Hi Everyone,
We are finally home from an amazing trip to Europe. We left on April 30 to spend a few days in Rome with a portion of our group before meeting the entire group in Milan. We then spent three days in Milan before being transferred to our river cruise in Venice. We spent 8 days exploring all that Venice and the Venetian islands offered. From Murano, Burano, and down to Chioggia, we found much to enjoy. From glassblowing, the colorful island of Burrano where all the homes are painted a different color, and a luncheon at a ranch complete with beautiful horses, each day was different and delightful. When our group flew home on May 12 or scattered to their own adventures, we flew to Dublin to meet our next group.
After a rocky start for the group (air delays) we finally started to explore the wonders of the Emerald Isle. Starting in Dublin we quickly transitioned to the countryside with a stop at the Irish Stud Farm. We learned how racing horses are bred and raised. As we got close to these amazing animals, it was clear how well taken care of they were. We continued our trip to a little tasting at the Jamison Distillery,and enjoyed an afternoon in the beautiful coastal town of Kinsale. From there we visited the Garnish Island, and on to the small town of Dingle where we spent two nights enjoying this little town. I think one of the highlights of the trip was our stay in Inishmore on the Aran Islands. We were all delighted to stay in small pods with great views of the Atlantic. We visited a goat farm and held baby goats who had been born that week. On our way back to the mainland we cruised by the Cliffs of Moher to see the cliffs from the sea. Both of our trips were awesome, certainly because of all the amazing sites we saw but also because both tours included great people who enjoyed one another. It is really great to watch groups come together and become friends, not just fellow passengers.
In other news, we know that lithium batteries can be a potential fire hazard. This week a transAtlantic flight needed to be diverted as a laptop got stuck between the seats. It is unclear where or why it couldn’t be retrieved but the plane had to be diverted to Ireland to retrieve the laptop. Any item with a lithium battery — including cell phones, laptops, tablets, or smart watches — can be a potential fire hazard, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the batteries are capable of overheating and ultimately catching fire, particularly if they are damaged trying to retrieve them. I know that I have seen the warnings on flights informing people that they should not try to extract electronics if they get stuck in the seat but had not thought much about why.
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