The alarms were set for 5:30am and we also set a wake up call through the ship just as a back up. Breakfast was available starting at 6am, so we were there shortly after to at least get a good meal in before our very long day started. I headed up to breakfast first and as I crossed the top of the ship to get to the dining area I looked out over Amsterdam and thought to myself how weird it is to wake up here, so very far away from home, but know that tonight I'd be sleeping in my own bed. My heart was a bit heavy, as it usually is when a trip has come to an end, but I'm thankful for cell phones and apps that allow me to talk to my family every day either by phone, text or sometimes we'd even Facetime so I could show them things I was looking at right at that very moment. Homesickness isn't even factored in because we are always in constant contact. Therefore, it makes it harder to come home when you've had such a good time. This cruise goes to a different location next week, so I could have totally stayed onboard for another two weeks.
After breakfast we gathered up the few remaining items in our room and headed for the theater where our shuttle group to the airport was supposed to meet. We were there 15 minutes early and stood around for about 30 minutes when we started to worry as no one from the ship was in there to talk to us. When we went out to find someone from the crew, they were in the process of being blasted by another passenger telling them to get a staff member in the theater to assist those who are waiting. He was right. Shortly thereafter an announcement was made that immigration was about 45 minutes late boarding the ship and everything was delayed by about an hour. We still had plenty of time to get to the airport, but some others were cutting it close. Finally on the bus, we were taken to the airport where we were once again delayed because not all the luggage had arrived and there were about 4 coaches of people all lined up. They made us wait on the bus and people were starting to get nervous they'd miss their flights.
Finally off the bus and with luggage in hand, we started the process of checking in and going through security. It wasn't horribly long, but had it been worse we might have been pushed to get to our gate in time. But as it all finally came together, we even had a few minutes to do a little duty free shopping and get a few last minute items. At the gate I popped a few night night pills and by the time I got buckled into my seat, sanitized the area and blew up my pillows, I was fast asleep. Guy said we sat on the plane for 45 minutes before it took off. I couldn't verify that. :) But I did wake up in time for sinus meds about 4 hours before landing and then just as we were decending I finally woke up. So I got nearly a 10 hour nap.
At Chicago we have Global Entry, so we bypassed a lot of the lines and got our luggage to go thru customs which was a snap. We went to the United desk to see if we could get an earlier flight to STL but it was overbooked. So what's next? Food. Well, Chicago isn't the hub of great restaurants and Guy had passes to the United Club (which was absolutly packed with several hundred people) but we finally found a seat and Guy grabbed a Coke, bread, cheese and cookies. We ate a bit and as I sat there I logged onto their free wifi and ALL MY PHOTOS uploaded within about 15 minutes. I am not joking. Gah! How I've missed fast internet!
Our flight home was a quick 48 minutes and Rosalie was there to pick us up. We visited for just a minute, but passed out hugs and headed home. It had been a long day. In Fairview Heights we stopped at 5 Guys for cheeseburgers and laughed about how early it got dark here. We are used to daylight at 10:30. When we got home we called the folks and then decided we'd try to create a zen space for the cat. Last year was the worst our absence has been on him and he got pretty sick with a panic attack and had to be tranquillized. So we came in kinda quiet, left all the bags out in the car so as not to make a racket. No TV, soft voices, showers and lights out. He seemed to be doing pretty good. My sinuses were completely messed up from the flights, so I just slept out in the living room in the chair. Nero slept on me off and on, but seemed to be good until about 4am. I was awake anyway, but the scratching and yacking has started. So we'll see where today leads. At least I'm off work to stay home with him.
So this is it. The end of the blog and the end of a wonderful trip. It's early, I've been up since 4am. But life will resume to normal in the next few days. Just thankful to be home safely and look forward to planning our next adventure! Until then....
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Monday, June 6, 2016
Day 18, White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury, England
What a glorious last day. I can't put into words how much fun this last day has been. I'm not sure if it's better to end a vacation with such a great day or if it makes it harder to go home. Right now I'm feeling the latter of the two. :( But let's start from the beginning. We got up and had a nice breakfast before heading to Canterbury. It was a bit confusing because our clocks changed last night (Apple phone and watch automatically updated to the new time zone), but the ship is staying in the other time which we'll be back in shortly when we start heading to Amsterdam. So when my watch says 9:00am according to the ship it is 10am. Just so long as we are not confused about the time when we are due to be "all aboard". Now that we've got the time straight we headed out to catch a cab to the train station. It would have been walkable, 25 minutes or so, but there was lots of road construction and the area was a bit confusing, so it was easier to pay the $10 for the cab. The cab driver asked us if we were going to Canterbury and we said "yes". He said I can take you cheaper than the train. Guy asked how much and he said 35 (pounds). That was one way. We knew the train was only 16 (pounds) for both of us ROUND TRIP. I don't have great math skills, but 16 pounds vs. 70 pounds is a chunk of change. About $100 US dollars for a cab ride...not today! So Guy politely thanked him for the info, but told him no. The cabbie didn't push, so I was glad.
The train station was small and the old guy at the counter was a grumpy old poo but at least he spoke English and was moderately helpful. We got 4 tickets for 16 pounds, two to use now and two for the return. It is more like a commuter train that makes lots of stops, but the return train just came straight back to Dover. Exiting the train station at Canterbury East the signs pointed us to the city center which we followed and it took us up on the city walls that ran along the old part of the city. There is a lot of history here and we stood over ruins of an old gate built by the Romans in early AD. Cool. We came by the bus station and there was a really nice outdoor mall area with modern shops (H&M of course) and a pharmacy. I zipped in to buy some Ibuprofen and self-checked out, just like at home. After we looked around the shops they led to the old part of town that was exceptionally quaint and absolutely charming as all get out. My first stop was the Starbucks for my England mug. I had two to choose from. One had the white cliffs of Dover on it (even tho I wasn't crazy about the portrait of the guy on the mug - will research to see who it is) but I had to get that one because the other mug was of London and other sites we've been to, but not on this particular trip. So with my mug safely in my backpack we started our adventure into Canterbury.
The streets reminded us a bit of Amsterdam (minus all the waterways) but the old buildings lean a bit and are often very short. They had the wooded beams still showing like we've seen in some of the older towns we've visited. Guy remembered a past story where the towns taxed the size of the first story, so the wooden beams stuck out and were exposed because the second floor that sat on them was wider and bigger than then first level (the taxable area). I asked Guy if the people from 1500 were only 5 feet tall because I'd have to duck to get into some of the old buildings. :) We leisurely walked up and down the streets taking pictures and enjoying the gorgeous sunny weather. Once again....blessed blessed blessed. As we came to a little waterway we saw some boats lined up that were offering punting. We did punting in New Zealand and it was so much fun. It's like gondolas in Venice without the singing, fancy boats and is affordable. Guy asked me if I wanted to do it but I didn't have to answer him, he could see it on my face. We chatted with the boat guys and they offered 3 options. 35 minutes, 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes pointing each route out on a map. I needed to use the ladies room before we got started, so they pointed us to a coffee shop where I got a cappuccino togo and used the girlie room. Back at the punting entrance we chose the 35 minute option because our time was limited in the town and we still had lots to see. Our "boatman" was Paul and he was amazing. He narrated a bit, but was mostly quiet and he let us sit back and enjoy the scenery. Once we got away from the park where some unruly kids were screaming, it was peacefully quiet with nothing but birds chirping. The ride was very smooth even tho he was pushing against the current with his long pole. We went under several low bridges and he would squat down to get under them. The boat never moved. He was good. I took some videos and photos, but mostly just looked around and soaked it all in. The ride ended a bit sooner than I would have liked, but I think he probably gave us more than our 35 minutes. He'd slow down when we had questions or if I was taking a picture or when we passed a mommy duck with two new little tiny babies. I could have stayed on the little boat all day. It was glorious (and better than therapy just like their sign promised). Money well spent.
