We’re Ready to Go — CMA Fest in Nashville, Here We Come! 🤠🎶

Well folks, we’re back! This isn’t a cruise-related trip, but we’ve had several relatives and friends ask to follow along—so here we go! 😊

Since returning from Australia, we’ve been keeping pretty busy—and loving every minute of it. Our nearby 11-and-“3/4” year-old granddaughter (and yes, she’ll remind you that the 3/4 is very important! 😄) has made herself right at home again, with plenty of visits and a few fun sleepovers sprinkled in 🛏️. She attends the same elementary school her mom once did—just a couple of blocks from us—and they’re both incredibly involved. Which, by extension, means we are too!

We also had a great visit over Easter when our youngest daughter and her family came down from Sonoma. It turned into one of those truly heartwarming weeks—watching our granddaughter team up with our two young grandsons (ages 4 and 6) was something special 💕 (and yes, just a little bit tiring being in the middle of the action… but in the very best way! 😂).

Toward the end of March, I got my heirloom tomatoes in the ground 🍅—an annual tradition that friends and family have come to expect. We end up giving away about 90% of the harvest, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s just nothing like a perfectly ripe tomato straight from your own garden. 

Here’s a photo of our tomato garden from a couple of years ago. The tomatoes were still green at the time, and each plant a different heirloom.

And of course, we squeezed in one of our favorite road trips—heading up to Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County to pick up our wine club shipments and taste through the latest releases 🍷🚗. It’s a trip we make at least twice a year and always look forward to… tough job, but someone has to do it! 😎

Now on Tuesday, we’ll be flying to Nashville for a week at the Country Music Association (CMA) Fest 🎶🤠. We’ve been to Nashville before and had a great time, so we’re really looking forward to this visit.

We’re especially excited because our son and daughter-in-law will be meeting us for the week from their home in Idaho. It’s been a while since we’ve spent time together somewhere other than visiting each other’s homes.

We’ve had a few friends express surprise that this Cuban-born boy enjoys country music! I have to admit, it definitely wasn’t the soundtrack of my youth or early adulthood—or Debbie’s (I was more into salsa 💃 and Motown)—but over the past ten+ years, it’s really grown on both of us. So here we are, getting ready to experience one of the crown jewels of country music!

We’ll be in Nashville for six days—originally it was going to be seven, but we need to fly home a day early to attend our granddaughter’s elementary school graduation 🎓. And seriously… who schedules a graduation on a Monday?! 🤔 I’ll save that rant for another time.

We’ll miss the closing night, but I’m sure we’ll still have an amazing time. We’re especially excited to see a mix of new and longtime favorites, including Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, and Ella Langley. 🎸

We are flying Delta from LAX, non-stop, in First Class. And we’ll be staying at the Thompson Nashville Hotel (by Hyatt) in the Gulch neighborhood, just a short walk from all the action on Lower Broadway—aka Honky Tonk Highway 🍻🎶

The Honky Tonk Highway is a famous four-block stretch along Lower Broadway, packed wall-to-wall with historic, multi-level bars and nonstop live country music. From morning all the way until 3 a.m.—and with no cover charges—it’s one of Nashville’s must-see spots, glowing with neon lights and buzzing energy. Live music kicks off early and rolls on 365 days a year, giving the whole area that signature “neon canyon” vibe. Known as the heart of country music, it’s been a launching pad for countless rising stars. And just steps away sits the historic Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry. 🎶 Last time we were in Nashville, we did a behind-the-scenes tour at the Grand Ole Opry a few miles away, and we highly recommend it.

For those who haven’t experienced it, CMA Fest isn’t just a music festival… it’s more like a full takeover of downtown Nashville. For a whole week, the city turns into one big country music venue, with stages set up all over the place and live music coming from just about every direction.

The headliner shows are held at Nissan Stadium on four nights (Thursday thru Sunday), featuring some of the biggest names in the business like Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and Blake Shelton. Safe to say, they don’t exactly struggle to fill the seats.

During the day, there are multiple stages scattered around downtown, and many of the performances are actually free. You can wander from one stage to another, stop when something sounds good, and keep moving when it doesn’t. Not exactly a tough assignment… although it may require a gallon of water (or something a little stronger) to get through the afternoon. 😄

They also have Fan Fair X, where fans can meet artists and catch smaller sets. A big draw for a lot of people.

Overall, CMA Fest is less about one specific show and more about the atmosphere. It’s busy, it’s loud, and it’s Nashville at full throttle. Should make for some good blog material.

Stay tuned for lots of details, stories, and photos. 📸 Feel free to ask questions, there is an email link on my profile. 

Just a quick note on how I typically handle my daily blog updates. I usually post in the afternoon, covering the highlights from earlier in the day. Then, in the following day’s post, I’ll recap the previous evening’s activities. This approach keeps things flowing without me having to stay up into the wee hours trying to document everything in real time—something I’m quite happy to avoid! 😄

Sydney, Australia - We are going Home!

Well… our trip has come to an end 😪.

We packed our bags this morning after enjoying one last breakfast at the hotel.

Debbie worked her usual packing magic with our Sydney purchases. We had one large suitcase that hadn’t been opened since leaving the ship, and somehow she managed to make everything fit into our remaining bags. 

Packing to go home is always very different — we leave behind lots of toiletries and stuff dirty clothes wherever they’ll fit. Let’s be honest… the majority of it is heading straight for the washing machine when we get home anyway.

We Ubered to the airport and are now relaxing in the Amex Centurion Lounge, waiting to board our Business Class Delta One flight. We tried the Delta lounge first, it was the worst lounge we have been in for a very long time! It is a shared lounge, Sky Team. No bueno!!!

