Sunday morning
Kotor, Montenegro
It’s a glorious morning! About 6 am we sailed into southern Europe’s only fjord, the Bay of Kotor. Surrounded on both sides by towering mountains, our ship feels small. Soon we’ll go ashore to explore the old walled city of Kotor, a fortified town built by the Venetians.
We’ve enjoyed some wonderful days. Two days ago we sailed into the Croatian port of Sibenik, where we embarked on one of our Signature Journey excursions. Under the care of a young but passionate guide, we drove to nearby Split, Croatia, to begin our day. As you may recall, the Roman emperor Diocletian was the first to actually retire from office instead of dying or losing his office to a military coup. Rather than going into an assisted living community, Diocletian chose this handsome seaport to build an opulent palace. Over the centuries, the locals took over parts of the palace for their own accommodations, however one can still see some the Roman grandeur. Our guide maintains that the cathedral (once a Roman temple) is the oldest Christian church in the world.
After a delightful lunch in the harbor overlooking the grand promenade of Split, we drove along the coastline to explore the medieval village of Trogir. Though the buildings have been modernized with plumbing and electricity, much remains untouched from the middle ages. Delightful; it was a pity we did not have more time. All in all, though, a great day.
Dubrovnik: Yesterday the Seabourn Quest sailed into the waters surrounding the walled city of Dubrovnik, once one of the Mediterranean’s great sea powers. When we first visited Dubrovnik 15-20 years ago, shortly after the conflict in the Balkans came to an end, there was not much activity. The city had been shelled heavily by Serb forces perched on the mountain that dominates the city. The people were grim and the shops mostly empty. What a difference a decade makes. Entrepreneurs have blossomed: many of the old stone buildings have been taken over with shops and restaurants on every corner. Recently a funicular was completed to take visitors to the top of the city’s mountain for stunning panoramas. Surprisingly, in addition to our small ship, four large ships docked in Dubrovnik yesterday, filling the narrow streets with tourists. We stayed in late so the city was virtually ours after all the others sailed away late in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, we’re all healthy and enjoying the wonderful sunshine (it’s expected to be nearly 800 today).
Wish you were here!
Paul and Christine
Coming of age in the 60s, in the midst of the Vietnam conflict, I could not imagine every visiting Hanoi. (And thoroughly enjoying the experience.) From our base at the classic 
When many visitors think of Cambodia’s capital, they cannot separate the city from the genocide committed by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. During our visit we went to see the site of the Killing Fields as well as the notorious prison in the city’s center. Just as visiting World War II concentration camps gives travelers an important and jarring perspective on life and inhumanity, these visits in Cambodia make one question how such tragedies can happen. How can we become so evil? On the positive side, the magnificent Royal Palace complex will stun you with its architectural beauty.
it’s spoiled.
came up to me and asked, in English, “Where are you from?” She continued, “What is your name?” “How many brothers and sisters do you have?” “How long will you stay?” These are, of course, fairly easy phrases to memorize but the little girl went beyond those. When we asked her name, she said it was “Monika”. Of course, that was her English name; after all, her Cambodian name would be very difficult to remember.
Not everyone speaks English; not everyone is as helpful or friendly. But our sense is that this is a great place to visit.
Unlike the temperatures in the north of the country, the air is quite warm and more humid. On Sunday we reach our final destination, Saigon, where we’ll spend the evening. There our group of travelers will dine in the former home of US Ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge. The next day, Monday, we begin our journey home.
capped mountains of Turkey’s Kurdish region.
magnificent fortress situated high astride the ridge of the mountain, the interest began to grow. At the entrance to the road leading up to the fort, we saw a long line of elephants waiting to take us up the mountain. This was getting interesting. While we waited to board our elephants, a local Rajastani man tied turbans on many of us. Properly equipped with regional headgear, we boarded the elephants and set off on our climb up the mountain. Touristy but fun.
After a busy morning it was time for lunch. And what a lunch… We had planned a “Royal Welcome” at a beautiful hotel, once a residence owned by the Maharaja of Jaipur. When we approached the hotel a band played music the maharaja’s armies might have used a couple of centuries ago. A huge elephant, two camels, two horses and a curious monkey flanked the entrance to welcome us.
Tuesday morning, Varanasi, India
sidewalks.
During the next two days we visited the handsome government buildings built by the British in the early 1900s, a magnificent structure (Humayans’s tomb) many call the precursor of the Taj Mahal and took off our shoes to visit the largest mosque in India. We boarded rickshaws to drive through the 
narrow lanes of Old Delhi while noisy commerce and tooting horns surrounded us. However the highlight of our stay in Delhi was our visit one evening to an Indian family. Our bus took us through Delhi’s dark neighborhoods to a newish 5-story building. We walked up four flights and rang the doorbell. There we met our charming hostess, Mrs. Prabeen Singh, along with her pretty daughter who recently began her practice as a child psychologist. During the next 45 minutes a series of fascinating local people arrived. Among them was the head of the Wall Street Journal in India, a Sikh gentlemen who publishes a prestigious journal on Indian affairs, a well-known physicist, an affable woman (who would host the King of Bhutan the following day at her accommodations at a noted tiger reserve), a woman who headed the department of comparative religions at a Delhi university, a coin expert and several others.
