Spring 2016 – Day 2

We slept late and woke up to wonderful weather.  Ed went and ate breakfast and then a ½ on a stationary bicycle in the gym before we both got ready to go out to the beach.

The weather was perfect, in the high 70’s, very little wind and just a few clouds.

We went about 40 minutes south to our favorite beach in Miami, Haulover Beach and it was a great way to spend the day.

Haulover Beach was jammed with people as it was Sunday but we found a spot where we like to sit and enjoyed the day in beautiful weather.  For suntan lotion, we used #0, #2, #4 & #30 to protect us all over!

We finally left the beach at 4:30pm (without a sunburn) after showering at a beach shower and then we headed for a Cuban Restaurant in Little Havana in downtown Miami, about 30 minutes away from the beach.

For an appetizer, we had assorted croquettes of ham, chicken, cod fish all served with a Cilanto Sauce and they were very good.  For our main course we had a Cuban sampler platter consisting of white rice, black beans, Picadillo ground beef, roast port, sweet plantains, ham croquette, Cuban tamale and Cassava with Cuban Mojo (that’s right from the menu as we would never remember everything).  Ed really enjoyed it and Barb thought it was just ok.  Both of agreed that last night Cuban meal was the best.

Then we met Tim and Barbara from Washington, DC in the Executive Lounge and spent an hour or so just catching up.  They are a great couple and we are thrilled they will be joining us on this cruise.

That’s it from Ft. Lauderdale as tomorrow we pack up and get on the ship – it should be a fun cruise and what a fun two days to start the trip.

Night from Ft. Lauderdale.

The entrance to the beach

Dinner

Spring 2016 – Day 1

Our plane left from Bloomington right on time at 6:00am to go to Atlanta and then onto Fort Lauderdale.

The flights were uneventful and we landed in Ft. Lauderdale right on time – 1:45am and then the fun began at Budget Car Rental.  We had gotten a really good deal on a small Ford; however, when we got to the rental counter there was a huge line in the regular check-in line and a smaller line at the express line, where we were supposed to go as we had pre-paid for the car. 

The only problem was they were no cars!  Finally after about an hour we were able to get out car.  We were told by the counter staff that some people had waited 3 hours for their cars.  They didn’t have the cheap car that we had rented so they gave us a full size Ford and off we went to the Marriott.

We are staying at a Marriott in north Ft. Lauderdale that is about ½ hour away from the cruise port, but it was the least expensive of the Marriott’s this weekend.  To stay on the beach would have been a couple of hundred more dollars a night so we can drive to the beach tomorrow.  They upgraded us to a room on the top floor (17^th) and it will be just fine.

We finally got into our room at 4:00 and Barb took a short nap while Ed started to work on the blog.

When we arrived, the sky was cloudy, but by 5pm, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

Then it was time for dinner.  Barb had wanted to go to some authentic Cuban restaurants and so we went to one about 40 minutes away called Sergios in Pembroke Pines, FL.  Sergios was started 40 years ago by Cubans who felt there was not a good Cuban restaurant in the area.  WOW – what a great meal we had.

We started out with an appetizer that was a trio of port, ground beef and shrimp each served on a small bed of fried plantains.  Plantains are from the banana family.  It also had tomatoes, avocadoes and pico de gallo all mixed together. 

Then for our main course we had a dish called pan con bistec, which is thinly sliced grilled stead and onions topped with tomatoes, a pile of very, very thin shoestring fries, plantains, Swiss cheese and served on Cuban bread.  It was wonderful and we could not finish the sandwich. (we brought a menu back with us so we knew what we ordered)

We finish off dinner with a dessert of flan!!!

As it had been a long day, we drove back to the Marriott and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow, hopefully the beach.  Night from Florida

Our room

Appetizer

 Dinner

The sandwich from the end

Flan

New Years - 2016 - Videos from the trip

These are videos that we have taken that did not make it on the daily blog pages.

