In yesterday’s post, we wrote about our lack of interest in revisiting Europe. You may read that post here.
As we sailed on three cruises in the Mediterranean ten years ago, we fulfilled most of our desires to see Europe, especially after spending weeks in Paris and London, three months living in Boveglio, Italy, and then another almost three months in Madeira, Portugal. We had a great time, reveling in history, historical buildings, and classic old churches.
Overall, we spent about a year in and around Europe. We often went sightseeing at famous sites and many more obscure locations, always searching for a unique experience. Our desire for uniqueness was usually fulfilled, and we were rarely disappointed.
One of our videos on YouTube was indicative of how much we treasured the history of Italy, as seen here:
Then, of course, was the video we took after we sailed on a gourmet dinner cruise on the Seine River in Paris in 2014, as shown below. Such a fantastic experience. We loved it all.
It was these and hundreds of other experiences in Europe that we found to be worthwhile and enriching as we’ve traveled the world beginning in 2012.
We spent enough time, off and on, in Barcelona, Spain, visiting some popular tourist sites, especially enthralled with Sagrada Familia, the famous church under construction for over 100 years. Fascinating!
We could go on, and on about sites we visited and unique experiences we had while in Europe, but we won’t be any more redundant than we’ve been the past few days and in the past. Long-term readers have read the stories and seen the videos in prior posts.
Often people we meet are surprised we don’t often return to Europe after all these years, and someday we may, should we find ourselves longing to do so. We’ve observed that many long-term nomads spend much time in Europe, often returning to their favorite spots.
But it’s all a matter of personal preference. We frequently discuss where in the world we’d like to visit in the future. After all, I am 75 years old, and Tom is 70. It’s not as if we can continue for another ten or twenty years. Old age will catch up with us eventually, and we’ll need to change where, how, and when we travel.
It’s a hard reality neither of us cares to dwell on. For now, we’re still finding ourselves excited and physically capable of continuing to visit those places that appeal to us. Although we’ve been to all seven continents with many repeated visits already, we can now pick and choose what makes the most sense to us.
Cruising remains one of our favorite means of traveling, but we no longer have much interest in sailing on our former favorite cruise line, Royal Caribbean. Although, in October, we will sail on a Celebrity on our cruise to the Galapagos Islands, but it’s only on a 16-passenger ship.
Today, we’re paying the huge final payment for this cruise that made us choke, but it was one of those memorable cruises we’d talked about for years. That dream will be fulfilled with exquisite sightings and hundreds of photos. We are looking forward to this and other smaller ship sailings we are embarking on beginning in a few months.
Why did we stop sailing on Royal Caribbean’s large ships? We have no interest in sailing on giant family-oriented cruise ships geared toward children’s activities and venues. We don’t need water slides, amusement park rides, games, or events that appeal to families traveling with young children.
Also, after the pandemic and our awful experience with Omicron, we feel smaller ships are more appropriate for us. Children are allowed on Azamara, on which we’ll be sailing in about seven weeks, but no accommodations or venues are dedicated to children. The quiet, low-key ambiance appeals to us the most.
This evening we’re meeting with two of our readers and look forward to a delightful time once again.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, June 7, 2013:
