March 22, 2019
My husband John surprised me with a meet and greet with my favorite shoemaker. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Trump Hotel in Chicago
Terrace Restaurant in Trump Hotel
Indoor Pool
Chicago Theater
Author: Maria
Elton John Concert in NYC
March 6, 2019
Elton John – Farewell Yellow Brick Road Concert at Madison Square Garden
At 72 Elton John is still rocking a packed arena. He truly is the best performed John and I have ever seen. What a privilege it was to be so close to a living legend!!!
Hotels We’ve Stayed In :-)
These are some of the fabulous Hotels we were lucky enough spend time in.
**If you would like to skip to any particular area please click on the links below.
Amsterdam, Netherlands – Amstel Hotel – April 8-12, 2013
Andasibe, Madagascar – Vakona Forest Lodge – June 15th – 16th, 2016
Anguilla, Caribbean – Belmond Cap Juluca – April 23, 2017
Asheville, North Carolina – Omni Grove Park Inn – October 23, 2020Â
Athens, Greece– Hotel Grand Bretagne – August 10th – 13th, 2005,
                                           November 3, 2011,
                                           July 12, 2018
Atlanta, GA – Waldorf Astoria – November 2, 2019 – November 5, 2019Â
Austin, Texas – Four Seasons – May 17, 2021 – May 18, 2021
Indonesia –St. Regis – April 11, 2025 – April 12, 2025
Baltimore, Maryland – Four Seasons – October 14, 2020 – October 15, 2020
Bangkok, Thailand – Mandarin Oriental – March 30th & 31st, 2014
Bermuda – The Loren at Pink Beach – November 30, 2025 – December 3, 2025
Bora Bora, French Polynesia – Four Seasons – January 21, 2015 & March 4 & 5th, 2025Â
Boston, MA – XV Beacon – October 11, 2019Â
Big Island, Hawaii – Hilton Hotel – February 28 – March 2, 2017
Cape Town, South Africa – 12 Apostles –April 1st & 2nd, 2009 & May 21, 2025 – May 22, 2025
Charleston, South Carolina – Belmond Charleston Place – October 26, 2020
Charlottesville, Virginia – Albermarle Estate at Trump Winery – October 15, 2020Â
Chicago, IL – Peninsula Hotel – August 30, 2017 – September 1, 2017
              Trump Hotel – March 21, 2019 – March 23, 2019
Cape Neddick, Maine – Cliff House – August 2, 2020 – August 5, 2020
Cincinnati, Ohio – Netherland Plaza Hotel – April 28, 2019Â
Cong, County Mayo, Ireland – Ashford Castle – August 2023
Dallas, Texas – The Joule – May 15, 2021 – May 17, 2021
D.C. – District of Columbia – Trump International Hotel– June 8, 2021
Des Moines, Iowa – Embassy Suites – August 23rd – 24th, 2017
Doonbeg, Ireland – Trump International Doonbeg – August 2023
Dubai, UAE – Raffles – November 22, 2011
              Medinat Jumeirah – September 2, 2019 – September 4, 2019
              Burj Khalifa-Armani-September 4, 2019-September 6, 2019 Â
              Burj Al Arab – September 7, 2019
Eze, France– La Chevre D’Or – May 27, 2019 – May 29, 2019
Florence, Italy– Four Seasons – February 2011
Grand Anse Mahe, Seychelles – Hilton Northolme – June 18th – 22nd, 2016
Grand Rapids, Michigan – Amway Grand Rapids Hotel – April 26, 2019
Honolulu, Hawaii – Ritz Carlton Residences – June 14, 2022 – June 18, 2022
Hot Springs, Virginia – Omni Homestead – October 17, 2020 – Oct 19, 2020Â
Huntington, NY – Oheka Castle – September 2018Â
Jerusalem, Israel – Waldorf Astoria – July 15, 2018
Johannesburg, South Africa – Intercontinental – September 20, 2019Â
Kahuku, Hawaii – Turtle Bay Resort – June 18, 2022 – June 20, 2022
Ko ‘Olina – Hawaii – Disney Aulani – September 13, 2018 – Sept. 20, 2018
September 14th – 21st, 2013
September 7th – 14th, 2014                                                  September 23rd – October 1st, 2016                                          February 23rd – February 28th, 2017
Kruger National Park/South Africa – April 2009
Limerick, Ireland – Adare Manor – August 2023Â
