Website Updates – Happily We Roam-Blog

Portland, OR in June

Julie Moore — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 20:16:44 +0000

In 2026, we decided to visit the Pacific Northwest. Neither of us had been to Oregon and decided an outdoors type of vacation was needed.

We spent 10 days exploring various areas of the state. 3 days in the south central part with a stop at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House, a day trip to Crater Lake National Park, and putting our feet up at the VRBO. Then a day’s drive west and north along the coast to Seaside experiencing the smaller towns. On the return drive to Portland, we slowly made our way to Garibaldi to ride the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, and tasting the flavors of Blue Heron French Cheese Company & Tillamook Creamery. Once in Portland, we took a day trip to see the many area waterfalls & Mt Hood, we walked for miles around downtown, bought several books at Powell’s City of Books, enjoyed a peaceful stroll in the Japanese Gardens, breathed in the fragrances of the International Rose Test Garden, & walked through the Pittock mansion.

We enjoyed the different pace of this trip and the various locations we visited.

To read and see more, check out the updated Jaunts portion of our website.

Sharp reflections of the caldera rim at Crater Lake National Park

The sun shines down on the Japanese Gardens

St Lucia All-Inclusive

Julie Moore — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 22:16:44 +0000

In 2019, after a cold vacation the previous winter, we decided to visit the warm waters of the Caribbean. We chose to visit Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort in St Lucia, right before Thanksgiving.

We spent a week experiencing the sites of the island on foot, segway, bus, and catamaran. We also enjoyed our time simply relaxing by the pool and on our deck.

To read and see more, check out the updated Journeys portion of our website.

A segway sits near an overlook where we stopped for a snack.

The Pitons are used on the labels of all kinds of local products.

Christmas Markets Along the River

James Moore — Sun, 17 May 2026 21:00:27 +0000

In 2018, we decided to combine 2 types of trips into 1. We chose to embark on a Christmas Markets cruise on the Danube. James’ parents joined us on the adventure.

We visited some new cities and experienced others in a different season. Seeing the magic of Christmas through James’ parents eyes was also wonderful. We have greatly enjoyed our 2 river cruises with Uniworld.

To read and see more, check out the updated Journeys portion of our website.

Schönbrunn Palace with the Christmas Market in front (Vienna, Austria)

Aromatic decorations at one of the stalls

The entrance to the Christmas Market at Vienna’s City Hall (Austria)

Nutcrackers standing at attention waiting for someone to take them home

Looking out from the footbridge above Neuschwanstein (Germany)

Castles, Cathedrals and a Cruise Ship

James Moore — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 21:18:10 +0000

In 2017 we took our first river cruise to celebrate 20 years as a married couple. Our trip started in Munich, Germany before we jumped to Basel, Switzerland to board our Uniworld cruise ship. We spent a week going downstream visiting sites along the Rhine river. We ended our trip with a few days in Amsterdam.

Not only did we discover a great new (to us) way to travel, we saw some incredible sites along the way.

Check out the whole trip on our Journey’s Page.

Enjoying the river celebrating our Anniversary.

Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps

The Cathedral in Strasbourg, France

Heidelberg Castle

The Cathedral in Cologne

One if by land, Two if by sea

Julie Moore — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 18:26:40 +0000

In June 2025, James attended a conference in Boston. We both decided to make a vacation out of the rest of the week since neither of us had been there as tourists. Together we walked the Freedom Trail, enjoyed the Public Garden, rode the “T” and the Hop On Hop Off Trolley, and met up with the best man from our wedding.

To read and see more, check out the updated Jaunts portion of our website.

Downtown from the Seaport area

The Rain in Spain falls… Everywhere

James Moore — Mon, 26 May 2025 19:34:35 +0000

In March of 2025 we made a trip to Spain. Even though it rained almost every day, we enjoyed experiencing a new country & culture. Between time on our own and an Insight Vacations tour, we visited Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Seville, and Madrid with stops in Peñíscola, Córdoba, Toledo, Ávila, and Segovia. Over the two week trip, we spent over 20 hours on a coach, traveled more than 1900 kilometers (1180 miles), and walked 70 miles.

We saw Basilicas, Cathedrals, Álcazars (palaces), a citadel, and neighborhoods that have been around for over 1000 years. We learned about a culture that has influenced us greatly, but was not at the center of our history lessons. Here are a few of the over 2000 photos we took reminding us of this incredible trip.

To read and see more, check out the updated Journeys portion of our website.

Inside Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

The monastery complex at Montserrat

The river was high around Toledo

Introduction to Christmas Markets

James Moore — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 22:32:36 +0000

Inspired by our December 2024 trip to see Alpine Christmas Markets, we recently updated our website to include our first winter trip to Europe. It was in 2015 and we had an incredible experience on Trafalgar’s German Christmas Markets tour. We saw markets in historic medieval cities and others nestled in modern business districts. Visiting Rothenburg, Nürnberg, Dresden, and Berlin we learned not just about holiday traditions, but what life was like in post-WWII East Germany. From the food to the sites, this trip was arguably one of our most impactful since we’ve made multiple trips back to see these festive markets and hope to see more in the future.

Pictures from Frankfurt, Dresden, and Berlin.

Journey to Alpine Christmas Markets

Julie Moore — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 01:28:58 +0000

December 2024 saw us embark on our third adventure to visit European Christmas Markets. We joined Insight Vacations Alpine Christmas Markets tour visiting Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. Some of the cities we were experiencing for a second time (first time in Summer 2017 on an Uniworld Cruise Castles Along the Rhine) while others were inaugural visits.

We met some wonderful people from Australia and the US. Ate some tasty local specialties. Learned about Christmas traditions in the countries we toured. Visited beautiful historical cities. Overall, a spectacular adventure!

Our journey is now live on the website. Check it out!

Maui celebration

Julie Moore — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 01:41:03 +0000

In July of 2015 we took a trip to the island of Maui in the Hawaiian archipelago. We spent a week there with James’ parents and sister’s family. The occasion was to celebrate (belatedly) his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The island was beautiful and we had a great time with family. Check out the more detailed review on our website: https://happilyweroam.website/jaunts/2015_Maui

A Tour of the Emerald Isle

James Moore — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 17:49:59 +0000

It has been almost 10 years since we visited Ireland on a Brendan Vacations guided tour. We enjoyed a 9 day clockwise route of the entire island (including Northern Ireland) beginning and ending in Dublin. We tasted whiskey, kissed a castle, encountered a cattle traffic jam, walked in the footsteps of “Giants”, experienced “The Titanic” before its ill-fated journey, and so much more.

The Journeys page now includes “Ireland 2014“. Enjoy!