Cruise Update- Week 2
Leaving day for everybody, I was the only one in my chunk of the hallway who stayed. Had breakfast and ran into Ginny and Steve. I went with them into Palma to see the Cathedral as it’s a huge city and I didn’t want to wander it on my own. We took a taxi there, and they refused to let me pay for anything.
The Cathedral is AMAZING. I felt like a country bumpkin staring at it with my jaw down. Inside and out is amazing, but there are no real good inside pics as my flash on the camera isn’t that great for large indoor picture taking.
We wandered into town afterwards and had coffee and hot chocolate. Pretty, pretty town.
We took another taxi to the top of the hill to see a castle looking building that you could see from the ship. It has an impressive and amazing view of the area.
Because it was so high up though there were no taxis, so we were told to walk 15 minutes down the stairs on the hill and we’d find a taxi. We ended up walking the entire way down and we stopped for cold drinks before walking the rest of the way back to the boat. It’s great, my legs are killing me. The top chunk from horseback riding and the lower half from all the stairs. I felt my legs shaking when we stopped for the drinks.
Had lunch and we’ve gone our separate ways. It’s 3:00 now, so I’ll probably wander over to the spa for another tour with free champagne, email home and then possibly hit the Jacuzzi. We shall see.
So, I did email home and take the tour but a nap beat out the Jacuzzi. Woke up and had dinner, wandered down to the pub to try the quiz (I only got 3 out of 15. But I was on my own so I have an excuse), then over to the theater to watch the show and then to the Bounty Club for the Welcome dance party. I had my drink in the theater- Electric Lemonade. I’ve noticed most of the drinks I end up getting have tequila in them…and considering the ship uses 60% more booze than English bars do it was strong stuff. But with only one a day it was fine. Also had a nice chat with the waiter, he recognized me from the week before and was curious why I was always alone. Turns out he had to sign a five year contract and he’s 4 years through it. Ewww. And here I thought a cruise might make a good summer job. Unless American companies do it differently…something to consider for next year. At the Bounty Club I met a nice couple and we chatted and heckled the dance team. Left about 12:30 for bed.
Safety drill tomorrow, eww. Meh, I readjusted to “early” mornings so it’s fine.
Picture count- 64
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-270
6/8
Day at sea, which means lots to do. Had the morning drill, then it was a cooking class and a cocktail demo. The cooking class/demo was interesting. He gave us Crème Brule, told us how to make it and also showed us a salmon recipe that’s easy to adjust for any type of meat. He gave us the recipes so I shall have to try it out at home. The cocktail demo was just as cool this week as last week. I didn’t manage to get a free drink but I did shake one of the cocktails.
Lunch, then I decided to skip everything else I’d thought about doing and just hang out in the sun as I’d yet to do it. Used the Jacuzzi and then sat in the sun fir maybe an hour? It got boring quick and I was worried about getting burned before all my trips which wouldn’t be good. So I went back to the room for a nap. And now, I don’t know what to do. Maybe sit in the sun again with a snack until the shows start. Maybe even try to watch the sunset for once.
Sunset mission failed yet again. Ran into Ginny and Steve on the way to grab a snack so I hung out with them and helped with trivia, then walked a mile around the top deck with Ginny. After we all just sat and talked until I left for dinner. I tried to watch the sun afterwards but I got bored.
So I changed into nicer clothing for once, and hung out in the Bounty Club. Drink of the night was Sex on the Beach which is always awkward to ask for. But the waiter was cool and didn’t even make a joke.
Mount Etna tomorrow, so a slightly early morning.
Picture count- 2- sunset attempts
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-272
6/9
So, I’ve decided to move to Sicily. It is BEAUTIFUL. It’s all mountains and orchards and flowers. Mom would hate it though; all the roads are against the mountains and so high up- major vertigo.
First was Mount Etna, which is an active volcano. All the way there (2 hours from the boat) the guide was talking about past eruptions, and the recent quakes and ash so I was a tad nervous. We went up 1,951 meters above sea level, which is about halfway up the mountain. We had time to walk around before lunch and I took so many pictures. I even walked down into an extinct crater. Took two rocks as souvenirs because according to the tour guide “It is only forbidden so we can do it. But Strictly forbidden we must not do.” Or something along those lines. It was funny.