From a hill in Valpariaso

 

 

From another hill in Valpariaso

 

 

Outdoor eating area in Santiago

 

 

A winery in Chile

 

 

At a hillside craft market in Valparaiso

 

Acrobats on Celebrity Infinity

 

 Acrobats on Celebrity Infinity - 2

 

 Acrobats on Celebrity Infinity - 3

 

Sea day on the Celebrity Infinity

 

 

 

 

Rainbow from our deck on the Celebrity Infinity

 

 

Approaching the Celebrity Infinity

 

 

Fish market in Punta Arenas

 

Lunch at one of the stops

 

 

Cruising the Chilean inside passage

 

 

A street band on the cruise

 

Eating lunch at a great local bar

 

 

A beautiful cemetery on the cruise

 

 

 

Walking with Penguins on Las Lobes Island at Ushuaia

 

More Penquins at Ushuais

 

End of the highway in Punta Arenas

 

Tango in the central park in Buenos Aries

 

At the Ricoloto Cemetery in Buenos Aries

 

Lunch in La Boca district in Buenos Aires

 

 

 

 

New Years - 2016 - Day 20

Our last day of the trip except for flying and the weather was perfect again – hot, dry and in the 90’s.

We were unable to get a tour of the Presidential Palace as it now took 7 – 10 days to get approval.

So we walked to the Subway and took the 20 – 30 minute ride to the city center where we had a great individual tour of the City’s Opera House.  The tour guide had lived all over Europe and spoke perfect English.  They were working on the set so the lights were not on inside the opera house but we did get to go in and see it.  Then she took us to the 4^th balcony and wow, what a sight.  After that we went up two more floors to the floor where the sets were made – very interesting.

We had seen a famous fast food place called Dominos (not the pizza place) and went to it for lunch.  It was a hot dog place and the food was just fun for lunch.

Next we went to see the house of Pablo Neruda, a Nobel Prize Poet who built his house on the side of the hill in three levels.  It was a fun tour.

Then we walked back to the subway station and took the subway back to the hotel where we have a 6:00pm check out time and a car to pick us up to the airport at 6:45pm.

That’s all for now – see you at home – it was a wonderful trip and we are ready to be home.

 

At the Opera House

 

Lunch the last day

 

Opening the door to the Opera House

 

A backdrop for the opera being painted

Outside stairway to the bedroom of the poet

Selling earrings on the street

Eating lunch at Dominoes in Santiago

 

 

Eating dinner at Johnny Rockets at the airport in Santiago

Just had to have a hamburger

 

 

 

 

 

New Years - 2016 - Day 19

We had been trying for a couple of days to find out when our tour guide would pick us up this morning and finally late last night we found out that he would pick us up at 10:00am for a ½ day tour of the city of Santiago.

Ed was up early to eat and work on videos and Barb slept in as there was nothing else to do but to wait for the guide.  Guess what; he called from the lobby at 9am to tell us he was here.  We had to tell him to come back at 10am Barb was getting some much needed sleep.

He was nice enough, but we didn’t think that the tour was as nice as the day before and this was the same company. 

We visited the hill where the city was founded and the President was going to be there tonight so we couldn’t go all the way to the top.  Then we also went to the main market, the main Cathedral Church, and he also took us to the top of the biggest hill for a scenic view of the city.  They were shooting a commercial there so we recorded the view and making of the commercial in one video.  Most of the rest of the time was spent in the van driving and seeing places of interest.

He was going to take us back to the Marriott but we asked him to drop us off at the market where we had a very large plate of small shrimp.  Then we walked down the main pedestrian street with hundreds of people. 

After that, we took the subway to the end of the line to a place called Los Dominicos, which is a huge Chilean handcraft market.  There are about 150 shops at this market and it was fun as in a number of shops, they were actually making the wood, leather, copper, silver, etc. things that they had for sale.

Then we took the subway back to the station close to the hotel, walked the wrong way and ended up in a cab back to the hotel.

We had snacks at 6:30pm in the Executive Lounge and then took off for the evening.

 

Today the temp hit 96 degrees and was it ever hot and humid.  Santiago is 2 hours from the ocean and it is between two different mountain ranges. So it is like living in a bowl and stays very hot over their summer.  Tomorrow is to be the same.

If we get an extended check-out, I will probably write another blog – it not, I will write it at home and also build a page with videos from the trip.

Good night from our last night in Santiago and we will be home in two days. We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog.  Our plane leaves tomorrow evening at 9:45pm and we will be picked up at the hotel at 6:45pm after another full day of visiting Santiago.

 

Going out for the day

The biggest and main church

Lunch

A wood cutter in the Chilean market

The subway station

At the top of Cerro San Cristobal

At the Chilean craft market

 

New Years - 2016 - Day 18

It was beautiful with clear skies and hot when we woke up in Valparaiso, Chile.

