Mike and Sandy Living New Experiences

Author: Mike

  • Welcome to Egypt!

    Mike

    Reading Time: 10 minutesWe are starting this year off with a trip to one of Sandy’s top ten locations in our combined top twenty. It’s a location that we are both surprised that it didn’t make my top ten given the history that we plan to learn firsthand while here. It’s the land of the… Read more

  • Home for the Holidays – the 2025/2026 Entry

    Mike

    Reading Time: 2 minutesIt feels like we have been back in the States for a really long time and I guess we kind of have been. Right about two months for this holiday visit and while it has been great, we are ready to get “home” from vacation – get back to our more usual… Read more

  • Wrapping up Year Number Two

    Mike

    Reading Time: 3 minutesOur week aboard the Independence of the Seas was unfortunately impacted by both of us picking up something shortly before we left the Seaside. It ended up being sinusitis and resulted in us having lower energy levels, sinus pressure aches, runny/stuffy noses, and a little bit of a cough. It didn’t make… Read more

  • Moving from MSC to Royal Caribbean

    Mike

    Reading Time: 5 minutesOur journey on the MSC Seaside continued with three more days at sea and two more days at port. For the sea days, the big activity for me was the continuation and finally completion of our pickleball tournament. It took a long time because it wasn’t easy to get the right four… Read more

  • Crossing the Atlantic to Barbados and Grenada

    Mike

    Reading Time: 6 minutesOn November 1st, we had our first sea day of eight consecutive to get us across the Atlantic from Casablanca to Barbados. This is one of the longer stretches of consecutive sea days on cruise ship itineraries and we weren’t sure how anxious we would be to see land again after eight… Read more

  • Short Stay in Barcelona and then Moving to the MSC Seaside

    Mike

    Reading Time: 6 minutesSaturday was our day to go into town and see what we would remember from our last time in Barcelona, which was way back in 2009. We took the train and metro into the city center and started with Starbucks time at one of the locations on La Rambla – a very… Read more

  • Faleminderit shumë, Albania!

    Mike

    Reading Time: 5 minutesThat means Thank you very much, Albania! We’ve wrapped up our time in Albania, and it is evident from our past several journal entries that we found it to be wonderful. Our last few days in Tirana were no exception. Last Sunday we had another outstanding experience on our journey. During the… Read more

  • More Life in Tirana and Day Trips

    Mike

    Reading Time: 8 minutesWe’ve had another excellent week here in Albania. More living a normal life in Tirana and then getting out to see a little more of the country with a couple of day trips. Our normal life while we are in Tirana is filled mostly with breakfasts and lunches (Greek salads) at home… Read more

  • Life in Tirana and A Quick Look at the South

    Mike

    Reading Time: 6 minutesWe came to Albania to live a relatively quiet month but occasionally throw in some exploration and that is what we have been doing. Over the past week, I have stayed caught up on South Florida football doing well, Florida State football not doing well, and the Bucs continuing to surprise with… Read more

  • The Albanian Alps

    Mike

    Reading Time: 8 minutesOne of the things that I was interested in checking out during our stay in Albania is a popular hike in the Accursed Mountains in the north of Albania. It would require two or three nights away from Tirana and Sandy decided that she would skip it. She didn’t feel like a… Read more