Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn SAN FRANCISCO – MAUI 1/13/11 – 1/23/11 We are 10 days into our World Cruise and it is already going too fast! The weather was not great on the 4 day crossing from…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn MAUI – AUCKLAND 1/23 – 2/8/1 January 27 was Ron’s birthday and a wonderful one it was. We had lunch with Frank and Julia (our new friends from Fort Collins, Colorado) and Kevin…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn AUCKLAND – SYDNEY 2/8 – 2/23 On the morning of February 8, we docked in Auckland, New Zealand, the country’s largest city. Out of 4 million total population, 1.4 million people live here…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn SYDNEY – BALI 2/23 – 3/8/11 Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of world travel is cruising into the port of Sydney, Australia. As we sailed in on the morning of February 23rd, the…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn BALI – BEIJING 3/8 – 3/20/11 This was our first time in the Philippines which consist of over 7,000 islands. We were there for 2 days, so we were able to take 2…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn BEIJING – HONG KONG 3/20 – 3/28/11 China’s population is now at 1.4 billion people – 20% of the earth’s population. Cities, high rises and the economy are also growing at a staggering…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn HONG KONG – BANGKOK 3/28 – 4/9/11 As you will see from the pictures, Asia is an over-populated, extremely polluted area with a few very rich people at the top and multitudes of…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn BANGKOK – DUBAI 4/10 – 5/3/11 Not all of Southeast Asia is as described in my last blog. Indeed, Singapore is just the opposite: Exceedingly clean, well run and economically successful. With a…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn DUBAI – JORDAN 5/3 – 5/13/11 Our first visit to Dubai and all I can say is: Wow! This former Bedouin fishing village discovered oil in 1961, and the financial windfall that followed…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn JORDAN – ROME 5/14 – 5/24/11 The Red Sea has become a popular vacation area and we got to enjoy 2 beautiful days of sun and sand at a beautiful beach resort in…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn ROME – SOUTHAMPTON 5/24 – 6/7/11 It is so good to be back In Europe. After seeing so much of the world on this trip – from the very poor in Cambodia to…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn BOCA RATON, FLORIDA – FORT COLLINS, COLORADO We are officially homeless now! We sold our condo in Boca Raton just prior to the World Cruise, but the deal was contingent upon being able…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO In preparing for our month in Colorado, I came across a town called Glenwood Springs. Sounded like there was lots to do there, so I booked a week. Shortly thereafter,…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn CRESTED BUTTE & PAGOSA SPRINGS The route we chose to take from Glenwood Springs to Crested Butte took us primarily on a dirt road over a mountain pass. The views were well worth…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn FLORIDA to SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND After Colorado, it was back to Boca Raton for a week. And a busy week it was — in and out of our storage unit unpacking and repacking for…

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn TORREMOLINOS, SPAIN In the fall of 1970, I traveled to Europe by myself. First I visited relatives in Belfast, Ireland, my mother’s birthplace. But true to fashion, the weather was cold and damp….

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn COSTA DEL SOL, SPAIN Spain’s Costa del Sol runs for about 100 miles along the Mediterranean. We wanted to experience as much of it as possible during our 7 weeks here so we…

CROSS COUNTRY DRIVE: BOCA RATON to HOUSTON After disembarking Celebrity on January 5, 2012, we had a very busy week in Boca Raton. Getting ready for our 9 month circle the USA car trip necessitated appointments with doctors, dentists, car check ups and the biggie:…

TUCSON and SCOTTTSDALE, ARIZONA We celebrated Ron’s 75th birthday in Tucson at the beautiful Loew’s Ventana Canyon Resort. This was a marvelous deal from luxurylink.com. It included 5 nights lodging with a full breakfast each morning, one 3 course dinner for two, and two massages…

PALM DESERT FEBRUARY 7, 2012: We arrived in Palm Desert, California. I looked at renting a house here but they were all in gated communities; you had to drive everywhere. Consequently, we settled at the Embassy Suites for our 3 week stay. It was ideal….

PALM SPRINGS, TEMECULA, LA JOLLA and RANCHO SANTA FE In the last few weeks, we have stayed in Palm Springs, Temecula, La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. Years ago, when we had our motorhome, we spent some time in Palm Springs. It has changed. Many…

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA We spent several days on the border of Oxnard and Ventura. We had hoped to visit the Channel Islands National Park, five islands just off the coast, but were discouraged by cold, windy, rainy days. Fortunately, the weather was in our favor during…

PISMO BEACH, PASO ROBLES and MONTEREY California has everything! From seashore to desert, valleys to mountain peaks, it is an ever changing landscape. It also has ever changing weather! Unfortunately, the 2 days we spent at Pismo Beach were cold and rainy, but going inland…

