In ancient Greek mythology, a jealous competition arose among the gods to become the patron deity of the beautiful and prosperous city of Cecropia. The story tells of Poseidon, who presented the gift of water to persuade the citizens to choose him. They were at first thrilled, until they realized that, as god of the…
Continue reading →Only a two-hour ride from the port city of Volos, on the fringe of the flat fertile plains of the Thessaly region of central Greece, the town of Kalambaka lies beneath the spectacular windswept monolithic pillars and rounded rocks of Meteora, also known as the Grand Canyon of Greece, rising abruptly from the flat fields…
Continue reading →The small geographic area where Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East converge is, arguably, the epicenter of world history and religions, existing together in guarded harmony. In November of 2016, our cruise from Rome to Dubai took us on a journey to this region where it was revelatory to see the diversity of…
Continue reading →Castles, moats, knights, and gods may be the stuff of fairytales, but in Rhodes, Greece, the fantasy is alive. Inhabited since about 4,000 B.C. this island in the southeastern Aegean Sea, is at a crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, creating a rich mosaic of different cultures and civilizations, including influence from the…
Continue reading →There is, arguably, not a more instantly recognizeable image of the Greek Isles than the silhouette of an azure blue church dome against steep cliffs and the sapphire Aegean Sea below. This image is from the stunning volcanic island of Santorini, where even the small, scenic town of Oia (pronounced “Ee’-ya”), with only a population…
Continue reading →The Maltese Falcon. The Dashiell Hammett story of crime, intrigue, murder, and mystery made into the noir classic movie with Humphrey Bogart as detective Sam Spade, was not even filmed in Malta, but it has been my only real association with this small country of three islands…until now. Malta is anything but “noir”. It has…
Continue reading →I am struck by the irony that, on the eve of, arguably, the most controversial presidential election in the history of the United States that is being closely followed all over the world, we are watching the results from our suite on Nautica, in the Gulf of the Suez Canal, one of the most volatile…
Continue reading →When we returned to the ship in the afterglow of our lovely day in Trapani, Sicily, gazing one last time at the city from our veranda, we curiously noticed the approach of a large boat arriving at the port next to us. It was filled, standing shoulder to shoulder, with black skinned people, some in…
Continue reading →Because of its vulnerable geographic exposure, Sicily was much dominated during its history, by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Normans, Germans, Arabs, French, Spanish, Bourbons, and Italians, each leaving their architectural and cultural footprints, but never conquering the fiercely proud and independent spirit of its people. While Sicily has only been part of Italy since 1861, the…
Continue reading →We hardly had a chance to get acquainted, but I think I’m in love…with Sorrento, Italy. The city plays hard to get, perched high atop the cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea, accessible only by winding, steep roads, and ancient carved out switchback stone stairways. But the reward at the top is worth it. I saw…
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