We just started packing and can't believe that tomorrow is the last sea day. These glorious days have a way of blending into each other....relaxing, good friends, good food, good entertainment, good weather....make for a wonderful trip. It's been a bit rocky this time, but sleeping is enhanced (I may put rockers on our bed when we get home so I continue to sleep well :)). Will fill in the details when it's not 55 cents a minute and the Internet connection is faster and reliable. Not at all that way on the ship with satellite connection.
Stay tuned for details and pictures next week and thanks for following us on what has turned out to be a terrific trip.
Belated HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY to Eric and Beth. Internet was down yesterday and I couldn't post. Hope you had a great day!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Ahhhh, Sea Day!
We love sea days and today was a good example of why. We got up leaisurely - no ride to catch or thing to do! Had breakfast with Sandy and Roy in the Elite Lounge (again! Tomorrow I'm getting my Waffles :)) then spent the day as we each wanted. First we went to the Gym - yes, it's time to get back to that routine. Then at 1030, I participated in the Cruise Critic group's Slot Pull...never did one before since I'm not much of a gambler. We each put in $15 for 5 trys at the Wheel of Fortune slot machines (there were 96 participants) and the groups split the final credits accrued. Lots of fun, cheering, just enjoying ourselves. For our $15 investment, we eat won $12.06 or, to put it another waay, we each lost $2.94 :) Art has been part of a Trivia team so he and Tina left Tim and me to pull for them and headed to their Trivia game. It's a progressive game so they won't know if they win until later in the week.
This afternoon was spent relaxing, reading on the balcony, seeing parts of the ship that we haven't seen yet. Weather is mid-70s, sunny with puffy clouds, perfect. I went to the Captain's Club reception while Art took a nap. Then time to dress for Formal Night (we actually love dressing up since it's only 3 nights out of 2 weeks) and head for dinner. Tonight's show is a singer! Will report tomorrow.
Sorry that I had to stop posting pictures; the Internet is very slow and costly AND frustrating. So I'm writing blog posts offline and just logging on to upload. I am organizing pictures as I go along so will upload them when we get home.
This afternoon was spent relaxing, reading on the balcony, seeing parts of the ship that we haven't seen yet. Weather is mid-70s, sunny with puffy clouds, perfect. I went to the Captain's Club reception while Art took a nap. Then time to dress for Formal Night (we actually love dressing up since it's only 3 nights out of 2 weeks) and head for dinner. Tonight's show is a singer! Will report tomorrow.
Sorry that I had to stop posting pictures; the Internet is very slow and costly AND frustrating. So I'm writing blog posts offline and just logging on to upload. I am organizing pictures as I go along so will upload them when we get home.
Ponta Delgato, Azores
Ponta Delgata, Sao Miguel, Azores
Once again, we did a private taxi tour of the island and it was terrific. We were told that someone would be holding a sign with our name on it as we left the ship. Horrors, no person, no sign. Fortunately, I saw the 'boss' Ricardo who was wearing a name tag. He said that I had not confirmed the booking - my stomach sank but for just a few minutes. He immediately had his assistant call a driver who had worked for him before and we were off to tour the island with Helder - pronounced Elder. The Azores are part of Portugal and the islanders speak Portugese, English, some Spanish, French and Italian. We constantly feel chagrined at our lack of being fluent in at least ONE language.
We asked lots of questions about the islands as we drove from the city to the Lake of Fires, dodged cows in the road along the way. When I add my pictures, you'll see what I mean. Cows are everywhere with milk being one of the main exports. The scenery was magnificent as we went from the coast to the mountains on well paved roads. Interestingly, we have yet to be anywhere where drivers honk their horns, yell at others or demonstrate road rage at any level. We stopped along the way for Kodak moments and were in awe of the vistas at Fire Lake. We then drove through a small town with a river running through it, more photos, and on to the Seven Cities ( a misnomer since we only saw villages) and to a national park where there were 7 lakes. Lots of narrow 2 lane roads where we often were the only car. We made fun of all the tour buses that we saw since they could not, for the most part, see all that we were seeing. One of the real highlights of the day was the Twin Lake - one blue reflecting the sky and one green surrounded by trees and reflecting the greenery. There was a narrow road between the two which, at one time were one lake. We then drove to a small village where Helder saw his grandfather standing outside (we think he called him from the Twin Lakes and told him he was coming there). Took a few pictures of him with his elderly relatives to send via email and we then made our way back to the ship.
On the dock was a lively school band playing for us and some actors on stilts dancing to the music. And so our lovely day ended. We hadn't even stopped for lunch, but never fear - there is always food on a cruise ship. We ate fruit from our fruit basket, showered and changed for our almost nightly Captain's Club Cocktail party and then went to dinner. The eight of us at our dining table have meshed well and there is always lots of laughter and sharing of stories. We rotate seats every night so we've all gotten to know everyone at the table. The assistant waiter entertained us by making each of the ladies a beautiful rose from a small paper cocktail napkin!
Off to the show which tonight was a Cirque de Soleil type which we had seen before and are not great fans of....but a nice ending to a very nice day.
Pictures of the 'sleeper' of this trip. We had no idea how beautiful the Azores are
Once again, we did a private taxi tour of the island and it was terrific. We were told that someone would be holding a sign with our name on it as we left the ship. Horrors, no person, no sign. Fortunately, I saw the 'boss' Ricardo who was wearing a name tag. He said that I had not confirmed the booking - my stomach sank but for just a few minutes. He immediately had his assistant call a driver who had worked for him before and we were off to tour the island with Helder - pronounced Elder. The Azores are part of Portugal and the islanders speak Portugese, English, some Spanish, French and Italian. We constantly feel chagrined at our lack of being fluent in at least ONE language.
We asked lots of questions about the islands as we drove from the city to the Lake of Fires, dodged cows in the road along the way. When I add my pictures, you'll see what I mean. Cows are everywhere with milk being one of the main exports. The scenery was magnificent as we went from the coast to the mountains on well paved roads. Interestingly, we have yet to be anywhere where drivers honk their horns, yell at others or demonstrate road rage at any level. We stopped along the way for Kodak moments and were in awe of the vistas at Fire Lake. We then drove through a small town with a river running through it, more photos, and on to the Seven Cities ( a misnomer since we only saw villages) and to a national park where there were 7 lakes. Lots of narrow 2 lane roads where we often were the only car. We made fun of all the tour buses that we saw since they could not, for the most part, see all that we were seeing. One of the real highlights of the day was the Twin Lake - one blue reflecting the sky and one green surrounded by trees and reflecting the greenery. There was a narrow road between the two which, at one time were one lake. We then drove to a small village where Helder saw his grandfather standing outside (we think he called him from the Twin Lakes and told him he was coming there). Took a few pictures of him with his elderly relatives to send via email and we then made our way back to the ship.
On the dock was a lively school band playing for us and some actors on stilts dancing to the music. And so our lovely day ended. We hadn't even stopped for lunch, but never fear - there is always food on a cruise ship. We ate fruit from our fruit basket, showered and changed for our almost nightly Captain's Club Cocktail party and then went to dinner. The eight of us at our dining table have meshed well and there is always lots of laughter and sharing of stories. We rotate seats every night so we've all gotten to know everyone at the table. The assistant waiter entertained us by making each of the ladies a beautiful rose from a small paper cocktail napkin!
Off to the show which tonight was a Cirque de Soleil type which we had seen before and are not great fans of....but a nice ending to a very nice day.
