July 19th, 2009 and it feels like a cool spring day. No complaints here, except I do like to get in some pool time on the weekends. But it does make for comfortable working out in the yard. Chip spent much of the weekend resurfacing his mom's driveway. Dirty, hard work. Don't think he had much of a weekend. I spent time working around the house. Little jobs here and there eventually add up to some accomplishment. I usually like to take some time each weekend and prep for all my meals for the week. That way we can have some really nice meals without having to spend two hours a night preparing them.
I'm also starting to write in "The Book about Myself" that Rene' gave to all of us this Christmas. Since my mom did this sort of thing, she felt we should all fill out a book like this to pass on to our kids and grandchildren. It will probably take me the next year to write enough to bring it up to the present, but it will be fun to go over my life's history as I answer all the questions (201 to be exact).
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
Arrived in Palma de Mallorca by 7 a.m. today. IT'S RAINING!!! It's the first rain or "bad weather" we have seen since we left home. Although in Barcelona the second day we had a 5 minute shower in the afternoon while we were having beers on La Ramblas under some umbrellas. It is predicted to clear up here in the next hour and become a sunny 68 degree day. So we will just wait it out and hang out here on the ship and drink cappuccinos or something?!?!?
The rain seemed to let up so we got our $8 round trip shuttle tickets that take you from the pier to the city centre and went out to meet a shuttle. It was quite a drive about 2 miles, so there's no way we would walk that and still get all over the city. Palma, Mallorca is a picturesque town from the harbor. The Cathedral stands out over any other landmark as you approach it from the sea. The bus stopped very near the Cathedral and we walked across the street and were right in front of it. It just happens to be a holiday in Mallorca today, Workers' Day, very similar to our Labor Day. Most shops didn't open until noon or later. We did walk around the city and make our way to the ship's recommended store for pearls, Majorca. I found a classy sterling silver pendant with two large Mallorcan pearls in it. I had read about Mallorca being famous for its pearls so that was a sure stop in my shopping excursions. We snapped a number of pictures of the Cathedral and the lovely flower garden across from it and then headed back to the ship.
We were all hungry again by now so we went up to the Garden Café and had lunch. I finally found the guy making the personal pasta dishes and waited in a short line to get my made to order Alfredo pasta with mushrooms and broccoli.
After lunch Chip and I decided we need to go back into town so he could call his mom and I could call Rene' and check in to let them know we didn't get lost anywhere and will still be coming home on Saturday night. I can't believe here I sit tonight in the middle of the Mediterranean and tomorrow night I will be at home with my puppy dog.
We made our phone calls and then looked thru some shops and Chip found a tshirt for Kylie. Then we realized we had not yet had a Mallorcan beer. So we found a number of little bars and cafes which were now all open and oh, by the way, the sun came out and was shining and all the locals came out for their holiday and opened some of the stores and LOTS of restaurants and bars. So we went into this little bar and looked at their beers and the owner started talking to us about their local beer and asked us where we were from. Then he talked about how laid back it is in Mallorca and how stressed and pressured we Americans are. He said we should live there. Now Chip wants to go back….maybe someday. After talking to the owner a while we took our beers outside, which he said we could even walk down the street if we wanted. But we sat at the tables outside and he sent out some appetizers to us. We thought they were onion rings, since that's what they looked like and I bit into it. It didn't seem much like an onion and so I took another bite. Then the "onion" pulled out of the breading like it sometimes does only to see that these were actually squid rings!!! They were a little rubbery and I've stated in an earlier blog, I'm not a fan of rubbery food. It was really nice of the owner, but we didn't have much need for the squid rings. Now if Ivan and Denise had come back out with us, Ivan would have loved it!!
Alas is it our final evening on the Norwegian Jade so we began to pack our bags when we returned to the ship. That's always so sad. We are not putting our luggage out for them to take into the terminal though. With this FreeStyle cruising you can keep your luggage and just walk off the ship whenever you want instead of waiting for your luggage color tag to be called. We went to the final show which was a Magician/Comedian and it was enjoyable. I can never figure out how those tricks are done. We used some of our coupons from our booklet in the casino and I got a free pull on the "Win a Free Cruise" machine and won $30 in slot machine play. Of course that $30 didn't win me anything. So now I'm finishing this final blog and taking the computer up to the Garden Café at 10:30 p.m. in order to post it and let Chip get a late night dessert.
Two full weeks…….it actually felt like such a long time with so many ports and so much to do, I can hardly remember what I did where and when. I'll have to read my blog when I get home and enjoy it all over again!!!BTW, Ivan and Denise, it was great to meet you and hope to
Arrived in Palma de Mallorca by 7 a.m. today. IT'S RAINING!!! It's the first rain or "bad weather" we have seen since we left home. Although in Barcelona the second day we had a 5 minute shower in the afternoon while we were having beers on La Ramblas under some umbrellas. It is predicted to clear up here in the next hour and become a sunny 68 degree day. So we will just wait it out and hang out here on the ship and drink cappuccinos or something?!?!?
The rain seemed to let up so we got our $8 round trip shuttle tickets that take you from the pier to the city centre and went out to meet a shuttle. It was quite a drive about 2 miles, so there's no way we would walk that and still get all over the city. Palma, Mallorca is a picturesque town from the harbor. The Cathedral stands out over any other landmark as you approach it from the sea. The bus stopped very near the Cathedral and we walked across the street and were right in front of it. It just happens to be a holiday in Mallorca today, Workers' Day, very similar to our Labor Day. Most shops didn't open until noon or later. We did walk around the city and make our way to the ship's recommended store for pearls, Majorca. I found a classy sterling silver pendant with two large Mallorcan pearls in it. I had read about Mallorca being famous for its pearls so that was a sure stop in my shopping excursions. We snapped a number of pictures of the Cathedral and the lovely flower garden across from it and then headed back to the ship.
We were all hungry again by now so we went up to the Garden Café and had lunch. I finally found the guy making the personal pasta dishes and waited in a short line to get my made to order Alfredo pasta with mushrooms and broccoli.
After lunch Chip and I decided we need to go back into town so he could call his mom and I could call Rene' and check in to let them know we didn't get lost anywhere and will still be coming home on Saturday night. I can't believe here I sit tonight in the middle of the Mediterranean and tomorrow night I will be at home with my puppy dog.
We made our phone calls and then looked thru some shops and Chip found a tshirt for Kylie. Then we realized we had not yet had a Mallorcan beer. So we found a number of little bars and cafes which were now all open and oh, by the way, the sun came out and was shining and all the locals came out for their holiday and opened some of the stores and LOTS of restaurants and bars. So we went into this little bar and looked at their beers and the owner started talking to us about their local beer and asked us where we were from. Then he talked about how laid back it is in Mallorca and how stressed and pressured we Americans are. He said we should live there. Now Chip wants to go back….maybe someday. After talking to the owner a while we took our beers outside, which he said we could even walk down the street if we wanted. But we sat at the tables outside and he sent out some appetizers to us. We thought they were onion rings, since that's what they looked like and I bit into it. It didn't seem much like an onion and so I took another bite. Then the "onion" pulled out of the breading like it sometimes does only to see that these were actually squid rings!!! They were a little rubbery and I've stated in an earlier blog, I'm not a fan of rubbery food. It was really nice of the owner, but we didn't have much need for the squid rings. Now if Ivan and Denise had come back out with us, Ivan would have loved it!!
Alas is it our final evening on the Norwegian Jade so we began to pack our bags when we returned to the ship. That's always so sad. We are not putting our luggage out for them to take into the terminal though. With this FreeStyle cruising you can keep your luggage and just walk off the ship whenever you want instead of waiting for your luggage color tag to be called. We went to the final show which was a Magician/Comedian and it was enjoyable. I can never figure out how those tricks are done. We used some of our coupons from our booklet in the casino and I got a free pull on the "Win a Free Cruise" machine and won $30 in slot machine play. Of course that $30 didn't win me anything. So now I'm finishing this final blog and taking the computer up to the Garden Café at 10:30 p.m. in order to post it and let Chip get a late night dessert.
Two full weeks…….it actually felt like such a long time with so many ports and so much to do, I can hardly remember what I did where and when. I'll have to read my blog when I get home and enjoy it all over again!!!BTW, Ivan and Denise, it was great to meet you and hope to
Wednesday April 29
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Today's port was Cagliari, Sardinia, an Italian island. Our ship wasn't scheduled to get into port until 11 am, so we had plenty of time to sleep late FINALLY, and then have a nice breakfast in the dining room versus the Garden Café where you have people scrambling all over and then spend too much time trying to find a seat while your food gets cold. Also, I can order tomato juice in the dining room and that's not available at the café. We sat at a table at the very back of the dining room by the windows where I could look down and see all the churning of the ocean as the ship was speeding ahead towards the island. The ship had been doing quite a bit of rocking as we got further into the Mediterranean last night and this morning. A number of people were feeling ill. It just helped rock me to sleep. I think it's a pretty cool feeling.
