited to come here and never embraced it. Now I am curious.
• Savannah, Georgia – Friends have told me to go to Charleston, SC, but after seeing Clint Eastwood’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, I have never stopped thinking about this destination. The architecture , the cuisine, I must go visit this town.
• Uruguay – I have learned that it has one the best standards of living on the planet. A very low unemployment rate. Plus I like soccer and they like soccer.
• Erie, Pennsylvania – Because I secretly have a crush on a girl there.

T. E. Mattox – T-Boy music critic:

• Machu Picchu – I have always been fascinated by the Incas and would love to make this trek. The mountain panoramas around these ruins are breathtaking.
• Aurora Borealis – The thought of exploring the Northern-most realms and experiencing the ‘lights’ has been a life-long desire since I learned of them. One day.
• Mississippi Blues Highway – This is my most personal destination. I’ve done it once, but traveling down Highway 61 from Memphis to New Orleans, there are so many back roads to take, juke joints and roadhouses to explore that it will require a much longer vacation next time. And there will be a next time!
• Yellowstone National Park – I want to see more of our country’s beauty before it disappears. At the rate protections are dissolving I’m afraid I may not have that chance.
• French Polynesia – Have you seen the photos? Snow white sandy beaches, palm trees forever and clear, sky blue water. Who doesn’t want to experience that?

Allan Smith – Artist & T-Boy writer:

• All the Standing Stones in Brittany (Bretagne) and Great Britain
• Loire River, on a luxury cruise ship, (if Covid ever disappears)
• Paris, again. (first visited in 1972)
• And, last, but not least, if I ever go to China again, the Karst formations in Guilin

Deb Roskamp – T-Boy photographer & writer: 

• Tanzania – Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar island, Swahili culture, the Maasai tribe… the names alone conjure up such vivid imagery!  Definitely at the top of my list.
• French Riviera – Do a house swap for a month to stay anywhere along the French Riviera and explore all the villages.
• Galapagos Islands, Ecuador – Cruise the Galapagos Island.
• McNeil River Game Sanctuary, North End of Alaska Peninsula – To see bears catching fish in the river.
• The Ahwahnee Hotel,  Yosemite Valley, California – Stay at the Ahwahnee Hotel for a week in the winter.

Raoul Pascual – T-Boy co-founder, illustrator and art director:

• Italy – Rome, Venice, Florence (with my wife who has never been). Set up a caricature booth in Florence.
• Japan – Tokyo, Kyoto,
• Alaska – cruise
• Bible Land Tour – put the climate, the smell, the culture, the people, the feel of the distances between landmarks to all my Biblical studies
• Cebu Islands, Philippines – supposed to be better beaches than Hawaii plus underwater caves and hiking trails – a lot cheaper too.
• Road trip across America with whole family
• Submarine adventure ala National Geographic
• Sky dive
• Watch the Olympic Games live
• A blimp ride over Los Angeles
• Visit the moon

Skip Kaltenheuser – T-Boy writer:

• Kashmir – Some places I’d like to go to are off-limits, at least to my sensibility, because of internal political strife or potential international conflict. And in this case, the tensions are between nuclear powers, Pakistan, India and China. I hope they find a way to work it out and the whole region becomes travel friendly, I’ve heard its beauty is awesome.
• Palestine – I’d like to explore all of the Palestinian territories, in part because I’d like to see what’s is being done with US complicity. Maybe there’s too many poison pills for a viable Palestinian nation to take shape, ideally all those lands would become part of Israel, with Palestinians getting full citizenship and legally solid property rights. Dim prospects, alas.
• Vietnam – Once the part of the world I most wanted to avoid. In my military draft lottery Nixon was close but no cigar, so I never really had to make the tough decision over what I’d do. I did continue efforts to keep others from going into that dreaded insanity, but I was in the clear. Now Vietnam ranks high on my wish list. It’s most recent impressive accomplishment involves minimizing Covid-19 impacts.
• Morocco – I’ve wanted to go ever since I saw the Crosby, Hope and Lamour movie Road to Morroco, and of course Casablanca.
• Nicaragua – Friends have recently raved about the Aqua resort on the Emerald Coast. My last time through the country was traveling overland to South America in ’75. In a hurry, I didn’t get a chance to give the countryside a close look amid the lingering chaos from an earthquake and the Somoza regime’s corruption. I’d like to give it another chance and catch the beauty I missed, including some of what’s underwater.
• Tierra del Fuego – A law prof always posed the problem what if your client gets screwed and the perp absconds to Tierra del Fuego, so it’s singed into my mind. I’d like to see how all those miscreants in exile are doing, and also travel a bit up nearby regions of Chile and Argentina, which share the island at the end of the world.
• Cuba – This quasi-forbidden fruit remains on my wish list. Its history and culture are fascinating and I’d like to see it overcome its problems, some of which the US has exacerbated, and explore it before it changes too much.
• Thailand – I’ve been fascinated by the mystery novels by John Burdett, starting with Bangkok 8,  that wander about Bangkok’s underbelly. They’ve wet my appetite to explore the whole country.
• New Zealand – How could one not want to explore a beautiful country that so obviously has its act together?
• More of Africa – I was privileged to travel large swaths of the continent. I’d like to see more, including of the cultural mix and the wildlife. I was only briefly in Zimbabwe, long ago, on the way to Zambia to raft the river. The desperation was very unsettling. I hear both countries have great wildlife potentials, I hope they can pull their act together and end the corruption destroying that potential and eating the countries’ future.
• Canada – So much of it left to see, including in its far reaches. I’ve done hell-hiking. This tin man would like to do heli-skiing while he can still find the oil can.
• A more leisurely return to the Balkans – Years ago I supervised or observed elections in Bosnia and Macedonia, and took note of the beauty. I’d like to see how they’re faring now in, I hope, more relaxed circumstances, and more of the region generally.
• Explorations of the locales for the well-researched, atmospheric WWII espionage novels of Alan Furst. Though they often overlap in occupied France, they branch out to the whole European theater of the war, and would be great starting points for travel perspectives.
• Other than travel with my now young adult kids, my favorite travel pursuits have always included festivals, particularly Carnival across different cultures. I look forward to continuing that exploration, when crowds no longer generate health worries. Until then, road trips are moving up the list.

