I've got the vacation blues and am ready to set sail.
Unfortunately, the timing is still off for me. Are you traveling now or waiting on the "covid situation" to improve. It seems like some destinations are opening up while other close back down! And as much as I like to cruise, being stuck on a ship for weeks on end in port doesn't sound appealing at all, so I guess I will wait for the time being. Currently, I am looking at booking a trip in April or May 2022 (which seems too far away!) I picked up this book to pass the time. Have you read it?
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See you on the high seas!
 Time Flies.. As I look back on this year, with the 4th of July just around the corner, I confess that 2017 has been a mild, mellow ride; I’ve celebrated wonderfully unforgettable moments but have also traveled far less than I normally do. This is a travel year for so many people, but for my family, it has been a year of healing and feathering the nest.  Adjusting to a new neighborhood in a new state...  But things are coming together, bit by bit. Life has a funny way of doling out surprises — one day is never like another. Some days I feel as though I’m resting atop a beautiful mountain and others I am sitting at its bottom, the only view uphill. Work has been changing for me, evolving and growing, which is great, but it is taking more and more of my time.  It's been a lot of late nights and early mornings. Don't misunderstand, I’m grateful and truly blessed. My family is healthy, happy and I’m doing what I love, but travel is taking a back seat. I’ve cancelled or postponed more trips than I have completed this year. But I did manage to go to Iceland and visit a couple of favorite spots so far.  Iceland was amazing!  Nature and city life existing well together. To read more about Iceland click here and here or hit the tag. Since I haven't left New Mexico much this year, most of my time has been spent learning more about the area via short day trips and weekend road trips. There are many cool parks, nature areas and events close by.  There is a lot to see and do in New Mexico!  (Shiprock)  Plus I'm tired and just wanna sleep, lol  I almost forgot... I did manage to squeeze some time out for fun in New York. Read about some of those adventures here.
I think next year will see us traveling much more and I know 2019 we will be leaving for Asia and MAJOR adventures there. #Excited So this time in New Mexico is much needed as we plan the trip and work out the details. I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months bring! See you at the airport~  So after leaving Iceland (Insert sobbing because I didn't want to leave) we went to back New York for a few days more days. (Read about the January trip here.) It was a non stop, pleasant night flight from Iceland to JFK. When we arrived in NYC it was much colder than in Iceland and a huge storm was on the way. We left NYC a few days later just as the blizzard was hitting the East coast. Well actually we left 4 hours before they shut the airports down due to the blizzard hitting full force! #Goodtiming  My meal on the plane was actually very good. :D  Hello NYC!  Good flight and we arrived in NYC with no problems, but the immigration experience was not pleasant. But we made it...  Finally free from security!  Random airport shop pict.     We didn't pick up anything much for people as we were loaded up on Icelandic candy, lol  Some of these actually made it home!  But speaking of eating..this was an AMAZING VEGAN BURGER. My friend from Rockville Center took me out to eat..don't remember the name of the place.  Meanwhile my son was eating his weight in deep dish pizza!  I went back to Rockville Center to see friends one more time as the weather began to change. And then back across town to the hotel. I have video of the cab ride, but it's pretty blurry. So use your imagination...NYC at night is really cool. :D  Calling the Hilton home for a few days..  #Hardworking Meanwhile outside it had begun to get colder and snow..  See the snow?  But never fear, the hotel had it's own Starbucks!  #Yummy  The room-  The hotel was nice.   Peter Thomas Roth :D  Still had jet lag...seems like it was getting worse.  But I was up to see an amazing sunrise. Another amazing day and a new adventure begins!  To be continued in another post... See you at the airport!  We haven't done this in forever! Let's play "What the Hell have I been posting" okay? In no particular order here are a few of my latest posts on IG and a brief explanation.  This was taken in Freshark in New York. I adore their fresh food and visited daily for the smoothies and Vegan burgers! (Read about it HERE) I was in New York in January and again a few days ago, so it would seem like this is going to be a good year for traveling!  Ahhhh New York!  From one of the last 4 plane rides, lol  Iceland for the win! I have been blogging some about the recent trip to Iceland. Check here and here or just hit the Iceland tag here.  Coffee and postcards - #Iceland  :0 Really pretty handmade jewelry in New Mexico. I may have returned ready to shop, lol. I actually have a ton of pictures from this trip I need to sort and write about. Isn't the jewelry amazing?  Long Socks from Sockdreams The weather has been so, so crazy!
