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With the seemingly increasing tricky issues, including geopolitical challenges, itineraries may be increasingly directed to the most stable regions, including the Caribbean, I also expect that there will be needed flexibility on the part of both cruisers and cruise lines.

Concerning the eclipse, the mayor of the somewhat nearby city of Niagara Falls, also in the path of totality, has declared a state of emergency for Monday in anticipation of hordes of visitors. Not everyone is happy about that and a concerned group has filed a lawsuit to rescind the order. The owners of tourist shops will be looking for a bonanza. I will be looking for a comfortable chair in front of the TV,

You are having a remarkable several months. A cruise to the Antarctic (thanks for the updates) and now in direct line for a rare celestial event. Unfortunately the biggest negative at this time surely is the rather poor harvest of a product I know is important to you in the spring. Don’t know what it’s like in Vermont, but Québec’s maple syrup strategic reserve is virtually depleted and there was poor production here in Southern Ontario. I am making no direct connections to your cruise, but hope you stay home next year to improve production of this essential product. Otherwise, hopes that real maple syrup be provided on Azamara may founder as prices escalate. 😢

I really enjoyed the excursion to Krka several years ago, so I hope you also will find it excursion credit well spent.

Right now, given numerous issues, that is also our plan of action for all plane travel.

Have you finished the book: “The Wager”? Is it a bad time to ask that question?

Love the opening line!

That’s interesting. Thanks for the assessment.

Thanks! There were a fair number out and about when we were there 4 years ago. Glad to hear that there is relative quiet on the streets. Looking forward to more posts from you and uktog!

Thanks for the reminders of the fascinations of Buenos Aires. Given the recent election and political excitement, were police in evidence in the neighbourhoods you visited?

Using TripAdvisor for guided tours in Saguenay this summer that include the fjord and National Park, there seems to be only one provider right now and the price is about $300. CAD for two. Perhaps more providers will appear as summer approaches. Already some of this company’s tour dates are fully booked. The $800. CAD tour seems to be for a gastronomic experience at a farm, hosted by a chef. In our experience, that seems to be the usual price on AZ for this type of tour.

And the HOHO service in Barcelona offers several options, all of which are excellent in our view. We used it in the evening when it was much less crowded.

Host Jazzbeau, you may recall that when Viking was in the midst of its rapid expansion of the river boat fleet there was ensuing speculation on the River Cruises forum that the company was in financial difficulty. Of course some of this was based on anger that Viking was changing the nature of river cruising and some was concern about payment windows. We know how those speculations turned out. Of course, each person/couple have to be comfortable with their own assessment of risk. And goodness knows that in the world presently there are considerable sources of risk.

In the distant past, I can remember flyers applauding when the plane touched down. Sounds like that pilot earned a standing ovation! Of course, once the signal to unbuckle seat belts was given. Glad you are safe and hope the same for everyone else in the British Isles. I heard of one plane headed from London to Dublin that ended up landing in Paris.

Good news for the skiers in Vermont! I see that The Woodstock Center is posting “excellent” conditions for its trails, and hot cocoa to replenish some fluids.