Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

Stockholm, with its beautiful location on the water, is considered one of the world's prettiest cities. From street bazaars to Nobel...

Denmark's lovely capital Copenhagen, offers spires, canals, fun food and a famed pedestrian paradise. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Danes loved to walk and bike, and tourists follow suit. IMAGINE,  if you will, Denmark's two most famous citizens stopping to share a coffee and a chat. Although they were vastly different men, Hans Christian Andersen and Soren Kirekegaard might have bumped into one another while taking their morning constitutionals. The year w

 AS MUSICIANS and artists, we made our first tour stop in Helsinki at the memorial to the famed Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. Aptly named the Sibelius Monument, it was erected in 1967 by Finnish sculptor Eila Hiltunen. It is a striking abstract sculpture, as impressive to the eye as the dramatic composer's work is to the ear. It can be seen from a half mile away and  resembles clusters of organ pipes.

NATION'S FIRST AND OLDEST NATIONAL PARK TREASURE DRAWS NATIVE DAUGHTER BACK AGAIN  Bison grazing and the steam of geysers in the...

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

Honolulu's Waikiki Beach hotels are introducing new hygiene measures.  The major brands are all developing programs to insure that people who brave the world of travel are as safe and protected as possible in these stressful times. ROAD TRIPPING HAZARDS ARE LESSENED BY CONSCIENTIOUS HOTEL PROTOCOL STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER and hotel marketing departments Hotels are raising their sanitation standards to meet COVID-19. Closets will be disinfected in many

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,...

Part of Legoland is open for business and family fun.  The park's popular Sea Life Aquarium is reopened, and the rest of the park is planning to announce its reopening soon. Reservations are required, admissions are limited and masks are required.  COVID CONSTRAINTS INCLUDE MASKS, DISTANCING, LIMITED NUMBERS, SANITIZING STATIONS AND MORE STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER The new cubs are a big hit at the reopening of San Diego's world renowned zoo, now once aga

After a closure of nearly three months, Yusupov Palace is again open. Its opulent rooms and appointments reflect the grandeur of royalty...

St. Petersburg's architecture reflects its glory days as a city in Imperial Russia. The Hermitage Museum is home to one of the world's...

Tallinn's Old Town is one of the best preserved of any city in the world. Tourism opens up there this week. A stunning 19th Century...

"Thare she blows" and then there she goes after taking a breath of air. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Boarding a boat bound for whale watching is one of life's loveliest pleasures. We've watched whales here in California and around the world, and love the opportunities around Oxnard, Calif. One of our favorite California boating enterprises, Island Packers, successfully weathered the Covid storms of a few years and is thriving with some of the world's best

The view from Channel Islands Hampton Inn is one of a lovely marina, offering spectacular sunsets.  The hotel is open for business, minus...

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

Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers with their elderly Yorkshire terrier, Nick, ready for a spin on their bikes. Leaving Scripps...