Livingstone, Zambia – Royal Chundu – June 7th – 13th, 2016
Maui, Hawaii – Westin Hotel – March 3rd – 7th, 2017
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Hilton Hotel – August 28, 2017
Montauk, New York – Gurney’s Star Island – October 9, 2020 – Oct 10, 2020
Monte Carlo, Monaco – Hotel De Paris – May 23, 2019 – May 27, 2019
Nairobi, Kenya – Giraffe Manor – September 8, 2019Â
                  Angama Mara – September 9, 2019 – September 13, 2019 Â
                  Salas Camp – September 13, 2019 – September 16, 2019 Â
Nashville, Tennessee – Hermitage Hotel – May 24, 2017 – May 25, 2017
New Orleans, LA – Ritz Carlton – October 28, 2019 – October 31, 2019Â
Newport, RI – Castle Hill – October 9, 2019Â
               The Chanler @ Cliff Walk – October 10, 2019
Orlando, Florida – Ritz Carlton – August 25, 2022 – August 27, 2022
Oceania Cruises Suites – Owners Suite 1 & 2, Oceania Suite, Vista & Penthouse Suite
Palm Beach, Florida – The Breakers – September 22, 2013, October 25, 2015
                        Mar-A-Lago – Members since 2021Â
Papeete, French Polynesia – January 24, 2015
Park City, Utah – St. Regis – September 27, 2016 – September 28, 2016
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania –Â Ritz Carlton – August 8, 2019 – Aug. 10, 2019
Rome, Italy – Westin Excelsior Hotel – February 7th – 20th, 2011
               Ritz Carlton -August 18th – 21st, 2012
               Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri – August 23, 2018
               Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri – June 2, 2019 – June 4, 2019
San Diego, Califonia – The US Grant – September 20, 2022 – September 23, 2022
Sedona, AZ – Enchantment Hotel – September 27- 29, 2010
St. George, Utah – The Inn at Entrada – August 27, 2013 – August 29, 2013
Venice, Italy – Luna Baglioni &Â 2nd time – February 3rd – 5th, 2011 & October 14, 2022
Waikiki, Hawaii – Trump International Hotel – June 20, 2022
Walland, Tennessee – Blackberry Mountain – Oct. 21, 2020 – Oct. 23, 2020
White Sulphur Springs, Virginia – The Greenbrier – Oct. 18, 2020Â
Zakynthos, Greece –Le Sante Blu – July 7, 2018 – July 11, 2018
Zambia, Africa – Royal Chundu – September 17, 2019 – September 20, 2019Â
Aspen, Colorado
January 27, 2019 – February 1, 2019
Today we flew to Aspen, Colorado for our annual ski trip. Our friend Nano Lopez was meeting us there which was cool. I absolutely love Aspen. This was the first time we were there and it will be added to our yearly ski trip.
We normally go to Utah but we figured to branch out and add Colorado to our itinerary as well.
If you would like to see what and where we ate while in Aspen.
Cruises We’ve Done
November 5, 2011 – 18-day cruise from Athens to Dubai – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Nautica
Captain: Leo Stratzinic Cruise Director: David Peterson
Ports: Limassol Cyprus, Jerusalem Israel, Luxor Egypt, Petra & Wadi Rum Jordan, Muscat Oman & Dubai
March 10, 2014 – 21-day cruise from Beijing to Bangkok – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Nautica
Captain: Igor Bencina, General Manager: Giuseppe Bagnato,
F&B Director: Adam Martindale, Cruise Director: Leslie Jon
Ports: Beijing China, Dalian China, Seoul South Korea Shanghai China, Nagasaki Japan, Taipei Taiwan, Hong Kong China, Hanoi Vietnam, Hue/Da Nang Vietnam, Saigon Vietnam, Bangkok Thailand
January 24, 2015 – 18-day cruise from Papeete to Sydney – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Marina
Captain: Captain Vitaliy Silvachynsky, General Manager: Thierry Tholon Cruise Director: Ray Carr, F&B Director: Bert Goebel
Ports: Papeete, Bora Bora, Apia Samoa, Lautoka Fiji, Suva Fiji, Noumea New Caledonia, Brisbane Australia, Sydney Australia, then we went to Hamilton Island Australia and then to New Zealand.
