Our second foray into the countryside around Florence was a visit to the Val D’Orcia, a region of Tuscany in central Italy, and the medieval towns of Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulcino. The Val d’Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2004. Its landscape has been depicted in works of art…
Category: Port of Call
Medieval Gems of Tuscany I
Even with all of amazing and iconic sites to see in Florence alone, a two week stay gave us plenty of opportunity to explore all of Tuscany and even into neighbouring Umbria. These days trips were highlights of our time in Italy. We used Viator to book our excursions for no reason other than I…
A Day In Milan
Being so close to the second largest city in Italy and not at least spending a day visiting its most iconic sites seemed a waste, so we planned a day trip to Milan from our home base in Florence. Two sites topped our list of must sees; Da Vinci’s The Last Supper and the Milan…
The Culture of Greenland
After exiting Prince Christian Sound on the morning of our third day in Greenland we made out way to our first port of call Qaqortog, the fourth largest city in Greenland, followed the next day by a visit to the much smaller Nanortalik, the country’s southern most town. Although it is rare for Norwegian Cruise…
The Natural Beauty of Greenland
Sometimes a disappointment can turn into the best opportunity. Such was the case during our recent cruise. Scheduled for 3 ports after Reykjavik we ended up sailing away from Iceland after only one, Isafjordur. The reason; a worsening storm bringing hurricane force winds that was moving between Iceland and Greenland. Our captain made the difficult…
Iceland’s Golden Circle Tour
By far the most popular day trip from Reykjavik is the Golden Circle Tour. If you want to travel outside of the capital and see the best natural attractions in Iceland than this tour is for you. Since it is so popular you can easily find a tour offering. Compare price and hours, the group…
Reykjavik
One of the fastest rising travel destinations is Iceland. For a country that has a population of only 393,396 that number will increase by well over 1.7 million visitors a year. If you are one of those visitors, and whether you are exploring as part of a cruise or are taking an extended land tour,…
Enjoy Nature While Traveling
We are huge history and culture buffs. Port excursions usually involve museums, art galleries or other similar sites. We rarely if ever take the time to enjoy the natural surroundings. It was time to change that. On a recent trip we specifically chose two shore excursions that focused on the natural beauty of the European…
Dublin and The Guinness Story
One of the top attractions in Dublin is a visit to the Guinness Storehouse; seven stories of displays, history, retail and pubs in the building that has been brewing the beer for over 250 years. Whether you enjoy a pint or not as Guinness is not to everyone’s taste, the experience is worth the price…