Another day, another plane - this time though it was a special twist. Our guide told us at breakfast in Hoi An that our flight would be delayed till 9pm due to mechanical issues. That meant shuffling our day around and extend our stay in Hoi An. Flexible as we both are, we said ok… Continue reading Vietnam & Cambodia – Saigon here we come

It is still TET festival time in Vietnam even though the lunar new year celebration was over a week ago. What that means for us is a plethora of street fairs, gatherings and joyous parties seemingly designed to extend the holidays for as long as possible. It is now officially the year of the pig… Continue reading Vietnam & Cambodia – Hoi An

After our amazing discovery of Hanoi and a solid night sleep it was time to hit the road across the north eastern portion of Vietnam to the port city of cat hai where we boarded our junket boat Ginger. Mystical landscapes arose out of the water to form an eternal garden of majestic limestone formations… Continue reading Vietnam & Cambodia – Lan Ha Bay

Every country has its skeletons buried somewhere and Vietnam is no different. Centuries of occupation and dominance by the Chinese, then the French during colonialism, followed by a brief stint of Japanese domination before Russia's sphere of communism spread across the north of Vietnam, left this tiny Asian country indelibly changed. It is in the… Continue reading Vietnam & Cambodia – Hanoi Hilton

We made it! After almost 24 hours of air travel, we landed in Hanoi. Our private guide and driver managed immigration for us quickly and after a refreshing shower, we hit the streets. Lunch consisted of our first street lunch - a tasty Pho with beef and all the fixings (above). Our Hanoi discovery continued… Continue reading Vietnam & Cambodia – Hanoi

My excitement is rapidly rising this Friday morning as we are about to embark on a great adventure. With it my rather silent period of the past few weeks is coming to an end. Documents ready (see pic above), we are putting last minute items in our luggage before we depart tonight. Why Vietnam and… Continue reading Vietnam & Cambodia – adventures await

Sometimes the best travel adventure is just outside your window. So today, instead of far-away lands, my very own side yard serves as inspiration and exploration. It is with annual punctuality that our tangerine tree bursts in bright orange with a bumper crop of juicy fruit. We have learned over the years that eating them… Continue reading Tangerini’s for the Award Season… adventure to my backyard

For all the years I have been in the travel industry, I have to admit that until today, I had never set foot on a Silversea ship.  This and the fact that I would be hosted by Silversea' Managing Director for the Americas, Mark Conroy himself raised my excitement and anticipation for my short time… Continue reading Aboard Silver Whisper for a day – World Cruise anyone?

A rainy weekend at home was the inspiration for me to perfume the house with aromas from freshly baked cinnamon stars. This traditional German cookie is a staple at every Christmas market and rather easy to make. Here they are fresh out of the oven! Golden brown and partially glazed. Note that half of the… Continue reading Resting from travel – baking instead

A week has passed since we returned from Germany's capital - a marker that inspired me to write these closing thoughts. We too LOVE Berlin -a city that in its myriad ways delights and surprises visitors. From historic buildings to fantastic food and its charming inhabitants, this city deserves a higher rank on people's travel… Continue reading Berlin for Thanksgiving – closing thoughts

Today we discovered an amazing project which will be revealed to the public in 2019. Located on Museum island, the former Prussian Palace which was heavily damaged in WWII and subsequently imploded in the 50s to make room for the Socialist Workers Party Headquarters, has painstakingly been rebuilt over the past 15 years. In an… Continue reading Germany for Thanksgiving – A palace rebuilt

Few cities share tumultuous histories like Berlin does. One excellent way to discover how ordinary people coped with the division and the wall is with the Berlin Undrground tours organization. Greg and I chose your M which introduced us to some of the successful tunneling projects that allowed Eastern Germans in small (8 to 15)… Continue reading Germany for Thanksgiving – digging through history

Instead of lining up at the break of dawn in a futile attempt to snag a TV on sale, we slept in at our fabulous Rocco Forte De Rome hotel situated in the best part of the city across from the Deutsche Staatsoper. Breakfast completes, Our leisurely stroll began at the Deutscher Dom built during… Continue reading Germany for Thanksgiving – Black Friday sightseeing

15 years after our first trip to Germany's capital, we returned to the former east Berlin for dinner in the Nikolaiviertel at Alt-Berliner Weissbierstube. The first sign that greeted us was the now brightly lit U-Bahn station sign above. The second sight was Berlin's tallest landmark the TV Tower peacefully scraping the lower reaches of… Continue reading Germany for Thanksgiving – Berlin