Europe 2011 – Barb – In Her Own Words

Wow it’s 5am Sunday morning for some dumb reason we can’t sleep, so you all are stuck with me!!!!

It really was a wonderful trip…

I still have to pinch myself to be sure it’s real - I mean I’m from North Merna for Pete’s sake!!!!

Don’t know what the best part was, Venice was like a postcard no matter where you looked, it’s unbelievable, and the food, the food everywhere is soooooooooo good so different than ours such fabulous aromas and tastes, I’m seriously going to try to master some of it . . . don’t think I can ever face an Olive Garden again!!!

Croatia is simply a fairly tale it’s no wonder Tony Coucoach (sp) of the Chicago Bulls was such a hero - he would be like the friendly giant.

And Spain, well like all of Europe its so filled with history and beauty and the people are proud and do so know their history an hold their heritage and customs dear, like dance in the streets, not for the tourists but for their enjoyment and to teach the young to carry on with 90 year olds beside 3 year olds smiling wide and enjoying their dance, It’s awesome.

The markets - holy cow you would never believe it probably wouldn’t pass our health dept but I would give anything to have them here - fresh and wonderful lots of fruits & veggies I have never seen & wanted to taste…I think my new dream would be to go back & stay with a family for a week or more and learn to shop the market and cook. That would be amazing.

The cruise itself was not my favorite but you know except the cruise from Hell I took a number of years ago (some of you know what I mean, right sisters) you really can not like any cruise and the weather was perfect.

Ed won money I didn’t loose much and we made a lot of new friends and I got to play dress up everyday!!!

All and all like I said I’m a very lucky girl (ok old broad) and I am so thankful and only wish I could take you all with us.

Thanks Ed, it was another wonderful memory.

Guess I’ll go unpack.

Europe 2011 - Day 18 - he Last Day

The shower - rain head and 2 side nozzles

With sadness to had to leave Barcelona, but happy to be going home, we checked out of the hotel early in the morning and took a taxi to the airport.

On our way to Florence a week or so ago, we ran into two young girls on the train from the US. They verified with us that they were going in the right direction. When we were returning to the ship after missing the first train, they saw us as we were trying to get a taxi to the ship and they asked for our help in getting back.


From that point on, we saw them all of the time – in every port and on the ship. Just free spirits who would hydrate in the daytime and they drink everything it seemed at night. Our last picture is of the girls as we were going thru customs – amazing and funny. And that is the end of that story – they were going to Philadelphia and we don’t even know their names – but they were delightful.

The hotel dining room

Checking in was probably the smoothest we have ever had. The flight to New York was 8 hours and during that time we ate twice, slept for a little bit and watched a movie. A very uneventful flight – which is good.

Our layover in New York was only a few hours and then it was on to Chicago. Believe it or not our 3 hour flight from New York arrived one hour early at 5:30pm.

So we got our bags, got on the Marriott shuttle and were heading for home by 6:30pm – wow probably the best flights and connections we have ever had on a long trip like this.

The Lobby - flowers everywhere

At home we didn’t unpack at all and watched the University of Miami beat Ohio State and then went to bed.

We both awoke about 4:00am and started unpacking.

It was a wonderful trip



Breakfast - 1 of 5 tables of food!



The cab ride to the airport



The girls



Europe 2011 - Day 17

The line for a taxi

Back to Barcelona

We arrived at 2am as there were two very sick people on board and the Captain put the ship on maximum speed to reach port early. We understand that one person was critical but do not know how he was when we reached port.

Even though we arrived early, the schedule for us to leave the ship was the same. Because we were not going to catch a flight or have a tour, we asked to be last off the ship. That meant we could sleep a little longer in the morning.

Entrance to the Spanish Village

Still, we were up at 7am for breakfast and actually off the ship at 8:30am. There was the longest line for a cab I have ever seen anywhere and finally we were packed in a taxi and arrived at the Ritz-Carlton, The Hotel Arts, at 9:30am and were able to check in right away.

We then took a taxi to the Spanish Village which is a village that was built within Barcelona in 1929 for the 1929 International Exhibition to showcase Spain. It contains architecture that represents each province of Spain. Every building is a copy of a real building. There is no traffic within the village, just walkways. It was supposed to be demolished after the Exhibitor, but there was such wide popular support that they kept it intact. Every building houses a craftsperson or a restaurant and the prices were very good.

