Europe & Britain | People & Stories

This couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with Trafalgar

Recently updated on July 24th, 2023 at 04:18 pm

With their 25th wedding anniversary fast approaching, there was only one way Canadian couple Bruce and Sandra were going to celebrate – with a spectacular European adventure.

Sandra, together with a friend, had previously travelled on a Trafalgar trip more than a decade earlier, so had already fallen in love with exploring Europe the Trafalgar way. Bruce on the other hand, was new to the experience. We spoke to the couple about their ‘trip of a lifetime’, the bucket list moments they were able to enjoy, the special highlights of the adventure, and the memories they will treasure forever.

“Sandra had been telling me for 14 years, ‘you’re going to love Europe, you’ve got to go’. The trip was in September 2018” says Bruce “we only booked it at the last minute, in June, and I said we could only go for two weeks at the most. But Sandra said no, one month!” Sandra got her way and the couple booked their 31-day tour of Europe’s biggest, best and most beautiful sights, on our European Supreme trip.

“It was our 25th anniversary – we wanted to make the most of it!” said Sandra.

“We’d never been on a 31 day holiday before!” adds Bruce.

couple in europe

Bruce and Sandra started their journey with Trafalgar and Travel Director Evana, in England. “London was definitely on my bucket list,” says Bruce “Big Ben, Kensington Palace, going on the London Eye – all of those were bucket list moments”.

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 The magic was only just beginning for our Trafalgar lovebirds, with the Venice Grand Canal stealing the show on day five. “Sandra always told me ‘oh you’re going to love Italy’ and when we got in the water taxi and we were going down the Grand Canal? That was mind-blowing.”

venice grand canal

Italy stole the couple’s hearts. With the incredible flavours of real, fresh pizza, creamy, smooth gelato, spectacular history and breath-taking natural beauty, as well as a private launch chartered by Trafalgar in Venice, it topped the list of all 13 countries they would visit on their adventure. “I have a special place in my heart for Italy. I loved Germany but to pick one to see again? I would love to spend a month in Italy”, says Sandra.

bruce eating pizza

Delicious food and romantic date nights were the norm on their month-long adventure. “In Canada, we have pizza like everywhere else – but when we had pizza in Sorrento we realised that what we eat here? It’s not pizza.”

Like all our Travel Directors, the couples’ TD Evana, encourages guests to get lost in the cities they visit to really understand their heart and soul. In Lucerne, they found Switzerland’s heart in a tiny restaurant, where they shared a bubbling fondue, a memory which has stuck in their mind ever since.

RELATED CONTENT: 27 reasons why a trip to Europe is good for the soul

An evening in Vienna meant getting dressed up for an outstanding classical music performance, and in Athens the couple got dancing at a traditional Greek evening. A night in Paris ended with a magical Seine cruise and the opportunity to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle.

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But the real highlight, and the reason this was a trip of a lifetime, was the chance to connect with Bruce’s family in England. Bruce’s late father was born in England, and the couple had never before met his aunts or cousins. “I was nervous – I didn’t know much; my dad emigrated at such a young age, and he didn’t stay in touch with his sisters” says Bruce. “We met at the hotel we stayed at and we had afternoon tea.”

“It was quite an emotional day, and at the end all the cousins hugged each other and were showing pictures of their children and grandchildren” said Sandra.

The family reunion ended with Bruce’s cousin giving the couple a tour of Bristol, where his dad grew up. “It just wouldn’t have happened without this trip. It was because we booked this amazing trip.”

We love hearing stories from our guests about their Trafalgar travels. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact social@trafalgar.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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