Sarah and Bill's Crazy Adventures

Next up Texas

2009-09-30T14:41:00.001-05:00

I know this is a little in advance, but our last stop in our quest for BBQ is Texas. we'll be going Oct 22-26. join us won't you?

back home now...

2009-08-16T20:12:00.007-05:00

...but i am not done with our story.

Blogger likes to load the pictures backwards so this is mammoth caves backwards

this is from the end of our New Entrance tour

This is Bill and me in the frozen niagra section of mammoth caves; one of the few areas with stalactites and stalagmites.

This is Bill and me after the 500 step decline into the new entrance. This entrance was made by a few sticks of dynamite in the 1920s.

This is the historical entrance that has been used going back hundreds of years. After our hike down to the green river and our hike back up towards the visitors center the cool air rushing out on this entrance was awesome.

This is the deer that wanted to join us on our hike to the green river. it freaked us city folk out that he was so close to our trail. we also saw a snake but he wasn't as cool or as easy to photograph.

caves!

2009-08-14T21:57:00.002-05:00

we went to mammoth caves today. it was awesome!! hopefully we'll have pics to share. see you soon.

our dog snores...

2009-08-13T21:09:00.008-05:00

...loudly! Like so loudly Bill tried to blame the snoring on me and I on him.... crazy dog.
Sorry for not posting but i know there are like 2 people reading this so you probably don't mind.
Let's see last time Bill left things off in Memphis after our first evening. The next day we got up and took Winnie on a walk along the river. we then got a bite to eat at a sushi/ pizza place. That afternoon we took a tour of sun studios. Well worth it. We drove by Graceland, but didn't visit. on top of it not being my cup of tea it was Elvis week and just totally nuts. That evening we visited with Kara and Dave and at BBQ at a place called Corky's. I had some spaghetti and then shared Bills order of meat. That evening we walked along Beale street and stopped by the Peabody hotel.
The next morning we walked along south main to the Civil Rights Museum. It is well worth the trip and if you go don't miss the 30 min documentary at the beginning. The museum is in the location of the hotel that Martin Luther King Jr was shot at. Also, if you do go don't miss going across the street when they have an exhibit about finding the shooter.
We packed up the car and got on the road to Nashville after that. On our way out of town, we stopped at a place called Tom's BBQ, which was featured on Diners Drive-In's and Dives. We had excellent sandwiches and said good bye to the BBQ part of our trip.
We got into Nashville yesterday around 5pm. We took a nice walk to their Centennial Park where there is a recreation of the Parthenon. By the time we were done Winnie was pooped. We are staying a a Lowes here across the street from Vanderbilt University. We had a nice dinner at a place called Mambu.
Today we got up and went to Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage. We saw the resting place of Andrew Jackson and had a nice tour of the home and grounds. In the afternoon, we walked around the down town area. We ate dinner at a local brewery where Winnie was allowed on the patio with us.
Tomorrow we will be on the road to Louisville and stopping at the mammoth caves national park.
More pictures later.

Memphis part one

2009-08-10T22:40:00.002-05:00

“...it keeps getting better...i dunno if we just happen to like the style of bbq more as move east, but damn, the meals are getting tastier. the ribs in particular are getting smoked perfectly with less wet sauce and more dry rub. one particular surprise is that i'm not getting tired of eating grilled meats. you think i would a little, but there's enough variation that inevitably at meal time, we start the hunt again for more.

tonight we hit up "central bbq" as per the recommendation of sarah's aunt kara. apparently it is her favorite, and now it is one of ours. like most of these smokehouses, the place wasn't much to look at, but as soon as we entered, we were engulfed in the smells of bbq. i wasn't particularly impressed with the sides, but the pulled pork, sausage and ribs were all top notch. pork was juicy and smoky, the sausage was flavorful without being too spicy and the ribs were balanced between falling off the bone and still having substance.

tomorrow we'll hit up some more local favorites and take a stroll down beale street. i'm not sure what other sights we'll see yet. then on wednesday we'll go to the civil rights museum first thing.

lastly, after a couple of days of just driving and eating too much, sarah and i are planning to use the fitness center and burn off a couple of calories. we'll see how that goes. i just know there's no way in hell i'll be running outside with this heat and humidity. ok. i think it's time for a drink...”

- Bill

pics!

2009-08-10T21:49:00.006-05:00

Arthur Bryant's BBQ - our first stop

Gates BBQ - Lunch on Sunday. We ended up liking Gates better than Arthur Bryant's

This was literally the street our hotel was off of. Really nice location. Very friendly staff, like every Westin

This morning we went to the Arch, which was pretty cool to see and experience. This is Pappy's Smokehouse that we had for lunch today. It was visited by Adam from Man vs Food ( a great show) and was recommended by two people we asked about the best BBQ.

And last but not least this is where we went for dinner tonight. it was wonderful. the ribs sausage and pork were all tasty.

St. Louis

2009-08-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

Blogging on my phone again we did down load photos last night. Unfortunately, we didn't have wireless in the room. We had a hard time finding a place to eat because it was Sunday. So we went to a nice modern restaurant and celebrated our anniversary. We ate at a place called Lucas Park Grille.
This morning we took the mile walk to the arch. We went all the way up and walked through the museum.
We walked back to our hotel - another westin directly across from the cardinal's stadium - and packed up. We are having lunch at a place called Pappy's Smokehouse. It was voted the best bbq by two different locals that we asked.
Ok we'll be getting on the road to Memphis after this.

Happy Birthday Giddo!

Kansas city bbq

2009-08-09T11:33:00.000-05:00

So yesterday we got on the road around 9 am and headed east on 80 to des moines. We had lunch at a little french cafe there. Yes french food on a bbq trip. It seems to be a tradition now.
After lunch around 2 we headed south into Missouri. We got to KC around 6pm and checked into the westin. I must say if you are traveling with a dog westins are great!
We ate dinner last night at Arthur Bryant's bbq. I'll write more later. Off to Gates for an early lunch.

our trip

2009-08-06T12:30:00.002-05:00

View Larger Map

This is going to be great!!!!

ready to live high off the hog

2009-08-03T09:49:00.003-05:00

or some such thing. Bill and I are trying to get hotels panned out and get packed and ready for our road trip. we leave this comming weekend. Any suggestions of places to go or visit in the Kansas City, St Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville areas?

back home

2009-05-08T10:34:00.005-05:00

so, a week ago I was in a car on my way to eat BBQ, and eat we did. I want to finish up this trip before we leave next weekend to go to Cleveland.