1st trip to NYC and it was snowing, and it was colder there than in Iceland! 2nd trip to NYC and it's spring like weather, until the day after we leave and a blizzard hits! OMG! #WTF?? I'm so glad for my cozy socks, and to be back home - let it snow! Catch you later-  As you may recall from this post I recently went to New York. We had an amazing time! I had business in Long Island and Rockville, (yes, thats an actual place) and then had some free time. Here is a bit of this adventure...  Freshark in Rockville, NY.  Excellent place for smoothies and juice. I ate there, errr 3 times this visit. They aren't cheap but the food is fresh and organic. They source local produce and are always busy. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. Here is the link to their menu if you want to see for yourself. Menu  I ate this veggie quinoa burger Every time I went in. Plus had the PB Protein Smoothie. This burger is made from organic quinoa, lentils, sweet potatoes, and fresh veggies. It's made in house, too.   I noticed as I was walking around Rockville - its decorated with ornamental cabbage. Kinda made me hungry..  When I wasn't thinking of grazing, I was shopping, lol  Cool stuff for the new house!   Look! Straight outta the movies!  One evening I got take away from Parmagianni's - I ordered a eggplant sandwich with vegan cheese that was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had in my life. OMG  My son wolfed down this pizza in a second. The food was really good.  Then it turned off cold again and started snowing. #Yikes! But of course it was January so what do you expect, right?  It was a really enjoyable few days. I promise to take tons of pictures when I return in February.
See you at the airport -   I love late night flights. JetBlue runs a nonstop flight from ABQ to JFK leaving at midnight MT and arriving around 6:00 a.m. New York time. The fare is affordable enough you can upgrade to "more room" seats and still afford to take your luggage, lol. It was coldish in Albuquerque, around 22' F so I was very glad to see the shuttle bus.  Yeah, warm shuttle!  When we left the airport was very quiet. The shuttle driver informed me that this was the only plane leaving at this time, so we breezed through security with the rest of our fellow passengers. Oh and if you are thinking of booking, plan ahead. This flight was almost full - I'm glad I booked well in advance.  It was a busy day, running last second errands and getting everything ready to leave. I try to purchase what I think I'm gonna need (like travel adapters, extra cords, etc) ahead of time and not rely on the airport shops. Most of the airport shops in ABQ were closed, but a few cafes were still open as people had one last beer or taco, lol. We boarded quickly and were off...   I have read nightmare stories about JetBlue, but honestly have never had any problems flying with them. (And honestly I don't know of anyone else that has.) #Propaganda? I don't know, everyone can have an "off day" but thankfully this was a good time to fly.  We had a smooth flight and arrived in NYC ahead of schedule. #Win  From there it was Uber to a nice hotel and breakfast. I called the hotel in advance to make sure we could get an early check-in. Our room was ready for us at 6:30 a.m. with no extra charge. #AnotherWin It really does pay to become "members" of your fav hotel chains. They often go out of their way to help you. We ate breakfast and took a nap before for the next adventure began.  Bring on the good food and fun!  Veggie Quinoa Burger for lunch! :o  Next Post will be New York Adventures...
