Celebrity Silhouette, Norwegian Fjords Sept. 1 2019

[Bimmer09]

8 hours ago, afto said:

Thank you Norris and Carol for dropping in on the Celebrity boards and providing us with this wonderful travelogue. Amazing photos as always. I am showing them to DH who has thus far been reluctant to consider Norway.  I love your sense of humour and this has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen on Cruise Critic. Stopped me in my tracks and had me laughing out loud.  Safe travels to you on your future cruises. 

Flam

(pronounced Flom. The J is silent and invisible)

 

Afto, thanks for reading along and for letting me know you enjoyed our Norway trip.

I hope your husband is at least considering it now.

Thanks for your kind wishes!

Norris

[macsford]

Norris, as always I have enjoyed your narrative, great photos, humour and musical references (nobody does it better. )

This time, as well as enjoying Norway, you have reminded me that London is only 4 hours by car or, more sensibly, nearly half that by train from North Yorkshire. It has been too long since our last to London and it is time to return there soon.

 Beautiful N. Ireland another  not visited often enough place coming  soon too with my sister's Big Birthday there in March.

 

John and I have most of our biggest trips your side of the ocean as it works so well with a visit to half our family in their home in Toronto and we enjoy every one.

Next year will be a first for us; first time Cunard, first TA.  QM2 Southampton to New York then another week on the ship to Quebec before the visit to Toronto. We have time now to go this way after all those years at work. The flight back to Heathrow  will be the low point !

We enjoy wherever we go and feel privileged to have seen so  much of our wonderful world.

 

Thank you to Carol and yourself for giving so much time and effort to share your journeys, many of us enjoy them with you

Looking forward to the next time, 

Sandra

[QueenP]

Lol thoroughly enjoyed your description of Heathrow, our last trek through there was pretty much exactly as you described! Great review as always Norris, but if you loved Norway, you really should have New Zealand in your sights.....

 

Looking forward to your next review, dont forget to let us know on the Az board that you are underway!

Penny

[MJSailors]

   Thank you,Norris and Carol for another very  interesting review in both words and photos. As others have posted ,we probably will not travel to Norway. Although, the photos of the places you visited there convey a lovely country to discover.

   London is one of our favorite cities. Your choice of hotel was exceptional both for its’ ambiance and location. The garden adjacent to the hotel must have been a bonus for Carol as I think that she enjoys visiting botanical gardens as do I.

     In life, timing can be everything. I am sure that if the London Opera season had begun, you would have enjoyed a

performance at that lovely opera hall. Hopefully, you will have a opportunity to do so on a subsequent visit to London.

     My DH and I are looking forward to reading about your experiences sailing on the new Sky Princess this coming January. We were booked on a March 7th cruise on the Sky,but our  vacation plans have changed due to an airline cancelling flights to Bermuda this month. 

We had to reconsider vacation plans which are now a Bermuda golf vacation in March( fingers crossed the flights don’t get cancelled again) and a cruise on the Sky at a future date TBD.

      Wishing you and Carol a happy holiday season with little snow and much cheer.

See you on CC next year !

[Deck Chair Queen]

I too am sorry to see this review come to an end. It’s my first time seeing Norris’s photos, as he won’t let me look at them until he has worked to perfect them. He catches a lot that I miss so enhances my experience immeasurably. This was one of our most memorable cruises, unequalled in its combination of breathtaking scenery, history, and architecture. Usually you only get one or two of the three in one cruise. In London I got to cross “ high tea in a fancy London hotel” off my bucket list but alas bad timing prevented me from satisfying another, which was attending an opera at Coventr Garden.  Seeing my cousin (more like a sister to me) was an added bonus. For those of you who have said your plans don’t include cruising the Norwegian fjords, you really should reconsider. Along with the glaciers of Alaska these are special places you can truly only experience from a ship. The sailaway from Flam was the most beautiful and varied of any in my cruising experience and that even includes Venice. As a Chicagoan I never let weather ruin any experience. Just dress for it, is our motto. Thank you all for your kind wishes and keen appreciation of good witty writing and excellent photography.

 

Warmest regards, Carol

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Deck Chair Queen

[pd7277]

On 11/7/2019 at 10:06 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Onto a plane. Economy Plus which lives up to its name and strapped in for a daytime journey home. Window seat and Carol is next to me. Neither plan to sleep so we are in tune with Chicago even though we have got up 6 hours earlier than it has.

