tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156489942024-03-06T23:52:09.908-08:00Travels With Mary & ElaineMary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.comBlogger839125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-32405497487070261872017-12-21T08:15:00.002-08:002017-12-21T08:15:56.052-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2017
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Another year has passed, and as always, we enjoy receiving the yearly news of family and friends, and try to
be brief when sending ours. It seems like every year goes faster than the last one, but it really is a matter of
perspective. We are always delighted to report that we are doing well, and are hoping to learn that you are as
well.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">The year started out in Yuma, at the home of friends Ron & Carol, and enjoyed visits with many other RV
friends. After a week, we returned in our RV to Park Sierra and ended the month doing a cruise on the
Harmony for Elaine’s birthday. Then we moved to the Freedom for a cruise alone, and then a week with Tarra
and Alonzo, a gift for their 40th birthdays. March was spent in the RV at Park Sierra, having medical check-
ups, catching up on RV repairs, and getting ready for Spring international travels.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">April 3 we boarded the Konigsdam, our first Holland America ship, for a 14 day cruise to Rome. It was one
of their newer ships and we found the experience to be outstanding, especially the food and entertainment.
The only area Royal Caribbean excels over Holland is in their loyalty program. We arrived in Rome and spent
a few days there exploring, then boarded the Vision of the Seas for a cruise to Barcelona, and stayed on
board for the next cruise to Amsterdam. Of course, we had many enjoyable experiences in the many ports.
Once we docked, we flew to Basel, Switzerland, and enjoyed an Airbnb apartment there for 4 days before
embarking on our first river cruise, on the Rhine. River cruises are di</span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">ff</span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">erent from sea cruises and we enjoyed
the included shore excursions in the many old European places our ship stopped. The food was good, wine
with dinner, and occasionally local entertainers were brought on board. Upon docking in Amsterdam, we
stayed overnight in a hotel and then re-boarded the Vision for a 14 day cruise around the British Isles. There
were ports in England, Scotland, and Ireland, all places we have visited before in camper vans, although quite
a few years ago.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Early June we returned to CA and drove the RV down to San Diego again for another visit with Darran,
Marielle, Evie (3) and William (1). My goodness, those kids are growing quickly! After returning to Park Sierra
with the RV, we flew to Illinois to have a visit with Elaine’s sisters. Mary Sue arranged for us to stay in an
apartment at her living facility right in Rockford. Georgeanne and Dennis joined us for dinner in town and then
hosted us at the farm for other family gatherings. We attended the Cannell Family reunion on July 2. And we
drove up to Wisconsin to visit Barbara and her daughter, Lisa, in Mayville during the di</span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">ffi</span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">cult time she was
having due to the passing of her husband, Jerry.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">The rest of the summer was spent in the RV, driving up the CA coast to Oregon, and then Washington. Had a
very nice visit with George and Diana Ruelens in Astoria where they were camp hosting, then drove the WA
coast to Port Angeles for a lovely visit with Elaine’s sister, Penny, and her family. We were there for the
eclipse, which was 93% totality in that location. The friends at the Escapees park in Chimacum, WA always
warmly welcome us, and many of our Park Sierra friends were there as well. After that we parked our RV on
the property of Chris Christensen, in Gig Harbor, although she was away. My granddaughter, Paige and her
spouse, Allison joined us for lunch one day, which enabled us to catch up on their doings. Then we enjoyed a
Pacific coast cruise on the Explorer. This enabled us to have a visit with my son, Thomas, and Elaine’s
daughter, Tarra, in San Francisco when the ship stayed there 2 days, and a wonderful day with friends June
and Ralph Shortill in Victoria, BC. We then drove quickly back to Park Sierra to leave the RV on our lot and
prepare for our Fall trip to Europe.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Oct. 9 we left on the train for SFO, flew to NY, and then on to Rome, and a train to Florence, Italy. On Oct. 12
we were walking down the street, rolling our suitcases to our Airbnb apartment, when Elaine was hit from
behind by a motorcycle. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital, stayed there all day having a CT scan
of her head, and x-rays of her arms, and chest, got painkillers and IV fluids, told in broken English that she
had a broken shoulder, and put in a sling, with a torso wrap to keep it in place, and they sutured her head
gash. All of this cost 544 Euros - no charge for the ambulance. We spent 3 days in our apartment where she
started her recovery, then took the train to Montecatini to join our Gate 1 tour of Tuscany. Luckily this tour
stayed in a 4 star hotel for a week while there were day trips to places like Sienna, Florence, Cinque Terra,
San Gimignano, Chianti, Pisa, Lucca, with several excellent wine tastings, lunches, and dinners at other
wineries. Elaine managed to participate in most of them! We had a very good tour leader and met many fine
new friends. At the end of that week, we took a train to Bologna and another Airbnb place for 2 days, had 3
days in Ferrara in another place, and 1 day in Venice. The Venice Airbnb guy even picked us up from the train
station area in his boat and took us to the apartment. It was in Canareggio, a very nice area to stay in, not too
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">far from the train station or the cruise port, and away from the heavily touristed parts of Venice. Very good
restaurants right on the canal banks too.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Oct. 28 we boarded the Rhapsody in Venice, and had a 8 day cruise to Barcelona. A new port for us was
Kotor, Montenegro, which we enjoyed very much. In Barcelona we had a lovely Airbnb place near Plaza
Espana, on the 9th floor, with a huge patio and great views. Nov. 9 we boarded the Brilliance for a 14 day
cruise back to Florida, with stops in Spain, Madeira, and St. Kitts. It was very warm for such a late season
crossing. Thanksgiving Day we flew from Tampa to Ft. Lauderdale, had 3 days in a hotel, and a super visit
and lunch with Sandra and John LaMarche at their condo in Hollywood Beach. After boarding the Allure for 2
weeks, we had warm Caribbean weather, great food in the Coastal Kitchen, and fun times with friends who
were on the ship. Dec. 11 we flew back to SFO and spent 2 days with Tarra & Alonzo in Fremont, while
dealing with a rental issue in Santa Clara.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Now we are back at Park Sierra, </span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">not </span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">enjoying the cold weather. We are dealing with getting the RV ready to
travel, catching up on mail and backed up issues, and having a few social events here in the park. Last night
there was a caroling and wassail with appetizers party. Wednesday we will head down to San Diego to enjoy
another Christmas with Darran, Marielle and the little ones. Marielle’s family lives nearby so there are always
lots of kids, and chaos - and fun. New Year’s Eve we hope to be celebrating with the Leonard’s, and other RV
friends, in Yuma.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Our philosophy is that we want to keep traveling, seeing things, having great visits with people, and enjoying
life while we still have our health and can manage our a</span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">ff</span><span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">airs. There has been too many life-changing
experiences for friends and family in our age group, and it makes us sad for them and helps us realize that we
have to prioritize our bucket list. So in 2018 we have booked a few things, such as a 27 day land trip in SE
Asia in March, followed by a 30 day cruise on the Mariner in April from Singapore to Dubai, then on to
Barcelona. Hopefully in June we will be staying in the condo of RV friends in Honolulu. And more adventures
in Europe with a cruise back to FL are planned for the Fall.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">As Christmas approaches, we are sending you our very best wishes for a wonderful time with family and
friends, followed by a healthy and happy New Year.
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<span style="font-family: 'HelveticaNeue'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Love, Mary & Elaine
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-64654892061297263382016-12-21T20:32:00.001-08:002016-12-21T20:32:47.643-08:00Christmas Letter December 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Happy Holidays 2016</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Once again it is time to look at the year that has passed and try to remember what the heck happened! It seems like it went so quickly. Of course, it seemed like we were constantly on the move; perhaps we were…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Many people believe that we spend all our time on a cruise ship. Not so! Last January we were in our RV and had a delightful time reconnecting with RV friends, and making some new ones, at the Boomer gathering in Quartzite, AZ, In Feb. we visited Laughlin and Las Vegas, and then returned to our RV lot at Park Sierra. March found us doing some medical checkups and also preparing for some international travels due to start in April. Elaine’s new grandson, William Orion Clemo, was born late in March. So early in April we flew to San Diego and had a very nice visit with him, and the rest of the family. Of course, Evie, his older sister, age 2 was the real star of the visit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In mid-April, we flew to Florida and did a 1 week Caribbean cruise on the Allure. Then we boarded the Brilliance for a very wonderful transatlantic cruise to Barcelona - one of the best we have ever done, thanks to the awesome crew and wonderful hotel director, Johann. In Barcelona we transferred to one of Royal Caribbean’s new ships, the Ovation. We were on this ship for 4 cruises in a row: Barcelona to Dubai through the Suez Canal; Dubai to Singapore; a short cruise to Malaysia and back to Singapore; then Singapore to Beijing. We had many new experiences on this ship, such as doing the iFly, a sky diving simulator, going up in the Northstar, which allowed us to see the ship and surrounds from 90 feet up, and riding in the bumper cars (a flashback from our youth). After we arrived in Beijing, we joined a Gate 1 tour for 2 weeks of land explorations which included the Great Wall, the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Chengdu panda sanctuary, Shanghai, and a 3 day river cruise through the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. In the year 2000, we spent 30 days exploring all over China, and it was quite interesting to see the incredible changes that have taken place in 16 years!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We were back in the USA by July 6, just in time for more RV adventures. First we drove south, to San Diego, for another visit with Darran, Marielle, Evie & William; we want to bond with them while they are young so they at least know who we are when we visit!! Then we drove north, to Oregon & Washington. My oldest granddaughter, Paige, married her girlfriend, Allison in the Lynden, WA area on Aug. 21, and we were happy to be there with some of the other family members. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Our next big adventure started Sept. 21 when we flew up to Seattle, spent 2 days enjoying it and seeing Paige & Allison, and then we boarded the Explorer of the Seas for 39 days. There were 2 short cruises up and down the Pacific coast, so we got to see my son Thomas, Elaine’s daughter, Tarra, and her granddaughter, Ari when our ship docked in San Francisco. Luckily we had great weather most of the time; our first port stop in SF we had 90 degrees F, almost unheard of there. On Oct. 8 the ship started the 24 day transpacific cruise to Sydney, stopping in Honolulu, Lahaina, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Many friends were on board, and it was one of the best cruises we have ever done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Nov. 2 we landed in Sydney and Elaine and I flew to Perth, Western Australia. We had never been there before and we had an enjoyable 2 weeks exploring by rental car, public transport, and Airbnb apartments. A highlight was visiting the Margaret River wine area. The best part was reconnecting with friends from former travels and cruises who did so many nice things for us and made our time with them so special. Thanks again Abby, Tina & Stuart!!! On Nov. 16 we boarded the Radiance in Fremantle for a 17 day cruise around the southern part of Australia and over to New Zealand. In Melbourne we again reconnected with a travel friend, Siti, whom we hadn’t seen for 9 years; such fun. Sadly, there was a big storm in the Tasman Sea which caused us to miss the fjords and all 4 of our ports scheduled for the south island of NZ, a great disappointment. We had been to New Zealand for a month in 1999 and were anxious to see it again, plus some new areas. Instead we visited Tauranga, and Auckland, on the north island.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Dec. 3 we flew back to the USA, had a quick visit with Tarra and Alonzo in Fremont, and took the train back to Fresno. It was tough moving back into our RV because now it was COLD in California!!! Also, Elaine developed a cold with a bad cough the first day we were back. A few days ago, now that she is feeling better and we are over jet lag, we left Park Sierra before a huge storm was due to hit. We are spending about a week at the Jojoba SKP park in southern CA where the weather has been warmer, and we have had fun social times already with Boomer friends who have lots here. George and Diana Ruelens have already had a very nice Happy Hour gathering for us, and helped us tackle our RV battery situation (we now have new ones, which he installed). On Dec. 21 we will drive to San Diego to have Christmas with Darran, Marielle and the little ones, plus other members of her family. New Year’s will find us in Yuma, sharing good times with Ron & Carol Leonard and other RV friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> Of course, we have made more travel plans for 2017. We are glad that we will be spending quite a bit of time in Europe, because it will get us out of here where there seems to be so much acrimoniousness during and after the election. Hopefully, the warm wishes which everyone extends through Christmas and New Year’s will carry over into people’s everyday lives and the future won’t be as bleak as we fear it might be with the new administration. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">This is the time of year when we hear from many of you, and we greatly enjoy that. We sincerely hope that this has been a good year for you and your families, and that you will continue to prosper and enjoy life in the year to come. Please keep in touch; family and friends are the most important parts of life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Love, Mary & Elaine</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">New Phone Numbers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Mary<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>206-229-7002</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Elaine<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>206-698-8797</span></div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-61543241971110889842016-02-05T15:17:00.003-08:002016-02-05T15:17:32.473-08:00This Blog Is Finished<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I suspect I am not disappointing anyone, but I have decided to discontinue this blog. Besides the fact that we often do not have good internet access, I am finding that even when we are in the USA and have internet, I am not inclined to sort through my pictures and write what we have been doing. Perhaps this is because we have shifted to short posts periodically on Facebook. This is also the way that we find out about what family and friends have been doing. Of course, direct e-mails are also still an option. So if you wish to find out what we have been up to, please feel free to call us at 928-581-3624, e-mail us at cannellane@yahoo.com, or check us out on Facebook, under the name Mary Lane.<br />
Thanks for traveling with us. It has been a good time and we have been fortunate to have been able to see many parts of the world these past years.</div>
Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-5840112180392496472016-01-06T11:23:00.000-08:002016-01-06T11:23:20.973-08:00Arizona in January<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Arizona is going to be the location of our adventures for January. We drove over to Yuma on Dec. 29 from San Diego, and parked on the property of Ron & Carol Leonard, as usual. They were visiting Jim & Diane Fisher Baker at Sun City near Phoenix, and they returned on Dec. 31 in the afternoon. By then, both Elaine and I were down and out with bad colds. We welcomed them and then returned to our RV so we didn't share our germs with them. We then spent the next few days resting and avoiding people. Elaine started to feel better a few days before I did, because she got the cold a few days ahead of me. The good news is that we started feeling much better a few days ago, and now we are back to seeing people, walking everyday, and trying to exercise. <br />
Yesterday we drove out to the Escapees park (KOFA) to visit Lee & Susie Blattner. Susie has Alzheimer's and Lee is now the 100% caretaker. She smiles and chats a little, laughs a lot, and is still a sweetheart, but Lee has to tell her everything, and she can only handle one thought at a time. Our Park Sierra neighbors, Dave & Brenda Neil, were at their place too, so we got to see them, and also Monica Rose. We made a plan to relocate to Quartzite next Monday, and will be staying at the Escapees boon docking area, where the 2 Happy Hours will be held on the 13th and 14th, so we can be with Dave, Brenda, Monica & Hank for a few days. Then we will move to the Boomers site, just down the road. Boomerville will be between Jan. 17 and 30 and we will stay for the whole event.<br />
While we are still here in Yuma, we will be visiting Tom & Judy Tillery, and Eileen & Neil Detloff. We are also taking care of trying to get new passports, a visa for China, and Global Entry cards so that we can continue to travel all over the world.<br />
You might be noticing that no pictures have been included in recent blogs. I am still learning how to manage them on my new MacBook Air. Also, I have decided that I am simplifying my life, so my blog posts might be few and far between, and might or might not include pictures, depending on how much time I have to do computer work, and how good my internet access is. It has been very slow and disappointing on recent cruises, which is why I have gotten so far behind in updating this. Instead of stressing about this, I am just going to slow down. <br />
We do manage to put a few updates on Facebook periodically, so you can check that. If you aren't a Facebook friend, just search for us under my name: Mary Lane, with a profile picture of both of us. Your other option is to e-mail us at cannellane@yahoo.com, and I promise to answer you! <br />
Hope you are having a Happy New Year!!</div>
Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-34824503511943753152015-12-27T15:29:00.000-08:002015-12-27T15:29:23.010-08:00Happy New Year 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well, it is pretty obvious that we didn’t manage to get a Christmas letter out this year, so this one will have to suffice. Until last Saturday, the 19th, we were cruising in Florida, so by the time we flew back, took a train back to Park Sierra, and got our RV ready to travel, we were lucky to arrive here in San Diego in time to celebrate Christmas with Darran, Marielle, Evie, and Marielle’s family. It has been a wonderful Christmas, and we will stay for a few more days and then head for Yuma, AZ to spend some time with RV friends.</div>
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2015 has been another year full of travel for us, mostly cruising. We had driven our RV to Florida in August, 2014 and done a number of cruises from there, including several long ones to Europe. So in January, we were still in Florida, doing some Caribbean cruises. In late January, we started driving cross country, to Texas, to join our long-time friends, David & Diane Wilson for several cruises out of Galveston. It was a scary trip, since the weather had turned cold and we had to stop continuously to scrape ice off our windshield. After those cruises, we drove back to Park Sierra to prepare for our next adventures.</div>
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On March 28 we flew to Sydney, Australia to board the Radiance for a South Pacific cruise. It was lovely, with great weather, so we did some snorkeling and swimming. When it ended, we spent 5 days in an Airbnb apartment in Sydney, exploring the city and also the Blue Mountains with Ron & Jenny Neate, some Aussie friends. On April 17 we boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas for 4 consecutive cruises: Sydney to Singapore, then to Dubai, then to Istanbul, and then a Mediterranean cruise to the Greek isles and Turkey and back to Istanbul. We visited many new and interesting ports, including visits with friends Pam & Barry Finn in Brisbane, Darwin, saw the Komodo dragons in Indonesia, explored Sri Lanka, 4 ports in India, went to 2 ports in Oman, then north through the Suez Canal, another 2 days in Israel, and many great stops in the Greek islands, such as Mykonos and Santorini, where we had never been before. The big event on this ship was making Pinnacle, the highest status on Royal Caribbean. It was so much fun being onboard for so long with many of our long term cruise friends - we became the 4:30 Drinking Club in the lounge they provided for us.</div>
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Returning to California in mid-June, we dealt with some medical visits and rental issues, and then drove our RV to Star Valley, Wyoming where friends Ken & Carolyn Kimpton, and Dave & Brenda Neil have RV lots. On the way we stopped in Sparks, NV to have a nice visit with my daughter, Laura, and her husband, Dennis in their new home. We rented an RV lot at Star Valley for a month and enjoyed some cool summer weather, and explored the area with our friends. After leaving there, we drove to Oregon to spend some time at the lakefront property of Mike & Marilyn Harrison. Great times with them have been happening for years, both there and also RVing with them in many places. They allowed us to leave our RV on their property while we did a 2 week cruise from Vancouver up to Alaska and back in August. On the way north, we had a delightful visit with Terry & Vicky Webb in Brier, and my granddaughter Paige & her partner, Allison, in Seattle. In Sept. we spent about a month on our lot at Park Sierra, getting ready for our next travel adventure.</div>
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On October 13 we took AmTrak to San Francisco, had dinner with my son Thomas and his partner, Robert, in the city, and stayed overnight at an airport hotel. The next day we had breakfast with Elaine’s daughter, Tarra, who works at the airport for Virgin America, and then we flew to Quebec City. For 4 days we had a delightful visit with long time friends, Gaetane and Sylvain who live there, including a special dinner with their 3 grown children and partners - they were ages 3 and 9 when we first met them in Mexico! Then we boarded the Serenade for a relocation cruise through the St. Lawrence seaway, through the Maritime provinces, along the Atlantic coast, ending in Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed on the ship for 21 more days, exploring the southern Caribbean islands, and again reconnecting with many friends. Thanksgiving week we left the ship and enjoyed an outstanding visit with Randy & Vicki Sheppard and family in the Palm Beach area, finishing the week with Joe & Carla Calwell at their lovely new home in Vero Beach. Our cruise mania found us doing 2 more Caribbean cruises from Tampa, which ended Dec. 19. We enjoyed the warm weather in Florida and the Caribbean and have missed it since returning to California!</div>
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In a few days we will head for Yuma, and a stay with Ron & Carol Leonard. We haven’t attended the big Boomer RV gathering in Quartzite the last 2 weeks in January for several years, so that will be on our agenda. We are hoping many of our long-time RV friends will be there to join the fun. After that, we are unplanned for a while. The next long trip will be a cruise from Florida to Barcelona on the Brilliance on April 26, then 4 cruises on the Ovation, going through the Suez Canal, to Dubai, then Singapore, and ending in Beijing. I am excited about the 17 day land trip we have planned in China, because it will include the panda sanctuary in Chengdu, 3 days in Tibet, and a 3 day cruise on the Yangtze River, ending in Shanghai in July.</div>
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We have been blessed with good health, and continue to work on keeping in shape to prolong that blessing. Our children and grandchildren are all doing well, and we have had nice visits with all of them this year. Of course, we are getting older, and so is our “stuff”, such as our car and RV, so perhaps some major decisions will have to be made sometime soon. In the meantime, we will continue to travel as much as we can. Visiting family and friends has been the most wonderful part of our travels, and we thank everyone who has either hosted us or shared a social experience with us this year. We hope to have many more of these visits in 2016. We hope that 2016 is a wonderful year for all of you, and that you will continue to keep in touch and tell us all about it. </div>
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Sending hugs, Mary & Elaine</div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-91731851573213351872015-11-24T12:48:00.001-08:002015-11-24T12:48:37.633-08:00Florida Staycation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Serenade cruises (35 days total), have ended, and we are now staying in Palm Beach Gardens, FL at the home of 2 cruise friends, Randy and Vicki Sheppard. They have a beautiful home, in a very nice area, and we are making maximum use of their infrastructure. Having done 4 loads of laundry, and ironed a few things, we are ready to repack after our stay here ends. They have fast internet, and we are catching up on communications and such. Vicki is helping me learn how to use my MacBook Air, and I have been playing around with the photo program. I am not sufficiently expert enough to do an entire blog post on our cruises yet, so that will have to wait. But I will try to attach a few pictures here about our visit with them.<br />
Here is Elaine, Randy, and Vicki at the lunch which Randy prepared for us yesterday when we arrived:<br />
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Today we all went for a long walk along the beach in Jupiter, and stopped at the pier to have someone take our picture together. You can see that it is windy:</div>
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Tonight we are going to a restaurant on the water for dinner. Thursday we will be having Thanksgiving dinner with Vicki's family. Friday morning Elaine and I will drive our rental car about an hour north, to Vero Beach, for a 3 day stay with our RV friends, Joe and Carla Calwell. Then we will drive to Tampa to turn the car in and board the Vision of the Seas for 2 more Caribbean cruises, ending December 19.</div>
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We hope all of you are doing well, and we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!</div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-44775108778155974862015-11-02T18:41:00.000-08:002015-11-02T18:41:06.136-08:00Serenade of the Seas Cruise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today is the start of the second cruise we are doing on the Serenade of the Seas. We left from Ft. Lauderdale a few hours ago, heading for the Southern Caribbean. Our next port will be in Aruba. I had plans to write a blog post today about our first Serenade cruise, which was from Quebec City, October 19 to Ft. Lauderdale, but too many things were going on and I didn't have time. Also, I got a new computer, a MacBook Air, and I am still learning how to handle photos, and haven't yet learned about transferring them from camera and cell phone. So please be patient, and as soon as possible, I will share our travel adventures with you. It is also a challenge to post anything because the internet connectivity on the ship is very iffy.<br />
We are both well, having fun times with friends on board with us, and looking forward to more fun times in the Caribbean (warmer temps - hooray!!)</div>
Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-7121187760103991652015-10-06T15:59:00.002-07:002015-10-06T15:59:31.058-07:00Still At Park Sierra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello Blog Readers,<div>
I haven't been posting to this blog because we have not been traveling, which in our minds means "boring". We have been trying to do some RV fixes, and we managed to get the bathroom painted. Since there is always the threat of fire here, we are also about 2/3 done with going through the contents of our shed and cleaning out some stuff. And as of about 20 minutes ago, we are both mostly packed for our upcoming travels. There are always social events going on here at Park Sierra, so we go to some of those, and some of our good friends and neighbors have entertained us as well. The weather has been fairly good, with some days in the low 90's, and some days in the 80's. Good weather for walking and exercising, since we are on our usual quest to drop a few pounds in between cruises. </div>
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Next Tuesday we will take Amtrak to Richmond, then BART to the SFO airport, and the hotel shuttle to our hotel. That evening we will take BART in to San Francisco to have dinner with my son, Thomas, and his partner, Robert. Wednesday we will have breakfast at the airport, with Elaine's daughter, Tarra, when she gets off her shift at Virgin America. Then we fly to Quebec City. We will be staying with some friends who live near there. We met them on our very first camping trip to Mexico in 1994, and we have been friends ever since. No doubt I will be posting some pictures in the next blog post because they will be showing us around, and we also will stay for a few days at their chalet on the St. Lawrence River. On Oct. 19 we board the Serenade of the Seas, which will sail to Ft. Lauderdale, going around the maritime provinces, and New England, so we hope for some Fall color leaf peeping. Then Elaine and I are staying on board for 2 more Caribbean cruises. These trips are hard to pack for because we will have cool weather in the north and warm weather in the Caribbean. We have not been to many of the ports, so these should be fun cruises.</div>
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We are both well and are hoping that all of you are also doing fine. Please feel free to contact us with an update once in a while - we love that. I will write more later after we have had some interesting adventures to share and we have some pictures.</div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-28207921005416037632015-09-09T14:49:00.001-07:002015-09-09T14:49:53.142-07:00Oregon, Washington, and Alaska Cruises<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In my last post, Aug. 13, I indicated that we had been staying with Mike & Marilyn Harrison for a week, and having a grand time. They always allow us to park in their driveway and we enjoy Happy Hours with them, joint meals, and daily walks at the nearby wildlife refuge. Here is a picture of Marilyn and Elaine on one of the walks:<br />
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One of the other delights of staying with them is that they have rhubarb growing in their yard and they don't eat it (unless we make a rhubarb crisp), so Elaine cut it and we had a nice dessert with them.<br />
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After a week with them, we left our RV there and drove our car up to Seattle, where we stayed with Vicky and Terry Webb in their large home in Brier. They are RV friends, and they left in their 5th wheel for a few days after we arrived, but we did have some time with them before and after their camping trip. This is their picture:<br />
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They are always a lot of fun, as you can tell by their big smiles. Another reason we went to Seattle for a few days was to have a visit with my oldest granddaughter, Paige, and her fiancee, Allison. They live in Ballard, which is an area of Seattle near the locks. Sunday, we went for a day hike with them at a local park, which is where this picture was taken:<br />
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After the hike, we went to Snohomish, a quaint little nearby town, where we had a nice lunch and visited some antique stores. It was a fun day with the girls. The fun continued the next day, when we brought some food over to their house, and Paige cooked dinner for all of us. She is a good cook!! They are renting a little house, which is long and narrow, so it is called a "shotgun" house.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last time we were here, they were in a different place, so it was fun to see it. Plus we got to see all their pets: a cat, a dog, some fish, and a bearded dragon lizard! It is very tame and loves to be held. It is on Allison's shoulder in this picture:<br />
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The girls are very thrifty and also talented, so they managed to acquire some free pallets and make some backyard furniture with it:<br />
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Paige also made a bookcase out of the pallets. Such a clever girl!!<br />
Another visit we enjoyed was driving our car to the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, then driving across the Olympic Peninsula to Port Angeles, where Elaine's sister Penny had recently purchased a home. Prior to this she was a long time resident of Tucson. This is a picture of Penny & Elaine (they are the 2 youngest of 6 sisters):<br />
