#581 Europe's small towns

Thinking about the first seven ports of our fall voyage, we discover that we enjoy getting out of the big cities to explore the small towns and the countryside.

From Saint Petersburg, we travel to Vyborg and walk Monrepos Park.

From Hamburg, we travel to Lubeck and marvel at the Holsten gate.

From Antwerp, we travel to Bruges and admire the canals in The Venice of the North.

From Le Havre, we travel to Honfleur and its beautiful harbor.

From Dublin, we travel to Howth and hike the exhilarating cliff walk.

From Lisbon, we travel to Sintra and walk through fog at Pena National Palace.

From Cadiz, we travel to Ronda right up to the edge of its dramatic cliffs.

 

Yours in this small-town girl loving the small-townness of Vyborg, Lubeck, Bruges, Honfleur, Howth, Sintra, and Ronda,
Mary

#574 Route du Cidre

In France, we followed the Cider Route through Normandy, just south of our port, Le Havre.  

Passing small farms, contented cows, apple orchards, and picturesque villages we sampled the juice of the forbidden fruit at two local cideries.

John Boyer, Semester At Sea faculty member and cider expert, led our group and offered a life lesson on proper uncorking. 

Here, all cider is hard cider. Calvados, fermented then distilled, has a higher alcohol content and didn't suit my palate. So I stuck to the cider or a mix of cider and apple juice called pommeau.   

Our guide, a former Semester at Sea student and long-time resident of France, suggested our last stop in Honfleur where we sampled ciders, butter cookies, and sea salt caramels overlooking the harbor.

Yours in wondering if Mr. Jefferson enjoyed the French cidre,
Kelly

#454 Paris in the Amazon

In November, we had the pleasure of standing under the Eiffel Tower and gazing up at the four steel legs supporting the structure.

This week, we had the pleasure of standing under the dome of the Opera House in Manaus, Brazil and looking up at a painting of that same Eiffel Tower view.

Yours in finding the best views,
Kelly

#432 Christmas is all around

From Strasbourg, France (the capitale de Noel)...

to Washington, DC...

we've found that, in the immortal words of Billy Mack, "Christmas is all around."

Yours in believing in the magic of Christmas,
Mary