Sunday:
Usually when you are traveling the day you leave is basically just a travel day. maybe you get some breakfast but mostly your focus is on get home and all that jazz. Our flight didn't leave until the late afternoon, though, so we were able to enjoy a decent portion of the day in Charlotte.

Carolyn took us to this bagel place that makes steamed bagel sandwiches. I had gone there with her the last time I visited, and it did not disappoint. (anyplace that lets me put cucumbers on my sandwich is a good place in my view.) We had wanted to meet onyx's cousin chance, but Carolyn's brother wasn't around/ awake when we called so we changed plans and went to the US Whitewater Rafting Center.

From BBQ pt 1

This place was really cool. I wish the main zip line had been open, because Bill and I were basically convinced to do it before we got there, but as it was we had a great time. The highlight was just enjoying the beautiful weather. This place is really cool, though, and if we lived closer I would totally sign up for kayak lessons with Carolyn. As it was, we walked around the perimeter of the rafting area and watched the kayakers struggle through the slaloms. We also got majorly sun burnt. Not knowing we were going here in the morning when i got ready i didn't put on my 45spf, and that coupled with the fact that it had been overcast the previous two days i figured i would be fine. not so much. the last few days my forehead and nose looked diseased from all the pealing.... but as i see it it is like getting a "natural" chemical peal.

From BBQ pt 1

yeah you can already see my face getting red

From BBQ pt 1

Overall, we had a wonderful time in Charlotte. A HUGE thank you goes to my good friend Carolyn who gave us her car and her bed and was a personal tour guide for the weekend. I wish I lived closer to you brudder. Bill and I had a great time and are already looking forward to August and the next leg of our trip.

Biltmore

2009-05-05T10:43:00.010-05:00

Saturday started of for a quick run for some people in the group. others, me, slept in.

after getting ready for the day we went to a french bakery for some breakfast. after that we settled in for the drive to the Biltmore Estate. We drove through S. Carolina to get there which makes sense if you look at a map.

From BBQ pt 1

The Biltmore was amazing. They don't allow pictures inside the building, which is just fine because if you haven't gone you should see it your self. after touring the house for about 2 hours we drove out to the winery. they have wine tastings there along with seminars. we signed up for an aroma seminar and then toured the winery and went through the tasting. the seminar was interesting... they tried to teach you on how to taste and smell a wine... something none of us had ever been taught.

From BBQ pt 1

After the winery we strolled through some of the many gardens. I could have spent days exploring the gardens, but i think we made the most out of the time we had.

From BBQ pt 1

Around 5:30, we left for Sims BBQ and Country Clogging. Some co-workers of Carolyn had recommended this place for a unique southern experience. The drive into the remote area to get there was long and twisty. I can't give as many anecdotes as Carolyn or Bill as I was trying to get my itchy eyes to behave. But, I was awake during the end of the trip which involved climbing to the top of a mountain turning down a dirt road driving past some dilapidated houses and reaching a big lake with a shack-like building nearby.

From BBQ pt 1

We were skeptical, but our 11$ all you can eat BBQ was delish. and the country music and clogging was fun to watch.

I didn't take video until the end of the night so the first the band is on break but you can see the cloggers and the second the band came back but most of the cloggers had already left.

You would think after such a long day we would just go right to sleep, but we stayed up and watched a movie before calling it a night.

Next up: steamed bagels and rafting centers.

Charlotte and Lexington

2009-05-03T22:19:00.004-05:00

Well gentle readers we are back and boy did we do a lot in such a little time.

We arrived on time Thursday evening and were picked up by Carolyn. We got settled chatted for a bit and then all went to bed. Bill and I were going up to Lexington the next day for lunch and Carolyn had to work.

Lexington

Lexington proudly proclaims that they are the BBQ capital of the Unites States. I have a feeling we might visit more towns on our quest that all proclaim the same thing. BBQ in Lexington isn't like the BBQ in eastern NC (with a vinegary sauce) but it is based on slow cooked pork. We ate at two restaurants and at both they served their chopped (or sliced) pork with a chopped coleslaw that had a vinegar dressing on it. Bill ordered hush puppies at both places and we both ordered sweet tea at both places.

Verdict:
We really enjoyed Lexington #1 BBQ better than Speedy's. Both were very good, but Lexington was a little less fatty and a little more flavor. Also Lexington's sweet tea was a tad less sweet, which was a good thing in my book.

Notes:
This was the first time either of us tried sweet tea. I think our bodies will still be in a diabetic shock next week, but at the same time it wasn't as bad as i thought it could be and certainly nothing like presweetened brisk tea. Also, this was my first time having hush puppies. They were good, but I think I'll stick to my fried potatoes and baked beans. I think both of us enjoyed the vinegar coleslaw better than the mayo based that we are used to, and I thought it was a good topping on my BBQ sandwich.

From BBQ pt 1

Friday afternoon we spent some time at Freedom park with Onyx. Bill and I both thought that this was a really nice park. I have to say that throughout our trip we were so impressed by the dog friendliness of Charlotte. We had a very tasty dinner at 300 East with Carolyn and her brother Brian (the pecan crusted trout was phenomenal). Then we all went for drinks and dessert at some place whose name escapes me.

That is it for this installment, I will write about Saturday (Biltmore and clogging) and Sunday (kayaking and sun burning) tomorrow.

ps here is a picture of Winnie in her BBQuest tee

From BBQ pt 1

BBQUEST 2009!!!

2009-04-29T13:49:00.006-05:00

Our "family" vacations this year are centering around food. I say vacations but really it is one themed vacation. Bill and I are going travel and try the distinct BBQ styles of the US.