The post Top Bucket List Destinations: T-Boy Society of Film and Music appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Photographs by Dennis Cox, text by Clark Norton

At a time when travel has come to a complete standstill, award-winning photographer Dennis Cox releases the perfect antidote for cruise-starved readers – a luscious, photography-laden look at all aspects of the worldwide cruise phenomena that defined the last decades. This retrospective of river, canal, sea, and ocean cruising – from small boat to large ship – presents the colorful history of our fascination with vacationing on the water. Whether you see this as a eulogy to the cruise industry or as a temporary diversion until you can again walk the decks of your favorite ships, “Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships” is just what the (travel) doctor ordered.

For years I wrote the port excursion tours for one of the largest resellers of cruises, so I know the tourist attractions in and around most port cities. I also know how many people can descend those gangplanks in each port. Often it was many times the number of people the infrastructure was designed to service. That leads to a conflict between residents and tourists that major destinations like Venice and Barcelona have been waging for years.

Combine that with the norovirus contagions of previous years and the current COVID-19 shipboard spread that had passengers and crew quarantined on board for weeks and months at a time, and you have a genuine fear of cruising building in the tourism sector. What’s a cruise industry to do?

Cruising is a $45 billion industry that helps support local economies. When COVID-19 locked down the cruise industry, popular destinations that depended heavily on visitor spending, sales taxes, and port fees, struggled to survive. The same destinations that once decried the thousands of day-trippers ruining their quality of life realized that it was the tourists bringing the money that helped to keep their local economy alive.

Citing stepped-up cleaning and sterilizing procedures in place, with self-service buffets and snacks closed, cruise lines have to hope tourists will return. But if one miss-step leaves tourists trapped onboard, dying in their floating petri dish, the cruise industry as we know it will likely sink.

With a few cruise lines now planning to restart itineraries in July, 2020, and others no later than 2021, local governments, businesses catering to tourism, even street vendors, have to wonder if the newly clean, uncongested, and quiet streets (and in the case of Venice – canals) they enjoyed when the tourists stayed home are worth giving up for the revenues generated. Perhaps a new balance – one that juggles a trashed destination’s engorged coffers with a citizen’s right to peacefully exist in their neighborhoods – could be realized.

This book “Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships” doesn’t address that dilemma directly, but it does, just by its very existence, offer a pleasant alternative to cruising. That in itself can be a partial solution. It can also be the fix needed by committed cruisers that can’t wait until next year for the full menu of cruise options beautifully illustrated on these 208 glossy pages. So this book is perfect for those who wish to travel vicariously, those who wish to explore all the cruise options available to them, and those just jonesing for their next cruise.

From Dennis Cox’s preface: “A cruise can last for minutes or months. It can be shared with thousands of other people or with just a few. It can be luxurious or bare bones. It can carry you to sunny beaches or to great cities, tiny villages, and exotic landscapes. The choice is yours.”

Whatever your choice, as soon as you see “Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships” you’ll want to pick it up and lose yourself in the splashy, colorful, and exotic cruise options and destinations.

This book has it all! Full and half-page color photos of everything from mega-ships with all the amenities for thousands of people, to duck boats and gondolas – along with descriptions of the places they’ll take you – fill these pages, wrapped by coherent and entertainingly descriptive text from award-winning cruise writer Clark Norton.

“Since 1970, the cruise industry has swelled from more than half a million passengers a year to more than 30 million annually – triple the growth rate of world tourism as a whole.” according to Clark Norton in the induction. “And to meet the demand, ships have gotten progressively bigger. Eleven cruise lines feature ships that can carry at least 2,200 passengers . . . and the five largest ocean-going vessels can now accommodate nearly 7000 passengers, resembling virtual floating resorts on the sea.” He goes on to compare them to the many luxurious small ships that can dock at lesser-known ports, even plying the scenic rivers and lakes of the world.

After his captivating introduction and a few dozen pages of historic overview, the book is arranged by region. It can be read cover-to-cover, or dipped into at random, always promising an engaging look at the industry and destinations you enjoy. If your interest is in a specific region, or type of cruise, the table of contents pinpoints it for your immediate pleasure. You don’t have to slog through Southeast Asia cruises if your interest is European River cruises – and vice versa. Just let your fingers do the walking to exactly what you are looking for. But don’t be surprised when the next eye-popping picture pulls you into a whole new section of the book – one you may find yourself enjoying even more!

Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships: ISBN 978-0-578-45960-8 – 208 page, 9.5” x 12” full-color hardcover coffee table book features 535 photos depicting 37 varieties of cruise vessels representing 77 countries on all seven continents. $40 – can be ordered here: Photo Explorer Productions

The post Travel Book Review: Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships appeared first on Traveling Archive.

• 9% of Americans have been on vacation without their partner and lied to them about it
• Main reasons are to go with friends, drink more heavily and to have a break from each other
• More than two fifths got found out by their partner; one in five broke up as a result
• One in ten Americans have cheated on their partner whilst on vacation

The study was undertaken by the team behind flight-comparison website www.us.jetcost.com, in which more than 4,100 people over the age of 18 were quizzed about previous vacations. All respondents revealed that they are – or have been – in a relationship during the past five years while they’ve travelled.

Respondents were initially quizzed on things that they do without their partner, and the most common things were found to be ‘going to a club/bar’ (76%), ‘shopping’ (63%) and ‘going to a sports match’ (54%). What’s more, one in 11 (9%) admitted that they have been on vacation without their other half and lied about it, of which 71% were male and 29% were female. The most common reasons were ‘wanting to go with friends’ (38%), ‘to drink more heavily’ (26%) and ‘to have a break from one other’ (14%).

The most common excuses used by those that lied about going on vacation were ‘to stay with family’ (40%), ‘going on a work trip’ (31%) and ‘to visit a friend’ (26%). Of those that lied, more than two fifths (43%) said that they had been found out by their other half, and one in five (20%) of these broke up with their partner as a result.

A further one in ten respondents (10%) said that they had cheated on their partner when on vacation, and shockingly of these, 5% did the deed whilst they were away with them.

