Author Archives: patmathews

Aruba

Posted on December 24, 2025 by patmathews

December 24, 2025 Yesterday, I WON the blackjack tournament to the astonishment of all the rest of the finalists who were men! So let’s see if I can keep this going in the next ones. We didn’t place in trivia … Continue reading →

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Second day at sea on the way to Aruba

Posted on December 23, 2025 by patmathews

December 23, 2025 First, a few updates from yesterday at sea… I had a video in yesterday’s post which apparently didn’t transfer to the email of the post. I took a class on iPhone video yesterday and Katherine, the wonderful … Continue reading →

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Arrival and first day of two at sea

Posted on December 22, 2025 by patmathews

December 22, 2025 We are back on the beautiful new Oceania ship, the Allura. Two weeks ago, we were invited for a three day “inaugural” cruise so we got a preview and she is lovely. There are a few changes … Continue reading →

Posted in At Sea, Caribbean, Christmas 2025, December, Food | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Holiday cruise starting soon

Posted on December 16, 2025 by patmathews

December 2025 For the third year, we will be traveling with our family! We will be visiting some places that will be new to them and that we haven’t been back to in years. Here’s the map of our travels, … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean, Christmas 2025 | 2 Comments

Libourne, France

Posted on April 18, 2025 by patmathews

April 18, 2025 (Adam’s birthday) We spent the night in Libourne and had an extraordinary experience on board – the progressive dinner. Our group of 11 started at the front desk with a glass of champagne, then we proceeded to … Continue reading →

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Saint Emilion, France

Posted on April 17, 2025 by patmathews

April 17, 2025 Last night we had a trivia competition in the lounge. Our group did not win but we had lots of fun. There were 42 questions! We sailed to Libourne where we the boat will spend the next … Continue reading →

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Blaye, France

Posted on April 16, 2025 by patmathews

April 16, 2025 Yesterday afternoon we were treated to a cancan workshop with Kat – she will also did the cabaret show with great singer, Cindy. Three people volunteered to learn some cancan moves – Leslie, Chris and Terry. Here … Continue reading →

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Cadillac, France

Posted on April 15, 2025 by patmathews

We really enjoyed the singer last evening, Kania. She is from Montreal and she has a party vibe and a great voice. It was the black and white party night and the small group that was there certainly had the … Continue reading →

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Cussac-Fort Medoc, France

Posted on April 14, 2025 by patmathews

April 14, 2025 We sailed from Bordeaux this morning and arrived in Fort Medoc. On our way, we had a lecture called “How Bordeaux Survived WWII”. Our lecturer was Jamie who grew up in New Jersey but is now a … Continue reading →

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Bordeaux!

Posted on April 13, 2025 by patmathews

April 13, 2025 We are here after our flights – Newark to Zurich and Zurich to Bordeaux. All went well with the travel and we checked into our hotel – Le Boutique Hotel and Spa. It is a wonderful place. … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, France river cruise 2025 | 2 Comments