Now there are many sub styles etc and many places say they are the best but what it boils down to is this: North Carolina, Kansas, St. Louis, and Texas. For fun we have added some stops along the way and these are the main towns we are planning on traveling to this year:

Charlotte
Kansas City
St. Louis
Memphis
Nashville
Louisville
Austin
San Antonio

This quest is being split into three vacations. The first is coming up this weekend.

Bill and I will be traveling to visit my good friend (and once vegetarian) Carolyn. Carolyn has been gracious enough to offer us a place to stay and her car on Friday. She has also found entertainment for us in the form of clogging.

Anyway, I'll take pictures and upload and maybe we can convince Bill to blog too

we're back!

2008-12-27T23:13:00.005-06:00

Bill and I made it back to rainy windy Chicago on time this afternoon.

We spent Christmas day at the Animal Kingdom as planned and then had a nice buffet dinner poolside at the resort. Friday many of us went to Blizzard Beach while Jeff and Giddo drove Larry back to Tampa and Mom and Mimi went on an all day excursion to the outlet mall. (the excursion really should have been like a three hour tour...)

And like that our trip was over and we are back in the nasty weather of Chicago, though at least it is warm right now.

Thanks for joining us!

more pictuers

2008-12-25T08:19:00.001-06:00

Here are some more pictures from last night

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:52:00.003-06:00

I know it will be Christmas by the time this actually posts as it is 11:50 right now. We had a fantastic day today at Epcot.

Mimi Mom Bill and I left for the park opening due to a miscommunication with our groups. We walked over to soarin' first thing and got a fast pass for an hour later. so we rode the boat through living with the land (the hydroponic green house ride) and then had some breakfast. Soarin' was great as it always is, and I think Mom and Mimi really enjoyed it. We then walked over to the Living seas and met up with the rest of the group who had finally joined us. but then we decided they were moving too slow for our taste and Mom Mimi Bill and I went off to see the countries while they spent some more time at the seas and then waited for their 1pm fast passes for soarin'.

We got the package for the candle light processional with the lunch at the German Pavilion. I think it was worth it because after our fabulous lunch we were able to seat ourselves in the American Amplitheater and bypass lines that wrapped through two countries.

The Candlelight Processional was wonderful. the guest narrator was Steven Curtis Chapman. I think all of the adults enjoyed it and the kids were very well behaved.

After the show we were able to walk through the rest of the counties taking a break to see the Beatles cover band in the UK. Mom liked them so much that she Giddo Mimi Bill and I stayed for the next showing while the rest of the group went to ride test track.

We all gathered in Mexico for the Illuminations show. it was as beautiful as always, and they added an extra 5 min of song and fireworks afterwards for Christmas. It was really incredible, but I think Disney has really ruined the normal fourth of July for our group. You just can't compete with that.

Everyone in the group says Merry Christmas to all of you!!! Tomorrow after the kids open Santa's gifts we will be heading off to Animal Kingdom.

pictures

2008-12-24T22:30:00.007-06:00

This was in Down Town Disney oops I loaded the test picture in the "large" format

short post

2008-12-23T23:06:00.003-06:00

wow i am tired. we had a long day today, or at least I did. Bill got to hang out an relax for the morning, but he and I and my mom went to dinner and then to see La Nouba at downtown Disney.

Brian Christie Bobby and Ben left around 530 today. I am sure they will have an uneventful and safe trip home.

tomorrow is a very very long day so don't expect anything from me. I'll probably blog on Christmas.

because sarah said i would...

2008-12-23T10:56:00.011-06:00

75 min does not = 120

2008-12-22T22:42:00.005-06:00

We went to Disney Hollywood Studios (aka MGM) today with some of the group. Bill the three boys and I waited in a line that claimed to be 75 min for the rockin' roller coaster. after over 120 min we finally boarded our "limo". The boys loved it and in the end that makes it worth while.

Then we rode tower of terror and then found mom and Maura and got a quick bite. then we headed off the see the Muppet's 3D movie. The kids I think were more into the pin trading then anything else.

Tonight we sat all 21 of us down to dinner at Spoodles. the food was good the service not so much. I know serving 21 of us is rough, but our server was just not friendly and unhelpful. no worries though because we all still really enjoyed ourselves.

After dinner back at the hotels we all piled into Maura and Jeff's room for Wii and Pinochle. Even Mimi played Wii!

I have been trying for about an hour to load pictures but it just isn't meant to be tonight. Tomorrow maybe if you, my gentle readers, are very good Bill will blog and get some pictures up on here.

safe and sound

2008-12-21T23:52:00.002-06:00

We have made it to Florida safe and sound.

We left very early this morning and it was -5 degrees (-24 with the wind chill) and when we landed it was a beautiful 75. Bill and I rushed off to meet up with the family at the Magic Kingdom.

When we arrived most of our group was off on different rides, but Bill and i had a nice welcoming committee of Mimi, Giddo, and Mom. Mom Bill and I went to Buzz Light year (to infinity and BEYOND!) and then Mom and I rode in the tea cups. In the later afternoon we went on the pirates ride with Mimi ,Giddo, and Mom, and then met up with Brian and Christie for some haunted mansion fun and a viewing of the Philharmagic.

We watched the light parade not once but twice and enjoyed the holiday fireworks (though I missed my normal Wishes).

Bobby came over to our room to hang out for a bit and now I am sitting here with mom going to sleep and Bill in the shower.

If going on a family vacation teaches you anything it is that you need to have more patience and a very good plan. I am all about flexibility on somethings but trying to coordinate 21 people is not an easy task. Planning is key to a good Disney vacation, and with a good plan you will have time left over with which you can be flexible.

I will try to get some photos up tomorrow.

Good night.

back to disney!

2008-12-18T12:44:00.002-06:00

Bill and I are going back to disney for a Michael/Weber/Shibley/Hillard/Young crazy Christmas adventure. I am hoping to convince Bill to help me update this blog with disney pictures etc.

2008-09-19T21:59:00.001-05:00

hmm thinking about using this blog for other purposes. but first maybe we can use it for out up coming trip to disney

in case 1700 was too much

2007-07-03T08:49:00.000-05:00

our slideshow

PICS

2007-06-22T10:39:00.000-05:00

link to snap fish

We'll add the last 2 days tonight. the up loading is a pain.

back

2007-06-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

We made it back a day late and a few pounds short after having to stay overnight at a heathrow hotel.

we'll write up a final post or two and give links to our photos in the next day or two.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this.

