Totally retired from careers in hospital administration (communications and patient services), David and Susan usually spend three months south each winter in their fifth wheel RV.

April through the end of October finds them at their island property on Tabasakwa Island in the southern part of Georgian Bay. When not at the island they might be cruising on their boat or riding their Harley Davison Heritage Softail bike.  The bike has been both shipped south for use during the winter months or driven inside the RV in great style.  That however is another story, for another day.

This leaves only November and December when they live in Alliston, Ontario on the third fairway of the Nottawasaga golf course. Called Briar Hill, this is where they collect their pension cheques and get caught up on the paperwork, bills, magazines and mail that seems to pile up when they are away.

In 2013, David and Susan and good friends, Jim and Bev took a similar trip on the same ship, the Amsterdam.  While the four month sojourn covered the same time period, this trip will be different in many regards.  Firstly, Bev and Jim are not coming with us and secondly this cruise comes up the coast of India and travels through the Suez Canal before transiting the Mediterranean Ocean.  From Spain the ship travels north as far as Norway and then when it returns it crosses the Atlantic diagonally from Ireland to Fort Lauderdale.