September (Africa and Europe)
Well, channelling Heidi was better than I even imagined it could be. If you want to see what I mean, you’ll need to watch our Uniworld destination video on YouTube. It will be live in early October. The Uniworld experience video is online now. You can watch it here – https://youtu.be/9_KD9_YNpBY?si=x_RaaDu2XB6CAARX
We joyfully met up with M and A outside of Notre Dame. Baby J bump was now well on show! It was lovely to see inside the restored Notre Dame and then we wandered happily around Paris ending up at a restaurant for dinner where N and K joined us. We hadn’t seen them since May other than a one hour visit at home when I was sick so it was wonderful to see them too. Having our two boys and their partners with us for dinner was special, special, special.
We spent most of Sunday and Monday morning together. An activity highlight was a visit to Galerie Dior where we learnt about Christian Dior’s Empire and viewed some beautiful fashion. I really enjoyed this as did Andrew.
Highlight of all highlights though was the time as a six (soon to be seven!)
And then we were off to our adventure in Morocco! I was excited about going to Morocco but also nervous. Would I get sick? Would the accommodation be subpar? Would the toilets be awful (we encountered some pretty dreadful toilets in India)? What would it be like travelling in a small group? How big would the group be? Would we like the others on our group? All these questions and more were swirling in my head as we flew from Paris to Casablanca.
This was our first-ever trip with Intrepid. Our only other group land tour (ever) had been to India with Luxury Escapes. There was only four of us on that tour. The other couple were lovely but four meant we couldn’t escape from them nor they escape us.
We travelled with our second son, N, and his fiancée, K. They were mid-way through a three month European trip and already feeling the money squeeze so they were keen to come along on the parents’ purse. We felt like we hadn’t seen them since mid-May when we left for our first European trip this year so we were delighted to have the time with them.
Anyways, we landed in Casablanca and had an unusual Passports experience. All four of us were asked where we were staying and we all said we didn’t know. Each of us had an unimpressed reaction but K and I were allowed through. Not so Andrew and N. I opened up my laptop and found the Intrepid document with the name of the Casablanca hotel on it and, only after that hotel name was given were Andrew and N allowed into Morocco. Lesson learned – have the hotel name ready.
A driver picked us up and the drive to the hotel took about an hour. We were all wide-eyed as we stared at our first looks at Morocco.
At the hotel we were greeted by our Tour Leader, Mohamed, in his red Intrepid t-shirt. He asked us to convene for a group meeting in a few minutes so we took our luggage to our room. The room was airconditioned (to my relief, every hotel room on this trip was airconditioned, even the Sahara tent) and large. Décor could kindly be described as “fading glamour” or unkindly as dated but it was clean so I was happy.
At our meeting, we met four people from our group – a Brit from London, a couple from New York (originally from the Dominican Republic) and their friend from the Dominican Republic. The NY lady asked if Mohamed spoke Spanish which he did not and this displeased the Dominican Republic lady who seemed unimpressed or uninterested for most of the trip. Not sure what she was thinking, joining an Australian tour company tour in English when she didn’t speak English…She sure did speak a lot of Spanish on speaker on her phone but that is a story for another day!
We met the rest of the group the next morning – a Texan, a solo from country Victoria and a couple from Sydney.
There was no included dinner that first night. We asked Mohamed for restaurant recommendations and also for what he thought of the nearby Bazaar we had seen behind high walls. He was adamant that we should not go to the Bazaar nor anywhere else in Casablanca as it was not safe and not set up for tourists. Oh oh, that advice did nothing to calm my nerves!
At this stage, I was happy to be with Andrew, N and K and happy that Mohamed seemed lovely and spoke English really well but, otherwise, second-guessing my decision to travel to Morocco.
We proceeded across the road to the restaurant Mohamed had recommended and saw some ATMs behind glass. We needed local money (MAD or Moroccan Dirhams) so we went inside. My ATM card wouldn’t work but this was simply fixed when, at K’s suggestion, I notified NAB that I was in Morocco. This was super easy to do in the NAB app when we got back to the hotel WiFi. All the hotels had good WiFi.
A few men came into the ATM area whilst we were there and gave us a good look. By this stage, I was seriously wondering if Morocco were a bridge too far but, then, the men left (they were probably just amused at our fumbling around), N’s card worked and we walked into the restaurant.
We were welcomed with English and a suggestion that they bring out a selection of dishes, we were served Mint Tea in an elaborate, theatrical show (the first of many tea pouring ceremonies) and we relaxed. We had our first experience of no alcohol on the menu and came to realise that this was “the norm.” It was a largely alcohol-free week which, coming off two weeks of Uniworld’s free-flow alcohol, was probably a good thing!
Dinner was delicious – tagines, cous cous, bread and fruit for dessert (also “the norm” we were to discover).
The next day started well with a visit to the third biggest Mosque in the world but then became mainly a day of driving. Not prepared for this, I felt travel-sick and cramped (we had our backpacks in our already tight leg room space) and I was happy when we eventually arrived in Fes.
The week was full of highlights – from a Roman town (Volubilis) to medinas (Old Towns) in Fes and Marrakesh to the third-biggest Mosque in the world (Casablanca) to oases to a camel ride and glamping in the Sahara Desert to a medieval fortified village (Aït Benhaddou) to staying in riads to just a whopping great culture shock, this was a fantastic week. Made extra special by sharing it with N and K. It was sad to farewell them and it will be lovely to catch up with them when they return home in October and reminisce.