-Sarah

France in 2 days.

2007-06-14T18:46:00.001-05:00

Sorry about yesterday… I was under the weather … so much so that we skipped our morning excursion today. I think it’s a mixture of not enough sleep and bad allergies. Anyway we ended up not doing the morning excursion that we switched our night time casino excursion to…. Everything worked out well in the end… but we’ll get back to that in a bit.

Yesterday was Marseille and we had a half day excursion to Aix. It was a hour and a half walking tour with about an hour and a half on your own. The walking tour was nice but Bill and I had a good time just walking through the town. We did the up hill hike to Cezanne’s birth place. We walked around the markets and got some delicious chocolate croissants. We came back to the ship as I was already not feeling the best and napped during the siesta time. We then went into Marseille for a few hours. I guess Marseille is really god for shopping but it was too rich for my blood. We got some souvenirs and walked around a bit and then hurried back to the ship. We didn’t want to miss When Disney Dreams show. The show was great and there was a much bigger audience than the Twice Charmed one. Pirates night was also going on so we got a nice pirate pic taken and went to the deck party after dinner. Fireworks were great. The dis folks with an early dinner had staked out one of the “raised” decks in the back with a few tables so after we had the fireworks we headed down and hung out with then for a bit.

Today we had originally scheduled the night time casino, but we canceled it and changed to the bus tour (it was the only thing left) because we were going to miss out on too much. And it is a good thing since in the end I wasn’t feeling the best today. However, we skipped the new excursion we had switched to because at 715 I felt pretty crappy. So we got up around 10 and took a train to Nice on our own. Nice (niece) was really nice. The beach, however, was a “pebble” beach or what I would call small stones. Not very good to walk on in bare feet. After wandering through tiny twisty streets of store fronts, we made our way back to the station. We took the train directly to Monte Carlo and the Casino. The Casino was very beautiful stain glass windows in all the rooms frescos and paintings very James Bond. Unfortunately for Bill, the black jack room didn’t open until 5:10 and the latest we would want to leave to catch our train was 5:10. so we playd at the 5E min roulette table. It was fun and we went up and down for a bit. But in the end we were down and played our last chips. I was playing black and red (with only one 0 I had good odds) and bill played a few numbers. One of his numbers was then winning one and we walked away up for the gambling and about break even for the day (considering the tour we payed for and skipped). Anyway we had a lot of fun, but I don’t know if the 25E min Black Jack tables would have been 4 hours of fun at night.

Tonight was a new show called when Mickey Dreams. It was Cirque-like, but rather short and had a lot of filler. The acrobats were cool though. Tonight was semi formal night and the “midnight” buffet. Lots of fun but now it is 1am and I am ready to go to sleep. I think we’ll try to load some pics tomorrow if we have extra min.

-sarah

1 Pic ... Internet's being dumb

2007-06-12T18:46:00.000-05:00

Riomaggiore the southern most town in the Cinque Terre region

Cinque Terre & La Spezia

2007-06-12T18:32:00.000-05:00

Today we were at the port town of La Spezia. This is the port that is the “entrance” to Florence and Pisa. Bill and I had a really hard time deciding weather we would want to go on the 2.5 hour bus trip for an excursion that gave us a very limited time in Florence or to take the day after Rome easy. In the end, we decided to take an easy and to check out the port and then go to Cinque Terre (Chin-QUAH Ter-ray). Considering we slept in until almost 11, I think taking today easy was the best thing for us. If we had been on the 11 day cruise with the sea day after Rome, we might have had an easier decision in going to Florence. As it was we were really happy about the day we had. Aside from Barcelona, I think this was Bill’s and my favorite port. (Rome is not a port btw). The port was clean and quaint but it had lots of shops and eateries. The train station was nice, but if we hadn’t gone into the “Cinque Terre tourism ticket office” I don’t know how easily we would have navigated the train station. As it was, we ended up with only enough time to really see one of the 5 towns but we did walk part of the path to the next one. It was very beautiful and I can really see why it is one of Rick Steve’s favorites. Not over crowded, still charming, farming town.

We would have had more time but we really wanted to make it back for the Disney show Twice Charmed. Wonderful show!!! Tonight was our DIS group dinner at Palos. Very very good. Bill and I couldn’t get dinner there on our own so we were really happy that our Dis group got the big room. Part of our group almost missed the last tender…. The tents and everything Disney set up had been taken down and they had to sprint for the tender boat before it left.

Tonight after dinner we are trying to catch up on the laundry a little and then we need to get to bed we have an 8:30 tour to Aix. Ciao!!
-Sarah

some pics from rome

2007-06-12T18:19:00.000-05:00

Forum

Pantheon

ciao bella

2007-06-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

Rome. Wow.
We had the Highlights of Rome and the Vatican Museum excursion. It was a long day but I think worth it. The first part of the trip is a bus tour that went around most of “ancient Rome” We went to the Trevi fountain and then were given some free time. free time was based on how much time we had left before lunch was scheduled. We got about 40 minuets. In that period of time, Bill and I were about to walk to the Pantheon and to Piazza Navarro and get a taste and feel of a little of Rome. We then had to walk a ways to meet our bus and go to lunch. Lunch was at best ok but it sustained us and provided working wash rooms. We then walked a ways back to our bus and then drove through the Villa Borghese. We met our Vatican guide outside the Vatican and then waited in the security line for the museum for about 15-20 min. it really wasn’t a bad wait but it was very hot outside. Once through security we were allowed to use the washrooms while our guide bought our tickets. And then….

Our Vatican museum tour was wonderful. there is so much to see that we have to come back. Our guide gave wonderful descriptions and enough time to see what we saw but I feel like there is so much more. Went we got to the Sistine chapel we were given about 20 min to enjoy all the frescos. It was amazing! After the chapel we went to the basilica and saw all the amazing sculptures and mosaics. The pieta was breathtaking, though I do wish we could have gotten closer. After a tour of the basilica, we went out to Saint Peter’s Square and then had some gelato. We were then given about 20 min to shop for souvenirs.

