Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

A Desert Dreamscape: Exploring the Botanical Garden in Scottsdale, Arizona The desert has a way of surprising you when you least expect it. This isn’t just a garden—it’s a living, breathing love letter to the Sonoran Desert, where towering cacti, winding trails, and bursts of unexpected color invite you to slow down, look closer, drink it all in.

The multi-billion dollar Sphere globe stands out on the city's skyline, an ever changing ball of moving landscapes, movie images and cartoon characters. Inside the Sphere's massive auditorium, cutting-edge AI creates an immersive experience,

Banksy has reshaped how people think about art and its role in society. His work blurs the lines between public space and gallery, protest and performance, anonymity and fame.

Body Glove Hawaii offers Kona Coast ocean activities, sightseeing pleasures

Old Town Scottsdale is a food lover’s playground, blending Southwestern flavors, modern culinary creativity, and vibrant desert culture. On an Arizona food tour, you’ll stroll historic streets while sampling Sonoran specialties, chef-driven small plates, and local sweets. From lively taco spots to craft cocktail bars, each stop reveals a taste of Scottsdale’s past and present one delicious bite at a time

Story By Christene Meyers Photos By Bruce Keller Flamenco has us hooked. This showy, emotional art form is more than a dance or musical style. It is a cultural expression -- full of emotion. Nowhere is it more alive than in southern Spain, and in a favorite city, Barcelona. For here, flamenco has found a vibrant home. A flamenco dancer performs with passion and precision in a Barcelona venue. Singers, dancers and musicians blend in flamenco, rich in tradition and a cultura

Big Bus a great way for 3 generations to explore and bond together

The season carries many meanings whether we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, or simply the turning of the year.

The studio of famed western artist Charles Marion Russell is much as he left it and is part of the nationally known museum named after the man who lived from 1864 to1926. Known as one of America’s greatest artists, he lived the life he captured on canvas, creating a fine historical record of Western cultures, landscapes, and wildlife. Story By Christene Meyers Photos By Bruce Keller "The Carpe Diem Kids" FAMED WESTERN artist Charlie Russell was a lousy student with a talent

More than a half century after its release, the Montana-made movie, "Little Big Man,"is still entertaining, stimulating conversation and encouraging consideration of the plight of indigenous people and the white man's role in that. Editor's note: Christene Meyers covered the making of  "Little Big Man" as a young reporter and was among  panel participants discussing the Montana made movie.  STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER and courtesy Cinema Center Films Chie

The Lisboa Card includes free admission to many of the buildings reflecting the city's rich history -- the Jerónimos Monastery, Saint Jorge Castle, and many more. The Lisboa Card includes transport to and from Lisbon Airport via metro

Guy Fawkes Day celebrates a plot's failure with bonfires, fireworks,

A pumpkin carving contest on Queen Mary 2, offered a mix of spooky and amusing results, some irreverent, some ghoulish. Travelers find Halloween displays along with Day of the Dead and All Saints Day decor in hotels in Europe, Mexico, and other countries around the world as autumn holidays and celebrations merge and overlap. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER "The Carpe Diem Kids" ALL THE WORLD seems to enjoy a celebration, be it pagan inspired or religious bas

Autumn in New York Central Park with Cookie

Tippet Rise nature and music converge

The Alaska Native Heritage Center is a gem of a facility, a living museum of performance, replica buildings, jewelry, pottery, weavings, furs, tools and more. It offers insight into a long ago life preserved in many ways. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER WE HAVE  visited Alaska many times, but never have we felt so awed and fascinated by the culture as we were this most recent trip. That's because we spent an eye-opening day at the fabulous Alaska Native Her

Koala sanctuary

Food tour Brisbane

MoMA's magic mesmerizes as we visit a fabulous New York museum

WE LOVE LISBON! It's a favorite European city. So we wanted to show off "our town" to my brother Rick and his partner Jane during our two weeks together in southern Europe. We did it in style, by tuk-tuk, that time honored transportation mode invented in 1879 and offering close-up views along with a few fun bumps.