Friday, December 27, 2013

December 27, 2013. Ridgeland, Mississippi. The Cruise-a-Thon.

Andrew has christened our five month journey a Cruise-A-Thon.    It seems to be an apt name.    We hope we have packed the right clothes because we certainly have filled our new bigger bags.   When I was carrying my bag downstairs I was wishing we had used our old very small bag, as my bag is heavy.   It seems that you will fill the space of any bag.

People have asked how we planned such a long and complicated trip and our response is always the same.   The trip just grew, bit by bit.   We certainly did not intend to take five cruises and be gone for five months.  Once we decided try to avoid flying, the journey stretched out and we looked for how to get from where we were to where we wanted to be.   Blame Dave and Irene, who started the whole thing by inviting us on the 60th Anniversary Cruise with the whole Buckley family, leaving and ending in Fort Lauderdale.    One thing led to another.  Now here we almost ready to leave.

Tomorrow morning we fly to Florida to board the Caribbean Cruise on the 29th, along with all the Buckley Family.  After that cruise, we spend two weeks in resorts in Florida with Dave and Irene.   Ken and I then take the Panama Canal Cruise, ending up in Los Angeles.    A quick flight to San Francisco and four days there, we board the Cunard Queen Elizabeth for Auckland, New Zealand.   A two week private tour ends up with ten days with Gill in Christchurch.  We wanted to cruise home from Sydney, so to get there we are taking another cruise of New Zealand and Australia followed by ten days in Sydney.  The final step is the 28 cruise back to Vancouver where we will stay a week, staying right down town with no car.

The total is three short flights, five cruises and no rental cars,  traveling almost as was done in the 19th Century.   Tomorrow we will begin.

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