Arriving in London in the middle of a Tube strike presented a bit of a challenge in making our way to Hampstead but once the we were warmly welcomed and had a good excuse to spend our first full day just enjoying the comforts of Hampstead and La Gaffe.
CATEGORY
International
Queen Mary 2 Eastbound Transatlantic
Our passage from New York to Southampton aboard Queen Mary 2 has been a delight. Fascinating insights talks, delicious food and drink, and
Totally Enchanting Medina
It’s been an amazing Spring and Summer as we’ve fallen under an enchantment spell in our new hometown of Medina, Ohio, causing us to neglect our usual blog posting activities.
Cozumel & Grand Cayman
Aboard the Norwegian Jewel we’ve made stops in Cozumel, Mexico and Georgetown, Grand Cayman to explore beyond our previous experiences here. Soon we’ll be making our way to ports we’ve not yet explored in the Southern Caribbean.
Savoy at Sea 2025
The warmth we anticipated when we headed to the Caribbean in mid-January didn’t really materialize but the fun we had with our dancing friends and the great crew of the Margaritaville at Sea Islander more than made up for the not so favorable weather.
Cruising Canada’s Coast
Aboard Jewel of the Seas, a favorite ship of ours, we enjoyed a foray into the history and geology of Canada’s Atlantic coast while enjoying the joys of friendships, longtime and new. Now we’re looking forward to returning to the same ship for further adventures!
Slow Journey Home
Our journey from Portsmouth, England to our home in Ohio might have been accomplished in about sixteen hours but my avoiding air travel we were able to enjoy a fifteen day journey home via train, ship, Uber, train, as well as our own feet and finally our personal vehicle.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
It’s been a fascinating two day visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. We managed to pack in tours of the HMS Warrior, the HMS Victory as well ast Victory Live: The
Big Repair, and finally the Mary Rose. All were incredibly informative and well presented.
Jives Aces in Tunbridge Wells AND Portsmouth
From London we made our way to Tunbridge Wells in Kent to dance to the strains of The Jive Aces and later enjoyed the opportunity to hobnob with the band members at The Ship and Castle in Portsmouth. Two fabulous experiences!
Underground at Charing Cross
Our last day in London this trip we ventured underground on the Hidden London Charing Cross: Access All Areas Tour for a peek into the workings of The Underground a bit of its history and the uses of the Jubilee Line Charing Cross Station that no longer serves passengers but still has usefulness including as a filming location for movies including Skyfall and Paddington.
Planning a trip? Dreaming of travel? Perhaps some of our adventures could inspire yours! Over the last several years we’ve had the distinct pleasure of many cross country journeys traveling though the Lower 48 in tents and our various teardrop campers as well as an amazing Alaska adventure that did not involve a camper.
Enjoy exploring, and leave us comments! We love hearing from you. And if you’d like to follow us, Subscribe by signing up at the bottom of this page.
Categories
Use the dropdowns to see sub-categories, or navigate the archives by month.
OUR VERY
LATEST
A Rainforest Adventure in Australia
Our excursion to Tamborine Mountain National Park immersed us in the history and culture of the Brisbane, Australia area giving us a chance to learn about characteristic and unique plants and animals as well as relaxing and savoring good food and drink. It was a day full of rich experiences.
The Rocks, Bondi Beach, & Sydney Opera House
An overnight stop in Sydney, Australia gave us the opportunity to get to know at least little of the history, culture, and landscape of this young nation melding with native traditions on an ancient bit of earth.
The Home of the Hobbits in New Zealand
As longtime fans of the tales of Middle Earth crafted by J.R.R. Tolkien, we jumped at the opportunity to visit Hobbiton at Matamata NZ, the movie set crafted by Peter Jackson’s team for the filming of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Trilogies.