I
Lunch was on the mountain in a restaurant and it was yummy. We had salad, two kinds of pasta, two kinds of cake, water and wine. I only had one glass of wine as I’m a slower drinker, but it was good. After lunch we went back on the coach and headed for Taormina.
Taormina is the stereotypical Italian village with alleyways that restaurants spill out onto and beautiful building, as well as the general Italian feel- I knew this town was part of Italy and not “Anywhere USA”. We saw the Greek/Roman (Yup, both. One took over the other’s work) amphitheater and went inside of it before we had free time to do whatever we want. I honestly could have spent a full day there easily with the shops and scenery.
There were lots of ceramics which I loved but could never get back in one piece. I did buy two ice creams, one huge 4 flavor cone and a smaller 1 flavor cone before we left. Love Italian ice cream, I can eat tons of it and not feel full. Also picked up a present for Andrew, but nothing for me to keep. Ah well, I have my rocks.
Meet up with the group and went back to the ship. I got some nice color which is nice. And tomorrow is Naples for Pompeii which should be super fun. I had dinner then wandered over to the theater for the show. Also had my drink- Tequila Sunrise. Talked with my waiter friend (not the “where’s your husband guy”, the one who noticed me by myself the week before.) who may have been hitting on me. Poor guy, he won’t have any luck. Ran into Ginny and Steve as well so I sat with them. Then the Bounty Club but as I had a bit of a headache I called it a night after the game show. Is now 11:40 and I’m going to bed, night.
Oh, almost forgot, I had some pictures taken by the ship photographers on a backdrop. I think my plan is to get two versions of me-one in scruffy normal clothing and one dressed up. I think it’s be a good gift for the parents.
Picture count- 68+ 2 towel turtles+ 4 mask photos just in case it breaks
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-346
6/10
Pompeii today, which wasn’t what I expected. It’s a lot bigger that I though it’s be. It has very cool ruins and frescoes.
Towards the end of the tour it got very hot so I was glad when it ended (2 hours long). Got ice cream of course, as well as a tiny plate with a Roman urn style picture on it, some presents, and some Lemon Cream Liquor for me. God knows how I’ll get it all home in one piece. We were back at 12:50 so I took a well earned nap before lunch.
Had lunch outside and was bad- I bought a full price Fuzzy Navel. But I earned it, and it was so worth it, I haven’t had one in ages. I caught the end of Shawshank Redemption which was really good, I have to watch the entire thing eventually. Went back up and had some ice cream out in the sun, then went to a seminar about hot stone massages . It ended up being just me and the girl, and I was bad again and booked one for Thursday. Whatever, it’s vacation, it’s only money, and I’m not spending all that much on shore. Also bought a lotto ticket as the prize is 10,000 pounds for all 7 numbers (yeah, right) as well as a free cruise for 2 for the most matched numbers. It seemed worth the gamble. Later went to a talk about make-up that turned out to just be the girl pushing a mineral makeup. It was nice, but at $70 a pot I’ll wait to get home and buy a CVS brand. But as there were only three of us she did our makeup. So I felt I needed to dress up as a result, as well as a way to kill time. Dinner, saw the tribute act that was okay, then over to the Bounty Club for the new comedy show (new guys every week). They were good and I had my drink- a Mai Tai. Nothing else interesting was on so I had an early night and went to bed at 11. Pisa tomorrow, yay!
Oh, note to self- look up the recipe for a pumpkin pasta bake- very yummy!
Picture count- 76
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-422
6/11
Pisa was really pretty. It’s not just the leaning tower but also a church and a baptistery. The church is amazing. The ceiling is gold gilded and behind the alter is a HUGE mosaic that is beautiful- I thought it was a painting. (Again, this is a place where pictures do not do it justice. Go see it. Really, it can be a stop on the way to Rome.)
The baptistery was also beautiful and they did a demonstration of the accostics. One guy stood in the center and sang some notes, which sounded like a choir with the echo. Very cool. Also climbed 71 steps to the top floor. Good view but I did not enjoy all those steps. No way could I have done the tower- it has 200 something steps. I hung out with a younger couple that I’d met at Mount Etna. They were fun.
