Author Archives: Sparky
ATW-3 Day 6: Ponta Delgada,Azores
We were treated to an amazing rainbow upon rising. I have never seen such a complete rainbow. And in mostly sunny skies! We had breakfast with Regina again and again she accompanied us into town – Ponta Delgada in this case. The objective was to find some souvenirs and gifts on this, our last port … Continue reading
“The Innocent Man” by John Grisham
Copyright 2006 by Bennington Press Ltd. Published by Bantam Dell, a division of Random House Inc, New York. I grabbed this book before learning that it was one of Grisham’s few non-fiction books. In fact, I didn’t learn that until I started reading it while in Europe on the ATW-2. I don’t often read non-fiction, … Continue reading
ATW-3 Days 4 & 5: At sea
Day 4 started poorly, with the return of our laundry. At usual, the results were less than acceptable. This time they got our clothes mixed up with another cabin and we had to go through and pick ours out. And then we had to deal with the fact that 4 shirts and a pair of … Continue reading
ATW-3 Day 3: Cartagena, Spain
Jett and I visited Cartagena in 2018 on our first – and last – transatlantic cruise. It was aborted when Jett developed a critically low hemoglobin issue which forced us off the ship and landed Jett in the hospital. It was not a happy introduction to Cartagena. But with Jett in the hospital for 4 … Continue reading
ATW-3 Day 2: At sea
Ah, a day at sea! After a month with the stress of driving in Europe and finding hotels, it was a relief to just kick back and relax. The rough seas in the morning made relaxing more difficult, but I managed. We slept in after a late night in the casino. I lost, as usual … Continue reading
ATW-3 Day 1: Embarkation
We rose at 7 am and did our best to consume what was left of our food. We had bread, cheese and our mystery meat for breakfast, with a side of peach jam. Instant coffee, too. We didn’t quite finish the bread, meat and jam and bequeathed them to the cleaning girl. She actually seemed … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 28: Rome, Italy
Our last day in Rome was spent touring the Colosseum and the Roman Forum – the surprisingly large area of ruins surrounding it. We had breakfast in our hotel room, then walked 10 minutes to the Colosseum. The proximity to the Colosseum was one of the main reasons I selected this hotel. We arrived just … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 27: Rome, Italy
Our penultimate (love that word!) day in Europe was low-key. We wandered the city for a while but otherwise just chilled in our room. And played cards which, of course, Marlene won, 2-1. Our meandering route took us up the hill behind the hotel where there were some Roman ruins, past the skate park and … Continue reading
ATW-2 Day 26: Florence to Rome, Italy
Let me tell you about our apartment at the Fattoria il Milione Agriturismo in Florence. This is a rural estate in the hills overlooking Florence. Yes, it is difficult to get to, but worth the trip. Almost everything about this place is fantastic. We had a large apartment with a view down to Florence. The … Continue reading
ATW-2 wrapup
This was the longest and most complex of the 3 ATW segments, taking 28 days of travel by auto through Italy, France, Germany and Austria. We rented a car after two days in Rome and returned it before our final 3 days in Rome (a total of 23 days of auto rental). By the numbers: … Continue reading »