New Adventures Are Being Put Together

It is hard to believe that January is almost half way gone. This time of year always seems to speed by for me.
With the start of a new year, there is the start of new travel adventure planning for us.
I have just started to put together a few upcoming travel adventures.
Last year I promised Veronica that I would take her to Paris. We were originally thinking about going back to Edinburgh, Scotland. There was so much that we did not get to see when we were there on an NCL cruise back in 2012. We were started doing some research on a trip that would let us visit those 3 locations thinking about going to Edinburgh and then taking the Chunnel into London and from there onto Paris. While doing some research I stumbled onto a interesting cruise that NCL has. It is a 12 days British Isles cruise out of Copenhagen and disembarking at Dover, England. Below is the itinerary for this cruise:

Day	Port	Arrive	Depart
Thu	Copenhagen, Denmark (EMBARK)	---	5:00 pm
Copenhagen, Denmark The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, is filled with canals, cobbled squares and copper spires. But don't let the historic appearance fool you. This is also Scandanavia's most cosmopolitan city. Certainly you can relive medieval times in The Latin Quarter, but you can also enjoy some of Europe's finest shopping, museums, cafes and nightlife prior to your cruise around the Baltics. More Details Close
Fri	At Sea	---	---
Sat	Rotterdam, Netherlands	8:00 am	5:00 pm
Rotterdam, Netherlands Admire the bold modern architecture intermixed with classic 18th and 19th century buildings. Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and it was completely rebuilt after WWII. As the largest port in the world, this city will draw you in with inspiring sights. More Details Close
Sun	Portland, England	10:00 am	6:00 pm
Portland, England Located along the English Channel, Portland is divided into two areas: north and south. The south end is where extensive stone quarries lie, a resource important to the region. Unique to the city is the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which hosts world sailing championships. More Details Close
Mon	Falmouth, England	8:00 am	5:00 pm
Falmouth, England Situated on the southwestern coast of Cornwall, this quaint town is most famous for its harbor. In fact, Falmouth possesses the third deepest harbor in the world, and the deepest in all of Europe. The film and television industry have filmed various projects in Falmouth. And the Glendurgan Garden entices visitors with exotic foliage year round. More Details Close
Tue	Cork, Ireland	8:00 am	7:00 pm
Cork, Ireland Ireland's third largest city is a wonderful walking city built on the River Lee. Visit St. Finn Barre's Cathedral, a wonderful, triple-spired example of French-gothic architecture, and spend some time in The Old Gaol, where original 19th century cells tell some fascinating tales. More Details Close
Wed	Dublin, Ireland	11:00 am	10:00 pm
Dublin, Ireland Explore the Dubliana exhibit to see Dublin life from 1170 to 1540. Ireland's thriving yet elegant capital sits at the mouth of the River Liffey. Visit a castle. Take a walking tour. Shop O'Connell Street. Have a pint at the Guinness Brewery. More Details Close
Thu	Belfast, Northern Ireland	8:00 am	5:00 pm
Belfast, Northern Ireland Exploring Belfast is a treat for urban fans. The city is rife with trendy cafés, restaurants, and nightlife yet it also boasts a lovely historical district. While the city is packed with things to do, rural landscapes are within a short reach. More Details Close
Fri	At Sea	---	---
Sat	Inverness (Invergordon), Scotland	7:00 am	5:00 pm
Inverness (Invergordon), Scotland Inverness is a city in the glorious Scottish Highlands . Teeming with bagpipe players and enthusiasts thanks to the city's annual Northern Meeting in September, Inverness also boasts a diverse music scene. Gaelic was the native language until the turn of the 19th century. More Details Close
Sun	Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland	8:00 am	6:00 pm
Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Scotland Golfers will love a scenic drive to St. Andrews, birthplace of the challenging sport. This capital city has thousands of years of history, incredible views, and the world's largest art festival. Tour Craigmillar, Dalhousie and Edinburgh Castles or see the Royal Yacht Britannia. More Details Close
Mon	At Sea	---	---
Tue	London (Dover), England (DISEMBARK)	8:00 am	---

Below is a map of where we go on this cruise:

We ended up booking a balcony cabin on the 10th deck. We will be on the NCL Star for this cruise...a ship we have not been on before. This cruise isn't until next September...2015.

For this years adventures I am working on 2 things. First will be a fishing trip to a lodge in Canada that we have never been to. 

Clarks Northern Lights Resort  is on Cedar Lake. We have fished on Cedar Lake previously and have enjoyed the fishing there.

Last year I promised Veronica that I would take her to Paris this year. I did some research on various web sites and settled on going through European Destinations in order to put together or at least assit in putting together a Paris centered trip.

We decided to not only do Paris but we will also be including Brusells, Belgium and Bruges, Netherlands in with the Paris adventure. 

Originally the package was as follows:

• Hotel for 3 nights in Brussels
• IC(InterCity)Train Brussels - Bruge
• Hotel for 2 nights in Bruges
• Thalys Train Bruges - Paris
• Hotel for 3 nights in Paris
• Daily breakfast (if stated in hotel info)

We would have flown into Brussels and then out of Paris at the end of our trip. Because this itinerary would have included "open jaw" airline tickets and knowing that those tickets are usually more expensive that flying in and out of the same city, we decided to make a few changes to their package.

We decided to fly in and out of Paris. 

We would fly into Paris and spend 3 nights there...then take a train (which Veronica has never been on) and travel to Bruges...spend 3 nights there and then take another train on to Brussels. We would spend 3 nights in Brussels and then take a train directly back to Paris. Once we returned to Paris, we will spend another 3 or 4 nights there before heading home. We will upgrade the train tickets to 1st class.

We could have got our airline ticket through the travel company for approximately $1,000.00 a piece for round trip tickets. We decided to check out the flights and prices that Delta Airlines have. 

We decided that since we each have accrued many Delta Skymiles, that we would use the Skymiles towards out flight ticket costs. You would not believe how much money we saved. We got both of our tickets...round trip from Norfolk, Virginia along with upgrades from Economy to Economy Comfort for approximately $246.00. This really was amazing since the flights are going for approximately $1,200.00 per person.

So far besides getting a great deal on our airline tickets, we booked the last 4 Paris nights at the Hotel La Perle ,  which is on the left bank. This hotel is in a great location...in the heart of the St. Germain de Pris area of Paris and is located near many of the major Paris sites and also fairly close to the Seine River...for those evening Paris lights river cruises.

There is a lot more planning and arranging for this trip and it will be fun and exciting as it all comes together.