Planning and booking next USA visit…Late posting today…Tom

An artist’s rendition on a wall on a side street as we made our way back to Palermo Soho, an hour-long walk.

It was a late start to the day.  We didn’t awaken until 8:00 am after a fitful night’s sleep. Tom showered and dressed first and then headed down to the lobby for coffee and a light breakfast of ham, cheese, and eggs while I stayed behind getting showered and dressed for the day.

By the time I sat down at my laptop in the lobby, my tea drink in hand, it was 9:00 am. Loading my computer (I’m still using the old one), I discovered I had three updates that required I wait patiently while they packed.

As we walked along Santa Fe Avenue in Palermo, we entered this church, Holy Eucharist Parish, taking some photos, saying some prayers, and thanking God for our health, well-being, and never-ending adventures.

The Internet is slow here, especially when there are several guests as there are now. The updates took a good 25 minutes to complete. Finally, close to 10:00 am, I began today’s post two hours later than usual.

With no big plans for today, I have plenty of time to get done, but I’m always thinking about our readers out there in cyberspace who may be waiting to read with their cup of coffee or tea in hand. 

Not unlike other visits to churches, we often see parishioners also in prayer.

Over these years, we’ve had many readers write to us explaining they have a ritual of reading our daily posts at home, at work, while on public transportation, or sitting in the park with their phone, iPad, or Kindle in hand.  We’re very aware of this fact and make every effort to get it done each day consistently.

Unfortunately, circumstances prevail, and as consistent as we’d like to be, sometimes it doesn’t come to fruition as readily as we’d prefer. I suppose that’s how life is, not always as we’d like it to be and certainly, not always on time.

A little-lopsided view of the altar at Holy Eucharist Church.

But, we’re here now and anxious to “get the show on the road” and share some details of our upcoming plans to see family in Minnesota in 15 months. Last time we visited the USA to see family, we started in Minnesota and ended in Nevada.

This time, we plan to visit each location at two entirely different time slots based on dates of cruises we’ve booked during these two periods, as indicated in our most recently published itinerary, which may be found here at this link.

Stained glass windows are culturally interesting in each country we visit.

We plan to visit Minnesota from 4/8/2019 to 4/25/2019 for 17 nights and Nevada, California, and Arizona from 11/8/2019 to 12/3/2019 for a combined total of 25 nights. We’ll spend a few days in California visiting my sister Julie in Los Angeles and a week visiting Tom’s sisters at their winter homes in Apache Junction, Arizona.  

This schedule will leave us two weeks in Nevada. We’ll stay with son Richard in Henderson, visit sister Susan in Las Vegas, and renew our driver’s licenses, which require an in-person visit this time instead of the online renewal we did while in Bali in 2016.

Statues and lit candles along a wall.

In between these two USA visits, we have three cruises, a three-month stay in Ireland as shown in yesterday’s post, a three-night stay in Amsterdam, and a 62-night stay in a home in England, hopefully in the countryside.  

All of the above are booked except for the three-night stay in Amsterdam as we await the Baltic cruise and the 62-night stay in England, where we’ll wait for another cruise from Southampton, UK back to the US.  

The Nativity scene was still on display after the holidays ended.

Once we’re settled in Africa, we’ll book the house in England, hopefully, close to the Cornwall area. 

As for Minnesota, yesterday we booked the same hotel where we stayed for six weeks during our last visit in summer of 2017. I contacted the corporate rep who worked with us last time, and we were able to negotiate the same rate we paid in 2017 at US $107 (ARS 2,002) per night.

Tom noticed this artistic wall art in an obscure location as we walked along the boulevard.

The cost of staying in hotels and generally staying in the Minneapolis area is very expensive for travelers, often as much as US $200 (ARS 3,741) to the US $300 (ARS 5,612) a night for a hotel and well over US $100 (ARS 1,868) a day for meals.  

Rental cars are also more expensive in Minneapolis than we’ve paid in most countries. We’ve budgeted over US $5,000 (ARS 93,423) for the 17-nights in Minnesota, even with the great hotel rates.

A colorful historic building, most likely with apartments.

In Las Vegas, since we’ll stay with Richard for two weeks of the 25 days, cooking most of our meals, our overall cost will be considerably less. In Los Angeles, we’ll bite the bullet and pay outrageous rates for a hotel near Julie. I’m allergic to cats and she has two making it impossible to stay with her.

In Arizona, most likely, we’ll stay in a vacation condo or hotel for a week in Scottsdale or Apache Junction. At the same time, we visit Tom’s sisters, preferring not to impose on any of them other than Richard. As we’ve mentioned in the past, we prefer not to stay with family or friends. We have our own routine, spend lots of time online, and have this way of eating, not easy for a host to accommodate.

The Argentine people love color and design.

When staying with Richard, he’s at work all day, and we cook dinner most nights. We stay in a separate area of the house with its own bath. This avoids stumbling over each other, and it’s relatively easy, especially when we don’t screw up the alarm system!

That’s it for today, folks. After a while, we’ll head out for a walk through this diverse and interesting town of Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires, enjoying every moment.

A bright green corner shop.

May you have a happy and fulfilling day!

                   
Photo from one year ago today, January 10, 2018:

This scene made us “squeal” with delight at the Gnomon Pig Farm in Penguin. Check our link here for the video above to see and hear! Tasmania, mainly when we listened to the pigs squealing over their right to occupy the mud hole. 

Photos!…Pricing!…Exciting new booking…House in Connemara, Ireland for three months…

What a view from our upcoming Connemara, Ireland vacation/holiday rental for 89 nights.

We still have dozens of sightseeing photos we’ve yet to post, but today we are so excited to share a new booking we secured yesterday, we decided to put those photos on hold for another day. We couldn’t be more thrilled with this new booking!

As we peruse our itinerary, there were a few occasions on which we felt the time was near to secure a booking for Ireland, from 5/12/19 to 8/9/2019, in a mere 16 months.  

This may seem to be a long time from now, but the best vacation/holiday homes in Ireland get snapped up quickly, especially during the warmer summer months. 

In researching HomeAway on our site without entering dates, we found at least half of the properties were already booked during our dates. Once we filtered for our dates, with no other criteria, we found few with ocean views in good locations for our planned upcoming research of Tom’s ancestry. 

This kitchen with three sinks, a center island, a dishwasher, and that fantastic stove will undoubtedly fit the bill for our home cooking!

We decided that renting a property located close to the middle line of the country, north to south on the west coast, will allow us to drive to any of the cities we’ll research within two or three hours. 

