Benin, cradle of the voodoo religion!
Benin. Read our previous country posting: “Belize, which has it all : Mayas, beaches, jungles, barrier reef!” COUNTRY ROLL No 20 : Benin, cradle of the voodoo religion in French West Africa! Photo Dan Kitwood/GettyImages Read our related posting: “Best of Benin food: Ago Glain with Pili Pili, a mouthful just to pronounce…
Cyprus, the island of love, home to the wine of kings and the king of wines!
Cyprus COUNTRY ROLL No 47 : Cyprus, the original island of love. Did you not know that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was born in Cyprus, just off what is now appropriately called Aphrodite’s Beach. Cyprus is also home to the oldest wine in the world, the sweet dessert wine commandaria. In the 12th century,…
Viking River Cruises : best designed cabins afloat!
Viking River Cruises has been investing heavily in new ships with the launch of no fewer than 40 new river cruise Longships since 2012, all fairly identical 190-passenger ships. Recently, we were guests on one of those ships, the Viking Longship Tor, for an eight-day cruise down the Danube River from Nuremberg to Budapest. We…
A Royal Welcome at the Taj Nadesar Palace !
Nadesar Palace. The Taj Nadesar Palace Hotel is a property owned by the maharajah of Varanasi and managed by Taj Hotels. There are only ten suites in this luxurious hotel. Ours happens to be the Queen Elizabeth Suite, so named because that is where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed on February 25th and…