#52 Ancestors 2022 Week 36 Exploration: The Three Sisters Travel the World

 

The Three Sisters ca. 1953

I am very lucky to have two sisters, Louise and Maripat, and even more lucky that we enjoy travelling together. As you can probably tell from the picture above, we have always been ready for adventure. 

For many years now, we have planned Three Sisters Trips together once or twice a year.  At first, we went fairly close to home, like Philadelphia or Virginia, just looking for a brief escape from children and work.  But at some point, we discovered cruising and then our adventures really took off around the world. Sometimes there are only two sisters and sometimes we have allowed spouses, siblings and children to accompany us (at their own risk, of course).  But we still think of our adventures as Three Sisters trips; it's our brand. 

Three Sisters in Philly

This map has an X on every country we have travelled to, outside the United States.  We have covered Europe fairly well, still considering whether we can make it to Africa or South America. 

One of our first "foreign" adventures was a cruise from New England to Montreal in 2005. 

We returned to Canada several other times. On a cruise to Alaska, we ended our trip in Vancouver and visited the gorgeous Butchart Gardens.  It remains one of our favorite places of all time. 

We returned to Canada again to visit Calgary and Lake Louise.  Of course, since one of my sisters is Louise, we had to see the Lake named after her. 

Maripat and I enjoyed a cruise on the West Coast of the US in 2009, with stops in San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle, and Vancouver BC. We had a chance to visit some excellent wineries in Sonoma and checked out Stanley Park in Vancouver. Here we are in Astoria OR. We bought the hats there because it was so cold. 

One year, I was lucky enough to win a trip to Hawaii for two.  Fortunately, my sister Louise was available to go with me.  We toured the Big Island in a snappy convertible, checked out the local volcano, and tried our hands at snorkeling while we were there. 

When two of us retired in 2013, we celebrated with a Baltic cruise, where we visited Germany, Estonia, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark. We visited the home of the Nobel Prize in Stockholm and a reconstructed Viking ship in Denmark. One highlight of a very hot day in Berlin was a visit to the Berlin Wall. And we especially loved the chance to visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. 

Three Sisters at the Berlin Wall

Louise and I enjoyed a Caribbean cruise with my sons.  Louise graciously filled in at the last minute, when my two daughters-in-law were unable to join us, one with a new baby, and one expecting her first child. (You have to book these trips way ahead of time!) We had a great time south of the border, including going snorkeling in Belize. My sons were able to do what they wanted, and Louise and I were able to go where we wanted, which wasn't usually the same places.  So, the boys didn't want to go zip-lining in the jungle with us?  Who knew? We met up for dinner and compared notes. 

We all enjoyed playing with the monkeys in the jungle, though. 

Two Sisters at Blarney Castle

When my chapter of the Sweet Adelines proposed a singing trip to Ireland, I was all in.  Again, my sister Louise volunteered to keep me company as we warbled our way around the Emerald Isle; well, I warbled, Louise shopped.  We saw the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle, and of course, the Guiness brewery and the Book of Kells in Dublin. (And no, just for the record, we did not kiss the Blarney Stone.  That requires way more athletic ability than either of us had.)

Probably our most spectacular trip was a Mediterranean cruise with our brother Phil, where we booked the Haven suite with three bedrooms and enjoyed being pampered for two weeks while we travelled through Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Croatia.

Three Sisters at Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

Three Sisters plus one brother in Florence

 The pandemic certainly put a damper on our travel plans, but as soon as we were able, my sister Louise and I took advantage of a lull to try a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, stopping at many lovely German cities along the way, and finishing up with a few days at Lake Lucerne. (Covid testing every day aboard the ship!) 

Two Sisters in Koln

The longest trip we have taken is to Australia and New Zealand, with my sister Maripat.  One of her sisters-in-law was stationed in New Zealand, and we took advantage of the chance to visit Down Under at Christmas.  Having a summertime Christmas was definitely a new experience; we had a Christmas day picnic. We did an amazing cruise around New Zealand, including a visit to the Hobbiton set built for the Lord of the Rings movies. A  highlight for me, since Lord of the Rings is probably my favorite book of all time. I also got to visit up close with some koalas and kangeroos and attend a performance at the world-famous Sydney Opera House. 

One Sister at the Sydney Opera House

Here is our group with Smaug the Dragon from Lord of the Rings.

Meanwhile, the Three Sisters have recently taken themselves to beautiful Sedona AZ to soak up sun and the energetic vibrations. 

Three Sisters in Sedona

And we're looking forward to our next cruise (Around the British Isles).  We've had to cancel this once due to the pandemic, but we are hoping it will sail this year so we can visit Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and London. 

If you want to see the world, there's no better way than in the company of the sisters who understand your quirks and put up with you anyway, most of the time.