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Ending on a High – 1,483 Feet High

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Dubai, United Arab Emirates; May 21, 2013      APRIL 8, 2021, DALLAS – My strongest take-away from Dubai is that there must be lots more people than I thought with money who have the interest and financial resources to live in modern skyscrapers. As I

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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There Be Pirates in These Waters

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 At Sea; May 15-20, 2013         MARCH 25, 2021, DALLAS – As we left Aqaba, Jordan, in 2013, my cruise was nearing its end. I would get off in our next port, Dubai. It is on the Persian Gulf on the other side of the

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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Movies, Books Inspire Travel to Arabia and Beyond

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Petra/Wadi Rum, Jordan; May 14, 2013   MARCH 5, 2021, DALLAS – When I first saw the film Lawrence of Arabia decades ago, the desert environment captivated me. Sure, there was romanticism to the epic story, but I wanted to see the real places where

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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Where Have All the Tourists Gone?

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Safaga/Luxor, Egypt; May 13, 2013          FEB. 19, 2021, DALLAS – Among my lasting memories of Egypt are seeing buildings, tombs and monuments that are thousands of years old; evidence of societies that are in some ways very different than my own; and sobering effects

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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Suez Canal Transit: Can I Call it a Big Ditch?

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Suez Canal, Egypt; May 11, 2013 FEB. 12, 2021, DALLAS – There are two great Canals cutting through continents – the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal. They are very different. To cross between the Caribbean and the Pacific through Panama, you must go

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Between Cruises, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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Amid Antiquities, Egyptian Woman Leaves Lasting Impression

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Cairo, Egypt; May 10, 2013 FEB. 9, 2021, DALLAS – Only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still stands – the Great Pyramid of Giza. I feel so lucky to have visited it up close in 2013. Our timing was fortuitous.

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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A Spring Day Rambling along La Rambla in Barcelona

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Barcelona, Spain; May 6, 2013 FEB. 5, 2021, DALLAS — Eight years ago our Barcelona port call held significance for two reasons. It was the midway point of the 30-day cruise from Galveston to Dubai, and it was the last of the familiar ports

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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Wrong Turn Leads to Wandering in Alicante, Spain

Posted on February 1, 2021February 5, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Alicante, Spain; May 5, 2013 FEB. 1, 2021, DALLAS — Somehow my innate sense of direction failed me in Alicante. I could see the Santa Bárbara castle above me, but where was that darned elevator that would spare me the long climb to the

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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No Barbary Apes or Easy Internet in Gibraltar This Time

Posted on January 28, 2021February 5, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Gibraltar; May 4, 2013 JAN. 28, 2021, DALLAS — Many years ago at my mother’s urging, I read Paul Gallico’s novel “Scruffy.” Goodreads describes it as “the hilarious fictional account of the infamous apes of Gibraltar during World War II.” Legend has it that

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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Madeira: A Welcome Surprise for Sea Weary Cruisers

Posted on January 22, 2021February 5, 2021 by Jo Johnston

Cruise Flashback; Galveston to Dubai 2013 Madeira, Portugal; May 2, 2013 JAN. 22, 2021, DALLAS — My lasting impression of Madeira is of an overabundance of flowers. Who knew they are growing everywhere on this remote island. If that’s not enough, vendors sell cut flowers on every street corner. The

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Cruise Flashback, Galveston to Dubai 2013
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I’m a writer in love with the sea, sailing, travel and sketching.

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  • Ending on a High – 1,483 Feet High
  • There Be Pirates in These Waters
  • Movies, Books Inspire Travel to Arabia and Beyond
  • Where Have All the Tourists Gone?
  • Suez Canal Transit: Can I Call it a Big Ditch?

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