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And this is the cute little house she purchased:<br />
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Her furniture hadn't even arrived yet!! The house is located in an older part of town, so it is not that far from the waterfront and the port. By just walking down to the end of her street, and down a wooden walkway, we were just 3 or 4 blocks from the waterfront. We went to the Downrigger Restaurant, where we had a really delicious lunch out on the deck overlooking the water. It was to celebrate Penny's birthday, and her new home.<br />
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One reason she wanted to move here was because her daughter, Suzanne, with her husband, Tom and their 2 children live right across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Victoria, Canada. Penny can easily walk to the ferry in Port Angeles, take it across, and then walk to their home there. While we were having lunch, the ferry arrived and here is a picture of it at the dock:<br />
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The next day we managed to connect with a school friend of Elaine's who lives in Edmonds. They have been friends since kindergarten in Illinois!! Her name is Linda Lightfoot, and here is a picture of her with her partner, Greta, in front of their RV, which they use for camping trips. Linda is the one next to Elaine. We had a nice dinner at Anthony's, on the waterfront in Edmonds, and took a walk along the shore because it was an unseasonably warm day, and hardly anyone has air conditioning.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Then we drove up to Vancouver, Canada in our car and stayed overnight at the Travelodge in Richmond. They have a stay and cruise package, so we could stay one night and then leave our car there for 14 days at no charge. The next day we took the shuttle to Canada Place, where we boarded the Radiance of the Sea. There was a nice view across the bay to north Vancouver:<br />
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We were delighted to see a cruise friend, Linda Taylor, when we went up to the Concierge lounge.<br />
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Since we were cruising up to Alaska and back, we were visiting the same ports twice. The way things worked out, we managed to have at least one night day in each port. It was sunny in Ketchikan the second time we were there, so I was able to take this picture from the ship:<br />
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We also walked through town and up to Creek Street, which was the street running along the creek, famous at the red light district during the Klondike gold rush days. <br />
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One of the houses, which is now a "museum", is Dolly's House, and was a well known house of ill repute. Today it has this sign on the side of it:</div>
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We walked all the way up the side of the creek to some stairs running up the steep side of the hill which took us to the Cape Fox Lodge at the top.</div>
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Right in front of the lodge there is a circle of totem poles, carved by the local Tlingit tribe, which are somewhat different than other totem poles in the area.<br />
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Inside the lodge, there are museum quality displays of aboriginal artifacts from a number of different tribes, and good photographs with explanations about the lifestyles. There is no charge for this and it is a fun place to visit. On the way back to the ship, we looked in some of the stores (lots of sales because of the end of the season), and Elaine found a new friend too:<br />
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The next port was Icy Strait Point, near the town of Hoonah. It was somewhat overcast the first time we were there. We walked into town and had this nice view of the ship:<br />
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We like to walk into town because it is a 4 mile round trip, and there is a carving center in town which is carving totem poles and a carved front for the tribal house to be installed in Glacier Bay National Park in 2016. You can go in and see the carvings in progress for no charge, and they are excellent:<br />
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On the way back to the ship, we stopped at the newly opened Icy Strait Brewing Company, which is located in a small renovated property right on the water. We had 2 samples and then shared a full beer out on the back deck, where there were sightings of whales right off shore:<br />
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The next port was Juneau, where the sun was shining and it was a glorious day. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Juneau is kind of in a bowl, so there were towering green mountains with waterfalls easily seen from the ship. We walked through the town and caught the local bus to the Alaskan Brewing Company.<br />
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They used to offer a chance to sample 6 of their beers; now it is 3 - but it is still free. Getting there on the bus costs $2 but you have to have exact change. We did a little exploring of the town when we got back near the ship. The second week we were in Juneau, it was pouring down rain, so we stayed on the ship.<br />
The next port was Skagway, where we had nice weather again. We have been there many times, including spending a week there when we were in Alaska in our RV for a whole summer, so we decided to do a hike. We went out to Yakutania Point, an easy 2 mile hike from the ship. Here is Elaine, out at the point, with the ship behind her:<br />
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There were great views from the ship as we sailed out of this port:<br />
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After Skagway, we stopped to see the Hubbard Glacier, but it was a very overcast day and the views were terrible. The next day we sailed into Seward, where most people were supposed to get off the ship and a new batch of people would board. However, it was so windy that the port was closed. They kept giving updates on when we might be able to dock, but it took until 1 PM for that to happen. Of course, people were still using their rooms, so the attendants couldn't get started on cleaning everything up for the next people. The cruise director and staff did a great job of quickly setting up some things like entertainment, trivia contests, etc. to keep people occupied. Once we docked, Elaine and I took the shuttle into town just to get off the ship for a while. But it was so windy and cold that we didn't last long out there, and took the shuttle back. The last passenger didn't get off the ship until 4PM!!!! Of course, they couldn't start boarding the new people for a while either. The ships dinner seatings were all screwed up, as was the evening entertainment. We were supposed to leave at 8PM but when we went to bed at 10:30PM, we were still in port.<br />
The next day we sailed into the bay where the Hubbard Glacier reaches the water. This time it was a nice day and we got very close to the glacier, and had nice views:<br />
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This was Aug. 29, which was my 71st birthday. Robert Taggert, the Hotel Director, and Beth Van Zant, the Human Resources Director, took us out for dinner at Izumi, the Japanese restaurant on the ship. Debbie, the Loyalty ambassador,and 2 of Beth's friends from Dallas also joined us.<br />
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They also arranged for a beautiful and delicious cake:<br />
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Another treat on this cruise was the company of Vance and Andrea Guerena, a couple we cruised with for 44 days on the Rhapsody from Sydney to Istanbul this Spring.<br />
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Additionally, we met many nice people in the lounges who will no doubt be with us on future cruises.<br />
Because we were one of 10 Pinnacles on the first cruise, and 8 on the second one, Robert Taggert had everyone attend a special cocktail party in his quarters each week. He has a very nice set of rooms located right next to the Captain's quarters on deck 9 in the front of the ship, under the bridge. <br />
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I didn't get any very good pictures, but this gives you an idea of the size of his living room!!!<br />
At the end of the cruise, we easily got off the ship, caught the shuttle to the hotel, retrieved our car, and drove back to Seattle to stay one more day with Vicky & Terry. That evening we took them out to dinner at the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant, as a thank you for their hospitality. Had a delicious dinner and we would recommend this restaurant highly.<br />
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The next day, Saturday, we had a last breakfast with Paige and Allison in Ballard. It was great to see them and sad to say goodbye.<br />
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Our drive back to our RV was horrific. It was Labor Day weekend and we kept hitting backups on I-5. We finally arrived 10 hours later - a drive which should have taken 6. The next day we left and headed for Sacramento, where we are now parked on Carol & Ron's Leonard's property. We are having a nice visit with them, and last night we had Linda Taylor over for dinner. It was a nice reunion. Tomorrow we head for the Bay Area, to visit Elaine's daughter Tarra, my brother John, and check on the Collinwood House.<br /><br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-31479024707355776632015-08-13T21:17:00.002-07:002015-08-13T21:29:31.038-07:00Fourth Rhapsody Cruise June 1-June 12 Turkey & Greece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi Blog Readers,<br />
We have been visiting Mike and Marilyn Harrison at their lakefront home (Agency Lake) in Chiloquin, OR ever since last Sunday. Thankfully, we had an uneventful drive over from Thayne, WY where we had been for a month. It was great to see them, and we have been enjoying walks, Happy Hours and dinners with them every day. The weather has been sunny and warm here but a few of the days we have been having very hazy air from all the fires burning in northern CA and some in OR too. We have been trying to pack for our upcoming trip to Seattle and the 2 Alaska cruises from Vancouver (Aug. 21). Here is apicture of Mike and Marilyn:<br />
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The following is about the 4th (and last) Rhapsody cruise we did between June 1 and 12. It was round trip from Istanbul, and all the ports were in Turkey and Greece. It was a very different cruise from the other 3 we had just finished, because most of the cruise friends left the ship on June 1 and flew home. Still on board with us were Tom and Sandy Wills:<br />
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And Ernie and Diane Wilson:<br />
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Mark and Norah Lemon were with us too but I can't find the picture of them. We all managed to have an enjoyable time in the lounge again, but it was much quieter!!<br />
The first port was Kusadasi, Turkey, where we have been several times before. It is the port where most people take a shore excursion to Ephesus. We explored that ancient city (which is now a ruin) on a land tour in 2006 and thought it was very interesting. Kusadasi is also a good place to do some shopping, but we find the sellers to be rather aggressive, and the last time we enjoyed a walk along the waterfront much more, so we did that again. Right off the side of the ship in a causeway out to a small island with a fort on it, and we have done that in the past also:<br />
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The ship docks right near the main part of town, and there is a very nice terminal area with restaurants and shops too:<br />
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Along the waterfront, there are outdoor restaurants, but mostly it is a nice walking area and this is one of the unique sculptures:<br />
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On June 4 we docked at Bodrum, Turkey. Since we had never been here before, we were looking forward to seeing it. There was a great view across the bay from our ship to the main attraction of this town, the Castle of St. Peter:<br />
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It was not a very long distance to get there from the ship, so we decided to walk. We are glad that we did because the walk was right along the waterfront, where there were very nice outdoor restaurants, nice hotels and guesthouses, and beautiful beaches. These are some of the restaurants:<br />
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And these are the seating areas right across the sidewalk and along the beach.<br />
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Many Germans and other Europeans come here for holidays. Everything was very clean, well organized, and fairly inexpensive. Also, this is a good place to come to experience a boat trip in a gullet (local boat) on the Turquoise Coast, which is what the waterways along this area are called. It is just beautiful. We spent several days on one of these in 2006 and enjoyed it very much.<br />
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As we got further into the town, the streets became busier and were lined with stores and shops selling every type of goods for tourists. The Castle of St. Peter is the main attraction for the tourists.
This tall monument was built by the Knights of St. John between 1402 and 1437. The
castle has got beautiful gardens and a spectacular view.<br />
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The Underwater Archeology Museum is the most fascinating attraction of
the museums in Bodrum, and it is located in the Castle of St. Peter. The
Museum displays objects recovered from the sea along with illustrations
of the methods and equipment used by the underwater archeologists. As we walked in to the castle there was a long wall with displays of amphorae, which were ancient clay storage jars having an oval body, usually tapering to
a point at the base, with a pair of handles extending from immediately
below the lip to the shoulder: used chiefly for oil, wine, water, etc. <br />
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In the inner courtyard, there is a chapel and minaret. The chapel was the first completed structure, probably in 1406. In 1522 when the Ottoman Turks conquered the area, they changed the chapel to a mosque and built a minaret.<br />
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The construction of the three-storied English tower was finished in
1413. One door opens to the north, to the inner part of the castle,
while the other leads to the western rampart<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_wall" title="Defensive wall"></a>. One could only access this tower via a drawbridge.<br />
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From the ramparts, there were great views over the town and the entire area:<br />
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The underwater archeology museum is housed in various parts of the castle. It is the biggest underwater archeology museum in the world and the only one in Turkey. Most of the artifacts consist of those raised during underwater excavations (since 1960) and those brought up by sponge divers. There were many specially constructed exhibits showing treasures such as these old coins:<br />
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And some exhibits which were constructions of what the ships probably looked like:<br />
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Even though the castle is very old, and has been through many incarnations, such as being turned into a military base in 1824 and a prison in 1895, there are a few original mosaic floors still in existence:<br />
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There were other attractions in Bodrum which would have been interesting, such as remnants of the ancient city of Halicarnassus, and a large Roman amphitheater, but we were out of time and energy so we left them for our next visit.<br />
The next day, June 5, we docked in Rhodes, Greece. We have been there before and enjoyed it very much. There is a huge walled city, with many ruins and museums, shops, and other attractions. It is very easy to walk into the walled city from the port. This is one of the views from our ship:<br />
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This view shows a lot of the walled city and a couple of the old windmills:<br />
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Walking into town, after going through the old gates, there are the ruins of an old church:<br />
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Many of the old buildings have living quarters on top and shops for tourists below:<br />
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We stopped at the tourist info office and learned that there was a free day at the local museums. So we went to the archeological museum:<br />
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The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes is housed in the medieval building
of the Hospital of the Knights, from the period of the Crusades. The building was begun in 1440 and