After breakfast we looked up Cagliari on the laptop to figure out what all there is to see on the island. Since many adventures would require an expensive taxi or taking a ship excursion, we decided to just hike around the city on our own. It was a beautiful sunny & warm (70 degrees) day. We all put on shorts and had to take a shuttle from the pier to the city. The main street near the pier was Via Roma which had expensive boutiques; however, by US standards, the prices were reasonable for the items being offered. Designer shoes, handbags, men's suits, jewelry and there's a very popular store here in all these cities we have visited called Mango. It reminds me of a Banana Republic only better. One of the popular jewelry items we saw was silver filigree. I boht a pendant that is a filigree flower and Denise got a bracelet. The store owner created the pieces himself and sells each piece by weight. My piece only cost 10 Euros.
In Cagliari, the city is on a hill and much of it is surrounded by the old fortress walls. We had to walk up streets that went straight uphill and would curve around. Following the maps we were given and trying to find the names of the streets was an interesting task. We really didn't fear getting lost because as you went up into the city you could always look back towards the ocean and see the port with a beautiful view of the ship and realize that all you had to do was go back down steps or roads and eventually get there. Throughout the city are these towers they call Elefont towers or Elephant Towers. We paid 4 Euros each to climb the stairs of these towers which then put you five stories above where you are in that part of the city and the views are incredible. I had to suck up my fear of heights as these wooden steps were quite steep and short. I had to turn my foot sideways to avoid hitting my shins as we climbed. Once at the top we took pictures and within a few minutes the town clocks struck Noon and all the church bells began chiming throughout the city. From the top of this tower we could hear each church bell and from which direction it was coming. That was a great and unexpected bonus that made the trek worthwhile.
From the tower we headed across town down the roads and quaint alleys with their ancient cobblestone pavement. Sometimes it was a bit hard to walk on; I can't imagine trying to ride a bike or wear high heels on these streets. Each time a car came through you had to duck between cars or get close to the buildings. Speed limits don't really exist although most people in cars are cautious of pedestrians, but not the Vespa and motorcycle drivers. Crossing roads has been a fun challenge for most of this cruise. Mind you, I'm not complaining, I love the old world charm of the streets of Europe.
We headed for the Roman Theatre, but there was not much left of it and they had actually constructed bleachers on top of most of it in order to hold current day concerts. We headed back down the hills of the city towards the shopping district and stopped to have some sweets from the Pastry shops. We tried an orange peel and almond candy that we were told is served at special occasions like weddings. I also an another cannolli as I don't know when I'll have one that tastes quite like the ones here. Everyone else got a gelato. We walked along the coast for quite a bit trying to get past the port area so we could visit one of the nearby beaches. Unfortunately, we would have had to walk at least another mile to get past the port and we only had 1 ½ hours so we turned around and went back to the ship.
We got back early enough to put on our suits and sit by the pool. My nose got a little too red but at least there was some sun. The entertainment show was at 7:30 p.m. and it was the Flamenco Dancers from Barcelona. That was probably the best entertainment other than the comedian on the ship so far.
Today's port was Cagliari, Sardinia, an Italian island. Our ship wasn't scheduled to get into port until 11 am, so we had plenty of time to sleep late FINALLY, and then have a nice breakfast in the dining room versus the Garden Café where you have people scrambling all over and then spend too much time trying to find a seat while your food gets cold. Also, I can order tomato juice in the dining room and that's not available at the café. We sat at a table at the very back of the dining room by the windows where I could look down and see all the churning of the ocean as the ship was speeding ahead towards the island. The ship had been doing quite a bit of rocking as we got further into the Mediterranean last night and this morning. A number of people were feeling ill. It just helped rock me to sleep. I think it's a pretty cool feeling.
After breakfast we looked up Cagliari on the laptop to figure out what all there is to see on the island. Since many adventures would require an expensive taxi or taking a ship excursion, we decided to just hike around the city on our own. It was a beautiful sunny & warm (70 degrees) day. We all put on shorts and had to take a shuttle from the pier to the city. The main street near the pier was Via Roma which had expensive boutiques; however, by US standards, the prices were reasonable for the items being offered. Designer shoes, handbags, men's suits, jewelry and there's a very popular store here in all these cities we have visited called Mango. It reminds me of a Banana Republic only better. One of the popular jewelry items we saw was silver filigree. I boht a pendant that is a filigree flower and Denise got a bracelet. The store owner created the pieces himself and sells each piece by weight. My piece only cost 10 Euros.
In Cagliari, the city is on a hill and much of it is surrounded by the old fortress walls. We had to walk up streets that went straight uphill and would curve around. Following the maps we were given and trying to find the names of the streets was an interesting task. We really didn't fear getting lost because as you went up into the city you could always look back towards the ocean and see the port with a beautiful view of the ship and realize that all you had to do was go back down steps or roads and eventually get there. Throughout the city are these towers they call Elefont towers or Elephant Towers. We paid 4 Euros each to climb the stairs of these towers which then put you five stories above where you are in that part of the city and the views are incredible. I had to suck up my fear of heights as these wooden steps were quite steep and short. I had to turn my foot sideways to avoid hitting my shins as we climbed. Once at the top we took pictures and within a few minutes the town clocks struck Noon and all the church bells began chiming throughout the city. From the top of this tower we could hear each church bell and from which direction it was coming. That was a great and unexpected bonus that made the trek worthwhile.
From the tower we headed across town down the roads and quaint alleys with their ancient cobblestone pavement. Sometimes it was a bit hard to walk on; I can't imagine trying to ride a bike or wear high heels on these streets. Each time a car came through you had to duck between cars or get close to the buildings. Speed limits don't really exist although most people in cars are cautious of pedestrians, but not the Vespa and motorcycle drivers. Crossing roads has been a fun challenge for most of this cruise. Mind you, I'm not complaining, I love the old world charm of the streets of Europe.
We headed for the Roman Theatre, but there was not much left of it and they had actually constructed bleachers on top of most of it in order to hold current day concerts. We headed back down the hills of the city towards the shopping district and stopped to have some sweets from the Pastry shops. We tried an orange peel and almond candy that we were told is served at special occasions like weddings. I also an another cannolli as I don't know when I'll have one that tastes quite like the ones here. Everyone else got a gelato. We walked along the coast for quite a bit trying to get past the port area so we could visit one of the nearby beaches. Unfortunately, we would have had to walk at least another mile to get past the port and we only had 1 ½ hours so we turned around and went back to the ship.
We got back early enough to put on our suits and sit by the pool. My nose got a little too red but at least there was some sun. The entertainment show was at 7:30 p.m. and it was the Flamenco Dancers from Barcelona. That was probably the best entertainment other than the comedian on the ship so far.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
thursday, April 30
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Today was a Sea Day so we slept in late and had breakfast in the dining room. Then we went to bingo and the raffle for the free cruise. The new bingo gives you an electronic gadget that keeps track of all the numbers called and all your cards. You just have to yell "BINGO" when your machine flashes when you win. I got down to needing one number and someone else yelled bingo, so no money for me!!!
We went to the pool and hung out and once again I didn't use sunscreen on anything but my face. So tonight my thighs are sore. I went to a wine tasting in the afternoon and met a few more people and talked about our experiences during this cruise. Lots of people got pickpocketed, sad to say. But not us, glad to say.
We went to the early show which was called "Smokey Joe's Café". Everyone who saw it yesterday raved about it. It was better than the singing show we saw the other day, but still not that great. Tonight there is a Chocoholic Buffet so I have to cut this short so we can go in a few minutes.
More later……..
Today was a Sea Day so we slept in late and had breakfast in the dining room. Then we went to bingo and the raffle for the free cruise. The new bingo gives you an electronic gadget that keeps track of all the numbers called and all your cards. You just have to yell "BINGO" when your machine flashes when you win. I got down to needing one number and someone else yelled bingo, so no money for me!!!
We went to the pool and hung out and once again I didn't use sunscreen on anything but my face. So tonight my thighs are sore. I went to a wine tasting in the afternoon and met a few more people and talked about our experiences during this cruise. Lots of people got pickpocketed, sad to say. But not us, glad to say.
We went to the early show which was called "Smokey Joe's Café". Everyone who saw it yesterday raved about it. It was better than the singing show we saw the other day, but still not that great. Tonight there is a Chocoholic Buffet so I have to cut this short so we can go in a few minutes.
More later……..
Thursday, April 30
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Today was a Sea Day so we slept in late and had breakfast in the dining room. Then we went to bingo and the raffle for the free cruise. The new bingo gives you an electronic gadget that keeps track of all the numbers called and all your cards. You just have to yell "BINGO" when your machine flashes when you win. I got down to needing one number and someone else yelled bingo, so no money for me!!!
We went to the pool and hung out and once again I didn't use sunscreen on anything but my face. So tonight my thighs are sore. I went to a wine tasting in the afternoon and met a few more people and talked about our experiences during this cruise. Lots of people got pickpocketed, sad to say. But not us, glad to say.
We went to the early show which was called "Smokey Joe's Café". Everyone who saw it yesterday raved about it. It was better than the singing show we saw the other day, but still not that great. Tonight there is a Chocoholic Buffet so I have to cut this short so we can go in a few minutes.
