Ireland

Hello!
It's Raegan and I have just returned from a familiarization trip to Ireland. I flew Aer Lingus nonstop from Dulles to Dublin. On day one we visited the National Stud and Japanese Gardens and spent the first night at a beautiful hotel called Wineport Lodge in Athlone. On day two we visited Clonmacnoise and saw the ruins of a cathedral, eight churches and several high crosses. We also saw the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. We spent the night in Doolin. The next day we took a ferry across the River Shannon and spent the night in the quaint town of Kinsale. Day four took us to Waterford and the JFK Arboretum. That evening we went pub hopping in the small town of Athy. The next morning we went to Glendalough which is one of the most famous religious centers in Early Christian Ireland. We had that afternoon free to explore Dublin. We ate "pub-grub" in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. The next moring we took a cruise on the River Liffey and had the rest of the day at our leisure. I took the hop-on-hop-off bus tour of downtown Dublin and did some shopping. The last evening was spent at a wonderful traditional Irish show with folk music and dancing. The last morning I took one last walk through the city to Dublin Castle and Trinity College. Overall, I enjoyed the trip. Ireland is a very good "entry level" Europe trip. The people are very friendly and speak English. I was amazed at how much the beautiful scenery resembled the Shenandoah Valley.

Canada and New England Cruise

Hi! It's Brandi and I've just returned from a 6 night Canada and New England cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit. I escorted a group of 26 guests as part of a local radio morning show promotion called "Castaway with Jim and Frank". We sailed from New York City and visited Halifax, St. John and the Bay of Fundy, Boston and Martha's Vineyard. This was my first time sailing on Norwegian and I enjoyed it. They have "Freestyle" cruising which means that you do what you want to do, when you want to do it. There are no set meal times. You can eat at any of a number of venues at any time. Some require reservations or a surcharge, though. This was a fall foliage cruise and the weather was a bit chilly. I really enjoyed Halifax and Martha's Vineyard. Halifax has an interesting and moving connection with the Titanic disaster and Martha's Vineyard is a quaint township with beautiful gingerbread victorian cottages. They had great shows and food that cruise vacations are known for. Don't miss the Ship 'n' males show!