Travels with Billie

New Zealand-Finally!

Next on the agenda for this year of travel: a return to New Zealand. I visited two years ago and fell in love, vowing to return. I had done a day tour to Waiheke Island, known for its wines, and knew I wanted to spend more time there. So for the first few days “down under” I headed to an AirBnB on Onetangi Beach. It was ideally situated with three amazing restaurants down the street and a gorgeous beach right across the road.

A hop-on hop-off bus tour to the Eastern part of the island allowed me to see a part of the island I didn’t see the first time, and introduced a less populated area. I stopped at the Waiheke Distillery for lunch and a gin tasting, and the bonus was sitting out on the patio with an ocean view that would take your breath away. The lunch was great, and I tried a new kind of pizza: they fry the dough first and then put the toppings on-no oven. I can’t wait to try this when I finally have a kitchen again.

For those wanting practical information on this part of the trip, here you go! I flew into Auckland, and knowing I’d be jet lagged after flying from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta to Los Angeles, and then 13 hours to New Zealand, I opted to book a SuperShuttle transfer and a hotel in Auckland right by the ferry dock. The M Social is literally across the street from the dock, and a great place to stay. Every room has a view of the harbor, and the staff was very kind in getting me into a room even though I arrived well before check-in time.

The next morning I took the ferry to Waiheke. There was plenty of room for my luggage, and the ferry runs hourly. I hired a taxi to take me to the Airbnb (expensive, but I didn’t know where I was going).

I booked the Eastern Waiheke hop-on hop-off bus online and was able to pick it up just a couple of blocks from my lodging. Besides the stop at the distillery, it gave me a good look at the island. When it was time to return to Auckland, I was able to grab the local bus just down the street and head right to the ferry terminal. The best part of that? When the bus picked me up the driver insisted on picking up my luggage and loading it for me, and then did the same at the ferry terminal. Wow, you have to love these wonderful Kiwis!

Cruising Solo

I’ve had questions about my experience with solo cruising, so I thought I’d talk about how this one went. It’s been six years since the last cruise-not counting the three cruises I did as a Tour Director. That was work, and I had a built-in group to keep me busy. This was also my first time cruising alone. So – how did it go?

Rule number one: if you want to get to know people you need to get out of your cabin. Then you have to talk to people! My first step was to sign up for traditional dining and ask to be seated at a table with a group. Since you see the same people every night, you get to know them over the course of the cruise. Since this was two back-to-back cruises, I was seated with two different groups. In both cases, by the end of the first week we were getting along like old friends.

Sometimes all it takes is a generic question like: “Where are you from?” In my case, being from Montana seemed to generate a lot of interest. People either want to talk about their visit there, or how they want to visit there. In one instance, I was on a bus in Bilbao and when I told the woman sitting next to me where I was from. Immediately four people across the aisle let me know that they were from a town just a few miles from where I live. Small world.

I also participated in a couple of group activities. There is always something to do, whether it’s a crafting group, trivia, dance lessons, or games. I attended a meeting of nomads, and it was great to hear how others are choosing a lifestyle of travel. Doing more activities probably would have been a good idea, but after a long summer of leading group tours I was ready for a little alone time. I’m promising myself that on the next cruise I’ll get more involved.

Now, if you’re thinking about taking a cruise on your own, I would suggest trying a shorter cruise. On these long cruises, I found that most cruisers were couples. Smaller ships are also more conducive to getting to know your cruise mates. When you’re on a ship with 3000 or more passengers, running across the same person again gets a lot harder.

My next three cruises are with friends, so I’ll have built-in companionship. But I still plan to get to know other cruisers. One warning, though. As you meet people who do a lot of traveling, conversation naturally leads to places they have been. The next thing you know, you have another place to add to your bucket list!

Heading to New Zealand

After a week long Atlantic crossing and two days in Fort Lauderdale, I’m in Atlanta having just finished the first leg of my trip to New Zealand.

I was delighted to find Dunkin Donuts in the Atlanta airport-how I miss them! No Dunkin in Montana. 🙁

I’ll have more to say about my overall cruise experience when I get settled in New Zealand.