July 24, 2015 – 10-day cruise from Seattle to Seattle – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Regatta
Captain: Maynard Hansen, General Manager: Giuseppe Bagnato
F&B Director: Adam Martindale, Cruise Director: David Peterson
Ports: Seattle, Ketchikan Alaska, Wrangell Alaska, Juneau Alaska, Hubbard Glacier, Skagway Alaska, Sitka Alaska, Victoria Canada, Seattle
December 07, 2016 – 46-day cruise from Rio De Janeiro to Miami – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Marina
Captain: Igor Bencina & Captain: Leo Stratzinic, General Manager: Damien Lacroix, F&B Director: Evan Smith Wilmhelmse, Cruise Director: Peter Roberts
Ports: Rio De Janeiro Brazil, Buzios Brazil, Ilha Grande Brazil, Parati Brazil, Sao Paolo Brazil, Porto Belo Brazil, Rio Grande Brazil, Skipped Punta Del Este Uruguay, Montevideo Uruguay, Buenos Aires Argentina, Montevideo Uruguay, Punta Del Este Uruguay, Puerto Madryn Argentina, Port Stanley Falkland Islands, Ushuaia Argentina, Punta Arenas Chile, Puerto Chacabuco Chile, Puerto Montt Chile, Valparaiso Chile, Coquimbo Chile, Arica Chile, Machu Picchu/Lima Peru, Cusco Peru, Quito Ecuador, Manta Ecuador, Fuerte Amador Panama, Panama Canal Transit, Puerto Limon Costa Rica, Roatan Honduras, Costa Maya Mexico, Miami Florida
May 11, 2018 – 9-day cruise from Miami to Miami – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Sirena
Captain: Giulio Ressa, General Manager: Giuseppe Bagnoti,
F&B Director: Andras Rafajlovics
Ports: Miami Florida, Havana Cuba, Cienfuegos Cuba, Santiago De Cuba Cuba, Great Stirrup Cay Bahamas, Freeport Bahamas, Miami Florida
July 12, 2018 – 42-day cruise from Athens to Rome – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Riviera
Captain: Gunnar Romtveit & Luca Morvillo, General Manager: Thierry Tholon, F&B Director: Evan Smith Wilmhelmse, Cruise Director: Corey Powell
Ports: Athens Greece, Heraklion (Crete) Greece, Jerusalem (Ashdod) Israel, Jerusalem (Haifa) Israel, Limassol Cyprus, Rhodes Greece, Patmos Greece, Santorini Greece, Athens Greece, Mykonos Greece, Rhodes Greece, Santorini Greece, Valletta Malta, Messina (Sicily) Italy, Amalfi/Positano Italy, Ajaccio (Corsica) France, Saint-Tropez France, Barcelona Spain, Toulon France, Cannes France, Monte Carlo Monaco, Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno) Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy, Amalfi/Positano Italy, Taormina (Sicily) Italy, Corfu Greece, Kotor Montenegro, Dubrovnik Croatia, Venice Italy, Koper Slovenia, Rijeka Croatia, Split Croatia, Dubrovnik Croatia, Kotor Montenegro, Argostoli (Cephalonia) Greece, Catania (Sicily) Italy, Amalfi/Positano Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy
November 5, 2018 – 25-day cruise from Miami to Miami – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Sirena
Captain: Giulio Ressa, General Manager: Claudio Melli, Cruise Director: Leslie Jon, F&B Director: Gabriel Ovesea
Ports: Miami Florida, Gustavia St. Barts, Castries St. Lucia, St. George’s Grenada, Port Of Spain Trinidad, Santarem (Amazon River) Brazil, Boca Da Valeria (Amazon River) Brazil, Manaus (Amazon River) Brazil, Parintins (Amazon River) Brazil, Alter Do Chao (Amazon River) Brazil, Devil’s Island French Guiana, Bridgetown Barbados, St. John’s Antigua, San Juan Puerto Rico, Miami Florida.
June 4, 2019 – 37 day cruise from Rome to Miami – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Insignia
Captain: Maroje Brajcic, General Manager: Damien Lacroix, Cruise Director: Ray Carr, Chief Purser: Emmanouil Fifis, F&B Director: Andras Rafajlovics, Restaurant Manager: Ryan Pretorius
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) Italy, Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno) Italy
Monte Carlo Monaco, Barcelona Spain, Valencia Spain, Seville (Cadiz) Spain, Lisbon Portugal, Oporto Portugal, La Coruna Spain, Bilbao Spain, Bordeaux France, London (Southampton) United Kingdom, Liverpool United Kingdom, Belfast Northern Ireland, Dublin Ireland, Cork (Cobh) Ireland, St. John’s Newfoundland, Sydney Nova Scotia, Saint John (Bay Of Fundy) New Brunswick, New York New York, St. George Bermuda, Miami Florida.
