Had the distinct pleasure of finally visiting Asia commencing in Singapore .we further traveled on to Ho Chi Minh ,Viet Nam, Hong Kong. Taipei, Taiwan. Our travels then took us to Aomori and Hakodate Japan before sailing North Pacific arriving in Seattle . The Anthem was fabulous as all the Royal Caribbean Fleet is known for , great food, service , entertainment and new friends . If you are thinking of going Transpacific by ship ,go the Royal Way ! Please see journey in pictures! Happy Sailing!

My fist trip to this area via Brilliance of the Seas, I had a blast! We sailed out of Vancouver which is a beautiful city by the sea, lovely people and cool weather in September. The Brilliance of the seas is a fantastic ship with the best and friendliest RCCL staff, they were gracious, fun, helpful and took care of our every need.
From Vancouver we visited Sitka, Juneau and Haines. All the ports visited had their own charm and spirit, my fave was Juneau, a busier port with lots of sites and a hopping waterfront experience. Sitka was second for me then Haines. Juneau boasts the great Mendenhall Glacier which so captivated all the people on my tour there. Although it was cold we trekked the 20 minute trail to the entrance of the Glacier and the Mendenhall Lake and waterfall, a spectacular view of all three in one view! We also toured a Salmon hatchery ,following the entire process from spawning to the return of the Salmon here for their turn to spawn as adults. Our Tour guys’d were fabulous and gave us an in-depth view of the area on our tour.See allthe fun in pictures.
Sitka was a lovely little town with lots of views of the water and Mountains. Haines with its lovely views of homes in the mountains was breathtaking but we didn’t go ashore because of inclement weather. However would return to Alaska for the great air quality ,felt like I was breathing in pure oxygen . Nature abound felt and looked awe inspiring. Please put a cruise Alaska on your list of things to experience in this life, you won’t regret. See all the fun times and the natural beauty up close in my pictures!

This trip was my second time crossing the Atlantic via Odyssey of the Seas,.It was even better this time as I knew what to expect with water all around for days.

Crossing the Atlantic was such a great experience that I did it again this year! The Ship was the same , the weather was great but the experiences compounded. If you haven’t sailed across the Atlantic as yet , get it included on your list of must do. We stated out in April from Fort Lauderdale Florida ,then on to Bermuda (unscheduled, to afford ill patrons medical care) First scheduled stop was Ponta Delgada , the Azores , Portugal . A lovely area with lush greenery and locals living within an old Volcanic called Sete Cidades. We took a bus tour organized by Royal Caribbean that traveled through the highlights of the city and stopping for historical sites as well as pictures of the old volcano. Wine tasting in town was fabulous as well as the views of the ocean while sipping. Port stops included Malaga, Cartagena, Cinque Terre and Rome where we disembarked . We boarded a high speed train from Rome to Venice and spent a few days there . I have to say Venice was not my favorite city for this visit, but experienced the famed Gondolas and St Marks Basilica which were on my “A” list for sometime. The sea food was great and so was the Pizza! I included pictures of those eateries and dishes in this post. While in Venice took a train ride to Verona which proved to be a very beautiful city with some great architecture and history. It is worth a visit if you are in Venice or close-by.. The islands off the coast of Venice are also interesting points to visit if you have time to go .The main ones are Murano ,Borano and Lido. We visited Moreno via boat from Venice ,its about a 30 minute ride ,beautiful scenery and great seafood when you get there!
Next was my favorite city on this trip ,Vienna! Flying over The Dolomites with their beautiful snowy peaks and colorful, green ,brown and grey hues . Vienna , just beautiful with beautiful people to boot. We stayed at the Holiday inn ,Vienna City which was within walking distance to restaurants, sightseeing, trasportation and mindful green areas for the senses. The staff at this Holiday inn were so welcoming, friendly, helpful and caring. Suzanna and her crew at the front desk made my hotel one of the best if not the best! If you are going to Vienna look at the Holiday Inn ViennaCity. Architecture was at its peak here in this city , from the Abertina to Hofburg Palace to the Opernviertel ,not to mention the pies-de-resistance Schönbrunn Palace! An experience that was also well worth the visit was to see the Lipizzaner Stallions in all their glory,the show is a must see when in Vienna. Side trip to Budapest is also recommended via high speed train it about 3.5 hours but well worth the time to go. See the glorious architecture which is afforded here. Plan to stay here about 5-7 days to make the most of this beautiful locale.
Spain was next for this extended European jaunt. Malaga by the beach with return to Ronda , Bullfight in Seville where I’m embarrassed to say I wasn’t aware the bull would be killed at the end. Sad for me so spent most of my time at the ring outside the ring. Please. Photos of the excursions to these cities .
Royal Ascot was the highlight of our visit to London this go around. The expedience did not disappoint and we would definitely do it again! Some other highlights included Guru Tours to Oxford, Ronda and London History walk including ,changing of the guards and back story of the King’s guardsmen ,the Gurkhas. Costco visit in Seville (using my card from home),cruising the Blue Danube which is the second longest River in Europe .The Danube travels through ten Countries in Europe including Austria and Hungary where we experienced it by boat.See these wonderful experiences in pictures here on my page.
I hope you all will enjoy this post and email me with any questions or to help you plan your vacation to any of these fantastic destinations !

