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economist suntribune passport to discovery saturday june 29 2002 12 advertising feature passport to wv by bart card theres cruise ships and then theres seabourn in 20 years of cruising i have crisscrossed the seas logging more than 220000 miles on more than 50 different cruises and they have all been enjoyable it is truly a wonderful way to travel taking in the sights of different coun tries only having to unpack once not a trans portation worry on my mind i have cruised the caribbean gone from new york to england sailed the mediterranean and toured the alaskan waters but i had never experienced the joy of sailing on the seabourn cruise line seabourns fleet includes allsuite sister ships seabourn pride spirit and legend and i was ready to embark on a wonderful journey as i prepared to board the seabourn legend accustomed to more than 1200 passengers on previous junkets the seabourn only caters to 208 visitors per cruise as i passed my lug gage to a porter i walked on the gangway and straight onto the legend to be greeted by the steward with a sterling silver tray in hand he offered a flute of champagne orange juice or water and on this occasion with a ship of this magnitude i accepted the champagne to quench my thirst this was certainly a better experience than the trying headaches of attempting to board an airplane out of south africa following days on safari in the span of eight days with captain karlo buer commanding we traveled from barcelona down the french riviera to the french ports of vendres cassis le lavandou porquerolles cannes st tropez and finally nice there is nothing roomier than the body of the ocean nothing more patient it smiles with waves and sends them crashing over a shipis deck the sea is company and no one helps bridges that relationship between you and the water than seabourn seabourn cruise line is regarded as the worlds most celebrated cruise line consis tently receiving top awards ratings and hon ours voyages range from four days to 43 ven turing to some of the most celebrated ports founded in 1987 the seabourn philosophy was to create nothing less than a totally new concept of cruising with absolute dedica tion to the highest level of personal service combined with entertainment where prefer ences are noted and spontaneity is indulged i was breathless at the first sight of my suite pure luxury measuring 277 square feet with balconies open to fresh ocean breezes sleek interiors and an elegant large walkin closet i was taken aback when a server asked my preference from a selection of a halfdozen soaps from around the world if it were wine or cigars there would have been no hesita tion i guess i couldnt go wrong but still i hat i ended my market visit with an expresso or two as i chatted with some englishspeak ing locals back at the hotel ritz to pick up my luggage i tipped the porter and began to make my way to the seabourn there were a few more tips to be doled out surprisingly it often seems to cost more to check out than check in i laughed out loud when i realized the seabourn practices a notipping policy at all times for more information on the seabourn cruise line visit their web site at wwwseabourncom you can also book through tourcan vacations tel 416 391 0334 or wwwtourcanvacationscom for more information on hotel ritz le meridien visit their web site at wwwlhwcomritzbarcel to contact bart card mailto bcardpassport- todiscoverycom theres cruise ships and asked my young friend for her opinion and gladly accepted her offering during my cruise i spent memorable time with tony egger the corporate executive chef for seabourn and trevor coutts legends chef de cuisine what a treat it was to share stories with tony and congratulate him on his efforts with seabourn it was five- star dining every night but i must admit i enjoyed an oldfashioned barbecue on my first night back in holland landing following such lavish outings i will never forget joining trevor on a visit to a french market to pur chase fresh asparagus and artichokes fea tured at dinner that evening and the bottom less bowl of berries at breakfast the next morning but my adventure didnt begin on the seabourn where some welltodo passengers will often spend a month on board it began with an air canada flight from toronto to london followed by a flight to spain arranged through easyjetcom as i was sit ting on the flight to barcelona i chuckled to myself at the nofrills approach to easyjetcom knowing in another few hours i would be checking into the hotel ritz le meridien a fivestar establishment rated number one in beautiful barcelona historic barcelona is acclaimed worldwide for its art and culture with its charming mediterranean air and its warm friendly peo ple providing the setting for the elegant luxu ry of the hotel ritz in itself it is symbolic of the beautiful citys history during the past 80 years the criteria of luxury hospitality excel lent cuisine and personalized attention then theres seabourne which cesar ritz established as the philoso phy of the hotel at the beginning of the cen tury has continued the ritz is located in the very heart of the city situated on a pleasant treefined boulevard that marks the elegant traditional building that opened in 1919 completely renovated in 2000 it is close to the popular ramblas near the historic gothic quarter and con venient to the port and other points of inter est the hotel has spacious comfortable rooms and deluxe rooms with roman baths this is truly a special hotel with oldworld charm courteous staff and a reputation for excellent cuisine and service i only had time to relish one night at hotel ritz but i managed to spend time with their extraordinary chef remain fornell who was decorated with his first michelin star in 2001 graduating in 1994 in the prestigious ecole hoteliere de toulouse hes made several stops along the way before finding a home at the restaurant diana at hotel ritz before boarding the seabourn i had time to explore the splendid markets of barcelona fol lowing an amazing evening with old family friends barcelona features some of the best openair markets in the mediterranean you can spend hours mingling with the locals searching out fresh fruits vegetables poultry and meats it took a while but i located some saffron to bring home to canada its an extremely expensive spice which i must have when i prepare the spanish dish of paella a family favorite i had a full afternoon protected under the hot mediterranean sun thanks to my tilley bart dining on the waters photo mick meegan pity the pickpockets you might be interested in an experience i had recently the crowds could feel fingers trying to lift the velcro back during a festival in valencia i was targeted by pickpockets flaps as i had my hands in my front they tried me two while in a very dense crowd i had on my tilleys with all different times i lost nothing valuables in the front pockets and while fighting through dr jeff scott cormley ontario the worlds finest travel clothing has secret pockets wear neat and dry to breakfast durability mix and match security pockets stoploss pockets plus smart appearance versatility and exceptional style colour and size options ease of care wash in a hotel sink in the evening people buy them for travel but wear them for lifel free with tliis ad and a reasonable purchase youll receive a free pair of comfy guaranteed unh0mfor3years and to dry overnight tilley travel socks 16 2 locations in toronto 900 don mills rd 3 lights south of lawrence 2 north of eglinton 416 4416141 ample free parking queens quay terminal main floor 4162030463 two hours free parking tilley endurables tilley hats and the finest travel dothing in the world wwwtilleycom 18003638737