As we headed back into town suddenly the little quaint town was overrun with tourists. Lots and lots of tourists. So we lucked out by getting at least a bit of time in Canterbury when it was still quiet. It cost 13 pounds to go into the beautiful cathedral that this town is noted for, but time didn't allow, so I just poked my head in and took a picture from the outside. Gorgeous. Next we did some shopping. This town, had I had a bit more time, would have cost Guy Alongi some money. The shops were cute and they had lots of lovely things. Yes, I bought shoes! Whew, just under the wire to pull of a decent purchase on this trip. While I was shopping, Guy was getting us some lunch in a cute little bakery. All I wanted was some fresh bread and butter with a Diet Coke. It was waiting for me when I arrived and we sat inside and ate. When we were done he went upstairs to use the guy's room and since it was warming up I took my puffy coat off and started folding it up. It is the kind that folds up into itself and zips up into a little tiny pillow that easily shoves into a backpack. The English lady sitting next to me was watching as I was doing my jacket disappearing act because I could see her out of the corner of my eye. After I was done I looked at her and she exclaimed "That was brilliant!" (In her fabulous British accent). That was all that was necessary to spark great conversation with her and her husband and when Guy got back we all chatted until we finally had to head back to the train station. They were a fun older couple and they love Americans they said. Ha Ha.
We didn't attempt to see downtown Dover as everyone we've talked to said it was not good. In fact some, including the couple we just met, described it with unpleasant words that I can't put in my PG blog. So when the train arrived back in Dover we just hopped a cab back to the ship and went on top to secure a good place to catch some sun and snap good pics of the white cliffs as we pulled out of the port. As I type, all passengers are aboard and the captain has given us his farewell speech. Passengers are lined up along the handrails to take their last photographs of the white cliffs. I'm sure the balconies are all populated on that side as well, but since our balcony is on the wrong side of the ship for the view, we are up top.
Saying "ciao" to the cliffs we heard the call of growling bellies and went down for a slice of pizza (or two) and maybe a cookie. Don't judge...I'm on vacation. Guy has left me alone to blog while he goes to talk to the ship folks about future cruises. If you put money down, even if you don't know when and where you are going next, they give you a significant discount. When he suggested checking it out, who was I to tell him not to? When he returned it wasn't anything too fabulous. Basically you put money down and it gives you a few perks (nothing too much more than we got this time...free internet and gratuities). But it locks in your cabin and the price for up to two years. It also means if the price every goes down, we automatically get that. So he did it because it's totally refundable and wasn't that much down. Where to next? We're working on it.
Dinner tonight was a sad one as it was our last night with Ileana. "Sad emoji" But let's talk food for a second...French onion soup for me and prosciutto and melon for Guy. Entrée was steak Diane and gnocchi for Guy and just gnocchi for me. Delish. Dessert was chocolate cake all around, coffee, hugs, photos and then a wave goodbye with a promise to follow each other on Facebook. I gave her my info and put the ball in her court. I hope she finds me. She showed us pictures tonight from her phone of her and Carlos. They are so cute together and she is a hottie with her hair down and dancing shoes on! Will miss her contagious smile.
Ugh. I sigh as I have to type the words..."our bags are in the hallway". We have just the bare minimum with us in the cabin and the vibe in the room is a combination of 'I can't believe it's already over, this was an amazing trip and just get me home'. The weather looks good in Amsterdam and STL, so we are praying for safe flights and big naps. Thanks be to God for his blessings and answered prayers of a safe and wonderful journey. First thing I'll do on Wednesday is post the photos. So hang in there with me dear readers, there is more to come.
The train station was small and the old guy at the counter was a grumpy old poo but at least he spoke English and was moderately helpful. We got 4 tickets for 16 pounds, two to use now and two for the return. It is more like a commuter train that makes lots of stops, but the return train just came straight back to Dover. Exiting the train station at Canterbury East the signs pointed us to the city center which we followed and it took us up on the city walls that ran along the old part of the city. There is a lot of history here and we stood over ruins of an old gate built by the Romans in early AD. Cool. We came by the bus station and there was a really nice outdoor mall area with modern shops (H&M of course) and a pharmacy. I zipped in to buy some Ibuprofen and self-checked out, just like at home. After we looked around the shops they led to the old part of town that was exceptionally quaint and absolutely charming as all get out. My first stop was the Starbucks for my England mug. I had two to choose from. One had the white cliffs of Dover on it (even tho I wasn't crazy about the portrait of the guy on the mug - will research to see who it is) but I had to get that one because the other mug was of London and other sites we've been to, but not on this particular trip. So with my mug safely in my backpack we started our adventure into Canterbury.
The streets reminded us a bit of Amsterdam (minus all the waterways) but the old buildings lean a bit and are often very short. They had the wooded beams still showing like we've seen in some of the older towns we've visited. Guy remembered a past story where the towns taxed the size of the first story, so the wooden beams stuck out and were exposed because the second floor that sat on them was wider and bigger than then first level (the taxable area). I asked Guy if the people from 1500 were only 5 feet tall because I'd have to duck to get into some of the old buildings. :) We leisurely walked up and down the streets taking pictures and enjoying the gorgeous sunny weather. Once again....blessed blessed blessed. As we came to a little waterway we saw some boats lined up that were offering punting. We did punting in New Zealand and it was so much fun. It's like gondolas in Venice without the singing, fancy boats and is affordable. Guy asked me if I wanted to do it but I didn't have to answer him, he could see it on my face. We chatted with the boat guys and they offered 3 options. 35 minutes, 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes pointing each route out on a map. I needed to use the ladies room before we got started, so they pointed us to a coffee shop where I got a cappuccino togo and used the girlie room. Back at the punting entrance we chose the 35 minute option because our time was limited in the town and we still had lots to see. Our "boatman" was Paul and he was amazing. He narrated a bit, but was mostly quiet and he let us sit back and enjoy the scenery. Once we got away from the park where some unruly kids were screaming, it was peacefully quiet with nothing but birds chirping. The ride was very smooth even tho he was pushing against the current with his long pole. We went under several low bridges and he would squat down to get under them. The boat never moved. He was good. I took some videos and photos, but mostly just looked around and soaked it all in. The ride ended a bit sooner than I would have liked, but I think he probably gave us more than our 35 minutes. He'd slow down when we had questions or if I was taking a picture or when we passed a mommy duck with two new little tiny babies. I could have stayed on the little boat all day. It was glorious (and better than therapy just like their sign promised). Money well spent.
As we headed back into town suddenly the little quaint town was overrun with tourists. Lots and lots of tourists. So we lucked out by getting at least a bit of time in Canterbury when it was still quiet. It cost 13 pounds to go into the beautiful cathedral that this town is noted for, but time didn't allow, so I just poked my head in and took a picture from the outside. Gorgeous. Next we did some shopping. This town, had I had a bit more time, would have cost Guy Alongi some money. The shops were cute and they had lots of lovely things. Yes, I bought shoes! Whew, just under the wire to pull of a decent purchase on this trip. While I was shopping, Guy was getting us some lunch in a cute little bakery. All I wanted was some fresh bread and butter with a Diet Coke. It was waiting for me when I arrived and we sat inside and ate. When we were done he went upstairs to use the guy's room and since it was warming up I took my puffy coat off and started folding it up. It is the kind that folds up into itself and zips up into a little tiny pillow that easily shoves into a backpack. The English lady sitting next to me was watching as I was doing my jacket disappearing act because I could see her out of the corner of my eye. After I was done I looked at her and she exclaimed "That was brilliant!" (In her fabulous British accent). That was all that was necessary to spark great conversation with her and her husband and when Guy got back we all chatted until we finally had to head back to the train station. They were a fun older couple and they love Americans they said. Ha Ha.
