Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

When I became an honorary Maori -- at a magical ceremony in the hills of Waimaramara.......I received ta moko. My designs represent nature and grandmothers! Yes, I stuck out my tongue and I won a music stick competition involving faster-and-faster rhythms, passing the sticks left and right, changing hands in a circle of six people. When one drops a stick, he must drop out of the circle. I was the last standing in the circle!

AUTHOR THANKS READERS FOR PATIENCE, LOVE, SUPPORT! Extra : "Something in addition to what is due, expected, or customary" Roll 'em, friends! "Lilian's Last Dance" is on Amazon eBooks today!!! Hooray. HERE'S A brief "extra." We are thrilled to tell you that "Lilian's Last Dance" is finally up on Amazon eBooks. This has been the longest 20 hours of my life, since we received Amazon's "thumbs up" on the final edit at 9:11 a.m. Wednesday. Here's the link: Click Here ==> Lil

IF YOU HAVE ONLY A BRIEF TIME, MAKE EVERY ROMAN MINUTE COUNT BY HIRING A TOUR GUIDE One of Rome highlights you must-see Trevi Fountain has been drained and fenced off, and a $3 million bridge project financed by Fendi, the big name fashion house, is underway with a renovation project to allow visitors to view the famed fountain from above! The Colosseum is of Rome's highlights you must-see . A private guide will give you time to enjoy it, ask questions and never be rushed.

Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia is the city's most spectacular architectural feat, Gaudi's masterpiece still under construction. All eyes...

Commodore Everette Hoard welcomes the public aboard the Queen Mary this Friday for an 80th birthday party. HAIL AND LONG LIVE THE LOVELY QUEEN MARY Guests still check in as they did decades ago, in a glamorous lobby. Aboard the Queen Mary, a sea gull may be attending Friday's party! HISTORIC OCEAN LINER HAS PROUD HISTORY, IMPRESSIVE ROSTER OF LINER-LOVING CELEBRITIES STORY BY CHRIST

Road trip to the top of the world: last week, up the Beartooth Pass on the famed Cooke City Highway. John Steinbeck had Charley, and Keller has Nick and Nora, below. TRAVEL THE COUNTRY, SEE NEW TERRAIN, ENJOY SURPRISES, AS THE CAR IS YOUR COCOON! STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER JOHN STEINBECK described, when beginning a trip, that delightful sense of the unknown in his engaging "Travels With Charley." He said, “A journey is like marriage. The certain way t

Cows graze contentedly in a thunder storm earlier in the week. Workers on the new roof took a rain day Thursday. CONSTRUCTION CHAOS IS GETTING UNDER CONTROL, WING IS HEALING AND WILD LIFE'S FANTASTIC UNDER THE BIG SKY Berries are ripening this week, ready for the bears and birdies. Hawks are on the watch for food, fall. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER "The Carpe Diem Kids" Cookie and Keller load up on Park City, Montana, corn. THERE'S SOMETHING GLORIOUS a

Cookie at Oceanside Harbor in southern California, with Nick and Nora, beginning a recent two-week odyssey. COOKIE'S MOTHER'S MILK: TRAVEL ENRICHES, ENLIGHTENS, ENERGISES Cookie, right, age three, sister Peny with their mother Ellen. Already, she was a "seasoned" traveler. I KEEP my passport renewed and ready to go, and my bag is always packed. I could be ready to head for the airport with a half hour's notice. I don't really care where I'm going, as long as I'm on my wa

Beyond Crete’s famous beaches and bustling towns lies a quieter, deeply moving side of the island—its serene cemeteries. Tucked among olive groves and overlooking the sea, these peaceful spaces offer a glimpse into local life, memory, and timeless tradition.

THREE MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS LIVE MEANINGFUL LIVES IN HISTORIC ISRAELI CITY Cookie takes a moment to meditate and give thanks for her return to a favorite city at the Western Wall, Jerusalem. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS The Dome of the Rock , sacred Muslim shrine, circa 685, offers gorgeous mosaics and is an Islamic architectural monument. PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER NO CITY on the planet makes such an emotional impact on so many people. Jerusalem, the proud capital of Israel,

CRUISE FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD TAKES HUGE EFFORT, METICULOUS PLANNING Dozens of cheese plates in the Serenade's galley will be paired with nuts, crackers and veggies for pretty appetizers. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER These edible appetizers were created for a special party on board. This happy worker prepares peppers for shipboard stir fry. WHEN THE waiter delivers your dinner to a beautifully set cruise table, or the room steward presents you with

Cousins gathered at High Chap memorial for mum's memorial STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By COSGRIFFES THE COSGRIFFES are gathering again and the time is fast approaching. The clan will convene in August to celebrate the brief but influential life of Eric Kenzo Otokawa. We miss him terribly and send love to his mother, Misha, and to his siblings, Kenji Christopher and Kelly Midori, who will draw on their strength and our support as we pay homage to a young man beloved b