More later……..
Today was a Sea Day so we slept in late and had breakfast in the dining room. Then we went to bingo and the raffle for the free cruise. The new bingo gives you an electronic gadget that keeps track of all the numbers called and all your cards. You just have to yell "BINGO" when your machine flashes when you win. I got down to needing one number and someone else yelled bingo, so no money for me!!!
We went to the pool and hung out and once again I didn't use sunscreen on anything but my face. So tonight my thighs are sore. I went to a wine tasting in the afternoon and met a few more people and talked about our experiences during this cruise. Lots of people got pickpocketed, sad to say. But not us, glad to say.
We went to the early show which was called "Smokey Joe's Café". Everyone who saw it yesterday raved about it. It was better than the singing show we saw the other day, but still not that great. Tonight there is a Chocoholic Buffet so I have to cut this short so we can go in a few minutes.
More later……..
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
This morning we reached the port of Valletta, Malta. It's a rather tiny island with 83,000 inhabitants. They speak Maltese and English and used to be a British territory until 1964 so they drive on the left side of the road. This makes crossing the streets a little tricky. The port is so beautiful as you enter the coast with the morning sun shining on it is so bright as all the buildings are limestone and it just seems to glow. It reminds me of pictures I have seen of Turkey and Greece. We got here around 8 a.m. and Chip and I grabbed a breakfast at the Garden Café and met Ivan and Denise up there on Deck 12. Our deck is nine. As soon as we finished breakfast, we got our belongings from the rooms and headed to the gang plank on deck 4.
The town was just right there at the port so it made it easy to walk. I saw easy but maybe not so easy for the average cruise passenger. The town was above the port and it is surrounded by old fort walls. So we had to walk uphill for a couple of streets to reach the town center. The main street is Republic St. and stretched one mile from one end of Valletta to the other end at the Fort. We walked down Republic St. and did a bit of shopping and checked out some of the cathedrals and the Upper and Lower Barraka Gardens. We stopped around noon to have lunch at a local restaurant and asked the waitress what the local specialties were. Her opinion was that the rabbit was the best thing on the menu, however that didn't appeal to any of us. Ivan ordered the octopus pasta, which actually looked very good to me since it had lots of olives. I just don't like rubbery or chewy food. Denise had the lasagna and said it was better than the lasagna we had the other day. Chip got chicken crepes which had a spicy cabbage and chicken mixture. I got ravioli with a gorgonzola sauce. We also had to try some local Maltese beer called Cisk. It was a little skunky but still pretty good.
We got back to the ship by about 2:30 so we put our swimsuits on and headed for the pool. Today, by the way was very sunny and a bit windy. The air was about 65 degrees so in the shade it was cool with the wind, but in the sun it was quite warm. On the ship you are protected a bit by the wind because of the glass surrounding the pool deck. But each time the sun went behind a cloud, which was only once in a while, I was getting cold. So I decided to go sit in the hot tub and soak my legs. I haven't put my whole body in, it's just too hot. Well that felt so good I sat there talking to another couple, Chip bought a bucket of beers and before you know it a whole hour had gone by and my legs were probably over done. So I got out and we came back to the room after a while. I did get a bit too much sun on my face and the tops of my thighs. But at least I'm getting some sun. That's what's missing from this cruise compared to all our other cruises. We usually spend some time on a beach or by the pool every day of most cruises.
We are going to have dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining room again with Denise and Ivan and then possibly see the show tonight in the Stardust Lounge. I'm really having fun, but I can honestly tell that it's getting near the last few days of the vacation when I'm looking forward to lying down at night. (Or is that just a sign I'm getting old????)
This morning we reached the port of Valletta, Malta. It's a rather tiny island with 83,000 inhabitants. They speak Maltese and English and used to be a British territory until 1964 so they drive on the left side of the road. This makes crossing the streets a little tricky. The port is so beautiful as you enter the coast with the morning sun shining on it is so bright as all the buildings are limestone and it just seems to glow. It reminds me of pictures I have seen of Turkey and Greece. We got here around 8 a.m. and Chip and I grabbed a breakfast at the Garden Café and met Ivan and Denise up there on Deck 12. Our deck is nine. As soon as we finished breakfast, we got our belongings from the rooms and headed to the gang plank on deck 4.
The town was just right there at the port so it made it easy to walk. I saw easy but maybe not so easy for the average cruise passenger. The town was above the port and it is surrounded by old fort walls. So we had to walk uphill for a couple of streets to reach the town center. The main street is Republic St. and stretched one mile from one end of Valletta to the other end at the Fort. We walked down Republic St. and did a bit of shopping and checked out some of the cathedrals and the Upper and Lower Barraka Gardens. We stopped around noon to have lunch at a local restaurant and asked the waitress what the local specialties were. Her opinion was that the rabbit was the best thing on the menu, however that didn't appeal to any of us. Ivan ordered the octopus pasta, which actually looked very good to me since it had lots of olives. I just don't like rubbery or chewy food. Denise had the lasagna and said it was better than the lasagna we had the other day. Chip got chicken crepes which had a spicy cabbage and chicken mixture. I got ravioli with a gorgonzola sauce. We also had to try some local Maltese beer called Cisk. It was a little skunky but still pretty good.
We got back to the ship by about 2:30 so we put our swimsuits on and headed for the pool. Today, by the way was very sunny and a bit windy. The air was about 65 degrees so in the shade it was cool with the wind, but in the sun it was quite warm. On the ship you are protected a bit by the wind because of the glass surrounding the pool deck. But each time the sun went behind a cloud, which was only once in a while, I was getting cold. So I decided to go sit in the hot tub and soak my legs. I haven't put my whole body in, it's just too hot. Well that felt so good I sat there talking to another couple, Chip bought a bucket of beers and before you know it a whole hour had gone by and my legs were probably over done. So I got out and we came back to the room after a while. I did get a bit too much sun on my face and the tops of my thighs. But at least I'm getting some sun. That's what's missing from this cruise compared to all our other cruises. We usually spend some time on a beach or by the pool every day of most cruises.
We are going to have dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining room again with Denise and Ivan and then possibly see the show tonight in the Stardust Lounge. I'm really having fun, but I can honestly tell that it's getting near the last few days of the vacation when I'm looking forward to lying down at night. (Or is that just a sign I'm getting old????)
Monday April 27
April 27, 2009 (Monday)
It's 7:30 a.m and we have just about reached our next port of Messina, Sicily. On the TV I can tune in to a channel that shows the view from the front of the ship and I see we are passing between the foot of the boot of Italy and Sicily. Chip just went up and took pictures. The seas are a little rough and the wind is at 66 knots which is probably about 50 mph. Hopefully in port it will be a little calmer (no, a lot calmer). I think I will change from shorts to jeans now. It's a good thing I did change!!
The winds by the port are killer!!! I feel like someone beat my face up. I didn't tie my hair up (I forgot to pack anything to do that) so my face was totally wind whipped by my hair all morning. We walked from the port down the street to the train/bus station. There were only 2 trains in and out of Messina going to Taormina, Sicily today and they didn't give us much time. The bus schedule wasn't any better so we hired a taxi to take us to Taormina and leave us for 3 hours and come back to return us to the ship for 120 Euros for all four of us. So at 30 Euros each that was such a deal compared to the excursion the ship was offering for 89 Euros per person to do the same, although I think they got 4 hours. Taormina was well worth it.
We first walked up the street where the taxi driver dropped us off to the Greek Theatre. It had the most magnificent city/ocean views. It's so hard to believe how this theatre was constructed up on this hill/mountain side. The pedestrian street with all the shops, Corso Umberto, was so quaint. I found a few little gifts for my girls and also bought a bottle of Almond wine which I had read about. Almond wine is a specialty in Sicily and the shop I bought it from has its own website, www.taorminabenedetto.com. In that same store, Ivan and Denise bought some Sicilian bread, mixed marinated olives and some cheese. We all found a bench in a Piazza nearby and had a casual lunch and polished off every bit of the bread, cheese and olives!!!
After shopping and our casual lunch we found our taxi driver and made our way back to the ship. Ivan and Denise went back to the ship and Chip and I explored the city a little looking for a phone so he could call his mom. After not seeing anything we went back to the ship where I sat in the lobby and checked email and blogged and he went back out in search of a public phone. When Chip returned he told me about the Cathedral de Messina a couple of blocks from the ship, so we both went out again since it was nearing 4 o'clock so we could hear the bells and watch the carillon on the tower. When the clock struck 4 though it didn't have the performance with all the moving sections I expected. On the lower level, the priests started to move but didn't even make a complete revolution. The church was very ornate and we took a few pictures. Then we went looking for some beer for Chip to bring back to the ship. He got some Messina Birra and no one took it from us when we got back on the ship since you can't normally bring alcohol on board.
