A splash of Arctic ice down my back and a hug from a hairy Norse sea god confirmed my initiation into the Arctic Explorer’s Club after my Havila Voyages cruise ship crossed the Arctic Circle. For seasoned sailors, the crossing is a milestone. For my fellow passengers aboard the Havila Pollux off Norway’s northern coast, it was a lively deck party. We celebrated our crossing with a sailor’s rum drink known as black magic, a concoction that warms the soul and energizes the spirit....
Big Blend Radio featured my literary travels in Denmark as part of its celebration of National Book Month and National Arts & Humanities Month in October. During my travels in Denmark, I toured several of the Scandinavian country’s historic and literary landmarks, including the Karen Blixen Museum, home of the famed author of “Out of Africa,” and Kronborg Castle, the real-life setting that inspired Elsinore in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” I especially enjoyed learning about Blixen’s fascinating life and legacy, and how...
Copenhagen’s sleek Nordic architecture, sweeping seascapes and royal palaces initially topped my list of sights in Denmark’s capital. But after learning about Copenhagen’s literary tradition, my focus shifted to places connected to fairy tales, women writers and Shakespeare. As an avid reader and book club member, I love destinations tied to authors I admire. I was pleasantly surprised to discover several distinguished literary attractions in Copenhagen and its nearby towns. Copenhagen also brims with bookstores and libraries. The city’s most iconic literary landmark...
Berlin’s intense history challenges visitors to explore the complex mix of sites and memorials in the sprawling capital of Germany. My recent visit was haunting and invigorating. Modern Berlin is an intoxicating mix of graffiti-adorned alleys, glitzy restored palaces, and solemn symbols of its turbulent past. I was awed by the majesty of the Brandenburg Gate and moved to tears at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. As I explored this fascinating city, I admired Berlin’s ongoing efforts to refurbish and...
Poland’s vibrant capital is showing up on more travel lists in 2025, and not just because Warsaw is one of the most affordable European capitals. As I zipped to the top of Varso Tower in a glass-enclosed elevator, I marveled at the city’s evolving landscape. At 1,020 feet, the neomodern structure is now the tallest building in the EU. The 53-story skyscraper’s observation deck opens to the public this spring. Finally, visitors can look down on the Palace of Culture and Science, the drab...
If you’ve already savored the beer, brats, and big cities of Germany, it may be time to escape the crowds and dig deeper by visiting this European country’s smaller heritage cities. At the invitation of Historic Highlights of Germany, I recently explored four northern German cities that are rich in history. Rostock, Lübeck, Osnabrück, and Münster are part of the Germany’s Historic Highlights program that introduces seasoned travelers to the country’s smaller heritage cities. These cities also offer more than a trip back...
I joined three rambunctious dogs on a truffle hunt in the dense forests of the Istria Peninsula during my recent visit to Croatia. I love the intense, earthy flavor of truffles, a rare type of edible fungi that flourish symbiotically amid the roots of oak and other trees. But I knew little about truffles and I had never been on a truffle hunt. During my truffle-hunting tour, we discovered several black truffles. I learned about the history of truffles and how to cook with...
More than 1,000 bronze dwarves reside in doorways, atop bridges, and on street corners in Wroclaw, a vibrant city in southwestern Poland. Some made me laugh like the dwarf riding a Vespa. Others encouraged reflection, such as the dwarf with a big heart helping children in neighboring Ukraine. Most, well, just made me smile. Some destinations capture your imagination with towering skyscrapers, prestigious art museums, or Michelin-starred restaurants. In Wroclaw, what drew my attention were the statuettes shaped like dwarves or krasnale in Polish. ...
A chance encounter with a stranger in a small town in Poland led me to the world’s tallest statue of Jesus. I was on my way to Berlin after spending 10 wonderful days devouring pierogies and visiting castles and cultural sights in Poland. But my train departed late and I missed my connecting train. I wound up on a train headed in the wrong direction. You can read about what happened next in my story in the latest issue of Food Wine Travel...
A whale-watching tour in Victoria, British Columbia, is an exhilarating experience, especially in an open-air Zodiac boat. A clear, sunny day is preferable. The steep mountains and pine forests surrounding this city on beautiful Vancouver Island create a breathtaking backdrop for the Salish Sea. But even my tour on a rainy, cold day proved that this Canadian city is one of the best places in the world to see whales in the wild. My whale-watching tour was arranged as part of a cruise...
As a journalist, I’ve written about crime for newspapers, business deals for magazines, cruise ship ports for online travel publications and industry trends for websites. My focus now is exclusively on travel.