Ah, to be in Ireland, now that Spring is here (almost). We took a guided tour of the British Isles several years ago. It included several days in Ireland, including a dining and theater experience in Dublin. Our week in England was somewhat enjoyable, except that it was foggy and rainy every day.

Recently we signed on for the Elderhostel (elderhostel.com) Queen Mary I experience. It proved to be an enjoyable and busy five nights and days. My spouse and I were sort of drafted for the program because my brother-in-law had sailed on the old British luxury liner in 1945 as a GI returning from World War II in Europe. He wanted to visitr again to relive and remember some of his adventures aboard during the Queen’s troopship era.

Recently I visited my grandson, an American State Department officer in Manila, the Philippines. I had been there in 1945 as a GI when we recaptured the city near the end of WWII. The fighting had been brutal for months, there were many casualties, both military and civilian, and most of the buildings were severely damaged, especially in the educational area called the Intramuras.

We're off to France. This time we are traveling to Nantes, on the Western Atlantic coast, the capital of Brittany and the end of the magnificent Loire Valley. Check back in December for photos, reviews and the full journal of our trip.