We had some free time afterwards so I bought yet another huge 4 flavor ice cream and ate it on the way to the meeting place as we looked at the stalls. I bought Andrew a leaning shot glass. Which also works as a gauge for when you’ve had too much. Also finally found some Pistachios for Daddy, which I’d been looking for since Mount Etna as they are a local thing. But all the stalls pretty much carried the same thing which is a shame. There were also lots of persistent men who carried their wares and would not take no as an answer.
The ride back was uneventful, although I did see quite a few prostitutes (I assume) sitting by the roadside. Which I found really weird. Once back at the ship I passed out for an hour. Had some lunch, then watched some Wii Golf. Went back on deck for one reason or another and ran into Ginny and Steve. I helped them with trivia, than just sat and talked with them until it was dinner time. Oriental night again with yummy sushi and yummy rolls. Went back to the room and changed to kill some time before poking around the photo shop. There’s a couple of pictures I’m considering getting so far.
Then it was the comedy show in the theater which was really good. Had my drink- a Magarita. It wasn’t a daily special but I got a pint for 1.35 pounds more. Which is double what you normally get. Drank it all in 45 minutes without meaning too, whoops. Then wandered down to the room so I didn’t have to wait for the bathroom and ended up doing a lazy night. Stayed in and wated “P.S I Love You”. Such a good movie but I’m very glad I didn’t see it in theaters- I cried through most of it. Definitely a chick flick I need to pick up.
No tours tomorrow so I can sleep in and then explore the town. Here’s hoping it’s nice.Oh, and massage tomorrow, yay!
Picture count- 79
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-501
6/12
Lazy morning, then went into town(somewhere in France, I forget the name at the moment) for a bit. The port was kind of far from everything, but it was cool to see an open air food market. Bored with that after awhile so went back to the boat in under an hour. Had lunch and then hung out in the room to watch “Spiderwick Chronicles” which was good. Also grabbed a book from the library with the intention of sitting out in the sun with it.
Spent most of the day in the room reading. The massage was at 5 but due to technical problems it had to be pushed back until later that night. So I had dinner, put on nice clothing to have good pictures taken, then put my normal clothing back on to go to the massage.
The massage was really nice. And she cut the price in half as well to make up for the earlier problem which was nice. It was really windy- like having problems walking forward at some points windy- as well as rocky so I just hung out in the room for the rest of the night.
I’m ready to head home. The cruise is fun and all but I’m starting to get bored and anty. Good thing this only came up now, only tomorrow to go before the leaving process begins.
Picture count- 4 towel monkey pics
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-505
6/13
Barcelona is wonderful! Went into the city with Ginny and Steve, as there’s no way I’d go into it on my own. There’s a nice street, the Rambles, which had tons of street performs
and was just generally a nice walk. We went into a huge market place that is amazing, tons of food stalls all arranged beautifully.
I ended up buying a cactus flower and coconut drink to try- it was really light and good. We stopped for coffee and I got a café cream (small white coffee, surprisingly good. I may be addicted to the stuff yet!). Then we went into the cathedral. Which is beautiful inside. They were doing work on the outside so I’m not sure what it looked like. We only saw half (Which I though was the entire thing, it’s that big) of it as they kicked us out for a mass.
We walked down the back way back to the port, then went up Las Rambles again. We stopped for coffee again (I got a Café au lait- a normal sized white coffee. It was really good.) then did a bit of shopping. I bought Daddy a hat that fits his personality (I am so getting into trouble for that comment) and a painting for me that I just loved of a flamingo dancer. We then went back into the marketplace and bought the best ice cream I have ever had. Another big 3 flavor cup, this time with Watermelon, Pineapple, Mango which I haven’t seen anywhere before. And they were all 100% natural. Ah, better than anything I had in Italy by far. (Seriously, I mean it. If you go to Barcelona find this market place and get the ice cream. You will not regret it. In fact, I shall go with you as well because 1) I want more ice cream and this way you know you’re getting the right stuff ,and 2) I only saw a small chunk of the city and I want to go back. It’s such a nice city, and I felt safer there than I did in the smaller French town from the day before.) We went back to port and I picked up some Sangria for the parents. Have I mentioned that I have no clue how it’s all going to make it home?
