Today’s My Birthday

February 26, 2020February 22, 2020 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Today is my birthday. It’s hard to believe I am 45 years old – but it’s true. It’s probably harder for my parents to believe!!!!

I have lead a blessed life so far and see many many more years ahead. I am healthy. My family is healthy. And my memories are beautiful and precious! To celebrate, I’m going to share my favorite pictures from the past few years – each one has a story and a special place in my heart.

I hope you are blessed with so many fabulous memories to look back on year after year!

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2015 – in front of Hampton Court

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Lighthouse Beach, Eleuthera, Bahamas

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2015 – Big Ben

San Gimignano in the mist…taken from my torre bedroom window

My sister, Becky, and I!

So much Caprese!

A gorgeous setting for a wine tasting at Palagetto

Touring the Colosseum

It isn’t hard to eat like a local in Italy. Lemon risotto – the most amazing risotto ever!

Culinary magic!

In Florence at the most adorable cafe right near the Duomo!

My hubby and I!

Cheers – again!

Fire and Ice…I love this picture!

Lined up for the toboggan ride! Quebec City, Quebec.

What a beauty!

I didn’t know she stuck her tongue out until I looked at the pictures that night!!! Notre Dame in the background.

Eiffel Tower!!!! 2019

Sea Lion Encounter, St. Maarten 2019

June 2018. Shortly after sunrise over Vatican City. I ache for another opportunity like this one….we were high tailing it to our private Vatican Tour so we could barely stop to smell the roses, but man, I wish I could’ve frozen time in this very spot. It was so peaceful and serene.

Pucker up!!!

February 2019 aboard the Symphony of the Seas. Sunset while docked off the coast of St. Marteen.

March 2013. Argenton-sur-Creuse. This was sunrise out the window of our charming 16 century townhouse at the end of the bridge.

I have a picture of my kids doing this SAME thing in London in 2013. It is fun to recreate special moments in different locations! EPCOT 2019

Symphony After Dark! Stunning!

Yes, these were BOTH for me!

Brother had to get into the action!

Photo from the top of one of the towers – San Gimignano, Italy

Try to blend in. Zurich, Switzerland – these are our “Polish faces” – my sister in law is Polish, and she said Americans smile too big in pictures – so this is how we imagine the Poles smile!

Prickly Pear blossom – so many foods are made from prickly pear – candies, licorice, jams and jellys, beer…you name it! But look at those thorns!!! Tuscon, AZ

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Sagrada Familia – needs no introduction!

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2015 – Barcelona cathedral rooftop. Spain

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Try a new form of transportation….Char and Sable on a Segway tour of the city – in Europe, kids can do many things they aren’t “allowed” to do in the US.

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Atop the battlements of Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George Castle)

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2015 – Outside of Jeronimos Monastery

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Malaga – breathtaking!

Scooting in Cinque Terre, Italy.

On board the Anthem of the Seas, moored off the coast of Nice, France.

Gibraltar – long lost cousins? Oh and behind Kelton in the distance? AFRICA!!!!!

Cousin’s Trip – Animal Kingdom 2016

Magic Kingdom 2017 – mom and dad’s second trip to Disney without kids!!!!

Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, Magic Kingdom 2018

Windsor, Char and Sable – you all haven’t met Sable yet, but this kitty gets around. She even has her own book series in the works!

Family photo taken by dad. Yes it was cold, rainy and windy – it was April in England!!!

Kelton’s hair resembled Albert Einstein’s a bit too much!! Madame Tussauds.

My beautiful rose petal and Hampton Court gardens.

Mind the gap. We got an Oyster Card and used all manner of public transportation throughout London! I love this shot of Char and Sable!

These adorable sheep were all over the city and the kids posed with them whenever possible! The sheep were dressed in outfits that represented the area where they stood.

Monte Alban behind me!

Seasoned crickets at the market – I tried one and it wasn’t too bad!

Mount Washington, New Hampshire

Ossippee Lake, New Hampshire

Swift River, Kancamagus Highway, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire

Ossippee Lake, New Hampshire

The best welcoming committee EVER!!!

Near sunrise, the island of Oahu, Hawai’i

Kualoa Ranch, Oahu, Hawai’i

Sunset Perfection!!!