MARIN COUNTY It was a pleasure to settle down for 9 days at Acqua, a charming boutique hotel in Mill Valley. Our room faced Richardson Bay which we enjoyed walking and biking along. The highlight of this stop, however, was visits with several friends including…

NAPA & SONOMA We were fortunate that Marcia, yet another friend we met on the World Cruise, was at her house in Napa the day we arrived. Combine a brilliant sun, roses blooming and the beauty of her 25 acres and you have the picture…

SACRAMENTO When we told people we were going to spend a few days in Sacramento, they said “Whyyyy?” Nevertheless, we’re glad we did. Yes, there are economic problems, vacant buildings and homeless people on the streets. But there is also much to see and enjoy….

OREGON Upon leaving California, we headed to Bend, Oregon. Situated in the center of the state along the Deschutes River, and surrounded by volcanic mountains, Bend is a lovely town that has easily doubled in size since we were here with our motorhome in the…

WASHINGTON STATE Seattle offered another opportunity for a little reunion of World Cruisers. Alan flew up from Colorado to join us in visiting Bob and Infa. We had a wonderful 3 days together. Since Alan had not been to Seattle before, we had to see…

IDAHO and MONTANA We left Washington State and entered northern Idaho for a 6 day stay in Coeur d’Alene. The words mean heart of an awl. French traders gave the area that name because they found the native Indians to be hard and sharp traders….

WYOMING and SOUTH DAKOTA With 46 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, Sheridan, Wyoming is proud of its heritage. Walking Main Street, it is easy to picture the town 100 years ago. On the hill, overlooking town is Trail End, former home of…

WISCONSIN & ILLINOIS We were in La Crosse, Wisconsin over 4th of July.  The city is situated on the Mississippi River – the name comes from Indian words meaning Father of Waters. The Mississippi actually starts about 200 miles north of Minneapolis and creates the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.   Our…

INDIANA, ONTARIO, NEW YORK After leaving the Chicago area, we proceeded east via South Bend, Indiana. While there, we visited the beautiful Notre Dame campus and had lunch at Tippecanoe. Built in the late 1800’s, the 26,000 sq. ft. mansion has 40 rooms and 20…

VERMONT Vermont is among the 10 smallest states in area in the U.S. With less than 700,000 residents, cows outnumber people 10 to 1. What it lacks in people and size, it makes up for in beauty. Lakes, rivers and charming towns cover the Green…

NEW HAMPSHIRE & MAINE Our first stop in New Hampshire was Lebanon, right next to Hanover.  Hanover is a charming town and home of   Dartmouth College.   Then it was on to Lincoln in the  heart of the White Mountains.  Over 100 million years old, they…

MAINE to FLORIDA Upon leaving Maine, we began our southward bound journey. First stop: Greenwich, Connecticut where we stayed overnight with Helene and her husband, Per. Helene and I met just about this time 50 years ago as college freshmen. We became sorority sisters, roommates…

TO EUROPE & BACK I was booked to lecture on the Seabourn Quest late November. Rather than fly overseas (which we avoid whenever possible), we were lucky to find a Holland America ship departing Fort Lauderdale Oct. 19 for Rome. I say lucky because this…

PUNTA CANA: OCCIDENTAL GRAND, EXCELLENCE and SIVORY After a wonderful but busy year of travel, all I wanted to do was lay in the sun, walk the beach and read.  And that is exactly how we spent the holidays.  During 3 weeks in Punta Cana,…

CALIFORNIA & PANAMA CANAL We spent the early part of the year in West Palm Beach, and flew to California mid-February. I had booked a nice 3 day package at the Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach from Travelzoo. It gave us a chance to reunite…

NCL’S EXCLUSIVE HAVEN and MATARO, ITALY On April 20, we boarded Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Epic, in Miami and sailed for Barcelona. The Epic is one of the new mega ships capable of handling almost 5,000 passengers. There were only 3,000 on this…

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE On May 5, we said adios to Spain and bonjour to France. First stop: a week in Montpellier. Situated on the River Lez, 6 miles inland from the Mediterranean sea, Montpellier it is a vibrant and historical city. With a population of about…

SAN REMO, ITALY Into each life a little rain must fall and for us, it fell the week we were in Sanremo, Italy. But, as you can see we had sunny days as well. Not far from the French border, Sanremo is part of the…

RAPALLO and CINQUE TERRE About 20 miles east of Genoa and just two villages away from well known Portofino is the lovely Italian Riviera town of Rapallo Italy. Our room on the 5th floor of an older hotel opened onto the roof top terrace which…