I started packing then went and saw how they make gelatin pictures/decorations.
Hung out with Ginny and Steve, and bought some pictures for the parents as well as two for me. Putzed around until dinner, then watched a show, exchanged emails with my waiter friend and Ginny, finally saw a sunset,
and then spent the rest of the night in the Bounty Club. Drink was a Mexican Sunrise, and I also bought a Strongbow as it was on sale and possibly the last one I shall have before going home. Went to the Casino to watch the drawing. No luck though, only had 2 of the 7 numbers and some other people managed to get 4. Back to the room to finish packing. I’m all set to go home which is sad. I made friends here and it kind of feels like home. But is time to head out for the real home.
Picture count- 97(most taken in one place) + 16 gelatin pictures + 12 sunset
Trip Grand Total Far-630
And the last night in England post that I never got around to posting-
6/15
Lugging all my luggage down from the 4th floor, getting it on a train (I caved and got a taxi to the station. Thank god I did), getting it off a train, getting it on the Underground, getting it off the Underground, getting it to street level, getting it through the station, getting it to the hotel, getting it up 4 flight of stairs- it all, profanity appropriate here, SUCKED. It sucked hard core. It’s heavy and awkward and I’m sore. By the time I got to the hotel I was exhausted and it was getting late, so all I did was rest a bit then find a restaurant for dinner. I was out for about 2 hours I think. And the restaurant I found looked good, it sounded good, I talked with someone whose eaten there before who said it was good and guess what, the food wasn’t that good. It was a microwave place which was disappointing. But, I did get a lot of food so that was good.
Since then I’ve been in the room and I typed up all my cruise entries (5 ½ hours. UGH) and rearranged a bit of the stuff in the suitcase. Hopefully that’ll make it easier to lug around. And tomorrow checkout is 11, so I’m heading straight to the airport. Even though my flight isn’t until 4:15 and check in doesn’t start until 1:15. But I am sick of dealing with everything and if today was any indication, tomorrow will suck just as much to lug everything around so I will need that time. So I will sit in the airport and find a plug for the lappie and just watch anime episodes until I can get onboard and start reading the book I bought.
And as it is now 1:30 am I need to go to bed. (Oh, and far 51 pics were deleted. That’s still a lot of pics left)
~See you all soon!
The Cathedral is AMAZING. I felt like a country bumpkin staring at it with my jaw down. Inside and out is amazing, but there are no real good inside pics as my flash on the camera isn’t that great for large indoor picture taking.
We wandered into town afterwards and had coffee and hot chocolate. Pretty, pretty town.
We took another taxi to the top of the hill to see a castle looking building that you could see from the ship. It has an impressive and amazing view of the area.
Because it was so high up though there were no taxis, so we were told to walk 15 minutes down the stairs on the hill and we’d find a taxi. We ended up walking the entire way down and we stopped for cold drinks before walking the rest of the way back to the boat. It’s great, my legs are killing me. The top chunk from horseback riding and the lower half from all the stairs. I felt my legs shaking when we stopped for the drinks.
Had lunch and we’ve gone our separate ways. It’s 3:00 now, so I’ll probably wander over to the spa for another tour with free champagne, email home and then possibly hit the Jacuzzi. We shall see.
So, I did email home and take the tour but a nap beat out the Jacuzzi. Woke up and had dinner, wandered down to the pub to try the quiz (I only got 3 out of 15. But I was on my own so I have an excuse), then over to the theater to watch the show and then to the Bounty Club for the Welcome dance party. I had my drink in the theater- Electric Lemonade. I’ve noticed most of the drinks I end up getting have tequila in them…and considering the ship uses 60% more booze than English bars do it was strong stuff. But with only one a day it was fine. Also had a nice chat with the waiter, he recognized me from the week before and was curious why I was always alone. Turns out he had to sign a five year contract and he’s 4 years through it. Ewww. And here I thought a cruise might make a good summer job. Unless American companies do it differently…something to consider for next year. At the Bounty Club I met a nice couple and we chatted and heckled the dance team. Left about 12:30 for bed.
Safety drill tomorrow, eww. Meh, I readjusted to “early” mornings so it’s fine.