We didn't attempt to see downtown Dover as everyone we've talked to said it was not good. In fact some, including the couple we just met, described it with unpleasant words that I can't put in my PG blog. So when the train arrived back in Dover we just hopped a cab back to the ship and went on top to secure a good place to catch some sun and snap good pics of the white cliffs as we pulled out of the port. As I type, all passengers are aboard and the captain has given us his farewell speech. Passengers are lined up along the handrails to take their last photographs of the white cliffs. I'm sure the balconies are all populated on that side as well, but since our balcony is on the wrong side of the ship for the view, we are up top.
Saying "ciao" to the cliffs we heard the call of growling bellies and went down for a slice of pizza (or two) and maybe a cookie. Don't judge...I'm on vacation. Guy has left me alone to blog while he goes to talk to the ship folks about future cruises. If you put money down, even if you don't know when and where you are going next, they give you a significant discount. When he suggested checking it out, who was I to tell him not to? When he returned it wasn't anything too fabulous. Basically you put money down and it gives you a few perks (nothing too much more than we got this time...free internet and gratuities). But it locks in your cabin and the price for up to two years. It also means if the price every goes down, we automatically get that. So he did it because it's totally refundable and wasn't that much down. Where to next? We're working on it.
Dinner tonight was a sad one as it was our last night with Ileana. "Sad emoji" But let's talk food for a second...French onion soup for me and prosciutto and melon for Guy. Entrée was steak Diane and gnocchi for Guy and just gnocchi for me. Delish. Dessert was chocolate cake all around, coffee, hugs, photos and then a wave goodbye with a promise to follow each other on Facebook. I gave her my info and put the ball in her court. I hope she finds me. She showed us pictures tonight from her phone of her and Carlos. They are so cute together and she is a hottie with her hair down and dancing shoes on! Will miss her contagious smile.
Ugh. I sigh as I have to type the words..."our bags are in the hallway". We have just the bare minimum with us in the cabin and the vibe in the room is a combination of 'I can't believe it's already over, this was an amazing trip and just get me home'. The weather looks good in Amsterdam and STL, so we are praying for safe flights and big naps. Thanks be to God for his blessings and answered prayers of a safe and wonderful journey. First thing I'll do on Wednesday is post the photos. So hang in there with me dear readers, there is more to come.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Day 17 La Havre, France
Deja Vu. Ok that's French, right? Thought I'd toss around some of my extensive French vocabulary before we left the country. You know Betty, Cara and I took French lessons? Oh, yes. Very fluent, aren't we ladies? LOL. But back to the Vu in my Deja Vu, today was a repeat of yesterday. We ate breakfast, then took a three mile walk around the shops outside of the port. We saw them yesterday when we were on the bus coming back from the city center. Inside it looks like it once was an old warehouse facility on the dock. It was actually a pretty cool way to use the building. It had some nice shops, H&M is everywhere over here and of course this mini mall was no exception. The town was also flooded with pink. As we were walking toward the shopping area a 5K must have just gotten over because there were ladies all in pink with numbers pinned to them. We also saw the occasional guy with a pink wig or something funny. After we got to the end of the mall and turned around to walk back there was an absolute sea of pink coming in and walking towards us. So it must have been quite the race. I couldn't read the shirts (it was all in French) but being pink and having a ribbon on it we are assuming breast cancer, but can't confirm. Is the pink ribbon universal for breast cancer? That would be interesting to know. And...had I known about the race I would have joined them! I wouldn't have had anyone to talk to, but hey, it would have been a cool experience! I'm not sure how they number people for the race but we saw numbers in the low 100s up to 25,000s. I can't imagine there were over 20,000 runners/walkers, but they had one heck of a turn out.
It seemed like we had walked a long way to get to the shopping area so I set my GPS for the way back and it was a solid 1.5 miles. That wasn't that far, but when you aren't sure where you are going it seems longer. Before getting back on the ship we popped into the little shopping area/Internet cafe at the port to buy something for our dads that we had seen earlier. Yep! The dads have scored a gift. Pretty unusual to begin with, but as far as shopping goes...it's been pretty slim pickins, so the dads are at least getting something. And no, the Internet wasn't any faster because I tried uploading pictures with no luck. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I've given up trying and stopped worrying about it. My blog readers will just have to wait and check back one last time after I get home to see the pics. Not nearly as much fun, I know. I'm bummed, too.
Back on the ship we grabbed some lunch from the buffet just before it shut down and Ileana was there. She hugged Guy and we chatted for a bit, but we needed to get some food before they closed up. After lunch we found this really big hammock and jumped in. We stayed in there for 3 hours! Napping, surfing, reading...it was awesome. There were curtains on three sides and the fourth side looked out at the port. It was awesome. Before heading back to the room I asked Guy to get me a chocolate chip cookie. He did, but he came back with FOUR on his plate. Ugh...I ate two and so did he. "Don't ruin your dinner" I hear my mom saying. Too late. He said the guy at the counter said "How many would you like...5, 6? We have lots of cookies on the boat". Ha ha. Back at the room we sat outside on the balcony for a bit to enjoy the cool breeze. Suddenly a racket was going on next door on the balcony of the Russians. I had seen what happened, but Guy didn't and he was like "what the what is going on?" It was a seagull that swooped into their balcony and couldn't get out. Guy said "It's going to beat itself to death on that glass, are you going to be ok with that?" Well, just as I was thinking about calling for our room steward to see if he could do something the door slid open and someone from the Russian family grabbed it and tossed it into the air. It lived to see another day, but Guy said they'd left food out on the balcony. Note to self...keep bread inside.
Well, time for dinner so I took a long hot shower and started getting ready. Since the movie Brooklyn is "on demand" in the room, I just fast forwarded it to my favorite part and have watched it two nights in a row while getting ready. :) It keeps me entertained and my mind off how many times I've put my face on and off on this trip. Seems like I get ready twice a day. That's the only bad thing about the cruises. But you know....small price to pay!! :)
Dinner was pretty good. I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and Guy got shrimp cocktail. Again. Ileana warned me that the other passengers were just so/so on liking the appetizer I ordered, but I told her I'd give it a go. The problem was it tasted fine, but wasn't made the way we are used to it with all the cream cheese and garlic. So once you got past that, it was fine. For dinner I got chicken Coq au Vin and Guy had steak. He liked mine better so I shared with him as neither one of us were starving. (Yes mom...no cookies before dinner). I had a white chocolate pastry for dessert with coffee. Glad my skirt has an elastic waist. I've got some serious work to do when I get home. But it has been worth it.
That's it for today. We've headed out back into the sea and tomorrow is Dover, England with a little side trip to Canterbury. Guy has spied out a Starbucks for me to get a mug, so the only country I have missed on this trip is Wales. Not to shabby and of all the places we've been, Wales would be my #1 place to return to. So I have a feeling I'll see a Wales mug some day. That makes it even more fun. :)
It seemed like we had walked a long way to get to the shopping area so I set my GPS for the way back and it was a solid 1.5 miles. That wasn't that far, but when you aren't sure where you are going it seems longer. Before getting back on the ship we popped into the little shopping area/Internet cafe at the port to buy something for our dads that we had seen earlier. Yep! The dads have scored a gift. Pretty unusual to begin with, but as far as shopping goes...it's been pretty slim pickins, so the dads are at least getting something. And no, the Internet wasn't any faster because I tried uploading pictures with no luck. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I've given up trying and stopped worrying about it. My blog readers will just have to wait and check back one last time after I get home to see the pics. Not nearly as much fun, I know. I'm bummed, too.