Ed had breakfast and then we were off the ship at 7:30am and through customs and immigrations by 8:10am and our guide wasn’t there yet as we were to meet him at 8:30am.   He arrived in a little bit and off we went for a 10 hour tour of Valparaiso and the country side before arriving at our hotel in Santiago.

One of the exciting things that we got to see were several groups of sea lions as we toured along the coast.  Valparaiso has miles of public beach right in town and the suburbs.  It is also a town of 53 major hills so it was a little like driving in San Francisco, except the streets are steeper and narrower!

We also took a tram to the top of one of the major hills for some beautiful views of the city.

For lunch our guide, Hector took us to this very nice restaurant right along the sea and we had a sampler platter of sea food for two and it could have easily fed four.  We were stuffed by the time we finished our lunch.

Then we left the city for the drive to Santiago.  Along the way, we stopped at a vineyard and had a wine tasting.  It was fun as we tasted from their winery four different types of wines and sat with a couple from Florida who had also been on our cruise.

Then it was back on the road to Santiago which is 2 hours from Valparaiso.  We were almost there when our van started to overheat, so Hector called his father who came in his car and we transferred everything to Hector’s father’s car and continued to Santiago.

Finally we arrived at the Santiago Marriott and as soon as we unloaded the car we realized that

Ed had left his large wardrobe back at the pier!  After we got to our room, Ed called Marriott and they will send the bag to our house via FedEx.   None of the clothes that he needs for the stay in Santiago were in that bag; however, his warm jacket, gloves and hat were.  So, we hope that it is warm in Bloomington when we land in a couple of days.

They upgraded us to a 1 bedroom corner suite on the 18 floor that measures 50’ x50’ with a huge living room, a large bedroom, a very large bathroom and enough closets for a stay for a month.

We went up to the executive lounge and had finger food and something to drink and then came back to the room to unpack.  After that, we walked a block to a mall and had a sandwich while sitting outside watching the people.

We have downloaded a few vides of today and will download more tomorrow.

Night from Santiago, Chile

 

Sea Lions

 

Barb buying a ring

 

Lunch

 

Sampler sea food platter

Wine tasting

Snacks at the Marriott

Having lunch in Valparaiso

 

 

Sea Lions in Valparaiso

 

 

 

At the Santiago Marriott

 

 

New Years - 2016 - Day 17

What a wonderful blue sky we had and perfect weather with hardly any breeze all day.

 

Ed woke up early and reserved our chairs on the pool deck, then ate breakfast and went to the gym for his ½ hour on the bicycle.

 

Then both us stayed in the sun until12:30pm when we went to AquaSpa had had grilled Tuna with grilled vegetables.  No question they serve the best food for lunch so we have enjoyed it a lot.

 

Then we stayed out until 2:00pm and came inside and we may have burned a little again!!  We cleaned up and went to the casino for our afternoon playing secession where we really didn’t play as there were no players when we went down.

 

We went back to the room and spent an hour packing and then took a nap – we are going to miss the naps!!

 

We sat in the lounge with some new friends Peter and Chrisz from Canada and talked about future cruises.  Peter and Ed played blackjack together a number of times and they are very nice.  We also talked about their joining us on the Jan ’17 Dubai cruise.

 

After that it was time to go to the show which was an acrobatic duo who were really great.  We had seen them before and she was a member of one of Russian gold metal teams in the Olympics.  They put on a great show.  On this cruise, the individual acts were better than the big staff production shows.

 

Dinner was great as only the new friends from El Paso showed up for dinner and we had a good time.  Hopefully we will meet up with them again.

 

Then it was back to the casino where we both lost.  This will be only the 4^th out of over 40 gambling trips where we came out behind – but that’s what can happen – we played the games correctly and just lost.

 

We said our goodbyes to the casino staff and went to the room to finish the blog, check emails and finish packing.  We will get off the ship at 7:30am and will be met at the port exit by our tour guide who will take us through Valparaiso and then on the Santiago where we will check into the Marriott.

 

Barb’s back survived better than we both though it would. 

 

Over the next couple of days, I will load some of the great videos we would like to share with everyone.

 

Night

 

Going out for the afternoon

Barb on the deck

Mark and Cathy from El Paso