Author Archives: jodockworldtravel

May 30, 2024 Seventy-seven miles north of Bucharest, nestled high in Romania’s dramatic Carpathian Mountains stands the most beautifully elegant castle we’ve visited this entire trip. Built between 1873 and 1914, Peles Castle reflects the German heritage of its original owners, King Carol I of Romania, and his wife, Queen Elisabeth. The King was broughtContinue reading “Peles Castle Sinaia, Romania”

May 29, 2024 The hour-and-a-half bus ride from our dock in Giurgui to today’s tour in Bucharest gave our guide ample time to educate us on current events in the area, especially as they pertain to Romania’s relationship with Ukraine. The view as we hit the highway provided the perfect set up. We apologize forContinue reading “Bucharest & The Village Museum”

May 28, 2024 A long and scenic drive through the rich and fertile farmlands of the valley and the steep limestone cliffs of northern Bulgaria delivered us from our ship’s port in Ruse to our first official stop in Arbanasi. As we traveled past field after field, we noted that there were no homes orContinue reading “Churches and Homes and Castles, Oh My! Arbanasi & Veliko Tarnova, Bulgaria”

May 27, 2024 Welcome to Bulgaria, where yes means no and no means yes, direct eye contact is everything and the people are formal but very friendly. We spent our morning exploring the Belogradchik Fortress, located on the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, and its famous rocks. The fortress was built during the RomanContinue reading “Between a Rock and a Hard Place Vidin, Bulgaria”

May 26, 2024 Each night while we’re at dinner our cabin steward turns down our bed and leaves the ship’s newsletter and our tickets for the next day’s excursion(s) on our bed. We always look at the tickets to remind ourselves what we signed up for almost a year ago and what time we needContinue reading “You’re gonna pay for that tomorrow… Golubac, Serbia”

May 25, 2024 People in Belgrade could be forgiven if they sometimes forget where they live. The largest of all of Serbia cities, and currently its capital, has been the capital of a total of nine different countries over the last 150 years. Our tour guide, Tanya, is in her mid-40s. She has lived inContinue reading “Belgrade, Serbia”

May 24, 2024 There is something a little…unsettling…about visiting a country whose history includes a war that began and ended during your own early adulthood – a war you were only peripherally aware of through nightly news reports on the TV – at the same time another war is currently raging on this same continentContinue reading “Croatia”

May 23, 2024 In the central basin of Hungary lies very fertile marshland and a tiny town time has all but forgotten. The 16,000 or so Magyar descendants who live in the town of Kalocsa are working hard to remain relevant and preserve the heritage of which they are so proud. It is not knownContinue reading “Don’t call us European!!! Kalocsa, Hungary”

May 22, 2024 The sun was setting as we finished dinner on the outside dining space of the ship. The air was filled with anticipation. Our Cruise Director, Niki, had promised a spectacular show of city lights as we left the port tonight. Budapest did not disappoint, and Ken did a great job of capturingContinue reading “Budapest by Night”

May 22, 2024 While Pam was working on the blog for Budapest Ken took a little walk, a walk that led him across the river and up the hill to that beautiful building we were admiring during dinner last night, the Hungarian National Gallery. Originally built in 1275 as a Royal Palace, the building andContinue reading “Budapest Postscript”

May 21, 2024 As we sail into Budapest in the early morning hours, we get a small taste of the history that awaits us. The country of Hungary is nearly the same size of our state of Indiana, but with about 3.2 million more people. History buffs may recall that it was not always soContinue reading “We ❤ Budapest”

May 20, 2024 About 50 miles east of Vienna sits Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Since gaining its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1992 its economy has grown, and they are currently under the governance of their first female president. Bratislava is known for its unique UFO bridge restaurant and quirky bronze statues. The UFOContinue reading “Bratislava,Sloviaka”