Conversely, a number of Americans admitted that they had been on a vacation with their partner without telling other people, with 14% admitting to this feat. On this occasion, 76% of people who did this were women, and the rest men.

The most common people lied to were friends (53%), and the predominant reason was ‘because my friends had asked me to do something at the same time’ (47%).

Commenting on the findings of the study, a spokesperson for www.us.jetcost.com said:

“It’s not healthy to spend 100% of your time with your partner, but there really shouldn’t be any need to go to the extent of lying about going on vacation. They should understand if you want to go away without them, whether it’s with friends or for a bit of a break, and vice versa your friends should understand if you want to go away with your partner.”

2019’s Best Places for Oktoberfest Celebrations & Fun Facts

With Oktoberfest soon to kick off and the average flight from New York to Munich from mid-September to late-October costing $500-$1,000, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best Places for Oktoberfest Celebrations as well as accompanying videos, along with fun and interesting facts about the event in its Oktoberfest Facts – History, Beer, Food & More infographic. To determine the best cities for partaking in the epic German festival, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 24 key metrics, ranging from share of German population to number of beer gardens per capita to average price for Oktoberfest celebration ticket.

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-oktoberfest/24327/

Oktoberfest Fun Facts:

• $5,000: Estimated cost for an American to attend Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
• 1.98 Million: Gallons of beer consumed during Oktoberfest.
• 510,000+: Number of whole roast chickens eaten, plus 60,000 sausages and 59,000 pork knuckles.
• $1.43 Billion: Oktoberfest’s annual economic impact on Munich.
• $70,120: Median annual income for German-American households ($60,336 for all households).

To view the full infographic, please visit: https://wallethub.com/blog/oktoberfest-facts/24332/

A Letter to British Airlines from Traveling Boy’s Brom Wikstrom

Dear British Airlines,

My wife and I recently returned from a 13-hour flight from Stockholm, transferring in Heathrow and continuing home to Seattle. Flight B049. I seek clarification of issues that have caused us both a great deal of distress and hope that you can help.

I do have an extreme issue regarding our flight re-assignment.  When we made our reservations several months ago we clearly stated that our need for bulkhead seating was a medical necessity as I am a high-level quadriplegic and am 6’4” long. On a flight of this duration I am at risk of developing pressure sores and need to be able to shift my weight frequently to avoid a complication. In bulkhead seating this is not a problem as I can readily move my body forward to relieve the pressure.

Imagine our horror when checking in at Heathrow and being informed that our seats had been switched because someone was willing to pay an upcharge to secure our prearranged seats. We were informed that nothing could be done since the flight was full and overbooked. This was simply not true as the seat beside us and in front of us were unoccupied. With no alternative, I was tightly wedged into the fourth row aisle seat and completely unable to move my body forward, to the side or otherwise adjust my position. About the 7^th hour of our 10 hour flight I began to experience sharp chest pains that did not subside for the remainder of the flight (nor have they abated since after spending all of yesterday at the emergency room with x-rays, ct scans etc.). I may have sustained an attack of pleurisy, something I’ve never experienced. I thought I was having a cardiac arrest and that you might have had a corpse on your hands.

I also sustained a pressure sore on my posterior that will take some weeks to heal. We are angry, perplexed and confused that we were not informed of our impending reassignment and would have gladly paid the up-charge to maintain the seats we so carefully thought we had secured. We observed the people who had our seats and they were not mothers with children nor did they have any other visible need to be there.

I write travel articles for Travelingboy.com and my personal site bromwikstrom.com and seek to give travelers with disabilities insights and advice on how to make their journeys as safe and as memorable as possible. This has been a memorable journey for us for all the wrong reasons. You may inform me of the fine print in your travel contract that allowed you to change our seating assignment without notification.

I do not fault BA for the hour delay in departing Heathrow nor blame BA for the 2-hour delay in recovering our bags in Seattle. Your staff and crew were excellent hosts and exemplify the fine service we have come to expect from BA.

Regrettably, I will no longer be able to recommend British Air to my readers.

Sincerely yours

Brom Wikstrom

11 Endangered Bucket List Destinations (And How to Visit Them Responsibly)

Courtesy of Mariana Zapata, SmarterTravel

Climate change and overtourism make daily headlines now and are stark reminders that some of the most beautiful places in the world are at risk of disappearing. For many travelers, the natural response to this is “last chance tourism,” or a rush to see endangered places while they’re still here. But before writing obituaries for these endangered destinations, consider instead taking actionable steps before and during your trip to keep them from disappearing. Here are 11 at-risk destinations and what you can do to help preserve them.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Teeming with biodiversity, beauty, and Finding Nemo references, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most impressive natural wonders of the world. Sadly, climate change and irresponsible tourism have placed a strain on this natural wonder. About half of the reef is estimated to have died since 2016.

What you can do to help: Switch to reef-safe, oxybenzone-free sun care products.

Where to stay: Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort is secluded, peaceful, and on its way to being 100 percent sustainable by 2020.

Venice, Italy

The unfortunate poster child for overtourism, Venice struggles with pollution, overcrowding, and the mass exodus of its locals. It’s also slowly sinking. Fast and convenient water taxis are often the preferred mode of transportation for tourists in the city, but it’s these same water taxis that contribute to many of the issues facing this historic city. Moto Ondoso, or wake pollution, is an issue distinct to Venice in which waves corrode the city’s structure and put it at risk of sinking.

What you can do to help: Go the scenic route and walk or enjoy a gondola ride instead. 

Where to stay: Formerly a monastery, the 500-year-old Santa Chiara Hotel lets you experience the city like it was before the giant cruise ships came.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu survived the fall of the Inca Empire, but it might not survive tourists. After earning a well-deserved place as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the breathtaking archeological site continues to see an extreme surge in tourism. The groups that arrive en masse are not always at their best—leaving trash behind on the Inca Trail and even vandalizing stones. One detrimental behavior that even conscious travelers often engage in is not respecting marked trails. Stepping over the ugly rope seems harmless and gets you a better Instagram picture, but when millions of people do it, the effect is substantial.

What you can do to help: Stay within the marked paths to help preserve this wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or, consider visiting one of the similar but lesser-known “lost” Inca cities like Choquequirao instead.