Over the past few days, after we began entering data on our Excel spreadsheets and Cozi calendar for the new itinerary, we spent a few hours each day looking for the perfect property to fulfill our objectives in Ireland. After location, the next important consideration for us, views. 

We longed for an ocean view which invariably has a profound impact on the price. We tossed out a few lowball offers on properties more expensive than we’d prefer to pay with no success. 

Property owners in Ireland know the desirability of their properties in the warmer summer months. The responses we received indicated they felt they would get higher prices in the summer and prefer to book one week at a time. Long-term, lower-priced renters like us would considerably impact their annual rental income. We certainly understood. 

Weather permitting, we may dine outdoors but won’t mind eating at this table. 

We continued the search, fearful we’d run out of options in no time or have to settle for a less desirable property, perhaps without an ocean view and the amenities we so much desire that makes long-term stays comfortable and fulfilling for our lifestyle.

Of course, we’d yet to research other companies such as VRBO, TripAdvisor, and others. In most cases, we prefer HomeAway for many reasons, including our familiarity with the site and their ability to arrange partial payment deposits rather than requiring the entire rental amount to be paid in full at the time of the booking.

It makes no financial sense to pay an entire three-month rental a year or more in advance, leaving our money tied up for so long. Can you imagine spending your rent or house payment one or two years in advance?  For what?  However, we have no problem paying one-third of the entire rental amount to hold it for an extended period and the balance closer to the onset of the rental period.


Whether it was fate or “safari luck” yesterday, after a few hours of thorough searching, I stumbled across today’s shown spectacular home in the Connemara area with views of the Twelve Bens mountain range and magnificent Bertraghboy Bay. The sunsets will be outstanding!

There are no big trees on the property, but the views make up for it.  Plenty of photos will follow once we arrive in Connemara, Ireland.

The house was perfect for us except for the fact it doesn’t have Wi-Fi. The owner has agreed to provide us with unlimited Wi-Fi, which wasn’t listed as available for this property. Without this, it just wouldn’t work for us.  Using a hotspot or dongle is very expensive.

Then, to top it off, the price is so reasonable, we didn’t ask for a discount for our long-term stay.  The total price is US $7,368.49 (ARS 140,325) for the 89 nights, including taxes, fees, and security deposit, for which we paid one-third down with the balance closer to the rental period.

This averages at US $82.79 (ARS 1,577) per night over the listed US $77 (ARS 1,466) per night, and also at US $2,518 (ARS 47,953) per month. Based on the fact that we often book wonderful properties for even less than this amount, it works out over the year to remain within our budgetary goals.

Eileen, the property owner, couldn’t have been more thoughtful and delightful to work with us in facilitating the booking process, and we have no doubt she’ll be equally kind and responsive based on all of the five-star reviews on the listing.

This house so well fits our perception of our goal of a “home in Ireland in the countryside with an ocean view” we couldn’t be happier to have found this home. Once we’re situated in Africa,  we’ll go back to researching other vacation/holiday homes/hotels we’ll need to wrap up for our newly posted itinerary. In case you missed it, the itinerary may be found here.

For today, we’re staying busy updating the budget with all of these changes and later head out for a walk and our nightly search for a good restaurant, which isn’t hard to accomplish in Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires.

Happy day to all!

Photo from one year ago today, January 9, 2017:

Regardless of the roads we took to explore the area, and we were never disappointed in Penguin, Tasmania. This scene reminded us of what one may find in a painting.  For more Penguin photos as we began to countdown to move on, please click here.

The Buenos Aires saga continues…Resolution of health issue at our hotel…A new find…

Last night, we had an exceptional meal at Rave Restaurant.

One month from today, on February 8th, the cruise to Antarctica will end in Ushuaia, Argentina. That day, we’ll fly back to Buenos Aires to the same lovely Prodeo Hotel where our bags are being held, and we’ll stay two nights, and then, on February 10th, we’ll begin the two-day journey to South Africa.

We’ll ship all of our cold-weather clothing back to the mailing service in Nevada during those two days, where they’ll keep the items stored in our box for such a time as we may need them again. Perhaps, the Arctic at some time in the future? One never knows.

Now that I’m feeling well again, I wouldn’t say I like the idea of discussing more health issues. Good grief. Our readers have heard enough! Speaking of the Prodeo Hotel, we simply have to share a story of a situation here during our stay.

The decor was typical Argentinian, with a kitchen view, tables tightly packed, and a casual atmosphere.

Unfortunately, I have inherited several health issues from my mother’s side of the family, most of which are totally under control with a good diet, exercise, and a positive state of being. However, allergies are not necessarily controlled by my many efforts to stay healthy.

Until we arrived in Minnesota last May, after all the vacation/holiday homes we’d lived in, I’d never experienced any issues with a long-ago allergy to bed mites. Here’s some info on dust/bed mites (nothing comparable to bed bugs):

The light fixture over our head but like most local restaurants, they are dimly lit for both ambiances and saving on electricity.

“What are Bed Mites

The most common “Bed Mite” is the house dust mite. House dust mites can be a problem in any building, in any city, clean or dirty. They are not as bad in unoccupied buildings because there is not much to eat.
Dust mites are generally found in beds, pillows, upholstered furniture, rugs, or other places where people sleep or sit for long periods. Dust mites require a damp environment, and that is why beds are a mite’s favorite place to hang out.
Adult mites live for one to three months, feeding on various foods, including dog food, cereals, yeast, and their favorite food or dead skin. They like our pet’s skin too. Dust mites don’t bite…
The good news is it is easy to deal with dust mites and make your home pretty much dust ” Bed” mite-free.
The remainder of this article may be found here at this site.
It’s always nice to have a linen napkin at the table.

In my 20’s I was treated with allergy injections after testing for various substances, including bed/dust mites. For these past many years, I’ve had no symptoms until we slept on the bed in the hotel in Minnesota, the bed on the most recent South America cruise, and here at the Prodeo Hotel.

Over these past few weeks, the itching became unbearable, and I was unable to sleep more than a few hours at night from sheer exhaustion. I was in a quandary as to what to do. I approached our hotelier Alessandro for a possible solution. Alas, he had an immediate answer in mind.

For the first night in a long while, I slept for seven hours. What a relief! And, what a fine thing this excellent boutique hotel did for me! Within 24 hours, we had a new hypo-allergenic mattress replacing the other bed, new pillows, a new comforter, and bedding.

This dish may look messy, but it was the best meal I’ve had since we arrived in Buenos Aires.  It included white salmon, prawns, mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, onions, garlic, all cooked in real butter. It was perfect for my way of eating and delicious. I can’t wait to have it again.

