After disembarking from a cruise we extended our vacation with a few days stay in the amazing city of Munich. Very friendly, easy to navigate and full of life, we easily fell in love with the Bavarian capital. Aside from its own virtues, Munich is a great home base city; a place from which to…
Our Top 5 in Munich, Germany
Munich is a city rich in history and tradition. Most of its significant and cultural sites are located in a central core which makes it easy to walk. Munich, the former capital of Bavaria, is ideally located as a home base from which to tour southern Germany. Although most of Germany’s cities were severely damaged…
Port of Call – Edinburgh
As happens for many inland cities, the ship actually docks in a different port. Oft times these ports are dirty, gritty industrial ports that serve many masters, only one of which is the cruise industry. For our stop in Edinburgh the ship docked in the port of Leith. It is prettier and cleaner than most…
What’s In Your Backpack?
Whether you are day tripping from home or a cruise ship, or travelling alone, as a couple or with family, supporting the Scouting adage of “be prepared” is an essential travel tip. When our kids were little we carried backpacks for all their essentials. We lugged around drinks and snacks, wet wipes and extra clothes,…
Our Top 5 in Dublin, Ireland
Like most we are only Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t embrace the Irish culture during a recent stay in Dublin. A beautiful city that is easy to navigate and in a day or two you can see many of its historic, cultural and artistic sites. Having said that don’t…
Port of Call – Istanbul
The sail in to Istanbul is one of the most beautiful in my memory. The harbour was a juxtaposition of modern and ancient with traditional fishing vessels vying for space next to speeding seadoos. The shoreline was dotted with soaring minarets that grew larger as we approached revealing the mosque underneath. It was simultaneously alive…
A Taste of Europe
We love to eat. Ken is far more adventuresome than I am but I’m still willing to try most exotic local cuisines. Taste, smell, texture and presentation are all important components of any meal, and a well-trained chef can make even the simplest of ingredients into a great experience. When we travel we try to…
Port of Call – Helsinki
What was once a part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century has become the thriving Finnish capital, and a great place to spend a day. Despite its location in the Baltic Sea Helsinki has very little medieval history. Finland was industrialized in the mid-1800’s and Helsinki beautifully displays that centuries meticulous urban design…
Roman Holiday
We have visited Rome twice. The first time was a whirlwind day as part of a Mediterranean cruise. As fast paced as that day was I do remember two things very vividly. We had lunch at an outdoor café under black lace umbrellas to shade us from the midday sun, ate a plate of pasta,…