Cruise ships. You gotta love 'em..

Yes, guilty as charged. I'm a travel junkie.

Actually, make that a cruise junkie.

A couple of days ago I visited one of the best-looking cruise ships I have ever sailed on, Regent Seven Seas Navigator. She is wintering at the Port of Miami and doing a variety of Caribbean cruises. Local press were invited to  view the recent refurbishment and have lunch aboard ship.

Looking good!

The ship came on line in 1999 and I had the good fortune to sail with my husband shortly after the inaugural. I don't really remember the itinerary, but loved the size of the vessel, the service and the elegance of the ship itself. On Navigator, the standard suite - the line doesn't use the word "cabin" - is 356 square feet. Space is wonderful, whether it's the sprawling pool deck, width of the hallways, size of the dining room or the terminal the ship docks at (which really has little to do with the vessel itself, but sets the tone for the graciousness of boarding,) there is no sense of crowding or waiting on line.

As it gets close to the winter season, more and more ships are coming into South Florida ports with their winter itineraries.The boat parade gets bigger each year.

Port Everglades, my friendly neighborhood port, just finished a $54 million improvement program at Terminals 2,19,21 and 26. Yesterday was the first of several eight-ship cruise days at the port and  I understand traffic was fairly heavy. It sounds like business is booming and for anyone who enjoys the cruise biz, that's good news.

And those improvements on Regent's Navigator? The line added new cabins, software and additional dining space. The elegance and grace of the orginal has held up well.

History, more than memories

	I received this email yesterday. I appreciate it . I usually relegate history to the past, acknowledging we must learn from it. When it comes to the Holocaust I strongly believe it is one part of history we must never, ever forget. I am thrilled that Germany shares that feeling. Dear Ms. Levin, On November 9, the anniversary of the Reichspogromnacht of 1938 (“Night of Broken Glass”), Munich remembers its past. The Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism will keep alive the memory of the Nazi era and its crimes. At the same time Munich is home to the second largest Jewish community in Germany. The Jewish Museum grants visitors insight into Jewish life and culture. We would like to invite you to the places of learning and living in Munich!

			November 9: Commemoration Day of the Reichspogromnacht in Munich – “Every Man has a Name”On November 9 a public reading of names at the memorial stone of the former main synagogue will commemorate the victims of the Reichspogromnacht on November 9, 1938. This year the names of 86 Munich Jews will be read, who were deported from the Israelite hospital to Theresienstadt in June 1942. Beginning: 2:00pm. On Thursday, November 8, the City of Munich is inviting guests to an hour of remembrance in the festive room of the Old Town Hall. Speeches will be held by Christian Ude, Lord Mayor of the City of Munich, Dr. h. c. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community Munich and Upper Bavaria as well as by Dr. Theo Waigel, former Federal Minister. Obviously I did not attend, although I have been to Munich and many other parts of Germany and have toured several "Jewish" memorials in the country. Please consider doing the same when you have the opportunity. For more information, go to www.muenchen.de.

Contributions are accepted

OK, so now I have my Brazilian Visa. I'm pretty well set. I know my December dates fall in mid-summer, but I'm a Florida person and lightweight and light-colored clothing don't faze me.

We have plane tickets and hotel reservations, we know what we want to see. I put an App on my cell phone, and am now in the process of talking to people about restaurant and attraction recommendations. Yes, we'll be tourists, but we are also travel professionals, so the loudly hyped places may not be on our dance cards, but more of the esotic eateries, sights, could be at the top of the list.

Someone I know, who has traveled most of his life, recommended a restaurant in BA that promises wonderful beef. EVERYONE tells me I have to see Evita's grave, and the music and dance throughout the region are givens.

I don't mean to sound jaded, (but I have been traveling for a long time,) yet going to an unknown destination means I am getting more excited than if I were returning to a favorite overseas destination, (yes, London, I'm talking about you.) So if you have two-cents to contribute (that's figuratively, of course,) have at it.

Rio suggestions are especially welcome.

The Girls from Ipanema

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork

Or, details, details, details.

I fly to Rio in six weeks. A friend and I will spend three days sightseeing in Rio, then board the Azamara Quest cruise ship which stops in other Brazilian ports, in Uruguay and winds up in Buenos Aires. We'll spend another three days in BA, then return.

But I needed a Visa. I read the information on the website provided by the Consul in Miami. A friend graciously drove me down to Miami, a 45-minute ride from my home. I had everything (I thought) I needed.

No, I was told, I needed either three months of bank statements or a credit card bill with my credit line. I packed up three months bill, and four days later my friend and I trekked south to the Consul's office. Yes, I had all the paperwork I needed, but I had to return a week later to pick up my Visa.

It's all done now, but the interesting thing is the friend with whom I'm traveling also obtained a Visa. She got her's in New York City. And, she never had to provide banking or credit information.

It seems guidelines vary from city to city. Annoying? Worth three trips to Miami, and the better part of three days?

I don't know.

I am looking forward to the trip and three South American countries I have never visited. Am I turned off by the paperwork, arrogance and random requests? You bet, but looking at television coverage of Hurricane Sandy and thousands of stranded travelers throughout the country, I realize my annoyance is small by those standards.

But I will try to find out why I had to provide information my friend did not.

Time passages

I last blogged a little over 13 months ago. Now I find my blog has moved, I am now on blogger.com and (so far) unable to find a few years of blogging under the travelingwoman-wanderer.blogspot.com site.

Stuff happens.

It is one of the inevitibilites of life. I know time goes on. and it's not that I hadn't wanted to keep in touch. The last year has been very busy. I spent four months immobilized with a broken foot, became president-elect of my local hospital auxiliary and chaired a Society of American Travel Writers convention for travel professionals in Indianapolis. And, my beautiful (and only) granddaughter got married in late September to a wonderful young man.

My travels, these last few months included convention-related trips to Indy and to Houston for two incredible bridal showers and - with the whole Levin family - to the wedding.

But now, my bags are ready to be packed, I am in the midst of organizing a major trip to South America and cruise aboard Azamara Quest from Rio to BA December, and I am back in the saddle again. I will be blogging from South America on allthingscruise.com.

It's good to be back.