Picture count- 64
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-270
6/8
Day at sea, which means lots to do. Had the morning drill, then it was a cooking class and a cocktail demo. The cooking class/demo was interesting. He gave us Crème Brule, told us how to make it and also showed us a salmon recipe that’s easy to adjust for any type of meat. He gave us the recipes so I shall have to try it out at home. The cocktail demo was just as cool this week as last week. I didn’t manage to get a free drink but I did shake one of the cocktails.
Lunch, then I decided to skip everything else I’d thought about doing and just hang out in the sun as I’d yet to do it. Used the Jacuzzi and then sat in the sun fir maybe an hour? It got boring quick and I was worried about getting burned before all my trips which wouldn’t be good. So I went back to the room for a nap. And now, I don’t know what to do. Maybe sit in the sun again with a snack until the shows start. Maybe even try to watch the sunset for once.
Sunset mission failed yet again. Ran into Ginny and Steve on the way to grab a snack so I hung out with them and helped with trivia, then walked a mile around the top deck with Ginny. After we all just sat and talked until I left for dinner. I tried to watch the sun afterwards but I got bored.
So I changed into nicer clothing for once, and hung out in the Bounty Club. Drink of the night was Sex on the Beach which is always awkward to ask for. But the waiter was cool and didn’t even make a joke.
Mount Etna tomorrow, so a slightly early morning.
Picture count- 2- sunset attempts
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-272
6/9
So, I’ve decided to move to Sicily. It is BEAUTIFUL. It’s all mountains and orchards and flowers. Mom would hate it though; all the roads are against the mountains and so high up- major vertigo.
First was Mount Etna, which is an active volcano. All the way there (2 hours from the boat) the guide was talking about past eruptions, and the recent quakes and ash so I was a tad nervous. We went up 1,951 meters above sea level, which is about halfway up the mountain. We had time to walk around before lunch and I took so many pictures. I even walked down into an extinct crater. Took two rocks as souvenirs because according to the tour guide “It is only forbidden so we can do it. But Strictly forbidden we must not do.” Or something along those lines. It was funny.
I
Lunch was on the mountain in a restaurant and it was yummy. We had salad, two kinds of pasta, two kinds of cake, water and wine. I only had one glass of wine as I’m a slower drinker, but it was good. After lunch we went back on the coach and headed for Taormina.
Taormina is the stereotypical Italian village with alleyways that restaurants spill out onto and beautiful building, as well as the general Italian feel- I knew this town was part of Italy and not “Anywhere USA”. We saw the Greek/Roman (Yup, both. One took over the other’s work) amphitheater and went inside of it before we had free time to do whatever we want. I honestly could have spent a full day there easily with the shops and scenery.
There were lots of ceramics which I loved but could never get back in one piece. I did buy two ice creams, one huge 4 flavor cone and a smaller 1 flavor cone before we left. Love Italian ice cream, I can eat tons of it and not feel full. Also picked up a present for Andrew, but nothing for me to keep. Ah well, I have my rocks.
Meet up with the group and went back to the ship. I got some nice color which is nice. And tomorrow is Naples for Pompeii which should be super fun. I had dinner then wandered over to the theater for the show. Also had my drink- Tequila Sunrise. Talked with my waiter friend (not the “where’s your husband guy”, the one who noticed me by myself the week before.) who may have been hitting on me. Poor guy, he won’t have any luck. Ran into Ginny and Steve as well so I sat with them. Then the Bounty Club but as I had a bit of a headache I called it a night after the game show. Is now 11:40 and I’m going to bed, night.
Oh, almost forgot, I had some pictures taken by the ship photographers on a backdrop. I think my plan is to get two versions of me-one in scruffy normal clothing and one dressed up. I think it’s be a good gift for the parents.
Picture count- 68+ 2 towel turtles+ 4 mask photos just in case it breaks
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-346
6/10
Pompeii today, which wasn’t what I expected. It’s a lot bigger that I though it’s be. It has very cool ruins and frescoes.
Towards the end of the tour it got very hot so I was glad when it ended (2 hours long). Got ice cream of course, as well as a tiny plate with a Roman urn style picture on it, some presents, and some Lemon Cream Liquor for me. God knows how I’ll get it all home in one piece. We were back at 12:50 so I took a well earned nap before lunch.
