I love living in the bow of the ship. It has its drawbacks for sure. Every seasoned cruiser will advise against choosing a cabin in the bow, arguing that low and center is preferable for optimal stability. And to prove that theory, our first four days of this journey were spent relentlessly rocking and rolling…
Continue reading →Only one more day left on this sleepy island. Then I have to come out of my coma and wake up to real life. Sanibel has a way of sucking you into a fantasy world where no one hurries to be anywhere or do anything, or even have a schedule at all. You can sleep…
Continue reading →A day at the beach, with the meditative repetition of the surf, the white noise of lapping waves, birds calling, children’s laughter, and salty breezes, fosters calmness and, sometimes, creativity. With an abundance of natural materials to work with, some people feel compelled to express themselves, and their inner artist can emerge in beautiful ways,…
Continue reading →“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” ~Henry Miller
Continue reading →There is an organizational structure implemented in a professional kitchen, just like the military, that is necessary for efficiency and to avoid chaos. Developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier, a legendary French chef and restaurateur born in 1846, this system was modeled after his time in the French army, creating a chain of command that delineates…
Continue reading →Oceania hangs it’s hat, or rather it’s toque, on it’s culinary reputation, endorsed by Jacques Pépin and Bon Appétit, and it is a source of pride both at the dining table and in the classroom, where it offers the first ever at sea, hands-on culinary center that is absolute state-of-the-art. Available only on their custom…
Continue reading →Cruise ships offer many ways to overindulge, and one of the best ways to do that with food and wine onboard Marina is at La Reserve, a serious special restaurant endorsed by the oenophiliac magazine “The Wine Spectator”, and limited to 24 guests, which features an extravagant, carefully chosen and prepared, seven-course food and wine…
Continue reading →When we met with very rough seas leaving Columbia, the Captain announced that we would be forced to skip our last port of Key West and, to avoid the impending storm, take a longer route farther to the east around Cuba. So, the last days of our long voyage would be spent captive at sea,…
Continue reading →One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal, was begun by the French in 1881, to cut a 48-mile ship passage across the Isthmus of Panama and create one of the most significant waterways on earth, connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea). The conditions…
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