We ate a light lunch in the Village and then went back to the Ritz to change for the beach.

1/2 of the bath

After a short taxi ride, we were once again on the Mar Bella Beach in Barcelona and spent 2 hours in the sun and sand. Wow – what a beach to have right in the city, it is amazing. Sorry, no pictures were allowed.

We then took a taxi to the center of the old city and found a delightful restaurant for dinner and then walked to the huge outdoor market for some fruit and candy.

After dinner we walked around the old part of the city but didn’t stay long as Barb is still suffering from what she caught on the ship. There were a number of casino employees who had the same thing.

The view from our room

Tomorrow we leave first thing for home. We arrive in Chicago at 6:15pm and should be home by 9 or 9:30pm. Hopefully Barb will have time to write something in her own words – maybe Sunday – we’ll see.



Dinner

Anyway – good night from Barcelona and see you all soon.


Candy at the outdoor market

LOL

Europe 2011 - Day 16



Blackjack winner

What a sad day that we are going to have to pack today, but it is also happy because we have had a fun cruise and the sun is shining.

So it was up early and on the deck to reserve chairs. Today’s blog is almost a repeat of the last sea day – and that’s all right.

We came in from the sun to clean up at noon and then went to lunch and then we picked up our pictures from yesterday.

Then it was to the casino to play in the Blackjack tournament this time. Ed qualified third and then won the tournament, $500 and a trophy. That helps!!!

Late in the afternoon we packed up everything and also set out clothes that we will need to have in Barcelona tomorrow and for our flight home on Saturday.

Going out for our last night

We had a good dinner and said goodbye to the wait staff who were excellent. We also said goodbye to our tablemates.

This trip was unusual in that we had fun at our table and everyone was wonderful to be with but we didn’t make any long lasting friends. Probably the reason is that there was only one other couple at the table and the rest were single women, who were great but we wouldn’t establish any long lasting contact with them. We do hope to see Sam and Ian from South Africa and who knows, maybe it will happen.

Then it was to the last show and onto the casino where we finished out the trip ahead nicely and left at 12:30am, one of the earliest we have ever left on the last night.

We have made some new casino friends and renewed some old relationships so it was a good trip as far as the casino is concerned. Carnival does a good job of taking care of their customers. And the important thing is that we did come out ahead in the casino and that sure helps with all the other expenses like pictures, tours, etc.

Tomorrow we spend the day and night in Barcelona so there will be one more blog tomorrow and then we are home – it has been a fun trip.

Europe 2011 - Day 15



Our Guide Lucas

We awoke in Messina – the second biggest town in Sicily. It looked from the ship like a beautiful, typical European city on the water. 
When we looked at Massena before the cruise, we realized that the number one attraction is Mt. Etna, which is about 2 hours away from the city, so we needed to hire a private guide to take us there, which we did.

We were met at 7:30am on the dock by Lucas, a driver/guide from Sicily Life Tours. (Jackie – the name was appropriate)

What a journey it was. We first rode along the coast line looking at all the beautiful places to live and the very clear water. We stopped first at a house right where the lava stopped flowing in 2001, right at the back door of the house. Then we started climbing toward Mt. Etna and before long we were at the 2000 meters level, which is 1.24 miles from sea level.

The start of the climb



The last major eruption from Mt. Etna was in 2001 and they had 10 small eruptions in that year before the big one. They are expecting a big eruption this year because they have already had 13 small eruptions this year, including one 4 days ago. Our driver said as long as we saw only white smoke that it was ok but if the smoke turned black that could be an eruption. Nice to know.

This is where the tour buses let their passengers off to walk a little more up to view a crater from a 1984 eruption. We however chose to walk up to the top of the last crater to erupt and its top was 2900 meters, which is 1.8 miles up.

The walking was tough because we were high up and the ground was totally lava rocks, some very small and some large. It was also a very dirty walk because of the lava dust that was everywhere. What a walk it was and when we were almost to the top it seemed like the walking area was only about 3’ wide.   I think that our guide was surprised that we made it all the way to the top.

Part way up, you can see 2 craters and also Barb!!

