We ended up going into Cuba a total of three times throughout the day. We came back to the ship to take a nap to prepare for the evening when we heard about the Old Havana Perfume Museum from our friends.  Of course we then decided to skip the nap and head back into Havana off the cruise ship.  This perfume shop was adorable, interesting and so weird all rolled into one. Of course I got a little souvenir bottle of the oldest Perfume in Cuba called "Passion".  

I can not take photo credit for all of these pictures.  It's great to travel with 9 other sets of eyes, especially if I am filming!  Fusterlandia is an area in Cuba with spectacular mosaics and art shopping that someone knew to take us to.  Most all of my souvenirs were purchased in this area from local artists and would definitely make this a stop in Cuba. 

The video below is on real time and lets you ride along on our trip to the cabaret.  The driver "Shrek" was quite adorable and smitten with me so I thought fun to share his banter.  

We got tickets while strolling in Havana to one of the cabaret shows.  The hotel we stopped into that sold us tickets recommended this show.  It was located at Hotel Nacional.  The hotel itself was absolutely beautiful from the little we were able to see.  The show is in another building and I describe it in the first video.  :). 

I will admit, a little over half-way thru this show I was sitting there somewhat baffled that I was bored.  I was literally having a mental battle with myself of what the heck when I turned around and the entire table of 9 others waves they were ready to go.  So...I'm guess that isn't the best option for a show.  Besides the aesthetics of the theater and such, the only thing we could figure caused the boredom was simply none of it was in English.  So we truly didn't understand the show and part of what they were wanting to share about their culture.  
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Leaving Cuba caused me to do more research about their culture and the communist rule. I don't believe I truly understood what it meant and then once I observed it it led me to do more research to understand what these people have gone thru. These people are not their government. They were born into the law and they don't have any options because they can't get out. It makes me appreciate how blessed I truly am.

All in all, the trip was amazing. I was able to float in the ocean with rays of sun, explore the beauty of Cuban culture, hang with 9 amazing people and meet 8 new friends.

I do want to give a shout out to Jennifer Blomer. Jennifer was the travel consultant that planned and laid out this trip for us. I typically do all of my own travel but I was joining in a group of friends so I didn't have to handle anything. So if you are a frequent traveler and haven't been to Cuba, or have never taken a cruise, or are terrified of planning a Cuban trip, Jennifer would be perfect for you.

There were quite a few extra things that Jennifer handled for us that even I as an avid traveler thoroughly appreciated. So if you were one that were unsure what would be needed or expected for travel, Jennifer would hit it out of the park for you. She has the patience of a saint (hello, there were 9 of us, and we had zero cell service. ) and if you had questions or needed extra attention to detail, Jennifer would take care of it.

Thank you for following along on my crazy adventures. I love getting to hear who follows along....

xoxo

​Jenny

ig: jennytorrence
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I am trying to finally catch up on some fun things but I hate to slow down to take the time to write!  


Where I left off on my trip was after our crazy, yet extremely memorable Irish wedding, that happened to be located in the middle of a cemetery, up a long walk, in the rain.  If you haven’t had a chance to read that, it is a must!  I know that is something I will never forget.  


After the wedding and we took the ferry back to the mainland, they had scheduled into the day a nap in between festivities, and I needed it.  Granted, I am not an Irish drinker but my one cider that I used for the toast required a disco nap for me.  We knew going into the reception it was scheduled to go late because of the Irish customs which is what I was most excited about.  I believe all the Americans were excited about.  
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We went to the reception site which is where the family and members of the wedding party stayed.  It was the Castello Lodge which we learned, and heard from multiple different sources the story of how that location came about.  One of the original owners of the Titanic was the builder of this home.  In the movie, there is a man who carries off a child at the end and that is the owner of the blue necklace.  He survived the sinking by sink supposedly in reality by dressing as a woman in order to save his live.  There is much folklore about him and have done minimal research thus far.  Somehow people found out about his dishonesty of getting off the boat and exiled him after burning his house down in the UK, which is how he ended up in Ireland and building the property where the wedding was held.  Beautiful property and I can’t wait to find out more about the story.  
Anyway, Shannon headed over to the wedding before me since this was her shin dig.  I hadn’t been sleeping well and struggling with my jet lag so I finally made it over closer to 9.  There was supposed to be basically three receptions.  Typical American style, kind of mix of the two, and then the final one was to be how many Irish end their evenings in family song and music bringing up the sun.  That was our goal, thus why I had to take a nap!  Needless to say, all Americans were so flipping excited for the final reception part and to partake in the Irish music with his family.  It didn’t happen. We laughed as it is getting early into the morning that all the Americans were left standing as the Irish were passed out and had to retire.  Granted, most of the Americans didn’t drink much and had to take a nap to get ready for the late night but still!  The laugh was on us as all the Americans left the reception late, hoping for some fun to pop off and they were all passed out.  
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Either way you look at that day it was nuts, crazy, one for the history books and most definitely a once in a lifetime wedding.  The stories and laughter over the craziness of the day have made it so worth going, especially now that we have dried out and our clothes are finally dry to be able to take home!  