Pictures of the 'sleeper' of this trip. We had no idea how beautiful the Azores are
Thursday, November 4, 2010
November 4 - Vigo, Spain
Love ports with no planned excursions! Got up leisurely and, for the first time, had breakfast in the Captain's Club Elite Lounge...very nice continental breakfast with good choices including specialty coffees and great service. Kept us from overdoing at the buffet or wasting time in the Main Dining room where breakfast service is usually slow.
We decided to stop at the Tourist Center very close to the dock to get directions to El
Castro - the Citadel, one of the three forts that guarded the town. It is located above the port on a hill at the top of the city. What we didn't know was that not only was it straight uphill (which we assumed if it was at the top of the city) but entailed climbing hundreds (seemed like thousands) of steps some of which were steep and uneven. We met another couple from the ship that were headed in the same direction and began to climb. It was a lovely, sunny morning that got warmer as we climbed....sweaters peeled off pretty quickly. By the time we got to the bottom of the steps, the other couple dropped out but we continued to the top! Although we thought we deserved it, no one offered us a Gold Medal for achieving such heights :)
The views were beautiful entailing lots of pictures (0f course). Strangely, since this is a local park, there were no T shirt stands or vendors of drinks...they could make lots of money from the stalwart few to make it to the top. After a brief rest, we started back down a bit surprised and happy that we found a winding path down with lots of shallow steps. If only we had discovered that way up. There were NO signs anywhere to give directions. So...we became tour guides and told everyone looking for a way up the best route that we had found...such nice people we are.
When we got back to the lower city, we bumped into our friends Tina and Tim and wandered through the old part of town with them visiting a local market, buying a few shawls and stopping for coffee for the girls and Belgian beers for the guys in the sidewalk area, that, of all things, was part of an Australian Bar with lots of those signs that say things like "Kangaroos and Wallabies 5 Km". Then we headed back to the ship, taking pictures and stopping in a local food market along the way.
Back on the ship, we had lunch and relaxed, reading, napping and enjoying the good weather on our balcony. The evening show, after dinner, was an amazing British singer who had played the lead in Les Miserables in London. We thoroughly enjoyed her and were pleased to know that she will do another show later in the cruise where she will perform requests from passengers. A brief stop to observe a friend doing well in the casino and off to our cabin glad to know that tonight we get an hour back. One of the joys of a westbound Transatlantic cruise is the 25 days along the way that get us back home on local time without jet lag. And tomorrow is another sea day before a stop in the Azores.
Pictures of our climb up to the Castro and walk around Vigo with Tim and Tina show what a nice day it was - a relaxing one after our unanticipated hike to the top of the town.
We decided to stop at the Tourist Center very close to the dock to get directions to El
Castro - the Citadel, one of the three forts that guarded the town. It is located above the port on a hill at the top of the city. What we didn't know was that not only was it straight uphill (which we assumed if it was at the top of the city) but entailed climbing hundreds (seemed like thousands) of steps some of which were steep and uneven. We met another couple from the ship that were headed in the same direction and began to climb. It was a lovely, sunny morning that got warmer as we climbed....sweaters peeled off pretty quickly. By the time we got to the bottom of the steps, the other couple dropped out but we continued to the top! Although we thought we deserved it, no one offered us a Gold Medal for achieving such heights :)
The views were beautiful entailing lots of pictures (0f course). Strangely, since this is a local park, there were no T shirt stands or vendors of drinks...they could make lots of money from the stalwart few to make it to the top. After a brief rest, we started back down a bit surprised and happy that we found a winding path down with lots of shallow steps. If only we had discovered that way up. There were NO signs anywhere to give directions. So...we became tour guides and told everyone looking for a way up the best route that we had found...such nice people we are.
When we got back to the lower city, we bumped into our friends Tina and Tim and wandered through the old part of town with them visiting a local market, buying a few shawls and stopping for coffee for the girls and Belgian beers for the guys in the sidewalk area, that, of all things, was part of an Australian Bar with lots of those signs that say things like "Kangaroos and Wallabies 5 Km". Then we headed back to the ship, taking pictures and stopping in a local food market along the way.
Back on the ship, we had lunch and relaxed, reading, napping and enjoying the good weather on our balcony. The evening show, after dinner, was an amazing British singer who had played the lead in Les Miserables in London. We thoroughly enjoyed her and were pleased to know that she will do another show later in the cruise where she will perform requests from passengers. A brief stop to observe a friend doing well in the casino and off to our cabin glad to know that tonight we get an hour back. One of the joys of a westbound Transatlantic cruise is the 25 days along the way that get us back home on local time without jet lag. And tomorrow is another sea day before a stop in the Azores.
Pictures of our climb up to the Castro and walk around Vigo with Tim and Tina show what a nice day it was - a relaxing one after our unanticipated hike to the top of the town.
November 3 - Sea Day - Birthday
What a nice day! Slept late; brunch served at 10 AM (with just made Belgian Waffles), and relaxing day onboard. We enjoyed visiting with friends, Team Trivia (Art played and I observed), and just relaxing. After a week in London and 2 busy days in Normandy, it was nice to catch our breath and relax. Last night we were gently rocked to sleep by the ship hitting 18 foot waves (no extra charge for the rocking). Today it was misty and foggy most of the day with most of us walking as if we had too much to drink last night!. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny with a high of close to 70 when we walk around Vigo, Spain. Vigo is 32 kilometers from Portugal on the coast of Galacia with a population of 300,000. The Galacia region is Celtic in origin. Languages are both Spanish and Galacian. More tomorrow.
Tonight we had dinner at a new Celebrity restaurant called Qzine. It's really hard to explain what this was - besides a wonderful experience. The menu (on an iPad) looks similar to a Tapas menu in that it has multiple choices (more than 20) that you choose and which are put together by the chef to made a menu. Friends Sandy and Roy joined us and we had a magical time. The pictures will show the food selections better (when I get them organized). We each selected several items (all to be shared with tablemates). Selections ranged from Sushi lolllipops, diablo shrimp, three types of cold soup served in test tubes with straws and 3 hot souffles to filets and Persian chicken kabobs....desserts were cupcakes that you decorated with choice of 3 icings and 4 toppings, mini cheesecake with mini-graham crackers, incredible chocolate ginache and 3 flavored geloto bomb. I don't know if I ever ate so much at one time or felt so full. But I do know that we had a delightful evening including candles in the ginache and happy birthday singing by my table, waiters and other guests. Really terrific.
We walked a few calories off and headed to our cabin where we watched the pundits dissect the election results. No more about that....I want the day to end on an upbeat note!
Tonight we had dinner at a new Celebrity restaurant called Qzine. It's really hard to explain what this was - besides a wonderful experience. The menu (on an iPad) looks similar to a Tapas menu in that it has multiple choices (more than 20) that you choose and which are put together by the chef to made a menu. Friends Sandy and Roy joined us and we had a magical time. The pictures will show the food selections better (when I get them organized). We each selected several items (all to be shared with tablemates). Selections ranged from Sushi lolllipops, diablo shrimp, three types of cold soup served in test tubes with straws and 3 hot souffles to filets and Persian chicken kabobs....desserts were cupcakes that you decorated with choice of 3 icings and 4 toppings, mini cheesecake with mini-graham crackers, incredible chocolate ginache and 3 flavored geloto bomb. I don't know if I ever ate so much at one time or felt so full. But I do know that we had a delightful evening including candles in the ginache and happy birthday singing by my table, waiters and other guests. Really terrific.
We walked a few calories off and headed to our cabin where we watched the pundits dissect the election results. No more about that....I want the day to end on an upbeat note!