REGGIO EMILIA, CHIANTI COUNTRY and SIENA Thanks to a very reasonable Luxury Link package we had 3 days in a junior suite at the Hotel Posta in Reggio Emilia. It became a hotel in 1515 but the building’s history dates back to 1280. It has…

PERUGIA and SPOLETO About 12 miles from the city of Arezzo is a villa built in the late 1700s as residence for a noble family. It is now a guest house and we had 5 pleasant days there as part of a Travelzoo package. Slightly…

SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO and RIMINI There are close to 62 million people in Italy and during the summer, many of them can be found on the east coast of Italy. One seemingly endless beach runs along the Adriatic Sea. Lined up across the sand…

ITALIAN LAKES: GARDA, ISEO, COMO, MAGGIORE The northern lakes of Italy, formed by glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age, are incredibly beautiful. Over the course of two and a half weeks, we visited 5 of them. First stop was Peschiera del Garda…

LAKE ANNECY and BEAUNE, FRANCE Italy has many long tunnels but the Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) tunnel from Italy into France definitely takes the prize: 7.215 miles long. It also has an astronomical price: 41.40 euros one way (about $55.00). Begun in 1957 and completed…

REIMS and NORTH COAST OF FRANCE On our way to the north coast of France, we stopped in Reims for a couple of days. The city’s Cathedral of Notre Dame is to France what Westminster Abbey is to England. Begun in 1211, the cathedral was…

BRETAGNE (BRITTANY) FRANCE During the Dark Ages, Irish, Welsh and English immigrants crossed the sea to settle on a peninsula in the northwest of France. It wasn’t France way back then and didn’t become part of that country until 1532. The settlers called it Brittany…

WEST COAST OF FRANCE Atlantic Ocean, stretches of wide, white sandy beaches interspersed with rocky outcroppings, fishing villages and quaint beach towns compose the west coast of France.  We followed it from Brittany down to Spain making several stops along the way.  During that time,…

HONDARRIBIA, SANTANDER and SANTILLANA DEL MAR Our first stop in Spain was Hondarribia in the Basque region of Spain just over the border from France.  It is best known for its historic walled city atop a hill overlooking the city and bay.  While the rich lived within…

NORTHERN COAST OF SPAIN and A CORUNA The Green Coast runs along the northern border of Spain beside the Cantabrian Sea. Between the sea and the mountains is the lovely town of Llanes. It has a medieval center, beautiful beaches and a scenic cliff top…

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA and SALAMANCA We visited many churches, cathedrals and basilicas on this trip but nothing compared to what we saw in Santiago de Compostela and Salamanca.  According to legend, the Apostle James brought Christianity to the Iberian peninsula in 44 AD. Upon his…

SEGOVIA and MADRID One of the most amazing structures we’ve seen in all our travels is the Aqueduct of Segovia. Built by the Romans in the 1st century, it is almost 3,000 feet long and 94 feet high at its highest point . It carried…

A FOND FAREWELL TO EUROPE (for now) Spain’s railway system includes high speed trains and we took one from Madrid to the Costa del Sol where we enjoyed a sunny month in Torremolinos. TRAVEL TIP: If traveling by train in Spain, book direct with Renfe…

AZAMARA TRANSATLANTIC CRUISE TO FRANCE ABOUT AZAMARA: Usually you find the amenities Azamara Club Cruises offer only on 6 star lines and at a considerably higher price. On the two Azamara ships, the Quest and the Journey, gratuities, water, soda and a variety of wines…

NICE, FRANCE We disembarked Azmara Quest on April 11 and moved into an apartment downtown Nice for 2 weeks. It was ideally located for exploring the city (old and new), the flower market and strolling along the Promenade des Anglais. In the 18th century the…

TUSCANY During our travels last year, we heard of a town called Forte dei Marmi and decided to spend 4 days there this year. Are we glad we did! Situated on the northern Tuscany coast, Forte dei Marmi has long attracted the rich and famous…

PIENZA, ASSISI and TORGIANO 1459, it was the dream of Pope Pius II to turn his birthplace into the perfect Renaissance city, so we have him to thank for the beautiful medieval town of Pienza. Quaint shops and restaurants line the pedestrian only streets. Pienza…

ITALY: NORTHEAST COASTAL AREA From Torgiano, we made our way over to the northern coastal area of Italy. The entire east coast of Italy runs along the Adriatic sea and Italians flock to the countless beach resorts in July and August, but things were pretty…

CROATIA: WOW! We arrived in Croatia on May 25th and quickly fell in love with the country. It is absolutely beautiful! Though many of the buildings in the cities are from the post war era, modern resorts have been built along the water to accommodate…

CROATIAN COAST Alfred Hitchcock thought the sunset in the ancient city of Zadar was the most beautiful in the world. With crystal clear waters and numerous islands off its coast, Zadar is certainly scenic but it is also very historic. Zadar is 3,000 years old…

CROATIA: INLAND Croatia has 8 national parks – quite a lot for a country slightly smaller than West Virginia. We visited two of them. The first, Krka National Park, runs along the Krka River and is home to the largest travertine cascade system in Europe….