Back on the ship we grabbed some lunch from the buffet just before it shut down and Ileana was there. She hugged Guy and we chatted for a bit, but we needed to get some food before they closed up. After lunch we found this really big hammock and jumped in. We stayed in there for 3 hours! Napping, surfing, reading...it was awesome. There were curtains on three sides and the fourth side looked out at the port. It was awesome. Before heading back to the room I asked Guy to get me a chocolate chip cookie. He did, but he came back with FOUR on his plate. Ugh...I ate two and so did he. "Don't ruin your dinner" I hear my mom saying. Too late. He said the guy at the counter said "How many would you like...5, 6? We have lots of cookies on the boat". Ha ha. Back at the room we sat outside on the balcony for a bit to enjoy the cool breeze. Suddenly a racket was going on next door on the balcony of the Russians. I had seen what happened, but Guy didn't and he was like "what the what is going on?" It was a seagull that swooped into their balcony and couldn't get out. Guy said "It's going to beat itself to death on that glass, are you going to be ok with that?" Well, just as I was thinking about calling for our room steward to see if he could do something the door slid open and someone from the Russian family grabbed it and tossed it into the air. It lived to see another day, but Guy said they'd left food out on the balcony. Note to self...keep bread inside.
Well, time for dinner so I took a long hot shower and started getting ready. Since the movie Brooklyn is "on demand" in the room, I just fast forwarded it to my favorite part and have watched it two nights in a row while getting ready. :) It keeps me entertained and my mind off how many times I've put my face on and off on this trip. Seems like I get ready twice a day. That's the only bad thing about the cruises. But you know....small price to pay!! :)
Dinner was pretty good. I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and Guy got shrimp cocktail. Again. Ileana warned me that the other passengers were just so/so on liking the appetizer I ordered, but I told her I'd give it a go. The problem was it tasted fine, but wasn't made the way we are used to it with all the cream cheese and garlic. So once you got past that, it was fine. For dinner I got chicken Coq au Vin and Guy had steak. He liked mine better so I shared with him as neither one of us were starving. (Yes mom...no cookies before dinner). I had a white chocolate pastry for dessert with coffee. Glad my skirt has an elastic waist. I've got some serious work to do when I get home. But it has been worth it.
That's it for today. We've headed out back into the sea and tomorrow is Dover, England with a little side trip to Canterbury. Guy has spied out a Starbucks for me to get a mug, so the only country I have missed on this trip is Wales. Not to shabby and of all the places we've been, Wales would be my #1 place to return to. So I have a feeling I'll see a Wales mug some day. That makes it even more fun. :)
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Day 16 La Havre, France
Last night we stayed up late watching the movie Brooklyn. I love that movie. I've seen it before and cried my eyes out, so much so that my sinuses were totally jacked up the entire next day. Something is blooming on this trip as well because I've had sinus issues for pretty much the entire trip. So the reason for the stuffy nose update is because I wanted to watch this movie again so bad, but didn't want to cry my eyes out and make my sinuses worse. Since I've seen it I figured I'd know when to look away or not be surprised by anything. Yeah, no, I still cried. Anyway, it was very late before we went to bed and it was no problem because today we had no specific plans. Guy was up about 8:30 looking out the window and tours were already leaving. We dozed back off to sleep and didn't get back up until about 11am. Nice!! We did miss breakfast, so we just ate a little waffle cookie in the room (thanks Olesya) and got ready to catch the shuttle into town to have a look around.
Guy had chatted with Lawrence, our concierge, and asked him about a little town about 7 miles away that Guy had seen on TripAdvisor. Lawrence said it was a nice little town and we could get a cab there for about 35 euros each away. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend $100 on a cab ride to a little town that was just "nice". So we opted to spend the 8 euros to go into the port town of LaHavre. By the time we reached the little city center it was 1am and most shops closed from 1- 4. So we just walked around and took in the sights (not too much going on here). Lawrence did recommend a restaurant for us to have lunch at. We found it, but there were a couple of restaurants surrounding it that had big crowds. None of these restaurant had menus in English and no one seemed to want to help us out, so I told Guy I was totally fine with heading back to the ship for lunch. But Guy was in the mood to try something local, so we ate at the Au Bureau like Lawrence suggested.
There were tables out front, inside and again in a little glassed-in outdoor seating area out back. We chose the outdoor one in the back because it was still outside with fresh air (and the sun temporarily popped out) but had seats in the shade. The menu had a few English words, but luckily it did have some nice photos. So that is how I picked mine. Amanda Hickman...we needed you today!! Guy, however, was trying to hover his phone over the menu using Google translate to see if he could see a few words in English. Just across the room was a group from the ship. One of the ladies was speaking perfect French to the waiter. I told Guy I'd ask her to give a quick translation of the menu if he wanted me to. He was looking for a steak. But he said he didn't want to interrupt their meal, so he kept trying to use his phone. That's when one of the words translated into HORSE MEAT and he quickly decided on the fish and chips. And HE was the one wanting to try something local (apparently not that local) and I don't think the French are known for their fish and chips, but he didn't want me to ask the table next to us and the waiter certainly was of no help. None of the restaurants were of any help. (Lawrence did tell us when we got back that this town is really known more for its ferries, so people come across in their cars and keep going. So they haven't had a lot of tourists until cruise ships began using this port more frequently. That would help explain why nothing was in English or they don't really speak it much). Still the French are known for speaking English but not going out of their way to help you or acting like they don't speak it. Side note: Last year my student, Sydne, came to France in a study abroad program. On the first day they put them through an orientation, talked a bit about the French culture and how to say the basics "thank you, please, etc." They also told them that if anyone asked them where they were from they were to say Canada. I'm not joking.
Back to lunch. You kinda hate eating at a place where you think they don't like you. However, we were there and we ordered. I got the veggie and cheese sandwich. It was excellent! I ate it with a fork and knife because that's what I saw everyone else doing. It came with fries. I'm not kidding when I say these were the best fries I've ever had in my entire life. I can't really explain it except some were thicker fries with a V cut running down the middle and they were not greasy, but were puffy, light, and had an oh so good crunch to them. Guy enjoyed his "French" fish and chips as well. We didn't linger long, paid our bill and headed back to the ship. I'm sure we could have found something else to do in the town, but it was a dead time of the day there and honestly I just wanted to enjoy a little ship time.
The sun was still out, so we grabbed a chocolate gelato onboard and headed to the top to get some vitamin D. I was going to read my book but got distracted when I found out Google was no longer going to support Picasa, the online photo manager I use for my blogs. So I researched a bit and snoozed a bit after moving into the shade. After that I headed to the room to change into my running clothes and Guy went to the top to shoot some baskets. It's like we've had the ship to ourselves today - and several other days. I guess people think when it is only in the 50s it's too cold to go outside, but in the sun it was warm! I had a nice run and Guy shot baskets until the wind got too strong. I kept thinking I was going to get rained on, but it was just dark clouds that were all talk and no action.
Dinner tonight was good as always. I had a Greek salad and a pasta dish with chicken and goat cheese. Guy had little tiny fish croquets, shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad and a steak. He finally got his steak today. And it was really amazing because I had a bite. Yum-o. Dessert was cheesecake with caramel sauce and Guy's was a chocolate flan with a caramelized banana. Stuffed again tonight. But we didn't have much of a breakfast today...ha ha. We only get to see Ileana for two more nights...so we can't miss our dinner in the restaurant again. - No more specialty dining. Not worth it for several reasons.
