Fifteen men on the dead man's chest— ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest— ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! The fictional sea shanty from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island captures an actual truth: pirates drank a lot of rum. (To be fair, they probably drank a…
For so many, myself included, that first sip of coffee of the day is not only a jolt for the mind, but one for the soul. A good cup of coffee is a luxurious experience, one to be treasured and appreciated. And it is even better when the coffee comes from the source, from a…
Victoria, British Columbia is a cool city with a lot to do and see. But since it is a place that you’ll likely have a rental car, it is also easy to get out of town for a day to see a bit more of the southern portion of Vancouver Island. The Victoria region is…
Lunch at Heraklion’s A Little Wine, A Little Sea on my first day here on the Greek island of Crete. It’s a cute restaurant facing the city’s Venetian harbor and fortress, serving up seafood and some Greek staples. After a fried fish platter for one that could easily have fed three, piled high with fried…
Exploring cuisine while traveling is, if not the absolute best part, at least in the top few reasons I love my travel life. I always maintain that if one eats what the locals eat, food is good everywhere, even if it isn’t what one is particularly used to. And I stand by that. Greek food…
One of the best parts of travel is the food. With basically no exceptions, every place in the world has good food. While some cuisines are more or less to my particular palate, eating what the locals eat, what places do well, will typically be a terrific experience. Yes, even in Scotland. Scottish food has…
Editor’s note: if you’ve been a regular follower of The Royal Tour, you’d recognize this as the second in Morgan’s series on the Azores. Her first, on Sao Miguel, can be found here. One thing is immediately apparent: these islands are all distinct and differ greatly from each other! For more of Morgan’s writing, click…
I love Edinburgh. I adore the history, the architecture, the excitement. But sometimes the central part of the city gets a bit crowded, and heading a little further afield makes for a nice getaway, even if only for a few hours. And when that getaway has some good food and drinks, an interesting history, and…
Sometimes, I can be quite difficult. It is my first day in Edinburgh, a lovely sunny (though with brief drizzles as this is Scotland, after all) summer Sunday, and I find myself in the magnificent Balmoral, a stunning five star hotel on Princes Street just down from the central train station. The hotel’s lobby is…
Few things are better than a stroll along the Thames on a pretty day. With blue skies and a temperature in the low 70s Fahrenheit, this is London at its June finest. The south side of the river, especially, is wonderful, and full of amazing things to see and do. My day here is focused…