Hi Norris - Excellent review as usual!

 

Question for you, we are attending a destination wedding in Ireland in August and were looking at United's Premium Economy seats (is that what you meant above)?  If so, what did you think of them?  Wish we could swing the Business class there, but will probably just do the Premium Economy both ways.  When I look at the pictures available they appear to be the size of first class seats on a domestic flight with a 2-3-2 configuration in the cabin.  Do you agree?

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, macsford said:

Norris, as always I have enjoyed your narrative, great photos, humour and musical references (nobody does it better. )

This time, as well as enjoying Norway, you have reminded me that London is only 4 hours by car or, more sensibly, nearly half that by train from North Yorkshire. It has been too long since our last to London and it is time to return there soon.

 Beautiful N. Ireland another  not visited often enough place coming  soon too with my sister's Big Birthday there in March.

 

John and I have most of our biggest trips your side of the ocean as it works so well with a visit to half our family in their home in Toronto and we enjoy every one.

Next year will be a first for us; first time Cunard, first TA.  QM2 Southampton to New York then another week on the ship to Quebec before the visit to Toronto. We have time now to go this way after all those years at work. The flight back to Heathrow  will be the low point !

We enjoy wherever we go and feel privileged to have seen so  much of our wonderful world.

 

Thank you to Carol and yourself for giving so much time and effort to share your journeys, many of us enjoy them with you

Looking forward to the next time, 

Sandra

 

Sandra, thanks a million for gracing yet another of my reviews. I think this was number 16? since August 2011. 

Thanks for all the compliments and I'll try to surpass your expectations with each review. They are all written off the cuff and usually in a hurry but that's just my life at the moment. I'll be less busy in January.

 

London I will never put on the back burner again. When I lived there I had a busy day job with a lot of driving around the beautiful southern counties (mainly but I went as far North as Norfolk and Cambridgeshire) and then at the weekend playing in a band so a day off was seldom and when I had one it was spent at home in my nice garden apartment in leafy Dulwich so I didn't go out sightseeing much. I have always remembered it fondly though, apart from being burglarized 3 times (garden apartment downside). So I adored my time there and the first hotel I ever stayed in , in London, turned out to be the Royal Horseguards this August. 

 

Northern Ireland, besides an ugly sectarian past which I lived through from 1968 to summer 1970 and then from late 72 to 74, is indeed a beautiful landscape and the good people there-the majority-are people I never tire of, for their wit and their warmth. I rarely go home but when I do

I immediately feel welcome and in Ulster you are not a stranger for long. America was a shock for me in that way-people keep to themselves with strangers more than I was used to.

On our Norway cruise, which was mainly populated by British people Carol remarked to me how when she met people in those long corridors they said good morning. She thought that refreshing-and so do I. Where does your sister live in N Ireland? I haven't traveled much in my own birthplace I will admit and know England better.

 

Carol is gung-ho on TA crossings, me-Mr Port Excursion Man, less so, but I have said that if I do one it will have to be on Queen Mary 2, built for that purpose. Hopefully we will do such a thing when retired.

 

Thanks again for your response.

See you in January on the 26th I hope!

Norris

 

 

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, pd7277 said:

Hi Norris - Excellent review as usual!

 

Question for you, we are attending a destination wedding in Ireland in August and were looking at United's Premium Economy seats (is that what you meant above)?  If so, what did you think of them?  Wish we could swing the Business class there, but will probably just do the Premium Economy both ways.  When I look at the pictures available they appear to be the size of first class seats on a domestic flight with a 2-3-2 configuration in the cabin.  Do you agree?

 

We are always willing to pay the extra for Economy Plus for the extra legroom and have even flown to Munich and Rome in those seats. Normal economy is torture in comparison. Business class as I have just shown and which we have used several times for 8 hour flights is the way to go but at a stiff premium. Business getting there (in the dark usually so your body will want to sleep if you car coming from the USA) and Economy Plus back to the USA in daylight when you want to stay awake, is our preferred method and it worked a charm this trip.

 

The configuration depends on the plane-I came back from somewhere (Frankfurt?) where I was in the middle on a 3-5-3. That was a long flight as I am Mr Window Seat with a camera guy. I was sat next to a German guy who would be described as "special needs" on his way to a new job in the USA  and he helped the hours pass. His optimistic spirit was uplifting. I felt humbled by my good fortune.

