Mojo Travels

  Hey Fabulous Followers!  Yes, we have been back for 2 weeks, but voices in my head still wants me to write this blog.  These voices and thoughts have been in my head during our trip and they want out, so here goes! WARNING:  Some comments below are honest, true feelings and blunt. I have a few rants about this trip.   1. Europeans have better food, walk, take public transporation, and are mostly smaller than we Americans, but they like to smoke!  If you know me well, I abhor smoke, nicotine, tobacco, vaping, e-cigarettes. Go to a restaurant and the first thing they give you is an ashtray.  No way Jose, take that thing away!! But these people smoke and blow it in your face.  There were a few times, I thought about throat punching a few people. But I didn't, cause I am so sweet, but when I could I blew back in their face. So there! 2. Wash cloths.  Oh my word! While in Nice, Geneva, Brussels and Southampton - this was 10 nights!  No...

 Hey Fabulous Followers! After France, Switzerland and Belgium, Joe and I decided last year we wanted to do this transatlantic crossing again on the Celebrity Apex from Southampton, England to Port Canaveral. It has been so nice to completely unpack and have a relaxing schedule. Let’s talk about our ports of call. Vigo, Spain Vigo is the “Gateway to the Atlantic” and derived from Vicus - a name dubbed by the Romans when they originally invaded the land. Today it is a busy port with a thriving fishing industry. We were bussed to the Santiago de Compostela, a famous Spanish end point of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route and the burial place of St. James. When we walked inside the Cathedral I was in awe. My mouth fell open and I literally gasped. It was more beautiful than the Vatican. When we visited cathedrals, I always sat down for a moment to pray, meditate and reflect. Joe sat with me and I just stared in amazement. My pictures cannot capture the beauty of what my eyes saw....

 Hey Fabulous Followers! Our AmaWaterways trip ended in Nice and we said goodbye to our travel group and friends. Our journey continued by train, which was a bucket item for Joe. Our travel agent and friend, Pam booked Railbookers for us. All train tickets, hotel stays and local city tours were included. All we had to do was show up. Sounds easy, right? Well, navigating the French trains in French with no one to ask help was challenging. One time I was trying to figure out Translate to read the French signs. I will admit I was nervous, but Joe kept saying it will be ok and I prayed a lot. It also didn’t help that I was reading the Arrivals sign instead of the Departure sign. But we did it! We got on the train, figured out where to store luggage and off we went. A lovely couple gave us tips on how to read our tickets and signs for our other transfers. Of course we don’t do anything easy. Our first day navigating trains, we had 4 transfers and a 9 hour day to go from Nice...

  Hey Fabulous Followers! When we left Arles, we were bussed to Nice. We made a stop in Aix-en-Provence (X-in-Pru-Vance). It was market day and we shopped and ate like the locals. This city is the birthplace of artist, Paul Cezanne. Joe enjoying the market. Then we were whisked to Nice (Niece), France, the French Riviera. Oh my! What a place!! This 3 night stay was an experience that impacted me. If you follow me, you know there are places that give me pause for reflection. This place did that for me. I could not believe I was staying  in the French Riviera! The place I read about in books and magazines where the rich and famous and Princess Grace lived. I am none of that. I am just me raised by hardworking parents. I don’t even know if my grandparents knew about the French Riviera. As a native Floridian, I love the sun, blue sky and ocean. This place did not disappoint. The French Riviera also known as Cote d’ Azur (coat-de-uh-zur) which means Azure Coast, describing the blue...