Had lunch outside and was bad- I bought a full price Fuzzy Navel. But I earned it, and it was so worth it, I haven’t had one in ages. I caught the end of Shawshank Redemption which was really good, I have to watch the entire thing eventually. Went back up and had some ice cream out in the sun, then went to a seminar about hot stone massages . It ended up being just me and the girl, and I was bad again and booked one for Thursday. Whatever, it’s vacation, it’s only money, and I’m not spending all that much on shore. Also bought a lotto ticket as the prize is 10,000 pounds for all 7 numbers (yeah, right) as well as a free cruise for 2 for the most matched numbers. It seemed worth the gamble. Later went to a talk about make-up that turned out to just be the girl pushing a mineral makeup. It was nice, but at $70 a pot I’ll wait to get home and buy a CVS brand. But as there were only three of us she did our makeup. So I felt I needed to dress up as a result, as well as a way to kill time. Dinner, saw the tribute act that was okay, then over to the Bounty Club for the new comedy show (new guys every week). They were good and I had my drink- a Mai Tai. Nothing else interesting was on so I had an early night and went to bed at 11. Pisa tomorrow, yay!
Oh, note to self- look up the recipe for a pumpkin pasta bake- very yummy!
Picture count- 76
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-422
6/11
Pisa was really pretty. It’s not just the leaning tower but also a church and a baptistery. The church is amazing. The ceiling is gold gilded and behind the alter is a HUGE mosaic that is beautiful- I thought it was a painting. (Again, this is a place where pictures do not do it justice. Go see it. Really, it can be a stop on the way to Rome.)
The baptistery was also beautiful and they did a demonstration of the accostics. One guy stood in the center and sang some notes, which sounded like a choir with the echo. Very cool. Also climbed 71 steps to the top floor. Good view but I did not enjoy all those steps. No way could I have done the tower- it has 200 something steps. I hung out with a younger couple that I’d met at Mount Etna. They were fun.
We had some free time afterwards so I bought yet another huge 4 flavor ice cream and ate it on the way to the meeting place as we looked at the stalls. I bought Andrew a leaning shot glass. Which also works as a gauge for when you’ve had too much. Also finally found some Pistachios for Daddy, which I’d been looking for since Mount Etna as they are a local thing. But all the stalls pretty much carried the same thing which is a shame. There were also lots of persistent men who carried their wares and would not take no as an answer.
The ride back was uneventful, although I did see quite a few prostitutes (I assume) sitting by the roadside. Which I found really weird. Once back at the ship I passed out for an hour. Had some lunch, then watched some Wii Golf. Went back on deck for one reason or another and ran into Ginny and Steve. I helped them with trivia, than just sat and talked with them until it was dinner time. Oriental night again with yummy sushi and yummy rolls. Went back to the room and changed to kill some time before poking around the photo shop. There’s a couple of pictures I’m considering getting so far.
Then it was the comedy show in the theater which was really good. Had my drink- a Magarita. It wasn’t a daily special but I got a pint for 1.35 pounds more. Which is double what you normally get. Drank it all in 45 minutes without meaning too, whoops. Then wandered down to the room so I didn’t have to wait for the bathroom and ended up doing a lazy night. Stayed in and wated “P.S I Love You”. Such a good movie but I’m very glad I didn’t see it in theaters- I cried through most of it. Definitely a chick flick I need to pick up.
No tours tomorrow so I can sleep in and then explore the town. Here’s hoping it’s nice.Oh, and massage tomorrow, yay!
Picture count- 79
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-501
6/12
Lazy morning, then went into town(somewhere in France, I forget the name at the moment) for a bit. The port was kind of far from everything, but it was cool to see an open air food market. Bored with that after awhile so went back to the boat in under an hour. Had lunch and then hung out in the room to watch “Spiderwick Chronicles” which was good. Also grabbed a book from the library with the intention of sitting out in the sun with it.
Spent most of the day in the room reading. The massage was at 5 but due to technical problems it had to be pushed back until later that night. So I had dinner, put on nice clothing to have good pictures taken, then put my normal clothing back on to go to the massage.
The massage was really nice. And she cut the price in half as well to make up for the earlier problem which was nice. It was really windy- like having problems walking forward at some points windy- as well as rocky so I just hung out in the room for the rest of the night.