 

Norris

[perfect match]

Norris and Carol, thank you both for another great review! I have enjoyed every minute of the journey. 😎 I will be looking forward to your Sky Princess sailing. Our good friends will be on her a few weeks before you, but they don’t take as many pictures as you do, so thank you in advance for filling in the gaps for me! 😃

 

On 11/5/2019 at 12:32 AM, Bimmer09 said:

 

Nancy, where was your land trip? We just had a quick 3 day driving tour to Northern Michigan with not the best weather but fantastic nonetheless. 960 miles in 3 days.

 

We are choosing excursions for the Sky Princess cruise and will be happy to have the sun on our faces again. We will be eating ashore at some ports which is my favorite thing. I'm looking forward to Roatan as the swimming is good there near where the ship docks. I never swim on the ships. 

 

I know about busy days and they have kept me away from the computer more than normal when writing a review. January is not a busy month for me.

 

Coming to the end so thanks for sticking with this!

Norris

 

Our recent land trip was to the Ft Lauderdale area. Things were a bit different than usual on this trip, as they were deep in preparation for the annual International Boat Show, which was to begin several days after we left the area. We got to see them installing the miles of temporary docks and all of the amenities that go along with them which are necessary for the arrival of all of the mega yachts. While I missed seeing the regular yachts, who had to move out to make room for the Boat Show, it was interesting to see all the preparation work taking place, and the arrival of many of the boats coming in for the show. I figured a ship nerd like you would love to see all that was going on there, so, yes, I thought of you during our Ft Lauderdale stay. 

[hockeyguru32]

On 11/5/2019 at 10:50 AM, Bimmer09 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you're in my neck of the woods but in Ontario Canada. A hour east of me we have a London Ontario, Chatham Ontario (my hometown) and surrounding Chatham we have a Dover Township and of course if you're a motorcycle enthusiast every Friday the 13th we all head to Port Dover, Ontario.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

21 hours ago, QueenP said:

Lol thoroughly enjoyed your description of Heathrow, our last trek through there was pretty much exactly as you described! Great review as always Norris, but if you loved Norway, you really should have New Zealand in your sights.....

 

Looking forward to your next review, dont forget to let us know on the Az board that you are underway!

Penny

 

Hi, Penny  and thanks for following  our adventure!

I for sure will post a link on the AZ board when I post the Azamara Pursuit review on the X Board as the Az board is not a very active board regardless of what anyone on there says-the numbers speak for themselves. 

The Princess one will only appear on the Princess board on January 26th so look out for it there.

NZ alas can only happen once we are retired and can take off the time needed to do it justice after very long flights.

Cheers!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

19 hours ago, MJSailors said:

   Thank you,Norris and Carol for another very  interesting review in both words and photos. As others have posted ,we probably will not travel to Norway. Although, the photos of the places you visited there convey a lovely country to discover.

   London is one of our favorite cities. Your choice of hotel was exceptional both for its’ ambiance and location. The garden adjacent to the hotel must have been a bonus for Carol as I think that she enjoys visiting botanical gardens as do I.

     In life, timing can be everything. I am sure that if the London Opera season had begun, you would have enjoyed a

performance at that lovely opera hall. Hopefully, you will have a opportunity to do so on a subsequent visit to London.

     My DH and I are looking forward to reading about your experiences sailing on the new Sky Princess this coming January. We were booked on a March 7th cruise on the Sky,but our  vacation plans have changed due to an airline cancelling flights to Bermuda this month. 

We had to reconsider vacation plans which are now a Bermuda golf vacation in March( fingers crossed the flights don’t get cancelled again) and a cruise on the Sky at a future date TBD.

      Wishing you and Carol a happy holiday season with little snow and much cheer.

See you on CC next year !

 

MJ, thanks for reading all the way through! 

Sky Princess will be the newest ship we have ever sailed on and we liked the Regal Princess plus we like Caribbean weather versus Chicago in January! It's snowing in Chicago as I type.

We have been to all of the ports before so there will be a lot of ship discovery photos as she has some enhancements over the Regal.

Yes the hotel in London was very well-placed for us and just our style (quiet)

We'll be back at the Marriott harbor beach in Ft Lauderdale....in 67 days!

Back at you with the Holiday Season greetings and wishes!

Norris

[MJSailors]

Hello Norris

      My DH and I were looking forward to experiencing  the Sky Princess as we have visited the ports on the itinerary many times and did not plan to get off the ship very much.