Char playing her Ukulele at sunset…so perfectly cliche!!!

An evening toast to the good life. We are standing on the Old Stone Bridge in Wurzburg, Germany, marveling at the fortification in the background and enjoying a common daily activity.

Bamberg, Germany

Our favorite mode of transportation!

Outside the observatory. It was cold and windy!

Best bite in the city!

Gimmewald, Switzerland – 2019

The happy tourists! Strasbourg, France

American tourists – Amsterdam – 2020

Flowers in January. And people say it’s too cold to travel to Europe in winter!

My handsome date for the evening.

A canal boat awaiting passengers.

From the bottom – a look towards the fortress.

Wurzburg, Germany

February 18, 2020February 12, 2020 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Oh, Wurzburg – what a gorgeous city. Our 4^th stop on our Rhine and Main Christmas Market River Cruise was the city of Wurzburg. This place had it all! A palace (Wurzburg Residence), a fortress (Fortress Marienberg) and wineries as far as the eye can see – literally! They also had a wonderful Christmas Market, but it was almost secondary to everything else there was to see!

Our first stop in Wurzburg was the Residence. This palace of the prince-bishops of Bavaria was modeled after Versailles and you can see it immediately as you tour! Photos were not permitted inside, but I got some gorgeous pictures through the rain of the small but amazing gardens.

The Residence – looks like a compact version of Versailles.

The gardens…

I bet they are amazing during the spring and summer!

We headed back to the boat for lunch, then began walking – over to the “Old Stone Bridge” where every day, locals gather to enjoy the company of friends and a glass of the local wine. We hiked up to the fortress – an imposing structure – that is surrounded by vinyards and walking paths. The view of the town from the Fortress was amazing and it was worth the climb!

The Fortress! And a fortress it was!

Very Cinderella-esque!

Well, my German is pretty rusty, but I think we get the point!!

We took the meandering walk down into the village after visiting the fortress. The hillside (and hillsides as far as the eye can see) are sprawling vineyards!

A look down towards the river – that is our river boat in the distance!

Statue in the vineyard.

From the bottom – a look towards the fortress.

We strolled back over the Old Stone Bridge, partook in the local tradition of a drink, then found our way to beautiful Christmas Markets throughout the old city. All in all, it was a great day with fabulous sights and memories to last a lifetime!!!!

I am standing on the Old Stone Bridge here – getting ready to enjoy my glass of wine!

Europeans take their wine consumption seriously – there are STIFF fines if an establishment gives you a short pour! Same applies to beer!

This photo really captures the day – two glasses of white wine, enjoyed amongst new friends, with a breathtaking fortress in the background! THIS is why I travel!!!!

Wertheim, Germany

February 11, 2020February 6, 2020 / Denise Smith / Leave a comment

Our third day on the river docked us at Wertheim, Germany. What an AMAZING medieval village on a bend in the Main River. The larger cities in Germany (and much of Europe) saw a great deal of damage and rebuilding during and after the World Wars. Many of the villages and non-strategically located towns saw little to no damage and these towns are absolute gems. Wertheim fits this bill in some part.

Wertheim is located at the confluence of the Tauber and Main Rivers. It is in Bavaria, but folks here are “Franconians” – a cultural distinction they will happily tell you about! What we loved about Wertheim was the quaintness of this village. They did not have a Christmas Market, but the beauty of the town was enchanting and around every turn there was something magical.

Another fabulous feature of this gorgeous little town was the medieval fortification. First records show a fortification in this down between the 7th and 8th centuries and the castle proper grew out of this in the 12th and 13th centuries. We walked to and explored all throughout this amazing structure and stood in awe of the commanding view of the Main and the town itself. It was exactly what I was looking for on this cruise – castles!!!!

Here are some photos from Wertheim.

This is an example of the many half-timbered homes in Wertheim. These two are situated on the main village square.

The entrance to Burg Wertheim. This structure is only partially intact but is undergoing renovation efforts and it pen to the public for self guided walking tours for 2 Euros each. There is also a small cafe at the castle and an events room. The structure is amazing and the views…..priceless!!!