The Travel Discoveries Travel Blog is a collection of our client’s  journals, diaries and photos from around the world. Designed for travellers, this site blog includes some hints and tips for safe travel so that you and your family can get started on your next big journey.

We’ll share travel tips, help you plan your next big vacation, and introduce you to travelers from all over the world.  Thanks for joining us for the trip of a lifetime!

Joan and John Cook
Travel Discoveries International

 Our 3rd group trip to Ireland brings our happy travelers to the Southwestern region of this fascinating country. From Shannon airport we make our way directly to the Cliffs of Moher for an incredible view from the top 700′ below to the Atlantic Ocean. As if to make a statement, mother nature threw in 30mph winds a little drizzle and plenty of salt spray from below to appreciate the wild nature of the coast. Great new visitor’s center has opened since our last visit- well done!

 Next up, a stop at Lahinch and a pint at O’Looneys pub overlooking the Atlantic as we watch some crazed surfers ( or was it the Guinness) brave the elements in wet suits.

 Tony, our driver/guide for our stay, then took us on our motorcoach by ferry across the River Shannon and on to Killarney- home base for the next 3 nights. And what a great place to be, right downtown at the Killarney Plaza with their supurb breakfast and wonderful staff!

 Next day, on to the Dingle peninsula for some of the most incredible views ( glad I wasn’t driving). The unique Beehive Dwellings from the 12th century dotted the area and made for an interesting stop along the way. Arrive at the quaint seaside village of Dingle just in time for lunch- so many delicious places to eat -how to choose just one!

 Gotta have that photo with Fungi the resident dolphin.

 Another fun evening in Killarney, someone’s still looking for that Leprechaun, and off the next morning to the Rebel County-County Clare and the home of the Blarney Stone. The rain stopped just as we pulled into the parking lot and held off for the rest of the day, who found the 4-leaf clover! After the kiss to obtain the “Gift of Eloquence”, like several in our group needed more, there was plenty of time to shop the Blarney Woolen Mills.

 Next day we traveled to Adare with a stop at the Foynes Flying Boat Museum. What a fascinating story of aviation history from 1939-1945 with the arrival of Pan Am’s Yankee Clipper  air service and commercial air travel across the Atlantic. And if you’re not into aviation history, how about the fact that the local chef, Joe Sheridan, invented Irish Coffee here, to serve the tired, damp and cold patrons passing through the terminal- works for me.

 Bill Chawkes pub in Adare has prepared our group a great lunch of homemade soup and sandwiches. What a great little community complete with thatched roofs, original churches and friendly people.

 Adare Manor is our stay for the final night of this trip and what an impressive castle this is. We have time in the afternoon to explore the 840 acre grounds and the Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf course, but most of us eventually find ourselves in the cozy confines of the castle pub. That evening some of us treat ourselves to a wonderful 6-course meal at the castle and then retreat to the piano bar in the basement ( or was it the dungeon).

 Morning comes too early ( it usually does) and we make our way back to Shannon and our waiting Aer Lingus flight home.  Sad to leave Ireland and our great group of travelers, but hey, we can always do it again!

John and Joan

From Budapest to Passau on Uniworld’s River Princess– traveling up the Danube in early spring was a great journey. This was our first European River Cruise and we were excited to experience it firsthand. These small cruising ships- long and narrow- that ply these waterways are able to transport you from one historic city to another while you view fascinating sights along the way. Each day brought a new city, and even country, to explore.

 Uniworld began each stop with a guided tour(included in the cruise cost) with only 20-25 in each group. Also the Quietvox headsets we wore allowed us to easily hear our guide speaking from many feet away without all the street noise and distractions- no yelling!

 After the tour, if you had not signed up for one of the other optional sightseeing trips you were free to return to the boat or explore on your own. Each evening we were briefed in the lounge by our very knowledgeable cruise director on the next day’s activities. She would suggest places to see, great cafe’s and coffee shops and where to find the best shopping. She answered any questions and then provided everyone with a city map and list of things you may want to see.

 The River Princess, built in 2001, accommodates 132 passengers and a crew of about 40. All meals are open seating and there are tables from 2-8 scattered throughout the dining area. There is not a bad view from anywhere as you are located aft  surrounded by floor to ceiling windows.  The food is buffet style for breakfast and lunch, while most dinners are served. There is usually some congestion around the centrally located serving area in the dining room, but you just have to be patient. There is a good variety of food available with special choices for dinner each evening- and the wine is included!

 The bar and lounge is located forward and again is open to great views. This time of year it was too chilly to enjoy the vast open air deck for any length of time, but it would be a great place to relax later in the season. 

 Most travelling was done at night although we did get to experience some of the 13 locks daytime on this trip. Great places we visited along the way included Bratislava,Vienna,Durstein and Melk, Salzburg and Passau. On our stop in the small village of Durstein, the wine growing area along the Danube, we took a hike to the castle above town for spectacular views and a look at the place where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned for a time!

 Without a doubt, this is a wonderful way to see Europe and a great value too. Transportation, meals, guided tours and nightly entertainment were all included- and did I mention wine at dinner! And on a ship this size you get to know the crew members pretty quickly as well as the other passengers.

Uniworld has 8 cruise ships sailing the various rivers of Europe, so plenty of choices for those vacations to come.

John & Joan

       Salzburg                    Springtime        MV River Princess

Durstein          Vienna Cathederal–meeting of Mast minds!

If I only had a bike–          Melk                         Prosit!  

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 Wrapping up our city tour of San Francisco before crossing the famous Golden Gate Bridge and a brunch stop in Sausalito- Karen and Terry where are you?

 First wine tour was the Gloria Ferrer champagne caves near Sonoma. For a novice about wine operations this was a very informative tour- and great tasting!

 Then a short hop to Roche wines and a wonderful setting on top of the hill as we pulled up our lawn chairs for our second tasting of the day. Mara had us in tears as she talked about wine and entertained us with stories of “Darwin dating” and the “running of the Rednecks” and more! And the wine was great, too!

With our wonderful and knowledgeable guide Linda, we arrived at the beautiful Napa Marriott just in time for the nightly complimentary wine and cheese party.

The next two days found us in both the Sonoma and Napa valleys as we toured Sterling Wineries accessed by gondola with great views of the valley near Calistoga and Simi Winery, from 1896, near the quaint little town of Healdsburg and finally a unique chance to blend our own wines at Ravenswood, “No Wimpy Wines”.

But wait did someone say Tin City (Jerry,Terry) and an “Eye of the Hawk” brewski- in wine country no less! Carolyn meets Nelson and………

What better way to wrap up this fun filled extended weekend than to have a fine dining experience at the Greystone Restaurant of the Culinary Institute of America.  Josh Anderson, our chef, prepared a superb grilled Angus hanger steak while others had the just as mouth watering potato crusted Alaskan halibut.  Top it all off with creme brulee or the molten lava chocolate cake and we were ready to call it a day!!

 And thanks to Bob for the encouragement ( and the lyrics ) so that we could sing our way home to the tune “Bottle of Wine”- not too bad really!

Great wines, wonderful food and good friends-we’re ready to do it again!

-John and Joan