Sweden seems an unlikely place for a Chinese pavilion. However, the grounds of Stockholm’s Drottningholm Palace are home to an extraordinary Chinese-inspired edifice constructed in 1753. At the time, trade with the Far East was booming, and Europeans were fascinated by all things Asian.

The structure, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built by King Adolf Fredrik as a birthday present for Queen Lovisa Ulrika. The surprised queen described the pleasure palace as “the most beautiful you can see.”

During the 1760s, the original Chinese Pavilion, a prefabricated wooden house, was replaced by a sturdier one, which has a rococo interior with Oriental influences.  The historic landmark made news headlines in 2010, when thieves broke into the building, shattered display cases and stole a number of valuable Chinese objects.

The pavilion at Drottningholm isn’t the only Chinese-influenced structure constructed by European royalty. In the early 1900s, Belgium’s King Leopold II created a Chinese Pavilion in Brussels. Today it is part of the Museums of the Far East, which house a fine collection of Asian ceramics and art.

Situated in one of the many picturesque inlets of Turkey’s Turquoise Coast is Antalya, gateway to the important cities from antiquity, Aspendos and Perge.

The main draw of Aspendos, approximately 30 miles east of Antalya, is its impressive 20,000-seat theater, which has presented everything from gladiator battles to recent opera and ballet performances. Built in the latter half of the first century C.E., it is exceptionally well preserved, beautifully proportioned and boasts excellent acoustics.  In the 13th century, the theater was converted into a palace by the Seljuk Turks, an act that in some ways preserved the structure by covering it with bricks.  In addition to the theater, seek out the remains of structures including a 50-foot-tall aqueduct and the nymphaeum (sanctuary to water nymphs).

Closer to Antalya is Perge, which was founded in 1,000 B.C.E. and is name-checked in none other than the Bible. According to the book of Acts, St. Paul visited Perge twice in 46 A.D., once giving a sermon there. After the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity, Perge became an important ecclesiastical city. But the vestiges of buildings here are mostly not related to religion. Instead, visitors can see a theater with wonderful marble reliefs detailing the life of Dionysus and a stadium with shops identifying their proprietors and wares with inscriptions. The Pergeans enjoyed their shopping: In addition to an agora (marketplace), Perge also had the precursor to an outdoor mall. A covered walkway once housed shops on both sides of a long reflecting pool that acted as air-conditioning.

Back in the city, don’t miss the Antalya Museum, which has a sizeable and excellent collection of statuary from Perge in addition to ancient coins, icons, mosaics and much more.

“The very personification of savoir faire,” according to one of his many rave reviews, Steve Ross is known as the “Crown Prince of Cabaret” for his elegant, clever and insightful performances of the works of Noel Coward, Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim, among others.  Sondheim attended and enjoyed one of his shows. And the Noel Coward Society so appreciated his tributes that it bequeathed Ross one the legend’s smoking jackets, in which he often performs.

Ross began his career in the 1970s at a Theater District venue where the likes of Liza Minnelli and Ginger Rogers were known to join him in song. He has a long history of celebrated performances at the Oak Room in New York’s Algonquin Hotel and regular engagements in Australia, Britain and Brazil. Ross was the first American cabaret artist to appear at the Paris Ritz and he has taken the stage at prestigious venues (including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center) and festivals (such as Spoleto and the Caramoor Music Festival) across the United States and abroad. Ross has hosted radio series both for NPR and the BBC and lectured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Oxford University. An Off-Broadway veteran, he made his Broadway debut in 1997 in “Present Laughter” with Frank Langella.

You can catch Steve Ross in New York City May 23 and 24 at the Metropolitan Room. We are also lucky enough to have him aboard two summer cruises: a July 17 sailing from St. Petersburg to Copenhagen and a July 28 trip from Edinburgh to Dublin.

Steve Ross has this to say about his upcoming Arrangements Abroad adventures:

“I began my sea-faring life with many contracts on the late, great QEII
moving on to other ships on other lines, but I have to say the size of the
Clipper Odyssey and the relatively small number of passengers is very
appealing. I love to make new friends at and away from the keyboard. New
conversations, new places to learn about and visit—that’s the ticket for
this wand’ring minstrel! As far as what songs I’ll choose—at least two of
the composers I sing a lot of, Messrs. Porter and Coward, practically lived
on the great liners in the Thirties and wrote several songs about traveling
(“Shooting Box in Scotland” and “Sail Away”). The classics from these and
the other writers of the American Songbook (the Gershwins, Irving Berlin,
Lerner and Loewe) will make frequent appearances at my shows.”

For more information about Steve Ross, click http://www.steveross.net.

http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/articles/whats-new-cuba?cmpid=enews04122012&spPodID=020&spMailingID=4493537&spUserID=MjE5NDYwMTU0MzAS1&spJobID=268773405&spReportId=MjY4NzczNDA1S0

The word “Trogir” sounds like the name of a fearsome Tolkien troll king and its ancient Greek meaning, “isle of goats,” does it no favors either. But the Croatian town of Trogir enchants visitors with its small island charm and meticulously preserved buildings that tell its 2,300-year history.