Where to stay: An upscale ecological retreat far from the noise of Aguas Calientes and the commercialization of Cuzco, explora Valle Sagrado is committed to responsible tourism across the Sacred Valley and to Machu Picchu itself.

The Florida Everglades

Nicknamed the “River of Grass,” the Florida Everglades is a unique and largely underappreciated ecosystem. Having already lost almost nine of its 11 million acres, the Everglades is officially the most endangered national park in the United States.

What you can do to help: The most eco-friendly way to see the Everglades is a walk through the swamp. (Yes, a walk.) Photographer Clyde Butcher offers guided swamp walks that will have you wading waist-deep in the water. If you’re not ready to get so close to nature, a minimal-impact airboat tour might be your best bet. 

Where to stay: The locally-owned Ivey House is a stone’s throw away from the Everglades’ wilderness

The Amazon

Spanning nine countries, the Amazon rainforest contains unimaginable biodiversity and hundreds of indigenous communities. But massive deforestation in the name of cattle ranching and mining is assailing the “lungs of the world,” threatening not just the Amazon but the health of the planet as a whole.

What you can do to help: When you visit the Amazon, choose a tour company that supports local communities most directly affected by the deforestation. Gondwana Ecotours, for example, works with indigenous communities to help them preserve their autonomy and customs. It also offers a carbon offset program for your flight to Ecuador.

Where to stay: Enjoy comfort in the heart of the jungle at Kapawi Ecolodge. 

Antarctica

Though one of the most remote places on earth, Antarctica is on the front lines of the effects of climate change. Ice is melting at an alarming rate, and overfishing of krill threatens the region’s entire food chain.

What you can do to help: You should endeavor to have as little impact as possible when you visit, and one of the best ways to do this is to go cozy rather than big when choosing a cruise ship. Smaller ships have a smaller carbon footprint and produce less waste; they also allow you more time on land, since only 100 people are allowed on shore at any given time. On bigger ships, you’ll have to wait your turn. 

Where to stay: Though you’ll spend most of your nights on board, One Ocean offers on-shore camping options for travelers. They also use their vessels to help conduct scientific research. 

Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia

While in Borneo, you’ll probably want to take in the beaches, hike Mount Kinabalu, and trek through the forest. In the past 30 years, the Bornean forest has been reduced by a third due to legal and illegal logging and palm oil plantations. The good news is that this is one example where visiting this endangered natural habitat can actually help the situation.

What you can do to help: Activists argue that spending money on park fees and sustainable tours will convince the government that preserving the forest is good for business, prompting leadership to support conservation efforts rather than the exploitation of the forest. 

Where to stay: Borneo Rainforest Lodge provides a five-star eco experience right in the middle of the rainforest. 

Big Sur, California

The extreme and somewhat unforgiving geographical conditions of Big Sur are also what makes it so breathtaking. The area has always been prone to heavy rainfall and landslides, but as climate change worsens, so do these natural catastrophes. To the dismay of lovers of dramatic landscapes and bohemian history, the scenic drive through Big Sur might not be possible in the future.

What you can do to help: Rent a hybrid or electric car for your road trip. The impact might seem miniscule, but if every one of the five million annual visitors who pass through Big Sur did this, it’d be anything but. 

Where to stay: Get scenic ocean and mountain views at the locally owned Post Ranch Inn.

The Alps

Global warming strikes yet again, and this time the victims are the iconic ice caps of the Alps. With rising temperatures, ice throughout this European mountain range is melting. Since many towns around the Alps depend economically on winter sport tourism, they are resorting to covering the snow with blankets and overusing snowmaking machines. The problem is that these machines contribute to global warming, and trap the towns in a vicious cycle of trying to preserve their livelihood in a way that contributes to its destruction.

What you can do to help: Enjoy the beauty of the Alps in summer. You’ll get lower prices and also help tip the balance towards activities that don’t depend on manmade snow.

Where to stay: The Austrian town of Werfenweng is leading efforts toward sustainable tourism in the Alps with carbon-neutral vacation offerings. Stay at Hochhausl Pension to support these efforts; the views aren’t too bad either.

The Great Wall of China

One of ancient humanity’s greatest accomplishments is endangered, in part, because people won’t stop tearing it apart. Whether to build other structures or to sell bits and pieces as souvenirs, locals are stealing parts of the wall and tourists are more than happy to buy them. The situation is so dire that almost a third of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty is gone.

What you can do to help: This one’s pretty obvious. Don’t buy parts of the wall.

Where to stay: Stay at Brickyard Retreat at Mutianyu Great Wall to escape being rushed through the most frequented parts of the wall. 

The Galapagos

If you visit the Galapagos today, you’ll still be able to see around 95 percent of the species Charles Darwin saw. However, scientists warn that if tourism continues to grow at its current rate, that might not be the case for long.

What you can do to help: Besides practicing common sustainable tourism practices like not feeding wild animals and staying within marked paths, you can also watch what you eat while traveling around the Galapagos. Overfishing and illegal fishing are endangering species like sea cucumbers, lobsters, and sharks. Avoid eating these and try to find restaurants that buy from artisanal fishers. If you’re really craving lobster, the WWF recommends buying it live rather than going for the tail. Doing this can increase the price, which raises profits and lowers demands on fishermen. 

Where to stay: Many people travel through the Galapagos on boat, but land travel is a great way to interact with the local community. Stay at locally owned Galapagos Eco Friendly for a relaxed, no-frills experience.

The Middle Seat Is About to Get Wider on Some Planes

(CNN) — It is a truth universally acknowledged that middle seats on airplanes are the worst.Being awkwardly sandwiched in between two people while fighting for elbow room is the bane of most passengers. Now a new design might actually make people want the middle seat — or at least make the travel experience less miserable. The S1 design from the Colorado-based startup, Molon Labe Seating, features three economy seats in a staggered layout, putting the middle seat slightly behind the aisle and window seats, and at a slightly lower height.

Sitting directly adjacent to two people means that passengers only have so much shoulder room. But moving the middle seat back a few inches allows for more space, so the company made the middle seat about three to five inches wider than the standard 18 inch seat.