Ok this part is for all of you DISers: This tour is not like the description.. The 2-2.5 hours for free time doesn’t exist. We had 40 min but other buses on our tour got as little as 20 min. The buses didn’t all drive through the same paths and it sounds like much of your tour experience is dependant on the guide. 2 of the 3 couples at our table did the same tour as we did, one on a different bus the other was with us. The last couple at our table did the VIP tour and for the money they said they were disappointed. There guide didn’t talk the entire ride to Rome. And they said they felt like too much was being squeezed into their days so they never had a chance to stop and really see anything. We liked our tour and we had an excellent guide at the Vatican. BUT if we didn’t have the 40 min on our own we would have been very disappointed. The tour was nothing like the description on the Disney website. It was good but not was had been advertised.

-Sarah

I have a couple of extra comments I’ll share as well.

First off, I’ll talk a little more about olbia yesterday. We didn’t do an excursion and it was a good thing too. The town itself is very small and it was Sunday, so 9 out of every 10 stores were closed. We got gelato, so it wasn’t all bad I suppose. But really, the town is a work in progress. Literally every other building was under construction. Once you step off the boat, you will see that a lot of money is being put into the area. Even the palm trees were freshly planted. That bodes well for the future, but for now, we found it to be boring. Sure, those of you in cruises hitting the island NOT on Sunday will probably find the streets with a bit more life, but other than quaint, I can’t say much more about it. Given that, we really enjoyed our time at the spa – very relaxing and very unique.

Ok, back to rome. My overall impression about rome was that city was simply too busy. Chaotic street layouts, a lot of history, plenty of cars and very little public transportation means that everything has a wait. As sarah said before, we got 40 minutes of free time. Disney clearly did not factor in Italian traffic. Going into the city we were lucky – traffic was bad, but also normal. The traffic going in the opposite direction had 3 accidents and was backed up for miles. That could have easily been us. Also, roman streets were not designed for gigantic motor coaches, so there were limited routes that were available to us.

Because Italians drive on the right side of the road, I recomment sitting on the right side of the bus. You get the better angles for the quick pics for the majority of sites. People with little ones needing strollers have a hard time with this excursion – many of the places we went did not have elevators, but had plenty of stairs…

For me, lunch sucked. It’s a crude description, but it fits so well. The restaurant basically tried to “cater” the 5 bus loads of tourists but came up short. Service was machine-like and the food was “eh.” Because of the sheer numbers, wait staff could only serve the food and could not follow up on requests. We had a salad with tuna fish to start (yeah, I had that reaction too, and I like fish!) some overcooked lasagna and then the saddest little prep bowl of tiramisu I’ve ever not finished. I hate to think what I actually paid for that meal…Two thumbs down for me.

The Sistine chapel. Michaelangelo was definitely a “master painter.” The frescos were certainly awe inspiring, but the environment that they’re in is poor. The chapel is not lit with artificial light so it’s rather dark and dingy inside. Also, the constant “please no photos” and “silence please” issued by the security guards (that nobody pays attention to) were incredibly annoying. The room is not air conditioned or ventilated properly – so adding in 400 already hot and sweaty people means the rooms is kinda gross. and really people, don’t take pictures – just enjoy what you can. You don’t want to be an ignorant and ugly American..

Finally, my favorite sight to see in rome had to be st. peters basilica. The sheer magnitude and scale that it was created in was something to behold. You just don’t get that kind of opulence in today’s buildings.

I’m sure everybody has questions, so fire away. We’ll try posting pics tomorrow as things are giving us trouble.Tomorrow is la spezia which means we’re doing the cinque terre area of the Italian Riviera on our own. Can’t wait.

-bill

olbia or not

2007-06-10T16:37:00.000-05:00

sorry folks, it's getting late and tomorrow is rome, so we're going to have to put off blogging about olbia for now. nothing much to it in the end though.

pictures from naples

2007-06-09T18:59:00.001-05:00

mt. vesuvius

us and sorrento

positano as seen from the restaurant

sunset from the ship

Naples to americans, Napoli to everyone else

2007-06-09T18:54:00.001-05:00

We didn’t actually see any part of Naples other than the port. Today we shared a private tour with some folks I contacted on cruise critic with AP Tours. We had a very nice van and a great driver named Alberto. His English was decent, ran a smooth tour and was talkative. We drove to Sorrento and had about an hour in which time we were able to see a bit of the main part of town and have un café and un cappuccino. We both enjoyed our coffee and then went to one of the many stores selling lemoncello and tasted their creamy and regular versions. I think Bill and I enjoyed the creamy more. The lemons are grown locally and their huge!

After Sorrento we drove down the famous Amalfi coast. It was breath-taking and the pictures don’t do it justice. I would never want to drive this on my own though. Narrow streets, steep curves and way too many switch-backs make driving treacherous. Hire a local. We then went to the town of Positano. The town is rather up and down and very windy so we didn’t get to walk a ton of it but we did go to the main church and square and then wandered around some shops for a bit. [sarah]

Lunch was next and Alberto drove the group up to a restaurant, La Tagliata, on a cliff overlooking positano. Incredible view and incredible food, though a bit pricey. Everything is home made and they claim that all ingredients are grown personally on their farm. We got several antipasto dishes, several pasta dishes and several desserts. We were all stuffed afterwards and had plenty of home made grapa.

After lunch we headed back down the Amalfi coast to visit the ancient ruins of Pompeii. The guide cost the group an extra 100 euros and admission was 11 euros a person. We spent the next 2 hours learning about the eruption of mt. Vesuvius, the burial of the city and the excavation. The ruins were huge – so spread out and incredibly well preserved.

Tonight’s dinner was small like yesterday – only 4 of us again. service was good again and the desserts were to die for. Tomorrow we have a relatively slow day visiting the port of Olbia. We don’t have a formal excursion planned, but we’re going to wing it on foot. Wish us luck and we hope the rest of you are doing well. [bill]

Palermo pics & at sea

2007-06-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

Formal night (we got our nice pic from the boat's photographers.)

