Russian River Cruise: Arriving in St Petersburg Read Part I of My Very Russian River Cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg here. The Zosima Shashkov slipped into her berth at St. Petersburg, the northern Russian capital, during the night. The St Petersburg cruise port lies a few miles outside the city center but on the …
My Very Russian River Cruise – Part I My adventure in Russia in 2017 began many decades ago as I began to read about Peter the Great, the famed tsar of All the Russias in the 1600s, and Catherine the Great, a century later. Their autocratic rules and visions for their vast empire captivated me. …
“Yalla! Yalla!” Moroccan Cooking School I was hungry. My feet ached after three hours in the Moroccan cooking school’s stifling kitchen after we returned from shopping in the Fes medina with bags full of ingredients. Earlier, Lahcen Beqqi, a Moroccan chef who had worked in kitchens worldwide, grinned at me as he strode into Dar Anebar, the riad or guest house where I was staying in Fes. “Yalla! We’re going shopping! In the ancient food market close to the main gate.” …
Like the first monks and today’s travelers, I first glimpse the holy Isle of Iona in the Scottish Hebrides from the sea. This birthplace of Celtic Christianity has attracted the faithful for nearly 1500 years and I wonder how Iona has drawn so many pilgrims and tourists to such a remote spot. Its enormous appeal …
Since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of time-travel— never into the future, always to the past — but the closest I can achieve without magic is traveling amongst history. The Outer Hebrides of Scotland, the Western Isles, proved one of the best destinations to feed my dreams. . They are empty of soaring Gothic …
The Twin Otter banks hard and within seconds is skimming low over the sea. The fat tires bounce on hard, still-wet sand, and I breathe again. I step onto the biggest runway I’ve ever seen — the Cockle Strand — and my romance with the Outer Hebrides Isle of Barra, Scotland begins. The airport on …
I wave farewell to sunny Akureyri as I fly south to Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. I’m aware the weather is greyer and wetter there and wonder if I’ll need my rain suit. Its late September, after all. Sure enough it’s raining as I land, and clouds darken when I reach my hotel. Perhaps my good fortune has …
I ripped open my package from the Isle of Harris. As I pushed my nose into the fabric, it smelled of lanolin and scratched my face. I had chosen it a month before because its color would forever remind me of the heather, sky, and rock that cover this Hebridean island. The fog was thick …
Every September morning I wondered why I hadn’t explored the Scottish Hebrides before. White sand beaches and turquoise sea, purple-washed mountains and golden glens lured me every day. Dry weather heightened my enchantment as I lapped up the islands’ ancient history wherever I found it. The Hebridean islands, formed by ancient volcanoes and sculpted by …
Most of my travel, depending on the itinerary, enchants, relaxes or educates. Natural beauty takes my breath away as much as the next person’s; outstanding food and wine are a treat, though fleeting; and meeting locals broadens my pleasure on the road. But none of these explain my serious travel addiction. The extraordinary encounters …