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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, 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
9 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

  • Scary Travel Tales
  • Traveling Sisters — A Sentimental Journey
  • Wonders of Nature at the Desert Botanical Garden
  • I Dream of Going Back to Italy
  • Special Mother-Daughter Travel Experiences: Part Two

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Catherine Sweeney
Hey, it's National Take A Hike Day! So .. take a h Hey, it's National Take A Hike Day! So .. take a hike! Hiking in the desert is an absolute joy. There’s sunshine, big blue skies, amazing flora, great exercise, a sense of adventure, and maybe even a few desert critter sightings. And you can get ideas for what you need in your backpack in our packing guide for easy desert hiking. Find this and other articles about the hiking trails of the @mcdowellsonoranconservancy in @scottsdaleariz on the travelingwithsweeney.com website. #arizona🌵 @visit_arizona @visitphoenix #myphx #hiking #nationaltakeahikeday
It’s music to our ears! The Musical Instrument M It’s music to our ears! The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix is open again following its closure due to COVID-19. Of course, there are new safety measures in place, including enhanced sanitization, social distancing requirements, and minimal-contact ticket purchasing and admission. MIM is a thoroughly enlightening musical, cultural, and geographical experience. Visitors take a virtual journey around the world with its extensive exhibits of musical instruments and cultural perspectives. As you move around the galleries, wireless headphones tune in automatically to the audio of videos of the instruments being played in cultural context at performances, rituals, and festivals of cultures around the world. #myphx #phoenix #arizona🌵@mimphx
Although St. Petersburg, #Russia is actually a ver Although St. Petersburg, #Russia is actually a very colorful city, there's something about photos in black and white that capture a mysterious aspect of the city for me -- especially on my very first day there with @VikingCruises. #JAchat #travel #europe #ifwtwa
Spirit matters! October, 2020 Update: Western Spir Spirit matters! October, 2020 Update: Western Spirit Scottsdale's Museum of the West(SMOW) in Scottsdale, AZ is open to the public with health and safety protocols to provide a safe environment for all guests and staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit the SMOW website for information about admissions, a new self-guided audio tour, online digital content, the new online museum store, current collections and exhibition schedules, and additional facility enhancements. @scottsdaleariz #myphx #scottsdale #arizona🌵 @smowest
With cooler temps now here in the desert, we’re With cooler temps now here in the desert, we’re getting back to hiking on the great trails of the @mcdowell_sonoran_preserve in Scottsdale. Mr. TWS and I feel very lucky. #arizona🌵 #mcdowellsonoranpreserve #mcdowellsonoranconservancy #myphx
A sentimental journey through the past — In my n A sentimental journey through the past — In my newest post on the blog, I remember travels with my younger sister Chris who passed away in June. This photo of Chris, me, and our dad was taken at the Grand Canyon many, many years ago — ok ... it was 1962! I hope you’ll read the post and that it brings to mind your shared travel experiences with siblings or other family members. Click the link it the bio to go to the home page. #grandcanyon #arizona🌵
Good news for visitors and residents of the Phoeni Good news for visitors and residents of the Phoenix Metro area -- Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West will be reopening to the public for tours on October 15, 2020. Check out their website for more information about tours and newly-implemented safety measures. I have a post about my visit there on the blog — search for Taliesin West. “Architecture is man’s great sense of himself embodied in a world of this own making. It may rise as high in quality only as its source because Great Art is Great Life!” — Frank Lloyd Wright @wrighttaliesin #myphx #absolutelyscottsdale #scottsdale #arizona🌵#unescoworldheritage
"... for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer "... for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ... " And here he is -- the wonderful, handsome man I married 29 years ago. I'm a lucky girl. #weddinganniversary❤️ #myhubby❤️
The allure of going places — in this case by tra The allure of going places — in this case by train. I find the journey itself an exciting part of the travel experience. Do you? This photo from my “nostalgia files” was taken at the central railway station in Wroclaw, Poland, while waiting to board our train to Warsaw. #ilovetraintravel #wroclaw #poland🇵🇱 #travellater