        Cruising on a new ship is a pleasant vacation. We have been on the Sapphire, Crown and Regal during their first year of  each of their sailing histories.   So,we anticipated enjoying the Sky Princess, but,for now,we will enjoy your photos and commentary after your January cruise.

        I have been looking at the repositioning cruise for the Sky next November, sailing from Brooklyn (a home   port for us) to Ft Lauderdale. One of the ports is Aruba,which we would enjoy visiting again. I haven’t discussed this cruise with DH yet,as we will need to see how our travel budget looks for next Fall/Winter.

     No snow here on LI, actually today is mild with sunshine. That is not going to last long though according to tomorrow’s prediction. Hoping your snow does not reach us as the landscaper has not gathered up the leaves for a Fall clean-up yet!

 Take care !

[Bimmer09]

On 11/9/2019 at 10:25 AM, afto said:

OH NO!!! Hope there was no lasting damage!

 

Afto, none at all, despite soaking at the waterfall in Lysefjord and then being flung into a quagmire twice at the Botanic Gardens. Cleaned up and worked immediately with no ill effects.

Canon=tough!

Thanks for asking.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

8 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Hello Norris

      My DH and I were looking forward to experiencing  the Sky Princess as we have visited the ports on the itinerary many times and did not plan to get off the ship very much.

        Cruising on a new ship is a pleasant vacation. We have been on the Sapphire, Crown and Regal during their first year of  each of their sailing histories.   So,we anticipated enjoying the Sky Princess, but,for now,we will enjoy your photos and commentary after your January cruise.

        I have been looking at the repositioning cruise for the Sky next November, sailing from Brooklyn (a home   port for us) to Ft Lauderdale. One of the ports is Aruba,which we would enjoy visiting again. I haven’t discussed this cruise with DH yet,as we will need to see how our travel budget looks for next Fall/Winter.

     No snow here on LI, actually today is mild with sunshine. That is not going to last long though according to tomorrow’s prediction. Hoping your snow does not reach us as the landscaper has not gathered up the leaves for a Fall clean-up yet!

 Take care !

 

MJ, we have only booked excursions in Roatan and Belize so far and they are land-based ones and kind of stopping to smell the roses as opposed to adventure ones on catamarans. I do love the beach by the ship within the cruise port gates-the one with the chairlift. No Mayan ruins as they aren't our thing. I've been to Tulum many years ago. Georgetown, Grand Cayman was a port I often stayed on the ship to enjoy the quiet when I visited there every Monday 33 years ago now or if I did go ashore it was with crew mates to 7 Mile Beach (sublime) for a swim and a few beers. We did the stingray sandbar and turtle farm on the Reflection two years ago and Hell is not much to see so lives up to its name when it comes to interesting us.

So I am trying to pick a scenic place with good food in Georgetown so we can have a nice lunch.

If you have any recommendations I'd be happy to hear them. Eating ashore is a thing I have come to love to do. Cozumel doesn't appeal to Carol so I may go off the ship myself as I enjoy seeing it again and there are enough reasons to take a camera.

 

I have little doubt that the ship will be the star and you'll see a lot of pictures.

 

You mention sailing out of Brooklyn and that was something we did on the Regal and it ranks high as a sail away experience. We have loved New York for years and met there at the Opera 25 years ago. 

 

Aruba-we did that again on Crown Princess and I found a good place on the water to eat there.

West Deck, Aruba

 

take care and thanks for your comments!

Norris

[MJSailors]

Hello Norris

    We have taken one cruise to the Western Caribbean on the Regal Princess a few years ago.

       The one recommendation I can offer is in Cozumel. We had lunch at Pancho’s Backyard located on the main road across from the water. They serve very good food and margaritas. I am not sure if they have Guinness, but they must have a selection of Mexican beer.

      I recall that there is a lovely shop attached to the restaurant ( or maybe it is nearby). They had a nice selection of merchandise and a relaxed approach towards customers. This was much appreciated as we walked a distance on that main road and shopkeepers were almost grabbing us to come inside their stores.

    I think you might find more info and reviews of Pancho’s on Trip Advisor. 

    I recall Seven Mile Beach as a very pretty place with fine,white sand.

As for Roatan, it was pouring rain the day the ship docked there,so we did not get off the ship. 

      We have sailed out of NY harbor many times and it never gets tiresome for us. I grew up in the NYC  borough of Queens and started visiting Manhattan at a young age  with my mother with shopping trips and our annual Christmas show treat at Radio City followed by a lunch at Schrafts. 