November 2 - Normandy Beaches
I had arranged with Colin McGarry, an independent tour guide who lives in Caen to take 8 of us on a tour of the Normandy Beaches. We were docked in Cherbourg. Colin picked us up in his van promptly at 8:30 am on a day with gray skies promising rain. We drove through the beautiful french countryside to our first stop - the German Cemetary. None of us had expected to stop here but it was sobering to know that 22,000 German graves were in this cemetary with many of them marked as unknown soldiers. Originally American, Canadian and German graves were buried here but when the American Cemetery was established, the graves were moved.
Our next stop was the American Cemetery - an emotional and introspective reaction for most of us, yet lovely in its own way. 149 Stars of David among more than 9000 graves. Each grave marked with the dog tag number, name, unit, day of death and state where the soldier came from OR as an Unknown Soldier. We viewed Omaha Beach while Colin showed us maps and pictures of the landing sites and described the obstacles facing the units that landed here. After viewing the Chapel and sculpture at the entrances, we went on to the monument at Omaha Beach. There is a large sculpture, done by an artist from NJ, on the Beach as well as the monument above the beach. We ate lunch at a restaurant near the beach called D Day House. Once again making our orders known in broken French to a French speaking waitress - with some help from Colin. Our group planned to pay for Colin's lunch only to find that the restaurant had comped his lunch.
On we went to Pont du Hoc where the rangers landed. Much evidence of bomb craters and craters made by guns shooting from ships was there along with bunkers and reenforcements built by the Germans. Millions of Euros are being spent to protect the area to ensure that future generations will have experiences similar to ours. We spent a lot of time walking the paths, viewing the existing bunkers and seeing where large guns had been placed to prevent the invasion.
Then Colin drove down lots of country roads showing us where The Band of Brothers was filmed (and sharing errors made in both that movie and Saving Private Ryan). We also visited a farm where one US unit demolished a german machine gun nest and a town held by the Germans where one US soldier cleared out 9 houses single handed. On the Sainte-Mere Eglise to view the effigy of a paratrooper who had been caught on the church belfry. We got there while a funeral was ending and, respectfully, watched as the whole town walked slowly behind the casket. After they were gone, we entered the church to see the stained glass window dedicated to the Paratroopers, then saw bullets still enbedded in the exterior of the church along with holes from a machine gun...certainly brought the actual details of the impact of the war on this tiny town.
We skipped Utah beach since time was drawing close to when the ship would leave the port.
It was a very interesting and moving day for all of us and we were all glad that we had this experience with a knowledgeable and dedicated Frenchman.
Our pictures are meant to share information in addition to seeing where we visited so some long titles on some pictures
Our next stop was the American Cemetery - an emotional and introspective reaction for most of us, yet lovely in its own way. 149 Stars of David among more than 9000 graves. Each grave marked with the dog tag number, name, unit, day of death and state where the soldier came from OR as an Unknown Soldier. We viewed Omaha Beach while Colin showed us maps and pictures of the landing sites and described the obstacles facing the units that landed here. After viewing the Chapel and sculpture at the entrances, we went on to the monument at Omaha Beach. There is a large sculpture, done by an artist from NJ, on the Beach as well as the monument above the beach. We ate lunch at a restaurant near the beach called D Day House. Once again making our orders known in broken French to a French speaking waitress - with some help from Colin. Our group planned to pay for Colin's lunch only to find that the restaurant had comped his lunch.
On we went to Pont du Hoc where the rangers landed. Much evidence of bomb craters and craters made by guns shooting from ships was there along with bunkers and reenforcements built by the Germans. Millions of Euros are being spent to protect the area to ensure that future generations will have experiences similar to ours. We spent a lot of time walking the paths, viewing the existing bunkers and seeing where large guns had been placed to prevent the invasion.
Then Colin drove down lots of country roads showing us where The Band of Brothers was filmed (and sharing errors made in both that movie and Saving Private Ryan). We also visited a farm where one US unit demolished a german machine gun nest and a town held by the Germans where one US soldier cleared out 9 houses single handed. On the Sainte-Mere Eglise to view the effigy of a paratrooper who had been caught on the church belfry. We got there while a funeral was ending and, respectfully, watched as the whole town walked slowly behind the casket. After they were gone, we entered the church to see the stained glass window dedicated to the Paratroopers, then saw bullets still enbedded in the exterior of the church along with holes from a machine gun...certainly brought the actual details of the impact of the war on this tiny town.
We skipped Utah beach since time was drawing close to when the ship would leave the port.
It was a very interesting and moving day for all of us and we were all glad that we had this experience with a knowledgeable and dedicated Frenchman.
Our pictures are meant to share information in addition to seeing where we visited so some long titles on some pictures
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, Nov 1 - Le Havre - Etretat, Beaumont en Auge, Deauville, and Honfleur
Met Diane and Lou at Guest Relations and found our way to the Coach Park where Art found Patrick, our Driver and guide for the day! Patrick offered us the option of adding a typical small French Village (Beaumont en Auge) to our itinerary. We were delighted to baccept and off we went through the port city of Le Havre and onto a modern bridge over Le Seine! From there we drove through the lovely French countryside made even more beautiful by the golden and red autumn leaves and the colorful vines covering the walls of many of the houses.
Our first stop was at Etretat. I was thrilled to be seeing, in real life, the scene on the poster on our dining room wall – the caves and arches of the coast of France in Etretat. It is a lovely town with classic architecture (including intricate brick and stone work or wooden beams with white wash. I think we all took seemingly hundreds of pictures from the hilltop overlooking the arches, the arches at beach level and the town. It was cloudy and windy most of the time so we stopped for a coffee at a little bistro and got to practice a bit of high school french before leaving for our next stop. Somewhat depressing after having Patrick tell us that French children learn English as well as either German or Spanish! Anyway the coffee was excellent and after warming up, we headed for Beaumont en Auge.
This 2nd town was charming…very small, lovely architecture and scenic views as well as a visit to a church built in the 16th century and its surrounding grounds. Pictures are much better than words when viewing scenic beauty.
We left Beaumont en Auge for another scenic drive to Deauville It is a resort town with beautiful, large homes and hotels frequented by Parisians who, according to Patrick, bought the very large houses that we admired for weekend or summer homes! We walked through the main streets of town and drove along the beach front then stopped for lunch at a restaurant and patisserie recommended by Patrick. After waiting for a table, we found a helpful waitress who did not speak English who understood my poor french and sign language and found us a table. We each ordered a ‘real’ Quiche – Art had Goat Cheese, I had Tomate and squash and Diane and Lou had Lorraine. They were individual quiches served with a salad and, of course, glasses of house wine… very nice, delicious and a fun experience. We walked back to our meeting place where Patrick picked us up for our ride to Honfleur.
Honfleur looked just like the Monet picture that we saw at the NC State Museum of Art with Marilyn. and Bob. A lovely town with a small, beautiful marina, very old churches (1400) including one made of wood and lots of shops and restaurants. Our first stop was an art shop to buy a poster of Honfleur done by a local artist to go with the Monet poster in our dining room. We took lots of pictures (again) and tired and happy headed back to the ship. Patrick dropped us off as close as possible to the on rank and we were back home after thanking him for a wonderful day full of new experiences and dreams come true.
Had a quick drink in the Captain's Club Lounge and dressed for dinner...once again a great way to end the day with interesting conversations and lots of laughs. And again to sleep early - no show tonight due to another early tour in the AM.