After about 20 minutes we finally made it to the top and the view was amazing. It was like we were standing on the edge of the world.  We could see four craters that have all been active, the latest in 2001.  The last activity on the mountain was 4 weeks ago and since the smoke at the top was white, we were safe to be were we were standing.

We stayed to take pictures and then made our way down the same way we came up.

We had asked our guide to take us to a typical, non tourist, restaurant and so he did.

Before we got to the restaurant, we stopped at a local honey, wine and olive oil shop, sample their products and bought some honey and olive oil to take home. They had some really good wine also, but we couldn’t take it on the flight back.

During the ride, we found out from our guide that the Mafia is still the Mafia and they control a lot of important industries in Sicily. It was an interesting discussion

At the top - 2 to old craters behing Ed

After driving down from Mt. Etna and up another mountain, we came to the town of Castlelona and to the restaurant build into the side of the hill. We had to walk up four flights of very narrow stairs to reach where we sit and eat. Then there was also one more floor up to the roof. What a meal we had for lunch.

Then it was back down the mountain and on the main highway back to Messina where we had to be back on ship by 3:30pm for a 4:00pm sailing back to Barcelona.

We had enough time to do a little shopping in Messina and then it was back to our room to clean up for dinner.

Barb is walking down - yes it is steep!

We also started to organize for the trip back home and the question is how can we get everything packed – but we will find out tomorrow.

Tonight we had dinner in the other specialty restaurant called Cucina del Capitano, an Italian restaurant which only had a $10 cover charge.

Dinner was excellent and really, really good and the service was excellent. This is the first ship in the Carnival fleet to have this restaurant and they have a hit.

Then we went to the show and it was very good – lots of dancing and singing.

Where we ate

And finally, it was to the casino where we were both successful. We did leave early because Barb is suffering from a very bad sore throat. We have some medicine so hopefully it will help her.

Tomorrow is our last full day on the cruise and we will be at sea sailing to Barcelona.

Wish us luck packing.

Night for now

Sweet Dreams Cooper – have a happy birthday.



Lunch






We ate in the city at the very top of the mountain

 

Europe 2011 - Day 14




Going to play in the afternoon

After two wonderful days in Venice we are back on the ship sailing south heading towards the end of the cruise.

But first today is a day at sea as well as the second formal night.

Ed was up early as usual to get up on deck and save us two deck chairs on the Serenity Deck. By 8:00am, all the good chairs were occupied.

We stayed out in the sun until Noon and then can in, showered and went to eat lunch.

After lunch we purchased our pictures from yesterday and then went to the slot tournament where did not qualify.

Then we played a session in the casino where we did ok. We are ahead for the cruise and hope to keep it that way.

The main pool deck

Then it was time to relax a little, take a jacuzzi and do serious people watching as the first dinner shift made their way into the dinning rooms. We also did some fun pictures with the staff.

Then it was time to get ready for formal night and we went downstairs early to again people watch .

Dinner tonight was elegant with a lot of men in Tux’s and women in long dresses. Probably 80% were dressed for dinner.

We skipped the main showroom and instead went to the comedy club to listen to a really funny comedian.

As you can probably figure out, our last stop was the casino where we did just fine.

Our Table for Dinner

This is a short one because it is 2:00am and we have to be up at 6:30am for our trip.

That’s it for today as tomorrow we have to get up early for our tour of Mt. Etna – it should be fun.

Europe 2011 - Day 13

Main Street

Well we awoke still in Venice and it is neat to be in a place like this for the second day. Yesterday we concentrated on finding the lights and today was a play day.

After breakfast, the first thing that we did was go to the big market. What fun it is riding the boats – their transportation system is really, really good and easy to use.

After spending time in the market we spent about an hour walking from the market across town to get to a boat stop that we wanted to use. In Venice, you cannot walk anywhere in a straight line and it is very easy to get turned around.

Low Bridge on a side street

We were interested in taking a boat to the island of Burano, which is the home of some good restaurants and lace makers. We met two guys on the boat who were cooks from San Francisco and told us about a restaurant on an island farther away and that is where we decided to go.

It took about an hour by boat before we finally arrived at the island of Torcello. The island of Torcello was the first island in this area to be settled; however, it only has 100 people living on it now.