“That little bit of stagger means that every single person gets to spread out a little more,” Hank Scott, the founder and CEO of Molon Labe Seating, told CNN.

Passengers won’t have to fight over elbow space either. The armrests are also built so that they are not a uniform height from front to back. They will allow the aisle and window passengers to rest their elbows on the front of the armrest while leaving space at the back, which is lower, for the middle passenger.

“No seats are any smaller, one seat ends up being wider, and we’ve solved the elbow wars,” Scott said.

The seats are intended for shorter, domestic flights, though the company is developing a version for longer flights that include more padding and larger TV screens.

So when can passengers test out these seats for themselves?

The seats were certified by the Federal Aviation Administration last month, and are being manufactured by Primus Aerospace in Colorado. Scott said that he expected they would be available on two airlines by April or May of 2020. Though he could not disclose which airlines would feature the seats, he said one of them is based in North America.

It’s not just passengers who will be happier with the new arrangement, Scott said. The seats are lighter than standard airline seats, which could help cut down on fuel costs.

“For an airline, it’s kind of a no-brainer,” he said.

The S1 seats won’t fix everything about flying — the seats don’t recline or offer any more legroom. And that’s not to mention the food, the chatty passengers, the inefficient boarding and de-boarding processes … and the list goes on.

“It’s still going to suck,” Scott said. “Now it’s going to suck less.”

The post Americans on Vacation, An Open Letter appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Welcome to UNTOURS, a wonderful well-kept secret that may change your concept of travel forever.  The program offers tourists a unique opportunity to not be tourists. Serving more than two dozen European countries, Untours inundates you with information, puts you up in unusual accommodations, provides whatever transportation is necessary to get around and voila! You are a local. (Yes, that works as well in Italian as it does in French…)

We were learning about our neighborhood, but on our terms. Rise early or sleep in. Sightsee or stroll around town. Cook in or eat out. And whatever the choice, we returned to our apartment, a much roomier and warmer ambiance than any hotel would provide. The orientation told us where to get the best produce, meat, fish, pastries, and of course, wine and gelato, the afore-mentioned shop which just coincidentally was directly next door to our apartment.

Our favorite local discovery? The Filler-Up Wine Shop. Bring in any empty bottle and fill it with the wine of your choice for $2.50-$4.00 a bottle – less than you would pay for a glass at a local trattoria. What a terrific way to recycle empty water bottles!

We stayed at a small but cozy 2-story apartment with a full kitchen, lovely balcony and wood-beam ceilings. First it just felt homey – then it was home.  The fact that it was built in the 1700’s was just a bonus. The building across the alley was so close I could reach across the balcony guard rail and tap on their window.

But then everything in Venice is in tight quarters. Venice is an old city – it looks old – sometimes very old. The water-logged foundations date back to the 11^th century; the newer building facades are as recent as the 15^th.  So many buildings stripped of paint and plaster on both sides of a small alleyway, I expected them to crumble before my eyes until I reminded myself they have looked pretty much the same for over 500 years.

Going from the crowded parking lot area with throngs of cars, buses and vans – the last vestiges of the auto industry I was to see for a week – I was transformed into another world filled instead with canals, gondolas, water buses, cobbled streets, alleyways, bridges and cafes.  Picture everything that makes any city run – buses, taxis, fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, postal services, Fedex deliveries, garbage pick-ups – but they’re all boats! And the city still runs.

Expect to get lost. And thank goodness because that is the best way to explore the city and find those gems that are not part of the major tourist itineraries.

Among those gems is Pinocchio Island, home to a local Geppetto whose real name is Roberto Comin, maker of magical marionettes. These brilliant little string creatures represented all aspects of Venetian historical and theatrical culture lovingly produced by Comin for 25 years in a workshop over 350 years old.  Requests now come in for characters from Shakespeare to Cleopatra and yes, a Johnny Depp look-alike that was given to the actor for his birthday. The costumes rival the intricacy and elegance of any Medici gown or regal accessory. Want a marionette dopple-ganger of yourself?  It’s doable but it’ll cost you about $600.

Another unusual find, especially surprising in such a Catholic city, home to well over 100 churches, is a small square that is actually referred to as Ghetto Campo de Nova where there are five synagogues, several kosher restaurants and residents sporting traditional Jewish skull caps known as yarmulkes. The kosher menus include antipasto and spaghetti as well as bagels and potato latkes. Talk about an ecumenical meal! With a little imagination, and a lot of Manischewitz wine, you could be in Israel!

Getting lost is a given – did I mention that?  People spend as much time looking up at the signs designating different sections, squares and churches of the city as they do looking down at maps, phones and GPS’s. My favorite response from a young street vendor: “Go right, over the next bridge, then ask someone else.” And then when you don’t think things can get any worse, you see the sign you’ve been searching for and it points in both directions. I thought about giving up and going home but I had no clue how to get there.

We wandered everywhere, sitting at cafes to eat or drink wine, always aware of how little English we heard – again reinforcing the idea of living like a local. And the more we wandered, the more enjoyable the discoveries: a delightful mask store, street musicians in jeans playing Vivaldi, an out-of-the-way Leonardo DaVinci Museum.

Not every stop in Venice is off-the-beaten-path. There’s  the de rigueur visit to Piazza San Marco, a World Heritage site and symbol of Venice. Like the Spanish Steps in Rome and the Uffizi in Florence, it’s the symbol of the city. So if you want to avoid tourists, don’t go there – especially not on a weekend. But part of the reason they’re there are the pigeons. Now in my unfiltered 19-year-old memory, the square was covered with them. Decades later, my first thought was, “Where are all the pigeons?” Then I saw them. “Oh yes, over there by that guy with all the bird food.”

As we took the vaporetto to the island of Murano, we left the canals behind and felt the freedom of open waters as we entered the lagoon surrounding the city. Murano, world famous for its glass figurines, jewelry and home décor since the 11^th Century, is a must destination if  you want to be absolutely sure you’re buying Murano glass  and not a knock-off. A visit to the factory offers insight into how the glass is made, the colors created, the intricacies of the designs and the skills of the master glass blowers. Makes you better appreciate the high prices you then encounter in the gift shops…sort of….