Tomorrow we are still at LaHavre. The ship is actually open all night, so we could come and go anytime we wanted until tomorrow night at 8:30pm. But maybe tomorrow we'll just stick around and enjoy an empty ship (300+ passengers are actually staying over in Paris tonight...I hope they are getting around ok due to the flooding and train issues). This would be our last chance to just enjoy a relaxing day because the following day is Dover where we'll be training into Canterbury, England. We'll get to see the famous white cliffs of Dover as we come and go from the port, so that should be exciting. And then we wake up the following day in Amsterdam and hop directly on the plane for home. So the countdown to the end of the vacation has begun.
Guy had chatted with Lawrence, our concierge, and asked him about a little town about 7 miles away that Guy had seen on TripAdvisor. Lawrence said it was a nice little town and we could get a cab there for about 35 euros each away. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend $100 on a cab ride to a little town that was just "nice". So we opted to spend the 8 euros to go into the port town of LaHavre. By the time we reached the little city center it was 1am and most shops closed from 1- 4. So we just walked around and took in the sights (not too much going on here). Lawrence did recommend a restaurant for us to have lunch at. We found it, but there were a couple of restaurants surrounding it that had big crowds. None of these restaurant had menus in English and no one seemed to want to help us out, so I told Guy I was totally fine with heading back to the ship for lunch. But Guy was in the mood to try something local, so we ate at the Au Bureau like Lawrence suggested.
There were tables out front, inside and again in a little glassed-in outdoor seating area out back. We chose the outdoor one in the back because it was still outside with fresh air (and the sun temporarily popped out) but had seats in the shade. The menu had a few English words, but luckily it did have some nice photos. So that is how I picked mine. Amanda Hickman...we needed you today!! Guy, however, was trying to hover his phone over the menu using Google translate to see if he could see a few words in English. Just across the room was a group from the ship. One of the ladies was speaking perfect French to the waiter. I told Guy I'd ask her to give a quick translation of the menu if he wanted me to. He was looking for a steak. But he said he didn't want to interrupt their meal, so he kept trying to use his phone. That's when one of the words translated into HORSE MEAT and he quickly decided on the fish and chips. And HE was the one wanting to try something local (apparently not that local) and I don't think the French are known for their fish and chips, but he didn't want me to ask the table next to us and the waiter certainly was of no help. None of the restaurants were of any help. (Lawrence did tell us when we got back that this town is really known more for its ferries, so people come across in their cars and keep going. So they haven't had a lot of tourists until cruise ships began using this port more frequently. That would help explain why nothing was in English or they don't really speak it much). Still the French are known for speaking English but not going out of their way to help you or acting like they don't speak it. Side note: Last year my student, Sydne, came to France in a study abroad program. On the first day they put them through an orientation, talked a bit about the French culture and how to say the basics "thank you, please, etc." They also told them that if anyone asked them where they were from they were to say Canada. I'm not joking.
Back to lunch. You kinda hate eating at a place where you think they don't like you. However, we were there and we ordered. I got the veggie and cheese sandwich. It was excellent! I ate it with a fork and knife because that's what I saw everyone else doing. It came with fries. I'm not kidding when I say these were the best fries I've ever had in my entire life. I can't really explain it except some were thicker fries with a V cut running down the middle and they were not greasy, but were puffy, light, and had an oh so good crunch to them. Guy enjoyed his "French" fish and chips as well. We didn't linger long, paid our bill and headed back to the ship. I'm sure we could have found something else to do in the town, but it was a dead time of the day there and honestly I just wanted to enjoy a little ship time.
The sun was still out, so we grabbed a chocolate gelato onboard and headed to the top to get some vitamin D. I was going to read my book but got distracted when I found out Google was no longer going to support Picasa, the online photo manager I use for my blogs. So I researched a bit and snoozed a bit after moving into the shade. After that I headed to the room to change into my running clothes and Guy went to the top to shoot some baskets. It's like we've had the ship to ourselves today - and several other days. I guess people think when it is only in the 50s it's too cold to go outside, but in the sun it was warm! I had a nice run and Guy shot baskets until the wind got too strong. I kept thinking I was going to get rained on, but it was just dark clouds that were all talk and no action.
Dinner tonight was good as always. I had a Greek salad and a pasta dish with chicken and goat cheese. Guy had little tiny fish croquets, shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad and a steak. He finally got his steak today. And it was really amazing because I had a bite. Yum-o. Dessert was cheesecake with caramel sauce and Guy's was a chocolate flan with a caramelized banana. Stuffed again tonight. But we didn't have much of a breakfast today...ha ha. We only get to see Ileana for two more nights...so we can't miss our dinner in the restaurant again. - No more specialty dining. Not worth it for several reasons.
Tomorrow we are still at LaHavre. The ship is actually open all night, so we could come and go anytime we wanted until tomorrow night at 8:30pm. But maybe tomorrow we'll just stick around and enjoy an empty ship (300+ passengers are actually staying over in Paris tonight...I hope they are getting around ok due to the flooding and train issues). This would be our last chance to just enjoy a relaxing day because the following day is Dover where we'll be training into Canterbury, England. We'll get to see the famous white cliffs of Dover as we come and go from the port, so that should be exciting. And then we wake up the following day in Amsterdam and hop directly on the plane for home. So the countdown to the end of the vacation has begun.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Day 15 Lost At Sea
Ok, we weren't really lost...there was just water everywhere and I sure didn't know where we were. Ha Ha. All I know is this was a REAL vacation day. Slept till noon, ate lunch, napped, ate dinner. :) Therefore, not much to write about today except we did eat in a specialty restaurant tonight, "The Tuscan Grill". I write this as my belly is stuffed and the experience is fresh...so here we go. It cost an additional $45 per person. Let's get that part out of the way because that ups our expectations a notch since we could have eaten in the dining room with Ileana for free (well, you know...at no additional charge).
We really could have had anything we wanted on the menu, but we've eaten so much lately we weren't really in the mood to overdo or try multiple entrees. So first they started by bringing by an antipasti tray and you could pick whatever you wanted from it. I had stepped out to wash my hands, so Guy chose mozzarella balls, prosciutto, and marinated mushrooms. Everything was just ok, but the prosciutto was yucky. In fact had I not been in a restaurant I would have spit it out. I don't care for it to begin with, but since it was on my plate I gave it a go. It was g.r.o.s.s. Guy loves prosciutto and he agreed it wasn't the best he'd ever had. Gah! Ok, let's move on. Next I ordered the caprese salad, but the waiter suggested the goat cheese salad. To be honest, I didn't even see it on the menu so I of course took his recommendation and it was outstanding! It was little deep friend goat cheese balls on a green salad with balsamic reduction. I'll eat anything with a balsamic reduction! (Well except that nasty prosciutto). Guy had calamari. It was ok, but heavy on the breading and a bit chewy, which is often the case. For our entrees I had the mushroom ravioli with truffle oil and Guy had a filet and a side of wide noodles in a cream sauce. All of our entrees were awesome, especially the pastas as they are all homemade. For dessert Guy was a no go, but I had the fondue (dark chocolate with all kinds of little yummies to dip) and a caramel macchiato which was way way way too sweet. -- Wow...harsh tonight on the reviews, huh? LOL. Well, if you are paying quite a bit extra then it better be quite a bit better. Can't really say that it was, but the restaurant was beautiful and we had a lovely table by the window that looked out the back of the ship, so we still had lots of fun. We met Ileana's boyfriend, Carlos, and he was super sweet and really loves her. So do we.