Not every hotel would be so accommodating. We couldn’t have been more pleased. Although I still itch a little from stuffed furniture, pillows, and dust that flies through the air, I’m able to sleep. 

I’m beginning to think of our next shipment when we may need to purchase a hypoallergenic mattress, box springs, and pillow covers to carry with us, just in case. Initially, when we first began our travels, we carried these items with us, but we eventually donated them due to the excess weight when we had no issues.

Changing the mattress may not be possible for most vacation/holiday homeowners. I’ll have to dispose of some clothing to compensate for the weight of these items, but it will be worth it to me.

Tom’s risotto contained chicken, mushrooms, onions, celery, and garlic.  He loved it!

Recently, in Costa Rica, I had no issues, so for now, we’ll play it by ear and see what transpires. There’s always a solution for most problems that arise, although, at times, they may be costly and inconvenient. 

So, for now, we’re content, enjoying our time at the hotel and our walks through the city both during the day and at night. My FitBit is smoking up a storm, more than it has in a long time. 

Today, we have to enter our entire new itinerary into the Cozi online calendar we’ve been using since Minnesota.  Once I enter the items on my online version of the calendar, Tom can access the information or add more data to his version at any time. It’s a great app for busy family and business activities that are shared with multiple users. What a find! Here’s the link to the free app.

Last night, we had an exceptional meal and service at Rave Restaurant, located only a few blocks from the hotel. We’d walked by many times during our nightly search for a new restaurant, only to find them closed night after night. 

Soon, it would be getting dark. We dine earlier than many locals who generally have dinner after 9:00 pm. We eat so little during the day; an earlier dinner is best for us.  Also, neither of us cares to go to bed on a full stomach.

Now that the holiday season is over, they’ll be open all day from noon to midnight. Most certainly, we’ll return after last night’s exceptional experience.  Our meal, including tax, tip, bottled water, and two glasses of Malbec, came to a total of US $46.26 (ARS 918). 

This was one of the more expensive meals we’ve had in Palermo these past weeks, but we were pleased by how great affordable food is in this part of the world. Rave Restaurant in Palermo is well worth visiting if you’re in Buenos Aires sometime in the future. We’ll undoubtedly return during our remaining 15 days.

That’s it for today, folks!  We’ll be back tomorrow with many more photos. In a few days, we’ll be out sightseeing again.

Have a glorious beginning of a new week in 2018!

Photo from one year ago today, January 8, 2017:

Our friend and landlord Terry took this photo of a seal lounging on Sisters Beach in Penguin, Tasmania. We’ll be seeing some seals soon in Antarctica!  For more photos, please click here.

Worthwhile itinerary changes added more time we can spend in Minnesota visiting family…Newly revised itinerary here today…

Tom, looking good with his recent haircut and, of course, always with a smile on his face.
The smell of the white flowers on this tree was intoxicating.

Every few days, Tom checks prices on cruises we’ve booked.  A cruise booking benefit provided to US citizens (may not apply to citizens of other countries) is as follows: 

If a price drop occurs before the final payment’s due date (90 days before the cruise sail date), we can ask that the price be dropped to the new pricing on multiple occasions.  If the price increases at any time before final payment, it has no bearing on our final price.

Entrance to Jardin Botanico. No entrance fees are charged.

However, a stipulation on this benefit is that we are responsible for discovering these price drops.  Subsequently, almost daily, Tom checks prices online for all cruises we’ve booked, searching one by one.  Doing so has saved us thousands of dollars over these past five years.

A map was posted with the layout of the triangular facility.

Yesterday, while he was searching for price drops, he noticed a newly posted cruise: Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, April 26, 2019, a transatlantic crossing with an almost identical itinerary to the cruise we booked a few days ago, with a slight difference in dates and number of sailing days at considerably lower pricing.

A few remaining flowers blooming late in the season.

Immediately, he got to work to contact Vacations to Go to book this particular cruise based on two pertinent facts that particularly appealed to us:  one; we’d be able to stay in Minnesota with family for four more nights going from 13 nights to 17 nights and; two, we’d save a considerable sum.

A garden of stock-type plants.

In doing so, we eliminate the necessity of staying in Amsterdam for 11 nights. Instead, we’ll be staying three nights which is plenty of time to spend in the big city. Based on research we’d done, it would be costly to stay in Amsterdam for the prior extended period.

A statue of Julius Caesar.

Here are the changes we made yesterday: 

Originally booked cruise:
Celebrity Reflection 4/22/2019 – 5/6/2019
$4,497.10 (inc tax, no tips, no perks) (ARS 84,892)
$150 (ARS 2,832) cabin credit

Change to a different cruise:
RC Serenade of the Seas  4/26/2019 – 5/12/2019
$2,806.32 (inc. tax, no tips, no perks) (ARS 52,975)
$325 (ARS 6135) cabin credit
Includes two extra nights

Four additional nights in Minnesota:
4/8/2019 – 4/25/2019

We didn’t enter the information building.

Savings differences:
Difference between cost of two cruises:  $1,698.78 (ARS 32,068)
Difference cabin credit:  $175 (ARS 3,283)
Total savings:  $1,865.78 (ARS 35,220)

As a result of these changes, we’ve adjusted the itinerary we posted on January 3, 2018, as follows. To avoid confusion for those that closely follow our itinerary, we felt it was important to post the revisions as shown below:

 Location  Days  Dates 
 Buenos Aires – Prodeo Hotel 
20*
 12/23/2017 – 1/23/2018 
 Ushuaia – Ushuaia – Antarctica Cruise 
16
 1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Buenos Aires – Prodeo Hotel 
2
 2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
  Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls 
8
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Uganda – See gorillas,  Visit “Cradle of Mankind” in SA
7
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
 8/23/2018 – 11/20/2018 
Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) 
1
 11/20/2018 -11/21/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa 
89
 11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chili 
36
 2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chili – San Diego 
14
 3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego – fly to Minnesota – Family Visit 
17
 4/8/2019 – 4/25/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen 
16
 4/26/2019 – 5/12/2019 
 Ireland –  rent country house – research Tom’s ancestry 
90
 5/12/2019 – 8/9/2019 
 Amsterdam – (wait for upcoming cruise) – hotel stay 
3
 8/9/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam to Amsterdam 
12
 8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – rent countryside house 
62
 8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019 
 Southampton to Fort Lauderdale 
15
 10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019 
 Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA – Scottsdale, AZ 
25
 11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation home 
89
 12/3/2019 – 3/01/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent holiday homes, visit site 
30
 3/1/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2   cruises) 
30
 3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Number of days  
852

*When we prepared this itinerary on January 3, 2018, we had 20 remaining nights during the first stay at the Prodeo Hotel in Buenos Aires until we depart for the Antarctica cruise on January 23rd. We have 16 nights remaining until we depart, but we chose not to change the published itinerary reflecting this difference.