After an hours nap, we got ready for dinner and met Denise and Ivan in the Grand Pacific Dining room for dinner. I had the English beef loin with Yorkshire pudding, the ceasar salad, vegetable beef broth and for dessert the black cherry soup. Chip had the snapper with seafood gumbo, black cherry soup and the Mediterranean fruit and caprese salad. Then he had the coconut soufflé for dessert. A new comedian came on the ship today so we went to his show after dinner. He was pretty good. After the show we visited the casino and lost $20. By then it was 11:30 and we could hardly hold our eyes open (the smoke in the casino didn't help). So early to bed and early to rise for Valletta, Malta.
It's 7:30 a.m and we have just about reached our next port of Messina, Sicily. On the TV I can tune in to a channel that shows the view from the front of the ship and I see we are passing between the foot of the boot of Italy and Sicily. Chip just went up and took pictures. The seas are a little rough and the wind is at 66 knots which is probably about 50 mph. Hopefully in port it will be a little calmer (no, a lot calmer). I think I will change from shorts to jeans now. It's a good thing I did change!!
The winds by the port are killer!!! I feel like someone beat my face up. I didn't tie my hair up (I forgot to pack anything to do that) so my face was totally wind whipped by my hair all morning. We walked from the port down the street to the train/bus station. There were only 2 trains in and out of Messina going to Taormina, Sicily today and they didn't give us much time. The bus schedule wasn't any better so we hired a taxi to take us to Taormina and leave us for 3 hours and come back to return us to the ship for 120 Euros for all four of us. So at 30 Euros each that was such a deal compared to the excursion the ship was offering for 89 Euros per person to do the same, although I think they got 4 hours. Taormina was well worth it.
We first walked up the street where the taxi driver dropped us off to the Greek Theatre. It had the most magnificent city/ocean views. It's so hard to believe how this theatre was constructed up on this hill/mountain side. The pedestrian street with all the shops, Corso Umberto, was so quaint. I found a few little gifts for my girls and also bought a bottle of Almond wine which I had read about. Almond wine is a specialty in Sicily and the shop I bought it from has its own website, www.taorminabenedetto.com. In that same store, Ivan and Denise bought some Sicilian bread, mixed marinated olives and some cheese. We all found a bench in a Piazza nearby and had a casual lunch and polished off every bit of the bread, cheese and olives!!!
After shopping and our casual lunch we found our taxi driver and made our way back to the ship. Ivan and Denise went back to the ship and Chip and I explored the city a little looking for a phone so he could call his mom. After not seeing anything we went back to the ship where I sat in the lobby and checked email and blogged and he went back out in search of a public phone. When Chip returned he told me about the Cathedral de Messina a couple of blocks from the ship, so we both went out again since it was nearing 4 o'clock so we could hear the bells and watch the carillon on the tower. When the clock struck 4 though it didn't have the performance with all the moving sections I expected. On the lower level, the priests started to move but didn't even make a complete revolution. The church was very ornate and we took a few pictures. Then we went looking for some beer for Chip to bring back to the ship. He got some Messina Birra and no one took it from us when we got back on the ship since you can't normally bring alcohol on board.
After an hours nap, we got ready for dinner and met Denise and Ivan in the Grand Pacific Dining room for dinner. I had the English beef loin with Yorkshire pudding, the ceasar salad, vegetable beef broth and for dessert the black cherry soup. Chip had the snapper with seafood gumbo, black cherry soup and the Mediterranean fruit and caprese salad. Then he had the coconut soufflé for dessert. A new comedian came on the ship today so we went to his show after dinner. He was pretty good. After the show we visited the casino and lost $20. By then it was 11:30 and we could hardly hold our eyes open (the smoke in the casino didn't help). So early to bed and early to rise for Valletta, Malta.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Yes, I could visit Italy for a much more extended period… Hear that Kiki? I now think I know how to get around in this country. The train system and other public transportation is so easy to use. Although I know we walked far more than the average person might, we also took advantage of the trains and subways.
We ate early at the Garden Café (my food was cold by the time I found a table). Then we left the ship by 8 a.m. and met Denise an Ivan off the ship in order to board the shuttle to the end of the port. From there we walked a few blocks to the train station to catch the train to Rome. We are ported in Civitavecchia. Today is a Roman Holiday, I believe Independence Day. So many events are taking place in Rome and the entrance to most venues is free. Therefore, the traffic and crowds everywhere are similar to the height of tourist season!!! When arriving in Rome we bought tickets at the station for the Archeobus which is a hop on/hop off type open tour bus. We saw some old ruins and then hopped off the bus at the Coliseum. We decided to do the tour with an English speaking guide so we would know some of the history behind what we were looking at. It took about 45 minutes before we got inside and she explained a number of things about the Coliseum and what happened there and what it originally looked liked. Then we broke away from the group and explored on our own as we didn't want to waste too much time with only one day in Rome and not to mention that we just can't handle having to follow the lady with the purple umbrella.
There is a Metro station right across the street from the Coliseum so we showed Ivan and Denise how to use the subway and took it to the Trevi Fountain. This was much more beautiful than any picure I had seen on it. Denise took our picture as we tossed our pennies overhead into the fountain. It's said that if you do this, you will return one day. I'm sure that wish will come true.
We were starving after the visit to the fountain so we walked back towards the Metro where we had seen a nice sidewalk café with Italian dishes. Chip had a brick oven pizza and I had the lasagna. He also order a BIG Beer which was huge. All the food was wonderful and afterwards we headed back to the Terminal to catch the train back to Civitavecchia. When we got back to the ship, Chip's key card didn't work and he thought a pickpocket got his phone cards in his pocket. It turned out the phone cards were in the room and he got his key card replaced so we went back out into town and found an internet place so I could upload my blogs to date.
We had dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining Room and I had the Tomato Bisque, Cesear Salad and Prime Rib and Chip had the Tilapia, Tomato Bisque and Spring Rolls. For Desert we enjoyed Flan and Coconut Crème Pie. After dinner we went to the Spinnaker Lounge where the comedian, Lenny Windsor did a show and we were right near the floor and got picked on (in a nice way).
Have to get up early for a 7 a.m. arrival in Naples (Napoli). Going to catch the train to Pompeii.
Ciao Baby!!!
Yes, I could visit Italy for a much more extended period… Hear that Kiki? I now think I know how to get around in this country. The train system and other public transportation is so easy to use. Although I know we walked far more than the average person might, we also took advantage of the trains and subways.
We ate early at the Garden Café (my food was cold by the time I found a table). Then we left the ship by 8 a.m. and met Denise an Ivan off the ship in order to board the shuttle to the end of the port. From there we walked a few blocks to the train station to catch the train to Rome. We are ported in Civitavecchia. Today is a Roman Holiday, I believe Independence Day. So many events are taking place in Rome and the entrance to most venues is free. Therefore, the traffic and crowds everywhere are similar to the height of tourist season!!! When arriving in Rome we bought tickets at the station for the Archeobus which is a hop on/hop off type open tour bus. We saw some old ruins and then hopped off the bus at the Coliseum. We decided to do the tour with an English speaking guide so we would know some of the history behind what we were looking at. It took about 45 minutes before we got inside and she explained a number of things about the Coliseum and what happened there and what it originally looked liked. Then we broke away from the group and explored on our own as we didn't want to waste too much time with only one day in Rome and not to mention that we just can't handle having to follow the lady with the purple umbrella.
There is a Metro station right across the street from the Coliseum so we showed Ivan and Denise how to use the subway and took it to the Trevi Fountain. This was much more beautiful than any picure I had seen on it. Denise took our picture as we tossed our pennies overhead into the fountain. It's said that if you do this, you will return one day. I'm sure that wish will come true.
We were starving after the visit to the fountain so we walked back towards the Metro where we had seen a nice sidewalk café with Italian dishes. Chip had a brick oven pizza and I had the lasagna. He also order a BIG Beer which was huge. All the food was wonderful and afterwards we headed back to the Terminal to catch the train back to Civitavecchia. When we got back to the ship, Chip's key card didn't work and he thought a pickpocket got his phone cards in his pocket. It turned out the phone cards were in the room and he got his key card replaced so we went back out into town and found an internet place so I could upload my blogs to date.
We had dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining Room and I had the Tomato Bisque, Cesear Salad and Prime Rib and Chip had the Tilapia, Tomato Bisque and Spring Rolls. For Desert we enjoyed Flan and Coconut Crème Pie. After dinner we went to the Spinnaker Lounge where the comedian, Lenny Windsor did a show and we were right near the floor and got picked on (in a nice way).
Have to get up early for a 7 a.m. arrival in Naples (Napoli). Going to catch the train to Pompeii.
Ciao Baby!!!
Sunday April 26
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Today our port was Naples, Italy (Napoli). We got into port by 7 am so we had a quick breakfast at the Garden Café and then got off the ship to meet Denise and Ivan for a walk to the train station in order to catch a train to Pompeii. The local taxi drivers were quite insistent that we hire them telling us that it would take 45 minutes to get to the train station. Per our map it only took about 15 to 20 minutes to walk there. Probably the worst part about it is that Naples is not a very safe place. It's extremely dirty and crime is quite high. The housing is very poor and it's just not quite what I had expected for Naples.