Glorious Normandy in pictures Beware! there are many pictures of my favorite places. Although I loved this entire trip, this was, after all, my favorite day. I've always wanted to see some of the areas where Monet got his inspiration. It was so beautiful and tranquil that even Art said he'd like to come back...perhaps he forgot that it's in France :)
Our first stop was at Etretat. I was thrilled to be seeing, in real life, the scene on the poster on our dining room wall – the caves and arches of the coast of France in Etretat. It is a lovely town with classic architecture (including intricate brick and stone work or wooden beams with white wash. I think we all took seemingly hundreds of pictures from the hilltop overlooking the arches, the arches at beach level and the town. It was cloudy and windy most of the time so we stopped for a coffee at a little bistro and got to practice a bit of high school french before leaving for our next stop. Somewhat depressing after having Patrick tell us that French children learn English as well as either German or Spanish! Anyway the coffee was excellent and after warming up, we headed for Beaumont en Auge.
This 2nd town was charming…very small, lovely architecture and scenic views as well as a visit to a church built in the 16th century and its surrounding grounds. Pictures are much better than words when viewing scenic beauty.
We left Beaumont en Auge for another scenic drive to Deauville It is a resort town with beautiful, large homes and hotels frequented by Parisians who, according to Patrick, bought the very large houses that we admired for weekend or summer homes! We walked through the main streets of town and drove along the beach front then stopped for lunch at a restaurant and patisserie recommended by Patrick. After waiting for a table, we found a helpful waitress who did not speak English who understood my poor french and sign language and found us a table. We each ordered a ‘real’ Quiche – Art had Goat Cheese, I had Tomate and squash and Diane and Lou had Lorraine. They were individual quiches served with a salad and, of course, glasses of house wine… very nice, delicious and a fun experience. We walked back to our meeting place where Patrick picked us up for our ride to Honfleur.
Honfleur looked just like the Monet picture that we saw at the NC State Museum of Art with Marilyn. and Bob. A lovely town with a small, beautiful marina, very old churches (1400) including one made of wood and lots of shops and restaurants. Our first stop was an art shop to buy a poster of Honfleur done by a local artist to go with the Monet poster in our dining room. We took lots of pictures (again) and tired and happy headed back to the ship. Patrick dropped us off as close as possible to the on rank and we were back home after thanking him for a wonderful day full of new experiences and dreams come true.
Had a quick drink in the Captain's Club Lounge and dressed for dinner...once again a great way to end the day with interesting conversations and lots of laughs. And again to sleep early - no show tonight due to another early tour in the AM.
Glorious Normandy in pictures Beware! there are many pictures of my favorite places. Although I loved this entire trip, this was, after all, my favorite day. I've always wanted to see some of the areas where Monet got his inspiration. It was so beautiful and tranquil that even Art said he'd like to come back...perhaps he forgot that it's in France :)
Embarkation Day - Oct 31
We were up early for our last breakfast in the Executive Lounge and a good-bye to our favorite hostess there. Then to the lobby to meet up with our group of 16, find our bus and, hopefully, load 16 people’s cruise luggage in the boot and the unoccupied rear seats. I have no idea how they did it, but the great driver, Art and some of the other guys managed to fit everything in. And we were on our way from London to Southampton – a little more than 1 hour and 40 minutes drive in dreary on and off rain.
We arrived safely, speedily went through the check-in routine, boarding pictures, cabin keycards and traditional (on Celebrity) glass of Champagne (or OJ). We went directly to the Buffet which was open for lunch. It still amazes me that earlier that morning 2000 + people disembarked and in just a few hours, the ship was cleaned, food prepared, and 2000+ new people were welcomed onboard. Shortly after 1 PM, the announcement was made that the cabins were ready.
We found our cabin and, amazingly, one suitcase delivered already...the others followed rapidly and we settled in. Had fun roaming the ship, making specialty restaurant reservations and seeing folks that we hadn't see since last year's cruise.
We went to our early dinner and met our tablemates - one couple from Washington and 4 Aussies...should be a fun group with lots of laughter. After dinner we went to the Opening show during which both of us dozed...off to bed looking forward to our first port Le Havre, France.
We arrived safely, speedily went through the check-in routine, boarding pictures, cabin keycards and traditional (on Celebrity) glass of Champagne (or OJ). We went directly to the Buffet which was open for lunch. It still amazes me that earlier that morning 2000 + people disembarked and in just a few hours, the ship was cleaned, food prepared, and 2000+ new people were welcomed onboard. Shortly after 1 PM, the announcement was made that the cabins were ready.
We found our cabin and, amazingly, one suitcase delivered already...the others followed rapidly and we settled in. Had fun roaming the ship, making specialty restaurant reservations and seeing folks that we hadn't see since last year's cruise.
We went to our early dinner and met our tablemates - one couple from Washington and 4 Aussies...should be a fun group with lots of laughter. After dinner we went to the Opening show during which both of us dozed...off to bed looking forward to our first port Le Havre, France.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Day 7 - Billy Elliott!
What a nice day! Awoke late, had breakfast, did some preliminary packing and headed out to the Victoria Palace Theater to see Billy Elliott's Matinee performance with another couple on our cruise. We walked around the Victoria Station area for awhile on another sunny, warm day. Then had a glass of wine in the theater's bar prior to the show. It was one of the best shows we have even seen and the young star a most talented young man! Very enjoyable afternoon...quick taxi ride home, checked email and had a second dinner at the little Brasserie that we ate at the other night. This time we shared it with Don and Donna Smith with whom we toured yesterday.
Now in the lounge for my last fix of free WiFi. Our bus to Southampton will pick us up at 9 AM and delivered us 2 1/2 hours later to Celebrity's Eclipse for our 13 day cruise to Miami. We have such good memories of last year's transatlantic cruise on her sister ship, the Equinox. We look forward to repeating the experience on this newest ship in Celebrity's Solstice class of ships. It's been a wonderful week in London; we've renewed some old friendships and made new friends staying here who will sail along with us. First port will be Le Havre, France!
Now in the lounge for my last fix of free WiFi. Our bus to Southampton will pick us up at 9 AM and delivered us 2 1/2 hours later to Celebrity's Eclipse for our 13 day cruise to Miami. We have such good memories of last year's transatlantic cruise on her sister ship, the Equinox. We look forward to repeating the experience on this newest ship in Celebrity's Solstice class of ships. It's been a wonderful week in London; we've renewed some old friendships and made new friends staying here who will sail along with us. First port will be Le Havre, France!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Day 6 - Stonehenge, Windsor Palace and Bath
A whirlwind (actually 11 hr) bus tour today. Not our typical travel method, but the only way we can see these places in the time we have. Off to meet our bus at 8 AM at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel about 2 blocks from where we're staying!
Continuing..... wonderful day with good weather until we were on our way home to London when the skies opened up.
First stop Windsor Palace or Castle depending on which tour guide you read- long walk from the coach park to the Palace where we first visited the lovely doll houses where everything (according to the story) worked including mini-Hover and toilet worked. The Queen was at home - denoted by the Royal Standard flying over the Castle. She uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Unfortunately she did NOT invite us for tea. We toured the State apartments which are amazing - priceless works of art, many china sets that are also priceless and furnishings and chandeliers of gold, crystal and other precious stones. We were not allowed to take pictures indoors but you can get an idea here.
