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Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures


Guitar museum offers spectacular music from Portugal's heart, soul
The art of "fado" or music of the soul is a time honored, intricate and emotional rendering ofPortuguese songs with a melancholy theme,...

Christene Meyers
Feb 23, 20234 min read


Santa Barbara's Maritime Museum: highlight of a Ventura County visit
A fine collection of seafaring artifacts combines with beautifully curated changing exhibits to show off Santa Barbara's proud maritime...

Christene Meyers
Feb 16, 20234 min read


Paramount Pictures: Get ready for your close up at Hollywood studio
The famous gate to Paramount Pictures has been used in many films, including "Sunset Boulevard" which tells the story of a fading star...

Christene Meyers
Feb 9, 20233 min read


Valenca offers charms of Portuguese village near Spanish border
Valenca, in the far north of Portugal, offers a relaxing, artistic place to visit for a few days. Sturdy, stunning buildings date back to...

Christene Meyers
Feb 2, 20233 min read


Vegas food tasting tours offer a royal flush of fun, history, yummy bites
A Taste Buzz Food Tour of the Arts District in Las Vegas offered a fun outing for Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers. Consider...

Christene Meyers
Jan 19, 20234 min read


Hop on, hop off bus tours show off a new city to fine advantage
The views from the top floor of "Hop on and Hop Off" buses are usually splendid. Here, the bus passes under a beautiful ceiling of trees...

Christene Meyers
Jan 12, 20235 min read


Sydney's Harbour Bridge Happy New Year! Resolve to travel, make new friends, learn, grow
High atop Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge, with the iconic Sydney Opera House at the far right, Christene "Cookie" Meyers and Bruce...

Christene Meyers
Jan 5, 20234 min read
Holiday delights: try fun, new foods whether home or on the road
Enjoy each day and celebrate holidays with a trip to the beach -- or a favorite restaurant. Here, Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie"...

Christene Meyers
Dec 29, 20226 min read


Spiritus: splendid psychedelic immersion in famous Portuguese chapel
Clerigos Church and its magnificent cathedral host a light-filled wondrous show, "Spiritus." Gorgeous lights highlight windows and offer...

Christene Meyers
Dec 22, 20225 min read


Free walking tours offer value and a terrific way to know a city quickly
Luiz, our fine Brazilian born guide in Porto, Portugal, took us around the city to its hidden corners as well as exploring its famous...

Christene Meyers
Dec 15, 20226 min read


Gaudi's genius is on showy display in masterful Barcelona architecture
Architect's imagination and reverence for nature highlight his 'La Pedrera,' in Barcelona STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers enjoy a moment of reflection outside Gaudi's Casa Mila, or "La Pedrera." The curved "attic" of Casa Mila is a museum on its own, with drawings, exhibits and models showing the profound influence nature had on Gaudi's life's work. WHEN THE brilliant architect Antoni Gaudi was struck by a tram on a

Christene Meyers
Dec 8, 20225 min read


Las Vegas theater highlights - Sin City's array of shows welcomes the holidays
"Rouge" is an extraordinary show combining fabulous dance, acrobatics, stories and humor with a cast of perfectly proportioned men and women in scanty but tasteful costumes. Delightful dancing with performers in lights makes "iLuminate" a hit with audiences looking for a unique show. BE PREPARED TO BE WOWED! VEGAS SHOWS LIGHT UP THE STAGE WITH IMAGINATION,DARING, DANCE, SEXY HUMOR, FAMILY FUN Showgirls dazzle and delight in "Extravaganza" which has an old-fashioned Vegas s

Christene Meyers
Dec 1, 20225 min read
Let us give thanks for health, happiness, travel, family, food, nature
Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers relax on a Thanksgiving Day in southern Spain. TREASURE EACH DAY, APPRECIATE YOUR ...

Christene Meyers
Nov 24, 20224 min read


Amsterdam's canals offer relaxing time with beauty, intriguing history
In Amsterdam, your canal tour boat will slow down so that you can actually see seven bridges lined up. Bruce Keller took this photo at...

Christene Meyers
Nov 10, 20225 min read


Emotional flamenco, fado speak to the soul in Spain and Portugal
Flamenco -- that showy, colorful dance of southern Spain -- is performed with rhythmic clapping and instruments. Swirling scarves and lacy skirts and ruffles are part of this Barcelona performance. Southern Spain, Portugal present emotional flamenco, fado, with flair, feeling, for deeply stirring shows STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER Fado in Porto is a revered tradition, here at the Ideal Club de Fado, which is a formal setting, more concert hall. than bar.

Christene Meyers
Nov 3, 20225 min read


Spectacular Porto bridge climb yields uphill climb, stunning views
Christene "Cookie" Meyers, Bruce Keller, and new friends from Paris, at the top of Arrabida Bridge. BRIDGE CLIMBERS ADD ANOTHER FEATHER...

Christene Meyers
Oct 27, 20224 min read


Eating a scrumptious trail through Porto with history lesson on the side
Our lively "Taste Porto" food tour guide, Ines, walks us through a colorful market, pointing out a bounty of fruits grown near the city,...

Christene Meyers
Oct 20, 20224 min read


Lisbon's Tagus Cruises showcases spectacular coastline, monuments
Golden sunlight glitters across the wide waters of the Tagus River as boats drift past the historic skyline of Lisbon. A Tagus River cruise offers travelers a different perspective on Portugal’s capital—one where centuries of maritime history unfold along the shoreline. From the deck, you’ll glide past landmarks that once welcomed explorers returning from the Age of Discovery, including the elegant Belém Tower and the grand Jerónimos Monastery.
As the boat moves beneath the

Christene Meyers
Oct 13, 20224 min read


San Francisco sail: Adventure Cat is purr-fect way to see the bay
Adventure Cat is a beautifully designed, smooth sailing vessel available for a variety of sailings. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By...

Christene Meyers
Sep 22, 20224 min read


A general's dream: When and If' sails smoothly into immortality
When and If is a beautiful sailing vessel combining the best characteristics of a racing boat with the comforts of a sturdy yacht built...

Christene Meyers
Sep 15, 20224 min read
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