Whatever the line, cruise ships always ensure the days have a jam-packed itinerary, and Carnival’s Glory was certainly no different. The usual classes are available at the fitness centre while the spa offers a number of health workshops in addition to their standard assortment of services – though if you are going to indulge in some treatments keep an eye on your daily itinerary for specials. On the upper decks you could even find a basketball court or take a whirl on the mini-putt green if you ended up tiring …

I feel like a decadent capitalist pig when I tell people we’re going on a cruise – which is kind of counter to how I try to live and think, though it’s entirely possible, that under my bleeding-heart Pinko Commie vegetarian trappings, I am. However, despite the impression of dissolution, there’s a lot to like about cruises: you get to see a number of places while you and your stuff stay in one place; the food is pretty good and included; there’s stuff to do on the ship; and with some …

While earthquakes weren’t all that an uncommon in Lisbon, the city suffering a handful of significant occurrences each century, the earthquake of November 1, 1755 proved especially devastating as it was one of the largest cities in Europe at the time and left an indelible mark upon the collective community. Voltaire would even write about it both in a poem he produced shortly after the quake, and then again in his 1759 novel ‘Candide.’ Even a hundred years later it would still find its way in poetic works like Oliver …

Due to budget constraints experienced by NASA, the Russian RKA, the Japanese JAXA, the European ESA, and the Canadian ASC-CSA in the early 1990s their respective projects (the Japanese Kibo laboratory, the Soviet Mir-2, the American Freedom, and the European Columbus) were merged together into a single multi-national program managed collaboratively by the participating space agencies. The station’s ownership and use is laid out in a series of intergovernmental treaties and agreements that divided the station into two areas. Russia retains full ownership of the Russian Orbital Segment and is …

While the fortress lived up to its intent having deterred any attempts by the amassed Christian forces of Aragon’s King Ferdinand II and Castile’s Queen Isabella I to take the building, their overwhelming numbers however easily took control of the surrounding territory and eventually forced Muhammad XII of Granada to surrender the Emirate on January 2, 1492. Locals even claim that the two royal monarchs received Christopher Columbus at the Alhambra when they agreed to support his planned crossing, but it wouldn’t be long before the conquerors and their successors …

Where many of the great cities in the Western Empire acted as centres disseminating the teachings of Christianity, Ulyssippo would bear witness to several martyrs and by 356 CE boast its first Bishop. Unfortunately with the disintegration of the Roman Empire fifty years later, the city was occupied successively for the following twenty years as it changed hand between various barbarian tribes until the Germanic Suebi finally established their kingdom. For over a hundred and sixty years they would rule from their capital of Bracara Augusta before the Germanic …

Originally established on July 29, 1958 by President Eisenhower through the National Aeronautics and Space Act the agency became America’s civilian space program for aeronautics research to encourage development of peaceful applications for space science. Since then the majority of U.S. efforts in space exploration has been lead by NASA, running the gambit from the Apollo moon-landing missions, and the Skylab space station, to the Space Shuttle program. Currently they’re supporting the International Space Station (ISS) and overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Commercial Crew vehicles …

While the fortress was originally built in the ninth century by Sawwar ben Hamdun during the fighting between Muslims and the Muladies, the building was in poor repair thanks to the civil war ravaging the Caliphate of Cordoba that Granada was part of at the time, and proved insufficient in keeping their enemies from overrunning them. In fact this castle was largely ignored until the eleventh century when renovations of the ruins were first attempted by a vizier of the Zirid Dynasty. But it wasn’t until Mohammed ben Al-Hamar (1238-1273) …

While the early twentieth century looked promising for Old Montreal as the financial, judicial, and municipal activities in the district helped growth continue the unfortunate onset of the 1929 Great Depression, and the relocation of the port facilities further east shortly thereafter, gutted the once prosperous neighborhood, leaving behind many abandoned warehouses and commercial buildings. With little residential properties the old city was all but empty at night, earning the reputation for being dangerous after sunset. This coupled with the growing traffic challenges being posed by the explosion of automobiles …

During our 2011 Mediterranean cruise our second port of call in Italy was the ancient port city of Cagliari, Sardinia. Like many of our stops tourism has become one of the major industries for the city thanks like in ancient days to its position upon the Mediterranean. But due to its rich history offers a lot to see from the old city of the Castello and its commanding view of the gulf to the numerous churches scattered across Cagliari’s many hills not to mention some fabulous pizza to be had …