I was amazed at the intricate convoluted shapes in colors so vibrant and translucent that the light passing through intensifies the whole experience. I wanted to decorate my whole house with cups, vases, dishes and elaborately designed decorative pieces but I settled for a pair of earrings.

As we exited another vaporetto at Lido, the beachfront community, we were transported to another era. That of a modern beach town hawking flip flops, beach toys and sunglasses. And then I saw a bus! One with actual wheels. Dorothy, you’re not in Venice anymore!

Wide sand beach with crowded umbrellas and chaise lounges on one side and isolated blankets on the other. Large elegant hotels front the tree-laden boulevards with greenery everywhere, a color sorely lacking in the squares and alleyways of Venice.  It was a fun diversion but I was so happy to get back home, pick up some Branzini from the fish market in Santa Margherita Square plus a water bottle full of wine from the Filler-Up shop, and dine out on our balcony.

Perhaps, that’s the essence of the Untours experience. There’s something more special about discovering such treasures on your own than being herded there as part of a group, according to a pre-determined time schedule that dictates how long you can spend looking before it hurries you through because the bus – in this case, one on water – is leaving to go to the next stop.

It was so much nicer just to pick up some fresh fish, wave to shopkeepers we had befriended and return home to sit on our porch, sip yet another glass of wine and savor our most recent exploits. And feel reassured that no one has ever been irretrievably lost in Venice, but if so – how lucky for them. They’re still there!

For more information, visit www.untours.com.

The post Exploring Venice: Lost and Found. And Special Finds. Repeat. appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Captain Belinda Bennett Awarded Merchant Navy Medal

The U.K. Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service has been presented to Captain Belinda Bennett of Windstar Cruises, as “the first black female captain in the commercial cruise industry.”

Bennett was given the award for services to the promotion of the maritime sector under the auspices of the U.K. Department for Transport and Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne presented the Merchant Navy Medal honor, earned by those “who have gone above and beyond in their service to the maritime industry,” earlier this month at Trinity House in London.

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Q) Name the first Ringo Starr composition to appear on a Beatle LP?

Scroll down for the answers

Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after organizing a protest at an alt–right Neo-Nazi rally in South Dakota.

You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog. – Harry S. Truman

MORE Dog Quotations

Check Out the Latest Inflight Meal Reviews!

Courtesy Nik Loukas,  Inflight Feed 

InFlight Feed an airline food information website for passengers that also features a blog of the inflight meal experiences of Nik Loukas on his various trips around the globe. Inflight Feed has been giving passengers information on over 150 airlines worldwide since 2012,  telling them how to order special meals, find out what food might be for sale inflight, how to upgrade your inflight meal and general inflight meal information.

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15 Surprising Things TSA Allows Past Airport Checkpoints

By Benet Wilson

Some items — like guns (real or replica), large scissors and flammable liquids — are never allowed. But the agency continues to make changes when it comes to what can get past the checkpoint.

Below are 15 surprise items you can actually take past the checkpoint. But in case you still have questions, you can take a photo of the item and send it to either AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or via Twitter. Staff are online with answers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET during the week and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays

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10 Most Misleading Travel Terms

Courtesy Jamie Ditaranto, SmarterTravel

If you spend enough time comparing hotels, flights, and tours, you’ll eventually realize that many words have very little meaning in the travel industry. You might think that there would be some sort of common agreement on travel terms across hotels that would define what makes a suite a suite or a deluxe room better than a standard room, but no such agreements exist. Travelers are often surprised to find that what they booked is not quite what they expected.

Here are some travel hype words you should take lightly, and that might even signal you should do a little more research.

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10 of the World’s Craziest Landings

Courtesy Ashley Rossi

These 10 airports have some of the craziest landings in the world. Fretful flyers, you’ve been warned.

Flying can be a nerve-racking experience for fretful travelers; however, landings at these 10 airports are sure to frighten even the most frequent flyers. From an airport at the edge of a cliff to sandy beach landings, here are the world’s craziest runways — consider yourself warned.

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Beatle Beat Trivia Answers

Q) Name the first Ringo Starr composition to appear on a Beatle LP?

A) Don’t Pass Me By on the 1968 LP The Beatles (know by many fans as the The White Album).

Ringo is credited with two compositions recorded by the Beatles: Don’t Pass Me By, a black comedy quasi Cajun/country folk song (with a bit of swing) on The Beatles/White Album (1968), and the nautically themed Octopus’s Garden, from Abbey Rd (1969). Ringo co-wrote What Goes On, another country track, with John and Paul, which was on side 2 of Rubber Soul (1965), and also received a co-writing credit with the other three Beatles for the psychedelic instrumental, Flying.

Flying was the only instrumental the Beatles officially released during their career. It was recorded for the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack in 1968. (Pop Trivia fact: MMT was released as a double EP in the UK in 1968, but as an album by Capitol in the U.S. Parlophone later realized that it had mileage as an album and copied the U.S. strategy.)

Contrary to common belief, Ringo didn’t write Yellow Submarine, although he sang the lead vocal. Ringo would usually average one vocal per album. Other songs sung by Ringo on Beatles recordings were Boys (an EP inclusion of a cover version of a Shirelles song written by Dixon/Farrell), Act Naturally, a cover of a song by Russell/Morrison included on Help! in 1965, I Wanna Be Your Man (a 1963 song written for the Stones), Matchbox (rockabilly cover song), Honey Don’t (country rock cover), With A Little Help From My Friends (Lennon/McCartney song 2 on Sgt Pepper (1967), Good Night (Lennon/McCartney, counter intuitively mainly Lennon) from 1968 – The Beatles/White Album.

Another song, If You’ve Got Trouble, was written for Ringo to sing on Help!, but although recorded, it wasn’t released. It was replaced by Act Naturally. Later, If You’ve Got Trouble appeared on Anthology 2.

In total, Ringo sang lead vocal on 11 Beatle songs. You may be interested to know that there were 4 Beatle songs where McCartney played drums:

Back In The USSR
Dear Prudence
Martha My Dear (Ringo had temporarily left the Beatles as he was fed up with all the studio squabbling)
The Ballad of John & Yoko (Both George and Ringo were on holiday)

Courtesy of Gerry Parker

Venice Bans Cruise Ships from City Center

Courtesy Daniel McCarthy, Travel Market Report

An Italian governmental committee has voted to ban large cruise ships from the water in front of Venice’s St. Mark’s Square.

