By Alaska is one of those places where people go to seek adventure. Its fierce beauty, overwhelming silence and lack of luxury hotels makes it a natural spectacle. Once you get off the main roads and into the wilderness, a whole new world opens up: raw, magnificent and still. But most places in Alaska are not even accessible by car, so I decided to make my first trip there by taking a cruise.
As a child I knew that Russia had sold Alaska to America back in 1867 for a mere $7 million. But it wasn’t until I saw Alaska that I felt how foolish the Russians were.
Alaska is massive. Its coastline is more than double the length of the entire U.S. coast, and it’s a fifth of the size of the United States. But with population of only 686,293 people, it is pretty much deserted.
Cruising is probably the best way to see Alaska for the first time. As our cruise ship, Crystal Harmony, was slowly gliding through Glacier Bay, passengers gathered on every inch of deck in silence, like in an amphitheater before a symphony was about to start, granite peaks surrounding the ship, echoing sounds from the wild as we passed. (more…)
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There is something distinctively soulful and romantic about Paris. No matter how much I travel I find myself longing to be back in the City of Light. From the first time I wandered the Champs-Élysées on Valentine’s Day in 1993 until a recent visit in October, my heart cannot but leap at the sight of romance on every corner, embracing me like a long-lost love returned home. Each time I visit, I discover a new street, a new boutique or a new bistro, but I mainly like observing people. A hug, a laugh, an attitude can be illuminating.