We came back to the room for a minute and then went to the 9pm show. It was three guys singing Motown type songs from the 50s and 60s. They were quite frisky with their dancing and reminded us of the Temptations. I think we had more fun watching the audience. There were some old gals who were really getting their jiggie on. :)
Well, short and sweet today. Tomorrow we dock in France. Apparently the weather has been a bit gnarly and the Louvre is closed, some roads are flooded and there is a train strike. Hmmmm...feeling kinda bad for those heading to Paris. Hopefully those going to Normandy will have less issues. For us it is another relaxing day on the ship as we have already seen Paris and Normandy on a previous trip. It's supposed to be raining, so we'll see if we want to go into the port town or just chill on the ship. It's nice to have options.
We really could have had anything we wanted on the menu, but we've eaten so much lately we weren't really in the mood to overdo or try multiple entrees. So first they started by bringing by an antipasti tray and you could pick whatever you wanted from it. I had stepped out to wash my hands, so Guy chose mozzarella balls, prosciutto, and marinated mushrooms. Everything was just ok, but the prosciutto was yucky. In fact had I not been in a restaurant I would have spit it out. I don't care for it to begin with, but since it was on my plate I gave it a go. It was g.r.o.s.s. Guy loves prosciutto and he agreed it wasn't the best he'd ever had. Gah! Ok, let's move on. Next I ordered the caprese salad, but the waiter suggested the goat cheese salad. To be honest, I didn't even see it on the menu so I of course took his recommendation and it was outstanding! It was little deep friend goat cheese balls on a green salad with balsamic reduction. I'll eat anything with a balsamic reduction! (Well except that nasty prosciutto). Guy had calamari. It was ok, but heavy on the breading and a bit chewy, which is often the case. For our entrees I had the mushroom ravioli with truffle oil and Guy had a filet and a side of wide noodles in a cream sauce. All of our entrees were awesome, especially the pastas as they are all homemade. For dessert Guy was a no go, but I had the fondue (dark chocolate with all kinds of little yummies to dip) and a caramel macchiato which was way way way too sweet. -- Wow...harsh tonight on the reviews, huh? LOL. Well, if you are paying quite a bit extra then it better be quite a bit better. Can't really say that it was, but the restaurant was beautiful and we had a lovely table by the window that looked out the back of the ship, so we still had lots of fun. We met Ileana's boyfriend, Carlos, and he was super sweet and really loves her. So do we.
We came back to the room for a minute and then went to the 9pm show. It was three guys singing Motown type songs from the 50s and 60s. They were quite frisky with their dancing and reminded us of the Temptations. I think we had more fun watching the audience. There were some old gals who were really getting their jiggie on. :)
Well, short and sweet today. Tomorrow we dock in France. Apparently the weather has been a bit gnarly and the Louvre is closed, some roads are flooded and there is a train strike. Hmmmm...feeling kinda bad for those heading to Paris. Hopefully those going to Normandy will have less issues. For us it is another relaxing day on the ship as we have already seen Paris and Normandy on a previous trip. It's supposed to be raining, so we'll see if we want to go into the port town or just chill on the ship. It's nice to have options.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Day 14 Edinburgh, Scotland
This morning we woke up in Glasgow, Scotland and had a dreadfully early meeting time of 8:15. I was up at 6:30 and felt like I'd been hit by a truck. If we are tired, just think about the older folks that are doing these excursions each day! Kudos to them! Today we were on the bus at 9am ready for our two hour ride to Edinburgh. The ride was fine and our guide, John, and our driver, John, were both pretty quiet. They are doing quite a bit of road construction/expansion, so traffic was congested and slow. John only chimed in on the microphone when there was something of interest. Other than that he was silent and it was so nice. Everyone was up early, so most people were snoozing, me and Guy included.
When we arrived at Scotland's capitol city it was very compact and crowded. The castle at Edinburgh was humongous and it was almost like its own little city within giant walls. The sections of the inner castle looked more like buildings than castle, but it stood high on a hill and was quite something. We were on our own to look around the city, we just needed to be back on the bus at 3pm. We didn't get the tour of the castle as we had been castled out by this point, but it may have been a good one to see if you are ever coming this way. Wiki says: Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position on the Castle Rock. Archaeologists have established human occupation of the rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd century AD). It's the most paid-visited attraction in Scotland. In 2013 it had 1.4 million visitors. The British Army is still responsible for some parts of the castle, but it is mostly ceremonial and administrative. (We saw the guards walking back and forth. Very serious)
Instead of an internal visit to the castle we took the hop on hop off red bus around the city, which I don't recommend. It took about an hour and they really didn't tell us anything very exciting and the city is so compact that if you had a full day or two you could have totally walked it. After we got off the bus we covered quite a bit on foot. We also did some shopping today and this is not only Scotland's capitol, but is also the jip joint capitol as well! It had the same exact stuff in every store where we picked up a few things, found a Scotland Starbucks (scored a mug) and a few other trinkets we were looking for. It was about 2pm and we were starting to get hungry, so we walked by a restaurant/pub called The Malt Shovel that had good trip advisor ratings and went in. The server told us food was taking about 30 minutes. If we actually got our food in 30 minutes we'd be fine, but if not, we'd be in trouble making it back to the bus. At about 2:35 Guy was getting a bit nervous, but we heard the doorbell (one rang when food was ready for the servers to pick up) and it was ours. We had cod sandwiches and fries. The bun was probably better than the cod, but it was still delicious. The old pub is decorated in very dark wood and a gold picture frame is around the flat screen TV. What a cool idea. We sat at a table by the window and it was a long but skinny wooden table. Too bad we were rushed as the place had a cool vibe. And it's too bad we don't drink beer, they had all kinds of different beers and they pumped the tap when they were pouring them. It was all pretty cool. I'm sure this is a happening place at night.
Without an extra minute to spare, we headed out back toward the bus at a pretty good pace. When the buses were in sight, we knew we still had about 5 minutes and I was out of Dove soap. So we quickly hunted for a pharmacy or store. Then I remembered one more gift I wanted to buy so I was zipping in and out of shops like a tornado. Not only did I get my gift, one of the jip joints had a bar of Dove! Score!! When we got back on the bus we were not the last ones on, but after we were all onboard there was one of the 16 buses from the ship to Edinburgh that was having engine trouble and we were all going to have to take some passengers on. No worries, we had about 10 open seats. However, the other bus finally started and off we all went. Again, neither of the Johns had much to say and we officially heard snoring from the passengers. :) Traffic was horrible again and it took us a few extra minutes to get to the ship. However, we were an hour late getting out of this port because some of the buses behind us got caught in even worse traffic due to a fatal car accident. :( But everyone from our ship got back safely. When we got to the port we had to go through an area set up with local gifts. We actually found two really nice Tshirts. So our shopping was successful today. I'm getting my mojo back.
When we were walking to the ship a local high school band was playing for us. They were all in kilts and playing bagpipes and drums. They marched back and forth in front of the ship and the side of the ship facing the docking area had its balconies filled with passengers and all along the top people were looking over and clapping for the band. The coolest thing is that these young people have learned and practice tradition. It was awesome. The drummer girls were spinning their sticks and it was just so cool to see. Back on board we went up top for just a bit and then came down to get ready for dinner. We bumped our reservation back to 9pm and I'm glad we did. I was even a few minutes late! Ileana made some suggestions and I had a BBQ spring roll that was amazing and Guy had shrimp cocktail and a salad. Our entrees were both really great. I had a vegetable Wellington and Guy had duck breast. Yum-o. And I'm not even feeling super hungry, but it was really tasty. Dessert was mini lava cakes and ice cream. Perfect.
Scotland review: we had a great day and the area was beautiful. The big city was what we expected only more grand buildings and the castle was spectacular. It was pretty, but just coming from the countryside of Wales it doesn't compare, however, in all fairness we drove straight across Scotland from the west side to the east side and only saw that section. We see mountains off in the distance and I'm sure those areas are much more scenic. Would need to come back to explore it a bit more to be able to give a better review.
