Don’t Miss the Goya Show at Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Some of us chase after the morning train to get to work. The more indulgent will chase down that shot of bourbon with a pint of Guinness. And the truly intrepid? They follow Ed English as he chases icebergs. Come June, it’s not unusual for villages on the east coast of Newfoundland to wake up to a mountain of electric blue ice the size of a 15-story building. The icebergs calve from the glaciers of western Greenland and begin a slow 1900-mile journey south with the Labrador Current on a route dubbed Iceberg Alley. English, owner of Linkum Tours, takes sea kayakers up to his lighthouse inn on Quirpoon Island, the northernmost point of Newfoundland, to get as close as possible to the huge crystalline structures before they float away. An added bonus are the pods of humpbacks, minkes, and the occasional beluga whales who feed in Iceberg Alley as they make their way north.
There were so many highlights of our 9-day trip with Abercrombie & Kent to Botswana and Zambia in September that it’s hard to pick one day. I loved watching the elephants swim across the Chobe River on the Namibian border, spending an hour with a leopard on a tree in the Okavango Delta, surprising a rhino after an early morning drive, meeting Jabu, a massive African elephant who helps locals overcome their fear of wild animals, canoeing past hippos on the Zambezi River, watching the pounding waters of Victoria Falls plunge to the bottom of the chasm from the Zimbabwean side, and listening to our wonderful guide, Kebby, describe each and every bird like the brightly colored lilac-breasted roller and the southern carmine bee-eater.
A mere 3 to 4-hour drive north of Jo’Burg, you reach the game reserves on the outskirts of Kruger National Park. Here, you not only have the chance to spot the Big Five, but you can do so without the hassle of taking any anti-malaria medication since it’s in a Malaria-Free Zone. Lisa met with owners of two lodges in this region that she really liked. The first is Camp Ndlovu, located in the 35,000-hectacre Welgevonden Game Reserve. Part of the upscale Residence Collection, the ultra-sybaritic suites come with private plunge pools, outdoor showers, A/C, and WiFi. The second property is Madikwe, located in the fifth largest game reserve in South Africa at 75,000 hectares. Depending on whether you bring the entire family or just your loved one, you can stay at either the River House, Farm House, or Owner’s House. In addition to game drives, you’ll be going on bush walks, fishing, bird watching, and dancing with the locals.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the South Pacific this week. Perhaps it’s the frost on the windshield of the car this morning forcing me to deal with Father Winter or flee to the tropics. Similar to Africa, the South Pacific is one of those places that get under your skin, coaxing you to return as often as possible. Unlike the majority of the Caribbean isles, which can only boast a white strip of sand, the South Pacific isles are jaw-dropping jagged peaks that rise straight up from the ocean, carpeted in emerald green overripe foliage. For me, this is paradise.