Should We Stay or Should We Go - Our Travel Journal

Our time in Munich is over and our first river cruise adventure is beginning. 

Day 1 We arrived in Munich. Although the flight was good, we were exhausted. None of us had slept much on the plane.  After gathering our luggage we went to the train station adjacent to the airport. It took a while but we managed to find our way onto the correct train (thanks to the many helpful English-speaking German people).    Our train took us into the Munich City Centre where we quickly found our hotel. Once we checked-in our only priority was a much-needed nap, which we embraced wholeheartedly.  The plan for the rest of the day was simply to walk around and get our bearings , have a good meal, settle in, and get a good night’s sleep.  Day 2 - Munich We spent the day exploring Munich's Old Town. There was so much to see and we couldn’t fit it all in but I think we managed to hit a lot of must-see spots, many of them Churches.  St Michael’s Jesuit Church We almost missed going inside this Church. We had taken photos of its exterior the previous n...

Photo by Tim Dennert on Unsplash   It's been an flurry of activity over the past few days - lots of laundry, going through drawers and closets for the umpteenth time trying to decide what to pack, trips to the store for yet another forgotten item, health appointments, preparing aging parents for our departure, shuffling the cat off to her vacation home, and hosting last-minute overnight guests who needed a place to stay (also giving us the opportunity for a lovely visit and catch-up.) Airport check-in was smooth and going through security is behind us (this has to be the worst part of airline travel.)  Now, we have staked out our seats in the waiting area while we prepare ourselves for the 8 hour flight from Toronto to Munich.  We will be boarding shortly for the overnight flight, melatonin in hand, with the hopes that we can get some sleep while we're in the air. Next stop - Munich!

Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash Our trip is coming up fast.  We leave Wednesday night for Munich.  For so long it seemed like it was far in the future, but now I'm wondering if we'll have time to get everything done. I don't get frazzled easily, but time pressures will always send me there. Our itinerary is as follows: October 23 we fly to Munich October 24- 27 we will explore Munich.  One of these days we plan on taking a train for the day to Salzburg  October 27 we board an Emerald River Cruise in Passau on the Danube. October 28 - Passau October 29 - Cresky Krumlov, Czech October 30 - Melk - Weissenkirchen October 31 - Vienna November 1 - Bratislava November 2 - Budapest November 3 - we end our river cruise in Budapest November 4 - we will take the train to Prague November 5 and 6 - Praugue November 7 - Boys fly home, John and I fly to Rome where we will board a transatlantic cruise with Norwegian Prima November 8 - Florence/Pisa November 9th - Cannes, France No...

 

 In the last couple of years I have developed a fascination with the Aurora Borealis. As a Canadian, one would think that it was a common experience for us, but living in Southern Ontario puts us too far south to enjoy the Aurora on a regular basis.  The last time I remember seeing a good show, where I could look up and watch it dance, was probably close to 40 years ago.

We've just returned home from spending three days down in Virginia visiting #3Son and daughter-in-law. We had a great visit with them.  The drive down and back is incredibly scenic, and with the weather still being so pleasant, the 10-plus-hour journey each way felt a bit more manageable.

During our retirement trip we spent 4 days in the beautiful city of San Francisco.  We had been there once before, but only for a couple of days and it wasn't nearly enough time for us to see everything.  So, when the first cruise ended in San Francisco we decided to take full advantage. After disembarking from the cruise, we went straight to our hotel to drop off our luggage.  Fortunately, our room was ready and we were able to check in early.  The hotel we booked was the Riu Fisherman's Wharf.  The location was great for us - close to everything, but far enough from the activity to be quiet.  We aren't hard to please.  Our main criteria are cleanliness, comfort, updated, and good value for money.  This hotel checked all the boxes. The hotel had plenty of amenities but we didn't use of any of them, as we were out most of the time we were there.  The exception, however, was the outdoor seating areas with fireplaces.  It was nice to retur...

  My sister lives up in the Kawarthas, in Ontario, Canada.  The Kawarthas is part of Ontario cottage country and features a stunning network of interconnected lakes and rivers that make up the Trent-Severn Waterway.   The Kawarthas, and nearby Muskoka region, are famous for their charming cottages and expansive forests, and are contrasted with the ruggedness of the rock of the Canadian Shield.