Port guide: Boston, US
Don't miss
Boston is one of the world's great sports cities, so you should check if an event is on during your time in port and enjoy an all-American sports experience – and pop-culture one too, complete with cheerleaders, razzmatazz and hotdogs. Major League baseball, basketball, American football, soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey and marathons are among the options. The city is home to top teams in their field such as the Red Sox (at Fenway Park stadium), Boston Celtics (TD Garden) and New England Patriots (Gillette Stadium).
Get active
Boston is easily one of car-obsessed America's most walkable cities. You can run or walk the five-kilometre Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line, or follow the Esplanade along the Charles River – there's fitness equipment along the way. Boston has many dedicated cycle lanes, some of which run long distances. Various Boston parks – particularly wonderful in autumn – have a schedule of free daily exercises such as Zumba and yoga.
Best bites
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Lots of company headquarters, universities and big hospitals mean plenty of well-paid people, and Boston is packed with excellent restaurants. Seafood and oysters are the traditional specialties, but meat lovers won't be short of steakhouses. Try Mooncusser Fish House for seafood, Comfort Kitchen for soul food and Krasi for Greek food. For contemporary American cuisine tuck in at Field & Vine or Pammy's. Faneuil Hall Marketplace will bag you a picnic. Cocktail bar Equal Measure has been voted one of the best bars in North America.
Further afield
Notorious witch-trial town Salem (which also has a rich maritime history) and Plymouth Rock where the Mayflower pilgrims arrived (which has a replica of the ship) are among options. History buffs will want to take an American Revolution tour inland to Concord and Lexington, site of two significant independence battlefields.
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The Australian
20 hours ago
- The Australian
'This is no vacation': young Poles do summer army bootcamp
Sweating and out of breath, young Poles throw grenades and practise evacuating the wounded at a training ground outside Warsaw. Instead of relaxing at the beach, they have chosen to do army drills over the summer holidays. Nearly 10,000 men and women have volunteered for the month-long, paid "Vacation with the Army" programme, which the defence ministry launched to promote military service among young people as Poland beefs up its security. The EU and NATO member -- which borders Belarus, Russia and Ukraine -- has been strengthening its defensive assets since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 out of fear that it could be next. "The training includes shooting and tactics classes, field studies, and general air defence," said lieutenant Patrycja Adamska, spokeswoman for the army's 10th Car Regiment, one of the units involved in the programme. "The recruits have an opportunity to experience the discipline of soldier life," she told AFP. The participants, most of them 18 to 20 years old, spend 27 days in a unit, after which they are awarded a rank and can continue service or become part of the reserve personnel. Michal Piekut, a master's student in international security, was surprised by the rigour of the drills. Sporting camouflage paint and in full uniform, the 29-year-old was barely standing from the exertion. "This is no vacation, it's intensive military training. I thought I wouldn't make it," he told AFP after dragging a heavy munition chest across many metres of sandy terrain. "Nobody fainted yet, but the day is young," he deadpanned. Lieutenant Michal Gelej from the army recruitment office said the programme "constitutes a wonderful alternative to summer jobs", as a payout of 1,400 euros awaits those who complete it. Goran Meredith, a 19-year-old American studies student at the University of Warsaw, said the money and summer timing allowed him to participate, otherwise he "wouldn't have time to be here". The ongoing war in Ukraine was another incentive. Piekut said he was considering a future military career: "I want to become a reserve soldier, and if need be, serve my homeland." - Learning from Ukraine - Just after Russia's Ukraine invasion, Poland adopted a homeland security law that included the goal of "enlarging military personnel". It also updated its voluntary conscription programme in 2022 with an eye towards increasing the army reserve. It drew nearly 90,000 candidates over the years 2023 and 2024. The defence ministry launched the "Vacation with the Army" programme last year, along with exercises in schools and weekend boot camps for civilians, promoted by a large-scale social media campaign. "The Ukrainian example teaches us that the professional army gets used up in about a year" if it cannot draw on adequate reserves, said Bartosz