So we hopped the train to Pompeii and the train stops just across and down the street from the entrance to the city of Pompeii. We bought the audio tours 2 for 10 Euros and that really helped to know the history and just what we were looking at. I knew it was a little city, but it is pretty large. We walked down many of the streets and eventually saw the petrified people and the dog. Hard to believe this was all the way people lived in 79 BC. So of course I took loads of pictures.
Before getting back to the train we were all hungry so we stopped at a restaurant and ordered some brick oven pizzas (tomato & Mozarella, a Napoli specialty). They were SO GOOD and such a deal at only 8 Euros.
After returning to Naples we decided to just get back on the ship and not shop in town as it was so disappointing to see how nasty this city is. We went to the cabin to put on our suits and went up to the pool. Certainly as soon as we decide to do this the clouds come out, but we didn't let that slow us down. I had to soak my legs in the hottub and Chip took a swim. Then we had some drinks and just sat by the pool until I felt I had to get into the hottub one more time. The hottub always provides an opportunity to meet and talk to more people and stories about their adventures of the day. There seems to be a majority of people on this cruise who have also experienced a half dozen or MORE cruises. We met a young couple with a 13 month old little girl named Piper who was as cute as can be. Just brought back memories of Kylie at that age.
Now we are getting ready for dinner and will probably turn in early tonight. After a FULL week on the go I think we need an early evening to try and catch up on some rest. I don't think my feet have ever ached this much in my life!!!! Wow we were getting ready for dinner and I was rubbing my feet and I think I strained a muscle since there's a lump in my arch that didn't used to be there. It's very tender.
Now we are trying to decide what to do tomorrow in Sicily. Didn't get enough planning done before leaving home. We port in Messina and thought we would try to go to Taormina. I was just looking up whether a bus or the train could get us there and where we would have to go to find the bus or train. Later this evening we are planning to go see a late night comedy show. We shall see if we are awake by then.
We DID make it to the show and met Ivan and Denise there. It was fun. I also consulted Ivan about my arch pain and lump since he is a foot doctor. What a relief to find out it's only swollen from overuse and I haven't done any damage. So I guess I'll get the bill at the end of the cruise!!!! LOL!!
Today our port was Naples, Italy (Napoli). We got into port by 7 am so we had a quick breakfast at the Garden Café and then got off the ship to meet Denise and Ivan for a walk to the train station in order to catch a train to Pompeii. The local taxi drivers were quite insistent that we hire them telling us that it would take 45 minutes to get to the train station. Per our map it only took about 15 to 20 minutes to walk there. Probably the worst part about it is that Naples is not a very safe place. It's extremely dirty and crime is quite high. The housing is very poor and it's just not quite what I had expected for Naples.
So we hopped the train to Pompeii and the train stops just across and down the street from the entrance to the city of Pompeii. We bought the audio tours 2 for 10 Euros and that really helped to know the history and just what we were looking at. I knew it was a little city, but it is pretty large. We walked down many of the streets and eventually saw the petrified people and the dog. Hard to believe this was all the way people lived in 79 BC. So of course I took loads of pictures.
Before getting back to the train we were all hungry so we stopped at a restaurant and ordered some brick oven pizzas (tomato & Mozarella, a Napoli specialty). They were SO GOOD and such a deal at only 8 Euros.
After returning to Naples we decided to just get back on the ship and not shop in town as it was so disappointing to see how nasty this city is. We went to the cabin to put on our suits and went up to the pool. Certainly as soon as we decide to do this the clouds come out, but we didn't let that slow us down. I had to soak my legs in the hottub and Chip took a swim. Then we had some drinks and just sat by the pool until I felt I had to get into the hottub one more time. The hottub always provides an opportunity to meet and talk to more people and stories about their adventures of the day. There seems to be a majority of people on this cruise who have also experienced a half dozen or MORE cruises. We met a young couple with a 13 month old little girl named Piper who was as cute as can be. Just brought back memories of Kylie at that age.
Now we are getting ready for dinner and will probably turn in early tonight. After a FULL week on the go I think we need an early evening to try and catch up on some rest. I don't think my feet have ever ached this much in my life!!!! Wow we were getting ready for dinner and I was rubbing my feet and I think I strained a muscle since there's a lump in my arch that didn't used to be there. It's very tender.
Now we are trying to decide what to do tomorrow in Sicily. Didn't get enough planning done before leaving home. We port in Messina and thought we would try to go to Taormina. I was just looking up whether a bus or the train could get us there and where we would have to go to find the bus or train. Later this evening we are planning to go see a late night comedy show. We shall see if we are awake by then.
We DID make it to the show and met Ivan and Denise there. It was fun. I also consulted Ivan about my arch pain and lump since he is a foot doctor. What a relief to find out it's only swollen from overuse and I haven't done any damage. So I guess I'll get the bill at the end of the cruise!!!! LOL!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
April 24, 2009, Friday
Today's port was Livorno, Italy. It's a large industrial port on the northern west coast of Italy. Florence (Firenze) is about 1 hour ½ to the east by train. When we got off the ship, it was cold and windy, but sunny. We wore jeans and our jackets. You have to take a shuttle into the center of town and then walk a block to catch the #1 bus to the train station. It all takes about 20 – 25 minutes. Once at the train station we purchased round trip tickets from Livorno to Florence. The tickets have to be validated before boarding the train, which means you have to stick your ticket in a little yellow box on the train platform before you get on the train and it dates and time stamps it. Then you have 6 hours to use the ticket. We made the 9:11 a.m. train and got to Florence by 10:30 a.m. We took two seats on the train next to a couple from Arizona. We talked with them all the way to Florence and then decided to stick together and sightsee as a group. So we made new friends with Ivan and Denise and couldn't have picked better people to sit next to. They were just as up for all the walking as we were. So many people want to take the easy way with tours and taxis while we enjoy exploring on our own and walking.
When we arrived at the train station, we bought some small city maps of Florence and headed out with a plan to walk thru the city and pass picture worthy sites while on the way to the Galleria Accademia which houses Michelangelo's David. I didn't know that you can't take pictures, so I snapped off one shot of a statue and then bought a postcard of the David. After the museum we headed thru the city toward the Ponte Vecchio bridge. I stopped at a vendor's booth and admired his leather bags. I ended up getting a small leather purse for 28 Euros. We made it back to the train station early enough we all decided to make the stop in Pisa. I had heard that the Tower of Pisa was within walking distance of the train. It was about a 20 minute walk and that was at a good pace, not strolling. Ivan speaks fluent Spanish and many locals do also, so we were able to quickly have directions to wind our way down the streets to the Tower. It was quite a site and very beautiful. It is being restored so the stone is looking much brighter. There we did stroll around the building, used the WC and then had a Gelato. I got a dark cherry 2 dip gelato. I could do this every day…. We made the walk back to the train station and caught the 5:34 p.m. train back to Livorno. It's only a 15 minute ride. Then we had to grab the bus and then the shuttle. I nearly fell asleep on the shuttle….hmmm…go wonder…..
When we got back to the ship we cleaned up and went straight to dinner. I had the pork loin with red cabbage and the black bean soup and cheese platter. Chip had the monkfish and potatoes, a sausage and peppers and hummus platter and black bean soup. After dinner the entertainment was Lenny Windsor, a comedian from England.
Today's port was Livorno, Italy. It's a large industrial port on the northern west coast of Italy. Florence (Firenze) is about 1 hour ½ to the east by train. When we got off the ship, it was cold and windy, but sunny. We wore jeans and our jackets. You have to take a shuttle into the center of town and then walk a block to catch the #1 bus to the train station. It all takes about 20 – 25 minutes. Once at the train station we purchased round trip tickets from Livorno to Florence. The tickets have to be validated before boarding the train, which means you have to stick your ticket in a little yellow box on the train platform before you get on the train and it dates and time stamps it. Then you have 6 hours to use the ticket. We made the 9:11 a.m. train and got to Florence by 10:30 a.m. We took two seats on the train next to a couple from Arizona. We talked with them all the way to Florence and then decided to stick together and sightsee as a group. So we made new friends with Ivan and Denise and couldn't have picked better people to sit next to. They were just as up for all the walking as we were. So many people want to take the easy way with tours and taxis while we enjoy exploring on our own and walking.
When we arrived at the train station, we bought some small city maps of Florence and headed out with a plan to walk thru the city and pass picture worthy sites while on the way to the Galleria Accademia which houses Michelangelo's David. I didn't know that you can't take pictures, so I snapped off one shot of a statue and then bought a postcard of the David. After the museum we headed thru the city toward the Ponte Vecchio bridge. I stopped at a vendor's booth and admired his leather bags. I ended up getting a small leather purse for 28 Euros. We made it back to the train station early enough we all decided to make the stop in Pisa. I had heard that the Tower of Pisa was within walking distance of the train. It was about a 20 minute walk and that was at a good pace, not strolling. Ivan speaks fluent Spanish and many locals do also, so we were able to quickly have directions to wind our way down the streets to the Tower. It was quite a site and very beautiful. It is being restored so the stone is looking much brighter. There we did stroll around the building, used the WC and then had a Gelato. I got a dark cherry 2 dip gelato. I could do this every day…. We made the walk back to the train station and caught the 5:34 p.m. train back to Livorno. It's only a 15 minute ride. Then we had to grab the bus and then the shuttle. I nearly fell asleep on the shuttle….hmmm…go wonder…..
