Et Cetera, etc., etc.

We promised you more dish, facts and highlights from our recent cruise that took us from Dubai to Rome aboard RSSC Voyager and here's our first installment.

The Sultan of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, cruises in style.

We saw his yacht, the Al-Said (pictured above), docked in the harbor at Muscat earlier this month.  According to MONOCLE magazine, this 155-meter, German-built mega yacht is reputed to be one of the three or four largest in the world while the biggest rumor floating around the Gulf Region is that this ship has a concert hall that can hold a 50-piece orchestra.

Now that's first-class.

The Sultan travels by air in one of two 747's: one being a 747-SP with an extended upper deck for...communications equipment??...and anti-missile devices in its engine cowlings.  His other bird is a newer model 747-430.

Going my way?

If land travel grabs his fancy, it's by Maybach.  This customized version includes a fully-retractable rear roof for catching the cool evening moonlight between Salalah and Muscat.

Now it's not all about planes, ships and automobiles in the sultanate.  According to a 2010 UN Development Program report, Oman ranked #1 out of 135 countries in improvement in the last 40 years.

Want to travel with PTV at Sea on our ship?  We cruise on RSSC Mariner in November for a voyage from Venice to Rome.  Details at ptvatsea.com

(Credits:  content:  MONOCLE monocle.com, photo:  PTV at Sea)

Ciao for now

Onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager approaching Civitavecchia, Italy

4 am

PTV at Sea ends its journey this morning.  We've spent the past 20 days cruising three seas and we've made countless new friends in ports and onboard RSSC Voyager throughout the journey.

We've visited holy shrines, birthplaces of religion, and ancient ruins.

We've reveled in the glamour of life in modern ports and explored nomadic life in vast deserts.

And hopefully we've provided an enlightened view of the world through our presentations.

So thank you Charlie Cook, Jacki Lyden, Bill O'Leary, Michael & Pat York, Ari Shapiro, and Dr. Michael Ledeen.

A hoot of the ship's horn to PTV's Kevin Corcoran, Josh Murray, Conor Gaughan, and Dann Tucker. 

And special thanks to Regent Seven Seas Cruises and the crew and staff of Voyager

May the wind be always at your back.   Until we sail again.

For photos from this cruise and updates on our November voyage from Venice to Rome and 2012 sailings, follow PTV at Sea on Facebook.

Lead or Follow

Onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager sailing the Mediterranean Sea

We're gearing up for our visit to Italy with lessons from the masters of the Italian Renaissance explored in presentations by our special guest traveler scholar and author Dr. Michael Ledeen.

Dr. Ledeen's lecture, "Machiavelli on Modern Leadership", was a quick overview of the book he's written by the same title.   It was a "Great Books Seminar 101".  What elements does a state need to govern effectively?  Should leaders lead with fear or with love?  It opened up a wide-ranging discussion amongst RSSC Voyager passengers.

Today we focus on Naples and Dr. Ledeen's book "Virgil's Golden Egg & other Neoploitan Miracles" provides the context.

Beyond the limoncello of Capri and the pizza of Rome, we can't wait to get home to read "The Prince" this summer!

For photos from our events and updates on our travels throughout the day, follow PTV at Sea on Facebook or Twitter.

Friends, Lovers, Cougars and More

Onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager sailing the Mediterranean Sea

Beginning day 17 on board our ship.

We now have new friends and acquaintances from those living  "just around the corner" to some living around the world.

We've watched our shipmates from dawn to dusk and are bringing home a lifetime of stories to tell.

We have enough content to write a book-  some fact and some fiction.

It's safe to say we've met movie stars, television stars, famous newsmakers, and those with "famous" radio voices.

For the fiction book we've developed characters from jewel thieves to barons, and titans to frauds.

But more importantly we've been part of a community.  And that's perhaps the best slice of life to share with you this morning.

Peace and Shalom!

For photos from our events and updates on our travels throughout the day, follow PTV at Sea on Facebook or Twitter.

Dead Sea Float

Onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager in port Haifa, Israel

Let the pictures tell the story.  Visit PTV at Sea on Facebook!

Peace and Shalom!

For photos from our events and updates on our travels throughout the day, follow PTV at Sea on Facebook or Twitter.

Jerusalem: A City for the World

Onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager in port Ashdod, Israel

The significance of Jerusalem as a city for the world became apparent to us yesterday.  It's segregated plot full of holy shrines for Muslims, Christians and Jews.

But the relevance-  the holiest of the holies- and the proximity of these religious places puts it into perspective:  it's a city the world can enjoy and everyone who lives there or just travels through should always keep the thought of a peaceful coexistence top of mind.

President Obama's speech tonight is being closely monitored here.  We'll be catching it via satellite.

Peace and Shalom!

For photos from our events and updates on our travels throughout the day, follow PTV at Sea on Facebook or Twitter.

Security Checkpoint

Onboard Regent Seven Seas Voyager cruising the Mediterranean off Israel 

Besides seeing history from our balconies onboard the RSSC Voyager, we're exploring current political issues in our guest lecture series.

The short version:  Dr. Michael Ledeen, the Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, pieced together the puzzle on the origins of modern day terrorism and Ari Shapiro, one of NPR's current White House reporters and a former US Supreme Court reporter, helped us to understand how the past two administrations have defined and executed strategies to deal with the war on terror.

This may all sound wonky and heady, but these two experts made the subjects fascinating and easy to understand.  For that we are grateful.

For photos from our events and updates on our travels throughout the day, follow PTV at Sea on Facebook or Twitter.