You’ve heard of the affliction called “homesickness”, impassively defined as “a longing for one’s home during a period of absence from it.” Well, I’m feeling that now, but for another kind of home…my sea home. Knowing that we have spent much time on the cruise ship Insignia, our friend and Oceania butler, Priyan, sent a…
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 →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 →We were passengers on Oceania Insignia’s inaugural Miami to Miami “Around the World in 180 Days” voyage. Except, it turned out to be 109 days, thwarted at the final hour by a tragic accident on the ship. We were given the option to cancel or join the itinerary 71 days later in Singapore, when the…
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 →“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~Marcel Proust I am deeply grateful to Francis, Jelena, Desi, Samuel, Isabella, Augustina, Bojan, Doina, Julia, Paolo, Fabio, Cristian, Volha, Marco, Milena, Janice, Lector, Mishra, Sergei, Claudiu, Milan, Nicoletta, Gusti, Sasha, Vitali, Levante, Subhamoy,…
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…
Continue reading →Traveling with friends can be the perfect storm either way, a disaster or a triumph. With Tom, Charmaine, Jack, Linda, Dean, and I, it has been the best of times. We’ve shared day trips ashore, had parties, dinners, celebrations, toasts, and even formed our own “Flatlanders” trivia team to test our collective knowledge of useless…
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