We’ve built this blog around one very simple belief: food and wine aren’t a side note to travel, they’re the reason to go. Whether we’re peeling off from a cruise ship dock to chase down a family-run trattoria, learning to spot Ripasso from Amarone in a Veronese wine cellar, or working through a tasting menu in York, every post here traces back to something we ate, drank, or learned along the way. You’ll find real-time dispatches from ports of call across the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Norway’s fjords, the British Isles, and closer to home along the Pacific coast — plus the land days, precruise stopovers, and full city stays that bookend them. Read on for shore excursion reviews, food tours, wine country deep dives, and the occasional honest admission that not every “must-try” lived up to the hype.
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Arrival in Budapest: Kicking Off Our Central European Adventure
Our arrival day in Budapest — the Mystery Hotel’s rooftop bar, a golden hour walk through Belváros-Lipótváros, and St. Stephen’s Basilica.
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Food Tours: Taste a City Like a Local
Real tips on why food tours are the ultimate way to explore a city’s culture. Discover the best food tours in Rome, London, Seattle, and Reykjavík.
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Hidden Gems: Exploring Lesser-Known Wine Regions
Off-the-beaten-path wine travel: discover volcanic vineyards in Sicily and Tenerife and a farm-to-table wine experience in Crete.
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Why Wine Is at the Heart of Our Travel Philosophy
Discover how wine shapes our travel philosophy — from Sonoma to Chianti to Bordeaux — and why pairing local wine with food defines every trip.
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Baltic Port Roundup: 9 Ports
A port-by-port Baltic cruise guide covering Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and more — what to see, how to get into town, and which excursions are worth it.
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Specialty Dining on Holland America’s Rotterdam
Our review of Holland America specialty dining on the Rotterdam — Tamarind, Morimoto Sushi, Rudi’s Sel de Mer, and the Pinnacle Grill lunch.
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Our First Holland America Dining Experiences
Our honest review of Holland America’s included dining and Club Orange on the Rotterdam — the food, the perks, and why we booked it again for 2027
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Holland America: First Impressions of the Rotterdam
After 25 years on Princess Cruises, we tried Holland America’s Rotterdam. Here’s why we switched and our first impressions of the ship.
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A Return to Copenhagen
Our last port of call on this adventure was Copenhagen. We spent a few days here a number of years ago prior to leaving on our first transatlantic cruise. Between that and it being the end of a busy trip, we kept a low profile today. Most large ships dock at Oceankaj which has four…
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Kiel: The Sailing City
This morning we sailed down the Kiel Fjord from the Baltic Sea. Kiel is the capital of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein and has a significant maritime ship building industry. Located in what was the former West Germany near Denmark, it was largely destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in a much more modern urban style. …
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Glorious Gdańsk Poland
A full day private shore excursion of The Tri-Cities area including Sopot, Oliwa Cathedral and the Baltic gem of Gdańsk.
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Visby, Sweden: City of Roses and Ruins
A day in the port of Visby, city of roses and ruins. A walk through Almedalen Park, Botanical Gardens, St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Great Square and gelato.