Retired and Traveling ~ Near and Far

Recently Tim and I ventured out in the sub zero temperatures to attend the MN Opera! Yep! We bundled up in our finest heavy, winter sweaters and away we went to St. Paul's Ordway Theater. We have been to the opera before. Our first experience with opera was in Salsberg, Austria, and we thought that performance was fantasic! After that, we decided to investigate and see what the Twin Cities offered in the area of opera performances. We found that the Ordway offers three performances a year, so we bought tickets to all of them! The first performance was Romeo & Juliette . That was a good one to start with, since we are familiar the story. I will also mention that the Ordway translates the performances on a screen above the stage, which makes it nice! The next opera was the one we just attened, The Snowy Day . Honestly, I wasn't sure how I would like it, since it was based on the childrens book, The Snowy Day , by Ezra Jack Keats. Much to my surprise, This was a really fu...

We made a day trip to Chisago City to visit Winehaven Winery. This is our favorite Minnesota winery, and we visit 4-6 times a year! We actually are members of their wine club. We have gotten to know winery owners, Kyle & Troy, and like chatting with them whenever we visit! Besides having great wine, they also offer delicious pizza and charcuterie boards. There is a nice shopping area with gifts, soaps, lotions,etc. We buy all of our bath soap at this winery! If you're ever in the Chisago City, MN area, be sure to stop in for a glass of wine! We are returning next weekend for a special event: Murder in a Vinyard! Dinner and show! Stay tuned!

You hear a lot about group travel these days. Some people love it, others do not like it at all. It really is a very personal thing, and only you can decide if it's right for you. I've always loved traveling and before I started to travel, I dreamed of all the places I would someday visit! I always felt that group travel was a good option. My husband Tim, however, did not feel the same way. In the 1970's and 80's, I would look through travel catalogs, National Geographic Magazines and check books out of the library on different countries that were of interest to me . I viewed group travel as an opportunity to meet new people while traveling, and having an expert tour director with you every step of the way! Tim's view on group travel was that you would be stuck with a bunch of people that you probably didn't like, going places you didn't want to go and being trapped on a bus for long periods of time. My first experience with group travel came in 2019, when ...

Another highlight of this tour was going to the TOP of the Eiffel Tower! We decided to go straight to the top, then take our time on each level coming down. It was a great plan! They do sell champagne at the top, which we bought, for 24 euro per glass! But how many people can say, they drank champagne on the top of the Eiffel Tower!?!? We were lucky that there were no clouds and the view was great. I will say, it is windy, very windy and cold at the top, so be prepared for that! This is the last post on our fantastic Paris vacation, we had such a great time, we're already talking about when we should return! Where should we go next?? Time will tell.❤️✈️

Again...I've lost track of the days, but we took one day to visit the Palace of Versailles. Since this trip was a "city stay" we decided to learn the Paris Metro system and get from place to place like the Parisians do. We got a metro map from our hotel and away we went! Tim really figured the system out much quicker than me, but it was quite easy, and fun! To get to Versailles we had to take the RER, which is the rapid transit commuter rail. Within a half hour we were there! We hired a local guide through Get Your Guide, to show us around. The palace was beautiful and the art was spectacular! Pictures below are: The Gate at the Palace of Versailles, The Royal Chapel, and a painting of Mary Magdalene washing the feet of Christ in the House of Simon. Our guide took us through the kings quaters, the queens quarters and the Hall of Mirrors. I found it interesting, that the Hall of Mirrors did not have electricity until 1961. Electricty was installed at that time because Pre...