When we got back to the ship we cleaned up and went straight to dinner. I had the pork loin with red cabbage and the black bean soup and cheese platter. Chip had the monkfish and potatoes, a sausage and peppers and hummus platter and black bean soup. After dinner the entertainment was Lenny Windsor, a comedian from England.
Thursday, April 23
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Our cruise port today was Cannes, France, home of the International Cannes Film Festival. I believe that should be taking place next month. We are right in the heart of the French Riviera. Since we were not sure about whether we could get back on a train due to the train schedules, we decided this morning that we would stay in Cannes and check out the city. Hey, we've never been here so it's a learning experience. The ship tenders here since the ship is too large to pull into the port. We were allowed to get on a tender by 9:15 a.m., so we gathered up cameras and stuffed some items in the backpack and headed out.
We met some girls on the tender who were planning to take the train to Nice (where we really wanted to go). I told them the trains could be a problem, but that they should at least go to the station and try. We still just walked thru the old pedestrian streets of Cannes. It's so quaint with the cobblestone paths . There are many shops and restaurants along the narrow streets and when you look up you notice ladies shaking out sheets and hanging laundry from their windows. All that I ever pictured about France since I was a child and saw the movie "The Red Balloon". Anybody remember that? After a while we started looking for some items to purchase for lunch and take to the beach. I saw a little olive and olive oil store that had buckets of olives so we got a mix of olives in a baggie for 1.80 Euros but only received .80 cents back for our 5 Euros we gave the guy. We got past all the tourist shops and found a local open market. Of course I had to head straight to the cheese vendor. There was a huge hunk of Parmesean Reggiano for 24E per kg. I looked at Chip and we began to try to calculate how many grams would be in either ½ or ¼ pound. Before we could even determine just how much we wanted the vendor was asking what we would like, in French, of course. So even though I said 200 grams, he was still confused so I just used my fingers to show him I wanted a "small" piece of the cheese. He breaks off a tiny piece and hands it to me to try. While that was still pretty good, it did not accomplish what I wanted. So then I motioned "Bigger" and he picked up the large knife and proceeded to mark the block of cheese and then cut when I said "Si". My entire day's worth of communication was Bon Giorno and Merci. It worked for us…. At the end of the market I smelled bread and right there was a bread store so we walked in and purchased a baguette for .80 and hiked our way to the beach. I wore capris and a tank top and Chip had put his swimsuit under his shorts. We brought beach towels from the ship and spread out on the sparkly quartz sand in view of our cruise ship. Our beach picnic lunch consisted of black Greek olives and various marinated green olives with the long baguette and the parmesean reggiano and a bottled water. If only I could have turned that water into wine!! I did bring some sunscreen, but of course I didn't think we would be there long enough to need it, so now I have a red glow on my face and the lower part of my legs and just a little on my arms.
We left the beach after 2 hours and continued to walk thru Cannes. There was a little store on a corner called "la porcelain blanche". I immediately yelled to Chip, "white dishes"!! Since I started my new dishware collection of white square dishes I have not been able to find a square sugar bowl and square salt and pepper shakers. So my awesome find in Cannes was BOTH of those items in this store for 11 Euros total. I also bought a Cannes t-shirt since I did not pack enough warm weather clothes.
After returning to the ship via tender we changed into swimsuits and headed for the pool. Chip wanted to go for a swim while my desire was to soak my aching feet and legs in the hot tub. There are four hot tubs on the pool deck. There is an adults only pool and an "everyones" pool. The pool available to everyone also has a twisty turny slide that Chip just couldn't resist. However, when I didn't see him land in the pool at the bottom I knew he had got stuck (which he admits he did). The line at the top of the slide backed up a little as the kids waited for him to get down. That pool is a bit heated as the adults only pool is quite cold, so no one has been swimming in it.
We came back to our room and got cleaned up for dinner. I made reservations at the Bistro French restaurant for this evening. We opened the bottle of Coppola Claret and I took a large glass to dinner. We dressed up for the evening and had photos taken. I had the French onion soup and Chip had scallops for his appetizer. The scallops were rubbery so he sent those back and just had the rochefort cheese salad. Chip ordered the swordfish with lentils and I had the beef tenderloin (mignon) with carrots and mushrooms.. for dessert we shared the crème brulee. All was very delicious.
After dinner we hit the casino and played some slot machines. No big winners, so we came back to the room for some needed rest and blogging. Tomorrow we port in Livorno, Italy.
Our cruise port today was Cannes, France, home of the International Cannes Film Festival. I believe that should be taking place next month. We are right in the heart of the French Riviera. Since we were not sure about whether we could get back on a train due to the train schedules, we decided this morning that we would stay in Cannes and check out the city. Hey, we've never been here so it's a learning experience. The ship tenders here since the ship is too large to pull into the port. We were allowed to get on a tender by 9:15 a.m., so we gathered up cameras and stuffed some items in the backpack and headed out.
We met some girls on the tender who were planning to take the train to Nice (where we really wanted to go). I told them the trains could be a problem, but that they should at least go to the station and try. We still just walked thru the old pedestrian streets of Cannes. It's so quaint with the cobblestone paths . There are many shops and restaurants along the narrow streets and when you look up you notice ladies shaking out sheets and hanging laundry from their windows. All that I ever pictured about France since I was a child and saw the movie "The Red Balloon". Anybody remember that? After a while we started looking for some items to purchase for lunch and take to the beach. I saw a little olive and olive oil store that had buckets of olives so we got a mix of olives in a baggie for 1.80 Euros but only received .80 cents back for our 5 Euros we gave the guy. We got past all the tourist shops and found a local open market. Of course I had to head straight to the cheese vendor. There was a huge hunk of Parmesean Reggiano for 24E per kg. I looked at Chip and we began to try to calculate how many grams would be in either ½ or ¼ pound. Before we could even determine just how much we wanted the vendor was asking what we would like, in French, of course. So even though I said 200 grams, he was still confused so I just used my fingers to show him I wanted a "small" piece of the cheese. He breaks off a tiny piece and hands it to me to try. While that was still pretty good, it did not accomplish what I wanted. So then I motioned "Bigger" and he picked up the large knife and proceeded to mark the block of cheese and then cut when I said "Si". My entire day's worth of communication was Bon Giorno and Merci. It worked for us…. At the end of the market I smelled bread and right there was a bread store so we walked in and purchased a baguette for .80 and hiked our way to the beach. I wore capris and a tank top and Chip had put his swimsuit under his shorts. We brought beach towels from the ship and spread out on the sparkly quartz sand in view of our cruise ship. Our beach picnic lunch consisted of black Greek olives and various marinated green olives with the long baguette and the parmesean reggiano and a bottled water. If only I could have turned that water into wine!! I did bring some sunscreen, but of course I didn't think we would be there long enough to need it, so now I have a red glow on my face and the lower part of my legs and just a little on my arms.
We left the beach after 2 hours and continued to walk thru Cannes. There was a little store on a corner called "la porcelain blanche". I immediately yelled to Chip, "white dishes"!! Since I started my new dishware collection of white square dishes I have not been able to find a square sugar bowl and square salt and pepper shakers. So my awesome find in Cannes was BOTH of those items in this store for 11 Euros total. I also bought a Cannes t-shirt since I did not pack enough warm weather clothes.
After returning to the ship via tender we changed into swimsuits and headed for the pool. Chip wanted to go for a swim while my desire was to soak my aching feet and legs in the hot tub. There are four hot tubs on the pool deck. There is an adults only pool and an "everyones" pool. The pool available to everyone also has a twisty turny slide that Chip just couldn't resist. However, when I didn't see him land in the pool at the bottom I knew he had got stuck (which he admits he did). The line at the top of the slide backed up a little as the kids waited for him to get down. That pool is a bit heated as the adults only pool is quite cold, so no one has been swimming in it.
We came back to our room and got cleaned up for dinner. I made reservations at the Bistro French restaurant for this evening. We opened the bottle of Coppola Claret and I took a large glass to dinner. We dressed up for the evening and had photos taken. I had the French onion soup and Chip had scallops for his appetizer. The scallops were rubbery so he sent those back and just had the rochefort cheese salad. Chip ordered the swordfish with lentils and I had the beef tenderloin (mignon) with carrots and mushrooms.. for dessert we shared the crème brulee. All was very delicious.
After dinner we hit the casino and played some slot machines. No big winners, so we came back to the room for some needed rest and blogging. Tomorrow we port in Livorno, Italy.
Wed, April 22, 2009
Just boarded the Norwegian Jade. What a very large ship. We were greeted with Champagne (Cava) and then made a reservation for the French Bistro restaurant for tomorrow night. Very fitting since we will be in Cannes, France tomorrow. We can only make reservations for the specialty restaurants one day in advance. I think we will try Cagney's Steakhouse another night, otherwise we will eat in one of the main dining rooms most nights.