The vote, which was made after years of protests and petitions from locals, bans all ships weighing more than 55,000 tons from the city’s Giudecca Canal.

This means that all ships from Carnival Cruise Line, all from Royal Caribbean aside from Empress of the Seas, and all from Norwegian Cruise Line will be banned from the canal.

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Hometown Heroes: Iconic Foods from Around the World

Courtesy Polly Byles, Lonely Planet

Every city around the world has a local food culture that embodies the unique essence of the place. While some have become iconic on the global stage – think Philadelphia’s Philly cheesesteak or Tokyo’s renowned ramen – others remain under the radar, tucked away in a backstreet trattoria or hidden in the pages of grandma’s secret recipe book.

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8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Air pollution does a lot more than cause canceled or postponed vacations — it kills millions of people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the worst places for air pollution are also home to bucket-list-worthy sights. But missing them might be the least of your problems if smog ramps up during your visit: Symptoms of air pollution sickness include nausea, coughing, headache, itchy eyes — and air pollution can cause long-term breathing problems.

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of travelers every day, but the city it’s in is one of the worst in the world for air pollution. Smog in Agra can cut visibility so dramatically that you can’t see much more than an outline of the giant tomb, and visitors who don’t cancel their trip during a period of heavy smog can be seen wearing face masks to visit.

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Burping Is Good Manners & 25 Other Global Etiquette Surprises

Courtesy The Daily Meal Staff

In Italy, Never Order A Cappuccino After A Meal

When you’re dining the Italian way, be sure to order an espresso or a coffee after a meal. Do not order a cappuccino, as Italians believe milk beverages slow down digestion.

MORE Global Etiquette Surprises

In First Lady’s Hometown in Slovenia, the Business Is Melania

Courtesy The New York Times

Melania cake. Melania cream. Melania wine. Melania tea. Melania slippers. Melania salami. Melania chocolate-coated apple slices. There are few products that the enterprising burghers of Sevnica, a small, rural Slovenian town where Melania Trump spent her formative years, have not sought to brand in honor of the first lady of the United States.

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Countries Difficult for Americans to Visit

In spite of broad generalizations that Americans have no interest in leaving their own borders, US citizens are traveling abroad in record numbers. According to the US National Tourism Office, nearly 67 million Americans chose to take an international trip in 2016. The world may be our oyster, but some countries impose harsh visa requirements that may hinder American tourism.

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October

By Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall

Send Deb your favorite travel poems

Time Capsule Cinema

Polanski’s “Cul-de-Sac”

By Walt Mundkowsky

By this viewer’s idiosyncratic standards, Cul-de-Sac (1966) is Roman Polanski’s sole brush with greatness, and the only feature to keep faith with the surrealist metaphors and perceptions of his celebrated short films. It’s his most bizarrely funny, as well as his most serious work.

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The post Captain Belinda Bennett, Beatle Beat Trivia appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The U.K. Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service has been presented to Captain Belinda Bennett of Windstar Cruises, as “the first black female captain in the commercial cruise industry.”

Bennett was given the award for services to the promotion of the maritime sector under the auspices of the U.K. Department for Transport and Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne presented the Merchant Navy Medal honor, earned by those “who have gone above and beyond in their service to the maritime industry,” earlier this month at Trinity House in London.

First established in 2016, the awards marks the crucial contribution that members of the Merchant Navy make to maritime safety, seafarer welfare, training and the wider blue economy. Bennett is the second person at Windstar to receive the medal.

“It is an absolute honor to receive this medal. I hope that young people around the world will follow in my footsteps with hard work and dedication. I have to thank my family, friends and work colleagues for their support over the years, and every day we continue to learn. My career at sea has allowed me to see much of the world and its cultures of which I am thankful. This medal may be awarded to me but it belongs to all who have supported me over the last 24 years at sea,” said Bennett.

Bennett has been with Windstar Cruises for more than 13 years. In January 2016, she was named Master of MSY Wind Star, a four-masted sailing ship accommodating 148 guests, 101 crew, with four decks and a gross tonnage of 5,307 GRT.

Hailing originally from one of the most remote islands in the world, St. Helena – a part of the British Overseas Territory, Bennett became immersed with life at sea, having started as a deck cadet at age 17 on her home island ship the RMS St. Helena – a cargo ship that transports vital supplies to the remote island from the African coast. Just four years later, she had climbed the ranks to Third Officer and ultimately stayed on board for an additional five years, until departing in 2003 as second officer. Following a brief stretch as chief officer for private charter yacht SS Delphine, and Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries, Bennett joined Windstar Cruises as Second Officer at the Port of Monaco in September 2005. Bennett has worked on a variety of Windstar ships over her 13-year career progressing to chief officer and now captain with the small ship line.

“We are beyond proud of Captain Bennett not only for what she represents to the cruise industry but also her determination and perseverance in the very competitive and vital maritime industry. Belinda is a great role model for our junior officers and cadets. We are happy for her success and the inspiration that is to be gained by her story,” said Windstar Vice President of Operations Christopher Prelog.

Venice Bans Cruise Ships from City Center

Courtesy Daniel McCarthy, Travel Market Report

An Italian governmental committee has voted to ban large cruise ships from the water in front of Venice’s St. Mark’s Square.

The vote, which was made after years of protests and petitions from locals, bans all ships weighing more than 55,000 tons from the city’s Giudecca Canal.

This means that all ships from Carnival Cruise Line, all from Royal Caribbean aside from Empress of the Seas, and all from Norwegian Cruise Line will be banned from the canal.

Those ships will now be forced to dock at the industrial port of Marghera, located just northwest of Venice.

The changes will reportedly take about four years to implement.

The Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, said that the decision found the right balance between combating a city increasingly overcrowded with tourists and keeping the positive impact of cruising alive in the city’s economy.

“We want it to be clear to UNESCO and to the world that we have a solution,” he said.