October 18, 2022 – 31-day cruise from Bilbao To Miami – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: SirenaCaptain: Pavle Silic General Manager – Yves Segers F&B Director – Branko Damjanovic — Cruise Director Julie & Dotty Kulasa – Chief Purser – Pantelis Avgerinos Chef – Mario Santoro – Restaurant Manager Gorica Knezevic
Ports: Bilbao Spain, Gijon Spain, Portimao Portugal, Lisbon Portugal; Funchal (Madeira), Portugal; Santa Cruz De La Palma, Canary Islands; Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Canary Islands; Arrecife Canary Islands, Agadir Morocco; Casablanca Morocco, Cadiz Spain, Barcelona Spain, Malaga Spain, Funchal (Madeira) Portugal, Hamilton Bermuda, St. George Bermuda, Miami Florida
April 6, 2023 – 21-day cruise from Miami to Rome – Oceania Cruises
Ship Name: Marina
Captain Vitaliy Silvachynsky General Manager Marck Warmenhoven F&B Director: Srdjan Stojadinovic GDR Maitre D Aleksandar Jovic Cruise Director – Peter Roberts
Ports: Miami, Florida, Nassau, Bahamas, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal, Funchal (Madeira), Portugal, Granada (Motril), Spain, Alicante, Spain, Barcelona, Spain, Palma De Mallorca, Spain, Cannes, France, Provence (Marseille), France, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Cinque Terre (La Spezia), Italy Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno), Italy Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
July 1, 2023 – 23-day cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen – Oceania Cruise
Ship Name: Marina
Captain Leo Stratzinic – Cruise Director – Margaret Lynn General Manager – Evan Willemse F&B Branko Damjanovic
Ports: Oslo Norway, Kristiansand Norway, Haugesund Norway, Molde Norway, Kristiansund Norway, Trondheim Norway, Nordfjordeid Norway, Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) Scotland, London (Southampton) Uk, Gothenburg Sweden, Kiel Germany, Kariskrona Sweden, Stockholm Sweden, Helsinki Finland, Tallinn Estonia, Riga Latvia, Visby Sweden, Klaipeda Lithuania, Ronne (Bornholm) Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
October 14, 2023 – 2 day cruise from Miami to Miami
Ship Name: Vista
August 5, 2024 – 24 day cruise from Tromso to London
Ship Name: Marina
Captain Leo Stratzinic GM Susanna Cahyadi F&B Alan Bielovic GDR Maitre D Aleksandar Jovic Cruise Director – Peter Roberts
Ports: Tromso Norway, Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen) Norway, Akureyri Iceland, Paamuit Greenland, Nuuk Greenland, Grundarfjordur Iceland, Reykjavik Iceland, Isafjordur Iceland, Torshavn Faroe Islands Denmark, Glasgow (Greenok) United Kingdom, Falmouth (Cornwall) United Kingdom
December 4, 2024 – 7 day cruise from Miami to Miami
Ship Name: Vista
Captain Vitaliy Silvachynsky GM Yves Segers F&B Marius Neculai Cruise Director – Dottie Kulasa
Ports: Miami Florida, Costa Maya Mexico, Harvest Caye Belize, Roatan Honduras, Cozumel Mexico, Miami Florida
February 25, 2025 – 11 day cruise from Papeete to Barcelona
Ship Name: Nautica
Captain Giulio Ressa & Sasa Milosavljevic GM Claudio Melli & Nicolae Alexandrescu Cruise Director John Clelford & Dottie Kulasa
Ports: Moorea, French Polynesia, Fakarava, French Polynesia, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia, Rangiroa, French Polynesia, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Raiatea, French Polynesia, Papeete (Tahiti), French Polynesia, Huahine, French Polynesia, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Pago Pago, American Samoa, Int’l Date Line West, Apia, Samoa, Suva, Fiji, Lautoka, Fiji, Port Vila (Efate), Vanuatu, Lifou Island, New Caledonia, Noumea, New Caledonia, Whangarei, New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand, Bay Of Islands, New Zealand, Cairns, Australia, Thursday Island, Australia, Darwin, Australia, Kupang West Timor, Indonesia, Waigapu (Sumba), Indonesia, Bali, Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Singapore, Singapore, Melaka, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia, Langkawi, Malaysia, Phuket, Malaysia, Hambantota, Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Cochin, India, Mangalore, India, Goa, India, Male, Maldives, Praslin, Seychelles, Mahe, Seychelles, Nosy Be, Madagascar, Mayotte, French Comoros, Maputo, Mozambique, Richards Bay, South Africa, Durban, South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, Walvis Bay, Namibia, Luanda, Angola, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe, Lome, Togo, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Dakar, Senegal, Mindelo (Sao Vincente), Cape Verde, Santa Cruz De La Palma, Canary Islands, Puerto Del Rosario, Spain, Agadir, Morocco, Granada (Motrin), Spain, Alicante, Spain, Barcelona, Spain