After boarding, we headed to the Garden Café where there was a HUGE buffet with way too many choices. I went straight for the StirFry of the Day, some sausages with grilled onions, chicken fried rice, a salad with Mediterranean olives and cheese and a chocolate crème brulee to top it off. When Chip made his selections he had choosen much of the same items, but while eating his Stir Fry of the Day he pointed out to me the shrimp in it. Of course, I had already eaten most of mine. Now, if you are not aware…..I have an allergy to shellfish. Well somehow, there wasn't any shrimp in mine and it didn't seem to bother me at all even though what I ate had shrimp in it even though I didn't eat one. So, not to worry, but I will ask from now on (I usually do and promised everyone I would, DUH).
So now we are going to go explore the rest of the ship and see where everything is. Chip made reservations just now for 7:45. I thought Freestyle dining meant come and go as you please, but we have to make reservations for ALL the sit down restaurants but only 8 of them have extra charges. I can see us grabbing something from the Garden Café if and when we are on board around lunch, since that food was pretty good.
Our cabin is nice. Could use a little more closet space, but the shower is larger than most other ships we have been on. I may have to shop for a flat iron for my hair. I had bought a converter and adapter before leaving home, but when I used it in Barcelona, my iron went "POP" and so I guess I fried it. So my converter didn't do its job!!!! So it's either find a new one, or have sucky hair like I have for the last four days!!!
After boarding, we headed to the Garden Café where there was a HUGE buffet with way too many choices. I went straight for the StirFry of the Day, some sausages with grilled onions, chicken fried rice, a salad with Mediterranean olives and cheese and a chocolate crème brulee to top it off. When Chip made his selections he had choosen much of the same items, but while eating his Stir Fry of the Day he pointed out to me the shrimp in it. Of course, I had already eaten most of mine. Now, if you are not aware…..I have an allergy to shellfish. Well somehow, there wasn't any shrimp in mine and it didn't seem to bother me at all even though what I ate had shrimp in it even though I didn't eat one. So, not to worry, but I will ask from now on (I usually do and promised everyone I would, DUH).
So now we are going to go explore the rest of the ship and see where everything is. Chip made reservations just now for 7:45. I thought Freestyle dining meant come and go as you please, but we have to make reservations for ALL the sit down restaurants but only 8 of them have extra charges. I can see us grabbing something from the Garden Café if and when we are on board around lunch, since that food was pretty good.
Our cabin is nice. Could use a little more closet space, but the shower is larger than most other ships we have been on. I may have to shop for a flat iron for my hair. I had bought a converter and adapter before leaving home, but when I used it in Barcelona, my iron went "POP" and so I guess I fried it. So my converter didn't do its job!!!! So it's either find a new one, or have sucky hair like I have for the last four days!!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Today we stayed in bed until 8 a.m. and let our bodies get some needed rest. The Bonds had to pack up their belongings as they will head home today, so Chip and I went out by 9 a.m. and found a cute little cafe and had decaf coffee with steamed milk and tea with quiche and pastry. We then met the Bonds at our room at 10 a.m. so they could put their cases in our room until they were ready to head to the airport which wasn't going to be until evening.
Our first adventure of the day was to go to the Picasso Museum. Now how could you come to Barcelona and not see the Picasso Museum? The museum is filled with works mostly from his early years. It's amazing how well he painted and drew at only 15 - 17 years old. Then to see how he progressed with the influences of other artists such as Toulouse Lautrec and other impressionists, then enter his "blue"period and finally proceed to his "damn the rules" time of life that most people are familiar with. Sue and Andrea and Allen skipped the museum and sunned themselves instead. After the museum, Chip and I walked out to the Port Vell where there is a nice shopping mall, cinemas, aquarium and lots of little restaurants with outdoor cafes. We found where we will have to check in at the terminal for the beginning of the cruise tomorrow.
Finally, we sat at one of the cafes and had some TALL San Miguels (Spanish beer). By 2:30 we met up with the Bonds again and walked La Ramblas and then sat at a table and had some more San Miguels. We let Stevie pick the restaurant since his birthday is this week (21st) and we went to a Tapas and Paella restaurant. Everyone got the special (2 Tapas, Paella and Sangria for 12.95 Euros) They just brought us two large trays with 14 different tapas that they choose. All the tapas were a hit. They only thing left in one little dish was one tiny octopus ( I think that was your's Rene'). The paella was just OK, but still it was great to try it. Half of us had Chicken and Vegetable and the other had seafood. After dinner, we came back to the hotel where they picked up their bags and we walked them down to the street and said our goodbyes. I really did try to hold back the tears, sniff sniff!! Just can't say goodbye, so until next time......see you soon Dave and Sue and Stevie and Andrea and Allen!!!!!!
After they left, we jumped on the subway and headed up to Montjuic Park and sat at the top of the hill on the steps of the Nationale Art Museum were you can look out over the entire city of Barcelona and watched the sunset.
Now it's 10:45 p.m., so we are going back out to the street and find a payphone and call that little Kylie girl!!!
Our first adventure of the day was to go to the Picasso Museum. Now how could you come to Barcelona and not see the Picasso Museum? The museum is filled with works mostly from his early years. It's amazing how well he painted and drew at only 15 - 17 years old. Then to see how he progressed with the influences of other artists such as Toulouse Lautrec and other impressionists, then enter his "blue"period and finally proceed to his "damn the rules" time of life that most people are familiar with. Sue and Andrea and Allen skipped the museum and sunned themselves instead. After the museum, Chip and I walked out to the Port Vell where there is a nice shopping mall, cinemas, aquarium and lots of little restaurants with outdoor cafes. We found where we will have to check in at the terminal for the beginning of the cruise tomorrow.
Finally, we sat at one of the cafes and had some TALL San Miguels (Spanish beer). By 2:30 we met up with the Bonds again and walked La Ramblas and then sat at a table and had some more San Miguels. We let Stevie pick the restaurant since his birthday is this week (21st) and we went to a Tapas and Paella restaurant. Everyone got the special (2 Tapas, Paella and Sangria for 12.95 Euros) They just brought us two large trays with 14 different tapas that they choose. All the tapas were a hit. They only thing left in one little dish was one tiny octopus ( I think that was your's Rene'). The paella was just OK, but still it was great to try it. Half of us had Chicken and Vegetable and the other had seafood. After dinner, we came back to the hotel where they picked up their bags and we walked them down to the street and said our goodbyes. I really did try to hold back the tears, sniff sniff!! Just can't say goodbye, so until next time......see you soon Dave and Sue and Stevie and Andrea and Allen!!!!!!
After they left, we jumped on the subway and headed up to Montjuic Park and sat at the top of the hill on the steps of the Nationale Art Museum were you can look out over the entire city of Barcelona and watched the sunset.
Now it's 10:45 p.m., so we are going back out to the street and find a payphone and call that little Kylie girl!!!
Barcelona, Sunday & Monday April 19 & 20, 2009
So yesterday I had every intention of blogging about the days events, but the events of the day kept me from being even remotely capable of writing or turning on my computer. More on that later.....
We started Sunday by arising early and catching the subway up to Parc Guell and arrived by about 9 a.m. We walked around the entire park before the tour buses started to arrive. That was a great tip I got by doing some early research. Our pics would not be the same had we had to take them while the crowds were there. Gaudi created quite a beautiful park. After leaving the park we went to the Sagrada Familia but did not tour the inside as it was pricey and had a very long line. By the time we got back at 3:30, we were all pretty wiped out but everyone wanted to watch the soccer game at the sports bar down the street on La Rambla. Chip put on his new jersey and a bandana and looked like a regular English Football Hooligan!!! The guys drank their Estrella Spanish beer and I opened my bottle of Tempranillo. I shared with Sue until we got to the bar and then we started on pitchers of Sangria between Sue, Andrea and myself. We ended up eating at the bar which was pretty good. Chip and I shared a plate of Fajitas. After dinner (Tea), we took the party outside to La Rambla where there are many streetside and middle of the street cafes and random tables and chairs. Dave and Andrea went to the Mercat (store) and bought more Estrellas and Sangria and we sat at the tables and talked and laughed and drank ourselves silly. Some street vendors hassled us and eventually I bought two lightup nubby rings that Andrea and I played with. Sometime late in the evening, we decided we all needed to get to bed, but most of us don't even remember how that happened. Hence I didn't do any more blogging and OH, I just realized I opened that bottle of wine while blogging yesterday and didn't even remember writing about going to the park... WHEW. Now I have instructions to Chip that no more Sangria is allowed and no more than 2 glasses of wine for me a day!!!