An alternate view of the information center.

Yesterday, we went sightseeing to the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden, a 10-minute taxi ride from our hotel. The cab fare was a paltry US $3.22  (ARS 60), but we walked back to the hotel on the perfect weather day with brilliant sunshine and temperatures around 72F (22C).

A statue of a wild dog nursing two human babies.  This statue depicts the Roman mythological story of Romulus and Remus.

The season of flowers blooming was late for the botanical garden since it’s mid-summer here now. However, we were able to take many good photos of plants, trees, and a few remaining blooming flowers. 

Unknown pods preparing to bloom.

We walked through the garden for a few hours. The garden is located in the city, and the 17 acres triangle-shaped facility was surrounded by busy roads on all sides, making our long walk a bit noisy. Nonetheless, we had a pleasant stroll through the property, leaving with many good photos.

Small flowers in a garden patch.

After leaving the botanical garden, we decided to walk the busy streets of an area of Palermo we’d yet to see.  The hustle and bustle of Saturday shoppers and a handful of tourists filled the sidewalks and roads. We had to carefully watch where we were walking due to the uneven pavement.

Bamboo tree.

After walking for some time, we took a side street to head back to our neighborhood, an hour-long walk. It felt good to be out and about in the fresh air, away from our laptops, after staying indoors in the comfortable lobby of the pleasing hotel where we’ve worked for many days on future planning.

A decorative pond with a statue.

By 6:00 pm, we headed out to dinner. We found yet another restaurant we’d yet to try. (Only one repeat thus far).  I had a glass of Malbec (wine), and Tom had a few beers. By 9:00 pm, we were back in our room to relax and read for a few hours. It was a great day, especially after we had the opportunity to extend our time in Minnesota with family and also save a good sum in the process.

These purple flowers, Agapanthus, looked familiar, and we remembered there were blooming wildly in New Zealand when we arrived in January 2016.  Thanks to friend Louise in Kauai for once again being a great resource for names of flowers, trees, and birds!

Next week, we’ll head out for more sightseeing.  For now, we’ll be sharing photos over the next several days from yesterday’s outing. As I sit here in the lobby now well afternoon, Tom is wearing his earbuds while watching football on his laptop as we fast approach the time for Super Bowl. With the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs, he is interested in how the competing teams are doing.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more. We look forward to “seeing you” then. Have a wonderful day, wherever you may be. 

Photo from one year ago today, January 7, 2017:

We saw Meerkats at a rescue center in Tasmania. These adorable creatures are marsupials in the mongoose family. For more details, please click here.

Part 2…Challenges along the way…New cruise bookings…Changes in tipping on cruises…

Celebrity Eclipse - Wikipedia
Celebrity Eclipse.

San Antonio, Chile to San Diego, California
15 nights departing March 24, 2019, on Celebrity’s Celebrity Eclipse
Our price:  $3,885.68 (we included tips on this cruise) (ARS 73,349.98)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees)

Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, March 24 Santiago (San Antonio), Chile 9:00 pm

Monday, March 25 La Serena, Chile 10:00am 6:00 pm

Tuesday, March 26 At Sea

Wednesday, March 27 At Sea

Thursday, March 28 Lima (Callao), Peru 7:00 am 5:00 pm

Friday, March 29 At Sea

Saturday, March 30 Manta, Ecuador 10:00am 6:00 pm

Sunday, March 31 At Sea

Monday, April 1 Puntarenas, Costa Rica 7:00 am 4:00 pm

Tuesday, April 2 At Sea

Wednesday, April 3 Huatulco, Mexico 10:00am 8:00 pm

Thursday, April 4 At Sea

Friday, April 5 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 9:00 am 5:00 pm

Saturday, April 6 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 9:00 am 5:00 pm

Sunday, April 7 At Sea

Monday, April 8 San Diego, CA 7:00 am


In reviewing our upcoming itinerary for 2018-2020 for 852 days (see this link), we realized we’d yet to post any information for the cruises we’ve already booked. 

We’ve yet to book the Zambezi River cruise in Africa, which we’ll do once we arrive on the continent, and also the sails for the Pantanal and Amazon River since they’re both far into the future.

Otherwise, at this point, we have a total of five cruises booked which includes the upcoming Antarctica cruise sailing in 17 days.  Based on the fact we’ll be spending a full year in Africa, other than the Zambezi River cruise, these four cruises are booked as shown, including pricing.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Dublin, Ireland
14 nights departing April 22, 2019, on Celebrity’s Celebrity Reflection
Our price:  $4,497.10 (tips not included) (ARS 84,891.76)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees)

Date Port Arrive Depart
Monday, April 22 Fort Lauderdale, FL 5:00 pm

Tuesday, April 23 At Sea

Wednesday, April 24 At Sea

Thursday, April 25 At Sea

Friday, April 26 At Sea

Saturday, April 27 At Sea

Sunday, April 28 At Sea

Monday, April 29 At Sea

Tuesday, April 30 Ponta Delgada, Portugal 7:00 am

Wednesday, May 1 Ponta Delgada, Portugal 3:00 pm

Thursday, May 2 At Sea

Friday, May 3 At Sea

Saturday, May 4 Cork (Cobh), Ireland 10:00am 8:00 pm

Sunday, May 5 Waterford (Dunmore East), Ireland 7:00 am 7:00 pm

Monday, May 6 Dublin, Ireland 4:30 am

Tom suggested I mention that the pricing in Vacations to Go is not necessarily the price we paid.  Usually, they list the costs for the lowest valued cabin in the category mentioned. 

Based on our Captain’s Club member status, we often get an upgrade and also choose a more conveniently located cabin suitable for our needs that may be priced slightly higher than listed.  Thus, the prices listed here today may be different than those listed on the VTG site.

There are various perks listed from time to time, but few are included on the cruises listed here due to their excellent overall pricing based on “six of one, half dozen of another.”