      After college, I worked for several months for Lord and Taylor before securing a teaching position. My DH and I have lived on eastern LI for the past 35 years. For many years,we made frequent trips into the City to enjoy Broadway shows, opera at the Met and some favorite museums. In our retirement, we seem to have switched our focus to visiting other places so we haven’t been to the City recently.

         Anyway, I think I have rambled on a bit.

My DH has been reading your review. He is still in the London part ,pre-cruise. I heard him chuckling today as he was reading. He appreciates your humor.

         We look forward to those Sky  photos! I would also like to hear about Carol’s take on the re-designed Sanctuary. I have seen renderings and photos of the furniture/cushions and they do not look comfortable. Maybe they are better in person.

 

 

[Bimmer09]

13 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Hello Norris

    We have taken one cruise to the Western Caribbean on the Regal Princess a few years ago.

       The one recommendation I can offer is in Cozumel. We had lunch at Pancho’s Backyard located on the main road across from the water. They serve very good food and margaritas. I am not sure if they have Guinness, but they must have a selection of Mexican beer.

   

         We look forward to those Sky  photos! I would also like to hear about Carol’s take on the re-designed Sanctuary. I have seen renderings and photos of the furniture/cushions and they do not look comfortable. Maybe they are better in person.

 

 

Thanks for the Cozumel recommendation,MJ.

We will be booking the Sanctuary for the week once onboard, as we usually do in the Caribbean.

I won't be surprised if they have cut corners in the deck furniture there. I think I may have seen the same photos as you. As long as it remains quiet....We'll see for ourselves in January.

Norris

[macsford]

Where does your sister live in N Ireland? I haven't traveled much in my own birthplace I will admit and know England better.

 

Carol is gung-ho on TA crossings, me-Mr Port Excursion Man, less so, but I have said that if I do one it will have to be on Queen Mary 2, built for that purpose. Hopefully we will do such a thing when retired.

 

Norris, My sister is still in Bangor, where I grew up for 18 years, followed by 3 years in Belfast (R.V.H.) where I met John . Rest of my life in England South then North. That's how I recognise any youthful references and pictures of yours .

 

I too had reservations about 6 days at sea but aim to enjoy everything QM2 can offer. When it works out this time we can try the Eastbound because that jetlag is harder. The downside Eastbound on a ship is only 23 hour days to enjoy it  but I'm sure we could cope!

 

Our younger son, in Toronto for the last 16 years, recommends your city, Chicago for a few days  on one of our visits to them ; it may happen as we always add something on to our visit. Last year was Alaska cruise which was my best ever for my Big Birthday.

 

Looking forward to seeing you in January,

  Sandra 

 

 

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 11/10/2019 at 7:20 PM, Deck Chair Queen said:

I too am sorry to see this review come to an end. It’s my first time seeing Norris’s photos, as he won’t let me look at them until he has worked to perfect them. He catches a lot that I miss so enhances my experience immeasurably. This was one of our most memorable cruises, unequalled in its combination of breathtaking scenery, history, and architecture. Usually you only get one or two of the three in one cruise. In London I got to cross “ high tea in a fancy London hotel” off my bucket list but alas bad timing prevented me from satisfying another, which was attending an opera at Coventr Garden.  Seeing my cousin (more like a sister to me) was an added bonus. For those of you who have said your plans don’t include cruising the Norwegian fjords, you really should reconsider. Along with the glaciers of Alaska these are special places you can truly only experience from a ship. The sailaway from Flam was the most beautiful and varied of any in my cruising experience and that even includes Venice. As a Chicagoan I never let weather ruin any experience. Just dress for it, is our motto. Thank you all for your kind wishes and keen appreciation of good witty writing and excellent photography.

 

Warmest regards, Carol

 

 

Thanks to both of you for a great trip report!  I second the recommendation of Norway, the fjords are amazing.  As were the switchback trips up the mountains!  Beautiful country!

[macsford]

we are attending a destination wedding in Ireland in August and were looking at United's Premium Economy seats (is that what you meant above)?  If so, what did you think of them?  Wish we could swing the Business class there, but will probably just do the Premium Economy both ways.

 

Hi pd 7277

 

I can't comment on United but have lots of experience with BA. 

 

My own thoughts are that business class would  probably be worth  it flying East if I could sleep on a flight. The reality is that I cannot sleep.