September 9, 2025 – 10 day cruise from Seattle to Seattle
Ship Name: Regatta
Captain Maksym Melnikov – F&B Andre Louis Pretorius – Cruise Director – Peter Roberts GM – Claudio Melli
Ports: Seattle, Ketchikan Alaska, Juneau Alaska, Skagway Alaska, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka Alaska, Victoria Canada, Seattle
February 23, 2026 – 9 day cruise from Barbados to Tampa
Ship Name: Insignia
Captain Leo Strazicic – GM Mariusz lewandowski – F&B Sasa Kostandinovic – Cruise Director Dottie Kulasa Executive concierge Fabio Juliana – Restaurant Manager Loys Villela
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados, Oranjestad, Aruba, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Costa Maya, Mexico, Cozumel, Mexico, Tampa, Florida
Worst Airports
Queenstown – New Zealand
We had the absolute worst experience when we landed at the airport. They should advise you on the plane that they will hassle you! They made us take our shoes off and they scrubbed the bottoms and then they took this handmade purse that was given to me while we were in Bora Bora. I wouldn’t rush to visit New Zealand again because of this!!! Traveling is stressful enough they shouldn’t add more drama to it.
Antananarivo – Madagascar
This was an interesting airport for a few reasons. When we first arrived and walked outside with our luggage we got swarmed by men who were grabbing our luggage to carry it to our taxi. At first, we had no idea just how poor Antananarivo was. We were completely shocked that 7 men carried two bags for us and then they all stood there with their hand out waiting for a tip. Technically we didn’t even need help with our luggage but we gave them all a tip anyway.
When we were leaving our passports and our carry on bags got checked at least 5 or 6 times. The corruption is real! If you can’t trust the airport workers it’s really sad.
Helicopter Rides
If you would like to skip to any particular area please on the links below.
Red Rocks, Utah – August 26th – 29th, 2013
Oahu Hawaii – September 16, 2013
Skagway, Alaska – July 20, 2015
Hamilton Island, Australia – February 15, 2015
Livingstone, Zambia – June 8, 2016
Big Island of Hawaii – March 1, 2017
Thursday Island, Australia – April 5, 2025
Skagway, Alaska – July 20, 2015
Hamilton Island, Australia – February 15, 2015
Livingstone, Zambia –Â June 8, 2016
Big Island of Hawaii –Â March 1, 2017
New Years Eve at Times Square – NYC 2018
December 31, 2018 – January 2, 2019Â
John and I both grew up in New York and we have never seen the ball drop in person so this was a HUGE thing for us to do! It should be on everyone’s bucket list. You hear all the stories and you see it on TV how the pens are filled up and how you can’t get out of the pen once you are in it so to see it in person was something else.
We had the best time and met some really great people. We will do this again one day!
If you would like to see what and where we ate while in NYC.
New Kids On The Block Performance
Christina Aguilera Performance
Miami, Florida
San Juan, Puerto Rico
November 27, 2018
Today John and I took a taxi into Old San Juan, and we walked around a bit. We decided to grab a drink at this place called El Asador Restaurant. While we were there, the bartender gave us a taste of the mushroom risotto, and we were blown away by it, so we decided to have lunch there. We ordered the shrimp risotto and Puerto Rican style pork chops with rice and beans. The entire experience was great. I highly recommend going there.Â
The weird Chucky doll was on someone’s luggage cart so I took a picture of it.
If you would like to see what and where we ate while in San Juan.