Note: No map was provided for this itinerary.
Amsterdam to Amsterdam, The Netherlands
12 nights departing August 11, 2019, on
Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas
Our price:  $4,313,18 (tips not included) (ARS 81,419.90)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees)

Date Port Arrive Depart
Sunday, August 11 Amsterdam, Holland 5:00 pm

Monday, August 12 At Sea

Tuesday, August 13 Copenhagen, Denmark 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Wednesday, August 14 At Sea

Thursday, August 15 Tallinn, Estonia 11:00am 6:00 pm

Friday, August 16 St. Petersburg, Russia 7:00 am

Saturday, August 17 St. Petersburg, Russia 6:00 pm

Sunday, August 18 Helsinki, Finland 7:00 am 3:00 pm

Monday, August 19 Stockholm, Sweden 7:00 am 4:00 pm

Tuesday, August 20 At Sea

Wednesday, August 21 Skagen, Denmark 8:00 am 6:00 pm

Thursday, August 22 At Sea

Friday, August 23 Amsterdam, Holland 6:00 am

Often, cruise passengers prefer the perception of getting a great deal with several perks provided.  After all these years of cruising, we’re well beyond the concept of perception and choose an exact price.

Recently both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity (owned by the same parent company) have upped the daily tips from US $13.50 (ARS 254.84) per day per person for US $14.50 (ARS 273.72).  That results in an amount of US $29 (ARS 547.43) per day added to our cruise bill.  For a 15-night cruise, there’s a total of US $435 (ARS 8,211.49) added to the account.

These tips can be reversed by passengers when on the ship, and they can do whatever they’d like regarding tipping their favorite staff members.  However, we’ve never changed the daily tips and always include extra tips for cabin stewards and others.

London, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
15 nights departing on October 24, 2019, on
Celebrity’s Celebrity Silhouette
Our price:  $4,304.40 (tips not included) (ARS 81,254.16)
(Prices listed here are for both of us included taxes and port fees

Date Port Arrive Depart
Thursday, October 24 London (Southampton), England 4:30 pm

Friday, October 25 At Sea

Saturday, October 26 At Sea

Sunday, October 27 At Sea

Monday, October 28 At Sea

Tuesday, October 29 At Sea

Wednesday, October 30 At Sea

Thursday, October 31 Boston, MA 7:00 am 5:00 pm

Friday, November 1 New York (Any Port), NY 3:00pm

Saturday, November 2 New York (Any Port), NY 5:00 pm

Sunday, November 3 At Sea

Monday, November 4 King’s Wharf, Bermuda 10:30 am

Tuesday, November 5 King’s Wharf, Bermuda Noon

Wednesday, November 6 At Sea

Thursday, November 7 Nassau, Bahamas 10:00am 6:00 pm

Friday, November 8 Fort Lauderdale, FL 5:00 am

We discovered from a former cruise employee that removing tips is noted in the passenger’s computer file and visible by all serving staff members.  This could indeed hurt the quality of service. 

Like us, many passengers prefer to show an extra token of gratitude for exceptional service, especially for their cabin steward, bartenders, and other service staff one may frequent.  After all, these workers leave their homes and families and live in not-so-ideal conditions while aboard ship for many months at a time.

When we first began booking cruises in 2012, tips were often included in the price.  But, this was merely a case of convenience.  With price increases, these cruise lines decided to leave them out for passengers to pay separately, allowing them to raise introductory pricing, which would provide the perception of somewhat lowered pricing on many sailings. 

Artistic painting on a wall in Palermo.

Trickery.  It’s the nature of the beast.  We love cruising in between our land-stays, using cruises as much as possible for us to get from one location to another, as illustrated in our newly posted itinerary.

With the sun shining again, after last night’s rainy walk to dinner (the Prodeo Hotel staff provided us with an umbrella), we’re looking forward to getting out today for a bit of sightseeing, now that we’ve completed so much planning for the future.

We’re both feeling well, optimistic, and refreshed as we’re almost halfway through our extended stay in Buenos Aires, enjoying every day’s insight into life in this big city in Argentina.

Be well and happy!

___________________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, January 6, 2017:

Joey’s head and legs were hanging out of the pouch in Tasmania last year.  It looks as if it’s time to stop living in there!  For more photos, please click here.

Part 1…Challenges along the way…Comments on new cruise bookings…Lost a loved one…

La Panera Rosa, deli market, is similar to Panera in the US. “Bebidas con alcohol,” translates to
drinks with alcohol.”  Tom had a beer while I had a glass of red wine. 

We apologize for today’s late posting and other day’s late postings since we arrived in Buenos Aires. Today, as it turned out, I spent most of the morning trying to purchase a Visa gift card for our granddaughter Maisie’s upcoming birthday but could not do so.

The deli was packed with patrons, and the only available table for us was in a highly trafficked area by the front door. Yesterday’s temps were well into the 90’s, and it was hot where we were seated.

There is some block preventing online purchases of Visa gift cards in Argentina, perhaps a result of fraud. We’ve experienced this a few times in our travels, even while using our VPN, Hotspot Shield. It still picks up that we’re in this country.

Complimentary bread is served with a pink-colored, beet flavored “butter,” which is, in fact, fake margarine.  Tom passed on it, asking for real butter he didn’t receive instead of getting some gummy concoction.

With no other alternative, I’ve asked our daughter-in-law Camille if I can send her a Bill-Pay check which she’ll cash, placing the money into the online card we’ll send Maisie. The challenges of traveling the world can easily present these types of issues. However, there’s always a workaround.

Instead of butter, he was served this margarine which he didn’t use.  We’ve yet to see real butter since we arrived in Buenos Aires, except at La Cabrera, a high-end restaurant.

Today, we planned to mention new cruises we’ve listed in our recent upcoming 852-day itinerary in this post.  None of these particular cruises have been described in prior posts yet were all a driving force in determining our lengthy itinerary. Tomorrow, we’ll post the cost and itinerary for a few of these cruises.

Tom ordered a barbecue pork sandwich which came with three onion rings.

One of these cruises listed in the itinerary embarks from Southampton, England, on October 24, 2019, with a port of call in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 31, 2019 (the seventh anniversary of our world travel). We’d hoped we’d be able to visit beloved Uncle Bernie, my father’s brother, in the 100th year of his life.

In September 2014, we purposely selected a cruise from Harwich, England, which ended in Boston to see Uncle Bernie and my dear cousin Phyllis. Sadly, a few days ago, Uncle Bernie, 98 years old, passed away, and our hearts are broken. We won’t get to see him one more time. 

I ordered gluten, sugar, and starch-free salad.  When it arrived, it was topped with these breadsticks. I sent it back, explaining I needed an entirely new salad due to the contamination from the flour.  We saw some appealing plates being served. Had we ordered differently, we may have had an altogether different experience.

Of course, when we left after a three-day visit, we were realistic in understanding we may never see him again. My father passed away in a tragic work accident in 1960 (see the story here), and Uncle Bernie was his last remaining brother. Our dream of one more visit with him was dashed when he passed away on January 2nd.  