We walked into town, about 15 minutes away, and came to the restaurant Locanda Cipriana. It was first built in 1935 as a wine and oil shop and then a restaurant was added. It was made famous by Earnest Hemmingway and then visited by Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Elton John, the President of Italy and a whole host of other famous people. The restaurant has a Michelin star and apparently very famous.

A dump truck

The appetizer was puchitto (sp) and melon and then the main course was s simple homemade pasta with wide noodles and a meat sauce, but there was nothing simple about the meal.

Desert was a cream filled crepe flamed with Contreau.

There is no question that this was the most expensive lunch we have ever had, but it was well worth it as Barb had wanted to go to a really good Italian restaurant and we found it.

After lunch, we took the boat back to Venice, transferred via two other boats and finish shopping for some items we wanted. Then it was back to the ship.

We left just as the sun was setting and the trip out of the harbor of Venice is beautiful and it takes about 45 minutes to get to open water.

Public Transportation

Dinner with our group was enjoyable. The show was just ok and then we went to the casino where Ed had a great streak and Barb broke even.



All in all a great ending to our two days in Venice. While we took a lot of boats, we also walked 8 miles each day!

Tomorrow is a day at sea.

Night for now


Bus Stop





Lunch



Europe 2011 - Day 12

St. Marks Square from the ship as we arrived

Venice – words cannot describe Venice. As you are approaching Venice, you pass by a number of other islands that are in the same location and for all of then there only access is by boat. Then you see Venice and again, words cannot describe it. There are no cars, there are no roads, there are no FedEx trucks - they are FedEx boats! It is all buildings, walkways and waterways, some very big, some very small.

The only problem was that it was very foggy as we entered Venice, but the pictures should still tell you the story of the town.

We were off the ship shortly after it docked at 1:00pm and walked to the people mover and took it to the bus station. The bus station is a boat station.

A bus stop

All of the glass companies were moved off the island of Venice and onto the island of Murano, which is a 10 minute boat trip and that is where we headed first. There are many glass makers and shops on the island and I think that we went into them all and finally found four light fixtures for the kitchen and the hall. What fun that will be having Murano glass lights. They only take 3 days to get our house by UPS so we had them hold shipping until next week so they get home just after we do.

We ate an early dinner in a delightful little café along the canal in Murano and then we took the boat back to Venice.

Part of Venice

We spent the next 4 or 5 hours just walking around Venice and seeing the sights. At about 9pm we decided that we needed something to drink and a bathroom break so we sat at an outside table in St. Marks Square and had two Cokes. One of the biggest mistakes we have ever made as the cost was $28 Euros or $40 US!! Oh well, I had great company, the sodas and chips were good and the music was fun.

Then it was back on the boat to get to the ship. Much to our surprise, the people mover at the port closed by the time we got there and we had to walk about a mile to get to the ship. No one told us and all the other people who arrived when we did and we were not happy about the walk – but Venice the first day was really fun.

Main Street - Murano

Bus ride down a canal

Tomorrow we have all day to enjoy Venice as e do not leave port until 7:00pm.

Night from Venice.

Barb and the shop owner with our new lights



Europe 2011 - Day 11

As we arrived

We arrived at Dubrovnik, Croatia at 10:00am and this city is amazing as it looks like a fairy tale country. The old city is completely surrounded by a very high wall. You can walk around the entire city on top of the wall and we did that last time.

All of the houses are of the same color brick and have the same red tile roofs, it is a beautiful sight.

We spent the morning walking the streets and going into the shops. Then it was time to fine a local restaurant for some lunch.

Lunch

Our lunch was: Grilled eggplant filled with Mozzarella cheese and basil and baked with a light tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. Also we had stuffed zucchini blossoms that were deep fried. Everything was wonderful (Jackie you would be proud of Ed).

Then we went to the waterfront and got a water taxi to Lokrum Island, 10 minutes away because it has a large naturist beach. The beach was rocky rather than sandy and backed onto a grove of pine trees. The lack of sand was more that compensated for by a stunning expanse of water – clear as can be. Actually laying on the huge flat rocks was very comfortable. It was very peaceful as there were probably only 30 people on the entire beach. Ed went swimming it the Adriatic and it was cool but wonderful.

The Beach

Later in the afternoon we took the water taxi back to the city and did some more shopping. Barb bought a beautiful amber ring as she had an open finger to fill.