I’m ready to head home. The cruise is fun and all but I’m starting to get bored and anty. Good thing this only came up now, only tomorrow to go before the leaving process begins.
Picture count- 4 towel monkey pics
Trip Grand Total Thus Far-505
6/13
Barcelona is wonderful! Went into the city with Ginny and Steve, as there’s no way I’d go into it on my own. There’s a nice street, the Rambles, which had tons of street performs
and was just generally a nice walk. We went into a huge market place that is amazing, tons of food stalls all arranged beautifully.
I ended up buying a cactus flower and coconut drink to try- it was really light and good. We stopped for coffee and I got a café cream (small white coffee, surprisingly good. I may be addicted to the stuff yet!). Then we went into the cathedral. Which is beautiful inside. They were doing work on the outside so I’m not sure what it looked like. We only saw half (Which I though was the entire thing, it’s that big) of it as they kicked us out for a mass.
We walked down the back way back to the port, then went up Las Rambles again. We stopped for coffee again (I got a Café au lait- a normal sized white coffee. It was really good.) then did a bit of shopping. I bought Daddy a hat that fits his personality (I am so getting into trouble for that comment) and a painting for me that I just loved of a flamingo dancer. We then went back into the marketplace and bought the best ice cream I have ever had. Another big 3 flavor cup, this time with Watermelon, Pineapple, Mango which I haven’t seen anywhere before. And they were all 100% natural. Ah, better than anything I had in Italy by far. (Seriously, I mean it. If you go to Barcelona find this market place and get the ice cream. You will not regret it. In fact, I shall go with you as well because 1) I want more ice cream and this way you know you’re getting the right stuff ,and 2) I only saw a small chunk of the city and I want to go back. It’s such a nice city, and I felt safer there than I did in the smaller French town from the day before.) We went back to port and I picked up some Sangria for the parents. Have I mentioned that I have no clue how it’s all going to make it home?
I started packing then went and saw how they make gelatin pictures/decorations.
Hung out with Ginny and Steve, and bought some pictures for the parents as well as two for me. Putzed around until dinner, then watched a show, exchanged emails with my waiter friend and Ginny, finally saw a sunset,
and then spent the rest of the night in the Bounty Club. Drink was a Mexican Sunrise, and I also bought a Strongbow as it was on sale and possibly the last one I shall have before going home. Went to the Casino to watch the drawing. No luck though, only had 2 of the 7 numbers and some other people managed to get 4. Back to the room to finish packing. I’m all set to go home which is sad. I made friends here and it kind of feels like home. But is time to head out for the real home.
Picture count- 97(most taken in one place) + 16 gelatin pictures + 12 sunset
Trip Grand Total Far-630
And the last night in England post that I never got around to posting-
6/15
Lugging all my luggage down from the 4th floor, getting it on a train (I caved and got a taxi to the station. Thank god I did), getting it off a train, getting it on the Underground, getting it off the Underground, getting it to street level, getting it through the station, getting it to the hotel, getting it up 4 flight of stairs- it all, profanity appropriate here, SUCKED. It sucked hard core. It’s heavy and awkward and I’m sore. By the time I got to the hotel I was exhausted and it was getting late, so all I did was rest a bit then find a restaurant for dinner. I was out for about 2 hours I think. And the restaurant I found looked good, it sounded good, I talked with someone whose eaten there before who said it was good and guess what, the food wasn’t that good. It was a microwave place which was disappointing. But, I did get a lot of food so that was good.
Since then I’ve been in the room and I typed up all my cruise entries (5 ½ hours. UGH) and rearranged a bit of the stuff in the suitcase. Hopefully that’ll make it easier to lug around. And tomorrow checkout is 11, so I’m heading straight to the airport. Even though my flight isn’t until 4:15 and check in doesn’t start until 1:15. But I am sick of dealing with everything and if today was any indication, tomorrow will suck just as much to lug everything around so I will need that time. So I will sit in the airport and find a plug for the lappie and just watch anime episodes until I can get onboard and start reading the book I bought.
And as it is now 1:30 am I need to go to bed. (Oh, and far 51 pics were deleted. That’s still a lot of pics left)
~See you all soon!