On travel

Dearly Beloved and I are addicted to travel.

Yes, I DO mean "addicted". It's something that has happened to us latterly, and it becomes stronger with each passing year.

Our first cruise was to the Inside Passage inAlaska. It was a big adventure for us; things we'd never seen, never even dreamt about. Just seven days and we were hooked. Part of it was the cruise line -- Holland America. For anyone over 50, I unhesitatingly recommend them. They're not a "party" line, they're not a kids line. Our first trip was on the old Westerdam, now sadly gone. We fell in love with ther ... all brass and polished timber; stately, dignified. My late dad would have approved .. she was no "floating gin palace".

Part of it of course was the destination. Alaska. If I could live there, I would. It has the same "Fuck yeah, we can" attitude that I first experienced in WA's goldfields. We loved it all: the Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay ... everything. In fact, out next two cruises were the same destination (though with changes).  And given the chance ... we'd do it again in a heartbeat!!

But it's not just that. Let's face it ... a cruise is your accommodation, your meals (and drinks in some cases), your entertainment and your transport ... all for often less than $200 a day! How the hell can you beat that?

No, it's not perfect. They will try to wring every cent out of you they can: drinks, casino, spas, wine packages, coffee packages, art auctions, duty free stores ... the whole works. But you can, quite easily, say no.

We've learnt from experience ... ship excursions are expensive! Very often, you can walk out onto the dock and find an almost identical tour for perhaps one-quarter the price. We also love the hop-on, hop-off buses. For a reasoable daily charge, you can go around as much as you like. Our suggestion? If you have time, go around once; work out what you want to explore ... the do it again and this time get off where it interests you.

Anyway, we've tried HAL, Princess and Norwegian, as well as an Amsterdam -- Budapest river cruise with Scenic (an Australian company who do it very well with Aussies!).

Our last cruise was Norway (the fjords are just unbelievable!), to Iberia, follwed by a week in Italy and a week cruise around the Greek Isles..

Norway

Lisbon

Italy: Chiavenna

Greece

So why I love it so much?  A lot of it is the same reasons I love motorcycling: Di and I can do it together.  Everyone laughs when I say I don't know what time I have left ... but it's true! A bypass doesn't last forever! And we've discovered we love each other's company while we explore ... well, apart from bloody shoe shops!

And so we will continue to neglect the house, her car, the kids' inheritance -- and keep travelling!

Such a big bloody world .. and so little time left.