Alaska May 2023 Northbound Celebrity Cruises
4/6/2024 12:42:38 PM Link | | Add comment
Our 12th Trip to the Great Land - the 49th State - and each time it gets better. This time we had the best whale experience which we shared with my siblings. It was a breathtaking, once in a lifetime (one could hope for another just like it, I suppose!) experience watching a humpback whale jump and play and toss around in Resurrection Bay, Seward Alaska. Although humpbacks do enter the bay, it's unusual for them to stay and 'perform' for near an hour - in fact, it may have gone on even longer, but our excursion ship had places to go so after 45 minutes, we sadly moved on. The whale breached over and over and over and we left with breathtaking photos of his adventures.
We began our cruise in Vancouver on the Celebrity Millennium - traveled with two sisters and their spouses - both couples 1st time in Alaska and that made it even more fun for me. We headed northbound to Seward - which is our favorite itinerary, especially in the springtime. Our stops included Ketchikan, Skagway (where we took the White Pass and Yukon Railway up into gold country), Juneau to explore the rapidly shrinking Mendenhall Glacier, to Icy Strait Point for yet another whale adventure (I am glad we had this one first - it wasn't nearly as exciting as the one to come, in Seward!), and into Yakutat Bay to see Hubbard Glacier.
At the end of our trip, we had hoped to take the Alaska Railroad up to Anchorage but due to the risk of landslides on the tracks, we had to scramble to find a car to rent that would hold 6 adults and a lot of luggage. Sorry to miss the train, but our drive up was great as we drove the Turnagin Arm / Seward Highway and stopped at many of the pullouts along the highway.
Another night in Anchorage before heading back to Detroit. This vacation was loaded with awesome adventures, and the best part was sharing it with my sisters and their husbands. Here are some photos!
Margaret Pecar Fallone / mfallone@aol.com
Beaches Negril Jamaica - Our Family's Special Time Together
3/28/2024 3:16:27 PM Link | | Add comment
We have traveled for decades - to many places, had many experiences, broadened our mental horizons. But traveling with our family has always brought the most rewarding and happiest travels for us - sharing special places; exposing our children to cultures and experiences, food, people from different lands. Times spent away from home and technology and day to day lives and learning that life outside our safe boundaries gives us wonderful surprises. Meeting new people that might look different from us. Driving through towns and seeing people live under very different circumstances from what we thought was 'the real world'. Trying new foods, trying new activities such as snorkeling and diving. Our trip to Beaches Negril this past year was all of this and more.
Tony and I brought our daughter and her husband and 2 of their 4 children, and our son and his wife to spend a wonderful week at Beaches Negril in Jamaica. Beaches is the family arm of Sandals Resorts (which we very much love!). For several of them, this was their first international trip and seeing their faces light up with their first glimpse of the incredible blue water, soft white sand (and all the food and drink you could possibly consume!) I knew right away we were in for a great week.
We did a photo shoot with Beaches photography department - the result here.
We visited Rick's Cafe in the cliffs section of Negril. Some experienced 'Snuba', kayaking, snorkeling. Some of us just soaked up the rays with a delicious cocktail.
Dining was amazing! We loved Soy - the sushi restaurant, and ate there several times. Nothing like unlimited sushi, if you ask me! Kimonos Restaurant, where we all sat around a huge hibachi grille while the chef entertained us with his culinary skills, was delicious.
It was a wonderful week and I can't wait to have the chance to do it again!
Beaches Negril Jamaica - Our Family's Special Time Together
3/28/2024 2:55:02 PM Link | | Add comment
Cooking in Italy - Alexandra and William's Culinary Experience
7/27/2018 8:35:59 AM Link | | Add comment
Learning to cook - Italian Style, from Florence Italy
Cooking classes in Italy have become incredibly popular and there are so many options! Here's a brief description of the tour Alexandra and William experienced:
"Head to the hills of Chianti for an Italian cooking class with transport from Florence. Learn how to make traditional Tuscan dishes at a local farm surrounded by vineyards, and enjoy hands-on instruction about preparing different kinds of pasta. Sip a glass of prosecco to start the experience, and then dive into the class, which uses homemade ingredients like olive oil, honey and wine. Finally, sit down to eat your creations."
Here's a few more photos of their day at the Tuscan Farm House:
