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Austria, Cruise Travel, Destinations, Europe, France, Portugal, Russia

Viking Cruise Shore Excursions: Should You Take Them?

Catherine Sweeney
February 12, 2020
1 Comment
Viking Cruise Shore Excursions: Should You Take Them?

Should you take shore excursions on Viking river and ocean cruises?

Austria, cruise travel, Cruises, Europe, france, portugal, rhine getaway, russia, viking cruises
Cruise Travel, Destinations, Estonia, Europe, France, North America, Poland, Russia, Sweeney in Arizona, USA

Travel Planning: Seeing 2020 by Looking Back

Catherine Sweeney
December 31, 2019
8 Comments
Travel Planning: Seeing 2020 by Looking Back

Travel tips and inspiration for traveling in 2020

budapest, cruises cruise travel, Europe, france, north america, Poland, rome, russia, tips, viking cruises
Cruise Travel, Destinations, Europe, Russia

Two Days in St. Petersburg: Russia’s Venice of the North

Catherine Sweeney
November 19, 2019
10 Comments
Two Days in St. Petersburg: Russia’s Venice of the North

What to see and do in Russia’s second largest city

cruise travel, Europe, russia, viking cruises
Cruise Travel, Destinations, Estonia, Europe, Finland, Poland, Russia, Sweden

Sailing the Baltic Sea with Viking: Our First Ocean Cruise

Catherine Sweeney
October 23, 2019
20 Comments
Sailing the Baltic Sea with Viking: Our First Ocean Cruise

Cruising the Baltic Sea with Viking

cruise travel, Cruises, estonia, Europe, finland, Poland, russia, sweden, viking cruises

About Catherine Sweeney

Catherine Sweeney is a travel enthusiast with a lifelong passion for going places. A weekend getaway, an international journey, a cross-country road trip, or a local jaunt — they’re all on her radar. And it’s all made extra special when she’s enjoying the finer things in life with Mr. TWS, her husband and co-blogger. Get inspired as they share photos and stories highlighting the best of destinations, food, wine, history, culture and the arts.

2018 NATJA Silver Award Winner

Recent Posts

  • I Left My Heart in Northern California
  • Food and Culture on the Camino de Santiago
  • Cosanti: The “Against Things” Spirit of Soleri
  • Hope Springs Eternal in Upper Manhattan
  • Ernest Hemingway’s First Chapter in Oak Park, Illinois

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Catherine Sweeney
Becoming part of the art in Stillwater, Minnesota. Becoming part of the art in Stillwater, Minnesota. This is one of the very cool murals created by local artist Randall Raduenz whose works depict the town’s history. This mural is on the wall of Candyland on Main St. and was inspired by a 1931 photo of the wooden pontoon bridge that spanned the St. Croix River at the time. The not yet completed lift bridge lift bridge is also in the background. Love the colors! #stillwater #minnesota #minnesotaart #randallraduenz #muralart #travelblogger #ifwtwa #visitstillwater #visitminnesota #instaminnesota
The Golden Gate Bridge beyond the rooftops of San The Golden Gate Bridge beyond the rooftops of San Francisco seen from base of Coit Tower. More to come soon on the blog about our Northern California road trip. #sanfrancisco #california #visitcalifornia #northerncalifornia #mustseesanfrancisco #travelblogger #travelgram #goldengatebridge #ifwtwa #sanfranciscobay #beautifuldestinations
Sonoma coast comfort wear — jeans and a sweater Sonoma coast comfort wear — jeans and a sweater for a walk on Portuguese Beach. It was a nostalgic treat to spend time in Sonoma County — an area of Northern California that has meant so much to me since I was a young girl. #sonomacounty #portuguesebeach #california #northerncalifornia #walkonthebeach #nostalgicplace #visitcalifornia #visitsonomacounty #travelblogger #travelusa #liveinthemoment #enjoylife #rememberthegoodtimes #travelagain #IFWTWA
If you visit downtown Healdsburg, California put V If you visit downtown Healdsburg, California put Valette on your list of wining and dining options. We stopped in here one evening and enjoyed lovely wines and appetizers at the bar. Tip: This is a very popular place, so make a reservation if you’d like to be seated at a table. We were lucky that there were two spots at the bar open. Tip 2: We loved the organic salad (shown) and the Day Boat Scallops en Croute. Service couldn’t have been better, ambiance was perfectly Sonoma County, and food and wine were terrific. #sonomacounty #downtownhealdsburg #valettehealdsburg #visitcalifornia #travelblogger #travelgram #winecountry #sonomawinecountry #eatwell #travelagain
The satisfied look of a man tasting wines at @maur The satisfied look of a man tasting wines at @mauritsonwines in Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County, California. Mr. TWS’s personal favorites were their Zinfandels. Great to be back in Sonoma wine country. #visitcalifornia #visitsonomacounty #california #winecountry #drycreekvalley #ɢᴇᴛᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ #enjoylife #enjoywine #sonomacounty #travelagain #healdsburg
The cloud cover lifted and we got this gorgeous af The cloud cover lifted and we got this gorgeous afternoon on the Sonoma coast! #portuguesebeach #sonomacoaststatepark #california #visitcalifornia #beachday #travelgram #ɢᴇᴛᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ #gotothebeach #sonomacounty #westcoast #pacificcoasthighway #travelblogger
Cold and windy at the Golden Gate Bridge today, bu Cold and windy at the Golden Gate Bridge today, but I love it! Never get tired of views of this bridge from any angle in any type of weather. First time being here since our move to Arizona. #sanfrancisco #california #visitcalifornia #ɢᴇᴛᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ #travelagain #goldengatebridge #sanfranciscovistapoint #travelblogger #backincalifornia
Good morning from San Francisco. Back in the Bay A Good morning from San Francisco. Back in the Bay Area for the first time since we moved to Arizona. This view of Coit Tower is from @lemeridiensf — It’s wonderful to be traveling again! #ɢᴇᴛᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ #travelagain #sanfrancisco #california #coittower #morninginsanfrancisco #cityviews #travelgram #visitcalifornia #lemeridiensanfrancisco
Spain is open again for vaccinated travelers! We h Spain is open again for vaccinated travelers! We have been fully vaccinated and are ready to go back there in the fall. Now going through pics of past visits. This photo was taken in Salamanca, a city in northwestern Spain founded in the 12th century. It was a day trip shore excursion on our @vikingcruises Douro #cruise which was our second time in Spain. So excited to return to this beautiful and culturally rich country. We’ll be visiting new areas this time. Stay tuned! #myvikingstory #salamanca #spain #europeantravel #shoreexcursions #travelblogger #visitsalamanca #total_salamanca #explorespain #salamanca_photos #spainstagram #wearetravelingagainsoon #getvaccinatedandtravelsafely #getvaccinated #enjoytravel
Perhaps you’ve seen the gorgeous bronze wind bel Perhaps you’ve seen the gorgeous bronze wind bells like these when you’ve visited the Phoenix Metro area. We often see Soleri bells of various sizes dangling from trees in front of homes, on prominent display at resorts, and in public art spaces. Each of these works of art and skilled craftmanship is one of a kind treasure. On a recent visit to Cosanti in Paradise Valley, (link to article in bio), Mr. TWS and I had a mini immersion into the innovative world of Soleri. It is here that he designed, constructed, and experimented with techniques counter to the norms of established architectural and community planning philosophies. Today, the artisans of @cosanti_originals carry on his design and production of ceramic and bronze bells, a passion Soleri developed during a five-year architectural project in Italy. . . #myphx #experiencescottsdale #absolutelyscottsdale #phoenix #arizona #visitarizona #paolosoleri #soleribells #cosanti #bronzebell #artinthedesert #artappreciation #windbells
The American Cemetery in Normandy. A solemn moment The American Cemetery in Normandy. A solemn moment as Mr. TWS pauses at one of the 9,385 marble markers of the graves of U.S. military who died during the D-Day invasion and the ensuing three months of the Battle of Normandy. It’s a humbling experience to visit the Normandy American Cemetery, 172 acres of land in Colleville-sur-Mer granted the United States by France in perpetuity. The cemetery is located on the site of the original burial grounds established by the U.S. Army on June 8, 1944 to bury their dead. #memorialday #honoringourfallen #wwii #americancemeterynormandy #normandyfrance #france
It’s another of our firsts since pre-pandemic ti It’s another of our firsts since pre-pandemic times! A night at the ballpark - AZ Diamondbacks vs SF Giants. #GetVaccinated #enjoylife #dbacks #chasefield #phoenix #arizona #myphx #visitphoenix
Do you recognize this man? Well, he’s the guy I’m starting to make travel plans with again. Mr. TWS and I are fully #vaccinated and eager to explore again. In the meantime, we’re enjoying being out and about locally here in #scottsdaleaz — This was at Olive & Ivy at the #Scottsdale Waterfront, one of our favorite places for dining al fresco. Here’s to future travels ahead. Where are you hoping to travel next? #absolutelyscottsdale #experiencescottsdale #myphx #arizona #wewilltravelagain #getvaccinated #enjoylife
Happy Mother’s Day! These lovely ladies are feat Happy Mother’s Day! These lovely ladies are featured in our next in the series of mother-daughter travel memories. Look for the link in my bio for these warm, funny, and thoughtful stories of @pola.parisienne @lifestylefifty @aholeinmyshoe @adventuresofacarryon @travalerie @quiltripping @spatravelgal @travelpast50 and @caroletmeyers #mothersday #travelingwithmom #travelbloggers #travelmemories #memoriesforlife #memoriesofmom #mothersdayspecial
It's all about traveling moms at TWS this weekend. It's all about traveling moms at TWS this weekend. Looking back on special posts we've published about the memorable stories by our travel writing friends about traveling with their moms. Part One features @aladyinlondon @tropicaltravelgirl @italyinstyle @indtravhelp @foodtravelist @micheleherrmann @bclbn and @rachelsruminations #mothersday2021 #travelingwithmom #travelbloggers #memoriesforlife #travelmemories #travelswithmymother Link in bio.
A master mosaic artist at work in Pietrasanta, Ita A master mosaic artist at work in Pietrasanta, Italy. Something I’ve missed very much about traveling is meeting interesting people like Piero Giannoni, a master mosaic artist who gave us a very warm welcome in his studio in Pietrasanta, Italy during a visit to Tuscany with @estevillas and @wishversilia several years ago. His passion for his craft was evident as he spoke of completed projects and those in progress. It was fascinating to watch him create his art on a work in progress. We watched Piero and another artist in his shop cutting, polishing, and placing each individual piece of glass. His many artistic accomplishments are diverse and include mosaic portraits for celebrities such as fashion designers Giorgio Armani and Roberto Cavalli as well as large mosaic art pieces that adorn churches and secular venues around the world. #italy #travel #art #pietrasanta #mosaicart #tuscany #artistatwork #italia #tuscany #mosaicartists #wewilltravelagain #itsaboutthepeople
A look inside @cosanti_originals in Paradise Valle A look inside @cosanti_originals in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Yesterday I took a tour of the former architecture and design studio of the late Paolo Soleri where artisans still create exquisite bronze and ceramic bells in his style. The large bell in this photo is displayed in one of the innovative earth-cast structures that Soleri built and where he lived at the time of his death in 2013. Part of the one-hour tour also gives visitors a look at the artisans as they pour molten bronze into molds for the bells. #paradisevalley #arizona #myphx #absolutelyscottsdale . . . #visitarizona #experiencescottsdale #windbells #madeinarizona #artoftheday #arcology #artinthedesert #architecture #bronzebell #soleri #paolosoleri
Earth Day memories enjoying the natural riches of Earth Day memories enjoying the natural riches of our world biking around Parco Giardino Sigurtà, about 28 miles north of Mantua (Lombardia) in the village of Valeggio sul Mincio (Veneto) with @estevillas @mantovabikexperience @palazzocastiglionimantova and @fotografiaarona #earthday #springtimeinitaly #italytravel #discoverveneto #visititaly #appreciatenature #protectourplanet #italia #italy #wewilltravelagain #ifwtwa
Some years ago on an Easter Sunday in New York Cit Some years ago on an Easter Sunday in New York City, Mr. TWS and I took the A train from our Midtown apartment to 190th Street to enjoy signs of spring at Fort Tryon Park and visit @metcloisters a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, located in the park. The museum contains an extensive collection of medieval European art and religious artifacts. The building itself was constructed in the 1930’s from architectural elements of medieval abbeys. Fort Tryon Park is a place of beauty year round but is especially alluring in the spring. In my latest blog post, photographer @barbaranelson2590 shares her photos of spring in the park. Link to TWS site in bio. #newyorkcity #forttryonpark #spring #nature #cloisters #hopespringseternal #signsofspring #metanywhere #parksandrecreation #publicpark #nyc #metcloisters #medievalart #whenwetravelagain
Happy Easter! The Sonoran Desert is in bloom! #sco Happy Easter! The Sonoran Desert is in bloom! #scottsdale #arizona🌵 #easterflowers #cactusflowers #myphx #mcdowellmountainranch #nature #naturalbeauty #desert #desertflowers
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