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30 November 2024: Good-bye, Neiuw Statendam, hello, American Airlines, so happy to be with you again, Dear Family, and so grateful to be back home! This has been an epic trip, a LOOOOONNNGGG trip for us, but a personally necessary one, and one filled with miraculous discovery, phenomenal new friends, and unreal exploration of my
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24 to 29 November 2024: Sea Days: The TransAtlantic crossing means that there will be no visible land, except at the very end when we pass the Bahamas when it is already dark outside. The sea was a bit rocky for the first three or four days by some people’s standards. I hear that the
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23 November 2024–Surprise!: We noticed this morning around 8:00 A.M. when we were supposed to dock at Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal, that the ship was still moving. The location of our ship on our room TV showed that the ship was nowhere near the port of Sao Miguel. Rather, the ship was sailing south of
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21-22 November 2024: Sea Days—During sea days, we do not obviously go off the ship. However, there are lots of activities from which to choose throughout the day/evening. There is also lots of food. Because everyone is on board, the venues can get a little bit more crowded at times, but, quite honestly, we have
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20 November 2024–Cadiz, Spain: We pulled into the port of Cadiz, the oldest port in South Spain. Cadiz is an island, a small City in Andalusia, Spain. It is connected to the Magic Triangle of Spain via the Constitution Bridge. I chose to take the tour from Cadiz to Seville, Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain. John chose
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19 November 2024: Malaga, Andalusia, Spain—First and foremost, today we offer prayers for, and send our love to, Uncle Larry Truty. He is having major surgery this morning, and we are keeping him in ur thoughts and prayers. Malaga is one of the southern European cities that compose the Costa del Sol. Well, this morning,
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18 November 2024: Cartagena, Spain—This morning we docked in Cartagena, Spain. This is the first of four ports for this transatlantic repositioning cruise. The port revealed a military/naval enterprise, with frigates being towed out of the narrows into the open Sea. There were cranes suggestive of shipbuilding. Other navy-gray ships of different kinds were at
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16 November 2024: Sail Away, Civitavecchia, Lazio, Italy—November 16 has arrived, and today we returned our leased car to the dealer close to Fiumicino Airport in Rome, rode the dealer’s shuttle to the Fiumicino Airport, met the Holland America transfer at the Airport, rode to the Civitavecchia Port, and boarded the Neiuw Statendam for a
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17 November 2024–Sea Day—St. Bonifacio Strait between Corsica and Sardinia and sailing on the Mediterranean Sea toward Cartagena, Spain—Ship stuff, i.e., eat, eat, Dutch Tea in the afternoon, presentations (on Olives/olive crop/olive oil, olive trees; on possible port excursions, on the ports themselves), Pantheon singers performance, sunset, onboard walking, and such. Sometimes, the water gets
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15 November 2024: Bomarzo, Lazio, Italy—Today is the last day in Rome, and in Italy, really. It marks the end of our incredible stay in this beautiful country! Tomorrow morning, we turn in our car, head to the airport in Rome, wait for the Holland America transfer vehicle, and board our ship, the Nieuw Statendam.
Our Travels 