Traveling Wayne's World

Monday 3:30pm.....Home

2012-01-16T17:35:00.001-06:00

The Ruby Princess pulled into Ft. Lauderdale early Sunday morning. M.A. and I got up, had some breakfast, and walked off the ship at 7am. We were in the car by 8am and on I95 headed north. We stopped in Mobil, Alabama Sunday night. Monday morning we were up and on the road by 8am and pulled into the driveway at 3:30pm. The trip was about 1200 miles. Louisiana has the worst roads of any state we have driven through.

St. Thomas and Grand Turk: Our last two ports

2012-01-14T09:58:00.001-06:00

St. Thomas and Grand Turk: Our last two ports

The Ruby Princess sailed into the US Virgin Island of St.Thomas on Thursday. We decided to checkout Paradise Point for the spectacular views and Megan’s Bay, described bynational Geographic as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We disembarked from the ship and walked to transportationarea outside the port. We really werenot interested in a tour so we got for a taxi thinking he was taking us all theway up to Paradise Point. Instead he letus off at the bottom where for an additional $21 we were to take a chair liftto the top. I opted out mainly because Iwas there last time and then my occasional back pain problem was back so I saida temporary goodbye to MA and our friends and headed towards the shopping areaand the ship.

The three “musketeers”, MA, Michel and Chantal rode up thesteep mountainside and because it was a gorgeous day, they enjoyed a beautifulview of St. Thomas and surrounding islands, took pictures as well as advantageof free Wi-Fi, had a cool drink and rode back down. From there another taxi took them to MeganBay, but not to the beach itself, instead to a scenic overlook forpictures.

From there they too went to the shopping areas and I wascomfortably lounging on our balcony, watching their return. One shop did their very best to sell Chantala $55,000 diamond ring, offering a 50% “discount”, and then following them tothe door offering to call someone who could authorize another $3,000 discount. Imagine spending that kind of money at anIsland jewelry shop! The ship offered aZirconium “look alike” for $24.99. Neither ring was purchased!

We have also noticed that all the Island souvenirs, and I domean all, w*ell 99%, are “made in China”. MA and Chantal had a lively conversation in French at dinner but theupshot was “Buy French and American made goods” and support our respectivecountries.

Thursday night was the second of two formal nights and theship’s photographers were set up all over the place for formal portraits. The photography department aboard ship is amoney maker for Princess but MA and I usually take our own. This time we letthe ship’s photographer do her best but we haven’t seen the results yet.

Friday afternoon we docked at Grand Turk for about sixhours. Grand Turk is famous for the locationof the landing Mercury 7 and John Glenn’s suborbital trip into space in 1960’sand they have an exhibit commemorating the event. We went to the nearby beach and enjoyed thesun, sand and water.

Today (Saturday) is our last full day on board as we pack ourbags, sail north to Ft. Lauderdale and return to reality. This has been a really fun time for us as weshared the adventures with our friends from Paris. They fly home directly from Miami on Sundayand we have a two-day drive ahead of us from Ft. Lauderdale to home. And to allof you, thanks for sharing our adventures too!

Cruising with the Birds to St Maarten or St Martin

2012-01-11T20:27:00.003-06:00

Brown Booby

Masked Booby

Cruising with the Birds to St. Maarten or St. Martin

Our third day of the cruise started out with breakfast afterwhich MA and I went in different directions, me to the Princess Theater to seea lecture on “The CSI Factor in Trials” presented by a former prosecutor withthe Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and I think MA went to aZumba class.

Anyhow the “CSI” presentation was like work except I didn’thave to look for the evidence or solve the case. The cases presented were the Spector murdercase, the OJ Simpson murder case and the Patty Hearst case. He was right about one thing. People who sit on juries expect the police tosolve the case using test tubes and forensics like on CSI and to do it in underan hour which of course is not reality. I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Our day at sea yesterday was spent around the pool or listeningto the ship’s ensemble in the Piazza (central focal point of the ship). The ensemble (violin, piano, accordion,guitar and base) plays music from movies or songs that really have real words (understandable!).It was fun to sit and try and guess the name of the songs they played.

Last night there was a “captain’s party” and they do thischampagne tower where if you want, you can pour champagne from the top andwatch it trickle down, and in the process, get your photo taken so you’llpurchase it later!

I can’t really brag about the food on cruise ships because it’sreally not as good as advertised nor as good as it used to be in the “good oledays!” Most menus have an abundance ofadjectives to describe the various dishes but in reality they are really just avariation of fish, chicken, pork or beef with some vegetables.

St. Maarten or St. Martin (4^th day)

During our approach into St. Maarten the Ruby Princess wasaccompanied by a lot of sea birds. Irecognized one as a Brown Boobie and another as a white and black Boobie (Ithink). They flew alongside the ship diving into the water catching fish. Theship’s wake makes it easy for them to find food because it breaks up the many schoolsof fish underwater.

We arrived in Thursday morning at St. Maarten (9:00am) if you’reDutch or St. Martin if you’re French. The island in divided into two parts with the Dutch possessing thesouthern half and the French the northern half. Our friends from Paris wanted to go to the French side so we grabbed ataxi at the harbor gate. The driver tookus to “Sunset Beach” where I wanted to see and photograph airplanes on approachfor landing, flying directly over the beach where we were. No, there are no topless sunbathers thereunless you want to see some fat old guys!! The planes come in about a 200 feet above your head before they hit therunway. It is deafening. We watched and I photographed one 737 landingright over my head. See photo.

We then caught a taxi to Marigot, the French city on St.Martin and had lunch. After walkingthrough the many open air markets, we bought some water to take back to theship. Thanks to Michel’s eagle eye, we caught a local “jitney” bus back to theDutch side, for $2.00 each (compared to the $25.00 each we spent going over toMarigot). The bus driver let us off lessthan a kilometer from the cruise ship docks and MA and I walked the rest of theway.

Once on board we went down to the 5^th floor, got acouple of iced coffees and listened to the ensemble again. We played guess the song and match it to amovie. MA’s never been a movie “buff” soshe didn’t connect the songs with the movies and so I won!

We had a fun dinner this even with a gentleman from NewJersey, another from Colombia, a lady from San Pedro, California and her niecefrom Austin, Texas. St. Thomas tomorrowand tuxedos tomorrow evening, then pack and set sail for Ft. Lauderdale!

Princess Cays, Bahamas

2012-01-09T16:59:00.000-06:00

First Stop: Princess Cays, Bahamas

The Ruby Princess anchored off shore at Princess Cays this morning just as we returned from breakfast. We met up with Michele and Chantal at the pool and hot tub area on the 15^th floor. We practically had the place to ourselves as most folks left early to go ashore. We however had decided to go later after the rush was over. There is no dock on the island so about midday we were taken ashore via a tender boat.

Princess Cays is owned by Princess and is used strictly for the enjoyment of its passengers. The island has snorkeling, paddle boats, tour boats, beach umbrellas and cabanas for rent, plus a four-station buffet. We walked around, enjoyed the sights, took some photos and got in a long line to return to the ship, but it moved fairly quickly.

MA found the laundry room empty so we grabbed our stuff and washed and dried everything. This way I don’t have to shower and do my laundry at the same time!

I’ve included some pictures to make up for the lack of the written word. Sometimes a good photograph can say hundreds of words. Tomorrow is a full day at sea with lots of things planned by the ship’s staff, and of course, we plan not to miss any of the meals!

All Aboard the Ruby Princess

2012-01-09T08:40:00.000-06:00

Ft Lauderdale Port

We left New Orleans on Friday morning and drove all day to Jacksonville, FL where we stayed in a Country Inns & Suites. It was a very long day for our friends but they were good sports! Saturday we continued on to Ft. Lauderdale making a quick detour through West Palm Beach. We spent Saturday night in a La Quinta and drove to the cruise ship on Sunday.

Our check in and boarding process went smoothly and we soon got settled into our cabin on the 12^th deck, Room A522, nice with a terrific view of the ocean from the patio. Michele and Chantal are on the 8^th deck in Room E622 but they are hoping to upgrade theirs to a balcony stateroom today. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for them.

We all had lunch and then MA took Michel and Chantal on a grand tour of the ship helping other “lost passengers” to find their way around in the process. She’s about ready for a new career as a cruise tour conductor. But we thought it over and she likes being a CPA and Bible Study teacher. Meanwhile I organized some things in the cabin and oh so “coincidentally” found the Denver/Pittsburgh game on TV. Being a committed Christian I thought it was important to watch Tebow do his thing!

After the obligatory life vest drill, we sat on the balcony enjoying the view and the Sunday boaters whizzing by. Ruby Princess sailed away right on time at 4pm, always a highlight of the first day. Later we went to the welcome stage show and on to dinner. Our other table companions included a pleasant family - the grandmother, mom, 23 year old son and teen age daughter.

Nevertheless we decided to change dining rooms and the four of us will no doubt meet new folks each evening. Sometimes on the same table dining choice we meet other couples that are compatible and fun to eat dinner with each evening. Other times we decide to move on to a different dining room and meet new folks each evening. That was the decision this time. So we are now “anytime diners”. Another advantage is that assigned table dining is not flexible, show up at 8:15pm and usually finish around 10:00. Now we’ll choose our own time and finish earlier.

As I write this it now Monday morning and we are anchored off Princess Cay, a private island off the Bahamas. We plan to go ashore and check out the beach. It is absolutely gorgeous outside, blue sky, puffy white clouds, about 78 degrees!

Later!

New Orleans in the French Quarter

2012-01-07T08:51:00.000-06:00

M.A., Chantal & Michel

New Orleans Wednesday Jan 4, 2012

Our only full day in N.O.LA began with a short walk to raised river levee along the Mississippi and from there, on to Jackson Square. We were reminded everywhere that next Monday night the New Orleans’ Superdome is the site of the BCS National Championship game between LSU and Alabama. National and local TV networks already have corners staked out doing onsite interviews and promotions for the big game.

Jackson Square jazz band

At Jackson Square we were entertained by a local jazz band in front of the Catholic Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Louis IX, King of France. There was a little irony there with a jazz band playing in front of the church and a small sign nearby depicting the area as a “Quiet Zone”. Not to be missed were the numerous fortune tellers and “Tarot” card readers set up and open for business. We passed on all that that and continued our self-guided walking tour around the French Quarter.

St Louis, King of France Cathedral

I wanted to go to the WW2 Museum, so MA and I did that while Michel and Chantal continued their photographic exploration of the shops and the local architecture. Chantal is an avid photographer well known for posting many, many beautiful pictures on Face Book!

WW2 Museum

The WWII museum is housed in a new three story building and the exhibits are a wonderfully detailed history of World War II with newspapers, newsreels and personal historical testimonials. Several veterans and elderly spouses were there volunteering their services for the visitors.

After the museum M.A. and I walked toward the Riverfront, a mixture of shops and eateries and then we hopped on a trolley car heading back to meet our friends for lunch followed by beignets at the famous Café Monde. From there we wandered down Esplanade Avenue to see some of the more prestigious homes there and back to the hotel to rest up for the evening.

Inside the Cathedral

Ready for dinner later, we all headed back toward Bourbon Street where we settled on the Embers Restaurant. We got a table on the balcony, talked “over” some very loud music and watched all the “interesting” activities on the street!

Afterward, we walked back to the hotel and called it a night. This is the first time MA and I have traveled with another couple and I must say Michel and Chantal are charming traveling companions, open to adventure and generous in sharing expenses, a perfect combination of travelers from each side of the Atlantic Ocean!

Yesterday (Friday) was our big road trip from New Orleans to Jacksonville Florida, 800 miles. It went well with Michel doing half the driving. Dinner last night at Red Lobster where our young waitress practiced her high school French with our friends. Today (Saturday) we head for Ft. Lauderdale and tomorrow (Sunday) we board the Ruby Princess where for seven days no more unpacking and lugging suitcases, just enjoy the views and not missing out on the meals!

Cafe Du Monde

On the Road Again: Houston to New Orleans

2012-01-05T08:01:00.001-06:00

When we were in Paris last September with our friends Michel and Chantal, we talked about how fun it would be to do a cruise together. MA likes to take a vacation before tax season descends, so the decision was made: the Caribbean on Princess Cruises in January. We picked up our friends at Bush Intercontinental on January 1 and spent two days in Houston so they could adjust to Texas time and rest up for our travels. Yesterday, Wednesday, we took off heading for Ft. Lauderdale with stops planned in New Orleans and Jacksonville Florida along the way.

Our first stop was at the Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, LA. Oak Alley is one of the premier “River Plantations” on the Mississippi River and it is protected as a National Historic Landmark. Oak Alley is named after its distinguishing feature, an alley or canopied path created by a double row of live oaks about 800 feet (240 meters) long, which were planted in the early 18th century, long before the present house was built in 1837. The alley leads from the front door to the Mississippi River. The first owner there was a French farmer named Jacques Telesphore Roman and the main crop was sugar cane. The mansion and plantation was maintained by a large population of Creole and African slaves. The mansion has a square floor plan, organized around a central hall that runs from the front to the rear on both floors. The outside features a free-standing colonnade of 28 columns on all four sides, a common feature among the mansions in the Mississippi Valley at the time.

We had a Cajun lunch in the Plantation restaurant and everyone ordered “gumbo” and then we did the guided tour of the mansion. Afterward we checked out the gift shop and then continued east into New Orleans. Thanks to our GPS we arrived right in front door of our hotel, the Provincial in the French Quarter. The Provincial is definitely not a “cookie cutter” roadside hotel. The room has high ceilings, a ceiling fan and plantation shutters, along with a lovely courtyard and, of course, breakfast included! We spent the evening walking around the French Quarter and having dinner at the Grapevine Bistro. We are in New Orleans all day today (Thursday) and head towards Florida tomorrow early.

Hotel Provincial in the French Quarter

Bourbon Street

Rodin to Napoleon to Victor Hugo: All in a day's work.

2011-10-30T02:31:00.003-05:00

Someone has actually trade marked this!

Saturday: October 29^th, 2011

We got our wonderful guides back today, Michel and Chantal. We planned a late start because we were going to stay in the city late. MA and I walked to their flat around 11:00 AM and we were off to the city about an hour later. Saturday is a busy day in Paris with all the tourists. We don’t know how Michel does it but he always finds a parking place near where we want to get out. On all the streets we were on today I can count on one hand the number of empty curb parking spots I saw. Traffic and pedestrians are everywhere, and I mean everywhere!

Our first stop was the Rodin Museum, a place MA really wanted to see. And bless his heart, Michel got all of us Air France discount tickets. The only thing I knew about August Rodin is that he was a sculptor and he is famous for his “The Thinker” statue, which is the most famous of his artwork. In fact it's the first thing we saw when we entered the courtyard.

We wandered about the grounds taking in more than a dozen other very interesting sculptures. Inside the museum there were many smaller sculptures on display and also two Van Gogh’s and a Renoir. I liked Rodin as an artist because you don’t have to try and figure out what he is saying with his art. The guy could really imitate the human body. I think of him as the French equivalent to Michelangelo.

We had a lunch in the Rodin café which for me was a very good tuna sandwich. MA had quiche. As they say when in Paris, “Eat like the Parisians”. Not sure where tuna sandwiches fit in there, but surely the quiche did!

After the Rodin Museum, we walked around the corner to the “Hotel des Invalides” which was built to serve injured and disabled French soldiers, kind of like French “Walter Reed Hospital” that also serves as a residence for the disabled. The “Invalides” was built during the reign of King Louis XIV in 1670.

The service motto there is: “That those who have risked their lives and lavished their blood in defense of the monarchy….may spend the rest of their days in peace.” We saw a few WWII era soldiers in wheelchairs near the entrance to one of the wings of the buildings. The “Invalides” is also a military museum and the final resting place for the Emperor, Napoleon. We did not get to see his elevated wooden coffin because it was near closing time. But over it is a huge golden dome, very impressive.

I wish I'd thought of that!

Invalides

Making our way out of the east door Michel’s Toyota was just down the street and we were off to the next adventure. We drove around allowing us to take in some more of the sights including the Place de la Concorde. During the French Revolution the statue of Louis XV of France was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution".

The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793. Other important figures guillotined on the site, often in front of cheering crowds, were Queen Marie Antoinette, Frace, Charlotte, Madame du Barry, Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Antoine Lavoisier, Maximilien Robespierre, Louis de Saint-Just and Olympe de Gourg.

The guillotine was most active during the "Reign of Terror", in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. A year later, when the revolution was taking a more moderate course, the guillotine was removed from the square. Execution of Louis XVI took place in the “Place de la Révolution”. The empty pedestal in front of his had supported a statue of his grandfather, Louis XV, and it was torn down during one of the many revolutionary riots.

The square was then renamed Place de la Concorde as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the French Revolution. It continued to undergo a series of name changes in the nineteenth century, but the city eventually settled on Place de la Concorde.

I hope you enjoyed the history lesson!

From there we made our way to the Place des Vosges, a beautiful square built by King Henri IV in 1605. It is a true square, 140m X 140m and contains the former residence of Victor Hugo. Michel again immediately spotted a parking place but as we got out of the car it started to rain lightly so we kept under the covered arched walkways. We were looking for a nice place to eat, but our first stop was a reject when the snobby waiter’s first words were “Cash only! No credit cards, thumping the menu where that was spelled out.”

Even our Parisians friends were taken aback so we decided to dine elsewhere, settling on Café Victor Hugo. I had a “Croque Monsieur” sandwich with “frites” and MA had Fettuccini, Michel and Chantal enjoyed steaks. It was a good change of restaurant as the waiters were very accommodating. In fact, that’s been our experience all week, very, very nice and helpful folks, all over the city.

Place de Voges

Michel wanted to treat us to a special ice cream he likes a lot so we piled into his Toyota and drove over to the Isle St. Louis, directly behind the Notre Dame Cathedral. I got some great night exposures of that famous Gothic structure. It was still raining lightly and turning chilly so we decided to call it a day and headed by to Nogent-sur-Marne and our hotel. It was a great day of seeing some special places in Paris with some very special friends.

Notre Dame at night

And for our TLC friends, we remembered to pray for the class and Barbara Eversberg’s lesson. We thank her for stepping in for MA and Paul. Our prayers were about 2:30 your time but the Lord didn’t care about the time!

2011-10-29T03:23:00.000-05:00

Friday, October 28, 2011

Just call us a couple of sardines!

We made our way back into central Paris on the train(s). We left the hotel around 10AM and walked the 3 blocks to the train station. MA tried her French out again with the railway clerk along with a big smile and he was very helpful. We started out at Nogent-sur-Marne, a Paris suburb, we took the RER “E” train to Val de Fontenay, got off and transferred to the “A” train to Charles de Gaulle Etoile and got off for one more transfer to the M-6 train to Trocadero. It’s not really that hard once you do it a few times. We got on the wrong train once yesterday and did not make the same mistake today. If you’re wondering about the “sardines” we talk about, that’s what we felt like yesterday crammed into one of the trains we took at rush hour.

Our destination was a museum area west of the Eiffel Tower. It was fun taking pictures of each other trying to “hold up” the Tower, even with the cloudy skies. The place was as crowded as it was the other day. We got back on the Hop-on Hop-off bus hoping to find the Rodin Museum. We failed! Michel says they will take us there over the weekend.

So instead we opted for coffee at a sidewalk café. Afterward we stopped to get some dental floss, which turned to cost 6 Euros, about $9 USD! Next time we’ll bring some from home! Obviously the cost of living here is quite expensive compared to Houston.

We walked on back to the bus. The clouds had finally parted briefly and I took some more photos of the Tower this time with some blue sky. Our bus ride around and through Paris took us to the Louvre, the largest museum in the world. They have built a modern metal and glass pyramid which now serves as the entrance. It’s quite a contrast with the 18^th century museum building. Many locals considered it an eyesore but it has now become another landmark of the city. We didn’t go in on this trip, you need several days to see everything there, like the Mona Lisa!

But while we were there enjoying the courtyards, we met another Nikon D3s photographer, Paul, from England. He was telling me he had also been taking photos for the last two days in Paris and went to download his images only to discover his card reader erased all of his photos. My heart sank for my fellow photographer. His mission now was to revisit all the sites again and retake the lost photos. When MA’s laptop would not process my photos from my Nikon, I didn’t force it by downloading drivers and all, just for that exact reason. On a lighter note, take a look at the photo with MA pointing to the top of the pyramid! Obviously we were really enjoying the day together, holding up Paris landmarks.

Back to the bus and on to the Notre Dame neighborhood again. This time we explored some of the older parts of Paris there around the cathedral. We wandered around the Latin Quarter, home to all kinds of restaurants and another beautiful old gothic cathedral. The organist was practicing while we were inside, very inspirational.We stopped for ice cream and watched the proprietor make a crepe for another customer.

One more bus ride, this time to the Champs Elysees at which point we decided to head back to Nogent a little earlier than yesterday hoping to avoid the “sardine hour” on the subway. That was not to be, in fact we were actually unable to even get on the first train it was so packed.

By around 5:30 we got back to where we are staying and shared a pizza at Les Bureau (The Office) Restaurant. We called it a night until 3AM when I got up to catch the World Series online. Go Cardinals and good job Texas!

Michel has completed his Air France two-days of training and physicals so we’re meeting them later this morning for more adventures. So far our flight on Tuesday has not been cancelled and Michel says there is to be a vote to possibly end the strike on Monday. He’s totally not worried about this at all. MA meanwhile is checking out alternative options to get us home. If there’s a way and a need, she’ll find it!

See you tomorrow........WW

2011-10-27T15:32:00.000-05:00

Thursday: October 27, 2011

Train Spotting!

MA and I were on our own today. We decided to take the train(s) into Paris and buy a two day fare on the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus. In Paris it is known as Les Cars Rouges. For $26 Euros you get to ride around all over Paris for two days, get off when you want and get back on to see the next place. We’ve done this in London and Barcelona and love it. I’ve included a map for you to look at and follow our journey around the city.

We got up and got going around 9:30 this morning. We walked about 3 blocks to the local train station and purchased round trip tickets. We had to change trains 4 times but we made it to nearest Metro stop by Notre Dame Cathedral with only one false directional error that we had to reverse. I had wanted to return there and photograph the rose windows.

As we were walking along we met George Lavecky, a nice gentleman from Australia. George was traveling Europe to catch up on many of his family members. He asked me if I would take his picture. After we took our photos I asked him if he wanted to join us in the walk around Notre Dame. He was one nice guy as all the Australians that I’ve met are.

We said our good-byes and walked over to the Hop-On Hop-Off bus and we were on our way around Paris in a big red double-decker. I focused on street scene shots as we drove around. We decided to get off at the Opera so we could walk into the Lafayette Galleries. This is one big department store. I mean, it was huge! Every name brand that you can think of has retail space in the Lafayette. I came into the store because of the ceiling. It is gorgeous. You’ll just have to wait until I get back and can download my Nikon to see it. While we were there we had lunch at McDonald’s. Yes! I know! Wayne you go all the way to Paris and eat at Mickey D’s!!!! Well we were hungry and it was convenient. J

We got back on the bus and traveled around town down the Champs Elysees. Cops and firemen were everywhere. Apparently there had been a fire just off the main street and because of the emergency vehicles, traffic was a mess. The Car Rouge managed to get us around the Arc de Triumph and up to a place called Trocadero. MA and I got off there because of the view of the Eifel Tower. My only regret is the pool of water where you could have seen the tower’s reflection was drained for cleaning. So the shot of the Tower I wanted was not to be. But I still got some great photos of “the Lady” as the Parisians call it.

We walked down the hill and across the bridge until we were directly underneath the Tower. There were thousands of people there with hundreds in line to walk up the stairs! Plus the place was crawling with police and military. The soldiers were walking around with submachine guns at the ready. Thankfully they were not needed.

We took our photos and got back on the bus and rode it back to Notre Dame. MA did a little shopping and we decided to have coffee at the corner “brasserie”, which is French for café. We lingered there for some time and decided to venture back to our hotel.

To do that, we had to reverse our train ride. We started out just fine but got on one wrong line, had to get off and go back and get on the right train. Did I mention the commuter leg where we were literally pushed in like sardines! We made it back to Nogent-sur-Marne in time for supper at the Hippopotamus Grill. We passed on the hippo and had a steak and baked potatoes. Our hotel was a short walk from there in sprinkling rain.

Tomorrow we plan to do the same thing, getting off at different places and maybe going to Montmartre again, a kind of bohemian neighborhood but with a fun atmosphere charged with young people, city views and cafes! See you soon.

Paris: City of Lights

2011-10-27T03:50:00.000-05:00

Paris: City of Lights

Wednesday, October 26, 2011: 9:00PM

I have to start with an apology for the lack of travel updates. Our voltage converter burned up and we had no computer for two days. Also, the laptop I am using will not process my RAW images from my camera, so there will be no WW photos until I can figure out how to process the ones I’ve taken. I may just take some with a Canon camera for the blog.

Anyhow! Bon jour from Paris. We left home for IAH around 1PM, got the car parked and hopped on the bus to Terminal D. A very friendly van driver whose name was Tim (my brother’s name) got us to the Air France door. We ran into our only obstacle at check-in when the clerk told me my carry-on was too heavy and I had to check it.

MA and I relaxed in the Continental President’s Club for an hour before heading to the Air France gate. We found Michel coming in with the flight crew. We had economy class seats in row 31 but Michel told us to wait by the galley as we boarded the aircraft. About 15 minutes went by and he upgraded us to two business class seats. I have to tell you, I could get used to the service you get in business class. MA and I got a kick out of watching Michel go through the safety procedures. He was very attentive and we felt special being his friend.

The flight was about 9 hours and we arrived in Charles DeGaulle airport on Monday morning. After we cleared customs and immigration we went to where we thought Michel said we were to wait for him to pick us up. We waited for quite a while, decided maybe we weren’t in the right place, asked several folks for assistance, got several different answers, and it was almost two hours later before we finally all hooked up thanks to MA getting someone to call him on his cell phone to find out where we were to go.

Michel and Chantal live in a Paris suburb called Nogent-sur-Marne which is about twenty minutes east of central Paris. He dropped us off at the hotel and went on home to rest after working the flight all night. We’re staying at the Citea Hotel which is about two blocks from their “flat”. MA picked this one because it has a kitchenette. We arrived at 11:00 AM and check in time wasn’t 2:00 PM, however the nice clerk had a room and she allowed us to check in early. I think it’s because she and MA soon discovered they each spoke Spanish and they became fast amigas.

We went up to the 2nd floor and room 204. The good news is the hotel is right on the Marne River which is a nice view to have. The rest of the news is we are right next to a high-traffic commuter bridge with all the accompanying noise, including the French sirens that sound exactly like they do in the movies. If you close the window, which greatly reduces the noise, the room soon gets really stuffy. They’ve turned off the A/C system for the winter. But as always, we go with the flow and keep on thanking the Lord for His provision.

Still on Day 1 here! We got unpacked and decided to walk to a grocery store to get some food and bottle water. We like doing our own breakfast because the local continental breakfasts start at 9 Euros a person, about $25 a day! For that same $25 we got bottled water, milk, cereal, yogurt, coffee, coffee cake, etc., enough for the whole week.

Later in the evening we walked to Michel and Chantal’s for a wonderful supper. Like me, Michel is the family “chef” and his three-course meal was the perfect introduction to French cuisine. The conversation was nonstop, some in English, some in French. MA struggles with her French sometimes but Chantal is a great coach for her and somehow she makes herself understood and continues to learn and improve. Chantal says, as others have also, that she speaks French with a Spanish accent. Did I mention the hotel maid staff all speak Portuguese? That’s MA’s other language. Go figure, we came for French and she gets to speak Spanish and Portuguese every day!

Day 2 we all piled into Michel’s car for what was to be a wonderful 10-hour adventure in Paris. We started out at Vincennes, a medieval castle and armament factory. It is still used for that purpose as evident by the number of military personnel we saw. Michel had purchased river boat cruise tickets for us all, so we continued on into Paris for a two-hour cruise along the Seine.

We boarded the “bateau” near the Eifel Tower and cruised all the way down past Notre Dame. Since we were so close to the Eiffel tower, after the cruise we decided to take a closer look. The sky was beginning to turn cloudy and I warned everyone that rain was soon coming. We had barely enough time to walk directly under the tower. What an awesome sight that is. As we started toward the car, it started to pour and we all got soaked! Undaunted, we then drove to the theater district and had lunch at a local “creperie”. The owner waited on us, and MA soon found out he was from Venezuela. They had a great conversation in Spanish about her Pan Am days and the many times she flew there. I won’t say crepes are my number favorite meal, but we were fascinated but the many, many variations in which they come.

Michel then took us to Notre Dame where we were able to photograph the Gothic cathedral in the twilight and a little bit later after the lights came on. It is enormous buildings with pointed arches which in turns support the vaulted ceilings along with “flying buttresses” you see on the side. Catholic Mass was going on inside and that, combined with the singing and the incense really gave us a feeling for the full atmosphere of that grandiose place. The signs said no flash photography but I noticed several folks just ignoring the “rules”.

From there we were off to get an excellent photographer’s view of the Eifel Tower. At 9:00 PM all the strobe lights on the Tower came on and it looked like a sparkling jewel for five minutes. This occurs every hour on the hour. Then the tower “rests” in all its lit up splendor. From there we were off to the Champs E’lysee and the Arch de Triumph. We thought about things later! If we had to leave the next day, surely thanks to Michel and Chantal, we had “lived” Paris, if only for a day.

Wednesday:

Our day started around 12:00 noon with a drive to Versailles, home to the French kings, the last of whom was Louis XVI and wife Marie Antoinette. Versailles is on the west side of Paris and we are on the east. We drove on the Paris version of “Loop 610” and got there in no time. The first glimpse of the chateau reminded me of the Russian palaces we saw in St. Petersburg this summer. Visitors are greeted with a huge golden gilded gate. After paying our 18 Euro entry fee we began our tour. I have to admit old King Louie had a fine house. The French are in the process of restoring a lot of the paintings, walls, and ceilings. You name it, they are fixing it. Versailles is a three story chateau in the shape of a big letter H with each segment hundreds of feet in length. One interesting note, there is a room where the Treaty of Versailles was signed ending WWI.

After our tour of the palace we elected to rent an electric cart to cover the grounds. The immaculate gardens and grounds are immense, with tree-lined paths going everywhere. There is a reservoir in the shape of a cross with each segment covering a half mile. Shrubs and plants are manicured-perfection; the statues are pure white, all in all a beautiful place. From there we went into the small town of Versailles and had dinner, spaghetti this time.

There’s more! After dinner, Michel took us into Paris where Chantal and I photographed an old metropolitan (subway) entrance gate, the Moulin Rouge, the immense Scare Coeur cathedral which overlooks Paris from the Montmartre neighborhood. We would have loved to walk around this part of Paris but MA and I were worn out we all decided to head on back.

Thursday and Friday we are on our own. Michel has some training at Air France to do so plus he’s going to get the scoop on the pending flight attendant strike that could derail our return home planes. Anyhow, we are planning to go into Paris by train and get around by subway and the hop on hop off bus. We’ll let you know how that goes.

I found some free photos to download from a Paris tourist office so you can see some of the sights as I described them. I’ll take some JPG photos of our next venture into Paris. Au revoir for now!

Houston to Paris

2011-10-23T09:18:00.001-05:00

Paris

MA and I are off to Paris with good friend Michel who is an Air France flight attendant. I've know Michel for years and he said if I ever wanted to go to Paris now was the time. It just so happened that MA wants to practice her French and I've always wanted to photograph the Eifel Tower so we are going. We leave Sunday afternoon and arrive in Paris Monday morning. We have lots planned so we will keep you informed. Stay tuned, au revoir

Arrived Houston 5PM, Home at 6PM

2011-08-24T15:57:00.000-05:00

We were up and moving at 5:30 am (Copenhagen time), grabbing some coffee and light breakfast in the cabin. Our bags were pack the night before and placed outside the cabin. Princess takes them down and sorts them according to your departure and bus. We departed the ship at 7am and we were at the Copenhagen airport by 8am. Our bags were waiting for us. We rolled them into the terminal, checked in with Continental, cleared security and went to the gate to board the aircraft. Our flight left at 9:30. MA had paid extra for the bulkhead seats for the legroom. It's like sitting in 1st Class without the service.

This was a memorable flight. After we got on board and sat down a Danish couple with a baby sat across the aisle from us. They brought a car seat for the kid to sit in during the flight. The mother moved to the seat next to me. Halfway through the flight the flight attendant brought this bassinet and began mounting it on the bulkhead wall in front of us. The bassinet trapped MA in her seat. The mother then offered to exchange seats with MA. They brought the baby over to our side and put him in the bassinet for him to sleep during the flight. The kid would have nothing to do with that and began crying and yelling. We were really upset at this point. I grabbed my Bose quiet headphones and put them on but this guy could be heard through them. The mother finally gave up and handed the kid back to the dad who put him in his car seat. The baby went immediately to sleep. From that point on the flight was uneventful.

We arrived in Newark, NJ Airport with a two hour layover and went on the Houston. We arrived around 5pm and got home at 6pm. We both brought head colds from Russia with us.

Aarhus, Denmark & Oslo, Norway: Last two stops

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was a full day at sea and I spent it nursing a sore throat, head cold and cough. I felt so bad that all I wanted to do was sleep. MA came to my rescue with a bottle of Robitussin cough syrup, the last bottle on the ship I’m told. With rest and sleeping most of the day and all night I woke up Thursday morning feeling better. MA said that some guys would do anything to get out of wearing a tuxedo for formal night. (Not true, I was really under the weather.)

The Emerald Princess sailed west from Tallinn, Estonia to Aarhus, Denmark, docking at 7AM on Thursday At Aarhus, MA decided not to go ashore so I took off, camera in hand, around 9AM. My goal was just to walk around and find some photography subjects and walk back. What I noticed about Aarhus was that, like Copenhagen, everyone rides a bicycle. Life in Aarhus seems simple and satisfying to the Danes who live there. I walked through a university and saw students going and coming to class and getting on their bicycles to get around town.

After about a three mile circuit I made it back to the ship and met MA for lunch. Later we got together two new friends, Heather and Dave from San Diego, for team trivial pursuit. A gentleman from Long Island, NY joined up with us and after the twenty questions it was a two-way tie for first place, our team being one of the two. But we lost the tie-breaker question which was: The Eiffel Tower is painted every seven years, how many tons of paint does it take? The answer is 50. We guessed 7, the other team 90. They won the Princess water bottles. The questions we should have gotten right for the outright win were: Which country has zero exports? What does the H.G. stand for in the name H. G. Wells? Answers were Vatican (we said Monaco) and Herbert George, we said Henry George. Who was it who said cruises weren’t educational? J

On Friday morning I made a coffee run to the buffet and went back for a light breakfast and brought that to the room. We had decided that if it was raining, as predicted, we would just stay on the ship. But although it was very cloudy, there was no rain so we set out to find the Hop-On-Hop-Off guided bus tour that takes you around the high spots of Oslo.

We ran into Giovanni and Eleanor at the gangway and the four of us set off for today’s adventures. We walked about three long blocks to the bus stop. We decided to get off at Vigeland Park, a park with human statues by none other than a guy named Vigeland. The statues portray human life in different stages. One of the statues is of a small boy with his fists clinched and the statue is called, “The Angry Boy.” It just so happens we came across a real life angry little boy while waiting for the bus. His father kept his cool and calmed him down.

We made the entire loop of Oslo and came back to downtown getting off at “City Hall”. MA wanted to go inside to connect with the free Wi-Fi but it was closed. Instead we found a spot just outside where she turned on the I-Pad and got online. She was quite tickled to find numerous happy birthday wishes in her email.

We walked back to the ship walking along the waterfront where local fishermen were selling shrimp from the back of their boat. I’ve included a couple of photos of them. After lunch we set about packing for the trip home tomorrow. The crew takes our bags the night before and we next see them at the airport tomorrow. The bus for the Continental flight leaves at 6:30am. The flight leaves at 9:05 with a layover in Newark and then “home sweet home”.

This trip, like all the others, has been memorable, not only for the places we visited, but also the great folks we’ve met along the way. We booked our next trip already, next year, Transatlantic from Ft. Lauderdale to the Azores, then Cork, Ireland, Southampton, UK, Normandy, France, Oslo (again), and ending in Copenhagen.

For now we are anxious to see our great friends in TLC, to see Susan and Jacob in their new home in Nashville, and Jim and Sue and kiddos up there in Chicago.

That’s all for this time folks! Thanks for tuning in! J

Tallinn, Estonia: A Walk around a Medieval Village

2011-08-17T03:55:00.002-05:00

Our new Canadian friends Giovanni and Eleanor, whom we met on the St. Petersburg tour, became our guides for Tallinn, Estonia. Our original plan was to meet them at 8AM; however, MA suggested that we delay that to 9AM. I called their room and left a message which they never got. Fortunately they waited ashore for us, then Giovanni came looking and spotted us coming leisurely back from breakfast. We apologized profusely, got our things from the cabin and were off for a walking tour for this 14^th century town.

Eleanor had found an online guided walking tour of Tallinn. We started out first on the shuttle bus ship to town and then began our walk going through the lower village, via the north gate and along the north wall. This older village had a huge wall which surrounded it. Eleanor had all our points of interest mapped out so I didn’t even have to think about where we were or where we were going next. This gave me a great opportunity to concentrate on my photography. Giovanni and Eleanor did the guiding. MA kept track of me.

Tallinn has some beautiful churches, two of which were being restored with scaffolding and tarps covering the exterior. Most of the churches are Russian Orthodox; however, I did find one Lutheran church.

Our walk then took us up to the upper village and the famous town square and town hall. Tallinn was established in 1400 and the town hall was built around 1413. It is still used as the town seat of government. I took MA into a local shop and bought her a pair of amber earrings for her birthday, amber being the gem of choice in this part of the world.

We then said good bye to Giovanni and Eleanor who had more exploring to do and made our way to the shuttle bus stop. All in all we found the Estonians to be cheerful and hospitable.

Today (Wednesday) is a day at sea and we are ready for some down time reading, playing trivial pursuit in teams with another great couple, Dave and Heather from our dinner table group. And did I mention lunch? Today’s special is authentic British “fish and chips”, offered once on most cruises as a special lunch feature and something we look forward to.

Tomorrow the ship docks at a place I’ve never heard of, Aarhus, Denmark, then Oslo on Friday, and fly home via New York on Saturday, then back to Worship at Second Baptist Sunday morning! Later!

St. Petersburg: From Russia with Love

2011-08-17T02:52:00.000-05:00

We arrived in St. Petersburg on Sunday morning, August 14^th and were off the ship

by 7:00 AM. We had chosen an independent tour company called Alla Tours. They were less expensive than Princess Tours but more importantly, we would be a group of 16 instead of 60. Also they offered a night tour and at my request, focused ours on night photography opportunitie. We met our guide Anya and our bus driver, Vladimir. Half our group spoke another language, similar to Russian, but we made friends with a couple from Toronto, Canada, Giovanni and Eleanor and a couple from San Diego, Jane and Harris.

Our first adventure was a drive around St. Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 when he defeated the Swedes. He built a fortress there and then began designing the city. Russia was a monarchy ruled by Romanov Czars. The revolution began in 1905 culminating in 1917 with the abdication of Czar Nicholas who along with his entire family, was shot by the Bolshevists. Russia then began its communist history.

St. Petersburg was an epic battleground in WW2 when the Germans invaded. The Germans were stopped at the gates of St. Petersburg, then called Leningrad, and in retribution stopped all food supplies into the city for 300 days. During that time they waited and watched the people starve.

Backing up in history, during the reign of the Romanovs, the Czars accumulated an enormous art collection which is housed in the Hermitage Museum AKA the Winter Palace. Peter the Great also built a summer palace known as Peterhof. Catherine, his wife, not to be out done, built her palace in the opposite direction. We visited both palaces and there architectural style is what I can only describe as “Gilded Russian Decadence.”

Part of the day 1 tour was a subway ride. To find the train one descends down, down, down on an escalator, at least 300’ below the surface. As subways go it was about the same as Barcelona’s or Paris’, except everyone on the train looked tired or depressed. We got off the subway and took the escalator up, up, up and walked across the street to a Russian market where merchants sell vegetables, fruit, meat, and bread. I could have prepared a great meal with what was available.

Church on Spilled Blood

Next we visited two churches: St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Church of the Spilled Blood. I thought the Spilled Blood referred to the Crucifixion, but soon found out it referred to the spilled blood of the Czar Alexander II who was assassinated there. I took a lot of pictures here because it is overwhelmingly beautiful.

Our lunch stop was at a local Russian restaurant and we were served a coleslaw like salad, borsht (beet) soup, chicken croquets with a sauce, boiled potatoes, ice cream, coffee or tea.

Next was The Hermitage. Once a residence of the Czars. Today it is the State Museum of Art, housing the largest art collection in the world. If you name any master artist in history, something from his work can be found here in the Hermitage. Personally, I have never seen so much opulence and extravagance in my life. I can see why the people revolted and how Communism came into being.

Interior Church Spilled Blood

We made it back to the ship at 5PM on the first day and MA and I prepared for the night photo tour. In addition to us there were 10 others who signed up. For the tour, I had offered to share night photography tips with my fellow photographers, some of who had never even read their camera manuals.

We met Alexis, our tour guide and Vladimir was again our driver. It really didn’t get dark enough for good night photography until 10PM so in the meantime, we checked out some interesting bridges and a really beautiful blue and white chapel. It was there where we saw a glimpse into young-people’s idea of a night out. They rent stretch limos loaded with champagne and drive around town seeing the sights and drinking. Things had apparently gotten a little out of hand and two of the guys got into a fist fight and were left behind when the limo took off without them.

While waiting for darker skies, we photographed the Hermitage from the outside, also the Teva River front. Everyone had a great time. I hoped I had inspired some up and coming photographers.

Day two began at 8AM when we met Anya and Vladimir outside the passport control building. Our tour took us to the river front where we boarded a hydrofoil for a cruise to Peterhof, another palace built by Peter the Great, said to rival Versailles. It sits on a beautiful 300 acre manicured park that has at least 150 fountains. I can only describe this place as “gilded opulence gone wild”. We weren’t allowed inside, but from what I saw on the outside, I can only imagine what it looked like.

We met our driver again and picnicked on the bus as we headed for our next stop. Lunch was typically Russian: a sandwich of chicken between two soft “blinis”, (like crepes), an apple, apple juice and a chocolate bar. The best part was the apple. MA liked the chocolate bar best!

Peterhof

Our last stop was the Winter Palace or Catherine’s Palace, about a 45 minute ride from downtown. No expense was spared in building this place. Gold seemed to be the design theme. There is a room with walls of amber called “The Amber Room” and we were told not to take pictures in this room, although I never figured out why. There was a sleepy-eyed Russian woman guard in there who kept her eye on me. I discreetly fired off several no-flash shots while she dozed off. It’s what I call photo shooting from the hip. I was expecting the KGB to stop me at the exit but I got away with it.

Amber Room

Our tour bus took us back to the ship in plenty of time for sail away. MA and I were both tired of going and going and climbing and climbing stairs and were glad to be back on board. The ship’s next stop was in Tallinn, Estonia, so stay tuned.

Peterhof

Helsinki Walking Tour: Short & Sweet

2011-08-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Temppeliaukio Rock Church

We arrived in Helsinki about eight this morning and the ship docked at nine. We got ready for the day, had our usual breakfast upstairs and hurried off at 9:30. We had no plans other than to get on a shuttle bus and walk around town.

We did want to see three churches in Helsinki because all three are unique: the Temppeliaukio Rock Church, the Lutheran Cathedral of St. Nicholas and the Russian Orthodox Church. The shuttle bus let us off in central downtown and after directions from a helpful Helsinki guide we started walking. By the way, just like Copenhagen and Sweden, the Fins learn English in school and they speak it better than many of us do! Said another way, I would hate to have to learn Finnish and try to pronounce some of the long, complicated words I’ve seen.

Our first stop was to be the Temppeliaukio Rock church. We followed the guide’s direction walking down the main street until we came to a statue of a guy riding a horse, turned left and went up the hill. We spotted the church which at first glance looked like a flying saucer on the ground.

This is because it was constructed by blasting a huge underground hole out of rock and carving it into a giant bowl shaped facility. A copper roof was installed which is what makes it look like a UFO. We did not get a chance to go inside because it was closed until 12 Noon. We did hear that the acoustics inside were absolutely amazing.

From there we retraced our steps stopping at the local McDonald’s so MA could catch use their WiFi to update the I-Pad and send a new “Word with Friends” Scrabble word to her granddaughter Jillian.

Lutheran Cathedral

Our next destination was the Lutheran Cathedral of St. Nicholas, a huge white church on top of a hill dominating Senate Square. It was magnificent. The interior has a central dome with other domes around it supported by huge columns.

There is a gigantic organ at the back of the church and I could only imagine the music coming from its pipes. Protestants are not into statues but there was one of Martin Luther inside the worship area. As in Sweden, most Fins are Lutherans today.

Russian Orthodox Church

From there we walked to Market Square and found the local farmers and merchants market. There were all kinds of vegetables for sale as well as fruit, clothing, fur garments, and souvenirs, sidewalk cafes and harbor cruises for tourists. MA pointed out a woman who was knitting as fast as a machine without even looking at what she was doing, never missing a stitch.

From the market we looked uphill to the Russian Orthodox Church. We got to the front doors only to find it too was locked. Still, from the outside, it was another impressive church with its rooftop domes.

At this point we headed back toward the shuttle bus stop, stopping at a sidewalk café for two small beverages that cost us $25! Oh well, it’s the atmosphere and people watching we decided we were paying for. There was a van that stopped right by our table. It was filled with Chinese tourists one of who seemed to point his camera right at us, as if we were natives who would show up on his blog. I gave him a big smile, aimed my camera back, and we all laughed with thumbs up signals. From there we popped in to Stockman’s which is the biggest department store I’ve ever been in. Reminded me of IKEA times ten!

Next we made our way back to the ship for a late lunch. MA took her book and headed for the pool (it was about 72 degrees today with full sun) and I worked on the photographs I wanted to show you here.

Tomorrow we arrive in St. Petersburg, Russia. In our wildest dreams did we ever think we would someday find ourselves in that country!! Both of us are looking forward to the next two days of seeing some amazing sights. I am doing a night photography class for our tour company tomorrow evening so we won’t blog again until Sunday night.

Next stop: St. Petersburg

Tour of Stockholm

2011-08-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Stockhom Harbor

Stockholm was one city where we opted for a Princess excursion basically because we didn’t know much about the place. I don’t know if it was the walk around the Gamla Stan (Old Town) yesterday afternoon or being just a little worn out from going and going, but we both slept likes rocks and were eager to get going early this morning, looking forward to meeting new folks and to what we would see today.

After breakfast we grabbed our tickets and my camera and met up with our group. We would be in Yellow Bus 4. MA and I ended up as the first two out the door and we managed to get a front row seat on the bus. The panoramic view of the local sights is always best from there. Our group consisted of about 60 folks and our Swedish guide spoke perfect English.

The first stop was the Vasa Museum where a 300 year old warship is on display, having been restored after it was raised from the bottom of the Stockholm harbor. Its original purpose was a warship to do battle against the Catholic countries. (Sweden is strictly a Lutheran country.)

During the original construction of the ship the Swedish king insisted on some extra canons. Unfortunately they added too much weight and made the ship top heavy. And so on August 10, 1628, twenty minutes after the ship set sail on her maiden voyage, it tipped over and promptly sank in the harbor where it sat for three hundred years.

When the diving bell was later invented, divers went down and the ship was located. But the only things they retrieved at first were three canons which for some reason were sold to Germany. The Ship itself was forgotten until it was located again in 1961 at which time it was raised and very carefully restored. The Vasa Museum was then built to house it and help keep it preserved. It is one of the world’s most visited museums.

The "Blue Room" where the Nobel Prizes are awarded

Our next stop was City Hall, Stadshuset in Swedish. I thought the architecture of the place was outstanding. There are columns, marbled steps, arches, in what the guide described as Neo-Romantic. What is famous about this place is the “Blue Room,” which seats 1,000 guests for the annual Nobel Peace Committee banquet honoring each year’s winners. Upstairs is the gold room where dancing takes place after the banquet. The walls there are intricately decorated with tiny gold tiles, 23 karat gold I might add, and no one dares try to steal even one tiny little tile off those walls.

Our last stop was the Gamla Stan, the Old Town, same place MA and I had walked around last night. Our timing could not have been better because we caught the procession of Swedish soldiers for the changing of the guards of the Royal Palace.

After a short bus ride back to the ship, we shared a lunch table with three ladies from Ventura, California whose main topic of conversation was the loss in real estate value of their homes there. I took it easy for the remainder of the day. MA did a mile walk on the promenade deck, exchanged some library books, got a latte, and attended the tour lecture on Helsinki, Finland, tomorrow’s port of call. Stay tuned!

Passing 3 Mast Sailing Ship

Stockholm and Cruising up the Archipelago

2011-08-11T15:52:00.001-05:00

Stockholm at sunset

Our ship diverted continued north to Sweden and a cruise through the beautiful Stockholm archipelago. As we approached the coast the weather was cloudy but the rain held off. The Swedish coastline is rocky and tree covered with small islands too numerous to count. I also lost count of the small sailboats and power boats that we passed. I heard the narrator say that more folks have boats here than have cars.

There are small villages here and there with brightly colored houses with piers and usually some kind of boat moored there for transportation. The clusters of homes are neat and give off a sense of peace and tranquility. Emerald Princess docked at 6pm.

MA and I gathered with about 200 other folks by the cruise terminal to catch a shuttle bus into the Old Town, a preserved medieval village. We managed to get on the bus but had to ride standing up! Although there were some interesting photo ops, Old Town was really not what I imagined it to be. It was mainly for tourists, (Yes I know, that includes us!) and therefore crowded and I was mildly disappointed.

We walked around and decided to head back after about an hour, joining friends at our table for dinner. Tomorrow we take a Princess tour to the famous Vasa museum. Ship departs Stockholm for Helsinki about 3:30. Later!

Wednesday, Unexpected Day at Sea

2011-08-10T15:17:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, Unexpected Day at Sea

We woke up this morning to a howling wind and high seas expecting to dock in Warnemunde, Germany. However, the captain announced on the public address that the winds were too high and it was unsafe to attempt to dock. Two hours later he came back on to announce that we would be continuing on to Sweden instead with a tour of the Swedish coastline prior to docking in Stockholm tomorrow early afternoon. We would then remain overnight there. This was great news for me because it would allow some more night photography.

The day was spent relaxing and napping. Well, I napped, MA went to see the movie “The King’s Speech” and she loved it. Earlier at breakfast we met a family from Mexico City, a place that is dear to MA because she lived and studied there during her second year in college.

We strolled around the ship, read our library books and had lunch later meeting three ladies who take cruises together. One of them was complaining to any who would listen about being upgraded to a $16,000 suite from her mid-ship mini-suite. She didn’t like the $16,000 one because it was too windy on the balcony, being at the front of the ship and then later she could hear the wind through the balcony doors while she was trying to sleep. Some people not only examine a gift horse in the mouth they complain when it’s the wrong color. Her traveling companions were rolling their eyes behind her back. The rest of us at the table offered to trade places with her. No dice!

Well, we are getting all dressed up tonight for formal night. We’ll take our own photos and save $40. See ya!

Nice to Copenhagen: Challenges & Lightning

2011-08-10T01:02:00.001-05:00

Monday was travel day. Although our flight was not until 1:40pm, we left the condo at 9:45 to give us plenty of time to top off the rental car with diesel, return it and get to the SAS checking counter at the Nice Cote d’Azur Airport. We returned the car at Terminal 2 but SAS was located in Terminal 1, 1km away. We hopped on a shuttle bus like we knew what we were doing and rode over to where we needed to be. When we found SAS we learned there was a flight delay but we were able to check in and go find MA’s favorite airport lounge using her Continental card. Finally we took off with a reluctant goodbye to the south of France.

The flight to Copenhagen was unforgettable, but not how you might think. For one thing SAS charges for everything. I had wanted to bring some snacks from the lounge but MA presumed that, based on the great Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Nice, SAS would be serving us lunch. Wrong! Not only did they charge for snacks and lunch, but when we asked for some water we were told that they did not serve free water but would sell us a bottle for 3 € (Euros) – that’s $5 USD. We could have afforded that of course but it was the principle of the thing.

As we got closer to Copenhagen the clouds began to turn dark and we found ourselves flying through a major thunderstorm. Suddenly there was a brilliant flash followed by a loud boom. Sure enough, the plane was hit by lightning. The captain immediately came on the intercom to reassure everyone that all was well. The landing was no fun, even for my experienced former flight attendant spouse but God was in charge and we arrived safely at Copenhagen. Now all we had to do was figure out how to buy train tickets to town, find the right train and haul the luggage and ourselves aboard. We did it just like natives, and when we got to town, it was only a 3-block walk to the Clarion Mayfair Hotel.

The hotel was a great choice. Included in the room price was a dinner buffet and hot breakfast. The earlier rain had stopped and I wanted to get some photography in. I had a destination in mind, Nyhavn, a canal lined with sailing ships and colorful home. MA wasn’t so sure going out to a strange city at night was a good idea but I assured her I would be fine, would be back by 10pm. I was!

The next morning we were up early. We had breakfast and set out on a 3km walk. I showed MA the Nyhavn canal and the outdoor pedestrian mall.

Bicycles rule Copenhagen, and not just Tour de France type cyclists, but locals, shoppers, vendors and commuters. Almost everyone rides one. Many of the riders were women in high heels, dressed for the office. Others had coffee cups in hand, the obligatory MP3 plugged in and they were all ages, young and our age!

Where did I leave my bike?

There are specific bicycle-only lanes on all the major streets. I saw people hauling all sorts of stuff too, stuff like: babies, dogs, people in bicycle cabs, hot dogs carts, even a maintenance tool boxes. For the most part, everyone obeys all the traffic laws; stopping for red lights, hand signaling, and staying in their designated lanes. There are bicycles parked outside every building and only a few had locks on the front wheel. My question is how you find your bicycle amongst all the others. Take for example, this bicycle lot in front of the train station!

It started to rain on the way back from our walk, but we made it, packed up, and grabbed a cab to the Princess cruise terminal. Cruise card in hand we boarded our ship. We knew we had been upgraded from our “obstructed view, no balcony room” but we were quite unprepared for Cabin R304 which is bigger than any bedrooms in our home, bigger than most hotel rooms. Turns out it is outfitted for wheelchair passengers but was not needed for that purpose, thus our upgrade. After unpacking we went to the customary emergency drill, had dinner and met some new folks.

Our first port of call was to be Warnemunde, Germany (for Berlin). We are up early this Wednesday AM in order to be ready for our tour but the captain has just announced that due to 30-40 knot winds there, he could not safely navigate the ship to port, and “to stay tuned for Plan B.” MA’s not too unhappy. She likes days at sea and the mysteries she reads on vacations. And we may get an unexpected new shore experience from this weather detour.

Until tomorrow then, God bless.

Sunday: Rest day and last full day in France plus driving tips

2011-08-07T14:15:00.003-05:00

Road signs are small. The road number is at the top D2 taking you to Vence and Nice.

No plans today other than pack and bring lunch up to Coursegoules and say our farewells to Nola and Randy. The morning started off with thunder, lightning and a little rain. It didn’t last long. MA began sorting and arranging clothes between summery France and the frosty Baltic ports. SAS allows two checked bags as long as they weigh less than 50 lbs each. We carry a small baggage hand scale just for times such as these.

Last night I prepared potatoes with sautéed onions and garlic and yellow squash with sautéed onions all in preparation for our lunch. We also brought sausages and shish-kabobs to grill.

Before we left for Coursegoules, we walked into Vence to say goodbye to Yves, the waiter and Cecile at the Hotel Diana, two friends we made here from last year. A trip to the Boulangerie to pick up two baguettes and newspaper for Nola and one last coffee at Henri’s and it was walk back up the hill and head out for Coursegoules.

For the last two weeks I’ve experienced firsthand what it’s like to drive here and I thought I would share some thoughts and observations.

If 1. If you plan to drive anywhere in France or any other European country, bring a GPS with you. Make sure you get a European SD card. I bought mine for Europe for $65 on E-Bay.

2 2. Rent a diesel car. It will come with a standard transmission but there is substantial savings in fuel cost between gasoline and diesel (the French call it gasoil).

You can see the chain link that keeps the big rocks off the highway.

3. 3. French roads are asphalt and in great shape. I never saw a pothole. What I would change are the super narrow lanes on mountain roads that at times do not accommodate simultaneous traffic from both directions. But drivers are generally considerate and we work it out. On the positive side they have done a great job of fencing the rock walls to prevent loose boulders from falling.

The road makes a sharp 180 at the intersection.

4. Driving in a foreign country takes TOTAL concentration. The roads are narrow and there is no room for mistakes. You either have a car coming at you, solid wall of rock on your right or a several hundred foot drop-off on the other side. You are constantly shifting between 2^nd and 3^rd gears and on really steep grades or sharp turns into 1^st.

A bicyclist on the left means watch out for more.

This guy peddling uphill had the entire inbound traffic stopped until he cleared them.

This guy zoomed right around me not caring if another car was coming.

5. 5. France and the rest of Europe are “bicycle friendly”. Bicycles are everywhere so expect to meet them on the road. They will be on the right hand side of the road so it’s just like passing a car. If you are driving slower than cars behind you the protocol is (when safe) to turn on your right signal and slow down to let them pass. That tells the driver behind you to go ahead and pass.

There are emergency phones along the highway.

The sign says it all.

6. 6. Road signs are self explanatory, except of course when they have information you need but it’s in French.

7. 7. Toll roads are usually designated “Peage”. I took that to mean “you pay”. Have plenty of Euro coins and get in the line with the sign showing a basket with coins going in it. Otherwise you’ll be in the wrong line, the one that requires a card. An attendant will have to come out and take your money. We did this once but the cars behind us never honked or got mad. They probably figured we were foreigners who get in the wrong line occasionally.

8. 8. Motorcycles and motor scooters are as numerous as cars, especially in big cities. They like to drive between cars that are stopped at red lights and they will come right alongside of you. Just expect it. Go with the flow.

You have to know where you're going. The GPS will tell you which exit to take.

9. 9. The French love traffic circles. Vehicles already in the circle have the right of way. Entering a traffic circle you must yield. There are almost no red lights.

1 10. While we didn’t see all that many red lights, there are plenty of traffic cameras. Watch your speed on the Auto-route, designated A-8.

In the village of Coursegoules

An intersection of 5 streets. At the stop sign the cars on the left have right of way.

At narrow streets the traffic is one way controlled by who has right of way. The other guy has it.

One lane bridges are also controlled by right of way signs.

When leaving a village, you see the name with a red line through it.

We are all packed and ready to go. Our next destination is Copenhagen, Denmark where the Emerald Princess takes over the transportation skills. Au voir! Thanks for tuning in!

Entrevaux, Train des Pignes and Sospel

2011-08-07T02:04:00.003-05:00

Entrevaux & Citadel

Saturday rolled around and we were ready for another adventure. I really wanted to visit the fortified village of Entrevaux on the Var River in the region called Alps Provencales. The plan was to take the train there from Nice, but since we had a car and with it the freedom to come and go, we chose to drive instead. Nola had never been to Entrevaux so she joined us.

Boulangerie

We got up early, loaded the car, programmed the GPS and we were off. Our drive took us north out of Vence through Gattieres, turning east to the Var River, then onto the main highway going north toward Grenoble. We then turned west stopping at a little village called, Touet sur Var. When you see the word “sur” it means along side or next to as in “Touet next to the Var River”. I figured that out all by myself. J We found the local Boulangerie (bakery) for freshly made croissants.

From what I had read about the “listed beautiful village” of Entrevaux, I knew this was a must-see place! In 1690 King Louis XIV commissioned the architect, Vauban, to fortify the village as protection against neighboring Savoy (Italy). There are nine zig-zag high walls from the river up to the Citadel which overlooks the river and valley. But first things first - coffee and our croissants for MA and Nola at a local outdoor café!

The moment you walk across the river bridge (an actual draw bridge) and enter the city gates of Entrevaux on the south side of the river you are transformed back into the middle ages. The village has changed little in the last 400 years. My camera got a good “workout” as we walked around the cobble stone streets, climbed the narrow passageways, went inside a beautiful little church, and looked at the hand carved doors and hammered hinges. The cathedral, which is set into the ramparts, has an 11th century bell tower built by the Knights Templar. The cathedral also contains one of three famous Eustache organs dating from the time the Entrevaux church was the seat of a bishop.

Nola and two Knights Templar

Then quite unexpectedly we met two Knights Templar, complete with swords, ready to defend France. They graciously posed for photographs with Nola and MA. We decided not to climb the thousand steps to the Citadel and reluctantly left this great place for our next stop which was the railroad village of Puget Theniers where the Train des Pignes comes in and turns around.

MA & the two Knights Templar

The Train des Pignes is a coal-burning, steam locomotive that operates on the weekends in the summer between Puget Theniers and Entrevaux. MA in her best French (Merci, Pascale!) found out that the next train would come in at 12:10. I had really wanted a photo of this classic train but that meant hanging around for another hour. It was my sweet wife who suggested that we have some more coffee and people watch until the train arrived. Wow! I could not refuse! At 12:00 noon I crossed over the tracks and found a great spot for these photo ops.

Train des Pignes arriving at Puget Theniers

I saw the smoke first and the huge black locomotive pulling four passenger cars. The steam was chugging out the sides and the huge wheels were turning slowly as it lumbered into the station. The engineer and brakemen wore the traditional blue coveralls of the French railroad. Their faces and coveralls were all smudged black with coal
The train stopped and the passengers disembarked. The brakemen unhitched the locomotive and a box-car from the passenger cars and pushed them forward. They then backed them up on another track and turned them around to be hooked back up to the passenger cars. The train was now ready for the return trip.

Engineer

Mission accomplished vis-à-vis the train so we left for Sospel to have lunch. I had randomly chosen Sospel from a brochure at the Vence tourist office. What I didn’t realize was that it is practically on the Italian border. We avoided Italy in that MA hasn’t studied Italian since her days at the University of Mexico! Instead we followed the GPS around the mountain to yet another village on a river.

We found a local café and I ordered a steak sandwich. Have you ever had a steak sandwich on an entire loaf of French bread filled with meat AND French fries, not only French fries inside the sandwich but all over the dinner size plate! We had enough French fries for our Bible Study classroom refreshment table!

Sospel

I did my best, and after lunch we walked around for a while and then headed back to Vence. We were spoiled by Entrevaux, so made quick work of our visit and headed back to Vence.

It was time to take Nola home, so we continued up the winding mountain roads to her village, Coursegoules. We ran into some heavy fog on the drive up so we did not stay, turned around and drove safely back to the condo in Vence.

Sunday we prepare lunch for Nola and Randy at their place, then return to pack up and get ready for the next adventure, Copenhagen and beyond. Stay tuned!

Cathedral in Sospel

Nola and MA in the passenger car

Another view of Entrevaux

Vence Market Day and Shooting from the Hip

2011-08-05T11:51:00.002-05:00

Vence Market Day

Our plan today (Friday) was to walk into Vence and meet Nola and Randy at Henri’s for coffee around 10:30 am. Before we got started, MA got an exciting e-mail from Princess (Cruises). We had purchased the least expensive cabin with an obstructed view (meaning life rafts outside your window) for next week’s Baltic cruise. The e-mail contained the happy message that we had been upgraded to a much better cabin on Deck 14 and we now had a balcony with outside seating. This is the second time this has happened to us and just one of the reasons why we stick with Princess when we go these trips.

Yves, our waiter

We left the condo and walked into the center of the town. Things were already bustling with commercial activity as Friday is market day in Vence. Vendors come here from all over to set up their booths in the town square. About half of them sell wonderful fruits, tomatoes, cheeses, sausages, honey, etc. The others sell clothing and accessories and they offer real discounts compared to store prices. First though we found Nola and Randy at Henri’s. MA and Nola then took off to do some banking and check out the market and I started checking out the photo ops there.

The idea behind hiding your camera is the fact that people lose their natural candid poise the moment they see the lens pointed at them. The trick about photographing people is to not to let them know you’re taking their picture. I call it shooting from the hip. I set my camera to A (Aperture Priority), set the F-stop to 11, zoom in to max wide-angle (28mm) and set the ISO to 800 which will vary as high as 1600 and as low as 200 depending on the light. I carry the Nikon D3s (which is a big, heavy camera) across my shoulder with only the lens pointing from the front of the vest. Holding the camera with both hands I try and keep the camera where the horizon is straight. I usually walk with the sun to my back to take advantage of available light and avoid sun flairs. I just walk around pointing the Nikon at an unsuspecting subject and shoot. Some of the photos are good, others not so good (you’ll never see those). I spent almost two hours in the market. Some of the pictures are attached here.

Lars

One of the pictures is of Yves (pronounced Eve). He’s the waiter at Henri’s and if you ever had an image of a French waiter, Yves fits it to a tee. He is always polite, courteous, and speaks English, but only to me. He’s really a good guy. The other photo is Lars. Lars is from Stockholm, Sweden and lives in Vence in an apartment above Henri’s. He is an artist. Although I’ve never seen any of his work, his persona and dress, all say: “I’m an artist!” He’s also very nice and polite and speaks English to me.

Vence Market Day

Olive Salesman

Did I mention lunch? It was our turn to introduce Randy and Nola to a local outdoor restaurant where we had eaten last year when we were here. We remembered it well because it serves the greatest hamburgers and French fries. Nola was overheard telling Randy that maybe that would be their new favorite “resto”.

We started back to the condo about 3:00pm. One quick stop we made was at the local Computer store to print our new Princess boarding passes and luggage tags. While Nola made great friends with the owner’s little daughter, MA and I ended up helping them with a paper jam. They were so happy about that they would not charge us for the copies. MA left 1 euro for a “glace” (ice cream) for the little girl.

Nola is here and the two of them have been busy looking at Condo rentals for next year’s trip as we know we have fallen in love with this place and will want to come back.

One more village day-trip tomorrow, then comes the process of packing up and getting ready for the SAS flight to Copenhagen on Monday, but not before I cook Sunday lunch on Randy’s gas grill! Speaking of SAS, the weight allowance per bag (only 1 checked per passenger) is 40 pounds each within Europe (as opposed to 50 pounds each in the States). This calls for some expert planning and pre-weighing of the bags as we juggle things around to get it just right. Excess baggage fees are not something we want to pay!

Photographer selling HDR photos, we chatted a bit

Doll dressed in lavender

After the vendors packed and left, it was time for boules.

Adrian, acordianist

Stay tuned and thanks for checking in on our travels.

Wednesday & Thursday: Driving in the mountains

2011-08-04T22:25:00.004-05:00

Gattieres

Wednesday & Thursday

I got lazy yesterday or maybe a little tired from the mountain driving the last two days and so this is a two-day report. Our rental car is a 4dr Opel diesel, manual transmission, 5 forward gears. I noticed today that on most of these mountain roads I’m in 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd, rarely in 4^th and never in 5^th gear. Today I counted 14 hairpin turns on one narrow mountain road going up to a small village named Falicon.

Saint Jeannett

There are “rules of the road”, even on these mountain routes. For example, it’s always best to pull over as far as you can and stop to let a bus pass from the opposite direction. If it’s safe and you’re being tailgated, put on your right blinker, slow down, and this tells the car behind to go ahead and pass you. Sometimes they “wink” back with their tail lights. And last but most important, if you ever decide to rent a car in a foreign country, DO NOT DRIVE WITHOUT a GPS!!

Today MA and I started from Vence and headed toward the “medieval village” of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. We drove along the planned route which took us through Nice in heavy traffic, and up to a beautiful hilltop community that overlooked the port of Nice on one side and Monaco on the other. It wasn’t our idea of a medieval village but the multi-million dollar homes were amazing. We later found out that Elton John has a home in that neighborhood as does Tina Turner. We were not invited into to either place however!

So we decided to head back to Nice because MA wanted to get her feet wet in the Mediterranean Sea. We first maneuvered through town, only went the wrong way once on a one-way street (!) and found a parking garage close to the market and the beach. After breakfast at a sidewalk café we crossed the Promenade de Anglais and joined hundreds of others enjoying the sun, the view and the water.

Scenes from the Nice market

The beaches here are not sandy. Instead they are covered with millions of flat gray rocks. We gingerly made our way close to the water, spread out two towels and walked down to the water. It was way too cold for me so I just got my feet wet and that was it.

I could not walk on the rocks barefooted and needed MA to get my sandals so I could get back to the towels. She wanted to stay there a while and I decided to walk along the Promenade and photograph a famous hotel called Le Negresco, and also a beautiful carousel in a nearby park. After this, I got back to MA and she was ready to leave so we packed up and headed out of Nice.

medieval village Cagnes sur Mur

We decided to try and find some other perched villages but we were spoiled by earlier day trips and while these were nice to drive by we didn’t stop at any. Lunch was at a roadside café in a small village called Gairaut. The only thing they served was the “plat du jour” - pork tenderloin, baked potato, salad and bread. Did I mention it was great!

Our travels then took us back toward Vence and we decided to stop at a place Nola suggested, the medieval village of Cagnes sur Mer. This little village has a huge fortress on the top of the hill and attracts a lot of visitors. The pay-to-park lot is something else. It is sixteen floors below the entrance with room for 160 cars and it’s all automated. You pull into the entrance slot, remove the antenna, set your brake, get out, and the doors close. The car is automatically moved to its numbered slot down below. DO NOT lose your ticket! It has your car’s location number on it!

We walked around the village and I got some great pictures of medieval architecture. On the way back we stopped at McDonald’s so MA could take advantage of the WiFi and get her Apps on the IPAD up to date and play Word with Friends with her granddaughter Jillian and daughter-in-law Sue.

Tomorrow (Friday) is market day in the Vence village square and we’ll check all that out, meet Nola and Randy for coffee at Henri’s and then did I mention lunch!! Nola is spending the night again tomorrow and we will have one more day-trip with her on our agenda for Saturday.

Sunday we are bringing all the lunch fixings to Nola and Randy’s. Randy has a neat grill and I miss my grill at home so I get to be chef of the day! J

View from Cagnes

Wisdom

Monday it’s off to Copenhagen where the weather report is predicting rain. We only have one day there and then we board the Emerald Princess for the Baltic Sea ports and St. Petersburg, Russia. Then it’s home sweet home! Don’t touch that dial, there’s more coming later so stay tuned!

The Village of Tourtour and “old town Nice”

2011-08-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

The Village of Tourtour and “old town Nice”

Village of Ampus

My goal today was to visit Tourtour: one of the listed “Most Beautiful Villages of France” located about 70km from Vence. Happily Nola had said that she had long wanted to visit the same village too! So we all set out Tuesday morning early with the GPS programmed and “angel” guiding our way.

Tourtour

The day trip took us first into Cagnes sur Mer where we got on the French toll Expressway, A8. About an hour later we arrived, found the local parking lot and walked into town. I can see why it is listed as a most beautiful village. It looks like it belongs in the 1800’s with little changes in its appearance from that time. Nola and MA decided to have a light breakfast which gave me the time I wanted to wander around and photograph the doors, door knockers, streets, etc. I walked back to the café there in the square and joined them.

There are a lot of bicyclists in France and all through Europe for that matter. Next to our table there in Tourtour was a group of about 10 cyclists, all ages too I might add, some of the men looked older than me even! Of course they’re all in great, great shape form pedaling up and down those mountain roads. I’ve noticed that more men are on bikes than women and they all dress like they’re riding in the Tour de France with Lycra shirt, shorts, bicycle shoes, and a helmet. They go from village to village stopping to rest and fill their water bottles from the local fountains.

Tourtour

We continued on, driving to the villages of Ampus, Entrecasteaux, and Contignac but just looked, didn’t stop. We were headed back to visit “old town Nice” when I happened to spot a sign pointing to the Abbey Thoronet, a Cisitercian abbey that I had wanted to visit and photograph. So we make a quick right turn and took the detour there and I’m so glad we did.

Thoronet Abbey

It is a magnificent piece of Renaissance architecture which reflects the philosophy of the Cistercian monks who lived there. Their world was one of extreme solitude. The chapel and abbey have no decorations or ornaments to distract their attention to Christ. The only place they could converse was the “parlor” and only to discuss work assignments for the next day. MA and Nola had a long conversation about this kind of worship versus the Great Commission of Jesus to go out into the world and teach everyone what He had taught them. I think the upshot is there are many ways of worship and service!

Back to the Abbey! The stone walls caused their chants to have a long echo so they had to sing slowly and in perfect harmony. It is no longer used by the monks but is now a museum and tourist attraction. When it was time to say goodbye to the Abbey we cranked up the GPS and resumed our return to Nice (pronounced Niece).

Nice is the third largest city in France, it sits right on the Mediterranean, and has the traffic congestion to match. Luckily and with Nola’s guidance, we finally found a place to park. The streets of the “old town” are pedestrian only and they were packed wall to wall with tourists, shoppers, and folks drinking coffees, or having lunch, or eating ice cream. Just take a look at the photo I took.

It being 3:00pm, we decided to have lunch and then walk around some more. The place was still crowded and I’m glad either Nola or MA, it didn’t matter, suggested it was time to get back to Vence! I was ready. Tomorrow it’s off to the village of Grasse, a sightseeing little train ride through the city and did I mention lunch!!

See ya!!

Four Perched Villages: St.Jeannet, Carros, Gattieres, and LeBroc

2011-08-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

We have figured out that eating in restaurants is not in the budget. Yesterday our lunch bill was forty-six euros, about fifty-five to sixty dollars, and believe me it wasn't fancy. So off we went to the one and only large supermarket this morning, only to discover ground beef is about $9.00 a pound. Oh well. That's what frozen pizzas are for, isn't it?

We had lunch with Nola and Randy at a friend's restaurant, he comped our beverages and we had the daily special. Randy went on to do their shopping and Nola stayed with us. We hit the road in the afternoon taking in four perched villages close to Vence. They are St. Jeannet, Carros, Gattieres and LeBroc. All four sit on top of a small mountain and are as old as dirt. I think, in fact, the oldest had a date inscribed on the wall: 1666.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few thousand words for you in pictures! Bottom line, We went, we saw, I photographed. That about sums up the rest of the day. Nola is staying overnight with us so we can get an early start tomorrow as we head west from Vence to other villages. Yes, it's been all about villages, but each one is unique, special and beautiful. Voila the photos.

Four Perched Villages of the Cote d’Azur

2011-07-31T11:22:00.000-05:00

Coaraze

Four Perched Villages of the Cote d’Azur

MA and I began our day early leaving Vence around 8am heading to four perched villages in the mountains above the French Mediterranean coast. The first village, Coaraze, was duly entered into the GPS and “Angel” whose voice we hear from the Garmin began giving directions. We drove south to the A8 and then east and turned north.

Coaraze sits on a high rocky mountain top surrounded by forest and olive trees. The houses in the village date back to the middle ages. It has narrow cobble stone streets and vaulted passageways. The drive up was a twisting, narrow, sometimes treacherous road. But it did make for some nice photos.

Luceram

We then continued on to our next village known as Luçeram, another medieval village perched on a mountain top. We managed to find a parking spot and decided it was time for coffee. Walking into town I noticed some French gentleman seated on benches in front of a pizza place, clearly enjoying their Sunday morning visit. I really wanted a photo of these guys but did not want them to see me doing it. So we got a table at a little café across from them and I put my camera on the table and pointed it at them and let the auto focus do its magic.

MA and I had café crèmes and the waiter guessed that she was practicing her French and very politely helped her with some pronunciation. I’ve noticed the locals in this part of France are very hospitable and friendly, especially if you try to speak their language. As we were enjoying the local activity in the village, two cyclists pulled up to the town fountain right in front of us to fill their water bottles. I don’t see how they can make it biking up some of these mountains given that I had to put our rented Opel Diesel in 2^nd and 3^rd gear just to get where we were!

Peillon

Our next stop was the village of Peillon. I counted 12 hairpin U-turns on the narrow mountain road as we wound our way up there. This little village is a picturesque as can be. All of the houses adjoin each other and the entire village is made up from a steep stone wall. This is a pedestrian only village, meaning you park and walk up to its cobble stone streets.

Eze

On our trip back to Vence we detoured for a Photo Op at Eze and then headed toward the Mediterranean via the high roads above Nice. Our intention was to eat there but we could not find a place to park so we told “Angel” to “beam us back to Vence”.

Nice

We arrived safe and sound and had lunch, somewhat pleased with ourselves and “Angel” for getting us everywhere and happy for all those French lessons with Pascale Sharpe at L’Alliance Francaise in Houston. Suffice to say, without Nola along, all that studying came in very handy!

See ya!

Two Days on the Road Chasing Lavender & Sunflowers

2011-07-30T20:12:00.001-05:00

MA & Nola in front Gordes

Two Days on the Road Chasing Lavender & Sunflowers

I have long had the desire to experience and photograph the famous Lavender fields of the south of France. Last year when we were here it was too late in the season for that. So after we got home I began researching the timing and best places to visit these beautiful purple fields.

MA and I were very fortunate that her sister’s best friend Karen wanted to lease her condo in July, coincidentally right in the middle of Lavender season. So we planned accordingly and here we are!

The Lavender fields are mostly grown and harvested around the areas of Apt-Gordes in the Vaucluse, Sault, and the Valensole valleys. My camera-ready plan was to hit all three during a two-day road trip.

We started out early Thursday morning. MA’s sister Nola came along as an extra pair of eyes and companion French speaker to MA’s classroom French. MA’s doing quite well in French and I’m proud of her and Nola speaks like a native! I had my packed Garmin GPS with a SD chip of Europe but forgot the car cord for it. God was watching out for me because I found one in Vence just before we left.

We left Vence and drove down to Cagnes sur Mer and got on the French freeway designated A8. It is a toll road and our trip to Cavallon cost us about $20.

By the way! Here’s a hint about pronouncing French words. Don’t pronounce the last letter. The city of Cannes is pronounced “caun.” I don’t know how many times MA and Nola reminded me of that as I talked about our itinerary.

We got off the A8 and drove north to our town, Gordes (gord). You’re now speaking French! Gordes is listed in the Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France). Needless to say I photographed it extensively and if you look at the photograph you can see why.

Our next stop was the Village de Bories, an ancient hamlet of flat stone buildings. Along the way I began to have some concerns about the reason for our trip because the lavender fields we were coming up on had already been harvested leaving only the green round stalks.

Undaunted, we enjoyed a walk-through Bories and then headed the short distance to the Abbey de Senanque. In every photograph I’ve ever seen of it, there is a lavender field in front of the building. This time I was not disappointed.

Senanque Abbey

Our next destination was Apt. Again I noticed that most of the lavender fields had already been cut. We decided to keep going toward another “listed beautiful village” called Roussillon. We were not alone in this decision and as a result could not find a place to park there. So we headed on to Murs where MA had booked a hotel, only to arrive and find it all locked up.

There was nothing else for us to do but press ahead, so we programmed the GPS to the north to the town of Sault, an old perched village situated on a high ridge with a valley of lavender fields below it.

The view from Sault

Some of the fields there were in the process of being harvested, but there was still plenty others to admire and I got lots of photos of the beauty of this purple landscape. We drove into the village and it was as crowded as Roussillon. Undaunted MA and Nola managed to find a very nice hotel in the middle of town named Le Signoret. It was clean, quiet, and very affordable.

The two sisters decided to walk around town and I took off down the valley - camera in tow. I found an old medieval village named Aurel and it made for a great photograph. When I got back to Sault, MA and Nola were strolling around enjoying the sights of the town. Did I mention they hadn’t stopped talking yet!!

We sat down at an outdoor café and a nice young American named Barry stopped by our table very happy to hear some American English. He was from Georgia and works as a computer programmer. His European adventure was to bicycle by himself from Switzerland, through France, to Italy and back. I asked him how he got bike over there and he said that it comes apart and he packs it up as luggage. He obviously enjoyed some good ole USA companionship over a cup of coffee.

Sault turned out to be a great stop. We were off again in the morning heading east toward Vence. Along the way we drove to the beautiful village of Simiane le Rotondo. It sits high on a hill and is surrounded by lavender fields. This little village goes back to the middle ages and its main feature is a huge stone rotunda dating back to the 12^th century when it was used for by the Simaine-Agoult family for music performances. It has been restored and still used for traditional music concerts.

Our journey east and south took us to the large town of Forcalquier and a very nice café for coffee. While the girls continued their nonstop reminiscing and conversations I wandered around for an hour and photographed the local culture: doors, store fronts, signs, etc. Leaving Forcalquier, we went on through a place called Manosque.

Our next lavender area was the Valensole valley. Not to my surprise most of the lavender there had already been harvested leaving only green round stubs in the field. Happily I did manage to find some sunflower fields which Nola spotted.

Mousteirs Sainte Marie

Our next to last stop of the day was the beautiful village of Mousteirs Sainte Marie. Like other villages of the middle ages it also sits high on a ridge with majestic rocky cliffs behind it. Its beauty attracts a lot of tourists and they were there this Friday. We found a parking place and decided to have lunch in a nearby outdoor café. As soon as I was finished, I excused myself to go wandering around this crowded but beautiful place.

Mousteirs is famous for its ceramics known as Falence Pottery. There are numerous shops which sell this pottery and dishes. I took a look inside a shop and met Bruno LOUIS whose painted ceramics are world famous. It was really interesting watching him work.

Tourretes sur Loup at sunset

We soon moved on toward Vence, stopping at Tourrettes sur Loup to let me photograph this beautiful perched village. Nola lived and worked at the Burger Bistro here in the 70’s and 80’s and has some very interesting stories to tell about life in France back then.

All in all, the two-day road trip was a huge success. We had a great time and I accomplished many of my photography goals.

Rainy Day Rental Car

2011-07-27T13:56:00.000-05:00

Our 2nd full day in Vence started out with dark cloudy skies. The plan was to drive to Nice Airport, about 10 km away, and pick up a rental car at Alamo. At 10am when Randy and Nola arrived to take us the skies opened up and it started raining. The trip to Nice was slow and careful. We picked up a 4dr Opel diesel and made our way back to Vence in the rain with Nola giving me directions. I used to drive a stick shift manual transmission years ago. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. You never forget how.

We made it back to Vence and to the Brasserie Victoire for lunch. I had left my Garmin GPS auto plug at home so Randy and I walked to a cell phone store and to my surprise they had a cord that fit the Garmin Nuvi. I really needed this cord because Nola, MA and yours truly are going on a two to three day journey tomorrow and the next day. The GPS with my European chip is invaluable and works like a charm over here. We are headed for the Vaucluse and the lavender fields of Provence. I hope to get some really exceptional photos of these blue flower fields. We will be gone for the next two days and no blog until Saturday.

This is as close as I got to lavender last year. It was for sale outside a small perfume shop in Gordon. We'll pick up the travel blog when we get back. Going cold turkey without the computer or internet!!

Vence: Around Town

2011-07-27T02:38:00.000-05:00

Vence: Around Town

Old Village Plot

Vence is an old medieval town, not a perched village, but a walled city. The high wall surrounded the village for protection from pirates of the Mediterranean. The ramparts were built in the 13^th Century. As you walk the narrow streets you can see its age in old wooden carved doors and arched doorways.

My first full day in Vence began shortly after sunrise partially due to the change in time zones and mild insomnia. My first challenge was to figure out how to make a pot of coffee in a Melitta carafe coffee maker. This is a tall cylinder shaped pot with a lid with a push pull strainer. Coffee makes when you combine boiling water and coffee. I pushed the strainer all the way down, added about 3-4 tablespoons of coffee and poured the boiling water on top. I let it dissolve for about 5 minutes and lifted the coffee grounds out of the carafe. Coffee. It was not my Mr. Coffee but would do for now. MA woke up after 11 hours of sleep. I got my walking shoes on and I headed out the door, walking to the Matisse Chapel to take some photos of this famous landmark of Vence.

The Rosary Chapel or Matisse Chapel, was an idea of the artist. He wanted to create a monument of sacred art. Matisse worked on this project from 1948 to 1951, drawing plans for the building, designing the interior and ceramics. Every detail in the chapel has his signature.

On my walk up to the Chapel I crossed a Roman looking bridge over a small estuary. I was an hour too early to get inside so I took some photos from the exterior in the soft morning light. The Matisse Chapel is in the above photo.

Got back to our apartment ready to meet Randy and Nola at Henry’s for coffee. On our way into Vence we stopped at the Hotel Diana and said hello to the owners, Cecelia and Paul. What amazed me was MA’s French. She is in her wecond year of learning the French language and listening to her converse with these two, well she’s come a long way. We continued on to Henry’s and found Nola had our favorite table (for people watching). The town attracts a lot of European tourist as well as Texans. I heard, in addition to French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch from people passing by and at adjoining tables.

Henry's

Typical French outdoor cafe

After coffee we walked around the old town and decided to have lunch in the old square at the Restaurant Clemenceau. As we sat down, a funeral began for a man who recently died. It started with flower upon flower deliveries and culminated in the Hearst arriving and a large crowd gathering outside the church. Randy and Nola had known the man. He was a flower salesman. He must have been someone highly respected because a lot of people, about 200, gathered outside the church for the funeral mass.

My lunch consisted of a pizza which was not bad. We were off to a French supermarket to get some groceries for the next few days.This supermarket is similar to Krogers. What got my attention was how the store controlled losing its shopping baskets and getting the customer to return them to a stack. To get a shopping basket(push cart) you have to insert a 1 Euro coin into a slot which unlocks a chain. The basket is then free from the row of baskets it is attached to. After shopping you bring the basket back to the stack and lock the basket with the chain and you get your coin back. They don’t have to send the sackers out hunting down baskets and customers don’t leave them in the parking lot. I wonder if Kroger would think of doing this?

Well we got back before it started raining, got the groceries put up. MA finally got her phone to work with a European SIM card. She’s happy. If I could only figure out how to get the wireless on her IPAD to work? Today is Wednesday, expecting storms today, but we're off to Nice to get our rental car, a new adventure for me, driving the narrow French windy roads!

Houston to Vence, France: Day 1

2011-07-26T04:05:00.000-05:00

Old town of Vence from our balcony with Med behind it

MA and I left IAH Sunday evening around 6pm on Continental and arrived in Frankfurt around 1pm Monday. The flight over was uneventful. The food was the best ever on an airplane. I had some kind of Southwester chicken that was not bad and real Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. I could
not sleep so I practically read a Tom Clancy novel over the Atlantic. Our transfer from United (Continental) to Lufthansa went real smooth. Last year was chaotic and rushed. We were directed out of the terminal and had to go back through security. This time we walked off our plane, down a terminal and we were right at the gate for the flight to Nice. By the way, we've noticed the European flight attendants seemed to be more friendly that their USA counter-parts.

We arrived in Nice at 2pm local time. Our three bags arrived with us. We were met by Randy and Nola. They were so glad to see us. I don't think MA and Nola stopped talking the rest of the day. We got to our rented condo owned by a friend of Nola's. Her name is Karen. This is a really nice condo with a gorgeous view of Vence and the surrounding homes. We finally figured out how to get on line so the blog will be written during our stay here. We walked into Vence late in the day and went shopping for food the next couple of days.

One of the hotels in Vence likes to put ceramic cats in their windows

I had been up over 30 hours but still managed to take a few photos on our walk into the heart of Vence. I'll have more to share in the coming days. Later, Wayne

Like last year, the doors are still a great photo.

Packing for a Month

2011-07-17T17:14:00.001-05:00

M.A. and I will be gone for nearly a month beginning July 24th; two weeks in France and almost 2 weeks on the Emerald Princess from Copenhagen and returning to Copenhagen. Here are some ideas to lessen the stress of traveling.
1. Carry minimum amount of luggage: For me I got everything in one checked bag. I'm carrying my camera equipment in one shoulder bag and my laptop, cords, converters and plugs, reference material (maps), GPS, etc. in a backpack.
2. Roll your clothes into tight bundles or use vacuum shrink bags. Buy and wear easy light weight clothing like Ex Officio.
3. Look at the clothes you're taking and get rid of anything you can do without. Don't take anything that you will not wear. Put an identifiable tag on your bag. I have a bright florescent green cord on mine. Keep your tag covered so some thief can read your name and address and phone number.
4. Use space in your bag wisely like packing your shoes with stuff; ie. socks.
5. Don't advertise your gear to thieves. Do you carry Nikon or Canon cameras and lenses? Do they pay you to advertise for them? No. So get rid of the loge strap. Cover the name on lens caps, camera, etc. with tape.
6. We are going on a cruise in the Baltic. It might get cool in the evening. I'm bringing a light jacket and wearing it on the plane. Wear your heaviest clothing.

Those are the tips of the day. Excuse me I've got to find a charging cord for my MP3. See ya.

Night Photography in St. Petersburg, Russia

2011-07-16T05:39:00.000-05:00

Downtown Houston from Hobby Center parking garage

This cruise MA and I are going on in August takes us to St. Petersburg, Russia. This will be the first time our cruise ship will stay docked over night at a port. The usual protocol is for the ship to arrive early in the morning, passengers depart for a tour or walk-off and we're back on by 4pm and the ship departs for another port. This cruise we'll stay overnight at St. Petersburg, Russia. I want to take advantage of this overnight stay and get some night shots of the "white nights" this city is know for. What complicates matters is the lack of a Russian visa. Russia requires a visa if you're not with a "licensed tour operator." So I've been searching for such a guide and there are not many of them. I may just have to hire one of the licensed guides myself if I am going to do this. I'll let you know how this turns out. Here's an example of some night photography in downtown Houston.

View of downtown Houston from Buffalo Bayou

Upcoming Travels & Request for Email Sign Up

2011-06-01T18:44:00.005-05:00

Gordes, Sault & Valensole destinations

Mary Alice and I are headed back to the south of France next month. We're going back to Vence in the Cote D'Azur for two weeks. Instead of staying in a $100/day hotel we are renting a friend's condo with a beautiful view of Vence and the surrounding countryside. My photography plans this year include a trip to the lavender and sunflower fields of the Vaucluse which includes Gordes (one of France's most beautiful villages) and the Senanque Abbey. We'll also visit the lavender fields around Sault and then head east into the Valensole valley and then back to Vence. With a rental car I am planning on photographing some of the landscapes that make up this part of the world. I'll be posting photographs of these places on the blog.

We depart France and fly to Copenhagen for the start of a cruise in the Baltic.

Ports of Call:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Oslo, Norway
Aarhus, Denmark
Warnemunde, Germany
Tallinn, Estonia
St.Petersburg, Russia
Helsinki, Finland and
back to Copenhagen.

So that's the schedule folks. At different locations we will be able to write and send the blog. In the past I would write the blog in Word, cut and paste it to the internet and then log onto Yahoo and send you and email. When you sign up for the email at the top of the blog, you'll get it automatically saving me having to cut and paste the URL to an email and then send that out.

Therefore, go to the top of the blog and enter your email address and click on submit. It remains completely private. Then go to your email and verify the register by clicking on the link.
Thanks, Wayne

Day 7: At Sea, Galveston tomorrow

2011-04-23T16:46:00.001-05:00

Day 7: At Sea, Galveston tomorrow

Our final day at sea was spent relaxing and packing. We began with a walk around the promenade deck before breakfast and the rest of the morning at the adult pool area. I met a retired cop from NYPD and we talked shop for a while. Did you know that there are over 50,000 cops in New York City while Houston only has about 5,000? We don’t have near the population as NYC but that’s a lot of cops in the Big Apple. MA and checked out the hot tub until I began to melt so we decided lunch was a logical next step. There we me a great couple from Rochester, NY, Howard and Lynn Smith. They were on their 18^th cruise. We learned that they are traveling Christians like ourselves so we had a lot in common. Howard is a Physicians Assistant and Lynn is in education.

After lunch we packed our bags and tagged them and placed them outside our cabin. The crew picks them up and hopefully they’ll be waiting on shore when we disembark tomorrow morning. We’ve been told we might we delayed because of fog in Galveston. No problem. We love life on ships.

This has been a great cruise. We met a lot of wonderful people, seen some great sights and MA has relaxed enough to read four mystery novels. We hope you have enjoyed reading about our travels. If so, please leave a comment at the bottom. We look forward to your thoughts and opinions. Au voir and so long until next time! May the God of heaven and earth continue to bless you and keep you. And, remember Easter is not about a bunny rabbit. It is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Day 6: Cozumel

2011-04-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico

After I sent yesterday’s blog MA and I went to dinner at our restaurant on the ship called the Magic Flute around 7:30. I mention this because we met a couple from Washington, D.C., Royce and Ginny Walters. Both work for the Dept. of Homeland Security. They were celebrating Royce’s return after spending eighteen months in Bagdad as the liaison for HS. Royce is a former Navy rescue swimmer and served in both Gulf wars. Ginny is a recruiter for Homeland Security. They were a delightful and interesting couple.

We arrived early this morning at Cozumel, an island off the Yucatan peninsula. If there ever was a destination in the world that was designed for cruise ships, this is the place. The Voyager of the Seas pulled up to the dock and began discharging passengers. Another Royal Caribbean ship was right behind us and it also docked and discharged its passengers. There were 3 other cruise ships docked at Cozumel at various other locations. I’m guessing about 15,000 tourists in all descended on this busy place today.

MA and I disembarked about 9am with no real plan to do anything specific. I decided to just take my small Canon G9 camera and see what was out there.

As we walked through the cruise terminal huskers, sales people, shop owners greeted us and urged us to check out their stores. This is constant no matter which way you turn. We just smiled, said good morning and continued our way out. We got a cab which took us about three miles down the beach to what I thought was the old town. We never found it. We did find the souvenir shops, jewelry stores, cigar stores, and everything else stores. Each store there also had sales people urging us inside to see their merchandise with “big discounts for cruise passengers”. I did not marry a shopper, thank God, so we just walked around.

Fidel and I are good buddies

One small hiccup was being stopped by a young man, who looked like a local, asking us if we spoke Spanish. Mindful of our experiences in Spain where this is way pickpockets get close enough to pick your pockets, MA turned to him and said, “No! Francés!” He was definitely not prepared to hear that and we went on our way unscathed.

After a nice walk we caught a cab back to the terminal and boarded the ship. We thought it would be a great idea to get our bathing suits on and spend the rest of the day by the pool.

Cozumel and the other destinations on this trip are great if you snorkel or dive. Most of the shore tours are geared around water activities. We just didn’t want to do the water thing this time.

Well, it’s about time to get ready for dinner so I’ll say so long for now. MA’s asking me to go to the pre-dinner show, a tribute to Elvis! Oh well. Like I said, she’s not a shopper! We have tomorrow at sea and we arrive in Galveston Sunday morning.

Day 5: Belize

2011-04-21T18:05:00.001-05:00

Day 5: Belize

Before we get to today in Belize meet our tablemates from last evening, the Stoeckles from The Woodlands: Scott, wife Sheryl and their charming daughter Kathleen, who I think is twelve years old. Scott is an air traffic controller who plans to retire in December. He said that he might as well do that since they won’t let him sleep on the job anymore, just a joke of course. They were a delight to talk to over the evening meal.

The Voyager of the Seas arrived in Belize early this morning (Thursday) and anchored off shore. We had to meet our tour group at 7am and had ordered room service to be delivered between 6:30am and 7:00am, counting on them to be early like they had been every other morning this week. It was not to be! With ten minutes to go and no breakfast, MA took off for the open café and brought back two coffees and blueberry muffins.

As we were heading out the door, room service finally arrived but we had to leave our trays behind. This afternoon when we got back from the tour, we had an apology from them along with a platter of chocolate dipped strawberries. And we hadn’t even complained. We think our cabin attendant must have told them she found untouched breakfast trays.

Cruise ships to Belize anchor quite a ways offshore because there is a barrier reef that prevents them from docking at a pier. Passengers go ashore using Catamaran tenders.

Our tour for the day was the Belize Wildlife tour consisting of a 25 mile boat ride up the Old Belize River, then lunch and a visit to the Belize zoo. Our guides were Jerry who was the wildlife expert and Peter who was the Belize lifestyle and history expert.

There were 20 of us and as we zipped toward the river bouncing along at 40 miles per we were told that if we didn’t know how to swim, today would be a good day to learn! This was followed by a warning to hang onto our hats because “we don’t stop for hats unless there’s a body attached.” Fortunately no one lost any hats or had to learn how to swim!

On the trek up the river we saw manatees, red-headed parrots, numerous fly-catchers, fresh water crocodiles, a raccoon-like animal called a tapacula, also herons and egrets very similar to what we see in Texas.

Boat-billed heron, similar to our Yellow-crowned Night heron

After a couple of hours we arrived at the end of the river portion of our tour at a rest area where we had lunch. Jerry said we would have their national dish, “rice and beans.” Or, if we didn’t like rice and beans we could opt for their other dish, beans and rice. He also said that they would be served with iguana. However, the so-called iguana turned out to be chicken. Cokes were free but diet cokes were $2.00. Still working on that logic.

Tapacula

After lunch we boarded a bus for a short ride to the Belize Zoo. We were told not to expect elephants, camels, or giraffes, only animals native to Belize. I just really don’t like zoos and left the guided walk and made my way to the entrance where I found a seat in the shade. We were bused back to the port where we got back on a tender and returned to the ship. MA and I had a light snack and chilled out on our balcony enjoying the view of the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean.

Cozumel tomorrow (Friday). The week sure is going by fast.

Chachalaca at the zoo

Day 4: Roatan, Honduras

2011-04-20T18:12:00.000-05:00

Day 4: Roatan Island, Honduras

We docked at Roatan Island, Honduras at 7:30 this morning. We were already up having our morning coffee at 6:30 and enjoyed watching the procedure. The tie down lines from the ship had to be secured to two small concrete islands in the bay which necessitated workers being taken by motor boat to tie off the ship.

We got ready for the day. Our nature tour to Gumbalima Park didn’t leave until 10am, so after a great breakfast we decided to walk off the ship and see the welcoming native band on the dock. There were ten performers dressed in native costumes. The men were dressed like women and we learned later that when the conquistadors arrived in the 16^th century they took all the males away as slaves. To avoid being taken, the males learned to dress as females.

Promptly at 10am we were met on the dock by our guide for the day, Nelson Garnett. We boarded a small tour bus for a 20 minute ride to the park. Gumbalima is a private reserve built for the tourist trade on Roatan. It has a resident flock of brightly colored macaws, which we did not see except for the ones in large enclosures. We were overly warned about the monkeys, white-faced capachino. We were told they would take your glasses, earrings, hearing aids, open your bags and pockets looking for food. Fortunately none of that came to pass.

Emerald-green hummingbird

The park is beautiful with many orchids, tropical flowers, plants, trees and some wild birds. I saw a group of 10 Tennessee warblers filling themselves before making the flight across the Gulf of Mexico. I did find a Red-vented (Yucatan) woodpecker in the dense undergrowth.

After walking through the park we arrived back where we started and returned to our ship around 1:30pm just in time for lunch. After a nap, some reading of our mystery novels and watching a little TV, we went out on the balcony to watch the ship get ready to pull away from the dock at 5:00 pm.

All the passengers were warned to be on board no later than 4pm but there must have been at least forty folks who “didn’t get the memo”. MA watched one officer “scold” a late arrival pointing to his watch. They were not interested in what he had to say and kept on walking up the gangway. Some folks just have a different steel drum to beat I guess. Belize is next!

Day 3: At Sea, again.

2011-04-20T08:28:00.001-05:00

Day 3: At Sea, again.

Day 3 started just like day 2, coffee in the cabin at 6:30, a walk around the promenade deck and breakfast in the buffet. We spent the rest of the morning on deck 11 at the adult pool reading and people watching. Lunch was a sit down with a waiter instead of the buffet and we met some folks from Texas and California. One couple we had actually met before on an Alaskan cruise. It is a small world after all!

I took MA to a movie at 4pm called “The Switch” with Jennifer Anniston. It’s about a single woman who wants to be a mom. Her BFF (best friend forever) is secretly in love with her but she doesn’t see that. She ends up having a very cute little boy she named Sebastian, the BFF turns out to be the father after-all and so they get married and live happily ever after!

At 6:30 pm we went to a cruise comedy show and once again we walked out within ten minutes. The comedian was a big woman, 50-ish, from North Carolina but her brand of humor was rather crude and we were disappointed and, truth be told, surprised because there were a lot of children in that early evening audience.

We went to supper at eight and met two other couples from Ft. Worth. There was no mistake about them being Texan from the accent. We finished the night with dessert in one of the cafes along the Grand Promenade.

As you can tell the first part of this trip has been rather laid back and that’s a good thing for MA after an intense income tax “season”. On day 4 we go ashore in Honduras. Looking forward to that.

We arrived in Roatan, Honduras this morning. It was foggy and a balmy 80 degrees. Here is a photo of the dock, more to follow on day 4 (hopefully).

Day 2: At Sea

2011-04-19T10:43:00.001-05:00

Day 2: At Sea

The word for Day 2 was relaxation. We watched the sunrise, had coffee in the room and headed out to the Promenade deck for a walk around the ship. It seemed like we were the only ones up that early and we pretended the ship was ours alone.

Next on the agenda was breakfast at the buffet and then on to the adults only swimming pool. Given that there are about 1000 or more kids on board, we were glad they had all the other pools to play in. One thing about the pools though. The water is freezing which is a disappointment. We took books to read, I started my Tom Clancy novel and promptly fell asleep!

Later on, I saw that MA was enjoying conversations with the folks next to her so I decided to go get the computer and go online to send out yesterday’s travel blog. I quickly learned that Royal Caribbean thinks their passengers are more computer savvy than I am because getting the internet on this ship is a very complicated procedure. Then at 65 cents a minute, one tends to “type fast” and log off. Unfortunately for me, the log off didn’t work and I was charged for 48 minutes when my online time was really 3 minutes. Fortunately for me the passenger services clerk was very helpful and credited my account for the 48 minutes.

While I was fussing with all that, MA went to an ice skating show. The rink was about the size of an Olympic pool and she was amazed at what those skaters were able to do. Monday evening was formal night. We set up the tripod, put the Nikon on timer and took our own formal pictures. Then it was on to dinner where we met some nice folks from Dallas, Oregon and Nevada.

Sunrise 3rd Day

Galveston in the Sunset

2011-04-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

Day 1: Galveston in the Sunset

Mary Alice (MA) and I finished packing Sunday morning, got and loaded up the car. We also made sure to bring 8 bottles of water. Its 4 bucks a liter on the ship!

We had pre-paid our parking, so I entered their address into the GPS and we were off to Galveston about 11:00 am. As we got closer to the dock area the GPS showed we still had a ways to go. I realized that I had entered the incorrect address of the parking lot. We quickly made a u-turn and found the “Cruise Parking” lot and the end of Harborside Drive. I ducked into a convenience store and while MA pulled into the adjacent parking lot. “Jose” quickly showed up to load our stuff into the shuttle. I got my camera case and the bag with all the water and we were off.

Our van driver introduced himself as Jack Morgan and I thought he said “Jack Kevorkian”. I said, “This is a round trip cruise isn’t it? Because I thought you said Kevorkian.” He thought that was funny and asked if he could use it. Jack never met a traffic law he like and this included the turning lane, red lights, and the speed limit, but we arrived at the cruise terminal in one piece.

As we were loading out luggage on the cart with the ship’s porter we realized that we were missing one suitcase. Panic was my first reaction and then I did a mental inventory distinctly remembering loading all our bags into the car. (I missed one once and let’s just say MA had a lot of fun going shopping!)

But what I hadn’t done was to make sure “Jose” got all the bags out of the car. I left MA at the dock and quickly headed back to the parking lot. I opened the truck of the car and there it was: one very lonesome suitcase. Whew! I hate to go shopping!

Back at the terminal we started the check-in process. The security line wasn’t too bad and we got through only to be escorted to the bottled water table where they confiscated all our water until we return to Galveston. Princess doesn’t have this problem. First comparative observation!

We rounded the corner from there and to our dismay we encountered a sea of at least 500-700 people slowly moving in very long winding lines to the ship check-in counter. This is where they check your passport again, take your credit card information for onboard charges and give you your cruise card.

Our spot in the line waited, at the very end! Honestly, it was unlike anything you’ve ever seen, even in Disneyland. We also noticed almost everybody was speaking Spanish. MA eavesdropped long enough to recognize the folks as families from Mexico, big families, and she told me they love to travel and usually pick Easter week for one of their vacations.

This part of the process started at 2pm and we finally walked aboard over two hours later. MA was busy working out a better check in system in her mind and she plans to write NCL!

I was not in the mood to let anyone take my picture but there they were, the cheery ship’s photographers, wanting to take our “happy boarding experience photo”. We were polite, smiled as best we could and then walked up the gangway. While waiting to step aboard I asked the gentleman behind us to take a photo of us. I handed him my little Canon G9 and to my surprise we both really did look happy in the photo.

We are on Deck 6 in room 6634. It is aft and on the port side (left). At about 6PM the ship pulled away from the dock, made a u-turn and traversed the Galveston ship channel and into the Gulf. My last sight of Galveston was the sun going down behind it.

We are at sea for two days. Our first port of call is Roatan, Honduras.

NOT Packing Light: We're driving to the ship.

2011-04-08T14:49:00.011-05:00

MA and I leave tomorrow, April 17th, for a seven-day cruise from Galveston, about 70 miles from our home, aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship to Honduras, Belize and Cozumel. This is the first time we will be sailing on a ship other than Princess. Comparisons await!

Because we can practically drive to the gangway, we won't have the hassle of airport security, TSA, baggage weight and extra fees, narrow seats and all the other challenges that go with traveling by air. We will still carry our basic "cruise clothes", but I'm not going to be washing socks in the shower this trip.

I'll take some additional camera gear with me like another DSLR, Nikon D200 and 300mm f/4 lens with a 1.4X tele-converter. I hope to find some beautifully colored tropical birds in Honduras and Belize and I want to be able to photograph them.

This was MA's 30th tax season and she's anxious for it to be over. Our cruise is a way for her to unwind and relax after a very "taxing" season.

We'll be sending a daily update on the cruise so just log into http://travelingwaynesworld.blogspot.com to read them.

Next Cruise: Western Caribbean from Galveston

2011-04-06T06:47:00.001-05:00

Royal Caribbean (RCL) - RCL Voyager of the Seas

7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise

	Destination	Arrives	Departs
Day 1	Galveston		5:00 PM
Day 2	Cruising
Day 3	Cruising
Day 4	Roatan	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 5	Belize City	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 6	Cozumel	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Day 7	Cruising
Day 8	Galveston	7:00 AM

We leave on the 17th, two days after tax season for MA. It will be good for her to get away for a week after a very busy tax season.

Packing for a 2 week Cruise in August

2011-02-01T21:00:00.005-06:00

Socks drying on the lamp shade

Weight limit: 40 lbs
No. of checked luggage: 1

4 pairs socks: 1-black dress, 1-casual tan, 2-white
4 pairs of underwear
1 pair of causal shorts (nylon Ex officio)
1 pair swim trunks
4 pairs of pants: 1-tuxedo, 1-dark dress slacks, 2-nylon Ex officio travel pants
4 shirts: 1-tuxedo, 1-long sleeve casual Ex officio, 1-Polo black, 1-casual short sleeve
2 coats: 1-tuxedo, 1-blue blazer
1 sweater pullover for cool weather
1 dress belt
2 ties: 1-bow tie (tuxedo) 1-silk tie
1 pair of pajama pants
4 t-shirts: 3 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve
1 pair black dress shoes
1 pair leather sandals
Toiletries: razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, nail clipper, deodorant
(all the other stuff the cruise ship provides)

total weight is 31 lbs.

The key to traveling light is to wash your dirty clothes nightly in the shower and allow to dry. By doing this if you miss a night or two you will still have plenty of cushion to get through the next day.

I can't emphasize how important it is to pack light and carry only the clothes you absolutely have to have.

Last Piece of the Puzzle Solved

2011-01-22T11:51:00.002-06:00

200mm f/4 & 70-200mm f/2.8

Last Piece of the Puzzle

I solved the problem of the heavy wide angle zoom 16-35mm f/4 with a straight 20mm f/2.8 lens, and so my attention turned to shedding the heavy 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom with a straight 200mm. A telephoto is essential to carry with you for all types of photography. My requirements for this lens was that it had to be light weight and fast enough for low light photography. I looked at all of the manual zooms from 80-200, 70-210, you name it, I looked at the specs on the lens. I settled for a straight 200mm f/4 manual focus lens. It is light, and fast for an f/4 and it had great reviews. In addition, I bought this one for $86 on eBay. I can also carry this lens in one vest pocket and the 20mm in the other. I just can't wait to put the two to work on our next travels.

New Legs

2011-01-15T06:02:00.007-06:00

Benro C-1691 Carbon-fiber tripod and B-0 Ball head

Another thing that I changed is tripods. My old carbon fiber tripod was the Slik 614. It is light weight and small, too small. I wanted something a little sturdier and could handle the D3s without me worrying if it would top over. I researched the current carbon fiber tripods available and found this Benro C-1691. It is called the "Travel Angel". I found the lowest priced one on eBay, of all places, from Hong Kong and ordered it. The tripod came DHL express in 3 days. It is perfect. The legs fold up over the ball head making making it easy to put in a suit case. I am going to try it downtown if the weather would just warm up a little bit.