Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

In the distance, center stage, Cookie greets the morning sun, mowing the lawn at High Chaparral, flanked by the mountains. BACK AT...

Cruising is making a slow comeback, since this popular mode of travel was abruptly halted in the early days of the COVID-19 virus. Here,...

It's thrilling to be back on the sea, after a near three-month absence. There are plenty of rules for boating in these "COVID times," but...

Ocotillo, or "little torch" in Spanish, is usually a desert plant.  This one, outside our home, brings forth bursts of bright red blooms...

Lake Atitlan offers beauty, culture and an insight into ancient ways of doing things. This woman is washing for her family. These young...

A favorite breakfast of one perfectly over-easy egg on European grain bread, fruit, cheese, coffee -- yogurt and walnuts on their way --...

This produce stand in Bangkok also offered beautiful flowers for our hotel room -- and fruit for a midnight snack.  This array of Dutch...

Bruce Keller and Christene Meyers bike an hour a day around their neighborhood. Nearly everyone they meet wears masks (notice the couple...

A well played Scrabble board includes a pair of "xs" and four blanks instead of the traditional two. Scrabble aficionados know tiny "x"...

Exploring the ruins of Iximche, Guatemala, provides a fascinating look into the ancient Mayan culture. Volcan de Fuego steams, smokes and...

Cookie cuddles not quite year-old Nick and Nora, after a bath in Davis, California. They were born there, September, 2005  WHAT A DOG,...

England-born Sue Speight and American Christene "Cookie" Meyers in York Minster, go back to back in an ancient part of the...

Nick, left, and Nora, dry off after a swim in their "Auntie Robbie's" pool, in spring of 2006. They were born in fall, 2005. Nora, left,...

If the Amalfi Coast calls you, Naples is where you'll likely land first, via airplane or ship. Then on to Positano, or perhaps charming...

New Year's Eve lights are spectacular in Bangkok, from the beautiful hotels and a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River. Times Square in...

When in Tuscany one Christmas, we took a vineyards and wine making tour. These lovely casks are in a Greve winery. A Cuban Christmas...

Castle Howard's grand entrance and courtyards hosted the wedding reception of a famed British singer Ellie Goulding to a Sotheby's  art...

"Cambodian  Rock Band" is like no other musical. The writers of this column saw it recently at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The fine...

As artfully designed Blue Pepper opens for the evening, Cookie pauses with staff to survey the Amsterdam restaurant. Awaiting the first...

Trained historians and knowledgeable graduate students and professionals lead interested tourists to a series of both well    known and...