Today marks the last of five sea days since we left Gambia. After tomorrow’s port stop on St. Helena Island, […]
A Day in The Gambia: Sacred Groves, Crocodile Pools, and Playful Monkeys
The sun rose over the Gambian coastline, casting a reddish-golden glow across the bustling port of Banjul. We exited the […]
Exploring Dakar, Senegal: A Journey Through Vibrant Culture, Rich History, and Powerful Heritage
Dakar, Senegal Our shore excursion yesterday was a powerful reminder not to judge a destination by first impressions. As I […]
Halfway Through Our Grand Voyage: Highlights from 31 Days at Sea from Venice to Cape Town
Today, we’re in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, marking the halfway point of our incredible Grand Voyage, which began 31 days […]
Exploring the French Riviera Off-Season: Nice’s Elegance and Eze’s Magical Charm
Ah, the French Riviera – a sun-drenched escape for the rich and famous, from Zelda and Scott (Fitzgerald) to Jeff […]
Gaudí’s Vision: A Timeless Journey at the Sagrada Familia
For over a decade, Mary and I have watched Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia climb ever higher, gradually dominating Barcelona’s skyline. The […]
A Zara Quest on Barcelona’s Finest Day
Walking the Ramblas, we were ready for any mischievous squirt guns lurking amidst the vibrant crowd. It was a glorious […]
A Day of Triumph and Trials in Florence
It may be my last visit to Florence, Italy. The city was so crowded that it took a lot of […]
Exploring Napoleon’s Exile: A Journey to Elba’s Villa Martino and Beyond
One of the most fascinating aspects of travel for us is walking in the footsteps of historic and legendary figures, […]
Rediscovering Taormina: A Day of Shopping, History, and Stunning Views in Sicily
If there’s a tourist hotspot in Sicily, it’s got to be Taormina. We took an “on-your-own” tour of this beautiful […]
Discovering Maltese Heritage in Every Sip: Wine Tasting at Ta’ Betta Wine Estates
The last part of our Malta tour was a wine tasting at a local winery. Ta’ Betta Wine Estates was […]
Exploring Malta’s Timeless Charm: Mdina’s Silent Streets and Valletta’s Majestic Coastline
Malta has always been one of our favorite Mediterranean ports, offering everything a traveler could ask for—fair weather, dramatic ancient […]
Exploring Contrasts in Corfu and Argostoli: Highlights from Greece’s Ionian Islands
Shared with Public We’re enjoying our first and last sea day on this leg of the cruise, as we […]
Kotor and Our Lady of the Rocks
Our latest visit to Kotor featured a shore excursion that blended luxury, history, and local charm. We skipped the old […]
Greetings from Dubrovnik, Croatia
“Greetings from beautiful Dubrovnik! It is a cool, sunny day, much better weather than our previous visit during last August’s […]
A Fun Night at the Stud Farm
We had a truly an Az-amazing Evening at the Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia! Having toured the farm on a […]
A Lovely Day in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Our first port on our Azamara grand voyage was Koper, Slovenia. We had already been wowed by Slovenia’s people, beautifully […]
Travel Gods Weren’t Smiling
It’s been a crazy couple of days since we left Rome, but we finally made it to our ship, our […]
Great Roman Dining: With a Little Help From My Friends
We have many ways to choose restaurants when we travel. Typically, we rely on YouTube, TripAdvisor, and Google Maps for […]
Three Coins in a Dry Fountain
Mary and I visited the Trevi Fountain today, only to find it drained and walled off with a glass partition. […]
Trastevere’s Charms: A Perfect Roman Evening
This evening, we capped a perfect Roman autumn day at Caffè Marzio, a prime people-watching spot in Piazza di Santa […]
The Pantheon: A Travel Lesson
There’s a travel lesson to be learned from our tour of the Pantheon yesterday. We’ve stayed in Rome three times […]
A Very Roman Food Tour
We enjoyed an informative and mouth-watering food tour yesterday, exploring the flavors of Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori, the Jewish Ghetto, […]
Jet Lag, Day 2
Jet lag, day two. I woke up at 2:30 am and tried to count all of our previous travel adventures […]
THE ADVENTURE BEGINS
24 hours ago, our journey from San Diego to Rome began. The trip, despite a few unusual incidents, was largely […]