Roads Less Traveled

Most people choose Costa as their cruise line of choice because the itinerary and timing is appealing or because the price is right.  And Costa does provide lively entertainment, good food, and a convivial atmosphere on newer ships with an Italian flair for style and design.  It’s for those who like a youthful international mix of families, couples, and mostly non-English speaking passengers.

If you’ve already made up your mind to cruise Costa (or if you’re on the fence), here are 5 tips that should help:

Continue reading →

I just finished a Costa cruise, which is where I took these photos.  I love to travel, and so naturally I get a chance to talk to others like me who enjoy seeing the world.  Among those, there is a certain type that will tell you with snobbish disdain that they would never consider a cruise, as if ships (and, it goes without saying, the low-brows and deplorables like me who are passengers on them) are somehow beneath them.  Well, I usually prefer land travel myself, but I’ve been on plenty of cruises, and I can say that I’ve enjoyed every one.  In fact, I’d say that there are times when cruising is not only the preferred way to travel, it’s virtually the only way unless you’re prepared to mount your own personal expedition.  

With that in mind, here are the 7 best reasons you should take a cruise: Continue reading →

Prince Eugene of Savoy was a scrawny, innocuous little runt who nonetheless became a mighty warrior and helped defeat the Ottomans decisively, once at the Siege of Vienna in 1683, and more famously at the Battle of Zenta in 1697. He was thus instrumental in keeping all of Europe from becoming a Muslim caliphate, at least until today, and the riches that came his way as a result were poured into the Baroque masterpiece of Belvedere, his summer palace in Vienna, Austria. Continue reading →