CHEWING THE FAT

A Bas-Relief Map of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace helps you get your bearings in Split          The Bell Tower of the Cathedral ofSt. Domnius dares from 1100 AD When I was growing up there was a rivalry between my hometown of Montreal and…

Rumfest’s Ding Dong Cake in a blaze of glory          Every year, our friend Jayne’s Birthday Celebration is declared Rumfest.  That’s a combination of her maiden name and the fact that Jayne’s Birthday is never confined to a single day. It seems to carry on…

         Of the six countries on Viking Star’s Mediterranean Odyssey, the only one I had never visited was Croatia, better known to its inhabitants as Hrvatska.   We made two stops there along the stretch of the country that makes up the Dalmatian Coast.  This where the…

  On our Sea Day, we sailed past Stromboli at Sunrise. Called “The Lighthouse of the Mediterranean”,Stromboli is one of Italy’s 3 active volcanoes as seen in the steam rising from its core. Viking Star docked in Venice  There is only one sea day on…

        We sailed into Naples, mid-morning.  There is a famous quote about Naples…”Vide Napoli e Mori” which translates to “See Naples and Die”.  The phrase is not attributed to any author and is meant to suggest that once you’ve beheld the beauties…

Some things in Rome are eternal.  Like St. Peter’s and Vatican City           Others. like Campo de’Fiori are not so. For years, I’ve actively avoided going anywhere near Rome.  Despite travel to Italy over the years, I wanted to lock Rome in…

David, 500 year old hunk          Initially, I’d signed up for a tour that took its participants into the countryside where we’d tour a winery and make ‘afternoon snacks’ called ‘marende’.  Now I lived in Italy and have gone there several times afterwards and I…

The smallest yachts in Monte Carlo.  The larger ones would fill the frame.          There’s something magical about just saying “I’m spending the day in Monte Carlo”.  This postage stamp Principality, which is actually the size of Central Park, simply reeks of money. Towering apartments shoot…

Sanary-Sur-Mer,  Picture Postcard Perfect           Today we visited the town of Toulon, the headquarters of the French Navy, the departure port for ferries to Corsica and Sardinia and a perfect jumping off spot to the magical places of southern Provence.  Every Viking cruise, whether on…

         One of the differences between Viking and virtually all other cruise lines is that each voyage allows its passengers to board the ship and stay in port that day and the next.  This allows its passengers time to explore the ship thoroughly and settle…

First glimpse of The World’s Best New Cruise Ship of 2015          Day 4 dawned rainy and the roof top breakfast room at the Hotel Cram was filled with unhappy tourists.   I could not have cared less.  Because from the rooftop, I could see the…

My kind of town. Even the Medieval City pictured in this mosaic featuredfood stalls outside the city walls. Choose whatever Tapas you fancy. Then count the toothpicks. Five toothpicks at Sagardi rang up a tab of14 Euros with a glass of Rioja. La Boqueria is Barcelona’s…

La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi’s yet unfinished masterpiece. This facade shows the Birth Of Christ          For some reason, Security at Heathrow in London believes that traveling between Terminal 5, where 747s land and Terminal 3, which will take you onward to Europe, you have…

British Airways Flight 174 JFK to LHR The Cunard Line, whose ships have crossed the Atlantic since 1840, ran an Advertising campaign using the headline “Getting there is half the fun.” This was just as the first jets streaked across the Atlantic in hours instead of…