London, June 2022

This summer, I went to London for 10 days. I lived in England many years ago, and I have many friends there. I try to visit whenever I can! It was wonderful to see my people there, and to explore London, Bristol, and Birmingham. I also spent a day in Burnham-on-Crouch, the very small town I called home when I was a teacher in England.

Summer 2021

Because of COVID, I haven't had a lot of opportunities to travel, but in June, I did get to spend a few days in Santa Barbara. I love the ocean and spending time on the beach!

In July 2019, I had the opportunity to go on a two-week cruise of the Baltic Sea. I flew to Copenhagen, Denmark, and from there cruised to Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Germany, and Oslo.

I love seeing different parts of the world and getting to know the cultures and history of the places I visit. Here are some pictures from my cruise. Enjoy!

Berlin, Germany

One stop was the German coast, where I then took a three-hour train ride to Berlin. I am very interested in Cold War history, because my dad was in the Air Force during that time period. I am glad the Berlin Wall no longer stands, except for certain parts that remain to remind us all that we are stronger united than we are divided. I also saw Checkpoint Charlie, an American checkpoint along the wall, the famous Brandenburg Gate, and a bombed-out church that is still open to the public.

Helsinki, Finland

In Helsinki, we got to see a wonderful monument to the composer Jean Sibelius. His piece, "Finlandia," is a lovely example of Romantic music. Helsinki is a lovely city, and I visited an outdoor market near the water, where I got to sample famous Finnish strawberries.

Oslo, Norway

Oslo is a lovely city, but I didn't get a lot of time there, sadly. We did get to walk through the Vigland Sculpture Park, and see the very famous Edvard Much painting, "The Scream." The best part of my visit to Norway was sitting on the balcony of my stateroom as we left, watching the beautiful Norwegian coast go by.

St. Petersburg, Russia

We spent two days in St. Petersburg, so I got to see a lot of amazing places. Peterhof Palace was beautiful, even on a cloudy/rainy day, and I was excited to see the amazing cathedrals of St. Petersburg. We also got to go on a river cruise, which is a neat way to see a city.

In the evening we spent in port, I had the opportunity to see a performance of traditional Russian music and dance. It was marvelous, and so amazing to me how athletic the dancers must be.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is a beautiful city, built on a series of fourteen islands. While there, I got to see the Vasa, a ship that was built in the 1600s, but sunk twenty minutes into its maiden voyage. It was found and brought up in the 1960s, and reconstructed in its own museum. The main square in the Old Town is beautiful, and home to the Nobel Prize Museum.

Tallinn, Estonia

I have to admit that this was my favorite stop in the whole cruise. Tallinn is so unique and beautiful. So much of the original medieval city survives, as you can see in my pictures. It looks like a fairy tale! I'm very happy that I got to see it.

Vienna, Austria

In 2018, I went to Vienna, Austria for a few days with one of my dearest friends. Vienna was home to Beethoven, Mozart, and many other famous Classical and Romantic musicians. It is also home to beautiful art and architecture and some really yummy food (pictured below: famous Sacher Torte, apple strudel, and weinersnitzel).