by Scharlene Fulmer We were in Curacao! On a shore excursion from the Holland America ship, The Zuiderdam. I was feeling exceptionally happy having just enjoyed the many flavors of the Distillery of Chobolobo , where the world famous Blue Curacao liqueur is made. Curacao is an island that is part of the Netherlands Antilles…
by Scharlene Fulmer Our shore excursion tour group visited the city of Antigua, Guatemala which sits at an elevation of 4500 feet, surrounded by rising volcanoes. We came face to face with one active volcano spewing a twisted pillar of steam skyward as our bus traveled up the mountain from our cruise ship, the Holland…
by Scharlene Fulmer I met Mary Louise Ridinger, a renown archaeologist, aboard our fabulous 18 day Panama Canal Holland America cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco. I was fortunate to lunch with her twice during which time she shared her incredibly interesting personal story with me. She discovered her interest in archaeology when she…
by Scharlene Fulmer “Ciao!” I shouted to the gondoliers as they glided past, their passengers waving up to me as I stood on the balcony of my room in a beautiful old hotel on the Grand Canal. I sang along with their romantic songs while I watched the many gondolas traverse from one bridge to…
by Scharlene Fulmer “Bella, Bella! you are so bea-uuu-tiful! I kiss your hand! Avante….please come this way.” That was the greeting my friend Sammie received from the salesman as we disembarked the water taxi at the door of the glass factory in Murano. I followed Sammie, the salesman’s newest star, into the large factory along…
by Scharlene Fulmer After my husband died in 1988, I chose to fulfill my long-held desire to travel. Since then, I have traveled from Alaska to the Caribbean to the South Pacific to the Mediterranean. My most recent cruise was to the Baltic, where I visited the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The Hermitage Museum…