I decided on a short excursion during our last stop in Cozumel Mexico while on the the seven day Caribbean cruise I was on aboard the Norwegian Star.  I chose to do an easy shore side snorkel adventure because I am not an experienced snorkeler.  This excursion only cost $35 for an adults and $25 for children 13 and under.  It only lasted two hours which was fine because I wanted to explore Cozumel a little bit and buy some last minute souvenirs. 

I realize the truck that was "stranded" on the beach has nothing to do with snorkeling, but I thought it was quite picturesque and interesting.  I've shown it to people since I arrived home and I think it's their favorite photo of my cruise.  It is a 1932 Ford.  I have no idea if it still runs are not!

One of the main reasons I did not want a long excursion in Cozumel was because I was reading a book that I had borrowed from the ship's library and still had 250 pages left to read.  I included a picture of the book below as I thought it was excellent.  This was the first novel I have read by Nora Roberts that I enjoyed.

Today I returned from a seven day cruise on Norwegian Cruise lines.  The ship I was on board is named the "Star".  Over the course of the seven days we stopped in four places.  Our first stop was on Roatan which is an island in the Caribbean about 40 miles off the coast of Honduras.  I decided to choose a shore excursion for each of the stops on this cruise.  I chose to visit Gumbalimba Park in Roatan at this port. 

I visited Italy for the second time in September 2015 I loved it the second time as much as I did the first time.  It really just made me want to visit a third time!  My first trip was to Florence, Venice, and Cinque Terre.  This last visit was to Lake Garda.  

To get to Lake Garda I flew into Verona and then went to my hotel in Sirmione.  I loved this little medieval town. I thought it was so charming and colorful with the flowers everywhere.  This was one of very few places that I have visited on my own that I felt safe going out at night alone. 

Lake Garda is very large and the only thing I would do differently visiting again, which I might do, is to spend time in other areas around the lake.  I will say that I am very happy to have stayed in Sirmione.  Everyone was very friendly and the food was excellent as always. I am also very happy to say that I didn't see any stray cats or dogs during my stay!

I was a little worried that visiting in September might be a little chilly, but it was actually quite warm during the day it was usually in the 80's (Fahrenheit).  At night it would get cool but not until very late.  There is a ferry that runs all around the lake which stops running at some point in October.  Otherwise I think October would be a fine time to visit Lake Garda as well.  

Wherever you walked in town the castle was usually in view:

I loved the colorful flowers and architecture:

 I found this pink villa when I walked off the beaten path that I thought was lovely!

There were grapes, lemons and lime growing all over as soon as you got out of the town:

 A garden I found not too far from the beach which is just a short walk from the town

 Here is the pathway beside the beach which makes for a nice walk:

I had heard that glass washes up on the shore of Lake Garda and I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself!

As with most areas of Italy there are gelato and pastry shops on every corner:

There were also many beautiful churches:
There were many fun shops and restaurants around town.  The prices were very reasonable!
The sunsets and sunrises were nice every night I was there as it only rained for a few hours during the ten days I was there:

Thank you so much for visiting.   Please feel free to leave any comments or questions as I value all of them.  Have a great week everyone.

~Michelle

 I took this photo at Smuggler's Notch ski resort about five years ago.  I know many of you are still enjoying summer and the last thing you want to see is snow at this point.  This post will compare photos at the same area in Vermont during the summer and the winter.  All photos on this blog were taken by you's truly.

Or maybe I should say the "white mountains" since depending on the season their color changes.  I lived in the "Green Mountain State", also known as Vermont until I graduated from college.  I've lived in four states and have now lived in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the past seven years.  Both Vermont and Florida have their own albeit very different natural beauty.  Vermont has four seasons and the gorgeous mountainous landscape while Florida has palm trees, flowers all year and the beaches.
People used to ask me which state I lived in until Ben and Jerry's became famous - seriously!  This photo was taken on Church Street in Burlington Vermont.  This store is not far from their original "shop" that they started in a garage about thirty years ago.
Here are a few more photos taken on Church Street in Burlington at various times of the year.  There are many designer boutiques and fine places to eat on Church Street.  The "Church Street Christmas Tree", however, is well known and people visit Church Street just to see this tree.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful decorations when I visited in February.  It was below zero when I took these photos.  I was sitting inside the the Church Street Tavern trying to stay warm.  I would run out for sixty seconds or less over and over again trying to capture the scene.

Here are a couple of photos of my Alma Mater the University of Vermont.
The University of Vermont is known for it's beautiful campus as well as it's academic standing.



The following is a lovely colonial style home that is very representative of the architecture you will see around the state of Vermont.  I was able to capture it in the sunlight and during some very cloudy weather before a storm.  I personally love taking photos with dramatic looking clouds.  I get many chances to take photos of some pretty sensational cloudscapes in Florida.
The photo above and below were taken at the "Mark Reeves Memorial Park" in Jericho.  The park was created in memory of a young boy who passed away.

Vermont is known for it's covered bridges.  This particular bridge can be seen in Underhill, Vermont at the Mills Riverside Park.
I do wish more of the bridge was visible the summer photos, but I suppose the green and red look good together.
The above is a view from inside the covered bridge - in the summer time of course!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  Do you prefer the wintry photos of Vermont or the ones taken in the summer?  I personally prefer most of the ones taken in the winter as I never get to see snow where I live.  Most of my friends in Vermont prefer the summer scenes which I understand completely!  Have a great week everyone!

~Michelle

On my 12 day cruise from Tahiti to San Diego we stopped on the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands.  I think visiting the Marquesas Islands on a cruise is a good way to see them.  We were told on the cruise not to swim in the water because it's dark and that means there is a risk of sharks. The children seemed to be enjoying themselves playing in the water, but I have to say I was a little worried about them. 

The Marquesas Islands are incredibly beautiful, a good place to go for hiking, and like most islands in French Polynesia there is not a lot to do.  It is a good way to relax and get away from it all.  There are about 9,000 people on all these islands total.  Nuku Hiva is the most populous with ~2700 people.

As you can see from my photos, there was a storm brewing.  When the cruise ship sailed away that night, it was quite a rocky ride.  I felt intoxicated walking around and hadn't drank a drop of alcohol!

 






Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Take care my friends.

~Michelle