Last days at sea..

We have been enjoying these long lazy days at sea. It's gradually gotten calmer sailing as the ship sailed farther away from the storm. We've had some sun to warm us on the decks as well. Reading and games keep us as busy as we want to be along with exercise to balance the food!

We'll say goodbye to Dennis and Dale on Tuesday as they return to Michigan and begin the busy season in Fort Myers. It's been a great trip, especially the many ports. We've talked to many interesting people and have enjoyed learning about new places. Now I'm looking forward to working on some art, seeing the family .....and planning our next adventure to South America!

Just lazy days sailing....

For the next 7 days we'll be crossing the Atlantic while enjoying the activities on the ship. It's great to have Dennis and Dale here too! Hopefully we can skirt hurricane Lorenzo completely and have smooth sailing.

Our days are busy with pickleball, cards, trivia, walking the deck, music and of course a bit of eating! We're enjoy This morning it's 77 on deck so some time in the sun and pools may be in order.

The ship made a swing by Madeira last evening to allow a passenger to be evacuated for medical reasons. That makes 4! Two by helicopter, an ambulance and now one by boat! Hope everyone makes it for the next week ok. Considering that there are 3000 passengers and many elderly, the chances of emergencies are good. But they keep on sailing and enjoying life as best they can. Insurance is a must though as sea evacuation can cost $40,000. alone!

For now we'll enjoy our good health and get back in the swing of things when we return to FM.

Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon

Our last port as it turns out!!! Hurricane Lorenzo is barreling toward the Azores which was to have been out next port tomorrow. The captain,however, has wisely decided to skip the islands and hopefully avoid the storm. He warned of some possible rough seas though...I hope not too bad!!!!

I'm sorry to miss the tour of Azores but not a hurricane!!! That's an experience I can do without!

Lisbon was a lovely sunny port day. The ship sailed up the estuary and docked below Alfama. We had a tour of the area booked and Menzs went out of the city to Sintra. Our guide was excellent and knew so much of the history that people not in our group listened to his comments as he wa so much better than their guides!

Lisbon reminds us of Barcelona in the newer areas with the cafes and shops abounding. I would have loved to lunch there. One church we visited was very old and very unlucky. It was the site of royal weddings and baptisms but also had fallen in the earthquake, been bad!y burned, been the site of a terrible fight between Jews and Christians and more. It is a memorial now but still holds services. The interior is unique as they reconstructed it using the damaged and burned materials and they stand darkened and broken. It's quite a dramatic statement and so different from most of the magnificent interiors we have seen.

I think I'd like to return to Lisbon and have more time to explore the area. This was our second visit and there is much more to see. Maybe a trip to Spain is in order!

Back on board, we had a light bite then enjoyed some time in the hot tub and sunshine. We chatted with a gentleman who spent the day shopping for Portuguese linens they always buy when visiting. Nice!

We went to the dining room for dinner and shared a table as usual with some very nice folks from Sacramento and Cape Coral. Then called it a night and watched a movie in our pjs!!!

Coffee in bed before a slow day at sea. Formal night again when the dinners are usually special. Maybe a card game in the afternoon. We're playing couples and are even so far!!!! I had stinky cards last game!!!!!

Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux & Bilboa

To say we were at Bordeaux was a real stretch as we has a two hour bus ride into the city center. The vineyards and chateaux we passed looked lovely and similar to those around the world. There were miles and miles of them and small homes of the workers who support them. I took some photos as we passed by which hopefully will be clear enough to paint from.

Of course the first thing was to grab a bite and a glass of wine!! It was a sunny day mostly so we enjoyed sitting in an open air cafe. Bordeaux looks a lot like Paris as the architecture was of the same era. It is situated on a river and has many impressive buildings facing the views. They are still working on updating some of the old war related buildings along it as well. We were jealous of the Regent ship, much smaller than ours, docked right on the river. How nice!!!

We enjoyed walking around the city, peaking into churches and shops, savoring the Frenchness of it all. The mirror pond in front of the palace was a big draw for visitors. You can see the photo of us standing in the inch deep water looking as if we walked on water if you check Facebook. We ended the visit as we started with a glass of wine..Bordeaux of course!!!!

Next we sailed into Bilboa, Spain docking in Gexto. A shuttle was provided for the 30 min ride into the city.
We were all surprised to find this city as large as it was and tucked into the mountains near the coast. It is a lovely area and the day was sunny once again.

Our first stop was to the Guggenheim museum which is a focal point of the city. It sits on the river with a very contemporary bridge nearby. The outside is made with titanium plates and limestone in a very dramatic shape. There are sculptures outside all around it. Except for the parking lot area, which we also walked through!!! It was very beautiful and very strikingly contemporary. If we had more days here we would have spent time inside but chose to move on to the city itself.

The hop on hop off bus is a great way to get around and see a lot of the cities without walking. We boarded at the museum and rode around to the other side of the river and the old town. This section was considerably more picturesque with narrow streets and lovely squares. It reminded us of the old section of Barcelona. Again it was time for a stop at a nice cafe on the square. Only coffee and hot cocoa for us this time.

We continued around the area then planned to get on the HoHo for a ride to the finicular to ascend the mountain. Unfortunately a protest waa blocking the streets and held up the bus so we walked to the next stop. It finally arrived and we hopped on for two stops. What what!!!!! It didn't stop!! So we missed the mountain.

As we were hungary we decided to return to the ship but found a long long line for the shuttle. Menzs ended up returning and we stayed and had nice lunch with some Basque beer, then attempted to get on the HoHo for the finicular again. Reading the map got us walking in circles and we ended up back at the line which was even longer by now. A taxi was in order! And fortunately one was there with a gentleman asking for a share just as we walked up. Money well spent!

It was nice to see Dennis and Dale enjoying the hot tub when we returned. We sat nearby and had that glass of wine!!!

A buffet dinner and a show topped off by a fun game ended a very nice day!

George will be posting photos today as we catch up on this sea day. It is rocky sailing with a very windy sea. I'm sure we'll play some cards this afternoon as we sail toward Lisbon.

Ghent Belgium and more.....

After docking at Zebruge, Belgium, early in the morning we met our tour group for the trip to Ghent. Because we had visited Bruge in an earlier trip, we wanted to see this medieval town as well.  George was excited that it culminated with a demonstration of chocolate making.

We walked through the town enjoying the old architecture of the buildings surrounding the canals that cut through the streets.  It was very picturesque with boats gliding along sightseeing. Chocolate shops were everywhere along with waffle shops and vendors.  The smells were delicious

Because Ghent is a college town there were young people and students everywhere enjoying the day and bit of sunshine.  I loved the stepped eves on the roofs of the buildings.

After walking about 2 hours admiring the cathedrals and churches and busy streets it was time for our chocolate tour.  We entered the small shop full of delicious candy and went behind the counter and down some spiral stairs to a small room with a marble table in the center.  Behind it stood "Hans Brinker" or at least a lovely young man who could have been Hans!  Beautiful blue eyes!  He showed us the process used to hand mold the chocolates and made some cream filled dark pieces for us to taste.  Wow...incredibly rich.  G had two!!   Then he showed us how they shaped marzipan filling to dip into chocolate and decorated with nuts or more chocolate.   We tasted those as well...again delicious!!

Upstairs again we purchased a few pieces to hopefully bring home..dark chocolate, mint filled, soft caramel filled and raspberry filled, my favorite!

We had a little free time afterward and decided to enjoy a Belgium waffle at a small cafe.  Mine had cherries and whipped cream and George's had warm rum and cream.   Double yum!!

The next day was to have been Portland island in UK but it was too windy to dock so the captain cancelled and we had a sea day.  It got rougher as we sailed down the channel toward Le Verdon and the ship rocked us all day.  It was my birthday so we had a special dinner in the Crown Grill.  They specialize in beef and it was as delicious as expected.  I think Dale was happy with the nice vegetables served.  We loved our fillets!  The desserts were divine as we had a sampler of five different kinds...all wonderful. ...and chocolate!  It was so nice to celebrate another birthday sailing with good friends.

Today was another sea day, still rocking and rolling!!  Unfortunately there was a passenger airlifted by French coast guard to a hospital.  Rumor is  a heart attack.  Considering the ages of passengers that is not unexpected. Good thing we are near the coast rather than mid Atlantic.

George will be posting photos but Dennis posts on Facebook as well.  Check them out!!

Ghent

Ghent

Salisbury and Stonehenge

Ah, our weather fortunes ran out today! It poured rain the whole time we walked around Salisbury. Good thing we were prepared with the right gear.
The cathedral was beautiful though fairly simple inside I thought. Only a few windows were stained glass and the interior had little color. The setting is an open lawn not like so many that are surrounded by other buildings. Exterior stonework was beautiful and even delicate. The cloisters were lovely as well.

Hot chocolate and a pastry warmed us up a bit. Yum!

Stonehenge was impressive!! They have made the site look more as it was originally which makes the stone look even larger. Bit by bit they are learning more about the construction and history of the area but the WHY is only surmised at this point. It is hard to imagine those early men moving and lifting these huge stones with only primitive tools. It must have been very important to them.

Menzs joined us for this second leg of our journey. It will be fun to have them along on some tours and I'm sure we'll get in a game or two of Hand and Foot!

We are crossing the channel again, along with a time change..this is the third one. We'll do it again after Bruges tomorrow and again after Portland. Hopefully it will stay the same for a while after that!

Stonehenge

Honfleur

Le Havre

After crossing the channel, which was very calm and sunny, we arrived in Le Havre very early. Many of the passengers went to Paris and left soon after we docked.

The port is a working industrial type and not conducive to strolling around like Liverpool so we just relaxed and took our time this morning as our tour was in the afternoon. After lunch we boarded the bus for a trip over the bridge to a distillery that makes Calvados out of apples. There we toured the buildings and learned the process then tasted some vintages and local cheeses. Delicious! A bottle is coming home with us in our collection!

We passed many interesting buildings with old Norman architecture. Half timber,stucco, slate. So pretty.

Next stop was Honfleur, a waterfront village that has maintained that same old architecture and feel. It has a marina, a ferris wheel a bit smaller than the eye, and a carousel too. We strolled around with the guide as she pointed out the features of the town. The church from the 1600's had a wooden roof made like a ship's hull as well as many wooden features.
The sun was shinning for a change from the UK and we enjoyed sitting outside with a glass of wine for a bit. This would have been a nice place to paint.

Dinner was late for us tonight but we enjoyed talking to our table mates who were well traveled. It was early to bed right after the entertainer finished as we have an early start to our tour to Stonehenge tomorrow.

Edinburgh

Various photos of Edinburgh.  We minded the signs that said no photos so none of the beautiful castle furnishings or jewels.

Highlands near Inverness

A lock and ferry near Inverness

Inverness

A day in Edinburgh....

Early in the morning we anchored in the river at Queensferry for our last day in Scotland. The shuttle deposited us at St. Andrews square, not far from the castle. Oh, but the castle is high up on the top of castle rock which required us to climb almost 100 steps to reach it from the side. The Royal mile or High Street then stretches from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Palace on the banks of the river.

We explored the castle learning about the history and many battles fought there for the possession of the key location. The Scottish crown jewels are on display and are impressive to see. The views from the battlements are beautiful. We saw the tiny room where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to King James as well.

From the castle we started the descent to the palace, visiting a cafe for coffee and perusing the myriad shops selling tartans along the way. I learned that the family name Hughes is not Scottish but either Welsh, Irish or English. The name Robinson, our great great grandmothers maiden name is,however, part of the Gunn clan. More research is needed I see!

Holyrood was very interesting as it is still used as a royal residence and has impressive rooms and furnishings. The public rooms are open until needed for state business. Mary Queen of Scots lived here with Lord Darnley. We visited his bedchamber with the spiral stair up to hers and where the brutal murder of her secretary occurred. I was glad we visited the palace.

From there we climbed the street back toward St.Andrews Square stopping for whiskey, lunch and at Hard Rock along the way.

The shuttle was full and slow with rush hour traffic. After a nice dinner we watched a pianist then called it a day.

Despite some very chilling weather, we had fairly nice days in Scotland. It never poured rain thankfully and we even saw sun yesterday. Now we are sailing across the channel to Le Havre, France. We'll enjoy a sea day today and no morning alarm. Right now I'm enjoying coffee in bed while posting!

Loch Loman