We bought sandwiches and drinks at a little shop near the Windsor railroad station and headed about an hour's drive to Stonehenge. I know, some people think it's just a pile of rocks, but...... I'm still amazed that any group of people (for any reason - as yet unknown) could figure out a way to cart multi-ton stones from Wales to the western plains of England and then erect them with a foundation 9 feet underground to stand for so many years. It was windy and cold but intriguing and fun nevertheless. We took lots of pictures which I'll post later. Another hour and a half and we arrived in Bath....a charming Georgian town with a Roman Baths' museum. We really enjoyed the baths and were exhausted and ready to go back to the Marriott. It rained all the way home....and we got soaked just going from the bus to a taxi back to the hotel. Really felt like London. Very good sleep AND even I didn't wake up until 9 AM the next day!
Continuing..... wonderful day with good weather until we were on our way home to London when the skies opened up.
First stop Windsor Palace or Castle depending on which tour guide you read- long walk from the coach park to the Palace where we first visited the lovely doll houses where everything (according to the story) worked including mini-Hover and toilet worked. The Queen was at home - denoted by the Royal Standard flying over the Castle. She uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Unfortunately she did NOT invite us for tea. We toured the State apartments which are amazing - priceless works of art, many china sets that are also priceless and furnishings and chandeliers of gold, crystal and other precious stones. We were not allowed to take pictures indoors but you can get an idea here.
We bought sandwiches and drinks at a little shop near the Windsor railroad station and headed about an hour's drive to Stonehenge. I know, some people think it's just a pile of rocks, but...... I'm still amazed that any group of people (for any reason - as yet unknown) could figure out a way to cart multi-ton stones from Wales to the western plains of England and then erect them with a foundation 9 feet underground to stand for so many years. It was windy and cold but intriguing and fun nevertheless. We took lots of pictures which I'll post later. Another hour and a half and we arrived in Bath....a charming Georgian town with a Roman Baths' museum. We really enjoyed the baths and were exhausted and ready to go back to the Marriott. It rained all the way home....and we got soaked just going from the bus to a taxi back to the hotel. Really felt like London. Very good sleep AND even I didn't wake up until 9 AM the next day!
Day 5 - London - Churchill War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum
Today we awakened to clouds but, once again, no rain and warmer temperatures. We're finally in a good rhythm - up early to delivered coffee, newspaper and cookies; moving at whatever pace seems reasonable; breakfast in the Exec. Lounge (although it was so crowded yesterday that they comped our breakfast in the regular restaurant buffet); gathering our brochures, maps and GPS - leaving nothing to chance and off we go. We're natives with the Tubes...this time once again from Marble Arch to Westminster and a short walk to Whitehall and the Churchill War Rooms...recommended by Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, and, most important, Marilyn and Bob. It was a wonderful experience especially since my book club had recently read The Postmistress and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - yes there really is a book by that name. Both books had a different look at London during WW II and I was grateful for having read them before coming to London.
The war rooms are exactly where they were during the war and replicated to show how and where Churchill and his War Cabinet made their decisions. Included were tapes of conversations Churchill had with his generals, President Roosevelt, etc. It was a moving and educational experience. As we were leaving we passed through a shop that carried all sorta of replications of food rationing, ration cards and even a ration cookbook for wartime kitchens. A sobering experience. We then walked about 1 1/2 miles across the Westminster bridge to Lambeth Street and the Imperial War Museum. Except for the many instruments of war (planes, tanks, rockets, etc.), many of the exhibits focus on the impact of the war on people (soldiers, sailors, children, Londoners, etc.). We started with the Holocaust Exhibit which was incredibly well done with many recorded interviews with survivors, descriptions of the experiences of children in German cities, ghettos and concentration camps and many remnants of those times. Very emotional and moving and we ended up missing the rest of the crowded exhibits while digesting, once again, man's inhumanity to man.
Returned to the hotel on yet another Tube line in time for afternoon tea followed by heavy hors d'hoevres and drinks....no dinner tonight.
Pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101028# Some pictures from the day before are duplicates - start with poster of Churchill. We're on our way out and I wanted to get these posted before we leave so left the duplicates :)
The war rooms are exactly where they were during the war and replicated to show how and where Churchill and his War Cabinet made their decisions. Included were tapes of conversations Churchill had with his generals, President Roosevelt, etc. It was a moving and educational experience. As we were leaving we passed through a shop that carried all sorta of replications of food rationing, ration cards and even a ration cookbook for wartime kitchens. A sobering experience. We then walked about 1 1/2 miles across the Westminster bridge to Lambeth Street and the Imperial War Museum. Except for the many instruments of war (planes, tanks, rockets, etc.), many of the exhibits focus on the impact of the war on people (soldiers, sailors, children, Londoners, etc.). We started with the Holocaust Exhibit which was incredibly well done with many recorded interviews with survivors, descriptions of the experiences of children in German cities, ghettos and concentration camps and many remnants of those times. Very emotional and moving and we ended up missing the rest of the crowded exhibits while digesting, once again, man's inhumanity to man.
Returned to the hotel on yet another Tube line in time for afternoon tea followed by heavy hors d'hoevres and drinks....no dinner tonight.
Pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101028# Some pictures from the day before are duplicates - start with poster of Churchill. We're on our way out and I wanted to get these posted before we leave so left the duplicates :)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Dinner last night - River Boat ride to Greenwich today
Had a very good meal at a local Brasserie last night - British all the way - Art had Shepard's pie and I had Welsh Rarebit. Both meals were excellent and, for England, very reasonably priced! Although we certainly knew that prices are very high here, we continue to be surprised as just how high!
Today we're off to Greenwich on the River Red Rover boat on the Thames! It's cloudy with reports of 62 degree highs and partial sun this afternoon. So we decided to take them at their words and head out with hopes of no rain today.
We had a wonderful hour long boat ride with funny commentary all the way to Greenwich. The weather cleared and it turned into a sunny, beautiful day. Link to lots of pictures (including a 2 part rainbow on the way back - if you look closely :)). We walked through the campus of the University of Greenwich and the Royal Naval College, stopped in the Painted Hall where they were having a posh private party - but we saw the paintings and took pictures anyway. Then visited the Chapel before going over to the National Maritime Museum. We spent several hours enjoying the model ships, Nelson's wars stories including the bloody uniform that he was wearing when he was mortally wounded, saw restored stain glass windows that were destroyed during the war and painstakingly pieced together, and a few other exhibits. Then visited the Queen's House which was a school for sons and daughters of British seamen (until 'dangerous' things happened and then it became a school for just the sons!). Finally, we climbed up a very steep path - my knees and feet talked to me about it all night - to the Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian. We've now straddled the Equator (0 Latitude) in Ecuador and 0 Longitude in Greenwich :) The views down to the river and beyond were fabulous and the exhibits including original telescopes still in place from the time of the first national Astronomer (he had to pay for his own equipment on a small salary) and the original clocks that were developed to measure longitude...were quite impressive.
We stayed until 4 PM when we realized that to make the 4:25 PM boat back to Westminster we had to hurry down the steep path and walk over to the dock. Whew! we were the last ones on the boat. Not really a problem since there was another one in 1/2 hour....but we were ready to get back to our cocktail hour in the Exec. Lounge....spoiled we are and loving it!. Chatted with some folks for awhile, then went out to a local Italian restaurant, visited a bit with our new friends from Charlotte and crashed! A wonderful day with unusually good weather. Here for 4 days with rain on only one!!
Today's picture: http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101027#
Today we're off to Greenwich on the River Red Rover boat on the Thames! It's cloudy with reports of 62 degree highs and partial sun this afternoon. So we decided to take them at their words and head out with hopes of no rain today.
