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Chuck Cook
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Chuck Cook

Since retiring in 2012 traveling the world has been a source of immeasurable joy for us, and we are delighted to share our experiences with you.
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  • France’s Finest
    Day0

    The Beginning of the Journey

     September 17, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Since I retired we have begun every trip by piling all of our luggage on the couch in the great room just as we are ready to leave the house. Sometimes we take a lot of luggage; sometimes we take very little. As we have become more experienced travelers, we have consistently reduced the amount of luggage we take. What you see here is the luggage we will be taking for a three-week river cruise through the heart of France. All of these bags are carry-on’s. We will not check anything.Read more

    Angela Hallman

    Have a wonderful trip! We love you guys.

    9/18/18Reply
    Kathy Dickson

    Bon Voyage 🇫🇷

    9/18/18Reply
    Charlene Shipman

    Another amazing adventure. I have done the same in regards to packing LESS. You will be glad you did that for sure. Looking forward to following your trip. Be safe.

    9/19/18Reply
     
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  • Viking World Cruise
    Day21

    Los Angeles

     January 4, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We docked in San Pedro, California today and spent the morning touring Los Angeles. The city is still here, as urbanly sprawled as ever. It’s interesting to see how American culture, and that of the world, has been shaped by the illusory values of show business. We passed the Walt Disney Theater, City Hall, Chinese Theater, and the Hollywood sign. As we passed by the hotel where Julia Roberts was filmed in Pretty Woman, one would have thought our guide was describing a holy shrine. Even so, it was interesting to be back here again. The city seems now to be somewhat dated, a bit shabby and quite dirty. Homeless people were everywhere. Los Angeles seems tired.Read more

     
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  • Viking World Cruise
    Day1

    The First Step of the Journey

     December 15, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    The journey of a thousand miles, or of twenty-five thousand, begins with one step. As Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings said, “ If I take one more step, I will be farther from home than I have ever been.” We flew from Charlotte to Miami and then took a bus to board the ship. Once on board we started trying to get our stateroom squared away. There was a welcoming celebration led by Captain Atle Knutson and Heather Clancy, our cruise director, around the swimming pool. At 5 PM Glenda and I went to Explorer’s Lounge to meet all the other people that we had come to know on Cruise Critic. After dinner at the restaurant, we headed back to our state room to finish putting things away. Tonight we set sail for Cuba. We don’t know what to expect, but we know that adventure is out there.Read more

     
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  • Spandinavia
    Day1

    A Glitch Upon Leaving

     April 15, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    We had a problem with the alarm security system today as we were leaving the house. We called Time Warner cable and also Mike at the alarm company. Mike says that if Time Warner cannot repair it he will do so on Monday. It's 11:00 AM. I noticed that the phone has dial tone now, so we tested the alarm system and it works. When we arrived at the Charlotte airport, Glenda was thoroughly frisked by the TSA. She brought the bag she had been using for her pistol, and it still had gunpowder residue. It took her over half an hour to get through TSA. As I was standing by, waiting for TSA to complete its search of Glenda, an African-American female agent directed me to move along. I told her I would not leave my wife. The agent shrugged and I stayed until the search of Glenda was completed.Read more

     
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  • British Isles
    Day1

    Starting in Charlotte

     August 19, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Our flight out of Charlotte has been delayed for more than one hour so far. A severe thunderstorm has closed the ramp numerous times, and now we just were connected to the fuel truck. So in maybe half an hour or so we will be moving.

    It is now 8:40 pm. There was miscommunication with the fuelers. We have sat in the airplane for two hours and forty minutes. It looks as though we are ready for push back now.

    We sat on the airplane for four hours, and finally took off at 10:00 pm.    Read more

     
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  • Atlantic and Europe
    Day1

    Boarding the Ship

     April 25, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    When we arrived at the Fort Lauderdale airport, a shuttle bus took us the short distance to the ship. A twenty-minute bus ride brought us to the cruise ship terminal. Luggage was delayed until after supper, but then we secured all our baggage and got the room squared away.Standing for just a moment in the hot sun before we took the elevator up to check into the ship was merciless. I had brought my hat and a sport coat, and in the sun, the heat was nearly unbearable. However, the discomfort did not last long. Princess showed its usual efficiency in getting us checked in. Once on the ship, they treated us like royalty. When we boarded, our room was not yet ready, so we had to wait in the atrium. There were several couples dancing to recorded music. We did not realize that certain ships are known for certain types of activities. The Royal Princess is known as a ship that welcomes people who enjoy dancing. I had prime rib for supper and Glenda had Mexican.Read more

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  • Iceland Adventure
    Day10

    At Home Again

     February 18, 2015 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 36 °F

    Although the flight was postponed repeatedly, we made it home to Raleigh-Durham Airport, where the Southerns picked us up. Because it was still snowing, we didn't delay but came straight home. I found Cedar Creek Drive to be glassy with ice so I turned off Lexington Road and gunned the motor. The car was not steerable, but the inertia brought us far enough so that I was able to get the car into the drivewayRead more

     
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  • Northern Italy
    Day1

    Three Thousand Miles and Four Centuries

     November 1, 2014 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    Gray Southern took us to the airport in Raleigh, where we caught a plane to Philadelphia. In the evening we started our flight to Venice. The flight was very long and uncomfortable. I tried to stand as much as possible on the airplane to stretch my legs and avoid circulatory problems. We arrived in Venice the next morning around 7:00 am local time, and were met at the airport by a representative of Uniworld Cruises. There was some confusion at the Venice airport. Glenda took charge and sorted things out. We were ushered onto the River Countess, where we enjoyed a continental breakfast buffet. The first two new shipmates we met were Jim and Betty Hutchinson from Richmond, Virginia.Read more

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