Voyage of the Vikings aboard Holland America’s Amsterdam: Iceland
It is said that when the Vikings first saw Iceland–with volcanoes, black lava fields, sulfurous steam, and bubbling mud pools– they thought they had discovered the entrance to the Netherworld.
Read More
Cruise ports in Norway: Holland America’s Voyage of the Vikings
The oldest of the Scandinavian capitals, founded over a thousand years ago, Oslo was an important center of wood trade. In the 1600s, after yet another devastating fire, King Christian IV, ruler of Denmark and Norway, rebuilt the city in brick and stone closer to Akershus Fortress and named it Christiania after himself. The original name was not restored until 1925.
Read More
Treasures of the Rhine
On our “Treasures of the Rhine” itinerary, we unpacked once and sailed past enchanting fairytale castles, romantic medieval villages, verdant vineyards, and pastoral landscapes–living history from Switzerland to the North Sea.
Read More
Quebec City: French culture without the transatlantic flight
The flight from Boston was just an hour—and voila! We were sipping café au lait on Grand Allée, this continent’s Champs Elysées, in the capital of the province of Quebec, the cradle of French civilization in the Americas, swept up in the city’s romance and Old World charm.
Read More
Oases in the desert: our favorite Arizona resorts and spas
The red rocks of Sedona create a spectacular approach to this 70 acre luxury resort. Once inside the resort gate and Boynton Canyon, it’s the feeling of being in a cocoon that glows with the sun.
Read More
Holiday on the Hudson: a Dutchess County Treat
What grander way to celebrate the season than amidst the splendor of some of America’s finest mansions? And what better time to step back to the Gilded Age and inside the homes of some of the most talked-about people of their time?
Read More
Hudson River Valley: A Dutch Treat
It was 400 years ago that navigator Henry Hudson set sail on an expedition that took a surprising turn. He had twice sailed into Arctic waters and failed to find the Northeast Passage, a route north of Europe and Asia connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, for his native England.
Read More
Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores & Islands: Good times on a Great Lake: Wine, Waves, and White-Knuckle Fun
Whether you are seeking soothing relaxation or ultimate thrills Ohio’s Lake Erie Shores & Islands has something for you. Little wonder it is known as the most popular vacation destination in the Midwest.
Read More
Cleveland Rocks!
Whether you’re looking for fine arts or pop culture, history or innovation, ice wine or wax lips, the Cleveland area has it all. It’s a center of internationally renowned arts and sciences with entertainment for all ages.
Read More
Quebec City’s 400th Anniversary Celebration
We were there for the largest celebration of military music in North America, the 10th Annual edition of the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands. The world’s best military bands captivated the crowds in a series of special events, concerts, and a military tattoo held throughout the city.
Read More
Missouri: Gateway to the West
When the first bridge across the Missouri River was built here in 1869, Kansas City became a railroad hub and a stockyard city that grew into one of the world’s major cattle markets.
Read More
From Normandy to Paris: a river cruise along the Seine
The longest inland waterway in France winds in serpentine loops between the coast in Normandy and one of the most fashionable and romantic cities in the world–Paris. Named Seine from the Latin sequana, meaning snake, the 110 mile distance by air between Paris and the coast meanders by river for 240 miles.
Read More
Along France’s rivers: A taste of Burgundy and Provence
The Rhône flows past the red roofed houses of southern France, meeting the Saône, its largest tributary, in the culinary capital of Lyon. A river cruise through this region is a journey through a fertile sun-kissed countryside scented by lavender and thyme and adorned with fields of sunflowers, vineyards, farms, orchards, and olive groves.
Read More
La Belle Epoque: Barging through the Burgundy region of France
Burgundy — we know it as a deep red hue, the color of a wine from a country where it is named not by the grape from which it is made but by the region in which it is produced. The Burgundy region, southeast of Paris, is fruitful, prosperous and rich in history, culture, and gastronomy.
Read More
Outside Tokyo: Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Japan is an archipelago less than 4% the size of the United States yet has the world’s third-largest economy. Tokyo, its capital since 1868, is on the island of Honshu, bordered by Chiba, Saitama, and Tokyo Bay.
Read More
Oklahoma!
Rich in a Western heritage of tribal culture, pioneers, cowboys, oil barons, and outlaws, the Sooner State, Oklahoma, celebrated its first century of statehood in 2007. Its Capitol is the only one with an oil well on its grounds, dubbed Petunia for its location in the first Lady’s flower bed.
Read More
Kingston, the Thousand Islands, and The Rideau Canal
Kingston and the Thousand Islands are at the head of the the Lawrence River and the foot of the Great Lakes.
Read More
Ottawa: Oh, Canada!
It is British city with a French accent, centered on Parliament buildings replicating London’s Westminster and a turreted hotel in the style of a French chateau. An historic and now recreational waterway of pleasure boats is lined with pathways and winds through its heart.
Read More
THE SKEENA: Riding the Rails Across British Columbia
On our two-day 725 mile daylight land cruise we sat back in our glass carriage and enjoyed the view. We experienced the enormity of mountains and vastness of the Interior Plateau and a forested wilderness from the comfort of our armchairs.
Read More
The Finger Lakes, New York: Taste the Good Life
According to Native American lore, the New York’s Finger Lakes were formed when the Great Spirit cast his hand upon the most beautiful land he had created. The region teems with nature’s bounty…
Read More