Church & catacomes

Cathedral

Mickey & me

Viva Italia!!!!!

2007-06-08T17:41:00.000-05:00

Palermo

Today we visited Palermo, the capitol of Sicily. It’s a relatively small city in terms of how it feels and it’s filled with incredibly dense traffic with lots of motorcycles. The day was hot – it was in the 80s and the Mediterranean sun beat down upon us. For this port, Sarah and I decided to “go it alone” and not pay for a Disney sponsored excursion. I think we made a good call (not that people who booked Disney excursions are wasting their money – everybody we talked to had a good time…).

We paid 20 euros a person for a double decker tour bus that you could hop on and off. It had decent pre-recorded site information via disposable headphones, but we basically used it for the transport. I guess taxis are expensive and with the traffic, things can get ugly. The company is “sponsored” by the city and is the official tour bus. We got off and saw several churches including the cappucian catacombs (only 1,50 euros pp). Creepy stuff – mummified remains of centuries old people line the walls. If I am ever charged with creating a setting for haunted house, I now know exactly what I’ll do. Ok, it’s not that bad because you do get natural light, it doesn’t really have a smell, and there are lots of people walking around. Interesting to see.

After that we went to the main cathedral, which was incredibly well kept. The bright and roman-esque marble interior of the church was a stark contrast to the dark gothic churches of Barcelona. We then went walking around via roma, the main shopping street in the town (think Chicago’s magnificent mile). We didn’t really get anything, but stop off and get some gelati – phenomenal! {Bill}

We had lunch on the boat and then Bill and I played some intense ping pong. So intense that afterwards Bill needed a nap… I hung out at the main pool and tried to watch cars but they turned off the movie less than half way through. Then I watched part of the deck party and got a pic with Mickey.

Tonight was the magic show it was ok. I’m not a big “magic” person; I’d rather watch fireworks on Main Street. I think Bill felt the same way. Dinner tonight was animator’s palette show night. Service was top quality completely different than the first night. And the food selection was great. We had a small table tonight (just 4 of us) so we had to “make up” for the others in eating extra desserts… Bill and I ordered 3 and then we were served a Mickey ice cream bar and our table was served a Sunday too.

Tomorrow is our private tour of the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. {Sarah}

Do you sea what I see?

2007-06-07T17:03:00.000-05:00

Today was our day at sea… it was great. Last night after we ordered room service (like many of our fellow late diners as we later found out) we got to bed around 3. We woke up to the sound of Captain Tom around 10am. We decided to get up and have some breakfast. Then we laid by the adult pool for an hour and then it was lunch time (gotta work that cruise food in when ever you can) We had our dis meet at 1pm and had a nice turn out. Then so more pool time and be for you know it, it was time to get ready for our formal night and the Golden Mickey’s. Golden Mickey’s was great and dinner was 100x better than last night. Our table mates are all really nice people and one of them has a daughter working on this cruise so she joined us for dinner tonight.

Oh… and we did some shopping, mostly pins… we decided to get the whole med collection (I know we’re crazy…) we are still up in the air about the picture package… but there are some really nice pics and we were told that they can re-print any without the borders.

And one more thing…. The weather was lovely today and the boat has been very smooth but tonight either the waves got choppier or the ship picked up speed but every once in a while at dinner I got a little dizzy and sitting in bet right now I can feel the boat moving.
-sarah

more pics from yesterday

2007-06-07T16:53:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pics from yesterday. the national museum, waiting at check in, town animal,

Day 3: pictures

2007-06-06T19:50:00.001-05:00

the wireless internet in the rooms is working by the way and it's decently fast. sarah and i decided to blog first, then try the pictures for the sake of time. i think we'll be able to integrate the two tomorrow.

the Magic from the top of the cable car platform

barcelona and la rambla (the green strip) as seen from the top of the cable car platform...

ok, the internet is being slow now. we'll have to more later...

Day 3: Montjuic and the ship

2007-06-06T19:48:00.001-05:00

Today was a relatively relaxing day. We got up late-ish and packed our bags and left Hotel Jazz. Took at cab to the port and got there around 11:15ish. We got checked in and then left because we wanted to tour Montjuic today. We took a cable car up to Montjuic and then walked and walked and walked up hill all the way to the national museum. We bought entry to the museum and walked around most of the exhibits.

Then I (sarah) decided to take a “short cut” back to the cable car. Well the short cut ended up taking us what felt like 200 stairs need less to say Bill was not so happy with me.

We got back to the boat just in time for the buffet to be over  no problem we got pizza, chicken fingers, and Cajun chicken burgers. Good way to start the cruise. Went through the emergency drill and then played some mean games of ping pong. Then …dinner!!! We were so excited. We met our table mates… all very nice and our server and assistant server… also very nice. HOWEVER, things were running behind, it was 10pm, and the deck party was starting and we still didn’t have our entrees. One of our table mates had a spa appt at 10 and the rest of us wanted to see the sail away party. So we all got up promising to come back. Unfortunately, since we left late there is no one waving at us. And though we waited for about 15 min, there was no ship horn so we all went back to our table and had luke warm dinners. Dessert was no better as my banana crème brulee came out in the form of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Bill’s coffee never can and eventually our table got up. And we weren’t the only ones left at that point. Many if not most of the late dining group had to miss the deck party as our entrees were all coming out around 10 pm.

After getting out of dinner around 11pm, we decided to see what else was going on around the ship…the answer? Basically nothing. A decent band was playing in rockin bar D, but otherwise, the shops were closed, the deck party was over, the buffet was done, the pool food was done, the ping-pong equipment had been stored. It was kinda lame, but such is life. Sarah and I ordered a midnight snack and watched some Disney movies while loading today’s pictures and preparing the blog. We hope tomorrow’s dining experience is better especially since it is formal night.

***some of bill’s final notes for the night***
1. I forgot to mention that yesterday sarah also bought a pair of genuine espadrilles, a type of handcrafted Spanish shoes, from La Manual Alpargatera in the gothic quarter. Very cool stuff.

2. somebody also made a comment on our blog answering the bidet riddle. So frank, you’re going to have to share yesterday’s honor. Thank you for the posted comment/answer!