May 19, 2024 After a quick trip back to the ship for lunch we were off again, this time for a behind-the-scenes visit to the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. The Spanish Riding School of Vienna has been teaching students and horses the Renaissance tradition of “Haute Ecole” (high school) classical dressage for more thanContinue reading “Lipizzaner Stallions & Mozart Vienna, Austria”

May 19, 2023 We have never seen so many beautiful buildings in one place, so Pam was shocked when she Googled “Most Beautiful Cities,” and found New York on this list but not Vienna. As far as we are concerned it definitely deserves the title. Vienna has a long history as an important center ofContinue reading “Vienna: A Most Beautiful City”

May 18, 2024 Making our way further down the Danube towards our next stop in Krems, it’s easy to understand why Niki is so proud of his heritage. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place, and history is everywhere you look. This is Austria’s white wine region. Wineries cover the hillsides, and every otherContinue reading “A history lesson ’round every bend”

May 18, 2024 We’ve arrived in the homeland of our Cruise Director, Niki Nicholas, and the joy and pride he feels being here is infectious. Ken started is morning at the Melk Abbey while Pam caught up on the blog, and then we journeyed into town together for some of the most delicious pork weContinue reading “Welcome to Melk, Austria”

May 17, 2024 What would America be without Salzburg, producer of our favorite flavor-enhancing mineral, filming location of the beloved American musical, “The Sound of Music,” and home to one gentleman who forever changed the world of music, and another who’s contributions to the world of science now make it possible to predict the weather?Continue reading “Salzburg – Home of White Gold”

May 16, 2024 Our day in Regensburg was followed by an entertaining night on the ship. As always, the scenery is beautiful, and tonight we got a special treat – a viewing of Walhalla. Both pictures were taken from the ship as we glided by. We were fortunate to have seen the monument from ourContinue reading “Living the Viking Life”

May 16, 2024 The picturesque town of Regensburg is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities. Tucked away in the hills of Bavaria, Regensburg was the site of the world’s first stone bridge, for centuries the only bridge over the Danube River between Ulm, Germany and Vienna, Austria. This allowed Regensburg to become a major center ofContinue reading “Grüss Gotte and Guten Täg from Regensburg, Germany!”

May 15, 2024 Today, after leaving Nuremberg, we reached the “top” of the river, going through the biggest locks of our journey. Gaining almost 80′ elevation while sitting on a boat is a pretty amazing experience! The lock gets more and more narrow the further into it you go. A line is tied onto aContinue reading “And the locks just keep on coming!”

May 15, 2024 Today’s port brought back many happy memories for us. Has it really been ten (!) years since we last visited these same sights with our good friends Keith and Kathy Snider? Nuremberg then, and now… It was a bit colder in November 2014 – we were all freezing! So much nicer toContinue reading “Nuremburg Revisited”

May 14, 2024 As we approached Bamburg we marveled again at our good fortune with the weather. Research done in preparation for packing had suggested we would be experiencing 60-degree temperatures during this portion of our trip, but we’ve had nothing but sunny 70’s since we got on the boat and today is no different.Continue reading “It’s a great day to get lost in Bamburg”

May 13, 2024 After our time at the Residence, we turned our attention to the town of Würzburg. There are more than 100 cathedrals throughout Germany, and Würzburg is home to the fourth most important one. The Würzburg Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to St. Kilian, an Irish monk sent to the FranconianContinue reading “The Town of Würzburg”

May 13, 2024 Cruising along the Main River of Northern Bavaria we come to Würzburg, the third largest city in the Franconia Region, and home to no fewer than 14 Nobel Prize winners, including those who invented the x-ray. It’s also second only to Amsterdam in its number of cyclists. Cycling is such a prevalentContinue reading “Würzburg Residence”

May 12, 2024 What can we say about the town of Miltenberg, Germany? It is a quaint German town without a lot of cultural or historical significance. It does have a LOT of old buildings, including two of the oldest buildings in all of Germany – Miltenberg Castle and the Gasthaus zum Riesen, and isContinue reading “Elvis Slept Here Miltenberg, Germany”

