Cruise Ships

I can't possibly forget to keep track of the ships that have gotten us to many of these places...

Dawn Princess (2 times)
Ocean Princess
Sapphire Princess
Crown Princess
Carnival Inspiration
Carnival Legend
Carnival Destiny
Celebrity Summit
Voyager of the Seas (Royal Carib)
Holland America Westerdam
The Big Red Boat (Premier- Disney)

If you've never been on a cruise before, get your ass on a ship. It's amazing and a great way to see many different places all on one vacation. It's always a lot more fun with a group of people, but can also be extremely romantic being with your sweetie out at sea.

Which is my favorite? They're all nice. Celebrity had the nicest ship. Royal Caribbean had the most to keep you occupied. My only advice is to avoid the older ships, unless they've been recently gutted and redone. Stick with the newer ships...

US Places Visited

In realizing how long this list would have become, I am just making a list of the states that have been visited. It gave me a headache trying to remember every trip....so this is much easier.

In no particular order....

Indiana Arizona
Illinois Hawaii
Ohio Colordado
Wisconsin Texas
Michigan New Mexico
Kentucky Nevada
Tennessee Maryland
Alabama Florida
Georgia Louisiana
Missouri Minnesota
Pennsylvania Washington DC
New Jersey Massachusettes
New York California

While doing this and looking at a map, I've realized I've never been to Canada. I am shocked by this....I've walked through Northern African brush, have sunbathed on a private island in the Bahamas, have watched the sunrise over a volcano in Maui, but have not crossed our Northern border. Oh well, we'll get there soon....

When I get around to it, I'll write about the places from the US we have visited from the book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, but I'm too tired now. My bed is calling my name.

Great Hotels

Some of the best hotels we've stayed in:

The Palmer House (Hilton), Chicago, IL (historic)- by the loop/theater district

The Drake Hotel (Hilton), Chicago, IL (historic) - by Watertower, Hancock building, FABULOUS shopping area!

The Pfister, Milwaukee, WI (historic)
http://www.thepfister.com/--- go see Jeff the bartender in the lobby for a mean Bloody Mary

Royal Hideaway, Playa del Carmen, Mexico (the best service (white glove) EVER!!!)
http://www.royalhideaway.com/ A great honeymoon spot for a romance-filled vacation in a gated community right on turquoise water

The Magnolia Hotel, Denver, CO
http://www.magnoliahoteldenver.com/ - right downtown one block from 16th Street

The Sheraton Suites, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
http://www.sheratonakron.com/ Go to the brunch in the hotel's restaurant. Ask for a table by the falls....it's unbelievably beautiful!! The bar at night is also incredible, get a couch seat by the waterfalls.

More to come....

Oh The Places You'll Go....

The places we've been so far.....E stands for Erin. R stands for Rich. And E&R...well, you're pretty smart, you'll figure it out...

Foreign Lands.....

Europe

Mont-Saint-Michel, Haute-Normandie, France- (E 1996)

Normandy's D-Day Beaches- Haute-Normandie, France - (E 1996)

Paris: France Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysses, Arc de Triomphe, Centre Georges Pompidou, Napoleon's Tomb, The Louvre, Cruise down the Seine River, Notre Dame Cathedral, Chateau de Versailles, (and most of the city's highlights) Ile de France, France (E 1996)

Chateau de Chambord- France - (E 1996)

La Mezquita, Cordoba- Andalusia, Spain- (E 1997)

The Alhambra and Parador de San Francisco- Granada, Andalusia, Spain (E 1997)

Seville- Andalusia, Spain -(E 1997)

Salamanca's Plaza Mayor- Castile and Leon, Spain- (E 1997)

La Sagrada Familia- Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain- (E 1997)

Christopher Columbus' Tomb, Spain - (E 1997)

Madrid, Spain (major city highlights)- (E 1997)

BETWEEN

Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar (E 1997)

AFRICA

Tangier, Morocco- (E 1997)

The Kasbah- Ouarzazate, Morocco- (E 1997)

MEXICO

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico- (E&R 2004)

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico (E&R 2004 2x's)

Xel-Ha, Quintana Roo, Mexico (E&R 2004)

Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico (E&R 2004)

Puerto Vallarta- Jalisco, Mexico (E&R 2005, 2006)

Mazatlan, Mexico (E&R 2006)

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (Lover's Beach and Cabo Wabo)- (E&R 2006)

Costa Maya (Majhaual), Mexico (E&R 2006)

Tijuana, Mexico (E 1993)

CENTRAL AMERICA

Panama City, Panama (E 2004)

Limon, Costa Rica (E 2004)

Belize City, Belize (E 2004)

SOUTH AMERICA

Caracas, Venezuela- (E 1999)

Isla Margarita, Venezuela - Island off Venezuela's coast- (E 2000)

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS

Antigua - (E 2001, 2007)

Aruba- (E 1999, E&R 2005)

Bahamas- (E 1990, E&R 2006)

Barbados- (E 1997, 2001, 2002, E&R 2005, E 2007)

Cayman Islands- (E 2003, E&R 2006)

Cozumel, Mexico (E 2003)

Curacao- (E 2000)

Dominica- (E 1997, 1999, 2005)

Grenada- (E 1999)

Haiti- (E 2003)

Jamaica- (E 2003)

Martinique- (E 1997)

Puerto Rico (E 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007)

St. Kitts- (E 2000, 2002)

St. Lucia- (E 2002, 2007)

St. Maarten/Martin (E 1997, 2002, 2007)

St. Thomas, USVI- (Magen's Bay Beach) (E 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007)

St. Vincent (E 1999)

Tortola- (E 2001)

Trinidad/Tobago (E 2001)

Turks and Caicos (E&R 2006)


I think that's all the foreign lands....I may have screwed up some Caribbean island years, as I have now consumed 2 glasses of wine while typng this.....but they are 99.8% accurate.

Here we go....

Well, I (Erin) wanted to start this blog as a journal/log of the places we (my husband, and my family) have traveled. I was inspired by the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, and thought we could keep track of our "accomplishments."

As I've read this book, it occurs to me that some of those places are going to be hard to get reach (Antarctica, Easter Island, etc.) , and many of the fabulous places we have visited didnt even make it into the book. So....this is a log of some of the fantastic places we've visited and some of the great hotels in the world where we have stayed.

So...I'll be starting with places we have previously visited from the book. Since I'm not too computer savvy, there will probably be no pictures of these places, until I learn how to scan, load, and all the good crap. But, our new adventures will be sure to include pictures of our good times seeing the world.