by Julie Skurdenis

Lithuania is revving up for a grand celebration. The year 2009 will mark the 1,000th anniversary of this Baltic nation. It was in 1009 that the country was first mentioned in a written source, a German manuscript called the Quedlinburg Chronicle (in Latin, Annales Quedlinburgenses).

July 6th is celebrated in Lithuania as Coronation Day, the day on which Mindaugas, the country’s only king, was crowned in 1253 (subsequent Lithuanian rulers were called grand...

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 390th issue of your monthly overseas travel magazine.

First, here are a few things you should be aware of.

In Lima, Peru, criminals have been posing as hotel guests at conferences and special events in 5-star hotels and prominent restaurants. When the opportunities arise, they sneak away with guests’ purses, laptops, cell phones and other valuables.

An American couple disembarked a ship in Rome in May, planning to get some...

by Lew Toulmin

“This suite is sweeeeet!”

That was my reaction upon entering our cabin aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ luxurious and stylish Seven Seas Navigator on a cruise from Monaco to Athens in September 2007.

Frankly, we had never had such wonderful accommodations. Our Navigator Suite (NS) covered an amazing 495 square feet — larger than my first apartment! The separate bedroom (!) had a king-sized bed (!), a wide-screen TV and, out a large, 6-by-6-foot sliding...