May 13, 2024 Our “European Sojourn” with Viking will take us from Amsterdam to Budapest. Along the way we will travel through eight countries along three rivers…the Rhine, the Main, and the Danube. Our boat is the Lofn. She is 443 feet long, has 4 decks, and holds 190 passengers and 45 crew. Built inContinue reading “Cruising with Viking”

May 12, 2024 Throughout the course of our journey we will ascend nearly 400 feet, as demonstrated in the slide below, shared in a presentation by our cruise director. Rivers flowing so steeply downhill lose depth in places and create a rate of water flow too dangerous to navigate (engineers and maritime folks bear withContinue reading “Steady as you go…”

May 11, 2024 After touring Marksburg Castle we met up with our boat in Koblenz and spent the afternoon cruising down the 40-mile stretch of river between there and Bingen. Lush forests, vineyards dating back to the Roman Empire and nearly two dozen castles dotting the hillside join forces to provide a feast for theContinue reading “The Romantic Rhine”

May 11, 2024 High on a hill overlooking the town of Braubach sits Marksburg Castle, one of only two in Germany that has never been destroyed, and the only one that has never fallen into disrepair. It was originally built for the protection of the townspeople and never intended as a primary residence, though itContinue reading “Marksburg Castle”

May 10, 2024 Today we visited the city of Cologne, Germany, most well-known for its beautiful location along the Rheine River and its connection to the events of WWII. Prior to WWII Cologne was the fourth largest city in Germany and the largest along the Rheine with a population of approximately 800,000 people. As aContinue reading “Cologne”

May 9, 2024 Today we are in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinderdijk (pronounced kinder dike), most known for its 19 well-preserved 18th-Century windmills. Many are so well- preserved people actually live in them! Windmills are typically defined as “an apparatus that harnesses wind power for a variety of uses, e.g. pumping water andContinue reading “Land of Windmills Kinderdijk, The Netherlands”

May 8, 2024 Welcome to the famed Keukenhof, where 40 gardeners work over a period of six weeks to plant 7 million bulbs (each one by hand!) representing 1,600 different varieties of flowers donated by 100 growers so that roughly 1.5 million visitors can enjoy them for a a total of 8 weeks! Keukenhof wasContinue reading “Keukenhof Gardens Amsterdam, The Netherlands”

May 7, 2024 A visit to Amsterdam wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Red Light District…but that may not be true for much longer. The Red Light District we visited is much smaller than the one someone may have visited even 10 years ago and if the new mayor has her way itContinue reading “Amsterdam – Day 2, Part III”

May 7, 2024 Immediately after our wonderful Rijksmuseum tour we hoofed it across multiple canals and down many a cobbled street to meet Captain Eric and six of our closest (not!) “friends” for a small group canal tour. If you ever get a chance to explore Amsterdam, this is the way to do it, andContinue reading “Amsterdam – Day 2, Part II”

May 7, 2024 Oh my goodness! What a day!!! Today’s activities included a visit to the Rijksmuseum, a canal tour and a visit to the famed Red Light District. There’s so much to share I’m creating three separate posts. We’ll start at the beginning. One of the many things I love about traveling is thatContinue reading “Amsterdam – Day 2, Part I”

May 6, 2024 Ahhh!  The sweet, sweet smell of freedom!  Or is that cannabis?  In Amsterdam they may be one and the same.  Long considered one of, if not the most liberal city in the world, it has been said that perhaps the only thing the Dutch won’t tolerate is intolerance. As we familiarized ourselvesContinue reading “Amsterdam:  The Most Liberal City in the World”

February 9, 2023 On this, our last day in South America, we embarked on one extremely long bus ride through the Andes Mountains to Portillo, considered one of the best ski resorts in the world. The World Ski Championship was held here in 1966. Along the way we passed through the Aconcagua Province, where weContinue reading “The Andes Mountains”