completed in 1489. There are many interesting collections there, but we wanted to get up to the main event, the Palace of the Grand Masters. This is the street leading up to it, and it has clearly been restored, but also shows what it was like in midevail times:<br />
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It had to be rebuilt after a huge earthquake in 1841. In 1523 it was overrun by the Ottoman Turks, and all the churches were converted to mosques, and other buildings had eastern influences. The palace of the grand masters was turned into a penitentiary while the hospital was turned into a soldier's camp. This is the front of the Palace of the Grand Masters today:<br />
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Once again we were able to visit this site with no fees - hooray! This is the inner courtyard:<br />
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It is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Greece. The site was previously a citadel of the Knights Hospitallar that functioned as a palace, headquarters and fortress from 1309 to 1523. There were interesting displays inside of the way people lived then.<br />
Later we walked through the town and headed out through a different gate, where we saw this mosque and minaret:<br />
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There are also many great shops in Rhodes, including some stunning leather works places:<br />
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The other local handiwork goods which interested us were olivewood goods, but we didn't get any pictures this time.<br />
The next day we were back in Santorini. Once again our ship anchored off the area where the tenders could get us ashore, but this time we were the only ship:<br />
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Because we had just been here on the last cruise, we knew what we wanted to do this time - take a public bus to Oia, the village which is located about 45 minutes away by bus from Fira, the main town of Santorini. We had done some research and found out where the public bus station was, and that the cost was about 2.2 Euro, instead of about $50 on a ship's tour. So we walked to the bus station and were able to catch the bus almost immediately. It was quite an adventure getting there because the roads are narrow and twisty and every time there was an approaching car, it was like playing "chicken" with it. Once we got to Oia, it was easy to find our way around because it was so small. One of the first sights was the local church, which was typically Greek, with whitewashed walls and a blue domed roof:<br />
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Here is a picture of Elaine with the houses of the village behind her:<br />
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You can see that the cliffs are pretty steep to get down to the water. There is a small harbor in this town where it is possible to catch a boat back to Fira, rather than going by road:<br />
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This is another view in the town, looking down to the water with the blue dome of another church in the picture:<br />
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Many of the buildings along the main walkway had been converted to shops to sell goods to the tourists:<br />
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This is a view of Oia where you can see that the houses are appearing to be "stacked" on one another, when in actuality, they are built into the cliffs. They call these troglodyte houses because they are like caves:<br />
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Here is a closeup of one that is in construction:<br />
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They are very eco-friendly because they are warm in winter and cool in summer. Here is a picture of the inside of one:<br />
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When we got back to Fira, on the bus, we stopped in to a recommended restaurant for a gyro and a beer and ran into Norah and Mark Lemon, who were already there:<br />
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Our next port was Piraeus again, which is the port for Athens. We had just been there a few days before, and we have been there a number of times, so we skipped going out this time. The next day we stopped in Mykonos, an island we had never visited before. Our ship got the only place to dock, but the bad part of that was that we were not near the actual town. The ship tried to sell people a shuttle bus ticket for $15, but we knew that we could get a shuttle boat over for 2 Euro, so we did that. The water was a bit rough in the harbor of the town when we arrived:<br />
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Right near where our boat let us off was the local fish market:<br />
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As usual, walking down the streets was a shopping opportunity, but the shops were charming and even the streets were unique:<br />
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This was a tempting pottery shop:<br />
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Most places were both a shop and a house, with the living quarters on the upper floors:<br />
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And there were plenty of outdoor restaurants because everyone loves to eat and drink outside, even if it is right in front of a church:<br />
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Right along the waterfront is a row of houses supposedly built by the sea faring captain's who sailed from here:<br />
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Across from these houses is the row of windmills, which is one of the most complete arrays in the Greek islands. Most of them were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but construction continued into the early 20th century. They were primarily used to mill wheat. They were an important source of income for the inhabitants. Their use
gradually declined until they ceased production in the middle of the
20th century. Now they are an important tourist attraction.<br />
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The next day we were in Chania, Crete. The port is Souda, which is quite a distance from the town and tourist attractions but there is a city bus which picks people up right at the port for 2 Euro and it drops you off right at the main city market.<br />
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Walking through the market is interesting and fun and it puts you right on some small pedestrian streets behind it with stalls on them for good shopping, on the way to the Venetian waterfront. We passed this rather impressive church:<br />
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The Venetian Waterfront is called that because it was built by the Ventians when they had control of this place and it maintains all of its charm. There are many restaurants with outside seating, almost all display their prices and specials on boards in front, and we were surprised at how reasonable they were. Perhaps it was because of the recent Greek difficulties with the Euro.<br />
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Across from the restaurants you have a view of the Venetian lighthouse:<br />
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There was a sea day before our ship returned to Istanbul, so that was the evening when the Pinnacle members enjoyed a very nice dinner at the Chef's Table. Usually the Chef's Table costs $70 per person because it is gourmet food paired with special wines and only 16 people can be accommodated. The Rhapsody had arranged for a different special dining experience for the Pinnacles on all 4 of our cruises, and this was the best!!!<br />
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The next day we arrived in Istanbul again, and docked in the same place as before. Because we were going to be here overnight, we had all day to explore the city again. Once again, we had a great view of the Blue Mosque:<br />
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We walked down to the spice market: <br />
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They are so excellent at arranging all the spices for sale:<br />
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Of course, they have other goodies to tempt people too:<br />
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The surprising thing is that all of the Muslim countries are supposed to be so conservative, yet you see displays of goods for sale such as this:<br />
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In so many ways, the city seems very progressive. This is a picture of one of the trams. They have quite an extensive network of trams and they are reasonably priced:<br />
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Across the Galata Bridge, near the fish market, we found a nice little restaurant with some tables located right on the banks of the Golden Horn where we stopped for some fried calamari and a local beer:<br />
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The next day we had an early flight so we arranged for a car service to pick us up at the port and deliver us to the airport. For 25 Euro, the Effendi Car Service was at the port by 6:30AM to pick us up in a very comfy van which could have accommodated at least 4 more people. We recommend them. We flew back to San Francisco and had a nice family reunion with all our kids in Fremont, CA.<br />
We hope you have enjoyed traveling with us on these cruises. <br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-74858701258383507422015-08-06T20:41:00.003-07:002015-08-06T20:41:51.933-07:00Third Rhapsody Cruise Dubai to Istanbul - May 17 to June 1, 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dear Blog Readers,</div>
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We left Star Valley RV Resort today and have driven over to Caldwell, ID where we will stay tonight. We are on our way to visit Mike & Marilyn Harrison at their house near Chiloquin, OR.</div>
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There was a very nice dinner last night at Ken & Carolyn Kimpton's, with Brenda & Dave Neil, so we could all have one last evening together. Here we are in their living room, because it was too windy and cold to be outside:</div>
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Ken had acquired some very nice rhubarb for us from some friends of theirs, so we made a rhubarb-pineapple crisp for dessert. Here is Elaine with the rhubarb:<br />
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Now that we have caught you up on our doings, below is the report for the 3rd Rhapsody cruise we did between May 17 and June 1, Dubai to Istanbul:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This cruise started in Dubai, and I put our information and
pictures about Dubai in the last blog post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One nice thing about this port was that our longtime RV friends, Roy
& Kathy Gilbert joined us here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is their picture on formal night: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAwwcqM1-2mioiylrOm5KCevIjLs-6hLHnp62WH1Sgzocfuw2woNQX4SyL9Ho4c_74tJTVisScKJn2IATx4dpFdTIB327bQWPETbzcMy09pb__jq8A5ICO9T2qaERlOEVSuBzIA/s1600/001a+Roy+%2526+Kathy+Gilbert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAwwcqM1-2mioiylrOm5KCevIjLs-6hLHnp62WH1Sgzocfuw2woNQX4SyL9Ho4c_74tJTVisScKJn2IATx4dpFdTIB327bQWPETbzcMy09pb__jq8A5ICO9T2qaERlOEVSuBzIA/s320/001a+Roy+%2526+Kathy+Gilbert.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Other friends who joined the ship in Dubai were Sergio and
Reuben, from Miami, and Mark and Harald, from Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 4 of them often travel together, and
David & Diane have also been with them on other cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we all had lunch together in the dining
room:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb0bGhmovVKO3kCqE2NNXCNSs0WlwekdRWNQqD3A0GLLKtlk6YeF7c-vg9OCSPXvj_kTMxfCrwGDY6nkKykmfNFZ7K0SK6QBpyJKgnZq2kN7RFNs44o9GZa8-Tz3xdTm5QDU_pQ/s1600/001b+Lunch+With+The+Guys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb0bGhmovVKO3kCqE2NNXCNSs0WlwekdRWNQqD3A0GLLKtlk6YeF7c-vg9OCSPXvj_kTMxfCrwGDY6nkKykmfNFZ7K0SK6QBpyJKgnZq2kN7RFNs44o9GZa8-Tz3xdTm5QDU_pQ/s320/001b+Lunch+With+The+Guys.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first port of call was Muscat, Oman, a country we had
never visited before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oman is an Arab
country in the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is strategically important because of its
position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the past, the Omani Sultanate has been a powerful empire, the peak
being in the 19<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although they have oil, they are only about #25 on the list of oil
producing countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a very hot,
dry country, and it is surprising how green things look when driving through
the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sultan Qaboos bin Said al
Said has been the hereditary leader of the country since 1970, when he ousted
his father who was a tyrant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sultan
Qaboos is the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East, largely because he
instituted social reforms and increased spending on health, education and
welfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also has instituted voting
rights for all citizens over 21, and has supported having women stand for
election to the Consultative Assembly.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As our ship
approached the harbor, this was the view:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfZvcp0TBTnBX9J6i7ReTD8ZqwHzTabzQtpAiqw_VT9hpZObcubSzbqSK-NbrSyAulyguxWSYNgRs45Xt1UnuXwxwAMwExh60D5VOhVNu71XQ9QpTWTk-kHGax1oI_pAufuyBpQ/s1600/001c+Sailing+Into+Muscat%252C+Oman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfZvcp0TBTnBX9J6i7ReTD8ZqwHzTabzQtpAiqw_VT9hpZObcubSzbqSK-NbrSyAulyguxWSYNgRs45Xt1UnuXwxwAMwExh60D5VOhVNu71XQ9QpTWTk-kHGax1oI_pAufuyBpQ/s320/001c+Sailing+Into+Muscat%252C+Oman.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can see how very dry and mountainous it looks, and the
big white sculpture is a replica of an incense burner.</div>
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Here is a picture of part of the town near the harbor:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtohc5gf_kj24Epxhjic8Q9_M0xSo1VNfK42GYZpgaoxE8D3I26ZGEpmhk2pgQv4gBMTEz9pnp5nxD4__SJiOcLPhq9f8Sj8uRJ3vePkusjFo_W_GYWOo3m2gqwkitxDAuGHCDg/s1600/003+Muscat%252C+Oman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtohc5gf_kj24Epxhjic8Q9_M0xSo1VNfK42GYZpgaoxE8D3I26ZGEpmhk2pgQv4gBMTEz9pnp5nxD4__SJiOcLPhq9f8Sj8uRJ3vePkusjFo_W_GYWOo3m2gqwkitxDAuGHCDg/s320/003+Muscat%252C+Oman.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had to take a shuttle out of the port area, and there
were lots of taxis waiting for people who had not booked tours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had 6 people, so we negotiated for a van and
made sure the driver spoke decent English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think we paid $20 each for a 3-4 hour tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just driving through the city we kept passing
interesting buildings and going under unique bridges, such as this one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VoU2XzBcDuFRgJPIVrio_HLdBrDQIOIM5ixGOO_i_rjwqJ4-DaDTwr4GNzXdLnUTQTsK9J8RurTAiWpTYpSF0-dYd-UDfRyJwZ7MUEsjR7vD9BAhU1HXpAAfM6avnEIrokufJw/s1600/003a+Muscat-Gate-Museum-Oman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VoU2XzBcDuFRgJPIVrio_HLdBrDQIOIM5ixGOO_i_rjwqJ4-DaDTwr4GNzXdLnUTQTsK9J8RurTAiWpTYpSF0-dYd-UDfRyJwZ7MUEsjR7vD9BAhU1HXpAAfM6avnEIrokufJw/s320/003a+Muscat-Gate-Museum-Oman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first place we stopped was the amazing Royal Opera
House, built in 2001 on the orders of the Sultan because he is a big supporter
of classical music and the arts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can
seat 1100 people.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIHlsPWSq2U8Z9yYsbQ8ovdXewjj6INgpIvOiFayoY-bV31uCovTwGXW-C_YPLw5Cy8WkNKfxTlfu-yVLOfoxZCd9zc-kEfo09hn3KM1RyMhPdCfC5BSSn0CSOv37bppehAIszg/s1600/004+Opera+House+in+Muscat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIHlsPWSq2U8Z9yYsbQ8ovdXewjj6INgpIvOiFayoY-bV31uCovTwGXW-C_YPLw5Cy8WkNKfxTlfu-yVLOfoxZCd9zc-kEfo09hn3KM1RyMhPdCfC5BSSn0CSOv37bppehAIszg/s320/004+Opera+House+in+Muscat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The opera house complex consists of a concert theater, auditorium,
formal landscaped gardens, cultural market with retail, luxury restaurants and
an art center for musical, theatrical and operatic productions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of the lobby:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtvJRv7kn9tA17kd1qg6S1cPSZxwgsZO14-cbQ_hjp37-xalP9bRLpOv7GaUDWZeYsv-sxpAEpYxDg6iO-uA4-8pI8l4uCI8J26OsqSqd-HSxmWTQUqTtbLwltEn0OBBQ3b_liQ/s1600/005+Opera+House+Lobby+in+Muscat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtvJRv7kn9tA17kd1qg6S1cPSZxwgsZO14-cbQ_hjp37-xalP9bRLpOv7GaUDWZeYsv-sxpAEpYxDg6iO-uA4-8pI8l4uCI8J26OsqSqd-HSxmWTQUqTtbLwltEn0OBBQ3b_liQ/s320/005+Opera+House+Lobby+in+Muscat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were not allowed to go into the actual theater, but here