Our next blogging adventure will begin in early June when we head to Nashville for a week at the Country Music Association (CMA) Fest 🎶.

After that, our next cruise is in October when we board the Enchanted Princess for a 44-day Mediterranean and Transatlantic crossing. We’ll be spending a week in Rome before embarkation — never a bad idea!

Thank you all for following along and for the many kind emails along the way. Stay tuned… more adventures ahead! ✈️

Sydney, Australia - Day 6 of 7

Last night, we still weren’t hungry for dinner, so we ordered a cheese plate from room service, opened our last bottle of wine 🍷, and spent the evening watching a great movie on Netflix, A House of Dynamite.

This morning, it was clear that it had rained overnight, but the forecast only shows a 30% chance of scattered showers with a high of 78° for our last full day in Australia. The Carnival Splendor is back in port today, and the Crystal Serenity was anchored in the harbor — the first time we’ve ever seen a cruise ship sitting at anchor here.

We had a light breakfast before Craig picked us up at 10 am and drove us north over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Palm Beach, about 30 miles away.

It was a shame the skies stayed cloudy all day — we would have loved to see this quaint beach in full sunshine. Still, the beach and bay were incredibly tranquil, surrounded by beautiful homes that looked like they belonged in a glossy magazine spread.

The two below photos of Palm Beach are courtesy of Google. 

We had a great lunch at Barrenjoey House — and of course, enjoyed a really nice Pinot Noir (when in doubt, add wine 😉).

On the way home, Craig drove us through several other beach communities. We were impressed by just how massive Sydney really is — very similar to the sprawl of Los Angeles.

We returned home around 4 pm and settled back into our room. We checked in for our non-stop Delta Air Lines flight at 2 pm tomorrow. We’re still quite full from lunch and doubt we’ll be hungry for dinner, so we’ll probably head out later for a long walk.

Tomorrow, I’ll make our final blog post for this trip… 

Sydney, Australia - Day 5 of 7

Last night’s dinner at the hotel was just as good as during our last stay. No barramundi this time — snapper was the star instead — and it was delicious!!! 

After...

The wine of the night wasn’t too shabby either.

We wrapped up the evening by mirroring Netflix onto our massive TV.

Thankfully, it didn’t rain overnight and the morning looked promising. The Discovery Princess was in port, and our very good friend Oana — a Princess Corporate F&B Director — was onboard.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to get off today as she’s busy implementing a new program called Ocean 15. For my fellow Princess followers, stay tuned… details are coming soon.

After a light breakfast at the hotel, we wandered through the weekend fair in The Rocks. It was quite crowded, and we managed to show impressive restraint by not buying anything.

Next stop: the ferry to Watsons Bay, with a quick pause at the charming Rose Bay along the way.

A few views from the ferry:

Rose Bay:

Watson's Bay:

Once we arrived, we made the 20-minute walk to The Gap — a dramatic ocean cliff at South Head known for its stunning views of the Tasman Sea.

It also carries a tragic history as a suicide site, though today it’s a popular and much safer destination with fencing and counseling phones in place. It’s part of Sydney Harbour National Park and offers several walking trails — including one that will take you all the way to Bondi Beach (just over 5 miles).

After exploring The Gap, we hopped on a city bus to the massive Bondi Junction Mall, passing right by a very crowded Bondi Beach. We visited a few years ago and Debbie was in absolute shopping heaven!

Before we started shopping — correction, before Debbie started 🤣 — we had a really good seafood lunch in the food court.

Then the shopping began…

And the final result? A huge win for my wallet — Debbie bought nothing!

We returned to Circular Quay via a 30-minute bus ride (For those that are not aware, Quay is pronounced Key). We have to say, Sydney’s bus system is incredibly easy and economical. The 35-minute ride from Watsons Bay to Bondi Junction cost just $0.76 USD! No transit card needed — just tap in and tap out with your credit card.

We were back at the hotel by 3:30 and completely wiped out. Taking off our shoes never felt so good!

We’re still undecided about dinner tonight — head out or stay in and open a bottle of vino? I’ll let you know what we chose in mañana’s blog. 🍷

Sydney, Australia - Day 4 of 7

I wrapped up yesterday’s blog by saying we only had a few sprinkles during the day… well, that changed in a big way around 6:30 pm.

We had enjoyed a huge sushi lunch while shopping our way in and out of the many Westfield malls downtown, so by 6 pm we were only a little hungry. That led us to share some nachos at our favorite casual spot next to the Opera House — Wahlburgers. 🌧️

Armed with our trusty umbrella, we headed out in a light rain. Just as we sat down at the bar — BAM! The skies opened up and unleashed a full-on deluge. By the time we were ready to head back, it was still raining… maybe slightly lighter, but still serious. Thankfully, our oversized umbrella did its job and we avoided getting soaked.

This morning? Still raining. And the forecast says it’s sticking around all day.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is in port today carrying nearly 5,000 passengers, and tomorrow the Discovery Princess arrives — so the harbor is definitely busy despite the weather.

We had originally planned to spend the day with Craig exploring the beaches north of Sydney, but we pushed that to Sunday when the weather should (fingers crossed!) cooperate.

So instead, we grabbed the umbrella once again and continued our shopping safari. Debbie found a couple of treasures, we had lunch downtown, and walked back home. All told, we logged 6.8 miles — not bad for a rainy day!

Tonight, we’re keeping it simple and dining at the hotel. Last time we were here, we had an outstanding whole barramundi cooked in their wood-burning oven. Here’s hoping lightning strikes twice (but only metaphorically this time 😄).

Details in mañana’s blog…