February 8, 2023 Nearly one third of Chile’s total population lives in its capital of Santiago, which has been marked by political unrest since the fall of 2019 when a group of secondary students unwittingly lit the flame for a massive political uprising.  The students were protesting a recent hike in subway fares.  The situationContinue reading “Santiago, Chile”

February 7, 2023 After 21 days at sea it’s time to get our land-legs back!  We disembarked the Oceania Marina in San Antonio, Chile and made our way to the incredibly steep roads of colonial Valparaiso, deemed a UNESCO World Heritage for being an excellent representation of late 19th-century urban development. There are so many hillsContinue reading “Valparaiso, Chile”

Puerto Varas, Chile February 5, 2023 Today was the last excursion of our South American cruise.  We’ll have a final sea day tomorrow and arrive in Santiago for a short land tour before finally heading home on the 11th. We docked in Puerto Montt and made our way along the Pan-American Highway to Puerto Varas,Continue reading “Volcanoes, Falls & German Influences”

Puerto Chacabuco, Chile February 4, 2023 Located in a very remote area at the head of Chile’s Aisén Fjord lies Puerto Chacabuco, Chile, a small, picturesque village surrounded by snow-capped mountains that serves as the area’s main port and the rest of Chile’s connection to the Patagonian Channels.  A salmon hatchery and tourism provide theContinue reading “Patagonia Nature Up Close & Personal”

February 3, 2023 Today’s excursion was, without a doubt, one of the most unique we’ve ever enjoyed. We docked today not at a port, but in the middle of the Chilean Fjords, where we were met by a covered catamaran that ferried us off to our final destination. Laguna San Rafael National Park is locatedContinue reading “Laguna San Rafael, Chile”

February 1, 2023 We spent February 1st and 2nd sailing through the Chilean Fjords. Here are the images we had hoped to see (taken from the web)… Unfortunately, heavy low clouds decreased the quality of our viewing. Here’s what we actually saw… But when you’re on a cruise, you can always eat your disappointment away!Continue reading “Chilean Fjords”

Punta Arenas, Chile January 31, 2023 Overlooking the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas claims to be the southernmost city on Earth.  That’s a pretty big claim!  Once home to one of the most important ports in the world, today’s Punta Arenas is an isolated area with no railways or highways. Its population of 140,000 peopleContinue reading “The Southernmost City:”

January 30, 2023 Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago at South America’s southernmost tip, shared by Chile and Argentina.  Known for its dramatic landscapes of snow mountains, glaciers and tundra, its main island is home to our port for the day located in the town of Ushuaia.  Often referred to as “The End of theContinue reading “Welcome to The End of the World: Tierre del Fuego & The Beagle Channel”

January 29, 2023 Antarctica is surrounded by water that moves in a circular direction around the continent, in opposite directions – easterly and westerly.  In 2021 this water was named the Southern Ocean and officially became the world’s fifth recognized ocean.  The two directions meet in an area known as “Drake Passage,” renowned for itsContinue reading “We survived Drake Passage!”

January 28, 2023 Today’s itinerary called for us to visit Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately, the ice had other ideas. For this portion of the cruise the Marina’s Captain is joined by an Ice Captain, a captain who has specific expertise navigating the waters of Antarctica and understands how deceptively dangerous its ice floes and icebergsContinue reading “Antarctica (Day 3)”

January 27, 2023 The itinerary called for a cruise by Paradise Bay today, but the ice floes had other ideas.  We don’t know what we missed in Paradise Bay, but what we did see was stunning. The continent of Antarctica was discovered in 1820 by an individual looking to expand the seal trade.  They hadContinue reading “Antarctica (Day 2)”

January 26, 2023 Some interesting history from Antarctic Guide (First speculations about Antarctica (antarcticguide.com)…Antarctica is the only continent that, from the perspective of human thought, began as a sophisticated concept emerging from a series of deductions. In the sixth century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras calculated that the earth was round, and about aContinue reading “Antarctica (Day 1)”

