All Day Tours Are Not Created Equally- Beware

Posted on May 26, 2019 by

Malcolm and I recently relied on the advice of a hotel concierge in Lisbon for the best way to visit Sintra and Cascais. Both destinations are not far from the city and can be visited in one day. The two options presented to us were to hire a private car at 290 euro or join a tour bus group for 79 euro each.  The private car was cost prohibitive without another couple to share the ride and it did not include tickets to view the Pena Palace in Sintra. We chose the bus tour – no questions asked. Continue reading →

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Two Great Day Trips From Porto

Posted on May 19, 2019 by

Malcolm and I are just home from a twelve day transatlantic cruise that took us from New York to Lisbon followed by a week in Portugal, which we split between Lisbon and Porto.

After disembarking the Azamara Journey in Lisbon, we took a three minute walk from the sea port to the train station where we boarded a train to Porto. The three hour journey was uneventful and after a quick train change in Coimbra, we arrived in Sao Bento, which is an event unto itself. Hand painted tiles cover the walls of the train depot and every tourist entering has the same agenda – selfies with some of the most famous tiles in the world. Continue reading →

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Simply Bermuda

Posted on April 28, 2019 by

Note: In 2017 we posted this article about our first visit to Bermuda. We have since returned three times and have just completed our fourth visit on board the Azamara Journey. We are currently in route to the Azores and eventually Portugal, where we will disembark and spend a few days exploring Lisbon and Porto. Since internet access is unpredictable and it will be a while before we can share our current experience, I thought you might enjoy this look at Bermuda to understand why we keep coming back. 

Bermuda

We live in South Florida, home to some of the worlds most beautiful beaches and several mega cruise ports so we have done a fair share of Caribbean cruises.  This time however, we wanted a change of pace and decided to drive to Bayonne, NJ for a cruise to Bermuda that sailed out of Cape Liberty. The seven night cruise aboard the Celebrity Summit  was a great starting point for our month long “Island Adventure” road trip along the East Coast last June. Continue reading →

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What’s Your Favorite Color

Posted on April 21, 2019 by

Until recently, I did not realized that I have a favorite color. When asked, I typically stutter out a very non-committed, “um green??”  It was not something I have ever paid attention to, or seriously thought about. I tend to wear black or denim and the occasional jewel tone, my home is decorated in various shades of beige and the car I drive is white. Pretty boring stuff. Continue reading →

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Springtime in Texas means Bluebonnet Season

Posted on April 14, 2019 by

We first visited Texas in March of last year with the expectation of seeing wild Bluebonnets growing in the hill country. In fact, it was the impetus for the trip. I lamented in this post, about not seeing a single one of those cherished blooms, but we had a wonderful time discovering Texas and vowed to return. We honored that vow  (with better timing) this year and the  bluebonnets greeted us in abundance. Continue reading →

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