Seabourn Ovation - June 22, 2024

Lisbon is many cities, from the cobbled alleys of the Alfama district to the broad Parisian style avenues at its heart. View it all from the heights of St. George's Castle. Belem's Monument to the Discoveries recalls the seafaring past, while nearby Sintra's storybook palaces, and the seaside resort of Caiscais, have different tales to tell.

There are intensities to be found in Marbella - whether they be the power of the bird song, the almost-overpowering scent of orange blossom, or the effusiveness of the subtropical flora. These are intensities so far beyond the norm experienced in more dreary climes that they almost seem to offer a taste of Heaven itself. This is no less true of a quality of evening light that can haunt your thoughts and move you to tears of longing when parted from the place.

Menorca is considered the gem of the Balearic Islands. Mahon, its most important port, is also its capital. Journey to the top of Monte Toro, the highest mountain on the island, and savor a most spectacular view. Occasionally as far as Majorca. Explore Binibeca, a fishing village rich in vacation homes and villas built in the old Catalan style. Or escape to the lighthouse at Favoritz and enjoy a secluded beach.

Situated only fifteen km from the Spanish frontier and the Costa Brava, Port Vendres is in the Roussillon, one of France's most beautiful region along the Mediterranean coast. Port Vendres has always been a merchant port. In ancient times, Roman ships used to call here to shelter against bad weather.

Portoferraio is the mainport of Elba. After Napoleon abdicated the throne, he was exiled to the island of Elba, located off the west coast of Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Your stay here will feel less like exile and more like an escape as you sample the local wines and walk among her rich olive groves and relax on the beaches of her numerous resorts. Be sure to visit Napoleon's chief residence, the Mulini Palace, and his summer residence, Villa San Martino, which now houses a museum and his collection of engravings.

Find out why this region was so popular with writers Ezra Pound, Lord Byron, Shelley and his wife Mary, and Hemingway. Located just north of Genoa in northern Italy, Santa Margherita Ligure is marked by rocky coves, pebbly beaches, and olive tree-covered hillsides. It also serves as the gateway to the beautiful Ligurian coastline.

The world's most famous casino (a must see even if you do not gamble), glittering nightlife, first-class dining and shopping, make it one of the world's most glamorous destinations. The casino is an elaborate Italianate structure capped by four towers and a copper-tin roof.