January 25, 2023 We have an Antarctica Expedition Team on board with us and they are offering a series of lectures on the area we are about to visit.  We took advantage of our day at sea to attend some of those lectures.  We learned about the different types of ice and how they areContinue reading “Cruising the Atlantic”

January 20, 2023 Punta Del Este is the southernmost point of Uruguay.  In this beautiful town of 20,000 things get so quiet in the low season of tourism that they turn off the traffic lights.  When the tourist season is in full swing, however, the population increase more than ten-fold and those traffic lights comeContinue reading “Punta Del Este, Uruguay”

January 24, 2023 We were so looking forward to our visit to Port Stanley today, but alas, it was not meant to be.  This is a stop that requires us to tender from the ship to shore.  Anticipated winds of 30 mph and more made that impossible, so our visit will have to wait forContinue reading “Port Stanley, Falkland Islands”

Punta Ninfas, Patagonia – January 22, 2023 Welcome to Patagonia, a region encompassing the southernmost tip of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile, with the Andes Mountains as its dividing line. We were on the Argentine side known for its arid steppes, grasslands and deserts – and Magellan Penguins! We’re quickly learning it’s alwaysContinue reading “Walking with Penguins”

January 23, 2023 Some of you have asked about the ship we are on.  We’ll take advantage of this day traveling the Atlantic Ocean to share some pictures and details. On our last voyage with Oceania we were on Insignia, one of their smaller ships.  This time around we are on Marina, home to 1250Continue reading “Oceania’s Marina”

January 19, 2023 Montevideo is the capital city of Uruguay, a small country situated just between Argentina and Brazil. Today’s tour involved a ride around the town and a visit to a local winery.  There’s not a lot of history or information to share, so we’ll get right to the highlights! Views of the cityContinue reading “Montevideo, Uruguay”

January 18, 2023 The day to board the ship for our cruise has finally arrived, but first!  A city tour of Buenos Aires.  Here are a few of the highlights… St. Martin House – a replica of the home of the gentleman responsible for negotiating the independence of Argentina, Brazil, and Peru from Spain. Next,Continue reading “Buenos Aires City Tour”

January 17, 2023 We said goodbye to Iguazu Falls this morning and made our way back to Buenos Aires.  After a day of travel we had just enough time to get showered and changed for dinner and a Tango show. A little history…although Argentina and Uruguay are generally credited as the home of Tango, theContinue reading “Argentine Tango Show”

January 16, 2023 Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better…it did!  We were blessed with nothing but sunshine on Day 2 at the Falls.  Immediately after breakfast we trekked across the street and down the path along the Falls, enjoying fantastic views every step of the way.  The “crowning glory” of the FallsContinue reading “Iguazu Falls – Brazil Side”

January 13, 2023 SOUTH AMERICA HERE WE COME! Having dropped Princess Sophie off with friends (30 days with her boyfriend, Rusty – woohoo!), we finished our packing and headed to the Pendrak’s official Park ‘n Ride for Jodock World Travels.  We nearly missed the connecting flight from Miami to Buenos Aires (kudos to American AirlinesContinue reading “Iguazu Falls – Brazil/Argentina”

We enjoyed a 7 day cruise with our 4 children, their spouses and 6 grandchildren for a total of 16 guests on the Disney Fantasy ship. I must say Disney does an AMAZING job entertaining ages of all levels. The only criteria we gave everyone was to meet us for dinner every evening at 5:30Continue reading “Disney Family Cruise”

July 12, 2022 Stavanger is home to one of Europes most interesting Old Towns. The cobblestone streets are lined with the continent’s highest concentration of wooden buildings that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Over 250 surround the harbor area. Stavanger is Norway’s 4th largest city with population of 140,000 people. It isContinue reading “Stavanger, Norway”

July 11, 2022 Today was an amazing adventure of buses, trains, waterfalls and tunnels. There is no doubt Norway is the land of mountains and waterfalls. You are surrounded by mountains when looking in every direction and you can barely drive a mile or two before you spot the next waterfall. There is also anContinue reading “Eidfjord, Norway”