is a picture of it from the internet:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9khPVzKG57Xd9UxjZuOtbey52Jfk4JRBno-KrmtPAPSOl_fDVLIfZAhBXKbp9JLGcdug7inJYLOW7Kd0dP7tj-mBKWtxPG2W4i0HGF0oGpKSGecf5H0-g_YyANTQObtEr6kXTQ/s1600/005a+royal-opera-house+interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9khPVzKG57Xd9UxjZuOtbey52Jfk4JRBno-KrmtPAPSOl_fDVLIfZAhBXKbp9JLGcdug7inJYLOW7Kd0dP7tj-mBKWtxPG2W4i0HGF0oGpKSGecf5H0-g_YyANTQObtEr6kXTQ/s320/005a+royal-opera-house+interior.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The main attraction in Muscat is the Sultan Qaboos
Mosque.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Built in 1995, from 300,000 tons
of Indian sandstone, it can accommodate up to 20,000 worshipers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is 6,500 in the main musalla, 750 in the
women’s musalla, 8,000 outside on the paved area, and the rest in the
passageways and interior courtyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlnrTamYUhGaphbw5M7lgRiD2U-j8h1AZkZ_nCQgvkZ8jiIjICDXqSyb2CqVax5a8cPR7NCvWHA6wWyioVcEhxrdwTM2UZ4FD4aE-2IRYlxEwDBbXRjQ_QmLBoI9OXZSgCTbCNQ/s1600/006+Grand+Mosque+in+Muscat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlnrTamYUhGaphbw5M7lgRiD2U-j8h1AZkZ_nCQgvkZ8jiIjICDXqSyb2CqVax5a8cPR7NCvWHA6wWyioVcEhxrdwTM2UZ4FD4aE-2IRYlxEwDBbXRjQ_QmLBoI9OXZSgCTbCNQ/s320/006+Grand+Mosque+in+Muscat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were very annoyed that our ship wasn’t scheduled to
arrive in Muscat until 12:30PM because the mosque is the only one open to non-Muslim
visitors and only between the hours of 8 and 11:00AM Saturday to Thursday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A major feature of the design of the interior
is the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall. It contains,
1,700,000,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the second largest single piece carpet
in the world, and covers the 4,343 square meter area of the praying hall. The
other amazing feature is the 14m tall chandelier, manufactured in Germany.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I copied the following picture from the
internet:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q5Yaie32GKEeVCndimHJ6gnT0hRvELMcdB6yaaOcB1XS6hPSD3WesRbPJuNl3rNpidkYFuei2Rkt0F7-sXzsI8ccqb1qyCikcR6fNWQOIx4D-RY-5U-May8P4-ytl5bGZBsMaA/s1600/006a+Inside+of+Mosque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q5Yaie32GKEeVCndimHJ6gnT0hRvELMcdB6yaaOcB1XS6hPSD3WesRbPJuNl3rNpidkYFuei2Rkt0F7-sXzsI8ccqb1qyCikcR6fNWQOIx4D-RY-5U-May8P4-ytl5bGZBsMaA/s320/006a+Inside+of+Mosque.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a picture of our gang of 6 in front of the
mosque:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary, Elaine, Diane, David,
Randy & Vicki.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRulj8Rnp1IuU_E1G7vEurtnt5tKP9dH68HmBvrqteLOQj49CwT8DTRAquPTcJ_8kc6eJ6XN7WMwUZpShKEcVDPirsGDhgXzBEwepyHxHdfB1WQwXgqunlu43qFLfPXoqZTsT-w/s1600/007+Our+Gang+In+Front+of+Mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRulj8Rnp1IuU_E1G7vEurtnt5tKP9dH68HmBvrqteLOQj49CwT8DTRAquPTcJ_8kc6eJ6XN7WMwUZpShKEcVDPirsGDhgXzBEwepyHxHdfB1WQwXgqunlu43qFLfPXoqZTsT-w/s320/007+Our+Gang+In+Front+of+Mosque.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this is a picture of the mosque at night:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0xwlUqsgw52QRdA4dWpLACaxkDxeICjhiPnpEGnzAcfzAP7fiXxbp5Oh-do01LHZ4JYxTyEZcnIoo1haHkMjcDsGoysH4xajaQr52JejThF95QPPRBRLmei-GdMuCossxRFMEw/s1600/007a+Sultan%252BQaboos%252BMosque+at+Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0xwlUqsgw52QRdA4dWpLACaxkDxeICjhiPnpEGnzAcfzAP7fiXxbp5Oh-do01LHZ4JYxTyEZcnIoo1haHkMjcDsGoysH4xajaQr52JejThF95QPPRBRLmei-GdMuCossxRFMEw/s320/007a+Sultan%252BQaboos%252BMosque+at+Night.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Randy & Vicki suggested that we stop to see the Grand
Hyatt Hotel after we had been to the nearby beach, because they had heard it
was impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a modest looking part of the
exterior:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25_U5IJtnrr9ErLz45edEB0HpPkTPIhW6jQuX5ipppxhCuPCF7w0-yqFdJanzmqyl5DChyphenhyphenCdtf7AIQ_7Uh6jl1y4sQacRjeibBKm20tg4RxNfy41Dq_M6ib0vcC6gkb5VKTClXA/s1600/008+Grand+Hyatt+Exterior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25_U5IJtnrr9ErLz45edEB0HpPkTPIhW6jQuX5ipppxhCuPCF7w0-yqFdJanzmqyl5DChyphenhyphenCdtf7AIQ_7Uh6jl1y4sQacRjeibBKm20tg4RxNfy41Dq_M6ib0vcC6gkb5VKTClXA/s320/008+Grand+Hyatt+Exterior.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Out back there was a refreshing looking pool area (it was
hot and we would have loved to go out there!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NDgrzjBKKvJf0R6vNbJx8qrZRpitXlaX2iySBWdn2TLI1moBT2aAYTdZjP-OJKDaalWz3cUe2WRAa-c8Or3kBl5uvHC-mL5JlYtH7lbezPIs8g1Gpy12lhdEMrCEx9NRe3q-Cg/s1600/008a+Pool+Area+at+Hyatt_hotel%252C_Muscat%252C_Oman_%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NDgrzjBKKvJf0R6vNbJx8qrZRpitXlaX2iySBWdn2TLI1moBT2aAYTdZjP-OJKDaalWz3cUe2WRAa-c8Or3kBl5uvHC-mL5JlYtH7lbezPIs8g1Gpy12lhdEMrCEx9NRe3q-Cg/s320/008a+Pool+Area+at+Hyatt_hotel%252C_Muscat%252C_Oman_%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The lobby was quite impressive:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3cAOeJlPwzCrqXLQoDKqf8Gyq_f3fpsXsWczpCKzwUTAOHKeO1ATd5QwGaxmK2-cwMJlQQMbV2N1LdP0t5PpAhzmOy_Ucq9D74CLW1W5pAmYMAeZogW74s6KfjDuUEV4M_BHvg/s1600/009+Lobby+of+Grand+Hyatt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3cAOeJlPwzCrqXLQoDKqf8Gyq_f3fpsXsWczpCKzwUTAOHKeO1ATd5QwGaxmK2-cwMJlQQMbV2N1LdP0t5PpAhzmOy_Ucq9D74CLW1W5pAmYMAeZogW74s6KfjDuUEV4M_BHvg/s320/009+Lobby+of+Grand+Hyatt.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With these windows overlooking part of the grounds:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYU1LzRQ8NBopeRbMt3iQ6RPkG_NdSGvqQz5HpXOpUfELeqvI2ufEr3DaIEY9DVXRGGlZgsBG0xY1Cxz7neNY6PGUsYETBJzZF93gchq4rkirc9R4qLH94iD0l8Sgwpw8X_kFXBw/s1600/010+Windows+in+Grand+Hyatt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYU1LzRQ8NBopeRbMt3iQ6RPkG_NdSGvqQz5HpXOpUfELeqvI2ufEr3DaIEY9DVXRGGlZgsBG0xY1Cxz7neNY6PGUsYETBJzZF93gchq4rkirc9R4qLH94iD0l8Sgwpw8X_kFXBw/s320/010+Windows+in+Grand+Hyatt.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We drove back towards the harbor and along the Cornish to
get to one of the Sultan’s palaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is the El-Alam Palace:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1759t0-1e62y19E2qbiPcDzqmNNtcQA1jRNT8TqJ_bblxx7_xAdWyjMO7jXz0T9cv875_AO1kKJNuIETi5LXD8UZCh7VFA_MI6lwYuGr-XhC2rXakI0WdoQWe4y0NkYchwRWcaw/s1600/011+El-Alam+Palace+of+Oman%2527s+Sultan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1759t0-1e62y19E2qbiPcDzqmNNtcQA1jRNT8TqJ_bblxx7_xAdWyjMO7jXz0T9cv875_AO1kKJNuIETi5LXD8UZCh7VFA_MI6lwYuGr-XhC2rXakI0WdoQWe4y0NkYchwRWcaw/s320/011+El-Alam+Palace+of+Oman%2527s+Sultan.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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The palace has a history of over 200 years, but was rebuilt
as a royal residence in 1972.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visitors
are not allowed, even though the Sultan lives elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is mainly used for ceremonial purposes,
but is a popular place to walk because the gardens are beautiful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was very hot while we were touring, about 115F, so we did
not take the time to go to the market after our tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were happy to get back to the air
conditioned ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of our friends
did go to the market where they purchased some of the frankincense for which
this area is famous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an aromatic
resin from trees which is used in incense and perfumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the ship tours went out to the places
where the trees grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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On May 20 we went to Salalah, Oman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nestled in the southern region of Oman,
Salalah has the benefit of the annual Indian monsoon: locally known as the
Khareef. This monsoon, which extends from early June to mid September,
transforms the countryside into a veritable garden with tumbling waterfalls and
meandering streams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, we
were not there during that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
wasn’t much to do which appealed to us so we stayed on the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also heard that there was a tough “taxi
mafia”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people who wanted to go
into the city from the port were told that it would cost $100 per taxi, and the
distance is only 8 km!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later on we
learned that we could have walked out of the port area and over a small hill to
the local yacht club, called The Oasis Club, where there was a beach and a bar
with inexpensive beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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After we left Salalah, we had quite a few sea days because
we were traveling through the Arabian Sea and then the Gulf of Aden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a while we had Yemen on the starboard
side and Somalia on the port side – not a great situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ship instituted procedures called
Operation Safe Haven, where we practiced not being in areas accessible to the
outer parts of the ship, and after dark, there were no outside lights
allowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pirates operate in this area,
as well as warships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a map:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBJLISRfgg3n1j_3EeLcs9OND89TdYM92HjBH-usfUCAX4gGD8dLbHub1A-HvOGKvhiCmIbigKnMz0ALCEcwjmOayC_e0wRtLkYpnwV9HN6S_o9eMNAbC9eSHHqCWg8TUA0DEbg/s1600/011a+Gulf_of_Aden_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBJLISRfgg3n1j_3EeLcs9OND89TdYM92HjBH-usfUCAX4gGD8dLbHub1A-HvOGKvhiCmIbigKnMz0ALCEcwjmOayC_e0wRtLkYpnwV9HN6S_o9eMNAbC9eSHHqCWg8TUA0DEbg/s320/011a+Gulf_of_Aden_map.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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We received word that we would be passing the Quantum of the
Seas, another Royal Caribbean ship going the other direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So at the appointed time, we were on David
& Diane’s balcony so that we could take some pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a number of friends who were sailing
to Dubai on the Quantum. Here is the picture we took as we passed each other:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_qaGHlfkP8CWtjQlCCjod6VGK8JWPUaHieevI69swE85iw8nBlQ2ek1P2sqhZuJESuO0ehjoICqJ-7wgzPFZPhcT1v6fAVb9GRu-ZHO1ParPJSN05y41mzyV7P_joUY2eDW6RQ/s1600/012+Passing+The+Quantum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_qaGHlfkP8CWtjQlCCjod6VGK8JWPUaHieevI69swE85iw8nBlQ2ek1P2sqhZuJESuO0ehjoICqJ-7wgzPFZPhcT1v6fAVb9GRu-ZHO1ParPJSN05y41mzyV7P_joUY2eDW6RQ/s320/012+Passing+The+Quantum.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Since we were having so many sea days, we took advantage of
the offer of a galley tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very
interesting, even though we have done this on other ships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found the bread and pastry area to be the
most fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy in this
picture gets up very early and makes sure that there is plenty of good bread,
rolls, muffins, and pastry available for all the passengers:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh986uETVSPCiYbspT-m4m8FOdEF9hhwExwPx0QbN25NGVvng4d8VR6VUnOi_kut8ZUV5XQFxTo3WRa9CxoYe06ntq6Zvepgs8RjMHDLU4zOsZCJOj2NBdnHG2_3uKoVbXbBt4DQ/s1600/013+Galley+Tour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh986uETVSPCiYbspT-m4m8FOdEF9hhwExwPx0QbN25NGVvng4d8VR6VUnOi_kut8ZUV5XQFxTo3WRa9CxoYe06ntq6Zvepgs8RjMHDLU4zOsZCJOj2NBdnHG2_3uKoVbXbBt4DQ/s320/013+Galley+Tour.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the perks we received for becoming Pinnacle was being
invited to some special meals at the specialty restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cruise it was a wonderful lunch at
Izumi, the Japanese restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
happily sat with Vicki & Randy, and Art & Karlene:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R4VZLVISllkUY6dLmsuru8RCch7PbfT4IWA6vqXsBUzvCJA7buWXh8F79UuomAGPrtDLDqPZT3J1kHpK3wGgpgMctlL8xfsBE7iF54xJJONpWXaRl7Nnjrt-_BfczL-GEywN2g/s1600/014+Pinnacle+Lunch+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R4VZLVISllkUY6dLmsuru8RCch7PbfT4IWA6vqXsBUzvCJA7buWXh8F79UuomAGPrtDLDqPZT3J1kHpK3wGgpgMctlL8xfsBE7iF54xJJONpWXaRl7Nnjrt-_BfczL-GEywN2g/s320/014+Pinnacle+Lunch+at+Izumi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Besides the fact that the chef gave a demonstration of how
to make sushi, then we were served a delicious appetizer, a plate of wonderful
rolls (see picture), and a dessert plate:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wQhiryZt8mjV1SfCdNNX-kcdJlsP_H8G5NLaoooLpg8RB_7NkAi8YaPnXnAJ8pA_qSIAlWiZbxeHyCtuA3iENSGIUn8yvHoQ3BbM0hbBPMQphp8QT6PIx8HBpdkV8gu9uMgOVw/s1600/015+Rolls+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wQhiryZt8mjV1SfCdNNX-kcdJlsP_H8G5NLaoooLpg8RB_7NkAi8YaPnXnAJ8pA_qSIAlWiZbxeHyCtuA3iENSGIUn8yvHoQ3BbM0hbBPMQphp8QT6PIx8HBpdkV8gu9uMgOVw/s320/015+Rolls+at+Izumi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFugbMqSxRlJMj-6l3Z-N1HWHZWJ6IjJBNlyJkoe_1vga1PKK2N4Gzz6fsJmJPz2tIvJgITQN-FyXA3bqKAs3vyf-qR4clPVeRD8DEViSU8Z7o8RGc7PpEnBA4AESx5HQPEqLLRg/s1600/016+Dessert+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFugbMqSxRlJMj-6l3Z-N1HWHZWJ6IjJBNlyJkoe_1vga1PKK2N4Gzz6fsJmJPz2tIvJgITQN-FyXA3bqKAs3vyf-qR4clPVeRD8DEViSU8Z7o8RGc7PpEnBA4AESx5HQPEqLLRg/s320/016+Dessert+at+Izumi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
The frosty looking green ball in the front is frozen ice
cream with a special coating – YUM!!!</div>
On May 25 we were scheduled to go through the Suez Canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out it was a good thing we went through
here a few years ago, in the other direction, so we saw it in daylight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, much to everyone’s disappointment,
we did most of the canal at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Egypt
is expanding the Suez Canal so that it can accommodate larger ships, and that
part will open this coming Thursday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
72-kilometre (45-mile) long expansion is projected to cut the waiting period
for ships from 18 hours to 11 hours and allow two-way passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was built in less than a year for about $9
billion (7.9 Euros), mostly financed by investment certificates sold to
Egyptians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A maximum 49 ships a day can
pass through the canal at present. The Suez Canal Authority says the expansion
could almost double the number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
quite costly for a ship to pass through the canal at present, and the cost is
added to the fees of every cruise ship passenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original canal was finished in 1869 after
10 years of construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The canal is
single-lane with passing places in the Ballah Bypass and the Great Bitter Lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It contains no locks;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>seawater flows freely through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In general, the canal north of the Bitter
Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>South of the lakes, the current changes with
the tide at Suez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because most of the
canal was traveled at night, when we woke up and met up with the friends in
the Concierge Lounge for mimosas and pictures, we were already almost through
the entire canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<br />
This is a picture of Port Said taken from the lounge :<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3Aae75PKG5gRILruXOPw5rmHczlXEvlGgu0SjPIx1tEiskit2oeedgV0uf_DuTZTUDXYxHjfiG4G0FomoGieLmzEe8BJGjK3VLczYm9M-ZtIw82RLeD6UR_4mjmKgy5vNMXYbg/s1600/018+Buildings+along+Suez+Canal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3Aae75PKG5gRILruXOPw5rmHczlXEvlGgu0SjPIx1tEiskit2oeedgV0uf_DuTZTUDXYxHjfiG4G0FomoGieLmzEe8BJGjK3VLczYm9M-ZtIw82RLeD6UR_4mjmKgy5vNMXYbg/s320/018+Buildings+along+Suez+Canal.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
The next day, May 26, we were docked at Ashdod, Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elaine and I had been here before and enjoyed
exploring Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time we joined
Mark & Harald, Sergio & Reuben, David and Diane, Gloria & her
mother, and another couple who were Sergio & Reuben’s friends from
Miami.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did a private tour through
Guided Tours Israel to Masada and the Dead Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They picked us up at the ship and drove us to Masada, which is a World
Heritage Site, as of 2001.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<b> Masada</b> is an ancient fortification in the southern district of Israel
situated on top of an isolated rock plateau,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea.