Marczuk, a Sobieski Institute expert who co-authored a report on the idea of introducing mandatory military training in Poland. "We are the largest country on NATO's eastern flank, and its keystone of security," he added. Marczuk said that any reintroduction of mandatory army service -- which Poland ended in 2009 -- would need to be preceded by voluntary programs. "That's why all initiatives of this sort have to be supported," he told AFP. In March, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that by 2027, Poland will expand its voluntary military training program to accommodate 100,000 recruits per year, in order to create "an army of reservists". Piekut doubted whether his compatriots were up to the task. "Most adults could not handle it. There are very high requirements, physically, psychologically, and in terms of discipline," he said. Meredith agreed: "We're in our first week and 10 people have quit already, so it speaks for itself". str/amj/gv Breaking News Gaza famine warning as Israel resists ceasefire calls Breaking News Cambodia-Thailand truce broadly holds despite shaky start
The Age
20 hours ago
- The Age
My first time on a big ship taught me a big lesson
Some traces of the former incarnation remain – signs in the bathrooms still have Mandarin translations, for example. The overall vibe, though, has loosened a top button to reach a happy balance of reserved and relaxed. It never skims too close to raucous party boat or fusty atmosphere vacuum. It's an enormous operation – they get through 480 dozen eggs and 200 kilograms of tomato sauce a day – but one where you rarely spot the seams. Immigration paperwork is done for passengers, so there's no lengthy waiting at border controls, and billing everything back to the cabin means there's no need to carry a wallet around. Most impressively, the Majestic Princess seldom feels crowded, even at full-3560-passenger capacity. There are enough places to eat, drink, watch shows and chill out for everyone to find their own favoured hang-out, whether zapping video game monsters in the teens club, completing Sudokus under the clear roof by the indoor pool or watching Mamma Mia on the giant screen above the lido deck. Other pleasant surprises include the uncramped cabins and the food – generally a couple of levels above mass catering expectation, even in the sprawling buffet and especially so with the plump crab cakes at The Catch by Rudi. Where the size of the ship is truly noticeable, however, is in port. It makes ferries and superyachts look like ants, and the effect of a couple of thousand people disembarking at once is hard to ignore. Rhodes, however, absorbs the influx better than Mykonos. The second stop on the journey around the Mediterranean has a vastly different vibe to the first. Rhodes is all about knights, rather than nights out, and the city walls are an easy walk from the port. This is the clue to explore the atmospheric medieval streets independently rather than on a tour. Ambling between the shops is a low intensity delight, and eventually leads to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. In the 14th century, the Knights Hospitaller took over and beefed up this once-Byzantine fortress. They stayed until 1522, when the Ottoman Empire conquered Rhodes, and the knights scurried off to Malta. The Palace is a handsome, redoubtable building, with giant stone staircases, centuries-old floor mosaics and interior vaulted roofs. It serves as a museum about the island and the knights, which is at its best when it switches from old stuff in glass cases to telling derring-do stories about multiple sieges. The entrance to the city walls is just outside the palace, with around a kilometre of ramparts open for strolling. This makes for a photogenic walk back to the ship, with views over lemon-tree-studded gardens and terracotta tiles. The mix of steeples, minarets and domes gives a visual snapshot of Rhodes' complex history. In Turkey, however, there's a chance to go back further in time, to the ancient Greek and Roman empires in Ephesus. These are also the ports where organised shore excursions come into their own – the hassle of organising transport and fear of not getting back to the ship in time are removed. This time, I pick the small group option. There are 14 of us, which pushes the boundaries of 'small group' somewhat, and it makes little practical difference at the House of the Virgin Mary in Selcuk. This shrine, on the site of where Jesus' mother supposedly lived out her final years, is furiously busy with Catholic pilgrims year-round. A big queue slowly snakes through, with a few seconds in the house, most people quietly wondering what the fuss is about. But at the main stop, the extraordinarily expansive ruins of Ephesus, being in a smaller group pays dividends. It's possible to huddle around the guide as she explains the temples, public baths, theatres and markets, without having to rely