This past August saw my long awaited trip to Australia and New Zealand! It was an experience that i am so proud and happy to have embarked on and will always remember . We started out on the long leg from LAX to Sydney which took about 14 hours, and was made even more special because we used our American Airlines miles to enjoy our virgin first class journey. We delighted in choosing from a menu for meals, pajamas for sleep time and the most wonderful attentive cabin crew ever. The food was great, our seats converted to almost a conventional bed and the attention of the staff made us feel like royalty. We arrived in Sydney and spent a couple hours there in the first class lounge before flying onto Brisbane.
Brisbane was delightful and made even more so by connecting with friends from long ago. Our main stay for the first week was in the “Gold Coast “ with friends who took us to most of the area to experience life there . Some attractions included Bondi Beach , Byron Bay ,Wolloongabba at the Hyundai Center for an Australian Rules football game.. The game was spectacular with St. Kilda V Brisbane in a much heated matchup , we had box seats as well which lent to the excitement ! We visited Tamborine National Park as well as The Australian Zoo which was such a treat. My first time with the Kangaroos and the Koalas was elating to say the least..The Outback spectacular which is an indoor Rhodeo should not be missed either on a visit to The Gold Coast.
Our Next Stop was Sydney connecting via Brisbane from Gold Coast. Sydney with it’s Beautiful Harbour tall sky scrapers , historical museums, Opera house ,famed bridge and world renown seafood was amazing ! We had a back tour of the Sydney Opera House by day and went to see Wynton Marsalis “Jazz at the Lincoln Center” performance by night. The Opera House is an iconic part of Sydney’s history and if you visit don’t miss the opportunity to see a performance there. Day trips to the Blue Mountain and boat tours to other parts of this beautiful Island rounded out our visit to Australia.
The flight from Sydney to Auckland was approximately three and a half hours long , a decent flight it was with Quanta’s. Auckland was very special to me as the people there were very friendly and inviting and showed so much interest in us as foreigners . As you arrived at the airport they had Native music and artwork depicting the pride they had in their heritage. Our welcome started as soon as we entered our Uber , the driver was very resourceful and advised us on how to navigate the city and the ins and out of traveling the area. We stayed at the Auckland Hilton which continued the wonderful welcoming experience with a lovely room with a view to die for! From Auckland Harbour we visited Weiheke Island via boat trip for a wine tasting tour. Our visit took us to three wineries to experience the taste of the region. The “All Black experience “ was a huge hit, this is the national Rugby team that plays internationally. We were afforded a visit to the replica of the team locker rooms and we challenged ourselves performing some of the rotations they use to get fit and ready for play. The food here in Auckland was also fabulous ,we enjoyed every bite. We Traveled home via American Airlines on Premium Economy class which was very good ..
I hope you will add a visit to this continent on your upcoming itineraries , please enjoy some of my experiences in pictures below. Please email with questions and for assistance with building your itineraries for any of my trips on this site or for building a new one even if it’s not here already. Happy Travels!

