Features

May 2018 issue | Appears on page 6

Exploring the harshly beautiful landscapes of Greenland and Canada’s Labrador
By Lynn Remly
Greenland landscape.

My love affair with the Arctic and subarctic began years ago when I flew over the great Greenland Ice Sheet when returning from a trip to Europe. Stunned by the sight of an enormous island of ice, I began making at least one trip a year to an Arctic region and have never been disappointed with the scenery, wildlife, indigenous cultures or even the weather.

My latest choice was offered by Adventure Canada (Ontario, Canada; 800/363-7566, adventurecanada.com); “Greenland & Wild...

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May 2018 issue | Appears on page 20

Discovering two of Italy’s lesser-known gems
By Paula Prindle
The royal chess match begins, against the backdrop of Marostica’s Lower Castle. Photos by David Prindle

France is our favorite country, but in 2016, Italy called my husband, David, and me once again, loud and clear. It was an Emirates nonstop flight to Milan priced at $896 for two that shouted the siren song. 

A wonderful surprise

We chose September for our travels because it is our favorite time to visit Europe. The weather is nearly always nice, the crowds are manageable, and the vendange (grape harvest) seals the deal. It turned out that September 2016 held another...

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May 2018 issue | Appears on page 32

Getting a different view of Haiti
By Seth Sherman
The ruins of the beautiful Sans-Souci Palace.

Does the thought of Haiti conjure up images of poverty, famine and earthquakes? Well, think again, because that’s only a part of the picture. A vibrant nation with colorful traditions, delicious food and friendly people, Haiti is waiting to be discovered.

An introduction

When my two travel companions, who are voracious country counters, and I sailed my yacht, Serendipity, from Guadeloupe to Hispaniola, stopping briefly on Aves Island, our thoughts immediately turned to...

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May 2018 issue | Appears on page 40

Crossing Russia in luxury on the Trans-Siberian Railway
By Alan Lichtenstein
An enormous stainless-steel statue of Genghis Khan – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The first time my wife, Arlene, and I saw Russia was on a 2-day stop in St. Petersburg on a Baltic cruise. A cruise might not be the best way to get deep insight into a country, as each stop permits one to have only what amounts to a cup of coffee in a particular place, but St. Petersburg was so full of culture and history that it whetted our appetites, making us want to return. And so we did, on a 2016 land trip with Overseas Adventure Travel that visited the Baltic States (Lithuania,...

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April 2018 issue | Appears on page 6

From traditional to trendy, Japan has it all
By David Tykol
The bronze Great Buddha at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura was one of many stops worth a picture on a week-long tour of Japan. Photo by David Tykol

I was standing at the top of a staircase leading to the 364-year-old mausoleum of Japan’s third Tokugawa Shogun. Surrounded by 70-foot-tall Japanese cedars, this forest setting in Nikkō was quiet, sunny and cool, and I was trying to figure out how they used to light the 6-foot-tall metal and stone lanterns standing like sentries along the walkways.

Only a couple of days later I was in Osaka, worming my way through throngs of people in what seemed like a mile-long indoor...

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April 2018 issue | Appears on page 20

Picturesque Patagonia – a cruise along the southern coast of Chile
By Marvin Silverman
“The Horns,” part of the Torres del Paine Massif.

I had the good fortune in October-November 2017 to join an expedition to Patagonia conducted by Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. Our trip began in Santiago, Chile, and I spent one day there before the tour started in order to get acclimated after flying in from San Francisco, California.

There were 75 of us on the first portion of the trip, which consisted of two days in Santiago and three days in inland Patagonia. The group would then join an additional 20 passengers when we...

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April 2018 issue | Appears on page 33

Impressed by the amazing wildlife of Botswana
By Paula Lucia
Lioness seen during our stay at Kwara Camp.

After several months of planning my trip to Botswana, exchanging emails with Roger Turski of Safari Lifestyles (Maun, Botswana; phone +267 7606 1186, www.safarilifestyles.com), with excitement and anticipation, the day had finally arrived. Roger is enthusiastic about introducing travelers to his adopted country (he’s from England), and he also is an avid photographer. 

Botswana had been on my agenda for 20 years, and now it was finally coming true! 

The journey...

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April 2018 issue | Appears on page 42

Norway from A to Z
By James Hansen
A view of Bergen and its harbor.

In mid-2017, my wife, Linda, and I set out on a cruise around Norway and Scotland on an oceangoing ship called the Viking Sky. This 2-week cruise from Viking, “Into the Midnight Sun,” departed from Bergen, Norway, and ended at Greenwich, England.

There were so many unforgettable events on this trip that it seemed right to describe the journey in the A-to-Z format I have used in previous travel summaries. The text is not in chronological order, but, rather, in alphabetical...

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