Funchal

After six days at sea we arrived at Funchal on the Island of Madeira. With the help of a tailwind we made port 12 hours ahead of schedule. This gave us more time to explore the Island. Our Captain made the local news when he docked the ship in heavy seas rather than spend the night anchored off shore.

Vigo, Spain

Our second European port was Vigo, Spain. We arrived at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 12th. We spent the day in Vigo exploring the narrow streets and exquisite architecture. In each city we visited we mailed postcards to our three grandsons. It became quite an adventure to buy postcards, address them and find a post office to buy stamps and mail. We became quite adept in indicating what we needed to the postal clerks.

Le Havre, France

Le Havre, France was the next European port. We arrived in the morning of April 14th. We took a guided tour to the medieval city of Rouen. Rouen was where Joan of Arc was burn at the stake in 1431.

Dover, England

We arrived in Dover on Tuesday, April 15th. 2008. Dover Castle sits high above the harbor and provides a magnificent view of the surrounding area. The Castle, of course, dates back to medieval times but also played an important part during World War II and the Cold War. It was here the evacuation at Dunkirk was planned. During the Cold War it was a secret British installation. The white cliffs of Dover are spectacular.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

We arrived in Amsterdam Wednesday, April 16th. 2008. This was our port of debarkation. From Amsterdam we began our land tour to Antwerp and Paris. The Captain and crew gave their farewell cocktail reception. We said good-by to our wonderful servers and cabin stewards.

Holland

The Keukenhof Gardens in Holland were one of the highlights of the entire trip. The gardens were in full bloom and were absolutely spectacular. We walked the many paths through the acres of tulips and flowers of all kinds.

Bastogne, Belgium

Bastogne was another of the highlights. It was an all day bus ride from Antwerp to Bastogne to visit the World War II city made famous by the 101st. Airborne Division. Their refusal to surrender and subsequent rescue by Patton's 3rd. Army spelled the beginning of the end for the Germans in the Ardennes and the Battle of The Bulge. There were two Battle of The Bulge veterans on the trip.


















































Here is a 90 year old Battle of The Bulge Veteran

Brugge, Belgium

Brugge is a charming Belgium city that was spared destruction during the war. We were given a tour of the city by boat, highlighting the architecture and cultural charm.

Paris

Paris was the end our trip. Three days were spent re-visiting the major sights and seeings the ones we missed on our first trip to Paris. There are so many, but the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, have to top anyones' list.

Miscellaneous Pictures

Here are some pictures that didn't make the cut.



Carnival


Amsterdam


Brugge


Paris

Rome - 2007

Ireland - 2004

In May 2004 we visited the Emerald Island. We began in Shannon and drove the country side, circling the Island. We visited the Cliffs of Moher, the Aren Islands, Dingle Peninsula, Kilarney, Kensale, Blarney Castle, Kilkenny, Glendalough, Trinity College and Dublin.
The pubs were a highlight.

China - 2003

In September 2003 we took a 10 day trip to China. We visited Beijing, Wuxi and Shanghai. We flew on Air China from Los Angeles Int'l to Beijing. There is a 15 hour time difference between the West Coast and Beijing.

Paris - 2001