From Morocco, it was on to Oxford to celebrate M’s MBA Graduation. This was actually the point of this whole trip. We just added a few weeks’ holiday around the Graduation!
We have seen a lot of Oxford over the last year but there was one thing we had wanted to do so we booked a tour of the car company, MINI (owned by BMW). This was a fascinating tour of the factory, complete with Hi-VIS vests, closed shoes and safety glasses. Our tour guide had started at MINI in 1972 (!!!) and was a fountain of knowledge. We learnt that MINI runs lean – every car produced has been pre-sold to a dealer or an end customer.
That night, the first MBA event was a Cocktail party at the Ashmolean Museum. Wowser! I felt like I was at an A-lister event. I had never been to a private function at a Museum before. There were over 1,000 people there! M introduced us to a few buddies and their parents. Many parents and some grandparents had made the proud trek to Oxford.
Next day, there was a massive Brunch at the Saïd Business School (may have bought a “Future Oxonian” onesie for Baby J there!) and then Thursday was the Graduation at the Christopher Wren designed Sheldonian Theatre. We arrived before 10am when the doors opened as there was no reserved seating for the 11am ceremony. Having a pregnant daughter-in-law came in handy as we were given proper chairs (many guests sat on benches) with a great view. Then we settled in for the hour wait for the ceremony to start. I was hoping I didn’t start to yawn as the ceremony was slated to go for three hours.
To my surprise, I enjoyed the ceremony – from seeing all the grads in their subfusc (weird Latin word for their robe outfits) to marvelling at the beautiful Theatre to enjoying the speeches and the music, it was a privilege to be there. We had lunch afterwards but our special celebration was at dinner. What an amazing and proud few days!
We farewelled M and A as they flew back to Melbourne and we had a couple of days touring England, namely two places that I had long wanted to revisit: Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath. It was a lovely couple of days and the highlights were visiting the house where William Shakespeare was born (!!) and the house where his wife grew up (Anne Hathaways’ Cottage). We arrived in Bath to find we were slam bam in the Festival week celebrating 250 years since Jane Austen was born. Woops! Minus – very crowded. Bonus – heaps of people in Regency costume!
We flew from England to Bordeaux where we started our Spain Intensive cruise with Azamara. We had booked this a year ago to coincide with M’s Graduation so we were excited to almost circumnavigate Spain and to ocean cruise again. We really enjoyed this cruise. The small ship (600 odd passengers) allows the ship – the Azamara Journey – to dock right in the heart of the Old Towns. We almost felt like we were river cruising but with the benefits of a bigger ship like lots of options for entertainment and food.
Highlight ports were Bordeaux (we had almost three days there as we arrived a day before the cruise started), Seville (we had two full days there) and Malaga (I want to go back there!). The weather was perfect – it got progressively warmer but was never less than low 20s (Celsius) and rose to mid 30s. Great for a dip in the pool or hot tub after a day of sightseeing. We saw and learnt so much and then enjoyed beautiful dinners onboard, live music and live shows. If we hadn’t been away for seven weeks, we would have been sad to leave.
Andrew and I have been travelling pretty well non-stop since mid May. We have loved it but we are both wanting to be home for a while. Whilst we have some more trips on the horizon, there are no long trips planned until late January when we head to Tasmania with our motor home, Vandie, for nearly a month.
The last day of the cruise marked a year since my Dad died. In some ways, it seems to have passed in a blink. In others, it seems like years. I have spent weeks consumed by family issues and Estate administration and it is not done yet but it is coming to a close (I hope). I miss Dad’s calls and our coffee catch ups. I miss having a Dad.
In happier news, cue DRUMROLL…My début book, a first reader for children, is out at the end of October https://pegasuspublishers.com/books/coming-soon-_-october-2025/when-harry-got-lost This book is based on Harry, our Golden Retriever, and his three day disappearance in early 2023. I am very excited to hold my book in my hands. Attached is a photo of the front cover. I have some children’s picture books in the pipeline too. Illustrators are being sourced for two stories and two others are in the editorial process with a publisher. Yippee!!!!
I have had several travel stories published this month together with a Flash fiction story and some poetry. First time I have ever had poetry published!
• Cruising Portugal’s Douro River: A serene journey with Viking Cruises https://www.racq.com.au/articles/international-travel/cruising-portugals-river-of-riches
• Wildlife, Waves and Natural Wonders https://wanderer.cmca.net.au/Article/Display/a6cef5bc-49a5-42b7-b3d5-bd57dc2c35b5
• Why a French river cruise should be your next great adventure https://www.joincitro.com.au/news/french-river-cruise
• Five tips for first-time cruisers you might not have considered https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/360808811/5-tips-first-time-cruisers-you-might-not-have-considered
• Join us on our debut motorhome trip to South Australia https://www.joincitro.com.au/news/motorhome-trip-to-south-australia
• Hotel Review: Raffles Singapore in Singapore https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/travel/hotel-review-raffles-singapore-in-singapore/
• Penang Travel Guide: Exploring the Pearl of the Orient https://www.goworldtravel.com/pearl-orient-penang/
• Snuffing Out The Light (Flash fiction) https://chewersmasticadores.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/snuffing-out-the-light-by-leonie-jarrett/
• 5 Poems - Moving Offstage, Marriage, The Struggle, Nature’s Ice Sculptures https://chewersmasticadores.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/4-poems-by-leonie-jarrett/
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