Madeira, Portugal

This was my third time in Funchal, on one of the Islands of Madeira. It was a little bittersweet for me, since this was one of the ports my husband and I loved.

I again took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, and then returned to the city center to go to their wonderful market and have lunch. I love visiting markets around the world. They have such interesting foods and products, and they are a photographers playground.

The one thing I wanted to do was have lunch at the sidewalk restaurant Richard and I visited when we were there. I tramped up and down several streets, realizing that it had been ten years since my last visit and the area had changed a lot. But I found it! I recreated the photo I took back then with my glass of Prosecco, but adding in my travel companion Polly the porcupine. She liked the Prosecco too.

Madeira remains one of my favorite ports.

Vigo, Spain

I’m a bit late in posting, but I was busy helping row across the Atlantic Ocean. Not really, but doesn’t that bring up visions of Vikings heading to the New World?

Anyway, I took a ship tour of Vigo and got to check out the city. It was a nice overview with stops at an old fort and some gardens. We stopped at a 5-star hotel for lunch before returning to the dock, and I got to try some local wine.

What I didn’t realize when I booked the tour was that the Old Town section was just a stroll from the ship. Of course I had to take advantage of that! I learned that their Old Town is quite modern, with lots of shops. As you can see by my photos, my favorite was the bakery! I ended up with the yummiest raspberry tea cake, and I enjoyed every guilty bite.

A Day In Bilbao, Spain

Today was a rather warm port day in Bilbao. I did a Hop On Hop Off bus tour and got off at the Guggenheim Museum. I decided to walk back to the place where the ship shuttle dropped us off. I think that was a mistake-I ended up with sweat in my eyes. I guess I need to remember we’re no longer above the Arctic Circle.

The museum was interesting; there were some installations that gave an idea of how the rest of the world sees us. It’s not flattering.

Polly enjoyed the museum too!

Monet’s Home in Giverny

Today’s adventure was a tour to visit Monet’s home and gardens. While it’s October and many of the flowers are fading, it was still a lovely visit. How exciting to see the places I’ve seen in his paintings so often.

Of course Polly enjoyed the gardens too!

Honfleur France

Weather and rough seas forced an unscheduled port stop in La Havre ( I’m going back in two days) so I took a tour to Honfleur. A lovely old village, and of course I partook of the required French pastry and chocolates. The pastry didn’t last long enough for a portrait, but Polly helped me decide which chocolates to eat first. The woman in the chocolate shop was exceptionally nice, chatting with me in her limited English (as opposed to my non-existent French) to make sure I got just what I wanted.

Finally, A Visit To My Ancestry

My mother’s side of the family was Norwegian, and I grew up with the lefse and lutefisk as part of my world. Oh, and the usual “Ya, you betcha” as the answer to most questions. I knew my ancestors came from the fjord country, but haven’t ever visited until now. My month-long cruise is starting with several stops in Norway and a (mostly unsuccessful) hunt for the Northern Lights. The weather has been chilly but not cold, and the people have been delightful. We had a couple of days of rough seas, resulting in a port change, but everyone seems to be taking it in stride. Even the good people of Narvik, who had to prepare to welcome a big cruise ship with only a day’s notice.

By the way, if anyone ever offers you lutefisk, I recommend saying “No thanks.” Whenever my mother made it I left the house. For several days.

Oxford and the Cotswolds

I took another tour to a place I’ve long wanted to visit: The Cotswolds. This was a smaller tour, limited to 14. If you’re wondering, it was a Rabbies tour and I highly recommend them. Oxford wasn’t my real destination, but I enjoyed it a lot. It happened to be graduation day for some of the colleges (I think there are 39) so the streets were filled with family members with flowers and graduates in their colorful robes. What an exciting day for a young person starting out with an Oxford degree!

Then on to the Cotswolds, which has beautiful countryside. All the houses are made of Cotswold limestone, giving even the new buildings a timeless feel. In Burford I learned that the are two ways to have your scones: Devon, with the clotted cream on the bottom and then the jam, or Cornwall, which is just the opposite. Apparently it’s quite a rivalry. I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide which you prefer.

I also learned that even a small quaint village in the English countryside can have a traffic problem. The cars were backed up as far as you could see in both directions.