Probably not worth a lot for a daylight flight. 

 

As a frequent transatlantic  traveller my thought is that for me Premium Economy is worth every penny, or in your case every cent. Lots more room, seat inclines more, footrest, small cabin and some other extras.

Does not cost a great amount more than economy but is a lot less than Business class.

Enjoy Ireland.

Sandra.

 

[Onelung]

Many thanks as always for a great review Norris (and Carol's note taking).  I don't comment much, but I read it all and usually get all the musical references.  Looking forward to your Azarama report in January - have a great trip.

 

P.S. I used to live in Dulwich in an attic flat that kept getting burgled too 🙂

 

[pd7277]

7 hours ago, macsford said:

Hi pd 7277

 

I can't comment on United but have lots of experience with BA. 

 

My own thoughts are that business class would  probably be worth  it flying East if I could sleep on a flight. The reality is that I cannot sleep.

Probably not worth a lot for a daylight flight. 

 

As a frequent transatlantic  traveller my thought is that for me Premium Economy is worth every penny, or in your case every cent. Lots more room, seat inclines more, footrest, small cabin and some other extras.

Does not cost a great amount more than economy but is a lot less than Business class.

Enjoy Ireland.

Sandra.

 

Sandra - Thanks for your input.  The $2,000 US it would cost is just too steep and will pay for our hotel for multiple nights.  I'm planning on booking the Premium Economy (mostly to get the "2" in the 2-3-2 or 2-4-2 configurations).  The window and not having a stranger to cuddle with will be welcome.  Maybe we can get a mileage upgrade on the way over.

 

Anyway, thanks,

Peggy

Edited November 13, 2019 by pd7277

[Bimmer09]

8 hours ago, Onelung said:

Many thanks as always for a great review Norris (and Carol's note taking).  I don't comment much, but I read it all and usually get all the musical references.  Looking forward to your Azarama report in January - have a great trip.

 

P.S. I used to live in Dulwich in an attic flat that kept getting burgled too 🙂

 

 

Thanks for reading it and for the nice compliment!

I won't be on Azamara In January I'll be on Princess. Azamara is October 3 to 10 from Rome to Venice via Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. Sky Princess January 18 to 25 W.Caribbean.

 

I lived in quiet Mundania Road in Dulwich. The only thing I had stolen that had real value to me was a group of photos of my mother when she was young (she died when she was 51 but these were when she was half that age). The photos were in a wallet with some cash.

 

Apart from that it was a nice place to live.

Cheers!

Norris, hoping you'll again say Hi in my reviews.

[Bimmer09]

22 hours ago, macsford said:

Where does your sister live in N Ireland? I haven't traveled much in my own birthplace I will admit and know England better.

 

Carol is gung-ho on TA crossings, me-Mr Port Excursion Man, less so, but I have said that if I do one it will have to be on Queen Mary 2, built for that purpose. Hopefully we will do such a thing when retired.

 

Norris, My sister is still in Bangor, where I grew up for 18 years, followed by 3 years in Belfast (R.V.H.) where I met John . Rest of my life in England South then North. That's how I recognise any youthful references and pictures of yours .

 

I too had reservations about 6 days at sea but aim to enjoy everything QM2 can offer. When it works out this time we can try the Eastbound because that jetlag is harder. The downside Eastbound on a ship is only 23 hour days to enjoy it  but I'm sure we could cope!

 

Our younger son, in Toronto for the last 16 years, recommends your city, Chicago for a few days  on one of our visits to them ; it may happen as we always add something on to our visit. Last year was Alaska cruise which was my best ever for my Big Birthday.

 

Looking forward to seeing you in January,

  Sandra 

 

 

 

 

Sandra, I am very familiar with Bangor, a pretty seaside resort town. I spent a lot of time there in my teens and early 20's and last time I was over treated myself and my sister and teenage daughter to a helicopter flight down the Ards peninsula, over to Portavogie and then up to Bangor before returning to Newtownards. That's something I will do again when I return, hopefully in 2021.

Bangor, County Down 

(Getty Images)

 

Chicago, say in May, would be a great tourist destination. In summer it is mobbed with tourists and gets very hot. It's a city of flowers, parks, open air concerts, outdoor dining and sailboats.

 

"see you" in January.

Norris

[macsford]

Norris, many thanks for that great picture.

I love the whole County, the peninsula is all beautiful and what a great helicopter ride it must have been.

Sandra