We’ve decided to keep the cruise booking with Boston as a port of call, hoping we’ll see cousin Phyllis for a few hours when we’re in port that day. That cruise ends in Fort Lauderdale on November 8, 2019, at which point we’ll fly to Nevada for a few weeks stay to visit my son Richard and renew our driver’s licenses; visit my sister Julie in California and also visit Tom’s sisters and their husbands in Arizona. 

Decorated shelves in the restaurant.

Our upcoming itinerary will keep us very busy over the next two years. It will be a busy few weeks until we depart for South America for more sites we’d like to see. Now, as we busily work on bookings for these upcoming dates, we’re comfortable and content to do so while here in Buenos Aires.

Tomorrow, weather providing (it’s raining today), we plan to head out sightseeing after uploading the day’s post. After so much sightseeing on the recent 30-night cruise, we’ve been content to stay in the hotel lobby during the days and head out on foot each night to peruse the lovely Palermo area and find a new spot for dinner. 

A refrigerated case was filled with yummy-looking desserts.

So far, we haven’t dined at the same restaurant twice.  We’ll begin returning to favorites in a week or sooner as the time quickly winds down until the Antarctica cruise. 

Today’s photos include a restaurant we visited last night with a few disappointing results, which may have been an entirely different experience during a less busy time and in ordering additional menu items.

A tower of pancakes for dessert for other patrons, not us.

Have a blissful day, rain or shine!

Photo from one year ago today, January 5, 2017:

Tasmanian Devils aren’t as ugly we’d expected, except when showing their teeth when threatened. The photos we took of the rescued animals, the intent of Wing’s Wildlife Park, left them little reason to feel threatened in the spacious habitat in which they comfortably live among other animals. For more details, please click here.

Tom’s Buenos Aires haircut…An experience well beyond a haircut…

This sticker-decorated refrigerator in the barbershop was filled with Budweiser beer for patrons. What a great idea!

In most cases, when I begin to prepare the day’s post, I start with the heading and then the “photo from one year ago today” set it up at the bottom of the post. 

An antique barber chair.

Coincidentally, today after we decided to post Tom’s Buenos Aires haircut story, when I found the year-ago post for today’s date, it was for Tom’s haircut in Penguin, Tasmania. How goofy is that? We often run into such coincidences.

A stuffed pig head with a thong.

Most people don’t track every day of their lives as we do, so easily referenced by a click or two. As a result, we often run into such situations, brushing them off as pure coincidence. But, in reality, perhaps they aren’t as much of a coincidence as they are our built-in routines, many of which we nurture by certain practices we’ve established along the way.

A shrine and other items.

Part of those routines are a means of creating order in our otherwise extraordinary lives and, another aspect may be a result of living life itself. I do not doubt if everyone documented each day of their lives. You, too, would find uncanny repetition. After all, we are creatures of habit, aren’t we?

Tom was drinking his beer before his haircut.

Yesterday, we posted our upcoming 852-day itinerary. In case you missed the new itinerary, you can click here to see it. We received so many positive comments on Facebook and via email. Feel free to add Tom or me as a Facebook friend. 

Do we remember these?

If you type in “Jessica Lyman” in a Facebook search, you’ll see a photo of Tom and me seated at a table since there are multiples individuals with the same name. As for Tom, his says, “Tom Lyman, De LaSalle high school, worked at Burlington Northern.” 

Tom was explaining to the English-speaking barber how he’d like his haircut.

We’d love to be Facebook “friends” with more of our readers. Most days, we add a snippet of what we’re doing or new posts, often including a photo and a link.

Tom’s wild hair before the haircut.

Well, anyway…getting back to Tom’s haircut in Buenos Aires. Looking at google maps, Tom found several “barberia” (barbershops in Spanish) located in the Palermo Soho area, not too far from our Prodeo Hotel.

A bronze turtle atop an old phonograph.

We set off on foot for the closest barbershop on Tuesday after finding they didn’t open until noon. Tom had an idea where others were located just in case they weren’t open based on published hours of operation, which we’ve found to be a common practice in Buenos Aires. Also, businesses often close for “siesta” between 2:00 and 4:00 pm.

Tom and barber Emi chatted during the haircut.

Several restaurants in Buenos Aires state hours of operation online, only to find they aren’t open as indicated.  We lucked out when we arrived at “Chopper Cuts” to see two patrons already in the chairs getting their haircuts. 

The two-chair barbershop was small but seemed to have everything they needed.

We were welcomed upon entry by the two barbers as we sat on the antique 1920’s type red velvet sofa to await Tom’s turn. Camera in hand, I couldn’t resist taking photos of the attractive surroundings, definitely possessing a “Sons of Anarchy” chopper-type feel.

Check out the precision of this haircut!

Moments later, the owner opened the decorated refrigerator as shown in our photos and offered each can of Budweiser beer. We laughed out loud. What a great idea! Never in this past over five years of haircuts have we been offered a complimentary beer throughout the world.

We both agreed this was Tom’s best haircut since the onset of our travels, so it was reasonably priced at US $21.56 (ARS 400) with a tip.

The haircut took about 45 minutes while I waited patiently. I enjoyed watching Emi’s attention to detail, who, as it turned out, was previously a professional dancer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Another coincidence.

The beer-stocked refrigerator.

Once done, we were both thrilled with his cut, which will be much easier to manage with “hat hair” on the upcoming Antarctica cruise beginning in 19 days. What another wonderful experience!

Some antique ship item had been turned into a beverage dispenser.

Today, we’ll continue to work on future planning while replying to numerous email messages from our worldwide readers. We never mind taking the time to respond to messages we receive from our dear readers. It’s always a joy to hear from YOU! We’re heading out sightseeing on Saturday.

The exterior of Chopper Cut barbershop in Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires.

Have a pleasant day!

Photo from one year ago today, January 4, 2017:

In Penguin, Tasmania, Linda, the barbershop owner, and sole employee, and Tom, before his haircut. For more details, please click here.

Finally…Itinerary for the next 852 days!…A daunting task yet to be fine tuned…

We stopped at a gluten-free bakery, but there wasn’t an item I could have when they all contain starch and sugar.

After many days of research and discussions, we’ve finally pinned down our travel goals for the next 852 days.  This extended period is a lofty goal. We realize we’ve left out some parts of the world we’ve yet to visit, primarily China, India, and Japan which we’ll save for the future.

We’ll return to Europe to live in many other countries we’ve also yet to explore and would love to visit down the road in due time. The world is a huge place, and we pray for good health to make it all possible in years to come.