We had a wonderful hour long boat ride with funny commentary all the way to Greenwich. The weather cleared and it turned into a sunny, beautiful day. Link to lots of pictures (including a 2 part rainbow on the way back - if you look closely :)). We walked through the campus of the University of Greenwich and the Royal Naval College, stopped in the Painted Hall where they were having a posh private party - but we saw the paintings and took pictures anyway. Then visited the Chapel before going over to the National Maritime Museum. We spent several hours enjoying the model ships, Nelson's wars stories including the bloody uniform that he was wearing when he was mortally wounded, saw restored stain glass windows that were destroyed during the war and painstakingly pieced together, and a few other exhibits. Then visited the Queen's House which was a school for sons and daughters of British seamen (until 'dangerous' things happened and then it became a school for just the sons!). Finally, we climbed up a very steep path - my knees and feet talked to me about it all night - to the Observatory to stand on the Prime Meridian. We've now straddled the Equator (0 Latitude) in Ecuador and 0 Longitude in Greenwich :) The views down to the river and beyond were fabulous and the exhibits including original telescopes still in place from the time of the first national Astronomer (he had to pay for his own equipment on a small salary) and the original clocks that were developed to measure longitude...were quite impressive.
We stayed until 4 PM when we realized that to make the 4:25 PM boat back to Westminster we had to hurry down the steep path and walk over to the dock. Whew! we were the last ones on the boat. Not really a problem since there was another one in 1/2 hour....but we were ready to get back to our cocktail hour in the Exec. Lounge....spoiled we are and loving it!. Chatted with some folks for awhile, then went out to a local Italian restaurant, visited a bit with our new friends from Charlotte and crashed! A wonderful day with unusually good weather. Here for 4 days with rain on only one!!
Today's picture: http://picasaweb.google.com/spengle/20101027#
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
British Museum, Rain, John Lewis shopping, Rain......
Today we knew we were in London...cloudy, gray skies, rain projected. But....we never let the weather dictate to us. We were awakened with the delivery of coffee and cookies to our room, moved slowly since we knew today would be a museum day and we didn't have any schedule to keep. After breakfast, we headed to the Marble Arch tube station...feeling like pros re: local transportation...no change of trains and just a few stops to Tottenham Court and a walk in the rain to the British Museum. The exterior was worn with chipped paint and dirty steps...not what we had expected - then we walked inside and it took our breath away. We stayed for far longer than we had planned...I had the strange notion that we could do 3 museums today - NOT!! We stayed until my legs wouldn't go any further. Had a very interesting Welcoming tour of the Enlightenment room with a docent who shared lots of background stories about the collections of Sloane and then explored the Egyptian and Greek exhibits and the Lindow Man who was found in a British bog after being buried for 2000 years! Gruesome but interesting. This museum is remarkable; it could take days to see it all and it was free!
We walked out into the rain - used my Dollar store umbrellas to cross the street to, what else, a Starbucks!.. Shared a panini and had our coffee fix then headed out to the tube to check out John Lewis - a large department store with prices we could afford (as opposed to Harrod's where we couldn't afford most things! We'll go to Harrod's as a tourist visit later in the week if we have the time. John Lewis is a beautiful store, owned by the employees and guaranteeing the best prices on the products they carry. They had a 2012 Olympics store where we wanted to buy T shirts, but at 25 GBP per shirt, with a conversion rate to about $37, we passed :).
So back to the hotel with a souvenir canvas tote bag for 1.95 GBP that went to charity - the last of the big spenders, Drinks and snacks in the lounge and now out to dinner at a local Brasserie recommended by the concierge....review pending.
British Museum pictures
We walked out into the rain - used my Dollar store umbrellas to cross the street to, what else, a Starbucks!.. Shared a panini and had our coffee fix then headed out to the tube to check out John Lewis - a large department store with prices we could afford (as opposed to Harrod's where we couldn't afford most things! We'll go to Harrod's as a tourist visit later in the week if we have the time. John Lewis is a beautiful store, owned by the employees and guaranteeing the best prices on the products they carry. They had a 2012 Olympics store where we wanted to buy T shirts, but at 25 GBP per shirt, with a conversion rate to about $37, we passed :).
So back to the hotel with a souvenir canvas tote bag for 1.95 GBP that went to charity - the last of the big spenders, Drinks and snacks in the lounge and now out to dinner at a local Brasserie recommended by the concierge....review pending.
British Museum pictures
Monday, October 25, 2010
Day 2 - London
Quick weather update - we awoke to 4 degrees Celsius this AM- you can do the math! Needless to say, we're glad that the sun is shining since we ride the London Eye this afternoon and happy that we packed gloves and a scarf for me! Lovely wake-up call this AM with coffee and paper delivered at the door and breakfast in the Exec. lounge. Could get used to this service (oh, that's right, we'll get the same on the cruise, so wonder who will continue this treatment at home :)). Off to buy our Oyster cards and figure out how to get from the Marble Arch tube station to Westminster.....
Update (end of the day):
We walked to the Bond Street station to get a direct line to Westminster and not have to change trains the first time we used the tube. Cold, sunny morning perfect for a walk. Arrived at Westminster station in good order and walked across the bridge to get good pictures of Parliament, the Eye, etc. Of course, they had scaffolds up on two sides of Parliament and part of Westminster Abbey; so we just photographed the other sides :). We then had a wonderful tour of Westminster using a very well done audio system that was not available when we were here in the 80s. The only disappointment was the 'no photos' rule; it is an amazing place with photo ops around every corner and, on a lovely sunny day, the light streaming through the stained glass was spectacular. Once every hour, there is a one minute prayer and all visitors are asked to either participate or observe a moment of silence....a very moving experience. We loved finding tombs or commemorations in the form of plaques, marble slabs on the floor or statuary honoring everyone from British statesmen and generals to the 15 year old son of a wealthy patron. Lots of American honorees as well - including FDR, American servicemen from WW II, Authors, etc. Those who wished could attend any church service being held while they visited or return at any time (free) to worship. We truly could have stayed much longer than we did. On the way out, I asked one of the docents how decisions are made about honorees. He told us that it is a very complex and lengthy process now but long ago anyone with money or high connections could honor a loved one (hence the 15 year old son of a patron).
Onward we went to less esoteric activities...we turned in my voucher for a 3 PM 'flight' on the London Eye which I ordered online to avoid long lines. So....we stood on a long Disney looking line to turn in the voucher for our 'real' tickets. We found that part of the ticket was a 4D film that simulated the flight in all kinds of weather - we got rained on, snowed on, etc. Fun and lasted all of 4 minutes! Then we lined up AGAIN for about 40 minutes to wait for our turn on the 'flight'. It was a great people watching experience - especially the well-behaved English children and their parents. The weather was superb having warmed up a bit and now being mid-afternoon very pleasant. The ride on the Eye is one of those 'must dos' but not exciting experiences. In weather like today, the views were clear and distant and the proximity to the Thames with its boats and birds was an extra treat. Our 'flight' much like any ride managed to get stuck for a little while but the whole thing took about 40 minutes. We then walked along the river enjoying the street entertainers including a good, small band and walked across the river on a new pedestrian bridge (at least new since my last trip here). I had purchased a special deal online that included the Eye, a 3 course dinner at a typical English restaurant and a copy of the Cook Book published by the restaurant (Porter's). The walk to the restaurant was fun and included a short distance on The Strand where we stayed on our first trip to England in the early 80s. The food was quite good, service excellent and, of course, Art had a British Lager and we had Fish and Chips and ended with a Hot Chocolate pudding (cake-like and dripping in wonderful chocolate sauce). We walked to the Leicester Square tube station through Covent Garden and thoroughly enjoyed the crowds, seeing the many ethnic restaurants and managing to get back to Marble Arch AND change trains without getting lost or missing a train.