July 9, 2022 Voss is an international ski town and home of the World Cup ski challenge. Voss is a one hour train ride from Bergen, Norway. They have trains that run from Bergen to Voss about every 90 minutes and tickets range between $13-$40 Euros depending on demand and day. It was a veryContinue reading “Vosshaggen (Voss), Norway”

July 8, 2022 Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of 280,000. It is also one of the wettest cities in Norway. It rains 240-250 days a year, wow. It was overcast with occasional drizzle during most of our stay, very much like Seattle. Like the northwest no one allows the weatherContinue reading “Bergen, Norway”

June 30, 2022 Shetland, Scotland.  Welcome to the land where the sun never sets – but you never know that  because the fog never lifts!  We arrived to what we were told is a typical summer day in Lerwick,  Shetland’s one and only town and home to one third of its inhabitants.   Even through theContinue reading “Pointless Ponies???”

JULY 5, 2022 Lofoten is the name of the island meaning flat land and the city is called Leknes. There are 300 islands around this community and only 5 are inhabited. Lofoten (Leknes) is an island city that sits in a very green valley surrounded by high mountains. Fishing is the number one industry forContinue reading “Lofoten (Leknes), Norway”

Unfortunately, many of the pictures will not be as beautiful as usual because Pam had to leave the cruise today. Her Uncle “General” (Sherman) is gravely ill and she chose to head back to Ohio and be with her lovely Aunt Dori for this difficult journey. Tromso is an island town of 70,000+ residents locatedContinue reading “Tromso, Norway”

We traveled to the farthest point north in the European continent. In comparison to the U.S. this is slightly farther north than Nome, Alaska. Fortunately, they were having a heat wave that day, it was 71 degrees. For a strange coincidence note this point is located at 71 degrees north latitude, hmmm. We are travelingContinue reading “Honningsvag (Nordkapp), Norway”

June 29, 2022 As we pulled into Orkney, Scotland this morning we were greeted by its trademark wind, gray skies, and rain. Undaunted, Pam headed out to our scheduled tour of the mainland while Ken hunkered under the covers trying to sleep away a nasty head cold. Making our way by bus from the portContinue reading “Neolilthic Wonders”

June 28, 2022 What a fun day!  Today we are in Edinburgh (pronounced Edenborough – and they don’t like it if you get it wrong), Scotland.  Edinburgh has been recognized as the capitol of Scotland since at least the 15th century.  It serves as the seat of the Scottish government and parliament and is homeContinue reading “A Scottish Connection”

July 27, 2022 Today is a day at sea, a day I imagined standing at the railing of our balcony or gazing out the many windows around the ship at nothing but water as far as the eye can see.  Well, there is water as far as the eye can see, that part I goContinue reading “Wherever I go, there we are…”

June 26, 2022 Greenwich, England Greenwich, England served as a key location for Royals for more than 500 years and they have the historic buildings and stories to prove it.  We covered a lot of ground in our 2-1/2 hour walking tour and learned more than I have time/room to share, but below are someContinue reading “Greenwich, England”

June 25, 2022 Our plan for today was to move from the VRBO to the ship, grab some lunch there and then head to Windsor Castle for the afternoon.  Pam’s research indicated it would take a little less than an hour to get go the Castle, and we were even able to compare the costContinue reading “Best Laid Plans…”

As I was collecting my notes for today’s blog, I suddenly realized what a busy day it was and completely understood why I needed to stop in the middle of it and take a nap! Some of you will get tired just reading about it, so I know you can sympathize! We began our dayContinue reading “London in a Day”

Welcome back, everyone! It has been a full 962 days since our last adventure – a cross-country road trip with our oldest granddaughter and next-to-oldest grandson – and 1,078 days since we stepped off the ship of our world cruise and we are SO excited to be back out in the world again! For thoseContinue reading “And they’re off (again)!”