European train travel nostalgia. Like many others, European train travel nostalgia. Like many others, I reminisce often about travels past as I dream about future possibilities. Not only do I love being in a place, I’ve loved the excitement of getting there — by plane, train, ship, and auto. This photo was taken in a train between Budapest, Hungary and Bratislava, Slovakia. I think you can tell that I was quite content. Are you reminiscing about European train travel? #europetravel #europeantraintravel
I like taking photos of Mr. TWS when he’s not ex I like taking photos of Mr. TWS when he’s not expecting it — when he’s capturing beautiful or historic places in pictures or contemplating the deep significance of a landmark. This pic covers all of those bases and goes back to our trip to #Normandy where we took in the D-Day sites. This was in a hilltop overlooking the village of #Arromanches and the English Channel. #France
Thanks, @travelingjudi, for inviting me to the #wo Thanks, @travelingjudi, for inviting me to the #womensupportingwomen challenge and thanks to all of the women who have supported, inspired, and encouraged me in good times and in bad times. #empoweringwomen #challengeaccepted
It’s not often I post animal photos, but thought It’s not often I post animal photos, but thought you might enjoy these fauna of the desert sightings. Mr TWS took these pics of a javelina family (there were several of them) that was just passing through. You can see the young ones in the second photo. They were just on the other side of our view fence which seems to be on the regular route of quite a few desert critters. Always something interesting to see here in the #sonorandesert #scottsdale #arizona #absolutelyscottadale #myphx
Oh, for the days of walking around the old city ce Oh, for the days of walking around the old city centers of Europe with Mr. TWS. ❤️Here he is in Stockholm, Sweden before embarking on our @vikingcruises #cruise on the Baltic Sea. #stockholm #sweden #europe #wewilltravelagain
Good times with one of my favorite travel people —- @alessandracataniacopywriter who opened my eyes to the beauty and culture of her Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Grazie, Alessandra! #italy🇮🇹 #romagna #itsaboutthepeople #travelmemories🌍✈️
We can do this! What a great idea by Dorothée Lef We can do this! What a great idea by Dorothée Lefering of @thetouristin to create a series of collages featuring people around the world doing their part during the pandemic by wearing face coverings/masks to protect others. I'm honored to be in her latest with this photo. We are in this together, so #MaskUpAZ #maskup #wearamask #MaskWearersAroundTheWorld
We call it the “red minute” (and often the mou We call it the “red minute” (and often the mountains look super red) — that brief beautiful time that follows the equally captivating “golden hour” here in the Sonoran Desert at end of day. Life is complicated, especially in these times of COVID, but I count my blessings. #scottsdale #arizona🌵 #myphx #absolutelyscottsdale
Oh, the beauty of the Sonoran Desert! And if you i Oh, the beauty of the Sonoran Desert! And if you if you live in the Phoenix area or will be visiting, you can immerse yourself in the wonders of the desert at the Desert Botanical Garden. After a three-month closure due to Covid-19, the Desert Botanical Garden @dbgphx is once again welcoming guests to enjoy its beauty. For the time being, reservations will be required to ensure limited capacity for the safety of guests and staff. Through June 30, 2020 reservations will be available exclusively for members, but the Garden will reopen to the general public on July 6, 2020. More on the blog! #dbgphx #myphx #phoenix #arizona🌵
Ah, the romance! One of many reasons that I will v Ah, the romance! One of many reasons that I will visit Italy again someday. When Kerwin of @loyaltytravels asked me to participate in his project about future travel, I quickly said that I will go back to Italy -- eventually. Of all the places that I am yearning to visit and revisit, why did I choose Italy? If you follow along on the blog, you've read about many of the reasons. I thought I'd share some posts and info for your future Italy travel plans. Photo by @donadifederica in our @estevillas holiday rental in #Asolo #italy #veneto
Took a little drive to Fountain Hills the other da Took a little drive to Fountain Hills the other day to walk around the lake and admire the sculptures. Dreaming about travel again, but grateful for beautiful sunny days here in #arizona🌵 #fountainhills
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