Skip to Content

Julie H. Ferguson

My Very Russian River Cruise: St. Petersburg Russia (Part II)

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 …

Read More about My Very Russian River Cruise: St. Petersburg Russia (Part II)

The Holy Isle of Iona: A Historical Pilgrimage

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 …

Read More about The Holy Isle of Iona: A Historical Pilgrimage

My Barradise: The Scottish Isle of Barra

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 …

Read More about My Barradise: The Scottish Isle of Barra

The Subtle Palette of Scotland’s Isles of Harris and Lewis

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 …

Read More about The Subtle Palette of Scotland’s Isles of Harris and Lewis

Dinan, France: A Brittany Must-See

Brittany, located in northwestern France, stole my heart a decade ago and I’m still returning to discover more of its coastline and countryside. Visitors tend to start and stop with St-Malo, which admittedly is a must-see, but there is more to explore and enjoy: Dinan, for instance. “I’d like to cruise up the River Rance,” I …

Read More about Dinan, France: A Brittany Must-See

Saint Malo, France: Then and Now

Saint Malo – Venture through History in Brittany I glimpse Saint Malo from the sea just as her intrepid seafarers did over the past five hundred years. The old town is encircled by medieval ramparts and towers, behind which rise stately granite mansions built in the 17th century and the cathedral’s graceful spire. It’s hard …

Read More about Saint Malo, France: Then and Now
Europe Up Close