As you review this itinerary, you’ll note that we’ll be in and out of South Africa, staying for 89 days on each occasion. Our intent during these multiple stays is two-fold; one to “lick our wounds” from the upcoming pricey Antarctic cruise and two to savor our last foray in living in my favorite place in the world, the Conservancy of Marloth Park, where animals roam free around the bush houses.

So here it is, folks (cruises are noted in turquoise shading):

 Location 
Days
 Dates 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
20
 1/2/2018 -1/23/2018 
 Ushuaiai, AR – Ushuaiai,AR – Antarctica Cruise 
16
 1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018 
 Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel 
2
 2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Bush home selected
89
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
  Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls 
8
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
 Uganda – See gorillas and the “Cradle of Mankind.” 
7
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 8/23/2018 -11/20/2018 
 Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) 
1
 11/20/2018 -11/21/2018 
 Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home
89
 11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019 
 Valparaiso, Chile – Rent vacation home or hotel
36
 2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019 
 Cruise – San Antonio, Chile – San Diego 
14
 3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019 
 San Diego, CA – Fly to Minneapolis, MN – Family visit
13
 4/8/2019 – 4/21/2019 
 Cruise – Fort Lauderdale, FL- Dublin, Ire (1-day hotel stay) 
15
 4/21/2019 – 5/6/2019 
 Ireland – Rent country house – Research Tom’s ancestry 
90
 5/6/2019 – 8/1/2019 
 Amsterdam, NLD – Hotel stay 
11
 8/1/2019 – 8/11/2019 
 Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam, NLD – Amsterdam, NLD 
12
 8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019 
 England – Rent country home
62
 8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019 
 Southampton, UK – Fort Lauderdale, FL
15
  10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019 
 Henderson/Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA -Scottsdale, AZ 
25
 11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019 
 Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation homes on islands
89
 12/3/2019 – 3/1/2020 
 Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent vacation homes, visit site 
30
 3/1/2020 –  3/31/2020 
 The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2 cruises)
30
 3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020 
 Number of days  
852

You’ll note we’ve added some locations we’d never mentioned in past posts for those avid followers of our site.  As we began pinning down places and dates, Tom continued searching for cruises that can get us from Point A to Point B in many instances.

In other cases, we included 89 or 90 day stays in countries before or after specific cruises. Additionally, one may wonder, why are we going back and forth to South America? This was a plan Tom had suggested long ago, which I didn’t think made sense.

Artistic painting on a wall on a narrow street.

Now, as we map this out and, based on available cruises, it makes all the sense in the world to me. In reality, there isn’t much “jumping around,” and after all, we’re doing it precisely as we see fit, not by some preconceived notion as to how we “should” travel.

As always, we’re doing it exactly as we’d prefer, always considering the best possible experiences befitting our tastes along with the most reasonable costs in the process.

Diners sitting outdoors at a local dining establishment

There are a few other points we should mention, including Ecuador one year from now. Through our extensive research over these past years, we’ve discovered we can rent vacation homes on three of the islands in the Galapagos, enabling us many private tours to the areas where wildlife is found, rather than going out on tour with lots of other tourists. This is especially appealing.

Another point to mention is regarding Machu Picchu…by staying in the area for one month, the experiences will be more comprehensive and rich in culture, and we’ll have plenty of time to acclimate to the high altitudes staying at varying points partway up the mountains.

It’s too early to book the cruise to The Pantanal in Brazil, the world’s most extensive wetlands (10 times the size of the Florida Everglades) and home to 3500 plant species, 656 bird species, 325 fish species, 159 mammals, 53 amphibians, and 98 reptiles. Our kind of place.

On a narrow road, we walked in the Serrano Plaza area.

From there, either before or after The Pantanal, we’ll cruise the Amazon River. This type of journey may not be for everyone, but it fits well into our objectives of experiencing nature at its fullest.

From there?  At this point, we aren’t even thinking of terms of what will be next. Indeed, we’ll visit family in the US.  By that time, we’ll have a handle on where we’ll go next, primarily locations we’ve never stayed in in the past.

This morning our friends from the UK left to head to their home in the UK, and now it’s just the two of us. We’ve been highly social with others since November 23rd, and now we’ll happily return to our normal happy state of being “just the two of us.”

Inside the mall near Jumbo market.

St. Petersburg, here we come! Tomorrow, we’ll be back with more, including some details of the Baltic cruise we locked in last night, one we hadn’t seen on the horizon for quite some time based on high prices. But, when we could get the balcony cabin for an excellent price, it was time to book it.

Five years ago today, we boarded the first cruise (for either of us), embarking from San Diego, heading through the Panama Canal (we recently transited the canal a second time during the most recent cruise), and ending in Fort Lauderdale. Here is the link from that first day!

Enjoy your day with any plans you may have on the horizon!

Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2017:

Trespassers entering this field in Tasmania, thinking they could “get high” from the unprocessed poppy/opium, have died from doing so. For more details, please click here.

Part 2…Our year in review…Photos of us…Busy preparing new itinerary, ready for tomorrow’s post…

In July, we had a great evening at The Elephant Bar in Henderson, Nevada, with friends that live in Las Vegas.

New Year’s Day proved to be another good holiday. We stayed busy posting until later than usual and then spent the rest of the afternoon making future travel plans.

Why do we plan so far ahead? Our lifestyle gives us tremendous piece-of-mind knowing what’s coming down the road. Also, it gives us an opportunity for good prices for upcoming venues.

Tom standing next to the Giant Bamboo tree to gain a perspective of its massive size. The vegetation at Zoo Ave in Costa Rica was almost as interesting as the wildlife.

Although we’ll post the itinerary tomorrow, we’ve yet to book all of the vacation homes for the upcoming visits to various countries, but the cruises are already booked. Over the next few months, once we’re in Africa, we start booking vacation/holiday homes in these various locations.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, cruises are a driving force in our decisions to visit certain countries, although as shown, we don’t hesitate to fly when necessary.

I used repellent while at Zoo Ave in Costa Rica but still got a few mosquito bites.

Planning is a daunting task, and today, we’ll continue with the preparations for tomorrow’s post. We’re happy we’d committed to posting the itinerary. It motivated us to “get the show on the road” and finally decide for the future.  

By no means, our failure to get this done wasn’t due to any lack of enthusiasm on our part. Instead, it was based on the simple fact that we’ve been rather busy this past month with the cruise and socializing. 

We set up the tripod to take this photo of us in Costa Rica on October 31, 2017, the fifth anniversary of our world travels.

