TRAVEL DIARIES

October 2005 - Mediterranean Culinary Cruise
- by Helen Daley-Newhouse, tour escort.

Mediterranean Cruise with Celebrity Chef

It all began over dinner one night in February 2004. I had been invited to one of our local upscale hotels to attend a special 6 course dinner paired with wines with each course. The theme. Mediterranean . The Chef and the Sommelier were the stars of the evening. I was so impressed I made arrangements for my sister to celebrate her 60 th birthday at the same location. We invited 60 of her childhood friends. The evening was magic and I knew then I wanted to partner with Chef Raj Gupta and Sommelier, Kempton Hyson.

I approached Holland America Cruise Line because of their new Culinary Arts Program. It was the perfect match. The MS PRINSENDAM was sailing the Mediterranean from Venice to Lisbon late fall of October, 2005. The itinerary was ideal including Italy , Croatia , Greece , France and Spain . We would explore and savor five countries, five different foods and wines.

Let the parties begin! I decided to invite friends and clients and their friends to dinner parties hosted by Chef Raj and Kempton at the hotel. January 2005 we started with "Cook like a Chef" and followed with four additional themed dinner parties over the next 4 months. By June we had our group together. It was an eclectic group of people, two of which were originally from Croatia and were very excited to be able to show the other people in the group their homeland.

October arrived and many of us flew to Venice a few days early to explore the city, the islands of Murano, (world famous mouth-blown glass) and Burano a quaint fishing village famous for their lace makers. Finally on October 28, 2005 we boarded the PRINSENDAM. She's lovely. The smallest ship in the Holland America fleet she carries only 800 passengers. There were 99 Canadians on board 30 of which were with our group. Chef Raj was invited by the cruise line to do a cooking demonstration during the cruise. There was standing room only in the Culinary Arts Theatre the day of his presentation. He prepared two courses one of which consisted of Nova Scotia Digby Scallops. The demonstration was televised throughout the ship for the extent of the cruise.

Everyone loved the ports of call. We stopped at the Island of Rab in Croatia and then on to Dubrovnik . This city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been completed restored since the Civil War in 1991-1992. This little city sits only 14 Km from the Bosnia/Herzegovina border. It's situated on the edge of the Adriatic and built on the slope of a mountain. The Serbs were able to stand on the top of the mountain and lob bombs down into Dubrovnik . The people of Dubrovnik lived for two years with no electricity or running water. They are strong people, who have terrific pride and inner strength. They've done a fantastic job of rebuilding it to its original state. Later we drove along the picturesque Dalmatian coast to a lovely restaurant for lunch.

The day we visited it was warm and sunny. Our guide, who lives within the walls of this ancient city had stayed through the civil war. She took us to the museum where many artifacts had been hidden and protected during the strife. On the steps of the church were a group of young men singing. They had the sweetest voices I had ever heard. After our tour we explored the streets of Dubrovnik and stopped at a café for a cup of local coffee. The young singers happened to arrive at the same café for lunch and they sang through their entire lunch hour. They were singing just for the love of it.

After a day at sea we arrived at Katakalon , Greece , the original Olympia . The ruins were extraordinary. Chef Raj, his wife and two children ran the Olympic Stadium ruins together. Others sat at the Temple to quietly reflect. It was a personal, moving experience for all of us. Returning to the ship we looked forward to another day at sea to cruise the Aeolian Islands , and pass Stromboli , the active volcano. The people of Stromoli live at the foot of the volcano never knowing when it may erupt. I have to say it is some of the most beautiful cruising I have ever experienced.

Our next stop was Rome and a very full day. We managed a private visit to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and a few of us tossed coins in Trivi Fountain. Rome is an enormous archeological wonder, with examples of Greek and Roman ruins peppered throughout the city. The Coliseum is a wonder in itself. After miles of walking we all were happy to get back to our PRINSENDAM and a quiet evening. The following day we arrived in Livorno and explored Pisa , Luca and other areas of Tuscany . In Luca another ancient walled city we found fabulous buys in leather goods. We welcomed another day at sea enroute to St. Tropez.

St. Tropez was a very relaxing port of call. We had this beautiful seaside French city usually teaming with celebrities and the rich and famous, entirely to ourselves. We arrived in time to explore the local market with fresh vegetables and meats, clothing and antiques. People from the surrounding areas outside of St. Tropez came into do their shopping. It was wonderful commiserating with the locals. But, the jewelry stores and high-end shops were an experience as well. Shops such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana are examples. It doesn't cost anything to look!

Traveling through the strait of Gibraltar we sailed into Cadiz . Spain is less expensive than Italy , and Cadiz was by far the best place to shop. Steeped in history, we took in our excursions but made a bee-line for the shops after lunch. Unlike many cities in Spain , the shop owners remained open until later in the afternoon. Reluctantly we boarded the ship knowing we'd be packing and disembarking in Lisbon the following day.

In Lisbon , after we left the ship everyone was asking "where are we going next year"? My answer was "let's have dinner and we'll discuss it". You see, it all began with dinner.