The Greek Isle cruise was amazing ,commencing in Ravenna and finishing in Trieste due to flooding from torrential rains in Italy . Ravenna is a great spot to spend a couple of days , it is less touristy and more of a “local” feel . We walked mostly as its a small town but did take the local bus to the Mall. Sampled some great restaurants and went on a Mosaic tour for which the city is known.
Our Cruise was aboard The explorer of the Seas , it is a Voyager Class ship which is much smaller than our previous ship the Odyssey . The crew and amenities were awesome though and shared nightly dinners with two amazing young ladies from the U.K. Our visits took us first to Kotor Montenegro where it rained the whole time in the excursion to Our Lady of the Rocks. This lovely church was assessable only via boat , it was located just off mainland Kotor and was still awesome to experience even while we were being drenched! One of the highlights here for me was in Perast where I ordered hot chocolate to warm up and received a literal cup of chocolate….It was warn however and I ate it! LOL! . Next stop Corfu Greece, sunny and bright a welcome change from the previous rains. Walked into town to experience some of the architecture and the local market. Mykonos was next , very sunny as well , by this time we were wishing for cloud cover and some rains ….Just some. We went on an excursion to the small island of Delos the birthplace of Apollo the Sun God and his twin sister Artemis the moon goddess. This is a UNESCO world Heritage site with loads of very interesting monuments, statues and ruins from the 3rd Century BC . The Aegean Sea surrounds the island .One of the interesting points for me were the. Any cats around with most having a left ear missing. It was explained by our guide that this missing ear alerts the Vets who visit the island that those cats are already spaded or neutered .
Argostoli was interesting as well but the next stop was my favorite! Athens was the pinnacle of the Greek Isles for me, the Acropolis was long ago on my wish list and finally I was there. The ruins did not disappoint and our tour guide was a walking wealth of Acropolis knowledge. The hills across the way were aptly known for the place where Democracy was founded making Athens the birthplace of our Democratic existence. The city of Athens boasted monuments, historical firsts and great weather . Our Cruise was rerouted to Trieste instead of ending in Ravenna as planned, it was a little hairy at first but we made it to Mika where we spent our last three days in Italy. Milan was just ok for me , very touristy and somewhat rude restaurant and store vendors. Our hotel The Hilton Milan was great and close to Milan Central station (a fabulous building in it’s own right). See my experience in pictures below. Message me to help you with your visit to Italy or any of my awesome experiences in my Blog. Enjoy !

We spent eight days touring Rome, Florence and Ravenna each city as interesting and educational as the next. We had visited Rome before but wanted to go atop St. Peter’s Basilica revisit some of the phenomenal architecture ! Florence is one of my favorite cities and I wanted to revisit an Italian restaurant from my visit six years ago. I still love it! Ravenna was a city to the north of Florence where we were to board our Greek Isle Cruise. This time was great to have our feet on land and to appreciate Italy’s offerings. I enjoyed climbing to the top of St. Peter’s and viewing the lower level , so awesome! The Swiss guards were a first viewing for me but so excited to see them , architecture was brilliant and saw some not seen before on my previous trip to Italy. The food was superb as always , my favorite being pizza and hand made pasta, seafood takes third in the lineup for me .😜See my time in Pictures below. I will help you to plan your own Italian jaunt when you are ready , my contact information is on my welcome page . Enjoy!

Me! Yes I went on my first transatlantic cruise in April 2023 aboard the beautiful Odyssey of the seas ! One of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class ships which glided across the Atlantic Ocean over an eight day period into the heart of Europe. Odyssey combines cutting edge technology with luxurious amenities and boasts activities to keep your body and mind engaged for the entire fourteen days on board . The ship has a rock climbing wall, basketball court, pickle ball court (which is my new go to game for exercise) , North Star that extends over three hundred feet above the ship for a view that is spectacular! The ship was manned by the best crew ever , the vessel was spotless and the food was great ! We visited Izumi and Playmakers restaurants in addition to Windjammer and Main dining room for our main meals while onboard and enjoyed immensely.
The journey across the Atlantic seemed daunting for me prior to the start of the cruise but soon I was having a fantastic time with trivia daily, onboard gym time, quite time in the solarium after breakfast each morning with my book, Jacuzzi time prior to breakfast , jogging trail most days and of course shows and dancing every night. Their premiere show was “The Book” was showcased in the gorgeous indoor theater the Two70 . Dancing the nights away was my favorite activity just before my nightly casino visit to challenge the slots.
Cruise commenced in Ft. Lauderdale ,sailed across the Atlantic visited Valencia Spain,Marseille France , Mallorca Spain, Malaga Spain , Pisa Italy on our way to cruise completion in Rome(Civitavecchia ) . If you are considering a Transatlantic Cruise you will not be disappointed with choosing The Odyssey of the Seas. I will be happy to help you plan your holiday via their fantastic voyage about this ship. I will post some of my experience in Pictures and videos below. Enjoy!