Herod the Great<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>built palaces for
himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. The Siege
of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First
Jewish-Roman War ended in the mass suicide of
the 960 Sicarii rebels and their families hiding there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
To get up to the fortress, we had to take a cable car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the platform and machinery at the
top:<br />
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<br />
This is what the cable cars look like:<br />
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<br />
This is Elaine and I on the top looking out over the very dry desert below:<br />
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<br />
This picture shows some of the outlines of the former siege camp of the
Romans which was down below:<br />
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<br />
This is one of the ruins up on the mesa:<br />
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<br />
One of the impressive things was that some of the mosaic floors are still
here:<br />
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<br />
This is a model of what the place looked like when Herod had a palace up on
the mesa:<br />
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<br />
Herod had installed quite an efficient water gathering system which filled
multiple cisterns located on the mesa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These enabled him to have quite an elaborate Roman bath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The full cisterns also helped the Jewish
rebels survive during the months of the siege.<br />
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<br />
Characteristic of Roman baths was floors which were elevated by piers so
that heated steam could flow beneath the floor and keep everything warm
inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this picture, the floor is
gone but the piers are still visible:<br />
<br />
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<br />
There was a lot more to our visit to Masada, including the gift shop and the
food court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there it was a short
drive to the Dead Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t a very
good view of it but it shows that it is huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2006 we were in Jordan and visited the Dead Sea on their side.<br />
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<br />
The Dead Sea is 412 meters below sea level, making it Earth’s lowest
elevation on land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the deepest
hypersaline lake in the world, and has 34.2% salinity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This makes it 9.6 times as salty as the
ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of this, it is very easy
to float, and you float much higher than you would in less salty water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to a resort where there was lake
access, with a fresh water shower nearby (thank goodness), and also several
very nice swimming pools, restrooms and changing facilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of our gang on the shore,
before entering the water:<br />
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<br />
Getting in the water was somewhat difficult because the shores are very
muddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, Dead Sea mud is supposed
to be very good for your skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later on,
Sergio, Gloria and Harald spread mud all over themselves, but I didn’t get a
picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In these pictures, Sergio and
Reuben, and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David & Diane are enjoying
the ease of floating:<br />
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<br />
Near our swimming spot was this chair, which had been submerged in the Dead
Sea for a while and had accumulated quite a bit of crystallized salt on it:<br />
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<br />
May 27 our ship docked in Haifa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is an easy place to explore on your own because the port is right in the town,
and as soon as you walk outside the port area, there is a railroad and bus
terminal right there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Haifa is home to
one of the Baha’i temples, and it has beautiful gardens which are wonderfully
visible because they extend up a large hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We walked up to the base of the hill for this picture with the gardens
behind us:<br />
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<br />
We did not go into the actual temple because it wasn’t open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited a really beautiful one in Panama
City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are 8 temples scattered all
over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only one in the USA
is in Wilmette, IL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one, in Haifa,
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Baha’i faith accepts people of all
religions, and prohibits sermons and musical instruments, but permits readings
from their scriptures and those of other religions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also promote humanitarian, educational
and charitable causes in the local communities.<br />
We were exploring with Art & Karlene Bacca, and David & Diane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Karlene had done some research on Akko (which
is named Acre on some maps), and suggested we visit there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a local bus, which cost hardly
anything compared to what the ship’s tours were charging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Akko has a very important position
strategically because it is on the Mediterranean coast and is one of the oldest
continuously occupied sites in the world<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is also the holiest city for members of the Baha’i faith and many of
them live there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Akko was conquered by
the crusaders in 1104 during the first crusade and the Knights Hospitalier of
St. John had their headquarters there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
We walked from the bus stop to the old city walls:<br />
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<br />
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<br />
This is a picture of the moat, which is dry now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<br />
The current building which constitutes the citadel of Acre is an Ottoman
fortification, built on the foundation of the Hospitallerian citadel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is within the old city walls.<br />
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<br />
This is a picture of the inner part of the citadel:<br />
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<br />
We were provided with headphones to explore the place on our own, and the
descriptions and audio-visual effects were excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ship’s tours which we passed had a guide,
so we thought we had a better deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
is a picture of some of the paintings on the inner walls:<br />
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<br />
Some of the inner chambers were huge, such as this one, which was the
refectory, or dining hall:<br />
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<br />
There was also a very large inner courtyard where they had gatherings and
even events using horses:<br />
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<br />
This picture shows the “privy room”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can see there are multiple holes so several people could use the
latrine at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have seen
similar arrangements in Roman ruins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
guess it was a social experience!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsitLy0RpUClmSSJZpZmme-3GOib8hbrDccmabHnD0UYQiQvsjkz1yHT-E0ERybnkVTWpYsvG0RGau1MOCitLHLg4JpE2wNf3ayYSYVqDVcOppXr6q2BDqNoG6xD0lmPZcF1pGgw/s1600/042+Latrine+Hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsitLy0RpUClmSSJZpZmme-3GOib8hbrDccmabHnD0UYQiQvsjkz1yHT-E0ERybnkVTWpYsvG0RGau1MOCitLHLg4JpE2wNf3ayYSYVqDVcOppXr6q2BDqNoG6xD0lmPZcF1pGgw/s320/042+Latrine+Hall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After we left the crusader citadel, we walked through part of the old town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see the narrow walkways, and the old
walls of the buildings:<br />
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<br />
There were also outdoor restaurants in the larger courtyards:<br />
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<br />
We were walking to the tunnel, which the crusaders built so that they could
go between their citadel and the waterfront.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here is a picture of it:<br />
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<br />
Here is a picture of our gang once we reached the waterfront:<br />
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<br />
This picture shows the outer walls of the old city at the sea front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are many upscale restaurants along
here because of the great ocean view:<br />
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<br />
We had a sea day the next day so there was a special brunch for Suites and
Pinnacles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually the food at these
events is delicious and things not usually served, and very nicely
presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is just the table with
the sweets on it:<br />
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<br />
Our friends Karlene, Art, Vicki and Randy joined us:<br />
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<br />
May 29 our ship anchored off Santorini, because there is no dock there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we had been passing some of the Greek
islands, we thought they looked like they had snow on top, because of all the
white houses up there:<br />
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<br />
You can see how steep the cliffs are to get up to the villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the view of our ship and another one
which was in the bay that day:<br />
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<br />
These are the gondolas of the cable car which we used to get from where our
tenders docked at the bottom of the cliffs to the town of Fira, which was at
the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cost 5 Euro one way.<br />
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<br />
From the cable car we could see the walking path where there is the chance
to hire a mule to ride up or down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
is a picture of the mules waiting to be hired:<br />
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<br />
This is a view of the town as the cable car approached the top.<br />
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<br />
Fira, the main town of Santorini, is mostly small pedestrian streets (or
paved paths) with stores and restaurants lining them.<br />
<br />
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<br />There were many jewelry stores, and this picture shows some of the very
characteristic Greek patterns:<br />
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<br />
Diane & Vicki were the main shoppers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here they are with some of the items on offer:<br />
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<br />
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<br />
And here are some tragic Greek masks for sale:<br />
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<br />
Eventually we all ran out of shopping enthusiasm and went to a local place
for a beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here if the whole gang:<br />
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<br />
This is a picture of the local beers:<br />
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<br />
Then it was time for a bite to eat, and one of the best choices was a gyro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sign shows a picture of the meat spit
which is used for the gyro, and the little skewers alongside are souvlaki.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Souvlaki is small pieces of meat and veggies
on a skewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvUcnlNwt9kiIs2KGuDeK7VK6QIgtzq51zNrtc8KHAPYGQqtuldid42ouaTCAPd7nNQ3XiUxupwOuP28VNQXDoaqKhw-AdSYPTMFjqXTXpgTwlEWU_Tb6YrD9ALDo_pj0EcQrbg/s1600/062+Sign+for+Typical+Food.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvUcnlNwt9kiIs2KGuDeK7VK6QIgtzq51zNrtc8KHAPYGQqtuldid42ouaTCAPd7nNQ3XiUxupwOuP28VNQXDoaqKhw-AdSYPTMFjqXTXpgTwlEWU_Tb6YrD9ALDo_pj0EcQrbg/s320/062+Sign+for+Typical+Food.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The meat is shaved off the large cone being grilled on a vertical rotisserie
and wrapped in a flatbread such as lavash or pita.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then they put some veggies such as cucumber
and pickled onion with it and use a nice sauce, such a tzaziki.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the guy shaving off the meat:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxK5blJlSfftuYfzXVWtAmWU-tz1C6YGHqsZqWNAAl24S12sBJv-peBvDjSpXx8usX_p2xOc-hzlrfmEGWg-UuBf15Pt3X5T5he1fddUhsSSdQTK-Xyj3aKkx4T8aZ84YmRdPMA/s1600/063+Lunch+in+Santorini.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxK5blJlSfftuYfzXVWtAmWU-tz1C6YGHqsZqWNAAl24S12sBJv-peBvDjSpXx8usX_p2xOc-hzlrfmEGWg-UuBf15Pt3X5T5he1fddUhsSSdQTK-Xyj3aKkx4T8aZ84YmRdPMA/s320/063+Lunch+in+Santorini.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We sat at a little table out near the street, drinking beer and eating
delicious gyros, which were very inexpensive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmRY8Tm0BFW87Q0wSBA5aqhBtouefcA0vwIDcCjurIscH6jqBx7SXf6k1997R54khZMHGBbF-ijIzz4lfBplZWeKMjRc2xX-UqiJ-6yzfu1VHnB4AG1ys-9GkCf8s0UwsewEumg/s1600/064+Lunch+in+Santorini+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmRY8Tm0BFW87Q0wSBA5aqhBtouefcA0vwIDcCjurIscH6jqBx7SXf6k1997R54khZMHGBbF-ijIzz4lfBplZWeKMjRc2xX-UqiJ-6yzfu1VHnB4AG1ys-9GkCf8s0UwsewEumg/s320/064+Lunch+in+Santorini+%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
After walking around a little more, we tried to go back to the ship but the
cable car was not running because a weather front had come in and it was too
rainy and windy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we walked down the
approximately 700 steps, and shared the path with the mules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t too bad, except for the mule
droppings, and the need to be careful because of the rain making the steps
slippery.<br />
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<br />
Here the mules are waiting to be hired:<br />
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<br />
On May 30, we docked in Pireaus, which is the port for Athens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not difficult to get into Athens
because there are several hop on-hop off type trains and buses which come right
to the port terminal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked about 1 ½
miles to the railroad station where we caught the train to Monastiraki Station
in the heart of Athens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cost about
$2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Monastiraki Square:<br />
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<br />
We were taking a free walking tour (you tip at the end) and it met near this
square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a good guide and a very
full group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second place we went was
to the Roman Agora, which was located very near the old Greek agora – a marketplace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3l1P0oi9ZzbH3rpIlsmWKi4uSYZJohjDyA1CPVpjqfCI8ZUslV4k8Ic0n6nAiCYQCiAjAiebNnXEB__65kKYlYCx0p6N_wfUXpY71OKW11UGH3M2vdVN6DwKwo-KmNsgZ-vL1mw/s1600/068+Agora+in+Athens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3l1P0oi9ZzbH3rpIlsmWKi4uSYZJohjDyA1CPVpjqfCI8ZUslV4k8Ic0n6nAiCYQCiAjAiebNnXEB__65kKYlYCx0p6N_wfUXpY71OKW11UGH3M2vdVN6DwKwo-KmNsgZ-vL1mw/s320/068+Agora+in+Athens.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />You can see the Acropolis on the high hill in the background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a closeup of it:<br />
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<br />
There was a large area with multiple columns, but some of the structures and
sculptures have to be seen in the museum.<br />
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<br />
Near the main cathedral, was this very old and tiny church:<br />
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<br />
In front of the Parliament building we watched the guards in their very
distinctive uniforms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do a very
elaborate ritual of leg lifting and foot stamping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on Sundays, at the changing of the guard
at noon there is an entire huge band and battalion of men in uniform who parade
down the street and end up here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite
entertaining.<br />
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<br />
This is a very characteristic church in Pireaus on the way back to the ship:<br />
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<br />
Art and Karlene stopped to pose for us in front of the little chapel for
seamen in the port:<br />
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<br />
We had a lovely sunset that evening in the port:<br />
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<br />
Back on the ship, time was getting short because the cruise was ending soon
and lots of the friends were getting off the ship in Istanbul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we are with Pat & Sandra, two
friends from other cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
getting ready for a land trip of Turkey.<br />
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<br />
And we couldn’t let the boyfriends leave the ship without having a picture
together on formal night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is us
with (from left) Reuben, Harald, Mary, Elaine, Mark & Sergio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<br />
On May 31 we arrived in Istanbul, Turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a lovely sunny day, the ship docked right along the shore of the
Bosphorus, not far from the Galata bridge, and the views were magical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the Galata Tower, which was right
across from the ship.<br />
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<br />
We had been here before, on a land trip through all of Turkey, and we
started in Istanbul for 3 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we
had already seen most of the “must see” attractions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon, we collected David and
Diane and walked down to the Galata bridge, which spans the Golden Horn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a row of restaurants underneath it.<br />