Thoroughly enjoyed a few days with my sister Lois and brother in law Mark in Key West, FL. We had a great day feeding the sharks followed by an excellent sunset meal. Hanging out on the boat Amazing sunset

Great times with our friend Corey in the Florida Everglades and lovely Marco Island. Great community with lots of outdoor restaurants and bars.

After 177 days, 36 countries, 24 time zones and 90 ports of call it’s time to bid our new friends and the amazing crew of the Oceania Insignia a fond farewell.  It has been an incredible experience; our minds are still reeling from the places we’ve been and the things that we’ve seen.  There’s aContinue reading “Land Ho! (Miami 07/11/2019)”

St. George was our final stop before we reach the Port of Miami and the end of this six-month adventure. What an extraordinarily beautiful location for our “last hoorah.” Ken may have been the only passenger on the ship who thought to bring his golf clubs, but he was not the only avid golfer onContinue reading “St. George, Bermuda (July 8, 2019)”

The New York skyline…what could be more exciting – or American!  We arrived at the Manhattan Cruise terminal, sailing along the iconic Hudson River.  The Hudson is a tidal estuary, where salty sea water meets fresh water running off the land.  It experiences two high tides and two low tides in any 24-hour period, eachContinue reading “9/11 Memorial Museum (New York, NY 07/05/2019)”

Welcome to Halifax, where “car” is “currh,” “bar” is “burrh,” and “furrh” is…you guessed it! “far!” We were fortunate that our Canadian friends, Nancy and Wayne, have a friend who lives here in Halifax and she graciously agreed to play tour guide for a day – a job she did quite well! Elaine picked usContinue reading “Currh, burrh, furrh (Halifax, Nova Scotia 07/02/2019)”

St. John’s is the oldest and most easterly city in North America.  It began as a fishing village and was particularly renowned for its abundance of codfish.  Reading the history of the area as we wandered through The Rooms, the town’s cultural museum I had to wonder what would make these people want to stayContinue reading “Puffins and Gannets and Whales, oh my! (St. John’s, Newfoundland Canada 06/29/2019)”

If you’re Ken what better way to end your time in Ireland than on a golf course?  With the help of the ship’s concierge, Ken and six of our fellow passengers made an early tee-time at the near-by Cobh Golf Club expecting 60-degree temperatures and morning rain.  Instead they got 65+ temperatures and beautiful blueContinue reading “A fond farewell (Cobh, Ireland 06/24/2016)”

Dublin, Ireland is known as the land of 1,000 pubs.  The establishments are the center of life in Dublin; they are where relationships are forged, deals are made, life events are celebrated.  It’s also the home of four Nobel-prize-winning novelists:  Yeats, Beckett, Shaw and Heaney.  And its Trinity College is host to the Book ofContinue reading “Land of 1,000 Pubs (Dublin, Ireland 06/23/2019)”

Having never been to Ireland the image we had in our heads was one of ragged cliffs, rolling green hills and sheep.  The area surrounding Belfast did not disappoint.  Our tour today was to the Giants’ Causeway, a collection of what is said to be 40,000 basalt stones (we didn’t take time to count) ofContinue reading “Of Legends and Guinness (Belfast, Ireland 06/22/2019)”

Pam was sharing with the ship’s hairdresser, Mario, how disappointed she was that we would be so close to London when the ship docked in Southampton, UK, but not have enough time to do anything more than drive through.  Mario had the perfect solution:  get off the ship in Southampton, spend the next two nightsContinue reading “Liverpool will have to wait (London, England 06/19-21/2019)”

Today we visited a 14th Century castle that has been occupied by the same family for more than 700 years.  The original castle was built in 778 by Charlemagne, but all that is left of it are a few wall ruins.  The current castle was built in 1306 by the nephew of Pope Clement V. Continue reading “A man’s home is (literally) his castle (Bordeaux, France 06/17/2019)”