Weather review: WOW! Everyone on board (crew) and people in the places we've visited keep telling us we are BLESSED to be having such spectacular weather. Our singing tour guide yesterday thanked the driver for a great job driving the bus and then thanked God for the amazing weather. There was definitely a unified moment of thanksgiving on the bus, but on the ship as well. I think everyone realizes we are seeing some unusually beautiful weather! :)
Now tomorrow is a day at sea. We are so excited to sleep in and do nothing. We have a time change tonight and we lose an hour this time, but at least we don't have alarm issues to worry about. I hope our bodies will let us sleep in late. VERY excited for a vacation from my vacation. Update on pictures. There is no update. I can't catch a break with fast wifi anywhere. I hate it because it makes the blog so much more interesting...however, they'll get up eventually. Even if I have to wait till I get home. It's late and I'm heading to bed. I'll re-read this blog tomorrow and fix any typos and maybe add a few things I've forgotten. So excuse mistakes for now. :)
When we arrived at Scotland's capitol city it was very compact and crowded. The castle at Edinburgh was humongous and it was almost like its own little city within giant walls. The sections of the inner castle looked more like buildings than castle, but it stood high on a hill and was quite something. We were on our own to look around the city, we just needed to be back on the bus at 3pm. We didn't get the tour of the castle as we had been castled out by this point, but it may have been a good one to see if you are ever coming this way. Wiki says: Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position on the Castle Rock. Archaeologists have established human occupation of the rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd century AD). It's the most paid-visited attraction in Scotland. In 2013 it had 1.4 million visitors. The British Army is still responsible for some parts of the castle, but it is mostly ceremonial and administrative. (We saw the guards walking back and forth. Very serious)
Instead of an internal visit to the castle we took the hop on hop off red bus around the city, which I don't recommend. It took about an hour and they really didn't tell us anything very exciting and the city is so compact that if you had a full day or two you could have totally walked it. After we got off the bus we covered quite a bit on foot. We also did some shopping today and this is not only Scotland's capitol, but is also the jip joint capitol as well! It had the same exact stuff in every store where we picked up a few things, found a Scotland Starbucks (scored a mug) and a few other trinkets we were looking for. It was about 2pm and we were starting to get hungry, so we walked by a restaurant/pub called The Malt Shovel that had good trip advisor ratings and went in. The server told us food was taking about 30 minutes. If we actually got our food in 30 minutes we'd be fine, but if not, we'd be in trouble making it back to the bus. At about 2:35 Guy was getting a bit nervous, but we heard the doorbell (one rang when food was ready for the servers to pick up) and it was ours. We had cod sandwiches and fries. The bun was probably better than the cod, but it was still delicious. The old pub is decorated in very dark wood and a gold picture frame is around the flat screen TV. What a cool idea. We sat at a table by the window and it was a long but skinny wooden table. Too bad we were rushed as the place had a cool vibe. And it's too bad we don't drink beer, they had all kinds of different beers and they pumped the tap when they were pouring them. It was all pretty cool. I'm sure this is a happening place at night.
Without an extra minute to spare, we headed out back toward the bus at a pretty good pace. When the buses were in sight, we knew we still had about 5 minutes and I was out of Dove soap. So we quickly hunted for a pharmacy or store. Then I remembered one more gift I wanted to buy so I was zipping in and out of shops like a tornado. Not only did I get my gift, one of the jip joints had a bar of Dove! Score!! When we got back on the bus we were not the last ones on, but after we were all onboard there was one of the 16 buses from the ship to Edinburgh that was having engine trouble and we were all going to have to take some passengers on. No worries, we had about 10 open seats. However, the other bus finally started and off we all went. Again, neither of the Johns had much to say and we officially heard snoring from the passengers. :) Traffic was horrible again and it took us a few extra minutes to get to the ship. However, we were an hour late getting out of this port because some of the buses behind us got caught in even worse traffic due to a fatal car accident. :( But everyone from our ship got back safely. When we got to the port we had to go through an area set up with local gifts. We actually found two really nice Tshirts. So our shopping was successful today. I'm getting my mojo back.
When we were walking to the ship a local high school band was playing for us. They were all in kilts and playing bagpipes and drums. They marched back and forth in front of the ship and the side of the ship facing the docking area had its balconies filled with passengers and all along the top people were looking over and clapping for the band. The coolest thing is that these young people have learned and practice tradition. It was awesome. The drummer girls were spinning their sticks and it was just so cool to see. Back on board we went up top for just a bit and then came down to get ready for dinner. We bumped our reservation back to 9pm and I'm glad we did. I was even a few minutes late! Ileana made some suggestions and I had a BBQ spring roll that was amazing and Guy had shrimp cocktail and a salad. Our entrees were both really great. I had a vegetable Wellington and Guy had duck breast. Yum-o. And I'm not even feeling super hungry, but it was really tasty. Dessert was mini lava cakes and ice cream. Perfect.
Scotland review: we had a great day and the area was beautiful. The big city was what we expected only more grand buildings and the castle was spectacular. It was pretty, but just coming from the countryside of Wales it doesn't compare, however, in all fairness we drove straight across Scotland from the west side to the east side and only saw that section. We see mountains off in the distance and I'm sure those areas are much more scenic. Would need to come back to explore it a bit more to be able to give a better review.
Weather review: WOW! Everyone on board (crew) and people in the places we've visited keep telling us we are BLESSED to be having such spectacular weather. Our singing tour guide yesterday thanked the driver for a great job driving the bus and then thanked God for the amazing weather. There was definitely a unified moment of thanksgiving on the bus, but on the ship as well. I think everyone realizes we are seeing some unusually beautiful weather! :)
Now tomorrow is a day at sea. We are so excited to sleep in and do nothing. We have a time change tonight and we lose an hour this time, but at least we don't have alarm issues to worry about. I hope our bodies will let us sleep in late. VERY excited for a vacation from my vacation. Update on pictures. There is no update. I can't catch a break with fast wifi anywhere. I hate it because it makes the blog so much more interesting...however, they'll get up eventually. Even if I have to wait till I get home. It's late and I'm heading to bed. I'll re-read this blog tomorrow and fix any typos and maybe add a few things I've forgotten. So excuse mistakes for now. :)
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Day 13, Liverpool Port and Conwy Castle, Wales
I sound like a broken record with our mornings, but yep...same routine as yesterday and on a bus by 10:30 to go on our excursion. Today we were in Liverpool, England but took a trip to Wales. The bus ride was absolutely gorgeous through the countryside and it was a very pleasant surprise. I had no idea what to expect and it was way more beautiful than expected! Our first stop was at Conwy Castle, but we saw a couple of outstanding castles on the drive. One was legit and looked like it was still being lived in...it looked that good. However, most are in ruin or not able to be kept up. So was the case with Conwy Castle today. However, it was fun to walk around and here is the scoop from Wiki: Conwy Castle is a medieval fortification in Conwy on the north coast of Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1289. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a huge sum for the period. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars. Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. In the aftermath the castle was partially slighted by Parliament to prevent it being used in any further revolt, and was finally completely ruined in 1665 when its remaining iron and lead was stripped and sold off. Conwy Castle became an attractive destination for painters in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. UNESCO considers Conwy to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe", and it is classed as a World Heritage Site. So there you have it! :)
After the castle tour (Guy and I snuck away from our group to see it on our own at our own pace) we walked around the town of Conwy for about an hour. Guy passed a busy little stand selling fish and chips. He couldn't say no, so he had lunch before lunch. He did save me a bite. It was pretty good. While he ate I shopped and found a post office to get some postcards mailed. There were a few cute shops but again nothing that was a must have except a few tea towels. I feel like I've lost my professional shopping edge! Usually our little sofa has a pretty good stash of gifts stacked up by now and all I have filled are two tiny little shopping bags. :)
As we all gathered back up to the bus, we headed out for lunch. We ate at the Waterloo hotel and it was nice. Nothing too fancy, but there were several tables for two and we ate in the sun room area. Our bus was the first one there, so we got served first and finished up first. They gave us small salads with cold salmon, then chicken with potatoes and carrots. It was just ok, but that is pretty much to be expected I think. So then dessert was just some cut up strawberries with whipped cream. Nothing fancy but it was good. Since we were done early, Guy and I walked to the town instead of taking the bus. Again, it is a lovely day. I had on a sweater and never had to crack out the coat (except on the freezing bus) and the sun was in and out. When it was out it was warm, but when it was in...it was chilly. But the walk was brisk and nice after a filling lunch. The shops were selling locally made trinkets and other jip joint type gifts. I shopped the little area then just walked around the rest of the town taking pictures. It's a lovely town although a bit touristy. And while we waited for our bus at the meeting point, Guy bought me an ice cream that was pretty darn good. Going against my germy wishes, I did use the spoon the lady put in my ice cream even tho she touched it at both ends. Sheesh...they were manhandling the cones with bare hands and no one is thinking anything about it! Taking money then making the cones. No washing and no gloves. Wales must not have strict health codes. So I obviously got mine in a cup (or a "tub" as they called it). Salted caramel and chocolate. I ate it anyway, even with the gross plastic spoon because it was exceptionally tasty.