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<br />
These are a type of bagel covered in sesame seeds called simit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sell them all over and sometimes people
eat them with jam or yogurt for breakfast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDn9ZBvqrf59zM6gppo64uT_M8HT_n0budwoSLhCwbuQWpmOnBIav48CKwegFGoFqg2TBtugaA3oFSrOGfqBWi2BziGNq4_GwvMqMObZDLG_DlVMHrIWatyW60LGAA56kR4Di0g/s1600/080+Turkish+Bagels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDn9ZBvqrf59zM6gppo64uT_M8HT_n0budwoSLhCwbuQWpmOnBIav48CKwegFGoFqg2TBtugaA3oFSrOGfqBWi2BziGNq4_GwvMqMObZDLG_DlVMHrIWatyW60LGAA56kR4Di0g/s320/080+Turkish+Bagels.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We then walked over to the fish market near the bridge, where they had lots
of different kinds of fish for sale:<br />
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<br />
The veggies looked pretty good too:<br />
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<br />
There were lots of stands where guys were frying fish and making very large
and inexpensive sandwiches for sale:<br />
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<br />
We found Vicki and Randy in one of the open air restaurants and they joined
us for an evening cruise on the Bosphorus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was the route map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
see that it cost 12 Turkish lira which was about $4.<br />
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This shows the tour boat we were on for or Bosphorus trip:<br />
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One of the first things we saw was a good view of the Blue Mosque:<br />
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There were many interesting and historical buildings along the shore:<br />
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This is what various residences along the Bosphorus looked like, and a local
girl told us that Istanbul is an expensive city to live in:<br />
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There were a couple of old forts too:<br />
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It was rather picturesque as night fell:<br />
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When we got off the boat, lots of people were eating at the outdoor
restaurants:<br />
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Some of the restaurants were on boats and were lit up:<br />
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On the way back to the ship, we stopped at one of the many confectionary
shops selling Turkish Delight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t
really like it, but Art & Karlene bought some.<br />
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The next day we had to change rooms again, and we were very sorry to be
leaving Lorelei, our fantastic room attendant:<br />
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More adventures will be in the next blog post, about our last Rhapsody
cruise in the Mediterranean, going to ports in Turkey and the Greek Isles.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-50985533070867511452015-08-02T18:33:00.001-07:002015-08-02T18:33:55.902-07:00Rhapsody Cruise #2 May 3 to May 17 Singapore To Dubai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On May 3 when we were in Singapore, we stayed on the ship. We had been in Singapore for 5 days a few years ago and explored it quite thoroughly. We also had to move to a new room on the ship, which restricted our shore time. Singapore is a very expensive city, but there are interesting things to do that aren't expensive. Our friends, Vicki & Randy, and Tom & Sandy went out and did some things which we will certainly do the next time we are there. I put some pictures of these things on our last blog: the Gardens by the Bay, and possibly the top of the Marina Sands. While staying on the ship, we managed to reconnect with Park Sierra friends, Sam & Carolyn Kidd, who had boarded the ship this day:<br />
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The next day, the port of call was Port Klang, which is the port for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.<br />
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Again, we elected to stay on the ship and in the port. It was quite a distance to get to Kuala Lumpur, we have been there before on a land trip, and there is real difficulty getting there without going on a ship's tour. There is a "taxi mafia" here, which charges exorbitant rates to either get to KL or get to the local transportation system to go there. We went into the terminal to do some internet, and we also saw lots of the crew going off in order to eat at a couple of local places which had set up outside the terminal. The waters were very calm and we got a great picture:<br />
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The next day we docked at Phuket, Thailand. I had tried to book a private tour guide but was unsuccessful. David, Diane, Elaine and I took the tender into the port and found that there was really no terminal there with any tourist information. We were immediately assaulted by a bunch of guys who wanted us to hire them to take us around the island or into town. We walked a bit, but it was really hot, and it became obvious that we needed transportation to get into town. One of the guys had followed us and offered a price that was more acceptable, so we had him take us into the main part of town. There were a lot of what they call "shop houses", where there is a business or shop on the street level and the family lives upstairs. Here is a picture:<br />
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There was also a sizable Chinatown which we drove through:<br />
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After walking around a bit, we found a cafe where they had decent internet and local beer so we stopped for some refreshment:<br />
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Back on board, one of the perks we get for being frequent cruisers is 2 for 1 dinners in the specialty restaurants. So on formal night we had dinner at Chops with Vicki and Randy, and David & Diane:<br />
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Prior to the dinner, we had drinks with the friends, commonly called the 5 o'clock Drinking Club, and then we all went to the professional photographers and had a group picture:<br />
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On May 8 our port of call was Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since this was a place we had never been to before, I had arranged a private tour guide, Ishan. He was there when our ship docked to pick us up. On this trip we were joined by Mark, and Alice & Bruce. Here is the whole gang:<br />
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When you hire a local guide, you can arrange your whole day of sightseeing. Besides a city tour, Ishan suggested taking us to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, so that is where we went first. Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery, and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants. What we didn't realize was that it was quite a distance to get there over roads which were rather busy, and he wanted to get us there in time to see the elephants while they were in the river, and before they walked them back to the reserve. So we had a very wild ride through the countryside. It was interesting to see the topography and the houses of the locals:<br />
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Typical local products were for sale along the road. There were lots of stands selling coconuts:<br />
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There were also stands where locals were selling things they have woven from local plants, and here there is a guy carving furniture from local wood:<br />
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We arrived at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in time to see quite a few of the elephants in the river:<br />
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Here we are with the elephants in the background:<br />
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Ishan arranged for us to go up to a viewing platform of a restaurant overlooking the river. We also had a very tasty and inexpensive lunch up there with really good, cold local beer.<br />
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While we were in the restaurant, the elephants were taken out of the river and walked up the street to the actual elephant reserve, which was across the main road:<br />
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After lunch we walked over to the actual elephant reserve. Pinnawala is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. On the other side of the road there were pens for the smaller elephants, where they were brought in for bottle feeding in front of the tourists. The fees to enter the reserve are used to pay for the elephants care, and people can pay extra in order to bottle feed the babies:<br />
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Additionally, for a small fee, people can purchase small pieces of sugar cane to feed to the adolescent elephants. Here is Elaine, feeding sugar cane to a teenage elephant:<br />
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There are close to 90 elephants at this reserve now, although 25 years ago they started with 5 orphans. On the drive back to Colombo we observed the countryside, which was very tropical and lush:<br />
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In Colombo, Ishan did his best to show us all the important sites. He took us to a big park where there were Sri Lankan deer in an enclosure:<br />
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Also at this park were some interesting paintings on the street pavement. Here is one designed to look like we are at the top of a waterfall:<br />
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While we were walking around the park, this reptile decided to climb out of the creek to greet us:<br />
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The park also had a very nice garden section, and a building with many aquarium windows with lots of Sri Lankan fish displays. Here is one of them:<br />
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Ishan continued to drive us around Colombo, and we were very impressed with the cosmopolitan nature of this city. This was one of the public buildings in a park:<br />
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Here is one of the statues in Viharamahadevi Park:<br />
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Ishan also drove us through the Galle Face neighborhood, where there are very upscale shopping venues, big and expensive hotels, and a nice beach area. We couldn't take any pictures because it was starting to get dark, but it was definitely an area where we would have liked to spend a little more time.<br />
Back on the ship, we enjoyed spending time in the Diamond Lounge with the 5 o'clock drinking club, because although some of the friends had left, more friends from previous cruises had joined the group:<br />
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This is Vicki & Randy Sheppard, Sandra and Pat, Glenn & Evelyn, and Tom & Sandy Wills. All were onboard with us for this cruise and the next one.<br />
The next port, on May 10, was Cochin, India. This is a place in southern India where we had spent several days on a land tour in 2010. The port was not close to the town, and we had already seen most of the tourist attractions, so we elected to stay on the ship. Cochin is famous for having Chinese fishing nets along the shoreline. These are fixed shore installations of huge fishing nets (20 meters or so across), which use counterweights on ropes suspended from poles to help lower the nets. It takes up to 6 fishermen to operate these contraptions. Nowadays they are mostly tourist attractions. Here is a picture Vicki took of them:<br />
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There were also a lot of typical hauling trucks in the port area:<br />
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On May 11, there was a Top Tier party on the ship, and we were the main attraction because we achieved Pinnacle status. This is the highest level cruisers can attain on Royal Caribbean for being loyal cruisers - we had to have 700 cruise nights on Royal Caribbean. The award was presented by the loyalty ambassador, the Next Cruise Manager, and the Captain:<br />
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Then we asked that all our friends from the 5 o'clock drinking club in the Diamond Lounge come up on stage with us, and the photographer took a picture:<br />
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There are some extra perks one achieves for this status, and one of them is that we get to have gold cards, which are usually issued only to people who book suites.<br />
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Later on in the cruise, David & Diane had a party for us in their suite. Here is a picture of the friends who attended:<br />
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It was really special that so many of our friends were on board with us to help us celebrate this milestone - especially Diane and David, who have been on many cruises with us and who hosted this party for us.<br />
On May 13 we had a full day to explore Mumbai, a place we had never been before. I had arranged for a private guide who picked us up outside the port gate. David & Diane, and Vicki & Randy went with us. Mumbai is actually built on 7 islands which are now interconnected. It is also the home of the 4th largest populace in the world. It was an adventure just driving through the streets. First our guide, Mohammed, took us to the Gateway of India. The Gateway of India was built in 1924 to celebrate the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary. It took 13 years to build. It stands on the shores of the Arabian Sea.<br />
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Nearby, and within walking distance, was the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. It is a 5 star hotel, with 560 rooms, 44 suites, and 1500 employees. The doors were first opened in 1903. Legend has it that Tata, the owner, built the hotel because he was refused entry at Mumbai's best hotel, Watson's Hotel, because he was not white. Now Watson's Hotel has fallen into disrepair and The Taj Mahal is the finest hotel in India. In 2008 the hotel was attacked by terrorists and in the ensuing siege, 167 people were killed. The hotel was repaired and reopened within a few months.<br />
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At one of the entrances, we saw this doorman:<br />
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We walked through the hotel, which is very richly decorated. This is a picture of the lobby:<br />
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There were nice displays of pictures of people who have stayed there at various times, including Hillary Clinton who stayed in 2009, after the terrorist attacks, as a show of support and solidarity for India.<br />
Walking down a nearby street, we passed several street carts, such as this one, selling sugar cane and cane juice:<br />
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It was also surprising to see this ox cart driving right down a busy street in the downtown area:<br />
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One of the most impressive buildings from the British Occupation is the main railway terminal building which was built in 1887. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is built in the Victorian Gothic style and has 18 platforms. It is the busiest train station in India, and was really buzzing with people when we walked through it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was also attacked by terrorists with AK-47's in Nov. 2008 and 58 people were killed and 104 injured.<br />
This is a picture of the inside of one of the ticket lobbies:<br />
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Our next stop was the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum, which is located not very far from Chowpatty Beach. It used to be the focal point of Gandhi's political activities between 1917 and 1934. It was acquired and dedicated as a memorial to Gandhi in 1955, and other than Martin Luther King, the only high-profile international visitor has been President Baack Obama. There are many interesting exhibits and dioramas about Gandhi's life and his philosophies. This is the outside:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbYZ1igpB7gK_jfsCNPTe_JxVWSzfKhQjFwko6wp450SN_5tGdHf3zYf4eo9wC5JTblfuV4lqybVc8S7_lOz9nDcCHkpJqOHFo_9GRlvONX9lx9FrT6BN_m8nxVccaqDap8FlVA/s1600/048+Ghandi%2527s+Residence+-+Now+a+Museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbYZ1igpB7gK_jfsCNPTe_JxVWSzfKhQjFwko6wp450SN_5tGdHf3zYf4eo9wC5JTblfuV4lqybVc8S7_lOz9nDcCHkpJqOHFo_9GRlvONX9lx9FrT6BN_m8nxVccaqDap8FlVA/s320/048+Ghandi%2527s+Residence+-+Now+a+Museum.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
On one of the wall's was this quote from him: "To call women the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant moral power then woman is immeasurably man's superior. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with women." I love it!<br />
One of the most interesting places we stopped was at a roadway overpass where we could overlook the Dhobi Ghat, which is a huge open laundry. Here is a picture of it:<br />
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There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone:<br />
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The clothes are collected from places of business and homes by a guy called a Dhobi. They are washed and hung on lines all over the laundry and no clothes pins are used to hang them:<br />
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Once dry, the clean clothes are folded and returned to the place where they were collected. It is amazing!<br />
Another amazing thing was seeing people who perhaps are living on the streets, or perhaps just resting, sleeping right on a busy street full of traffic and noise:<br />
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It was hot and we had been touring around for a while, so we stopped at a small cafe where we had local beer:<br />
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Mohammed took us across a bridge over to an upscale neighborhood, then a park where we walked around and also enjoyed some water views across to another part of the city. The bridge was quite modern:<br />
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Dharavi is a locality which houses the largest slum in India, and possibly the largest in the world. It was founded in 1882s during the British colonial era. The slum grew in
part because of an expulsion of factories and residents from peninsular
city center by colonial government, and from rural poor migrating into
urban Mumbai. Dharavi has an active informal economy in which numerous household
enterprises employ many of the slum residents. It exports goods around
the world. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It covers an area of about 535 acres and houses between 300,000 to 1
million people. It is composed of about 60% Hindus, 30% Muslim, and the
rest are mixed. <br />
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Then we drove down to the area of the Crawford Market. This is a very large market which has been in existence since Colonial times.<br />
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There were lots of guys pushing really overloaded carts along the street - I suppose they were hauling goods to the market.<br />