I’m not sure that this wedding will ever be able to be topped as most memorable, but if you know of one that is crazier than this, I need an invite!!  


More soon,
Jenny

The bride is marrying an Irish lad who is born and raised here in the area.  So when we say a traditional Irish wedding, it is traditional!   The groom is one of 13 and is a full of color, fun group that as the day progresses I can’t imagine the fun.  As the ferry was starting to depart the groom, his father, and I am assuming uncles, pose for a picture and as someone hollers to smile, as up come the middle fingers on cue. As you can see we happened to catch it just in time. The family love on the groom is fun to watch, especially since the mother was tragically killed a year or so ago.  ​

One of the best parts we are noticing so far is the attire.  Wow...I have obviously witnessed a lot of weddings in my day, especially in the last six years and I have never seen anything of the sort. It’s crazy and will totally make you smile.  The only uniform or semblance of uniformity is comfort and perhaps favorite pieces of clothing.  Tattoos, piercing and more are celebrated and welcomed. Love it!  I noticed the first beer being drank starting around 10:45 am and the reception is supposed to go until the sun comes up.  ​​

Ferry is pulling up to the island and we are on to the next adventure!!  11:45
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​2:03. Well...we are all officially sopping wet , the couple is married, and we are back on the ferry and beyond thrilled to get back to land and dry clothes after the most amazing, unique experience I may have ever been witness to.  ​

As we all exited the ferry and started off we all were wondering where the next shuttle was.  Well, there wasn’t one! We watched as the bride and the priest pulled out their umbrellas and started the trek, uphill, in the rain. It literally may have been a mile walk up the road in the driving rain.  Watching the massive of line of us crazy nuts walking in this was fun and hearing the banter was the best, not to mentioned everyone taking pictures of the crazy wedding party.  Especially as we are walking up this hill towards what looks like a cemetery!  We knew the grooms mom had been killed recently while she was walking to prayer so we thought perhaps it was traditional to visit her grave and bring the wedding party along. Nope!  In the middle of the cemetery is an historic chapel set down in the middle where the wedding party and family climbed down to partake in the ceremony (I’ll find out more details for history buffs and share when can). The best was as we are walking up a gentlemen in front of us leans over to his wife and says, “we aren’t heading to the graveyard right?”   ​

After the ceremony we then walked half the way to a local pub at which we all had pints before the ferry back. Granted we didn’t know we were supposed to eat so our nap time will also include lunch time!  

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Although we are literally ringing out our clothes and have a full ferry full of soggy Irish and Americans, it was spectacular and will definitely go down as the most memorable wedding thus far. ​​

​CONCERTS! I obviously love to get out and support live music. Regardless of the size of the audience, supporting musicians and getting to enjoy their passion and talent has always been something important to me. I have attended all kinds of concerts starting as a child from Alabama and Kenny Rogers to Ozzy Osbourne and Guns and Roses and my list keeps growing. Sometimes performers on my list are bucket list performers and then there are some it’s an experience, I love their music or I had the opportunity to go.

Kesha & Macklemore was a fun one I was able to see in Cincinnati, Ohio with Shannon and a crew. I actually brought two of my employees to Ohio as a reward trip and had my step daughter Addison and her partner Liz join us for the event. They were able to drive over from Lansing, Michigan where Addison is attending graduate school. Plus, my neice Megan happened to be traveling cross country so I kidnapped her to join us for the fun. The energy of this concert was so much fun, especially the people watching!!

​I’m going to sign off for now. The flight attendants have out their duty free and are hitting the aisles and I hate to miss a good deal.

Lots of love,


Jenny

My UK observations for the day...
Shifting from second to third gear is not my strength. 
Their malls are ridiculous in so many ways. Not only the stores within them, they are impossible to get into! It’s like a scavenger hunt sometimes or a puzzle. Who has floors with escalators going down and none up?!
Many Londoners have been terrified by the sound of my lil Peugeot being thrown into first gear instead of the intended third gear. 
It is embarrassing each time I try to get into the wrong side of the car. 
My middle of bathroom shower confuses me where to put the bath mat...and the toilet paper. 
And my brain is still working on how to get my British door paint. Can I carry on?
Pizza express doughballs for 11 pm snack are a must. 
I don’t notice very many car accidents with all the traffic and craziness. Why?

I land tomorrow morning at Gatwick airport in London and not sure where I want to head! When Shannon flies in next week we have a great flat rented in Nottinghill off Portobello road. Portobello market has to be one of my favorite things so I am looking forward to enjoying that week but the days prior I haven’t decided where my adventure will take me.


