We are currently on an Azamara cruise to some of the smaller islands in the Caribbean. We boarded the ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Our first island stop was at St. Thomas. Since we have been to St. Thomas many times (we even got married there), we just wandered around Havensight, ate lunch at our favorite fast food spot, Tap and Still, and met up with … Continue reading Antigua
Today we had a plan to walk a little less than previous days. My husband had us on bus routes so we wouldn’t have to climb up and down the subway stairs. Our first stop was going to be the bamboo forest and monkeys. However, after reading some reviews, we realized it would be a lot of walking and uphill, so we got off the bus and were … Continue reading Kyoto: Niko-Jo Castle, Pagoda, and Gardens
I really wanted to go to the Samurai museum to see swords and armor. My husband thought it was probably a tourist trap (and it kind of was), but I really enjoyed it. They give you a tour and you learn about the history, get to handle some weapons, and throw ninja stars! If you pay a little extra, you can also dress in armor and/or like … Continue reading Kyoto: Samurai and Railway Museums
Yesterday we took the bullet train to Kyoto. We forwarded one of our pieces of luggage ahead of time because it was oversized. It only cost us $20 and it was here at the hotel in Kyoto when we arrived. The bullet trains arrive every ten minutes or so. You have to be standing right in front of the car you have reserved seats. Only two cars do … Continue reading Kyoto, Japan (first day)
We thought it would be nice to get out of the city another day, so my husband researched places to go and a friend of mine also suggested Kamakura. The train/subway system here is amazing, but just when I think we figured it out, the ticket machine glows red and someone tells us we have to add fare to our ticket. A lot of people use … Continue reading Kamakura, Japan
We booked a personal tour out to Mt. Fuji for the day (10 hours). The driver/guide was scheduled to pick us up at 6am. The drive out to the mountain takes two hours. He said that if you were to go on the weekend it would take four hours. We stopped briefly at a service station to grab a drink and something for breakfast. The drive was mostly highway, … Continue reading Mt. Fuji
This morning we woke up early again to eat breakfast at 7 and left around 8:30am. The subway was less crowded, perhaps because we were on a different line and going in the other direction. We ended up on the Women’s car. They have one dedicated to only women from 7-8:30am on weekdays. It means the women don’t have to worry about being groped on a busy … Continue reading Tokyo, Japan (Day two)
My husband found a flight to Japan in which we could use our miles to fly in business class. I have flown business class only a few times and I can’t think of a better time to use miles than a 12 or more hour flight. You almost forget you are stuck on the plane when you have a pod of your own and you can lay … Continue reading Tokyo, Japan (Day One)
We have been wanting to visit the Dry Tortugas National Park for some time. We just have not made an effort to get to Key West, even though there are very cheap flight from Tampa every day. We finally got a hotel deal and flew down for a few days. There are only two ways to get to Dry Tortugas National Park. One is the ferry and the … Continue reading Dry Tortugas National Park
I was excited to see Sweden, since it was the only country on the cruise I had not visited. However, Kronborg Castle is right across the bay from Helsingborg and we really wanted to check out what is known as Hamlet’s Castle. We had to take a shuttle bus into the city. The bus waited until every seat was filled and only left on the exact half … Continue reading Kronborg Castle, Denmark, Helsingborg, Sweden
Bonney Voyage 