3. Catalunian is close but not quite Spanish. Technically it’s a combination of French and Spanish, and it shows. Words and pronunciations, are so similar and yet so different. The best way I can describe it is if you were to speak Spanish while drunk, you might get Catalunian. Some people out there now, probably hate me now…

Day 2: Montserrat and more

2007-06-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

bill here. it's after 2am and i think the worst of the jet lag is over. we passed out for like 1.5 hours before dinner, but otherwise the day was enjoyable. apparently weather.com cannot predict european weather patterns with any degree of certainty. we got up this morning expecting rain (80%) and didn't see a drop. that'll teach us to haul around umbrellas and ponchos. sigh. things turned out to be a perfect 65-75 degrees with a nice breeze.

we started out the day heading up to Montserrat. it's a monestary tucked into a small mountain range about an hour north of Barcelona. it's basically known for the black madonna, a statue people claimed made miracles. now how they made this place centuries ago still perplexes me. to get there, we took barcelona's subway, the Metro, a few stops west to Espana where we caught another train that took us up to Montserrat. We then bought a package deal (round-trip train up north + aeri (suspended gondola)) for 13,20 euros a person. About 50 minutes later we arrived at the base of a mountain range. can you see montserrat?

check out the upper right of the middle crevice...

...yeah, pretty cool stuff. so was the suspended gondola ride and the view going up.

after a few hours of touring around and enjoying some chocolate and custard filled croissants (those monks sure can bake!) we decided to head back to the big city. people should be aware that the trains up to montserrat only run once an hour and the gondola stops running from like 1130 to 2pm. views from the top...

us at the top...

st. ignatius for all of you crazy clevelanders...

once we got back, and had a late afternoon siesta, the rest of the day was spent exploring more of the gothic quarter and eating well. we had two dinners to say the least. one on american time, 7pm, and one on barcelona time, 10pm. it's amazing to see a city that's 2 millenia old - and in such good shape. here are some highlights...

el quatre gatos - the 4 cats restaurant - where picasso apparently spent a great deal of time...

hell yeah! literally midnight gelato (she got mint chocolate chip, i have cappucino)

as homage to the UofC crew - meet barcelona's "drunk van." what the photo failed to really capture was the line of inebriated scantily clad women...

el xampanet - one of the best tapas places in town. it doesn't look like much from the ouside but the cava was crisp, the food was delicious, and the prices were good.

inside el xampanet...

***Conclusion and a couple of notes***
tomorrow we head out to see the montjuic area of the city and then board the boat!!! i don't know how good our internet connection will be, but we'll keep trying to blog. everyone else on the dis boards seems to be doing ok.

on that note, i have to say, if you're staying in a major city around the world and have your laptop - GET skype. it's cheap (6 cents for the first minute and 2 cents after that), as reliable as your internet connection, and it doesn't have any delays. we've called home a few times already and haven't had any problems.

also, in out last post we asked what the little faucet and basin next to the toilet was for. go mr. frank who was the first and only person to answer our call. it is called a bidet and according to wiki, "are primarily used to wash and clean the external vulva and the anus, as well as the skin near these areas, including the perineum. They may also be used to clean any other part of the body; they are very convenient for cleaning the feet." all i have to say is thank heavens we waited for an answer...

ok, sleep time. more tomorrow.

more of day one

2007-06-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

I must say BEing on vacation is much better that GETting to vacation. We had a wonderful first day here in Spain.
Since I know we'll be light on pics later this will be less talking more looking.
oh and the device in the bathroom was what we thought it might be.... but still the nozzle doesn't looked angled right.

Lunch ... no i didn't just have wine... but that did put me in a much better disposition for the afternoon
a smaller street in the gothic quarter. we wandered this area for a good abount of time... evey corner is amazing. oh and the street musicians leaps and bounds better than the bucket drummers in chicago
inside the cathedral stunning isn't it?
us on the patio in the casa batllo' this was worth the money for the tour we thought.
view from the roof top of batllo'

more pics

2007-06-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

These are all from our visit to la sagrada familia. it was a long walk but quite worth it. (though i think next time we do it not at the end of a very long day.)

first pics from the trip

2007-06-04T08:09:00.001-05:00

Us in our "town car"

our room at hotel Jazz
The Bath room
Points for whomever can tell me what the basin is for... the sount points down not up... so i don't think it is what Bill and I first thought it was.

We're here!

2007-06-04T08:06:00.000-05:00

Ahhh traveling the excitement the adventure the delays the lack of communication the LINES.

We have made it to our hotel around 1:30pm BCN time and now showered up and are ready to face the day… or what’s left of it. It is currently 714am Chicago time and I am feeling a little tired.

We started our trip off nicely. We had decided on a town car in lieu of a taxi as they were the same cost if not cheaper. Our “town car” arrives at our house on time… only it’s not a town car it’s a white stretch limo. Bill and I have decided our neighbors probably think we are super obnoxious but really all we wanted was a ride that was cheaper than a taxi.

So we arrive in style to ORD and go to check-in. Cool! We can use the kiosks. So we check ourselves in and then the baggage lady came by to check our luggage to LHR… not BCN. So then we are told that because we booked through an outside agent not AA we would need to wait in the growing line and check in again this time through to BCN. Excellent, we get our boarding passes for both legs of the flight saving us from having to go through security a second time in London. –more on that to come. So we wander to our gate… on time!! What luck, I never have a plane on time at ORD. of course in the end we were delayed 30 min (though we were on the plane as if we would leave on time.

The flight was uneventful. I think I truly slept maybe an hour, though I did rest for a good 3 hours. I was able to watch the sunrise which was beautiful. And we arrived in good time. The steward told us that since our final destination was BCN we wouldn’t have to fill our custom forms until then.