We finished the evening with a drink in the Executive Lounge and a visit with a couple who recently moved to Charlotte that we met last night. Art is now playing cards with Greg (learning a new game) while I'm updating my blog.
Pictures: Pictures - London Day 1
Update (end of the day):
We walked to the Bond Street station to get a direct line to Westminster and not have to change trains the first time we used the tube. Cold, sunny morning perfect for a walk. Arrived at Westminster station in good order and walked across the bridge to get good pictures of Parliament, the Eye, etc. Of course, they had scaffolds up on two sides of Parliament and part of Westminster Abbey; so we just photographed the other sides :). We then had a wonderful tour of Westminster using a very well done audio system that was not available when we were here in the 80s. The only disappointment was the 'no photos' rule; it is an amazing place with photo ops around every corner and, on a lovely sunny day, the light streaming through the stained glass was spectacular. Once every hour, there is a one minute prayer and all visitors are asked to either participate or observe a moment of silence....a very moving experience. We loved finding tombs or commemorations in the form of plaques, marble slabs on the floor or statuary honoring everyone from British statesmen and generals to the 15 year old son of a wealthy patron. Lots of American honorees as well - including FDR, American servicemen from WW II, Authors, etc. Those who wished could attend any church service being held while they visited or return at any time (free) to worship. We truly could have stayed much longer than we did. On the way out, I asked one of the docents how decisions are made about honorees. He told us that it is a very complex and lengthy process now but long ago anyone with money or high connections could honor a loved one (hence the 15 year old son of a patron).
Onward we went to less esoteric activities...we turned in my voucher for a 3 PM 'flight' on the London Eye which I ordered online to avoid long lines. So....we stood on a long Disney looking line to turn in the voucher for our 'real' tickets. We found that part of the ticket was a 4D film that simulated the flight in all kinds of weather - we got rained on, snowed on, etc. Fun and lasted all of 4 minutes! Then we lined up AGAIN for about 40 minutes to wait for our turn on the 'flight'. It was a great people watching experience - especially the well-behaved English children and their parents. The weather was superb having warmed up a bit and now being mid-afternoon very pleasant. The ride on the Eye is one of those 'must dos' but not exciting experiences. In weather like today, the views were clear and distant and the proximity to the Thames with its boats and birds was an extra treat. Our 'flight' much like any ride managed to get stuck for a little while but the whole thing took about 40 minutes. We then walked along the river enjoying the street entertainers including a good, small band and walked across the river on a new pedestrian bridge (at least new since my last trip here). I had purchased a special deal online that included the Eye, a 3 course dinner at a typical English restaurant and a copy of the Cook Book published by the restaurant (Porter's). The walk to the restaurant was fun and included a short distance on The Strand where we stayed on our first trip to England in the early 80s. The food was quite good, service excellent and, of course, Art had a British Lager and we had Fish and Chips and ended with a Hot Chocolate pudding (cake-like and dripping in wonderful chocolate sauce). We walked to the Leicester Square tube station through Covent Garden and thoroughly enjoyed the crowds, seeing the many ethnic restaurants and managing to get back to Marble Arch AND change trains without getting lost or missing a train.
We finished the evening with a drink in the Executive Lounge and a visit with a couple who recently moved to Charlotte that we met last night. Art is now playing cards with Greg (learning a new game) while I'm updating my blog.
Pictures: Pictures - London Day 1
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Arrived in London
Someone fed happy pills to the TSA agents at CLT! We had an amazing 5 minutes going through security with all agents smiling and making small talk. Saturday afternoon must be a good time to fly; empty airport with flights leaving on time and arrival on time in Chicago. Still felt strange to fly west to go east! Starbucks was a welcome sight before boarding (again on time). Left in a rainstorm but flight was uneventful and we arrived ON TIME.
Unfortunately we had to wait for almost 15 minutes for a gate and 30 minutes to get through customs before we could get our luggage. The good news was that both of our bags arrived with us…then the task was to find the driver who was to take us to our hotel (we had an hour and 15 minutes from our arrival time before we’d have to pay additional per minute of wait time . We found him by the Information Desk just as we were told with15 minutes to spare. And we were on our way to the JW near Hyde Park.
We had hoped to find a vending machine at Heathrow to buy our Oyster transportation cards which allow one to choose how much money to put on the card and then use it for all buses and the underground until the money runs out and add more money as you need to. The card costs 2 GBP which is refundable if you turn the card in when you leave OR you can keep the card and add to it on a future trip. Guess we’ll have to wait until our first visit to a Tube station and get the cards there. After little sleep on a red eye flight, I didn’t think it worthwhile to deal with the train and taxi alternative. Several good reviews (on Cruise Critic, of course) for Executive Airport Cars made the choice easy for us. We were not disappointed. Check-in went smoothly; we received a lovely letter informing us of the Executive Lounge where we could have continental breakfast; traditional cream tea in the afternoon and drinks and hors d’oevres in the evening. The best news was that WiFi is complimentary in the lounge. That’s a real bonus since the charge for Internet access in the room is 20 GBP per day!
After showers and a nap for Art, we headed to the lounge to check it out. Lovely little sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, fancy coffee machine with espresso,cappuccino, etc. and, of course, tea. So here I am updating my blog with free WiFi, drinking tea and enjoying the ambience of a traditional old British hotel. As we walked out of the hotel to explore the area, our first site was a rainbow directly in front of us. A good omen for our trip!
Unfortunately we had to wait for almost 15 minutes for a gate and 30 minutes to get through customs before we could get our luggage. The good news was that both of our bags arrived with us…then the task was to find the driver who was to take us to our hotel (we had an hour and 15 minutes from our arrival time before we’d have to pay additional per minute of wait time . We found him by the Information Desk just as we were told with15 minutes to spare. And we were on our way to the JW near Hyde Park.We had hoped to find a vending machine at Heathrow to buy our Oyster transportation cards which allow one to choose how much money to put on the card and then use it for all buses and the underground until the money runs out and add more money as you need to. The card costs 2 GBP which is refundable if you turn the card in when you leave OR you can keep the card and add to it on a future trip. Guess we’ll have to wait until our first visit to a Tube station and get the cards there. After little sleep on a red eye flight, I didn’t think it worthwhile to deal with the train and taxi alternative. Several good reviews (on Cruise Critic, of course) for Executive Airport Cars made the choice easy for us. We were not disappointed. Check-in went smoothly; we received a lovely letter informing us of the Executive Lounge where we could have continental breakfast; traditional cream tea in the afternoon and drinks and hors d’oevres in the evening. The best news was that WiFi is complimentary in the lounge. That’s a real bonus since the charge for Internet access in the room is 20 GBP per day!
After showers and a nap for Art, we headed to the lounge to check it out. Lovely little sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, fancy coffee machine with espresso,cappuccino, etc. and, of course, tea. So here I am updating my blog with free WiFi, drinking tea and enjoying the ambience of a traditional old British hotel. As we walked out of the hotel to explore the area, our first site was a rainbow directly in front of us. A good omen for our trip!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Is it OK to say Bon Voyage to yourself??
Well, even if it isn't alright - I am saying Bon Voyage to us! After a wonderful visit with our friends of more years than most of us can count, we packed, picked up a few last minute things (including ear plugs with the hope that I might get a few hours sleep on the plane while Art snores happily away :)), and are now counting the hours. Sweet Ellen is taking us to the airport despite her hectic schedule and we are grateful to not have to add three weeks of airport parking to our tab. Missy goes to her kennel in the AM. Then we'll be ready to go.