on crackling earpieces. Ephesus, first Greek, then Roman, then Byzantine, was once one of the most important cities on Earth. It was abandoned in the 7th century AD after a series of earthquakes and the silting over of the river, but it has an extensive footprint and several showstoppers among the remnants. These are headed by the Library of Celsus' twin-tiered facade, with multiple archways, soaring columns and steps that act as a grand pedestal. Loading The small group is also led into Roman-era terrace houses. The villas are undercover and remarkably well-preserved with extensive frescos and floor mosaics – the somewhat alarming one of Medusa was designed to ward off evil. They give the best idea of how the wealthy of Ephesus lived, with hypocaust central heating systems and private toilets. Given they're nearly 2000 years old, these homes are impressively advanced. Ephesus is one of several undeniable blockbuster sites, that include Olympus, Pompeii and the Vatican, that can be crammed into a short seaborne flit around the Mediterranean. In between come options for island beaches, mountain drives, winery visits and food tours. To pretend anything is tackled in great depth would be fanciful – this is a gluttonous meal made up of taster dishes. The secret of making the most out of a floating introduction to the Med is working out when to go big, when to go small, when to go niche and when to go solo. For a traveller used to planning his own way, this is the big lesson from the big ship – it's not independent, but there's freedom to choose how you see a rapid-fire series of top-drawer destinations. The details
The Age
20 hours ago
- The Age
I found an amazing restaurant overseas, but I won't go back
They capture these experiences on their phones of course, and post them on social media, because what's the point of visiting one of the darlings of Insta and TikTok – an eatery that has gone viral many times – if you're not going to stake your own claim. Bar Nestor was always popular – but then it got really, really popular. People started posting it on social media (and yes, I'm one of those people), and it kicked off. It went from being 'a' place to go in San Sebastian, to being 'the' place to go in San Sebastian. Hence, the queues. Hence, the fact I haven't been back in five or six years – I don't want to line up for hours for something I used to just walk in for. This is just one example of something that is happening all over the world right now. Those little secrets don't stay secret for long. You could have a favourite little restaurant (at home or abroad), a place you call into all the time, somewhere family-run, friendly. And then one day you will arrive and there will be a huge queue out the front. It will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and next week and maybe next year. Your little secret has gone viral. Loading An influencer I follow, who has a very large social media account – almost a million followers – posted recently about a tiny local restaurant in Greece, on the island of Folegrandos. It's a modest place, run by an elderly couple who don't have a menu, barely even a kitchen. They just make beautiful Greek food each day, and serve it to whomever comes in. This influencer gushed about how perfect it was, how charming. But people commented: Why are you telling everyone about this? The place will be overrun. It will never be the restaurant that you found ever again. There's a question we all have to ask ourselves as travellers now. This used to be something only a certain few would have to ponder, travel writers, celebrities, those with a following. But now everyone has to think: should I reveal my secrets? Loading It's not just restaurants either, it's viewpoints, natural phenomena, cultural attractions, entire towns, cities or even countries. You discover them and you want to share them. You're excited about them. And yes, there's some ego at play here – look at what I found. Look at how amazing it is. There's an urge to shout it from the rooftops, to tell the world. You might have only a modest following on social media of family and friends, but these things can go viral quickly, they can reach the world. And what happens then? It can be good or bad, or both. It can save a struggling business. It can bring tourism dollars to a part of the world that desperately needs it. Or, it can bring hordes of people to a place that was only ever good because it didn't have hordes of people, because it was charming, because it was quiet. I think about this all the time, but you should too. What is the effect of calling attention to a venue, a business, an attraction, a place? Will it benefit or will it be harmed? Will the extra attention be welcome, or will it destroy the very thing you're trying to spread the word about? That influencer who posted about the Greek restaurant has since deleted his post. It's far too late, however, for Bar Nestor.
