I sailed along the imperial waterways of Russia, traversing the path of Peter the Great from Moscow to St. Petersburg and along the way I was introduced to new friends and delicious local cuisine. I experienced a grand tour of the country from picturesque villages to golden domed churches, grand cathedrals and palaces.

The ship I chose for my journey was the Uniworld River Victoria, a Russian vessel which underwent a complete refurbishment in 2011. The long and narrow ship easily navigated under low bridges along Russian waterways and fit through narrow ship locks. The new ship décor, under the direction of Red Carnation Hotels designers, was bright and airy with shades of red, white and grey dominating the public areas.

Cowboys reign supreme in Oklahoma City! Cowgirls too, for that matter! There’s even a National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, but it isn’t at all the kind of museum I envisioned before entering the super modern structure with its stunning oil paintings, massive sculptures and yes, cowgirls and cowboys.

The museum features fine art, pop culture and native American objects, including historical cowboy gear. It brought back memories of decades past as I strolled through the museum looking at the exhibits featuring western attire of the stars of movies and television such as Gene Autry and Robert Redford.