SLOVENIA Slovenia is a beautiful country but we did not have a beatific entrance to it. One must buy a pass to use the highways before entering the country. We, along with countless others, did not see the sign just before the border stating that….

AUSTRIA Rainy days and cloudy skies overshadowed our first few stops in Austria but could not hide the beauty of this country — magnificent mountains, sheer cliffs, hills lined with green velvet grass and dotted with alpine houses. Fortunately, we had been forewarned that Austria…

AUSTRIA TYROL We visited 3 towns in the Austrian state of Tyrol. All are popular ski resorts as the area is in the heart of the Alps. They are also popular summer destinations as Austrians love hiking the mountain trails. Unfortunately, rain and clouds continued…

RETURN TO ITALY Slightly south of the Austrian border is the city of Merano, Italy. In this mountainous section of Italy, the people speak both German and Italian as the area was part of Austria until after World War I. Merano is a beautiful city…

ITALY’S ADRIATIC COAST Termoli is a small city on the Adriatic coast that is known for its old town as well as nice beaches and clear, blue water. It is a popular summer destination for Italians. Few outsiders know of Termoli or come here so…

PUGLIA & THE HEEL OF ITALY Italy is shaped like a high heeled boot and Polignano a Mare is at the top of the heel. It is a quaint town perched on a cliff dotted with sea caves. A bridge spans a deep ravine that…

WEST COAST OF ITALY From Puglia, we drove across the lower part of Italy and over several mountain ranges to reach the west coast of Italy. First stop was the little town of Marina di Camerota situated on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Our hotel overlooked the…

MAREMMA REGION OF ITALY We had to return our leased car at the airport in Rome since the limit on the lease is 5 and 1/2 months. While there, we picked up a rental car as we had 10 more days to go. During the…

ON THE ROAD AGAIN We left Palm Desert on March 2nd after 2 and 1/2 lovely months there. That is the longest we have been in one spot since we sold our home 4 years ago! Driving east, we spent a couple of weeks in…

MISSOURI About a month was spent traveling through Missouri as we did not want to get to the Chicago area until mid-May. Our weather has not been great but considering what much of the country has been going through, we cannot complain. We stopped in…

LAND OF LINCOLN Our first stop in Illinois was Springfield, the capital of the state but its real claim to fame is that President Lincoln lived, worked and is buried here. The magnificent Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library opened in 2004 and houses an…

WISCONSIN 1 Wisconsin is a beautiful state covered with lush, green forests and dotted with lakes. Our first stop was the town of Lake Geneva, long popular as a summer retreat for people from Chicago and Milwaukee. It was here that Frank Lloyd Wright built…

WISCONSIN PART 2 During the second part of our summer in Wisconsin we visited Appleton, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Door County and Milwaukee. While in Appleton and Milwaukee, we were able to reconnect with Wisconsin friends we met on a cruise last year. We spent a…

THE END OF THE ROAD My husband and I traveled extensively for the 22 years of our marriage. During the last 7, we were nomads – no home, no car. I had planned a 5 and 1/2 month trip to and around Europe in 2017….

Reminders of old fishing village We concluded our 7 weeks on the Costa del Sol back in Torremolinos, but at a different hotel. It is about one mile to the east of the first one and also overlooks the marvelous beach promenade. You can walk…

What a year!! We closed on the sale of our condo on 1/11/11. In the year that followed, we spent a total of 7 months at sea. Aside from the World Cruise, there were lecture engagements on the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Celebrity…

SOUTHEAST WINTER Where have such diverse characters as Rod Stewart, Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump, the Kennedys, Michael Jackson, E.F. Hutton and Howard Stern made their home at one time or another? Palm Beach, Florida, one of the most exclusive addresses in the world. Having decided…

FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, ISLANDS TO MOUNTAINS The route we took back to Florida led through Indiana where we made two stops. The most memorable one was French Lick. Funny name but beautiful place. It was originally a French trading post next to a salt…

FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, ISLANDS TO MOUNTAINS Upon leaving Charleston, we stopped in Murrell’s Inlet, just south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While there we visited  Brookgreen Gardens. Once one of the largest rice plantations in the country, it is now a magnificent wildlife preserve…

The Great Geniuses of Russia Before visiting the country for the first time in 2002, I had no interest in Russia. Perhaps because I grew up during the Cold War and believed Russia was a harsh and dangerous nation. Pictures portrayed a land perennially bathed…