During our one day in France, Tom and I decided to visit Rouen with the famous Cathedral of Rouen. The Cathedral is a gorgeous example of church architecture, but is also the burial place of some famous kings. Tom especially wanted to see the gravesite of Rollo, the first ruler of Normandy, from whom he …
St Peter Port, Isle of Guernsey
I have wanted to go to St Peter Port on the Isle of Guernsey ever since I read ““The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer. You can read my review of the book here. The book is a beautiful romance and it made me want to go see the place …
Spike Island and Cobh, Ireland
The first land we spotted after a week of crossing the Atlantic Ocean was Spike Island and Cobh, Ireland. It was an uneventful crossing except for my propensity to get sick in odd ways. First, my left leg suddenly giving out and not supporting any weight for three days. As precipitously as it went out, …
Routine On Board the Nieuw Statendam
After two weeks on board the Nieuw Statendam, Tom and I have settled into a routine, at least on our “at sea” days. When my left leg wasn’t working, we got in the habit of going to breakfast together. This requires me to wait a little while for breakfast and for Tom to get up …
Programs on Board Nieuw Statendam
Before we left, lots of people asked me what you do on a ship for 10 days of a sea crossing. Not to worry – the Nieuw Statendam has plenty of programs all day long. In fact, I’ve had a hard time finding time to write the blog during our sea days because we have …
King’s Wharf, Bermuda, Our First Port of Call
Our first port of call was King’s Wharf, Bermuda, on the third day of our cruise. Tom and I had never been to Bermuda before and were looking forward to exploring. Unfortunately, the morning we were supposed to go into Bermuda, my knee gave out. It felt very similar to when I tore my ACL. …
Enjoying the Food Aboard Nieuw Statendam
Everybody always talks about all the food available on a cruise ship. It is true. There is a lot of food and you could eat and eat, if you wanted to. Tom and I are all about eating in moderation and enjoying the food. In many ways I eat less when I am aboard a …
All Aboard the Nieuw Statendam
Tom and I boarded our ship, Nieuw Statendam, on Sunday. After all the preparation, the planning, the paying off of the trip, we were super excited that the day had finally arrived. Our four month adventure to Europe begins! Everything went very smoothly on Sunday. Holland America makes the boarding process a breeze. Although our …
Biscayne National Park in Florida
To fill out our week of visiting National Park sites, Tom and I stopped at Biscayne National Park just south of Miami. Biscayne National Park is 95% water, which means that the number of things you can do without a boat are limited. Biscayne National Park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. The shore of …
Everglades National Park in Florida
Tom and I made a quick trip to Everglades National Park in Florida in between Big Cypress and Biscayne. We had been to Everglades several times and weren’t really interested in seeing it again. But, in our previous visits, I had neglected to get a stamp. So we took advantage of our proximity for me …