Reset search
Regent 2025Regent 2025
Edit route

Regent 2025

May – June 2025
  • Roxanne Povio
We're starting our trip in Phoenix at a family wedding and we're ending in Paris Read more
  • Roxanne Povio

List of countries

  • Italy Italy
  • France France
  • Spain Spain
  • England England
  • United States United States
Categories
Vacation
  • 7.2kmiles traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight-kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 12footprints
  • 31days
  • 154photos
  • 45likes
FollowCalendarShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025

    Jordan and Petie's Wedding

    May 9 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 100 °F

    The wedding day is here and it's incredibly hot! We're staying at the wedding hotel in Old Scottsdale and we're having fun being so close to all the wedding events. We got to the rooftop pool pretty early, and we spent a LOT of time trying to stay cool in the pool! Then we got dressed and on the party bus by 4:00.

    The wedding of Petie and Jordan was SO MUCH FUN! There were so many beautiful touches. The efficient was funny and meaningful, the venue was spectacular, the speeches were heartfelt and meaningful, and the attention to detail was over the top! Jordan looked amazing--of course, and Petie looked so handsome! This couple has known each other since middle school and started formally dating in high-school. They are a successful young couple with big dreams--and even bigger hearts 💕 I was so happy we started our vacation with our cousins!
    Pictures tell the story!    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025
    Who knew!
    James is right next doorI have no idea how to use a controller!Unlimited menu...My starterMy desert, and red wineMy breakfastMy own little condo for the night!

    Leaving on a jet plane!

    May 10 in England ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    Wow! That's all I can say. We had quite a journey to Madrid! My cousin Vikki drove us to the airport with more than enough time to spare, and we boarded our British Airways flight with utter surprise that we were in business class! We were able to lie down and sleep, we were served amazing meals, and unlimited drinks. It was amazing--until it wasn't...
    Upon landing our connecting flight in London Heathrow required us to change terminals. Unfortunately this meant we had to go through security again. This initially went ok, except it took some time. We rushed to our gate, but upon arriving James couldn't find his boarding pass or passport. In a split second we decided I should go ahead to secure our bags and James would go back to security to look for his items and catch the next flight. The stress of it all, oh my.
    Luckily while we were still on the tarmac James called with the great news that he'd found everything safely tucked away in his carry on! The bad news was there wasn't another flight until 6:am the next morning. He was able to get our remaining luggage, and he decided to stay at the airport for his early flight. Needless to say he was grateful for the BA lounge, but he still got very little sleep.
    I was VERY happy to finally see him the next day when a group of our Trilogy friends got together for lunch!    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025
    1111

    Madrid, what a city!

    May 11–14 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    What an amazing city! We're getting used to the time zone and jet lag is getting better every day. We were able to easily walk everywhere and we are centrally located very close to Jamie and Jonica. They arrived a few days before us and they had a good lay of the land.

    Jamie arranged a wonderful historical walking tour where we learned about the many revolutions and evolutions that shaped this lovely capital of Spain 🇪🇸. Madrid was essentially torn down and rebuilt in the name of Christ.

    Madrid houses the largest palace in all of Europe. It was built in the 1735 on the site of a Muslim era fortress, and it took roughly 20 years to build. It contains more than 3,400 rooms! Our tour of the palace reminded me a bit of the tours we've taken at Hearst Castle. We took the general tour, where we saw many well preserved lavish rooms such as the Throne Room, the Porcelain Room, the pool room, the music room, and the royal apartments of the king and queen. The pictures I took do not do these rooms justice! Much to James' dismay, we did not get to tour the Royal Armoury. It is no longer used as a palace, but the royal family occasionally visits for state events and visiting dignitaries.

    One evening we went to see a world renowned Flamenco show at Corral de la Moreria which was selected in the book "1000 Places To See Before You Die." It is renown because it is the only flamenco tablao in the world with a 2025 Michelin starred gastronomic restaurant! It may have been a highlight for me!

    We had one more day in Madrid to go, but alas our plans to visit the world renowned museums were dashed. Unfortunately we spent most of the day at the local hospital tending to a wound on James' arm. It was pretty stressful, but we were happy to find out it wasn't infected and he walked away with antibiotics. We were fortunate to have the spare time to tend to this before we departed on our cruise. Needless to say, at the end of the day we rewarded ourselves with another special meal of my two favorite dishes of calamari and artichokes! I've never seen artichokes prepared like a flower, and it tasted like nothing I've ever had before!

