Between the Bosporus Cruise with a full Turkish Breakfast, the Hamam and Grand Bazaar experiences, the Turkish Luncheon with six paired Turkish wines, the Whirling Dervishes…and some canceled flights and luggage issues, it was a very exciting and full two days in Istanbul for Goldring Travel’s guests. Boarding the Star

It was finally time to get the Goldring Travel Culinary & Cultural Cruise of Turkey, Greece, and Israel underway.  This is the third time I’ve tried to provide this experience –  with Covid causing the cancelation twice. It also put the suppliers I had made arrangements with to have difficulties,

As I head out on my 2022 Goldring Travel Culinary & Cultural Cruise on Windstar’s Star Legend, visiting Turkey, Greece, and Israel, I find myself to be hyper-focused on the “cultural” aspects of this journey. And, for me, it is a journey…”From Inuit to Istanbul”. Just two weeks ago I

It is a real joy when a ship and an expedition team (the hardware and the software) exceed one’s expectations. And that is exactly the case with my experience on Quark Expedition’s Ultramarine! First, here are my prior articles about my expedition, cultural, and culinary experiences on Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine:

My time on Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine is coming to an end, but even though this is a longer journey, I’m not happy about it.  Quark’s ship and expedition team have exceeded my expectations…and there is still more to come. I had heard that Disko Bay, Greenland was a “must-see”, so

My journey on Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine continued with a bit of a change. Upon our departure from Beechy Island, we pretty much left the European exploration focus and embraced nature and Inuit history and culture. With this change I personally experienced, in a significant way, the reason why I “TRAVEL”.

Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine My Northwest Passage Journey on Quark Expedition’s Ultramarine was truly enriched with the “detour” to the previously unscheduled Inuit community visit.  And as I would discover within myself, the history and heritage of the Inuit people are, for me, far more interesting and emotional than that of

Our first full day onboard Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine was basically an orientation day, not unlike those on an Antarctica expedition. After two days of travel, plus a very early morning Northern Lights experience, it was good to have some downtime and adjustment rather than jumping right into the expedition.  By

l have been anticipating my Quark Expeditions journey for a long time…and it is finally here!  Back in 2020, I was contacted by Quark Expeditions about experiencing it’s brand new, not yet even completed, Ultramarine and I was very excited for two reasons: Quark, after it was purchased in 2016,