If you’ve been to Bordeaux but haven’t been here in the last five years you might not recognize it. We’re told the government has invested significant money sprucing things up and it appears they have succeeded. We arrived in Bordeaux early one sunny Sunday morning to find people walking their dogs, joggers getting their morningContinue reading “A Most Live-Able City (Bordeaux, France 06/16/2019)”

Today we are in Basque country – Bilbao Spain.  Driving through this vibrant city today you would never guess that a little less than 30 years ago it was a town struggling to survive after the collapse of its steel and shipbuilding industries.  Bilbao rallied by investing heavily in culture, with the Guggenheim museum atContinue reading “A Passion for Cars (Bilbao, Spain 06/15/2019)”

Suffering from a sinus infection Pam begged out of touring today, leaving Ken to explore the city on his own.  Facing a historic town of historic churches, old palaces, a 2nd Century lighthouse, and unique fisherman houses, Ken made the only sensible choice – he headed straight for the castle! Located in the center ofContinue reading “A man and his castle (La Coruna, Spain 06/14/2019)”

We are loving Portugal!  Today we discovered the wonderful town of Porto.  We toured a beautiful old cathedral, visited a magnificent train station, learned the history of the area’s port wine industry, and felt the wind in our hair as we cruised under the town’s six bridges on a river boat.  We drove through theContinue reading “Port Wine and Bridges (Porto, Portugal 06/13/2019)”

High on a hill in the mountains of Sintra, Portugal sits the beautiful Palace of Pena.  Originally constructed as a 15th Century monastery that was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1755, the Palace occupies 85 acres.  Arriving at the palace gates requires one to navigate a lengthy series of hairpin turns on a steepContinue reading “Welcome to the end of the world (Lisbon, Portugal 06/12/2019”

We arrived in Lisbon just in time for our 1:15 tour to Obidos, a town whose history dates back to 308 BC.   Ken climbed the walls of the Obidos Castle, a 12th Century fortification that played a major strategic and military role in Portugal’s emergence as a nation.  He walked the full mile of itsContinue reading “Lisbon, Portugal (06/11/2019)”

Seville, Spain is best known as the home of Flamenco dancing. One would think that we would take advantage of being here to witness some impressive displays of that dance, but by the time we arrived we were ready for a break. Instead of touring we opted for a quiet wander through the narrow alleywaysContinue reading “Seville, Spain (06/10/2019)”

Barcelona is one of our favorite cities.  It has an energy fed by history, incredible architecture and a genuine spirit of hospitality.  Having been here before we opted to keep it simple and do the hop on/hop off tour.  Here are some of the highlights… Our first stop involved a gondola ride to a castleContinue reading “Barcelona (Spain 06/07/2019)”

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What a fantastic day! Today we got brave and scheduled a personal tour.  We were joined by a couple of our new friends and had a perfect (and full!) day in Rome. Our first stop was the Catacombs of St. Sebastian.  Discovered in 1920 the Catacombs of St. Sebastian were a 2nd Century Christian cemeteryContinue reading “Rome! (06/04/2019”

With a history that dates back nearly 3,000 years to the ancient Greeks who founded the Naples area during the 8th Century BC, Naples is home to Pompeii and Herculaneum, two famous sites destroyed and conserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  We visited these sites when we were here 6 yearsContinue reading “Naples, Italy (06/03/2019)”

Today we visited Delphi, Greece, situated 2,000’ above sea level on the slopes of Mount Paranassu, and believed by ancient Greeks to be the physical and spiritual center of the universe. According to Greek mythology, Zeus sent two eagles, one from each of the Universe, and told them to find the “navel” of the world. Continue reading “Beautiful Taormina & Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy 06/02/2019)”

Today we visited Delphi, Greece, situated 2,000’ above sea level on the slopes of Mount Paranassu, and believed by ancient Greeks to be the physical and spiritual center of the universe. According to Greek mythology, Zeus sent two eagles, one from each of the Universe, and told them to find the “navel” of the world. Continue reading “Delphi (Athens, Greece 05/31/2019)”