One of my favorite things of traveling Is exploring new areas and honestly seeing what that area does “Right”. So many times there is not reason to reinvent the wheel, just explore other options. Look at other parts of the country or world and I guarantee someone has come up with what you are looking for. Seeing fun display, products, how it is set up and handled of similar businesses is always a highlight. Brighton, England is an area I haven’t spent any time in and have learned a friend will also be in area so perfect time to head up to explore that area. They are known for their pier and board walk, not to mentions all their markets and carboots. So travels my take me north for some new exploring.

I also wanted to try and do some tidbits along the way for those who are not travelers or whom haven’t ventured this far. I know I’m asked often about my travels. Many have crazy perceptions on pricing and such and as a bargain shopper I’ll try and share some tips and tricks. So...as heading out of the country as a shopper, those sometimes are challenges with bag and weight restrictions.

One of my travel tidbits is with southwest airline credit card. I love it. I rarely pay for any tickets airline tickets within the United States. I earn miles every month and try to use for domestic flights so when searching for this adventure I needed to find reasonable flights basically to London. I have free airfare using points so I’m flying to Boston and catching a flight direct from there. How some of my dates fell with meetings and such made my tickets a bit more expensive because lack of flexibility but my flight was around $450 round trip Boston to London. Of course tons of options more expensive but also a few more options cheaper. I have used many times wow air which goes thru Iceland and honestly is cheap and great and their flights would have been a less expensive option but the straight thru was calling my name. Will keep you posted as can!


Jenny

One could not ask for a more gorgeous day all around! It was perfect for us to explore Paris and get to see the sites. Although we all started our day out around 4, we couldn't have asked for a better time with friends.

Last night Shannon and I were able to meet up with our friends, www.zachharmon.com, who are playing a European tour and were at their stop in Paris. The played a jazz club and had packed the house. After their show, all of us went to probably one of the most memorable bars I have ever been to. It was a Cabernet variety show, basically underground in one of the most amazing stone basements, with cave like rooms filled with energy and people. I honestly could not begin to tell you how much it was like what one see in the movies, or begin to describe it, but it was just wow. Singing, dancing, dancing on tables, bottles of champagne, cheering and chanting....it is a memory we won't forget!

Since the bar didn't close until 5 am, we were there until four, and by the time we got back to hotel and such 6 am here we are...thus, our late start of our adventure today. We rounded up three of the guys and they headed out with us to explore. Slim, www.texasslim.com, Chris, Ralph, Shannon and I took off to enjoy the weather and sites. Of course our first stop had to be the Eiffel Tower.

We walked around, took our pictures, ate crepes and hotdogs and then made sure to go by other sites, did some souvineer shopping and then decided to find a park and enjoy a cafe and people watch. We talked and gabbed and just had a ball when we planned to walk back to car and go see the sites at night. Well...our plans got a little delayed.

As we walked up to our car, we quickly realized we were not leaving anytime soon. As you can see police were involved, they tried to push cars out, bump back and forth and there wasn't any luck. Two hours later and 4 desserts, 5 Jameson, 2 espressos, a Coke and a milkshake were great time killers. We sat at the most hospitable cafe and enjoyed the night while waiting for the bad Mercedes driver. All things happen for a reason because it was wonderful to sit, relax and enjoy the company.

Not sure where the wind will take us tomorrow. We don't have anything planned so who knows where we will end up. But will try and share when can!

Lots of love,

Jenny

I once had a friend post that I did a great job "adulting", and that may have been one of my most favorite things. I took it as I embrace my life as an adult and enjoy it! Well, not too many could say they started out their birthday in Amsterdam and finished it in Paris! I am enjoying this adult life thing.


We landed in Amsterdam on Thursday and have had an absolutely wonderful time having nothing that we had to do. We shopped a few open air markets which is one of our favorite things which we love. We have had amazing food and some of the best people watching ever! 😜

Last night we went to dinner in a little area of Amsterdam that is two blocks of street blocked off, so the street is packed with people!! And, then tend to be very entertaining since quite drunk and quite stoned. So we love to find a table with chairs to sit back and enjoy. You see all kinds of things!


We ended our night by stopping in a city square that was full of entertainment. We found a wonderful bar that had outside seating and it was game night. After Shannon trying to teach me backgammon, unsuccessfully since she couldn't remember how to play, we switched to cards and had a ball. Gorgeous weather, great people watching, and playing cards when it hit my birthday here. I told Shannon this was the best way to celebrate because I got 7 extra hours for my birthday celebration!


We are currently on the road to Paris to spend the evening there. Small world that friends of ours that have played Serendipity happen to be touring here and are playing this evening. So we are looking forward to that and enjoying some great music.

Have loved and appreciated all the birthday wishes. You know how to make a girl feel loved...

xoxo
Jenny

The children on bikes and motorcycles here is just crazy! I captured a few fun pictures...from cart with kids on way from from school, mom holding up kids head while he was out cold in car seat, and three year olds riding scooters.