    Early to bed for us. Tomorrow we are off on a train to meet up with Jamie and Jonica, and Sandi and Kevin in Barcelona.    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025

    Train to Barcelona

    May 15 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We had such a fun train ride from Madrid to Barcelona. The train station was built in 1851 and it was remarkably easy to figure out. We had great assigned seats, and we skipped the food cart.

    Our train ride was a little over 3 hours, and the train meandered through an absolutely beautiful countryside.

    When we arrived, we quickly dropped our luggage and headed over to the Gothic Quarter for a walking tour. More to come, because, that requires its own post.    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025

    Barcelona, day #1

    May 15 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Upon arrival to Barcelona we were greeted in the train station by our driver who drove us to our beautiful hotel. We ran into Sandi and Kevin in the lobby, and we were reminded we needed to quickly drop off our luggage and get a move on. Jamie had arranged a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter in about an hour.

    Our tour guide was a very experienced, knowledgeable, and darling girl named Filipa. This was a great way to reaquaint ourselves with this beautiful city. We started our tour in the ancient Roman section, where we saw remnants of an ancient aqueduct that was uncovered when trying to beautify the city for an upcoming world event.

    We wound our way from the square down various medieval streets filled with churches, bars, shops, and Catalan restaurants. My favorite section was the Born district. I really should have bought the beautiful leather purse!

    We learned about a peculiar Christmas tradition which includes a figurine that is comonly found in Catalan nativity scenes. It is called a "Caganer." You can buy them in your favorite character, shown from the backside pooping! Strange indeed 🤔

    When we ended our tour we found a charming Catalan restaurant for an early dinner, that served the largest beers I've ever seen! Unfortunately the wine glasses were not quite the same size...

    After dinner we headed back to our hotel for drinks on the rooftop with Sandi and Kevin. We had an amazing view of Segrada Familia--which looks just slightly more complete than the last time we were here about 12 years ago!    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025
    1

    Barcelona Day #2

    May 16 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We had a whirlwind two full days in Barcelona. This is a beautiful city that is expansive and full of people from everywhere ❤️ Given its size, it's not nearly as easy to traverse as Spain's capital city of Madrid. It is however equally as ancient and beautiful.

    Unfortunately on our first full day we got our wires crossed, and we ended up at an entirely different "funicular" than Sandi and Kevin, and Jonica and Jamie went to. Who knew there were three, located in vastly different parts of town! Our taxi took us to the Cuca De Llum Funicular on Tibidabo Mountain. You might ask, "what is a funicular?" I know I did 🤔 Well, it's essentially a tram up a mountain.

    Cuca De llum contained the home of one of Barcelona's oldest theme parks, as well as a beautiful church called "Temple of The Sacred Heart." We had expansive views of the mountains, Barcelona, and the sea. We decided to make the best of our day and we meandered the charming neighborhood and took in various working man's sites as we walked the many miles back to our hotel. Of course we had to stop at a beautiful bar called Mirablau https://mirablaubcn.cat/ for a drink 😉

    After we rested a bit we met up with the others at our rooftop bar for a drink, before having what would be our last dinner at a wonderful farm to table restaurant located right around the corner called La Bendita, https://labenditabcn.cat/. Hard to believe it was my first taste of paella in Spain! It was perfect in every sense of the word 😋, and truly the best I've ever had!

    Early to bed tonight so we could hit the ground running tomorrow, our last day in Barcelona.    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025

    Our Final Day in Barcelona

    May 17 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Our final day in Barcelona was quite a bit more organized. We started our day at the Erotic Museum of Barcelona, https://www.erotica-museum.com/. This multi-room museum told the history of sex from all over the world since the dawn of time. It was really fascinating and informative at the same time. I would say this museum over delivered and a must see, ha, ha, ha!

    Next on our tour was the vast Mercat de la Boqueria. It included everything you could ever want, except seats. Not a great place to get lunch, but definitely a great place to see! Next we were off to see one of Gaudi's first homes https://gaudicoloniaguell.org/. It was amazing how he designed his home. It was unassuming from the street, but it held many beautiful rooms with enchanting details. There were no straight lines for Gaudi, but he definitely paid attention to detail and perfection.

