November 23, 2025 Greetings! Ahoy from the Atlantic Ocean! We left beautiful Malaga, festooned with Christmas decorations and a distinct holiday mood, yesterday and made our way through the Pillars of Hercules and are now heading towards Funchal, Madeira, which will be our last stop before beginning our transatlantic crossing. Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. Dmitry and I made a final pilgrimage to a Malaga must: El Pimpi, which has...
5 days ago • 9 min read
November 16, 2025 Greetings! We are having an unexpected sea day today on Seabourn Ovation, due to high winds off the coast of the South of France. This means all hands to the pump for Guest Conversationalists. I am giving my talk on “Flotsam and Jetsam: The Nautical Origins of Common English Expressions,” which is always light-hearted and fun. I have an article version of this, which you can enjoy here. Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription....
12 days ago • 10 min read
November 9, 2025 Greetings! Greetings from stunning Salerno, the gateway to Pompeii. Below you will find a picture of my view as I type this on the quiet veranda of Ovation’s Solis Restaurant, which I have now dubbed “the office.” Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. I began this morning by taking part in the moving Remembrance Sunday service onboard. I read a lovely poem by Marie Cassee. There were several heartfelt remarks by veterans and...
19 days ago • 8 min read
November 2, 2025 Greetings! You find me today in beautiful Sête, France, where I am heading into the city to explore its picturesque canals and buildings, but more importantly, hit the food market! I'm growing concerned that Dmitry is reaching saturation point with the food markets of Southern Europe. Time will tell. Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. I want to extend a warm welcome to everyone who joined this mailing list this week! It's...
26 days ago • 11 min read
October 26, 2025 Greetings! Welcome to the inaugural edition of Books for Travelers! If you’ve just joined the mailing list, welcome! Books for Travelers will come out on alternate weeks to the Destination Curation Newsletter, and feature three books from my Destination Resources reading lists. As a subscriber, you have full and free access to these lists, and I invite you to browse them at your leisure. Each book blurb will take you to a longer review on the Books for Travelers section of my...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
October 5, 2025 Greetings! Greetings from Spetses, Greece, on a beautiful sunny day with just a hint of breeze — a reminder that October and November are the perfect time to visit the Greek Islands! This is the last full day of my voyage on Seabourn Encore, though this time next week I will be on her twin, Seabourn Ovation after a quick trip back to Riga to repack and head out again. Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. The past few weeks...
about 2 months ago • 11 min read
September 21, 2025 Greetings! Hello from Athens! I’ve completed 2 weeks on the beautiful Seabourn Encore and have 2 more to go. From Croatia, we’ve made our way to the Ionian Sea, where a highlight was our port call to Saranda, Albania. This was a new country for me, but one very much worth visiting. It’s easy to get to from nearby Corfu and has so much to offer, including the astonishing archeological ruins at Butrint, with layers of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman architecture, all...
2 months ago • 8 min read
September 7, 2025 Greetings! Greetings from stunning Dubrovnik in the splendid Adriatic! We’ve been here for 4 wonderful days, staying at the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, which has provided us with the perfect blend of sun and sea, with easy access (15 minutes by a bus that stops just outside the hotel) to the Old City. It’s been a great end-of-summer pause before an almost solid 3 months of work on board Seabourn Encore and Ovation. I knew I needed more time in Dubrovnik than just 8 hours —...
3 months ago • 13 min read
August 24, 2025 Greetings! Hello from lovely Riga. It is that precious end of summer with hot days, but deliciously cool nights. Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. Autumn is hovering in the distance somewhere, but hasn’t quite taken hold. This is one of the best times to be in this part of the world. We had visitors last week, which gave us a great excuse to take in one of Riga’s true highlights: a bird’s-eye view of the city from atop...
3 months ago • 13 min read