Since our FF tickets are on American Airlines, we have the pleasure of flying to London via Chicago...but no complaints here (our tickets cost $20 for taxes)! Two hours at O'Hare with the many other people traveling this weekend and we will be on our way!!
Since our FF tickets are on American Airlines, we have the pleasure of flying to London via Chicago...but no complaints here (our tickets cost $20 for taxes)! Two hours at O'Hare with the many other people traveling this weekend and we will be on our way!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Ongoing Plans
We've decided, after reading lots of tips on Web sites like Trip Advisor, to 'wing it' in Vigo. The town sounds like a good place to walk, see the sites, taste the food (and try the wine :)) and just explore on our own. So I've printed several suggested walks that include the beautiful beach area and all uphill walks in the city. As long as my knees hold out, we should see what we want to see and be able to return to the ship on foot. An intriguing piece of information is that Spanish if not the first language in all of Spain - we knew about Barcelona and Catalonia from previous trips, but not about the regions of northern and coastal Spain. Vigo is in Galacia and, therefore, has two languages - Galacian and Spanish.
In Ponta Delgado, Azores, a private taxi will take us on a tour of the island including the beautiful mountain lakes and sights in the city of 29,000. The islands are part of Portugal, so I'll get to use the few Portugese words that I learned when I was in Rio some years ago :)
The countdown is on. Since we have 2 wonderful events prior to leaving (the Bar Mitzvah of our grandson Max and a visit from our dear friends Phyllis and Bernie), I know that the time will fly and we'll be boarding our plane to Chicago (see first post for explanation) soon!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Transatlantic Cruise Itinerary
| Day | Port | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2010 | Southampton - England Happy Birthday - Eric! | --- | 4:30 p.m. |
| Nov 01, 2010 | Paris (le Havre) - France | 7:00 a.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| Nov 02, 2010 | Cherbourg - France | 7:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Nov 03, 2010 | At Sea - Happy Birthday - Sheila | --- | --- |
| Nov 04, 2010 | Vigo - Spain | 7:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| Nov 05, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 06, 2010 | Ponta Delgada - Azores | 10:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Nov 07, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 08, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 09, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 10, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 11, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 12, 2010 | At Sea | --- | --- |
| Nov 13, 2010 | Miami - Florida | 7:00 a.m. | --- |
Final Planning Stages
We've been thinking about this trip for a year (since we completed last year's Tuscany/Transatlantic Cruise trip). A week on land enjoying and exploring one specific area, followed by a sublime transatlantic cruise on a new and beautiful Celebrity ship, was just the magic travel formula for us. So....of course, we booked this year's transatlantic cruise on Celebrity's Eclipse sailing from Southampton, England to Miami and immediately began talking about what we would do for a week on land prior to the cruise. It was a no brainer to think of a pre-cruise week in London but we also considered Paris and Amsterdam. We almost immediately recognized that traveling with cruise luggage from home to a European city and than dealing with it multiple times from country to country was not our style...in fact, it's sorta our idea of travel hell! So London it is.
We work hard to earn Marriott points and jealously guard the points until we have enough to earn us a free week somewhere. The reward for such point hoarding is a full week at the JW Marriott - Grosvenor House in London with points paying for the whole thing!
The next challenge was to calculate airfare. Since fares between the US and Europe have gone up a lot in the past year or two, we checked out the various frequent flyer programs to which we belong. I know, I know, the pundits say that you're better off to put all of your eggs in one FF bag! But moving from one city to another meant that we now tend to fly US Airways rather than American or Delta. And, much to our shock and surprise, we discovered that we had enough points on American (between us) to pay for two one way tickets from Charlotte to London - with the caveat that we first fly to Chicago :( Beggars can't be chosers, as they say, and we were thrilled to find out that our tickets cost $20 in fees, period. Then we found that we still had enough points to fly home from Miami to Charlotte for the palty sum of $10!
In other words, our week in London, including airfare, will cost us $20 plus $10 for the trip home! What a deal. Now we can plan our week, almost without regard to expenses! And my Gold Elite status at Marriott, allows us entry into the Concierge Lounge for breakfast!
I took the spring summer off from planning so that I could plan and carry out our trip to Hawaii with Ellen, Mike, Carson and Nick in April, and trips to Colorado (Jana and Sally) and Utah (Max and Nick). Lots of family fun ensued (as well as fatigue for the grandparents). But I suddenly woke up to the fact that I had a lot of work still to do for 'our' big trip!
Some time ago, I had arranged for a group of 16 folks from our Cruise Critic (CC) Roll Call to travel together on a 'coach', as they say in the UK, from our London hotel to our ship in Southampton. In addition, I had a group of 8 who had booked a driver/guide to pick us up when our ship docks in Cherbourg, France, for a day's visit to Normandy including many WW II sites. I reconfirmed both trips and communicated with my CC friends and now am ready to work on what we will do on our stops in Vigo, Spain and the Azores. We really like to either plan excursions with a private guide, find a local taxi driver to take us around or do 'walk arounds' on our own whenever the port warrants, So...off to find some fun things to do there.
If you have read this far....and would like to come along with us on our travels, please click on the Become a Follower button or link. You will then be notified any time there is a new post. In other words, you won't need to remember to check in periodically to see what we've been up to. We plan to have a great time and hope you do, too!!
We work hard to earn Marriott points and jealously guard the points until we have enough to earn us a free week somewhere. The reward for such point hoarding is a full week at the JW Marriott - Grosvenor House in London with points paying for the whole thing!
The next challenge was to calculate airfare. Since fares between the US and Europe have gone up a lot in the past year or two, we checked out the various frequent flyer programs to which we belong. I know, I know, the pundits say that you're better off to put all of your eggs in one FF bag! But moving from one city to another meant that we now tend to fly US Airways rather than American or Delta. And, much to our shock and surprise, we discovered that we had enough points on American (between us) to pay for two one way tickets from Charlotte to London - with the caveat that we first fly to Chicago :( Beggars can't be chosers, as they say, and we were thrilled to find out that our tickets cost $20 in fees, period. Then we found that we still had enough points to fly home from Miami to Charlotte for the palty sum of $10!
In other words, our week in London, including airfare, will cost us $20 plus $10 for the trip home! What a deal. Now we can plan our week, almost without regard to expenses! And my Gold Elite status at Marriott, allows us entry into the Concierge Lounge for breakfast!
I took the spring summer off from planning so that I could plan and carry out our trip to Hawaii with Ellen, Mike, Carson and Nick in April, and trips to Colorado (Jana and Sally) and Utah (Max and Nick). Lots of family fun ensued (as well as fatigue for the grandparents). But I suddenly woke up to the fact that I had a lot of work still to do for 'our' big trip!
Some time ago, I had arranged for a group of 16 folks from our Cruise Critic (CC) Roll Call to travel together on a 'coach', as they say in the UK, from our London hotel to our ship in Southampton. In addition, I had a group of 8 who had booked a driver/guide to pick us up when our ship docks in Cherbourg, France, for a day's visit to Normandy including many WW II sites. I reconfirmed both trips and communicated with my CC friends and now am ready to work on what we will do on our stops in Vigo, Spain and the Azores. We really like to either plan excursions with a private guide, find a local taxi driver to take us around or do 'walk arounds' on our own whenever the port warrants, So...off to find some fun things to do there.
If you have read this far....and would like to come along with us on our travels, please click on the Become a Follower button or link. You will then be notified any time there is a new post. In other words, you won't need to remember to check in periodically to see what we've been up to. We plan to have a great time and hope you do, too!!
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