    We later wondered the many streets of Born, but alas, I couldn't find the purse shop again. James was happy, Sandi and I were sad...

    We were all tired and needed to pack so on our last night in Barcelona we found a fantastic all you can sushi bar right around the corner: https://view-h.mbm07.cn/c4CkyZo/M666G_9Yo0pKG?t…. We were able to place an order of up to 5 items every
    8 minutes. Needless to say we ate a ton, and drank our share of beer, wine and saki. The grand total for our entire dinner was USD $60!

    Night, night!    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025
    1121

    Tarrgona, Spain and Toulon, France

    May 18–20 in France ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Embarkation day is finally here and we're very excited to get this day going! We arranged a large private van to pick James and I, and Kevin and Sandi first, then pick up Jamie and Jonica as we head out of town. We had a 40 minute ride out of Barcelona, and our driver was late because he was stuck in Sunday morning traffic. We were all a little stressed, but we finally made it to our ship! It was a little strange that we passed five large cruise ships in Barcelona's port, but we needed to drive so far away.

    Around 12:30, we boarded the new Regent ship, the Seven Seas Grandeur. It was beautiful and subdued in it's opulence. After we walked around a bit, we had a fun lunch while we waited for our luggage to arrive. There was a welcome cocktail party that evening and off we sailed ⛵️

    On our first full day, we were super excited for our excursion, where we'd ride bikes through a winery in Toulon, France. Unfortunately we were all alerted to a local transportation strike that canceled everyone's excursions. We were very bummed, but Jamie found a very interesting maritime museum right off the ship! Who knew this port in Toulon was the largest and most important port in all the Mediterranean! This mighty museum documented over 400 years of maritime history--mostly in French. Jamie taught me how to use Google Translate, which was extremely helpful! The larger than life models of ships, the wooden carvings, artifacts, and multimedia depictions of wars gone by were fascinating.

    Afterwards we wondered the local streets in search of an ancient church, the Toulon Cathedral. Construction of the church started in the 11th century and it was completed in the 18th century.

    We meandered our way back to our ship and readied ourselves for our first official dinner. There are three specialty restaurants, Prime 7 (steak and seafood), Pacific Rim (Asian fusion), and Chartreuse (French). Each cabin is allowed to book four specialty restaurant reservations. Aside from that, there is a restaurant called Compass Rose, which serves a little bit of everything, and Sette Mari, which is basically an upscale sit down buffet fare. We hadn't yet coordinated our specialty reservations so we chose Compass Rose for dinner. Needless to say, even this restaurant did not disappoint. I loved the caviar appetizer and various cheeses for desert. Tonight's wine was well varied with choices from California, France, and Australia. Yummo, we approved!    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025
    1111

    Cinque Terre, Italy

    May 20 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We had our first cold and blustery day. Today all six of us took a cruise to see the five stunning, colorful towns clinging to the cliffs along the coast. We were lucky to be on the am tour because the weather got worse as the day went on.

    We came back for a nice poolside lunch and a mahjong lesson from Sandy! Ooh, how fun! We had a great dinner which ended with my favorite cheese plate for desert. Seems we're getting pretty used to this three meals a day thing!    Read more

  • Roxanne PovioTravelerRegent 2025

    Our first free day on the ship

    May 21, Mediterranean Sea ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Today we decided to have our version of Olympics. We picked three games, 1) 9 hole mini golf, 2) pickleball, and 3) corn hole. We had a blast getting exercise and being competitive! We accumulated scores and tabbed them up at the end. We had so much fun--and James and I won bragging rights. We sucked at corn hole, held our own at pickleball, and killed it at mini golf!

    We had another great lunch on board ship. After lunch James and I decided to check out the extra (free) amenities at the spa/gym. They were spectacular to say the least! Not only was there a special area to sit outside, but there was a spa appointed locker room with slippers and robes, a sauna, a steam room, a cold room, and a Serena shower where you chose a particular atmospheric response with particular lighting and essential oils being pumped in through this very cool fountain. I met a super nice lady named Karen from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She was so nice and we vowed to meet here again throughout our cruise. Hard to believe we didn't have to pay extra, and hardly anyone was using these facilities!

    Sadly I have no pictures from this day.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice