link to snap fish
We'll add the last 2 days tonight. the up loading is a pain.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
back
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
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
Thursday, June 14, 2007
France in 2 days.
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
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
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Cinque Terre & La Spezia
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
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
Monday, June 11, 2007
ciao bella
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
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
Sunday, June 10, 2007
olbia or not
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.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
pictures from naples
mt. vesuvius
us and sorrento
positano as seen from the restaurant
sunset from the ship
Naples to americans, Napoli to everyone else
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]
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]
Friday, June 8, 2007
Palermo pics & at sea
Formal night (we got our nice pic from the boat's photographers.)
Church & catacomes
Cathedral
Mickey & me
Viva Italia!!!!!
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}
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}
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Do you sea what I see?
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
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
Here are some more pics from yesterday. the national museum, waiting at check in, town animal,
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Day 3: pictures
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...
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
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…
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…
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Day 2: Montserrat and more
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.
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.
Monday, June 4, 2007
more of day one
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'
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
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
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!
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
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
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Leaving reeeeal soon
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!
We are doing some last min things this morning and then the cab comes at 1pm.
Barcelona here we come -ready or not!
Friday, June 1, 2007
"where will you be?", you ask
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)