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...
5 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...
12 days 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 1 month 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...
about 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 —...
2 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...
2 months ago • 13 min read
August 3, 2025 Greetings! Greetings from beautiful Verona! I’ve come here for a very special event — the birthday party of a dear friend, which has reunited us with many other old friends we haven’t seen in several years. It’s been a spectacular weekend at the enchanting Villa Cordevigo, which almost immediately earned a coveted Destination Curation thumbs up! Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. This is gorgeous countryside — right near...
3 months ago • 11 min read
July 20, 2025 Greetings! Coming to you today from lovely Honningsvag, Norway for our second fjord cruise of the season. Once again, we are on the top of the world and have forgotten what a dark night looks like! Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. We’re enjoying magical weather and have been so lucky to enjoy scenic cruising while dining and enjoying chatting with other guests on several evenings. My Norway talks have gone well. I’ve found...
4 months ago • 13 min read
July 6, 2025 Greetings from wonderful Iceland! While the rest of Europe languishes in a heat wave, we have been getting good use out of our woolen socks and down vests! Our time on Seabourn Sojourn has been truly enjoyable. Did you receive this newsletter from a friend? Click here for your own free subscription. This is a lovely ship with a superb crew. A real treat is Deborah Dyer singing in the Observation Bar each evening. I first met Deborah on Ovation, where she worked in the Solis Bar —...
4 months ago • 12 min read