See you at the airport!  It's great to be back in New York again. I have a list of NEW VEGAN places to check out while I'm here and a few new things I want to do. There is never enough time to do/see everything, even those this city never sleeps! The flight in was lovely and the weather is better than I expected. Plus it's always nice to return to NYC, any time of the year.  Check out my twitter and IG accounts for live pictures as I continue to explore this amazing city. I don't think I will have time to write much until things settle down, meaning I may not blog about this until March. (Not kidding) #TrueStory
Catch you later-  It's great being back in New York. I started this trip from ABQ (New Mexico) you can read about it here, if you haven't already. I'm also attempting to catch up on some of the old posts I have started but never bothered to finish, like the Strawberry post and a few others. #WishMeLuck Anyway, here are a few random bits of my adventures from this week... I had business in Rockville, yes, thats an actual place. (See map) Rockville is a commuter community connected to New York by the Long Island Rail Road. So you are really close to everything but also have a nice small town feel too. I finished up with clients and headed to Freshark a few times each day. The food was really good, not cheap, but good. Lunch for two - Smoothes and sandwiches will cost you $40usd - But its all fresh and locally sourced and really good. I recommend it -  Last post you saw my burger and smoothie. Well I had that same order 3 more times, lol!  I know, boring same old food. But when its that good you repeat! When I find good vegan food I stick with it! So when I wasn't in Freshark I was roaming around exploring. The city is pretty safe and on the weekend lots of people are out walking aroud shopping and relaxing.  Rockville was decorated with ornamental cabbages everywhere. Pretty, but different.  The area has a small town vibe.  The weather turned off as I was walking around and the temp really dropped. Then it started snowing! But I kept shopping, lol.  I almost bought a set of lamps for the new house, but decided to wait until I came back from Europe.   Those are fake ice icicles - but it started snowing!   The city center has shops, bars, clubs and cafes.  Brrr  When in doubt buy local produce..  Or pizza!  I also ordered an amazing eggplant sandwich the following day. No pictures as I ate it like I was starving... But it was really good! Next post will be on my Iceland Adventures!
Catch you later-   We arrived a few days early in Southampton. It's September and it's time to make the crossing again. I was whining and crying about leaving the UK - but the cruise was lovely. We had a wonderful time. The seas were smooth, the food was great and service is always top notch with Cunard. This was our 3 trip to date sailing with them. Read about the first trip here and our trip in January here. We have made the crossing with other cruise lines, and each has its perks. But for overall calmness Cunard wins hands down. I just like to be left alone- let me lie in the sun, gamble or read. I don't need constant stimulation - I want to relax for God's sake. This voyage we sailed from Southampton (UK) to New York City (USA).  Had bags delivered to the hotel.  Once again we are taking 2 seasons worth of clothing with us. Both coats and sundresses are packed.  We rode the train down from the North.  No real images of Southampton.    We lazed out and ate take out while in Southampton. #GoodTimes And didn't do much else. The cruise terminal is very organized and there is very little "stand up/wait in line/move one foot and stand in line" like some places I've been. We arrived, dropped bags, checked in, went through security and then boarded. Easy Peasy.  The terminal  Our boarding group.  I was glad to see the luggage all made it. This ship was 100% full - so we were unable to upgrade - but was still fine. The cabin was big enough.  We then headed down to try the buffet. I    We pushed off and were on our way. Steady sailing to New York.  Here are just random pictures from the 8 days we were on board.                I have a ton of pictures -- so part 2 will probably be all food.             I walked 2 miles every day and then enjoyed just being on deck. The closer we sailed to American the warmer the weather.   Scones, Jam and clotted cream.    Smooth seas~     Much more to come. See you at the airport-
  We spent a few days (and I worked) in New Jersey right after we arrived from England. I am always surprised at how nice, warm and friendly the people are. 'Jersey gets a bad rap in popular culture, but it's a lovely place to visit.  Pretty, right? Not what you would except.  We left the cruise ship in NYC and had a car service pick us up and drive us about 25 miles to the hotel.   Our hotel.      And Shopping right across the street and lots of choice just a block away!  Very nice and great price. Thank you again HOTWIRE for always making sure we get the best deal!   :D  We ate out of course and also had amazing take out too-  I have missed fried Jalapeños  Awesome PIZZA! And I was very surprised and HAPPY to see a Keurig in the hotel room! Hello Coffee!  See you at the Airport! |
Author Welcome to my (I'm excited to travel again) blog, my healthy Vegan lifestyle blog and my life! It's a lot, but it's my passions and I just love to write about it. Visit the "About Me Page" to learn more. 
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