Tuscany, Italy When we decided to sell Berkeley East and end our cruising life, we went to the beach and made a long list of “next best things” to do. We tried to incorporate projects, activities and life experiences that would be fun, exciting, physically challenging, educational, interactive, character building, and memorable. One action we took early […]
Burgundy and Bordeaux France After spending a week riding bicycles throughout Burgundy, we were energized from the activity and decided to seize the momentum a bit longer in Burgundy, and also further south, in Bordeaux. Our bodies were primed and ready for the best that these two famed regions of France had to offer. It […]
France – Long before we went cruising, before we moved to Lake Norman, before we tried our hand at winemaking (or even wine drinking), we were avid mountain bikers. Every weekend, we rode the local trails in Southern California. And what little vacation time we had was often spent exploring the backroads of Big Bear, […]
Southeast Asia – Part Two Our plan to visit Thailand blossomed from a misguided thought that it is close to California, well closer than it is to North Carolina anyway. Stressful meetings on the west coast inspired us to recover from intense wine blending sessions in a warmer, more relaxing locale. But what we envisioned […]
Southeast Asia – Part One Vietnam and Cambodia We typically like to escape the cold North Carolina weather in early winter. So, when our presence was required on the west coast, we saw an opportunity to seek out a warm, tropical climate. The obvious, and simplest, choice would have been Hawaii, and while we love […]
French Polynesia There will come a time when we no longer relate these travel blogs to Berkeley East, but not today. Simply because BE, and our cruising life, were the inspiration for our recent trip to French Polynesia. Years ago, when we wanted to move on from cruising in the Caribbean, we pondered two potential […]
California, USA – We stopped working 16 years ago, although owning a boat like Berkeley East was really a full-time job in itself; it kept us constantly engaged in the complexities of maintaining, operating, and navigating a 54-foot vessel in unfamiliar environments. So, when the time came to move on from cruising, we knew we […]
Norway – February is the month when we used to begin planning our return to Berkeley East; travel plans took shape, reservations were made. So, when an email arrived, reminding us of expiring airline tickets, the timing seemed appropriate. But this year, there was no boat to be recommissioned, BE was sold, and we had […]
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