Chronicling Europe & The Baltics 2018 – Helsinki Modern Diversity

A Little Romance

Just like the cruises themselves, we as a couple tend to pack a lot into international travels. These trips ironically due to DK’s planning often take place around our anniversary. We’ve managed to celebrate more than one of these milestones as we’ve seen the world. It’s always nice to fit a little romance in while at work and on vacation.

I’m glad to have a husband that understands that my writing work travels with me wherever I go. Fortunately for me, his creativity kicks in on these trips and we both get to work and play. While in Helsinki we got the chance to combine our love for jazz with exploring the city. Rick Braun, Aubrey Logan, the UK Collective, and Rick Marcel provided exceptional onboard entertainment.

The city offered its own inspiration for romantic experiences. In our downtime, we found a terrific café for coffee and dessert. On the tour, we’d learned a lot about the delicious chocolates that locals enjoy. Including these with our treats was a definite no-brainer. Sitting outside and watching the world go by together…is my definition of romance!

Chronicling Europe 2018 – My Views of Stockholm

Even though these are vacations for me they are also working trips. I find time each day to write and chronicle my impressions of each destination and port of call. There is always a lot to see and do but actually putting these things into words is the best way for me to experience them.

It doesn’t matter whether I’m travel writing for a client, researching an article, or taking notes for other work utilizing my own views is key. Stockholm really had a lot to offer me not simply as a tourist but as a family member. Getting the opportunity to see the city through the eyes of actual residents changes things a bit.

There were attractions that we certainly would have missed without this connection. One example in this category was the tasty espresso I got from a quaint little Italian café. It was nestled in a building along a narrow street lined with original brickwork from centuries past.

Children going on field trips and business people dining for lunch were sprinkled throughout the areas we visited. Words are so important because they paint a vivid picture. These can be used to create a masterpiece that is both colorful and impactful!

The Speed of Life moves on…Mindi Abair and her Grammy-winning talent were the show for the night.



Chronicling Europe 2018 - Reconnecting in Sweden

It’s always nice to be able to reconnect with friends and family members. This is even nicer when the place that you get to do this is in Sweden. One of the unique things about this portion of the cruise with Dave Koz and Friends was that we had family in this part of the world.

I can’t help but repeat that the weather was amazing and warm enough for light clothing. Traveling around the world can make things a bit confusing and challenging. Things like meeting people in a public place with signage in another language. Fortunately this time around, it was quite easy to get together with our family members.

This gave us an opportunity to also see the city through their eyes. Sightseeing with them included off-the-beaten path stops like a royal cathedral and a place for espresso. Shopping and taking home souvenirs for many tourists involves traversing to some of the best streets in the city. We got the chance to visit the Drottninggatan, as well as, Gotgatan areas.

It was possible to buy high-end items and those that were budget-friendly. Walking in Stockholm was nice, easy, and enjoyable with family as the guides.