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What Grows Well in Volcanic Ash and Rock? Apparently Cactus

Posted on April 10, 2025April 10, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 94, 2025 Grand World Voyage Tuesday, April 8, 2025; Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Today I did a little jig as I returned to the Zuiderdam from a day ashore on Lanzarote. No injuries! When last in this port, I fell and fractured my patella. My goal today was to

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2025 Grand World Voyage
2 comments

Tenerife Boasts Volcanoes, Resorts, Beaches — Especially Gardens

Posted on April 9, 2025April 9, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 93, 2025 Grand World Voyage Monday, April 7, 2025; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. Tenerife is one of those islands that, in my opinion, you need to get out of town to see. Today, on my third visit here, I chose to focus on its gardens. I like

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2025 Grand World Voyage
5 comments

Always a Good Time to Celebrate Another Wonderful Year

Posted on April 6, 2025April 6, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 90, 2025 Grand World Voyage Friday, April 4, 2025; Praia, Cape Verde. Another trip around the globe, and another trip around the sun. Celebrating a birthday on a cruise is always fun, but I had cruised 778 days before I celebrated my first at sea. Somehow, my cruises never

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2025 Grand World Voyage
19 comments

Chefs Show Skill, Creativity During Frequent Dining Extravaganzas

Posted on April 2, 2025April 2, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 88, 2025 Grand World Voyage Tuesday, April 1, 2025; At Sea, Atlantic Ocean. The idea of never having to create menus, prepare shopping lists, do the actual shopping, cook and clean up is one of the best features of nearly full-time cruising. Still, as anywhere, food cooked in the

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2025 Grand World Voyage
6 comments

Cape Town a Favorite, Always Offers Exciting New Experiences

Posted on March 28, 2025March 28, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Days 80-81, 2025 Grand World Voyage Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25-26, 2025; Cape Town, South Africa. I walked around the building twice. According to my online research, the South African Maritime Museum should have been here, right in the middle of the busy Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town.

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2025 Grand World Voyage
7 comments

More Than The Big Five Game Animals in South Africa’s Reserves

Posted on March 25, 2025March 25, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Days 76-77, 2025 Grand World Voyage Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, 2025; Richards Bay and Durban, South Africa. South Africa isn’t just all about the wildlife, but that’s a big part of the draw. And it never disappoints. While dozens of groups were leaving the ship yesterday and today on

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2025 Grand World Voyage
6 comments

It’s Always A Good Idea To Go Ashore, As Réunion, Mauritius Prove

Posted on March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 73, 2025 Grand World Voyage Tuesday, March 18, 2025; At Sea. Can writing a travel blog be an albatross around my neck? I wondered about that yesterday morning, when I seriously considered staying on board during our port call in La Possession, Réunion. I’ve learned not to let external

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2025 Grand World Voyage
5 comments

And Just Like That, Five Years Ago Our World Changed

Posted on March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 72, 2025 Grand World Voyage Monday, March 17, 2025; La Possession, Réunion, Indian Ocean As I sit in the Crow’s Nest this morning, pondering whether I’ll go ashore today in La Possession, Réunion, (a story for another day), I realize it was five years ago today that I wrote

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2025 Grand World Voyage, World Cruise 2020
5 comments

Food, Wine, Exotic Islands – Life is Good in Indian Ocean

Posted on March 15, 2025March 15, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 69, 2025 Grand World Voyage Friday, March 14, 2025; Indian Ocean, plus Maldives and Seychelles. We certainly are eating well on this cruise. I dread our overnight stop in Cape Town, when I will step on the scale in the fitness center. The only accurate readings come when we

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2025 Grand World Voyage
3 comments

Months Of Preparation For 15 Minutes Of Cruise Retirement Fame

Posted on March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by Jo Johnston

Day 65, 2025 Grand World Voyage Monday, March 10, 2025; Indian Ocean. We knew something was up when we started getting texts from a few friends back home. I was sitting in the Ocean Bar around 5 p.m. with my friends Tom and Monika, streaming a live feed of CBS’s

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