Monday, April 20. We got up late (see above to explain why) and then headed out by 10 a.m. to the Picasso Museum only to get there and realize it's not open on Mondays. Lack of last minute homework, tsk, tsk. Dave and Stevie and Alan wanted to go to the FC Barcelona stadium and take a tour of it while the rest of us visited a park just north of there. It's always so interesting to me how a map can make something seem to be not so far away, but when you actually are walking those roads you realize that each of those blocks is about 1/2 mile long and before you know it, you've walked 4 miles and by the end of a day you're ready to drop!! After the hills to Parc Guell yesterday, and steps like I've never climbed before in my life, we all have sore calves. After the park we ate at a nice little restaurant where I had a Goat cheese and duck foie gras salad that was delicious. Chip had a salad with Spanish ham and asparagus.
After lunch we took the subway to the area of town where we walked the Architectural walking tour to check out the Gaudi works as well as the Gaudi influenced buildings. Now we are back at the hotel having a siesta and planning to meet back up at 7 p.m. and pick a place for some Paella (mine without shellfish). I have seen it made with chicken or all veggies in a few restaurants.
We started Sunday by arising early and catching the subway up to Parc Guell and arrived by about 9 a.m. We walked around the entire park before the tour buses started to arrive. That was a great tip I got by doing some early research. Our pics would not be the same had we had to take them while the crowds were there. Gaudi created quite a beautiful park. After leaving the park we went to the Sagrada Familia but did not tour the inside as it was pricey and had a very long line. By the time we got back at 3:30, we were all pretty wiped out but everyone wanted to watch the soccer game at the sports bar down the street on La Rambla. Chip put on his new jersey and a bandana and looked like a regular English Football Hooligan!!! The guys drank their Estrella Spanish beer and I opened my bottle of Tempranillo. I shared with Sue until we got to the bar and then we started on pitchers of Sangria between Sue, Andrea and myself. We ended up eating at the bar which was pretty good. Chip and I shared a plate of Fajitas. After dinner (Tea), we took the party outside to La Rambla where there are many streetside and middle of the street cafes and random tables and chairs. Dave and Andrea went to the Mercat (store) and bought more Estrellas and Sangria and we sat at the tables and talked and laughed and drank ourselves silly. Some street vendors hassled us and eventually I bought two lightup nubby rings that Andrea and I played with. Sometime late in the evening, we decided we all needed to get to bed, but most of us don't even remember how that happened. Hence I didn't do any more blogging and OH, I just realized I opened that bottle of wine while blogging yesterday and didn't even remember writing about going to the park... WHEW. Now I have instructions to Chip that no more Sangria is allowed and no more than 2 glasses of wine for me a day!!!
Monday, April 20. We got up late (see above to explain why) and then headed out by 10 a.m. to the Picasso Museum only to get there and realize it's not open on Mondays. Lack of last minute homework, tsk, tsk. Dave and Stevie and Alan wanted to go to the FC Barcelona stadium and take a tour of it while the rest of us visited a park just north of there. It's always so interesting to me how a map can make something seem to be not so far away, but when you actually are walking those roads you realize that each of those blocks is about 1/2 mile long and before you know it, you've walked 4 miles and by the end of a day you're ready to drop!! After the hills to Parc Guell yesterday, and steps like I've never climbed before in my life, we all have sore calves. After the park we ate at a nice little restaurant where I had a Goat cheese and duck foie gras salad that was delicious. Chip had a salad with Spanish ham and asparagus.
After lunch we took the subway to the area of town where we walked the Architectural walking tour to check out the Gaudi works as well as the Gaudi influenced buildings. Now we are back at the hotel having a siesta and planning to meet back up at 7 p.m. and pick a place for some Paella (mine without shellfish). I have seen it made with chicken or all veggies in a few restaurants.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Barcelona!!!!!
Love it Here!! What more can I say. .... Alot actually.....
This is perhaps the busiest city I have ever visited, including New York, and this is not the tourist season yet. We did a lot of walking/sightseeing today and it's only 3:30 in the afternoon here. Early Sunday morning (today) we left around 8:30 and went to Parc Guell, a beautiful park designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi. He planned it originally as a housing community, but ultimately only two houses were actually built there. One was the house he actually lived in which is now a museum which we did not visit as it was on the "must miss" list per my research. From the Parc Guell we visited La Sagrada Familia, a Gaudi designed cathedral that is still under construction and won't be finished for the next 50 years. It's been quite easy to communicate here even with the language barrier. Pointing and basic words are very understood. Coffee and tea and wine are exquisite. I am so glad I have two more full days to see all the sights. But honestly I wish I had another week here to venture out to Madrid or farther!! So now we are having some wine and beer and marinated olives, pickles, onions and peppers and then we are off to meet everyone at the bar down the street to watch the Everton soccer (football) game in the FA cup against Manchester United. Alan, Andrea's boyfriend is an Everton fan!!! Write more later.
This is perhaps the busiest city I have ever visited, including New York, and this is not the tourist season yet. We did a lot of walking/sightseeing today and it's only 3:30 in the afternoon here. Early Sunday morning (today) we left around 8:30 and went to Parc Guell, a beautiful park designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi. He planned it originally as a housing community, but ultimately only two houses were actually built there. One was the house he actually lived in which is now a museum which we did not visit as it was on the "must miss" list per my research. From the Parc Guell we visited La Sagrada Familia, a Gaudi designed cathedral that is still under construction and won't be finished for the next 50 years. It's been quite easy to communicate here even with the language barrier. Pointing and basic words are very understood. Coffee and tea and wine are exquisite. I am so glad I have two more full days to see all the sights. But honestly I wish I had another week here to venture out to Madrid or farther!! So now we are having some wine and beer and marinated olives, pickles, onions and peppers and then we are off to meet everyone at the bar down the street to watch the Everton soccer (football) game in the FA cup against Manchester United. Alan, Andrea's boyfriend is an Everton fan!!! Write more later.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
It's Busy TIme!!
Another Tax Season, and rather hard for me to believe sometimes that I've been doing this for 20 years. Although I don't know what I would do otherwise. It helps this time of year to have something to look foward to each week. This week it was the Ringling Bros & Barnum Bailey Circus. Chip and I took Jaclyn, Phil and Kylie this Sunday. This was NOT my childhood circus show. What a production with lots of color and entertainment. Seems like it was more about the animals when I was a child. The tigers and elephants and acrobats were my favorite parts. Kylie said she liked it all!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
New Years at the Rose Parade in Pasadena
We finally can mark off one of Chip's long time dreams of being at the Rose Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California. We stayed in Beverly Hills at the Plaza Hotel which was mostly nice except for the thin walls and having to listen to the escapades of the woman in the room next door each night... We had to get up at 3:30 a.m. to leave for Pasadena and get to our parking lot by 5:30 a.m. We parked right behind the grandstand and really didn't have to wait long to get back out after the parade. Oh, and the parade, just beautiful. It's quite a long parade with 89 entries of mostly floral floats, bands and horses. We bought tickets to go view the floats at the end of the parade, however we had to wait until the parade was over and the floats were parked. Earlier in the week, Chip had found a little restaurant/bar off of Colorado called Lucky Baldwins with 65 beers on tap. Bit of a dump but fun...... After a few beers we headed to the viewing area and walked along the blocks and blocks and blocks of floats. Seeing them up close really was much more exciting for me than seeing the parade itself. The detail of the work put into these floats in such a short time is amazing. Some floral arrangements on certain floats were more aromatic than others.
We drove back to Beverly Hills for the evening and went to The Grove by CBS studios which is a nice outdoor mall with a few nice restaurants. Had a nice steak dinner at Morels French Steakhouse and Bistro then drove back to the Beverly Hills Plaza.
On Jan 2 we decided to drive back to Pasadena and tour the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. We saw the Blue Boy and Pinkie paintings and tou
red the beautiful gardens. I snapped an awesome pic of a hummingbird! After the Huntington we went to the Norton Simon Museum where we saw some Van Goghs and quite a few Edgar Degas sculptures. My legs were about to fall off when we decided we had better go somewhere for dinner. Driving down Colorado Blvd we were using the GPS to find an Italian restaurant when we decided on Il Fornaio. It was on a really cool section of Colorado Blvd with lots of shopping. The restaurant was great and while at the bar we were talking with two couples. The younger couple, who lived in Las Vegas, had never heard of the Rose Parade. Unbelievable!! Or is it just me?!?
We drove back to Beverly Hills for the evening and went to The Grove by CBS studios which is a nice outdoor mall with a few nice restaurants. Had a nice steak dinner at Morels French Steakhouse and Bistro then drove back to the Beverly Hills Plaza.
On Jan 2 we decided to drive back to Pasadena and tour the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. We saw the Blue Boy and Pinkie paintings and tou
red the beautiful gardens. I snapped an awesome pic of a hummingbird! After the Huntington we went to the Norton Simon Museum where we saw some Van Goghs and quite a few Edgar Degas sculptures. My legs were about to fall off when we decided we had better go somewhere for dinner. Driving down Colorado Blvd we were using the GPS to find an Italian restaurant when we decided on Il Fornaio. It was on a really cool section of Colorado Blvd with lots of shopping. The restaurant was great and while at the bar we were talking with two couples. The younger couple, who lived in Las Vegas, had never heard of the Rose Parade. Unbelievable!! Or is it just me?!?
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