Over 30 million people go to Venice each year to experience its historic canals and famous city sites, but UNESCO has warned that if steps are not taken to limit damage to the city, Venice could be placed on the organization’s list of endangered heritage sites.

The post Captain Belinda Bennett, Venice Bans Cruise Ships appeared first on Traveling Archive.

1. Question: What are some of the “things” or activities that the people of Venice do for fun?

Answer:

Venice is a city built on water, which offers a strong relationship with its citizens in their natural element. So, one of the main activities for a Venetian in their leisure time is to be close to water. Most local people own a boat, either a rowing boat or a motor boat. When the good season arrives, everybody takes out their boats. There are a lot of traditional rowing or sailing boats belonging to the local environment that can be considered as a sort of “piece of art” for the number of skills and knowledge needed for their design and construction. Besides the great  deal of rowing boats in Venice, the most famous one is the gondola, which are conducted in a standing position, something very unique of this city. Even the sailing boats have special shapes in both, the hull and the sail, to be able to cross shallow waters. To keep this tradition alive, there’s many local associations, along with the City of Venice, organizing various events in the lagoon such as regattas, races, parades, etc. Many of the most important traditional feats, still celebrated in the city – Festa del Redentore, Festa de la Sensa, the Historic Regatta – takes place on the water offering citizens and visitors sports and culture at the same time. In more recent years, there had been an important movement entitled, the Vogalonga, a non-competitive race which started as a local protest against motor wave movements. It has become a worldwide appointment for all sorts of rowing boats. Motor wave movement is still a great issue inside the lagoon of Venice because more and more people enjoy outdoor week-ends between the island of the lagoon and at the sea, using motor boats with speed engines that erode salt marshes and hurt the edges of the city.

Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 small islands, formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridges. Venice remain the only functioning city in Europe in the 21st century where every form of transport is entirely on water or foot. Also the main public transportation means – motorized waterbuses (vaporetto) – which serve regular routes along the Grand Canal and between the city’s islands.

2. Question: What’s one thing the public probably does NOT know about Venice?

Answer:

Venice is Europe’s largest urban car-free area.  I would like to talk about the role that Venice have had in past as a maritime power of the sea.

“If you see the Grand Turk, talk to him in Venetian.”  This invitation, which today seems unusual to us, was a common motto in Istanbul during the sixteenth century, where not only Italian diplomats and interpreters could freely communicate with the Sultan in the language of Venice.  In short, the Venetian language was the English of the Mediterranean Sea. The reason is that between the Middle Ages and the modern age, the progressive affirmation of the ‘Serenissimo’ (Byzantine name for Venice) in the eastern Mediterranean had been responsible for an unprecedented spread of the Venetian language, which was understood, spoken and written not only in the colonies directly administered by Venice (like Zadar, the Ionian islands and Crete), but also in the surrounding territories, such as areas controlled by the Ottoman enemy. Throughout the Levant (geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean), Venetian circulated as an international language of navigation, commercial exchanges and even diplomacy. On the one hand, the numerous documents preserved in the Venice Archives and in many other archives of Mediterranean countries bear witness to this; on the other hand, the many words of Venetian origin passed to the Croatian, Albanian, Greek, Arabic and Turkish. In more recent times, one specific Venetian word, among others, was able to become a sort of international passepartout (providing a universal means of passage), globally understood. The word “ciao” derives from the Venetian phrase s-ciào vostro or s-ciào, literally meaning “I am your slave. This greeting is analogous to the medieval Latin Servus which is still used colloquially in parts of Central/Eastern Europe. The expression was not a literal statement of fact, but mostly it meant “at your service”. This greeting was eventually shortened to ciào, lost all its servile connotations and came to be used as an informal salutation by speakers of all classes. The Venetian ciao was adopted by Northern Italians during the late 19th and early 20th century. Later it became common elsewhere in Italy with the spelling ciao. It has since spread to many countries in Europe, along with other items of the Italian culture and later even in the Americas, largely by way of Italian immigrants.

3. Question: Share some aspect of what Venice has contributed to the world.

Answer:

Being a powerful maritime empire, Venice has contributed greatly in terms exchanges of knowledge and goods between East and West. In the Middle Ages, Marco Polo (1254–1324) voyaged to the Orient as a merchant, and his series of books, co-written by Rustichello da Pisa and titled Il Milione, provided important information of the lands east of Europe, from the Middle East to China, Japan, and Russia. Besides being a source of inspiration for authors, playwrights, and poets (from Shakespeare to Thomas Mann, from Henry James to Evelyn Waugh and Marcel Proust, just to mention a few), Venice has long been at the forefront of the technological development of printing and publishing. The city was the location of one of Italy’s earliest printing presses, established by Aldus Manutius (1449–1515). From this beginning Venice developed as an important typographic center and even as late as the 18th century was responsible for printing half of Italy’s published books. In this context, Venice was a good environment for cultural and social achievement. Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684), a Venetian philosopher of noble descent, was the first women in the world to receive an academic degree from a university and in 1678, received a Ph.D. degree. Elena was considered to be an expert musician. In addition to mastering the sciblis of her time, Elena mastered the harpsichord, the clavichord, the harp, and the violin. Her skills were shown by the music that she composed in her lifetime. She was a member of various academies and was esteemed throughout Europe for her attainments and virtues.

Even the complex system of government of the Republic of Venice, which lasted from 697 to 1797,  has been a model of governance and a reference to look at.  Resulted from numerous successive stratifications originating mainly in the XI-XIII centuries, the government of the Serenissima was in constant search of a balance and a mutual control between the various organs of the state. In 1784, the Republic of Venice was the first government to recognize the independence of the United States of America. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson arrived in Venice with a delegation composed of Thomas Moore and Benjamin Franklin to examine the laws of the Serenissima and later to adapt them, after appropriate modifications, to the Constitution of the United States.

Technology was also a very advanced aspect in Venice, in particular related to the maritime world. For example the Venetian Arsenal, heart of the Republic’s power, which occupies almost a fifth of the entire city area, is also an extraordinary example of ante litteram ‘factory’, understood in a modern sense, in regards the division of space and the organization of the work. A model for modern assembly lines, that are common methods of assembling complex items such as automobiles and other transportation equipment, household appliances and electronic goods.

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