We get off and go down a spooky hallway down a flight of stairs up a flight of stairs down a flight of stairs… to a very long line for the transport to terminal 1. Then we wait in some more lines to check our passports and head to our gate. Only our carry-on which are an ok size in the states at too big. Now we knew in advanced that there was a strict one carry-on rule but now we were scrambling the guy told us we would have to go through passport control and check our bags and he pointed us into a line. We wait and wait. Finally we get to an agent and we are told that we got in the wrong line and that we need to go fill our custom forms in the line that is twice as long as the one we were waiting in. lucky for us after asking the non responsive agent who was controlling the other line a few times we were able to get through passport control and out to the exit. Then we had to go back up to ticketing and check out bags… with some finagling we were able to get the laptop to fit into one of our two travel bags that we brought for excursions. But our large camera would have to stay in the bag. Back in another security line which was wrapping around the check-in terminal. Finally onto our plane and out of LHR to BCN. The difference was night and day…. If London is going to hold the Olympics properly they better fix up that airport because I think it was the worst airport I have ever been to as far as up keep signage and ease of traveling through the terminals goes.

BCN has a beautiful airport and we were able to get all of our bags and take a bus (3,90E/person) to about a block away from our hotel.

Our room is really nice. The hotel is super modern reminding me of the W in the loop but with wood floors.

Ok more later
-sarah

Leaving reeeeal soon

2007-06-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Ok I shouldn't even be spending time to do this right now. We were up to 3 packingand then woke up at 9. I hope that means we'll sleep on the flight over.

We are doing some last min things this morning and then the cab comes at 1pm.

Barcelona here we come -ready or not!

"where will you be?", you ask

2007-06-01T19:10:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, seeing as I assume everyone has head my non-stop jibber jabber these last 6 months I assume EVERYONE knows exactly where and when I'll be where I am going. But in case you've missed my incessant blabbing....

We start off in Barcelona. We'll be there a few days before the boat to enjoy BCN and to get rid of that pesky jet lag.

Our first day on the boat is a day at sea as we head south.

Then we are on to Palermo on the island of Sicily

After that we head to Naples where Bill and I will be touring the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii

Then we spend a relaxing sunday in Olbia on the island of Sardinia

ROME!!! (what else can you say?)

After Rome we go to the port of La Spezia which is just a little too far from Florence for my taste especially after the day in Rome so we will be going to Cinque Terre

Marseille is our next sto where we'll be touring Aix and the city of Marseille.

Our last Port is Villefranche located between Nice and Monaco our goal is to hit up Nice and possiblly Eze durring the day on our own and then take the Disney trip to the Grand Casino at night.

One more day at sea on Friday.

Back home.

7 hours ahead

2007-05-31T23:48:00.000-05:00

but who's countin, right?

so London is 6 hours ahead and we land there rather early in the morning and then we travel through one more time zone on our way to BCN, but at least at that point we stay in one zone for the whole trip. I did not envy the transatlantic cruisers when I heard of not only their rough seas but also there loss of an hour basically every night of the trip.

So I'm back in Chi town this evening and we have a lovely forecast of storm storms and more storms... which means Bill will most likely not be mowing our yard.... which means on top of the high grass tons (literally) of dead cicadas. I have looked up the forecast for BCN and it seems a bit better than Chi town but about the same temp and instead of a 40-60% chance of t-storms it's a chance of showers. Mickey mouse ponchos? check.

Things are coming together quickly i got a few more "gifts" for our exchange since the number has increased since I fist purchased items. For those of you not in the know I am a member of an online chat board about all things Disney called DIS and have been chatting with said DISers about our trip for some time now. Anyway we are doing a small gift exchange on the ship along with a get together or two. It will be fun to meet some people as nuts for Disney as I am.

And with that it's bed time (or for the folks on the boat currently breakfast time).

oh that's weak

2007-05-31T11:39:00.000-05:00

looking forward to the trip - not looking forward to the conversion

the U.S. dollar is kinda weak right now. currently i believe the exchange rate is:
1 U.S. Dollar = The Euro's lil' bitch

...click HERE for the current exchange rate...

so much to do...

2007-05-30T23:22:00.000-05:00

While on the plane out to la yesterday I did what any planning junky does when stuck in a seat for a long period of time.... made lists! list of things not to forget or electronics we are taking of what i am packing.... then i took my personal packing list imported it into excel and made multiple outfits fed off my packing last. one thing i am sorely lacking is a comfortable pair of brown walking shoes.... maybe i can fix that before we leave on Sunday. Otherwise i think i have everything out on my extra bed that i want to take other than the shoes....

Bill still hasn't made an appearance over here, i think it is because there isn't enough demand.... or maybe i am so eloquent that no one wants to read bill's pov.

Good news from disers ... it sounds like we will be able to access skype while on the boat. bad news from same said disers... it sounds like the connection might be too slow to really use skype.

the first med cruise is probably close to docking in Sardinia right now, but the big boy is yet to come. I am really eagerly anticipating reaction to the tours in Rome. esp the tour we're taking in Rome. I hope to read feedback before we leave.

ok that is enough of my rambling i should get to be my flight is early Chicago time decent la time tomorrow morning. once i get home i think my anxious feeling will dissipate somewhat as i will be able to finally pack and weight my bags.

good night.

One Week

2007-05-27T23:28:00.000-05:00

You would than that with a week left before our trip Bill and I would be busy pack and prepping for our trip. but instead we spent a large part of the day with family and then worked around the house (which needed it before we leave so I guess that counts).

In the next week we need to prep pack and catch up on sleep. the packing for me shouldn't be too hard. Thanks to my obsessive nature and many hours spent online at the DIS boards I have a good Idea of what I need and will be taking. Making sure I remember it all is another project.... In one bag I have stuff for the ship... sharpies, photo frames, magnets and a wipe bard, postcards and treats for fellow DISers we are meeting with. In another things like a collapsible duffel bag, ear plugs eye masks and things for the plane. Then there are the electronics and the guide books and maps. see i think what to wear is the least of your worries.... now shoes... that's a bigger problem.

Anyway, I am getting really really excited and I hope by tomorrow I will have pulled out more of what to pack. Today I filled my suitcase for my business trip this week, so tomorrow the bed can be covered in med stuff.

Thats all for now... maybe Bill will post some time soon.

Welcome to our Trip

2007-05-25T11:38:00.001-05:00

we don't leave until the 3rd but I figured I would set this up now. More later