Here We Go Again!

We leave on Tuesday for four days in New York City.  I finally get to take a ferry tour to see the Statue of Liberty.  IKR?  I've been to NYC about six times, but I've never sailed out to see the great lady.  Weather, time, and other interests have always kept me away.  Not this time!  We also have tickets to Hamilton...I can't even.  I've also made a list of favorite tap houses in Manhattan, and we hope to find Heady Topper (a great IPA that we don't get here in Colorado).  It's like a mission.

On Friday we board the Marina - an Oceania cruise ship (which we've been on before) and sail away on an amazing transatlantic adventure.

We start off in Canada - we'll witness the reversing falls in Saint John, New Brunswick where the Saint John River slams so hard into the Bay of Fundy, the water reverses course.  Then join us at the Titanic museum in Halifax, and finally we'll snap pics of the colorful row houses of St. John's, Newfoundland where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal.

Follow us across the Atlantic (not too far from where - and when - the Titanic sank!) to Ireland - a place we've never been.  We'll explore the Blarney Castle in Cork - although I AM NOT KISSING IT!.  And you can have a drink with us at the Guinness mothership in Dublin.  Slainte!

Next we head to France to walk the D-Day beaches in Normandy. And in Saint Malo we'll climb the steps to Mont St. Michele (that monastery that seems to float in the sea when the tide is high).  We'll make a resupply stop in South Hampton and have lunch at the Titanic Bar and Grill.  Sure, it's cheesy, but you know you want to.  Back to France for a tour of the vineyards in Bordeaux, a day in St. Peter Port one in Le Verdon and one in Bayonne, a medieval city known for chocolate, its beautiful cathedral, and traditional Basque culture.

We have two stops in northern Spain - Bilbao, with its amazing architecture (the Guggenheim museum, in particular) and La Coruna, where we'll explore the Tower of Hercules and yet another gorgeous cathedral.

Then it's on to another new country for us - Portugal, to Porto and Lisbon (just a day stop each...more on that later).  We'll return to exciting Morocco for a day before heading to the South of Spain.  We'll meet up with friends in Malaga and disembark in Barcelona.  But we won't be flying home just yet.  TAP airlines allows a layover in Lisbon for up to five days without an additional charge, so we'll spend three more days in Lisbon and drink in the sights; explore its food, beaches, people, and architecture; and learn how to order a beer in Portuguese.

All told, we'll be gone for 34 days - the longest trip we've ever taken.  So follow along.  Hopefully I can give you something to dream about.  Here we go again!