I think our itinerary mentioned another stop, but after we left Betws-y-Coed we headed back to the port. The ride was 1 1/2 hours, so it was a haul, but we went back a different way than how we came in, so all the scenery was new and just beautiful. The roads were curvy, so my mom would have been a car sick hot mess if she had been with us, but this area was actually very hilly. They called them mountains. I'll give them that...even if on the smaller side. They were very green and had homes dotting them with patches of trees and patches of grass. Most grass patches had sheep on them and we saw a few black sheep mixed in every now and again. That was fun. I took a lot of pictures through the bus window, so not sure how they'll turn out, but I have to say today was an absolute awesome surprise. I give Wales a thumbs up.
The only sad note today was I was in two countries and no Starbucks mugs. AND had I been in my own car I'd have scored both. In Wales the bus passed one that was so close I could have reached out and touched it and at the Liverpool port there were at least 3 in walking distance. However the Internet said they closed at 5:30 and we didn't get back to the ship until 6:30 and all aboard was at 7pm. So no time to even go explore. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get one from Scotland and I'll have another shot at England when we get to Dover.... But Wales will require another visit. That might not be too painful (wink wink).
Back at the ship I hopped into the shower and was ready for dinner by 8pm. I called and chatted with mom while the wifi seemed to be pretty decent then met Guy at the table. Ileana was busy tonight and we were tired, so we had fun with her, but we were tired and didn't hang around late. Food was Caesar and shrimp cocktail for Guy and for me I had a goat cheese phyllo triangle with a quinoa salad. Our entrees were good, but mine was the winner which was a wide noodle in a mushroom sauce with goat cheese. It was kinda like mushroom stroganoff only better than any I've ever fixed. Guy had beef and veggies. It looked good (stewing), but he also liked mine better. For dessert I had pear crisp and Guy had a cheese plate. He struggled to find one he liked, but I was dying laughing at his facial expressions when he was trying them. Sometimes they smell so bad there is just no way they can taste good...and they didn't.
Ok, wrapping it up as tomorrow is another busy day. Scotland here we come! Maybe I can score some wifi. Only got about a dozen more pics uploaded. I'm still trying to finish up Cork! Doh!
After the castle tour (Guy and I snuck away from our group to see it on our own at our own pace) we walked around the town of Conwy for about an hour. Guy passed a busy little stand selling fish and chips. He couldn't say no, so he had lunch before lunch. He did save me a bite. It was pretty good. While he ate I shopped and found a post office to get some postcards mailed. There were a few cute shops but again nothing that was a must have except a few tea towels. I feel like I've lost my professional shopping edge! Usually our little sofa has a pretty good stash of gifts stacked up by now and all I have filled are two tiny little shopping bags. :)
As we all gathered back up to the bus, we headed out for lunch. We ate at the Waterloo hotel and it was nice. Nothing too fancy, but there were several tables for two and we ate in the sun room area. Our bus was the first one there, so we got served first and finished up first. They gave us small salads with cold salmon, then chicken with potatoes and carrots. It was just ok, but that is pretty much to be expected I think. So then dessert was just some cut up strawberries with whipped cream. Nothing fancy but it was good. Since we were done early, Guy and I walked to the town instead of taking the bus. Again, it is a lovely day. I had on a sweater and never had to crack out the coat (except on the freezing bus) and the sun was in and out. When it was out it was warm, but when it was in...it was chilly. But the walk was brisk and nice after a filling lunch. The shops were selling locally made trinkets and other jip joint type gifts. I shopped the little area then just walked around the rest of the town taking pictures. It's a lovely town although a bit touristy. And while we waited for our bus at the meeting point, Guy bought me an ice cream that was pretty darn good. Going against my germy wishes, I did use the spoon the lady put in my ice cream even tho she touched it at both ends. Sheesh...they were manhandling the cones with bare hands and no one is thinking anything about it! Taking money then making the cones. No washing and no gloves. Wales must not have strict health codes. So I obviously got mine in a cup (or a "tub" as they called it). Salted caramel and chocolate. I ate it anyway, even with the gross plastic spoon because it was exceptionally tasty.
I think our itinerary mentioned another stop, but after we left Betws-y-Coed we headed back to the port. The ride was 1 1/2 hours, so it was a haul, but we went back a different way than how we came in, so all the scenery was new and just beautiful. The roads were curvy, so my mom would have been a car sick hot mess if she had been with us, but this area was actually very hilly. They called them mountains. I'll give them that...even if on the smaller side. They were very green and had homes dotting them with patches of trees and patches of grass. Most grass patches had sheep on them and we saw a few black sheep mixed in every now and again. That was fun. I took a lot of pictures through the bus window, so not sure how they'll turn out, but I have to say today was an absolute awesome surprise. I give Wales a thumbs up.
The only sad note today was I was in two countries and no Starbucks mugs. AND had I been in my own car I'd have scored both. In Wales the bus passed one that was so close I could have reached out and touched it and at the Liverpool port there were at least 3 in walking distance. However the Internet said they closed at 5:30 and we didn't get back to the ship until 6:30 and all aboard was at 7pm. So no time to even go explore. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get one from Scotland and I'll have another shot at England when we get to Dover.... But Wales will require another visit. That might not be too painful (wink wink).
Back at the ship I hopped into the shower and was ready for dinner by 8pm. I called and chatted with mom while the wifi seemed to be pretty decent then met Guy at the table. Ileana was busy tonight and we were tired, so we had fun with her, but we were tired and didn't hang around late. Food was Caesar and shrimp cocktail for Guy and for me I had a goat cheese phyllo triangle with a quinoa salad. Our entrees were good, but mine was the winner which was a wide noodle in a mushroom sauce with goat cheese. It was kinda like mushroom stroganoff only better than any I've ever fixed. Guy had beef and veggies. It looked good (stewing), but he also liked mine better. For dessert I had pear crisp and Guy had a cheese plate. He struggled to find one he liked, but I was dying laughing at his facial expressions when he was trying them. Sometimes they smell so bad there is just no way they can taste good...and they didn't.
Ok, wrapping it up as tomorrow is another busy day. Scotland here we come! Maybe I can score some wifi. Only got about a dozen more pics uploaded. I'm still trying to finish up Cork! Doh!
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