September 2022 also included a visit to my beloved Spain , this trip included Malaga , Granada, Madrid as well as Toledo .I have visited Malaga before and just loved the area I decided to revisit it. Granada was the site of my last unscheduled escape from Spain in 2020 due to the pandemic. I don’t think I ever chronicled here on my blog about that eventful last time in Spain but this time it was it was fabulous!
We flew from Munich to Malaga Airport and took an Uber to our weeklong vacation rental home just a short walk from Bil Bil Beach which is really the Alboran Sea. This Ocean is located between Spain and Morocco.and is viewed as. The gateway to the Mediterranean. The Malaga region is made up of many different towns along the beach, our rental was in Benalmedena , centrally located with many stores ,restaurants and beach activities. There is a tourist pass for the local train that costs about 10 euros and will last for about 90 days. We were able go from town to town for eateries and fun for the whole week there.
Granada is a short train ride away via Renfe trains, we took the local train on our tourist pass from Benalmeda to Maria Zambrano Estacion to board Renfe . We had been in Granada for only one night in 2020 when all U.S citizens were summoned home because of Covid. So this trip was a resumption and for a visit to the famed Alhambra. The Alhambra located in Andalusia was built by the Moores in the 13th century and was taken over by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492. The Nasir’s Palace and Alhambra Gardens make up the main area and draws thousands of tourist each year to gaze at it’s beauty and architectural finesse .Definitely should be a place to visit if you are in this area of Spain.
The train pass we had for Malaga afforded us to stop in many town along it’s route like Fuengirola , Tormelinos ,Estepona and Mejas. There are loads of activity in each town are but my favorite was Tormelinos which had a lovely beach front for sauntering, great restaurants and nightlife.
Renfe was our train from Malaga into Madrid which took approx three hours or so for the journey. Madrid was abuzz with a big city feel , Museums and architecture to interest even the most skeptical of persons. It was safe and walkable in the center area from Madrid Palace to Prada Museum area. Our hotel was in between those two locations. Nightime walking to restaurants, and shops was enjoyable and we found lovely eateries and pubs with ambience that we had to visit more than once .
Toledo was a short way from Madrid and we did a bus tour there for the day. Lovely small city with cultural highlights and the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo. We toured this Catholic church which was founded in 1493 and is home to incredible architecture and splendor . A must see if you are in this area of Spain.. As always go see everything if you can and until then see my words through pictures below. Thanks for allowing me to share my travels and insights with you!

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Recently I made a spring visit to California that included San Diego and San Francisco, I had been to the former but the latter was my first visit and I was left in awe of both cities. San Diego with its beautiful coastline ,its quaint towns within and gastronomy really was a pleasure to explore. My favorite area was La Jolla which was along the coastline and depicted a lot of the lifestyle habits in San Diegoans. They were happy ,free spirited , walking along the Oceanside walkways with their dogs in tow or being led by them as well as riding their bikes along breezy pathways and of course having a bite alfresco ,enjoying the glorious outdoors! Of course I wanted to sell my house in Florida right away and move to San Diego !
San Francisco was certainly a treat, a delicious one ! We drove from San Diego to L.A. which was approximately seventy minutes or so visited with family and flew form LAX to SFO a mere hour and ten minutes flight time.
We stayed at the Donatello which was centrally located and well appointed for exploration on foot both day and night. San Fran boasted Cultural ,Architectural , Historical and Foody delights to interests their locals and visitors alike. The hop on hop off bus is well worth the price for touring the city., it goes all around the city and ventures out to Museum row and the famous Japanese Tea Garden a beautiful site to behold ! The bus further travels onto the Golden Gate Bridge which is an awe inspiring experience both approaching its clay colored structure and the high winds while riding along it. Hold onto your scarves and hats when riding on the top level of the bus, it gets so windy that your face moves on its own accord!
The food offerings are as fabulous as you have heard and read about or seen on Food shows. Pier 39 was an adventure all on it’s own with , fish markets, restaurants and souvenir stores. My favorite Restaurants were Fog Harbor Fish House and The Grab house . Do visit them when you go.
We also included a visit to USC to see the Alvin Haley Dance group which was also high on my list sine I was a young girl. First Friday in Oakland was an adventure as well with street food and music to tease the senses.
Yosemite National Park which was on our list of places for a long time , the tour took us up the mountain by coach bus ,hugging the sides of canyons while i tried to pray away my fear of looking down from great heights. El Capitan and Bridal Falls were my favorite views there but the entire park visit was awesome! Muir Woods to see the legendary Redwoods was another highlight of our visit to the Bay Area. Just outside of San Fran by coach bus tour was fabulous as well . Some of the trees are over a thousand years old and are taller than two hundred and fifty feet . The woods are serene and full of birds and other wildlife that thrive still in this region. We decided to return to the city via boat from a quaint little town called Sausalito , lovely little village with small boutique stores and interesting restaurants. On the boat ride back we were able to view the infamous Alcatraz, the history of this place is truly as interesting as seeing it up close.
Napa was our last venture from the city , we wanted to have time to explore and see and drink wine while there so we rented a car for the day and explored. We had a vey informative wine tasting session along the Main Street area and even bout a couple bottles. Yum ! St. Helena is the area that has lots of Wineries to visit , along the way we saw some of the local wine names you may know . The vineyard we chose to visit was V.Sattau , it had a Hugh wine store and cheese shop area which was heavily visited apparently as there was not much parking when we arrived. WE however had a great time and bough wine cheese and breads before our departure.
​ Yes the Bay Area is so worth a visit on your next trip to Cali. See pics below to whet your appetite for your visit .Enjoy!