All along, we have intended to post a new itinerary around the first of the new year. We’ll have this accomplished by tomorrow as we joyfully share it with all of our worldwide readers.

As for yesterday, New Year’s night, we ate the remainder of the food purchases we’d made for sharing with Margaret and Con. By 7:30 pm, once again, we gathered in a big booth in the Prodeo Hotel’s dining room with food which included roasted chickens, coleslaw salad which I made in our room, olives, cheese, meat, and nuts.  It was another fine evening.

On formal night aboard Celebrity Infinity only weeks ago. My teeth were purple from the glass of red wine I’d just finished.

By 11:00 pm, we were sleeping, and although intermittently, I feel hangover-free and refreshed today, ready to tackle a new day in Buenos Aires. In a short time, once we’ll upload today’s post, and we’ll head to a local barbershop for Tom’s haircut, which opens after 12:00 pm.

He hasn’t had a haircut since October. He’s facing “hat hair” on the upcoming Antarctica cruise when we’ll both be wearing hats for several hours each day. This is less of an issue for me when a few swipes with the flat iron and I’m back to normal. 

We were with our wonderful new friends, Lisa and Barry, whom we hope to see in June in South Africa.

But for him, his hair tends to be spikey when either too short or too long. He’s thumbing through past posts right now to see how short he wants it cut today. We’ll post photos soon.

Tonight, we’ll walk to Serrano Plaza, our favorite area for dinner. There are many restaurants we’ve yet to try.  After eating in these past few nights, we’re looking forward to getting out again. Now that the holiday season is over, we expect to find more dining options.

On the ship’s deck as we sailed through the Chilean Fiords on the most recent cruise.

May your new year begin and end with considerable contentment and joy in all of your endeavors, whatever they may be. Happy day to all 

Photo from one year ago today, January 2, 2017:

Green/spring onions were being processed for wholesale distribution at a Penguin, Tasmania vegetable processing farm. For more details, please click here.

Part 1…Our year in review…Photos of us…Happy New Year to all!…Photos from last night’s celebration in Buenos Aires…

Us, last night on New Year’s Eve 2017.

There are a few things we’d like to mention as we begin today’s post. One, we aren’t able to post the entire year’s photos of us in review due to Wi-Fi issues with so many people online in the hotel right now. 

Our second concern is that yesterday we’d promised to post our new itinerary for the future but, for those same reasons and the need for us to pin down a few more ideas on this topic, which we’ll do today and tomorrow, we won’t be posting it until January 3rd. Sorry about that!

Margaret and Con, our new friends from the UK, joined us for dinner in the dining room at the wonderful Prodeo Hotel in Palermo, Buenos Aires. See more New Year’s Eve photos below.

Also, in our year in review photos, we did not include photos of our family during the six-week Minnesota visit. To see those photos, please visit our archives on the right side of the main page under the Amazon link, where it reads “Previous Posts.” There were so many photos it wasn’t easy to pick and choose. The dates to search are from the end of May 2017 to July 6, 2017.

Cute, boys and their cars!  Tom and a 1962 Ford Galaxy 500 in Franklin, Tasmania.

Tom and I had grocery shopped yesterday to purchase food and drinks for the evening’s activities which we were sharing with Margaret and Con in the hotel’s dining room (with the owner’s permission) since the items on their menu didn’t comply with my way of eating.

Since it would be a long night until midnight to welcome the New Year, we decided to meet in the hotel’s dining room at 8:30 pm with the food and drinks that Tom and I set up shortly before Margaret and Con arrived.

We were happy to have photos of Bob, our dear friend, and the landlord in Fairlight, Australia, in 2017. Sydney is in the background.

We’d planned on meats, cheeses, nuts, bread, and crackers (for them) as appetizers, followed up by roasted chicken and salad later on. We never got to the roasted chicken and salad after eating so many appetizers. 

Christina, a new friend we made aboard the ship, hung out with us on silent disco night while her fiance slept. 

Tonight, we meet again, this time at 7:00 pm, eat the balance of our food and hang out for more delightful conversation. The time to midnight flew quickly, and before we knew it, Linda and Bill stopped by our table to invite the four of us to join their group of friends on the rooftop for the fireworks display.

Tom was standing by the king on the giant hand-carved chess set at Butchart Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Of course, the four of us were thrilled by the invitations as we made our way up to Michael’s penthouse apartment on the fourth level. Michael is a full-time resident of Argentina and conducts his business from here.  The family is from New Jersey in the USA, with homes in multiple locations.

My friend Chere with me when we had our Minnesota Readers Get-together. Chere and
I have stayed in very close touch during these years of travel.

The display was breathtaking during the 40 minutes we spent on the rooftop. I haven’t taken many fireworks photos, so I was challenged a bit with the settings in the dark, which I’d failed to do in advance with such short notice. As a result, I didn’t get many great photos.

Our waiter took this photo of us on our 26th anniversary of the day we met in Minnesota at this exact location, now a different restaurant.

After the display, the four of us returned to our table in the dining room to finish our many bottles of red wine.  When I occasionally consume red wine (local Malbec is popular here), I usually don’t have more than one glass. 

Colorful fireworks display in Buenos Aires on New Year’s Eve.

Last night, while caught up in the flurry of the fun activity over the evening, I actually drank three glasses.  Ouch. I’m sure feeling it today. I suppose it’s a typical red wine hangover. I guzzled down my mug of turmeric tea following by copious glasses of bottled water.

Big splash of light.

An hour ago, I headed up to our room to eat a few slices of cheddar cheese we have in our tiny fridge. Later today, a nap will be in order. We never got to bed until 2:00 am, reminiscent of many nights on the most recent cruise when we were having “too much fun.”

Fireworks were on display in many areas of the city, and we were in a perfect spot for viewing them, along with Margaret, Con, Linda, Bill, and their and Michael’s friends.

Tonight, I’ll drink water instead of wine, and hopefully, we’ll get to bed a little earlier. One thing I’ve always known about a hangover, nothing like a good night’s sleep to cure it. This doesn’t mean I won’t have a single glass of Malbec while out to dinner over these next three weeks until we fly to Ushuaia.

Linda and Bill, owners of the hotel, invited us up to son Michael’s penthouse to watch the fireworks at midnight. What a spectacular view and display!

So…how was your New Year’s Eve? We’d love to hear from you, either by email or posting on the “comments” section at the end of the post.  We wish the very best to every one of our worldwide readers and again thank all of you for making 2017 very special. Love and hugs always!

Photo from one year ago today, January 1, 2017:

The photo we posted last New Year’s Day of a local deli we frequented in Penguin, Tasmania. For more photos, please click here.