The Greeks first settled this island in the third century B.C.E. and its nearly uninterrupted human occupation since, with architectural vestiges from many eras of rule (including Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian), earned this delightful spot a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is unusual to find a gathering of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, all beautifully maintained, within such a small radius. But Trogir is not only remarkable for its edifices: urban planners are fascinated by how the streets still follow their original grid and that its two main roads have been in use since the town began.

Meander through Trogir’s narrow, winding streets, lined with churches and palaces. Of particular note is the main square with its medieval loggia and clock tower, the graceful façade of Cipko Palace and the pièce de resistance, St. Lawrence Cathedral.  The cathedral’s western door is an outstanding Romanesque work by the famous Croatian architect and sculptor Radovan. Study his masterful carvings: scenes from the Nativity, the life of Christ, and Adam and Eve on either side of the door, both perched on lions.

After exploring the highlights of Trogir, linger over a coffee, an ice cream or a lunch of freshly caught fish at one of the cafes dotting the waterfront promenade. As you sit back and admire the homes and streets built from ancient sun-soaked stones, with their exquisite architectural details, you will understand why locals call Trogir “The Stone Beauty.”

This month’s selection is “Viva South America!” by Oliver Balch.  In “Viva South America!” Balch sets out to discover if the dream of Simon Bolivar and other South American liberators – the dream of independence, freedom and equality – lives on in modern South America.  His journey takes the reader off the tourist trail and into people’s homes, inmates’ prison cells, onto dance floors and over road blocks, unearthing untold stories from the front line of South America’s contemporary fight for freedom.

From New Orleans to Paris and from Egypt to Buenos Aires, cemeteries have for centuries been sights of interest to travelers. Some come to admire the architecture and decoration of tombs, some to learn about the burial customs of different cultures, and others out of plain curiosity.

Rome’s ancient catacombs, some of the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity, are concentrated around the Via Appia Antica and are dug as many as five levels down into the earth – soft rock called tufa. The most visited is the Catacomb of St. Callisto where many of the popes from the third century were buried. In it and others there are frescoes depicting Christian symbols such as doves, fish and bread. There are also two Jewish catacombs that are open to the public by special arrangement, one that pre-dates the Christian catacombs (c. 50 B.C.E. to 400 A.D.). These are decorated with Judaic motifs including menorahs.

In contrast to the Roman catacombs, which were constructed as cemeteries, the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Sicily were mostly created with the intention that the dead be visited. Corpses are displayed in their Sunday best; many are largely intact mummies and are easily accessible.

Capuchin monks were first buried here in 1599 and later it became a status symbol for people to have their final resting place near these holy men. Divided into sections for men, women, virgins, priests, monks, professionals (e.g., soldiers) and children, the catacombs sadly received their last resident in 1920 – a ghoulishly well- preserved two-year-old girl named Rosalia whose yellow silk bow matches her still-blonde hair.

Two fast-approaching events will focus attention upon Cuba’s exciting visual arts. Over the course of 11 days in New York City, starting April 12, cineastes will have the opportunity to see more than 50 films from 13 countries at the Havana Film Festival New York. In its 13^th year, this festival screens both the latest award-winning films and classics from and about Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. Latino community. The range of films is extraordinary, as witnessed by the festival opener, a drama about two boys from opposite sides of the tracks in Havana; and the closing film, the first zombie movie made in Cuba.

In Cuba, the 11^th Havana Bienal will take place May 11 to June 11, showcasing the works of 115 artists from 43 countries. A forum for underrepresented voices and focusing on art from Latin America and the Caribbean, the bienal’s theme this year is “Artistic Practices and Social Imaginaries.” According to Jorge Fernandez, director of the Wilfredo Lam Center of Contemporary Art, the bienal seeks to delve deeply into the thinking of people in different communities and inspire young people to identify with it, turning the event into a mirror for Cuban society.

Bienal photo by C. Monsalvez

Riverboats can maneuver into smaller ports thereby allowing direct entrée to exquisite places like châteaux, floating markets and vineyards. You have immediate access to the imposing cathedrals and masterpieces of art in the charming villages on your route. Join a walking tour or grab a bike and go explore – no need to travel out of the way to get to where a big cruise ship can dock, and then tender back and forth in a sea of people.

No crowds, no herding, no hurry. Just sophisticated, like-minded travelers who discuss Rotterdam’s inventive architecture or the van Goghs seen in Arles that day.

Take time to smell the tulips on a glorious springtime cruise along Dutch and Belgian waterways. Admire chateau gardens, Roman ruins and the enchanting cities and pastoral landscapes of Provence.

I bet you won’t miss for a minute getting lost en route to the ice show or waiting more than an hour to disembark.

By Anastasia Mills Healy

This month’s book is Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.  Here’s a bit of a teaser (and for all you Downton Abbey fans out there and others celebrating International Women’s Day!)

Maisie Dobbs isn’t just any young housemaid. Through her own natural intelligence—and the patronage of her benevolent employers—she works her way into college at Cambridge. When World War I breaks out, Maisie goes to the front as a nurse. It is there that she learns that coincidences are meaningful and the truth elusive. After the War, Maisie sets up on her own as a private investigator. But her very first assignment, seemingly an ordinary infidelity case, soon reveals a much deeper, darker web of secrets, which will force Maisie to revisit the horrors of the Great War and the love she left behind.

What did you think of Maisie Dobbs?