At about 5:00pm we took the shuttle bus back to the ship, walked around and relaxed until it was time to get ready for dinner.

Dinner tonight was in the Steak House, which is a very upscale, extra cost restaurant; however, we were the guest of the casino so the meal was on Carnival. We invited our new friends from South Africa to go with us and we have a fun couple of hours eating ourselves silly and talking about our different countries, kids, dogs and travels.

Then it was onto the casino where we did very well.

As we entered the city by the water taxi

Tomorrow we sail into Venice at 2:00pm and do not leave until Monday evening. It will be fun visiting Venice again.

Europe 2011 - Day 10

The Volcano

What a great day to wake up to the ship sailing and knowing that we don’t have to get off the ship today. We have been at a dead run since we got on the ship at Barcelona; but, that is what you do!

We were up on the adult Serenity deck early to get our deck chairs and stayed out until Noon.  Just before lunch we passed by the active volcano on the island of Stromboli which was quite a site.  Today, there were no eruptions.  Then we came in and showered off the oil and went to lunch.

After lunch we attempted to qualify for the slot tournament and this time, Ed was lucky enough to make the finals. We then played a session in the casino before the slot finals.

The slot finals is a 5 minute contest between the top 10 people and unfortunately, Ed came in second this time. That is two seconds in two day – first is $500 and second is a Carnival hat. Oh well, there is one more blackjack and one more slot tournament left. 

To the top deck





We picked up our pictures from yesterday and decided to rest before getting ready for formal night.

We dressed and went down early for formal night and watched people – what fun.

Dinner on formal night is always great, Barb had lobster and I had prime rib. Then it was off to the show to see a really good song and dance show.

Finally to the casino where we did well and off to bed.

Tomorrow – Dubrovnik, Croatia.



Slot Tournament



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



In the casino on formal night








Europe 2011 - Day 9



The Franciscan's Leather School

We docked at Livorno, Italy which is the gateway to Florence and Pisa.

We knew how to get to the local train station by taking the Carnival shuttle to the center of the town and then a local bus to the train station. So we were out of the cabin early and on the 9:28am train to Florence, skipping Pisa. It took the train about 1 ½ hours to get there.

Our round trip cost for the train was $33 dollars total and Carnival charged $180 per couple to take their bus to Florence and return. The only danger in using local transportation is that if you don’t get back to the ship on time, you are on your own to make it to the next port – more about that later.

We met a nice couple and their daughter from Canada on the train trip and shared some fun experiences until they got off at Pisa. Once we got to Florence it was off the train and into a taxi to take us to the Church of Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan church in Europe and also home to a leather-working school taught by the Franciscan Priests.



Barb's scarf is here



We found the school in the back of the church and wow was their workmanship fantastic - as were their prices. But it was fun to visit this school.

We ate lunch in a little café and then spend the rest of our time in Florence in the big open air markets that specialized in leather goods and scarves. Florence is the leather capital of Europe as far as leather clothing is concerned and we had a lot of fun and bought some “needed” items.

It took us longer than expected to get a taxi to the train station and we were within 50 yards from our train as it was pulling out. The next train was to leave at 3:48pm which would still put us back in the port in time to make the ship, but not with a lot of time to spare.



Buying a purse

As we were waiting for the train to leave, the conductor came by and told us that things had changed and we had 6 minutes to get to another train, which would take us to Pisa and then we would have to transfer to another train to get to the port. There were about 30 from the ship altogether when we got off the train at Pisa at 5:15pm and waited for the next train. We were supposed to board the ship by 6:00pm and the ship would pull out at 6:30pm. We arrived at the port train station at 5:50pm and jumped into the only cab around. We made it to the ship at 6:03pm!! That was way too close.

Dinner was with our new table and we are enjoying everyone.

After dinner, Ed qualified for the blackjack tournament; however, in the finals he did not win. He was in second place going into the last round and his last hand if he would have gotten one of 68% of the cards, he would have won – but he didn’t. Maybe next time.



The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fore

We had a very long day today so we decided not to play in the casino but make it an early night.

Tomorrow is a sea day, a slot tournament and the first formal night – life is good in paradise.

Don't forget you can click on any picture to make it bigger.  Night for now.

Sunset from our deck