Category Archives: Europe

Paris, Day 3

Posted on April 4, 2026 by patmathews

April 4, 2026 After walking 16000 steps and climbing many stairs yesterday, today we opted for the Big Bus tour of Paris. Last night’s dinner was a light one – we ate in the bar – L’Officine du Louvre. Here’s … Continue reading →

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Paris in the Spring

Posted on April 3, 2026 by patmathews

April 3, 2026 We seemed to catch up on our sleep overnight. I was up for a couple of hours but then slept until 7:30 and Norm had a good sleep too. So we had breakfast in the hotel and … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, France river cruise | 1 Comment

Paris, France

Posted on April 2, 2026 by patmathews

April 2, 2026 After a very uneventful airport experience and flight, we arrived in Paris on time at 7:30 AM. We already had TSA precheck and I read that there is now a touchless TSA precheck so we both enrolled. … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Excursions, Food, France river cruise | 2 Comments

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

Madrid, Spain

Posted on May 7, 2024 by patmathews

May 6, 2024 OK, technically not part of our 37 day cruise, but as I mentioned, I had an ICF leadership meeting starting a few days after the cruise, so Norm flew home and I flew on to Madrid which … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, May, Spring 2024 | 5 Comments

Plymouth, UK

Posted on May 4, 2024 by patmathews

May 2, 2024 Sad to say this is our last port on our trip before we disembark in Southampton, UK. We haven’t been to Plymouth before and it is a tender port. Our trip is an afternoon one, so we … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Excursions, Food, May, Spring 2024 | 1 Comment

Cobh, Ireland

Posted on May 1, 2024 by patmathews

May 1, 2024 Last night we had the Oceania Club party for this segment of our cruise, the last for us, of course. And the beautiful sky! Our port today is Cobh, Ireland which is the port for cruise ships … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Excursions, Spring 2024 | Leave a comment

Special blog post – Leslie Jon Retirement

Posted on April 30, 2024 by patmathews

I am sending this along to any of you who know Leslie from previous Oceania cruises. (He doesn’t subscribe to this blog…) It is time to pay “attention to the man behind the curtain”.  Leslie Jon will be leaving the Sirena … Continue reading →

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Holyhead, Wales

Posted on April 30, 2024 by patmathews

April 30, 2024 Holyhead is the largest town on the island of Anglesey located in North Wales. It is pronounced Holly Head. It is a busy ferry port that links Ireland with Britain. It took the captain over an hour … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Spring 2024 | 1 Comment

Dublin, Ireland

Posted on April 29, 2024 by patmathews

April 29, 2024 We have been to Dublin a few times before, including one trip that I took with the ICF Board, so we have seen many of the sights and really enjoyed the city. You can search Dublin on … Continue reading →

Posted in April, Europe, Food, Spring 2024 | Leave a comment