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There were stores all along this street as well. We returned to the port and the ship, and had a fairly impressive sunset:<br />
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There were several sea days before the cruise ended in Dubai. One of the perks we get for being Diamond+ or Pinnacle is the offer to do a bridge tour, theater tour, and galley tour. This time we did the bridge tour. The bridge is a lot more spacious than you would think. And it is interesting to see all the technological controls they use nowadays. Here is Capt. Gustavo on the bridge:<br />
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<br />
On May 16 we arrived in Dubai, which was the end of this cruise segment. Unfortunately, Dubai had very bad air quality and the picture I took of the city view from the ship isn't very good because of that.<br />
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It was about 114F degrees during the day, and surprisingly, there was humidity, so it seemed even hotter. David, Diane, Elaine and I had all been in Dubai before - we spent 3 days there at the end of a cruise several years ago and did a very complete job of seeing the main sights. In the above picture, you can just make out the Burj Kahlifa, which is the world's tallest building. Good thing we went to the top viewing platform the last time because the visibility wouldn't have been good on this day. There was supposed to be a free shuttle to one of the malls, so we decided to go, but it wasn't running, and it was so hot out we decided to stay on the ship, and go out in the evening. It wasn't much cooler later on, but we took a taxi to the Creek, and then rode across the creek on the local small boats, called abras. The fare across is less than a dollar.<br />
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The shops were open and people were out shopping.<br />
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Last time we enjoyed walking through the Gold Souk so we headed there. Nowadays the souk area mostly has stores selling gold jewelry, not stalls. Some of the gold items are very unique, and all are pricey.<br />
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On the way back across the creek, we saw some of the dinner and party boats all lit up:<br />
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The next day some of the people got off the ship, and we got more cruisers to replace them.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-26523058175129442052015-07-27T10:55:00.001-07:002015-07-27T11:18:08.402-07:00First Rhapsody Cruise April 17-May 3 Sydney to Singapore <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello! This is the first of 3 or 4 posts about the cruises we took between April 17 and June 12. If you don't care about reading this, but want to know what we have been doing recently, go to the blog post just below this one. </div>
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Rhapsody Cruise #1 </div>
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After 5 very enjoyable days in Sydney in our Airbnb
apartment, we boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas for the first of 4 consecutive
cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We always enjoy cruising but
especially like unique ones, such as these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These 4 cruises will take us from Sydney to Singapore, Singapore to
Dubai, Dubai to Istanbul, and then through Turkey and Greece and back to
Istanbul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a picture of us in
Circular Quay, with the Rhapsody docked behind us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also see the world famous opera house
across the harbor:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgciY_hOYNz3Y6DY1Hr688Xhj-rQ9y_8ett9jS6fiBIRXXpgHcgRnVEur-8SltBSKao9WXb-mxRIIH1-dvnu1ljYoKy4qNRYnULgoTU6yRfSeg7jBYMcuBAG9xVvT74CIacQ9EQ/s1600/01+M%2526E+In+Front+of+Rhapsody.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgciY_hOYNz3Y6DY1Hr688Xhj-rQ9y_8ett9jS6fiBIRXXpgHcgRnVEur-8SltBSKao9WXb-mxRIIH1-dvnu1ljYoKy4qNRYnULgoTU6yRfSeg7jBYMcuBAG9xVvT74CIacQ9EQ/s320/01+M%2526E+In+Front+of+Rhapsody.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the delights of cruising is being onboard with
friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our very good friends, David
and Diane Wilson, had done a land trip in New Zealand, and then relocated to a
hotel within a block of our apartment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had spent some quality time with them exploring Sydney and also
having them over to our apartment (see previous blog post about Sydney).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we were all on the ship together, so we
joined them for dinner at Izumi, the Japanese Restaurant on the ship:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7jscKyTP2Y_7euYqzd0giLHYB4vWpAhjKv4NT4dx3SV_epb4aeO_356PeW9u2yINXtQFGeHFSyGsetJ7ImZPt3_BF_Wg_EvwMGVID6z4p-2E8F6VXai47k-xGrxPR0vwNmgEVg/s1600/02+David+%2526+Diane+%2526+Us+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7jscKyTP2Y_7euYqzd0giLHYB4vWpAhjKv4NT4dx3SV_epb4aeO_356PeW9u2yINXtQFGeHFSyGsetJ7ImZPt3_BF_Wg_EvwMGVID6z4p-2E8F6VXai47k-xGrxPR0vwNmgEVg/s320/02+David+%2526+Diane+%2526+Us+at+Izumi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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On April 19 the first port stop was Brisbane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been here before in 1999 when we
visited friends here and enjoyed the city but mostly saw the friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time friends also picked us up at the
ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pam and Barry Finn were with us on
a China tour in 2000, and we have kept in touch through the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they heard that we were stopping there,
they insisted on picking us up and showing us around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very happy about this because the
ship docked pretty far outside the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Barry and Pam had the day all planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, Pam dropped the 3 of us off at the first terminal for the Ferry
Cat, which is a catamaran service running up and down the Brisbane River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the route map:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkbTu2h84hPbFPJ93ISmffO3xzXr-89WDE9FIRgmNYWRwOtjb2FtLNR_IhaQxeUOUvdcgcbwPYm_n7HYlIEneWGKLNWFWqODTODKsm6UrTsYfQikcPqkB6ejTqmfgSG4SKmamyw/s1600/02a+Brisbane+Ferry+Cat+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkbTu2h84hPbFPJ93ISmffO3xzXr-89WDE9FIRgmNYWRwOtjb2FtLNR_IhaQxeUOUvdcgcbwPYm_n7HYlIEneWGKLNWFWqODTODKsm6UrTsYfQikcPqkB6ejTqmfgSG4SKmamyw/s320/02a+Brisbane+Ferry+Cat+Map.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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And here is a picture of the City Cat Ferry:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8d-U9uLQwcf6Vm72Cado_At8Q00_xC4cRQCXHPZd5yAHyUbL5CmpW0ntgHh7kz6Vmhyphenhyphenv1EaRMcA6wJOyvwKFpl45mdg-EG5A09yv5QPk6oewkbu60vBErFRRXoF93Z_b5iXHjQ/s1600/02c+City+Cat+Ferry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8d-U9uLQwcf6Vm72Cado_At8Q00_xC4cRQCXHPZd5yAHyUbL5CmpW0ntgHh7kz6Vmhyphenhyphenv1EaRMcA6wJOyvwKFpl45mdg-EG5A09yv5QPk6oewkbu60vBErFRRXoF93Z_b5iXHjQ/s320/02c+City+Cat+Ferry.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a picture of us with Barry at Brett’s Wharf, where
we got on the ferry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These amazing
people even had Senior Passes for us, which they had arranged ahead of time, so
the cost was minimal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LAlv5Wu9lpCR11tzXGgsbhGV9U-I6jfv0b4AL2o5GtDYmU7l2RzxD7dBPK3VXOKztM6JGMG-pFiNdPLb491OGEdi36H2zDLzhmwebigNys_756DcyFhPBKRU341IdFKqioeZbw/s1600/02b+Barry+%2526+Us+at+Ferry+Wharf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LAlv5Wu9lpCR11tzXGgsbhGV9U-I6jfv0b4AL2o5GtDYmU7l2RzxD7dBPK3VXOKztM6JGMG-pFiNdPLb491OGEdi36H2zDLzhmwebigNys_756DcyFhPBKRU341IdFKqioeZbw/s320/02b+Barry+%2526+Us+at+Ferry+Wharf.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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As we cruised along the river, we saw lots of the city on
both banks:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoPh939e4eg7JcDO3K_V8pMGui6rwl24Ci7fMlrvy_7IuYKPUcrwvrRcMJ422n1aQKXBpAnV7cjXulx5Lo-pil-KhXASxz4Q242_wRJWsMl7YGIhLtCFYupNwhTRVD37zw_N7kg/s1600/02d+Downtown+Brisbane+from+Ferry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoPh939e4eg7JcDO3K_V8pMGui6rwl24Ci7fMlrvy_7IuYKPUcrwvrRcMJ422n1aQKXBpAnV7cjXulx5Lo-pil-KhXASxz4Q242_wRJWsMl7YGIhLtCFYupNwhTRVD37zw_N7kg/s320/02d+Downtown+Brisbane+from+Ferry.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the more interesting areas we saw as we cruised past
was Southbank, an area which became dedicated for public use after the 1988
World Expo changed it from a mostly derelict area to more upscale place.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBHknrauio_5eSn2XMKDYPn6It8kFTbUA_LG1gXOT-cQJq84pvl0Rp80UJVPU57vivwJs9CRU4UNBVWf6IxNxL44m1nj0sN6_pOVLxC4ukSA27ZmMH-h3AVKJnVBlFrqop_ddrg/s1600/04+Southbank+View+From+River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBHknrauio_5eSn2XMKDYPn6It8kFTbUA_LG1gXOT-cQJq84pvl0Rp80UJVPU57vivwJs9CRU4UNBVWf6IxNxL44m1nj0sN6_pOVLxC4ukSA27ZmMH-h3AVKJnVBlFrqop_ddrg/s320/04+Southbank+View+From+River.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the more interesting bridges we went under was this one,
the Kurilpa Bridge, which has won an engineering award:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLBEgkRDRVpyTpIKsEjLJ7rVChlFKQuTUlfZKLlL-QGBqV2jQVYqL2hvg6X4zNSslq7-1mRP0KvKBPOmu-14RCN4Uw4noVqsMYs4uS-uwPoN-pp6t_cW7wr4wdfa81UmWc2IAwA/s1600/04a+Unique+Bridge+Over+Brisbane+River.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLBEgkRDRVpyTpIKsEjLJ7rVChlFKQuTUlfZKLlL-QGBqV2jQVYqL2hvg6X4zNSslq7-1mRP0KvKBPOmu-14RCN4Uw4noVqsMYs4uS-uwPoN-pp6t_cW7wr4wdfa81UmWc2IAwA/s320/04a+Unique+Bridge+Over+Brisbane+River.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Once we were through the main part of Brisbane, Pam picked
us up and we drove to Mt. Koot-tha, the highest point in Brisbane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there, we could see all of the business district
as well as the river coursing through it, where we had just been:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK4TLIJL1KKH5CtoxtNoQmAeaGXmrrfswRRD0WPqQ8ggCc89JyD2czUA6BGWPmQ-RkviUziBx2e9jwtgj47Aus5TA0bMsNDI97y26JhkIrHhfA-BHJrRDsh0kgaswr9_JyRGZrg/s1600/04b+View+of+Downtown+from+Mt.+Coot-tha+Summit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK4TLIJL1KKH5CtoxtNoQmAeaGXmrrfswRRD0WPqQ8ggCc89JyD2czUA6BGWPmQ-RkviUziBx2e9jwtgj47Aus5TA0bMsNDI97y26JhkIrHhfA-BHJrRDsh0kgaswr9_JyRGZrg/s320/04b+View+of+Downtown+from+Mt.+Coot-tha+Summit.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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And here is a picture of us with Barry and Pam up at the
viewing area:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguitKetXZrRvT8bjA4dP0_O6FffYAmoPt2PR6gfMSvp5XUX9LvXs_oHsn_VUHlM8OvEAiDmwlLebAhxh03GawjGkdO0uR4EMEL-o4jM5_XFh3KAa2iMbCzpSb6N7Lzyi7mTJ2MjQ/s1600/04c++M%2526E+With+Pam+%2526+Barry+in+Brisbane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguitKetXZrRvT8bjA4dP0_O6FffYAmoPt2PR6gfMSvp5XUX9LvXs_oHsn_VUHlM8OvEAiDmwlLebAhxh03GawjGkdO0uR4EMEL-o4jM5_XFh3KAa2iMbCzpSb6N7Lzyi7mTJ2MjQ/s320/04c++M%2526E+With+Pam+%2526+Barry+in+Brisbane.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then they drove us to their home, which wasn’t very far
away, so we could see their neighborhood and appreciate their lifestyle
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following that, we all went to Southbank
for lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are lots of restaurants
there and we ate at one where we tried the local ForeEx beer and some seafood:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1S3-ODITSLWhlFZfbi-jI7aRUFc-6E3CBFoBzB8pfT0p2cPNFrjQReroGbxUwNsZLDihO6J6cRXv158RAYbz5kwRZ9F30_SWlpqiab2LmXasHyeWEMhyphenhyphen-l3ISlr58lNfLgVuGQ/s1600/05++Lunch+With+Pam+%2526+Barry+at+Southbank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1S3-ODITSLWhlFZfbi-jI7aRUFc-6E3CBFoBzB8pfT0p2cPNFrjQReroGbxUwNsZLDihO6J6cRXv158RAYbz5kwRZ9F30_SWlpqiab2LmXasHyeWEMhyphenhyphen-l3ISlr58lNfLgVuGQ/s320/05++Lunch+With+Pam+%2526+Barry+at+Southbank.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Southbank has a wonderful arbor of flowers undulating
through part of the park:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwTf3LvF5ieXM-YhH-nSnKSCHqfVW9JEQ-AbQlY3XkrkJ1hKIWAzWDyAGDGkYXIQHnQ-_GBvzcdxAWM8R_wkX_Bg1XGiJlDr7adzsMWE2bURCC0NcoacrTBzxjguZYVuSI25qqw/s1600/06+M%2526E+In+Arbor+at+Southbank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwTf3LvF5ieXM-YhH-nSnKSCHqfVW9JEQ-AbQlY3XkrkJ1hKIWAzWDyAGDGkYXIQHnQ-_GBvzcdxAWM8R_wkX_Bg1XGiJlDr7adzsMWE2bURCC0NcoacrTBzxjguZYVuSI25qqw/s320/06+M%2526E+In+Arbor+at+Southbank.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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And we were very impressed with the pool and beach like area
which had been created for the use of residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It even has a sand beach for sun bathing:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2xbox6x3ySOjEorIB7Pag9y0PiQsGq-1NMQeDQIl8Oz7j098ZsUhBjJMSqKZ-HbWbxexjmxIwr6uVUa7SUGB8vpa4t4arKd3Ji1Bu8RCHLYZ1dQ-9MAbzoNFyT4rK5xRbuyQ8Q/s1600/07+Southbank+Pool+and+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2xbox6x3ySOjEorIB7Pag9y0PiQsGq-1NMQeDQIl8Oz7j098ZsUhBjJMSqKZ-HbWbxexjmxIwr6uVUa7SUGB8vpa4t4arKd3Ji1Bu8RCHLYZ1dQ-9MAbzoNFyT4rK5xRbuyQ8Q/s320/07+Southbank+Pool+and+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We also visited some nearby vendor stalls, and then they
drove us back to the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A wonderful
day with friends we hadn’t seen for 15 years!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next port was Airlie Beach, on April 21.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elaine and I had been here in 1999 and
enjoyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a port where some
people go to the Great Barrier Reef, but it is fairly far away and the shore
excursion to get there was very expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>David, Diane, Elaine and I walked around the town, first on the
waterfront, and then through the main street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here we are along the waterfront where some of the apartment dwellers
have a great view and a nearby boat dock:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVHSaU5DGm5BEA1wW2Dj2i4uEkTYHK1MJ9JxIU7Tgw7r4RGjhhJGkjU-kotT5-kwMxGaIX2EsV8ihw40d65AoKEfRT4IcZ17BOWlXm2RuLg2psRSz15zpa3v-tp1dOhGjjzRxnQ/s1600/09+Marina+Walk+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVHSaU5DGm5BEA1wW2Dj2i4uEkTYHK1MJ9JxIU7Tgw7r4RGjhhJGkjU-kotT5-kwMxGaIX2EsV8ihw40d65AoKEfRT4IcZ17BOWlXm2RuLg2psRSz15zpa3v-tp1dOhGjjzRxnQ/s320/09+Marina+Walk+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Right on the beach we passed a guy who was making a very
difficult and unique sand sculpture:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkhukuNc4-L_oRAkh0UYLKd-WHMOchcNSi1EEd29ErtxoJFm-CfPBBaucnShdjp6emh2NSBRDYmrRJPKbYHObyRl1y9m-Du2_xmpBjVremj9OchMn3X5fhz8oBBISi4YIaaIsbg/s1600/09a+Sand+Sculpture+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkhukuNc4-L_oRAkh0UYLKd-WHMOchcNSi1EEd29ErtxoJFm-CfPBBaucnShdjp6emh2NSBRDYmrRJPKbYHObyRl1y9m-Du2_xmpBjVremj9OchMn3X5fhz8oBBISi4YIaaIsbg/s320/09a+Sand+Sculpture+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another event happening on the beach was camel rides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we have done this on 4 different occasions
in several countries and for long (uncomfortable) periods of time, we skipped
doing this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice that the adult camels
have people on them and the baby camel walks alongside the mother.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ7j_AWd-hOFMaT0UNnqSoql5ctBVXNguAm_MZVGk6J5PNXMpfWG3dQBEbRQ26yYzgX8Ytn7LDtXYIBsKZR6f4t1SkKPSg-Q-8Iz6FJtvGJRlX_j2zF-kAVeBCqf4QCExPJT-JQ/s1600/09c+Camel+Ride+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ7j_AWd-hOFMaT0UNnqSoql5ctBVXNguAm_MZVGk6J5PNXMpfWG3dQBEbRQ26yYzgX8Ytn7LDtXYIBsKZR6f4t1SkKPSg-Q-8Iz6FJtvGJRlX_j2zF-kAVeBCqf4QCExPJT-JQ/s320/09c+Camel+Ride+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Again there was a very beautiful and scenic lagoon situation
which had been created inland for the use of the residents because there are
threats from box jellyfish and salt water crocodiles in Australian waters, so
they do not swim in the ocean:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfikQj-dsowj3k1V7pO2bjg1KbnQd6VUMrCmF1T8V-bvuBNkKBZkvbHtZ-hk3xxLpQLnzyBKQyPO8hyPsRO9lTVaQ4Nqi-EXdh1XbJ0PBEbwNJp0TowQrRt4o0meETxps25TbrKQ/s1600/09d+Manmade+Beach+and+Lagoon+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfikQj-dsowj3k1V7pO2bjg1KbnQd6VUMrCmF1T8V-bvuBNkKBZkvbHtZ-hk3xxLpQLnzyBKQyPO8hyPsRO9lTVaQ4Nqi-EXdh1XbJ0PBEbwNJp0TowQrRt4o0meETxps25TbrKQ/s320/09d+Manmade+Beach+and+Lagoon+at+Airlie+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was pretty hot here, so we were fairly hot after our
walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at an outdoor beer
garden for a taste of the local beer:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR3yV9FAoxhh5k6546bhco0bHXMk1eOfqzAS7NUycWHjsY9X5YzlIX-0ldkgjUf9xVlMdwpHjx_D04Osh-f4T1wab_vOie3zCBkMDu1hZlEzp6UxzjDRyryuWH42MxEHD48bQvw/s1600/010+Rexlaxing+After+Walk+in+Airlie+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR3yV9FAoxhh5k6546bhco0bHXMk1eOfqzAS7NUycWHjsY9X5YzlIX-0ldkgjUf9xVlMdwpHjx_D04Osh-f4T1wab_vOie3zCBkMDu1hZlEzp6UxzjDRyryuWH42MxEHD48bQvw/s320/010+Rexlaxing+After+Walk+in+Airlie+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back on the ship, we always enjoy the benefits which we get
from being frequent cruisers on Royal Caribbean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them is that there are several lounges
where there are hot and cold appetizers and free cocktails available for us
every evening from 5 to 8:30PM, and it is here where we enjoy schmoozing with
our cruise friends – and it is here where we meet new cruise friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this cruise we had been enjoying some
lectures about Australia by a guy named Phil Smart, a geologistt, and we were
lucky in that he and his wife, Faye, were friends with other friends of ours,
so they joined our group in the lounge in the evenings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a picture of them:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZEvKMr2XUA1m-PBMW1GqBPr-U1C71i52QrDbSFEOsiY4enmJEGOaB5KmSDTLsRTWBDWy3TGPXCRW6e2Cu96VCV_fYP_CLzgXMVC1I6nUyAzO5k5z18Qo9KuiRO72esOISAipjA/s1600/011+Faye+%2526+Phil+Smart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZEvKMr2XUA1m-PBMW1GqBPr-U1C71i52QrDbSFEOsiY4enmJEGOaB5KmSDTLsRTWBDWy3TGPXCRW6e2Cu96VCV_fYP_CLzgXMVC1I6nUyAzO5k5z18Qo9KuiRO72esOISAipjA/s320/011+Faye+%2526+Phil+Smart.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Additionally, Karlene and Art Bacca, were on all of these
cruises, they achieved Pinnacle just before we did, and they joined our group as well:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfV8diIePNVKVJ6djk1nR2B3cpLH7kuWR8prWTbHq4eVfsqrzde8bgU3dqioSjAni1t1zR0idkN4WF0EuQ8xGuVECWswIGJ58EEGWkeulPTQwOjbRCmsNBA5b4UWLLxteYxbWkQ/s1600/012+Art+%2526+Karlene+Bacca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfV8diIePNVKVJ6djk1nR2B3cpLH7kuWR8prWTbHq4eVfsqrzde8bgU3dqioSjAni1t1zR0idkN4WF0EuQ8xGuVECWswIGJ58EEGWkeulPTQwOjbRCmsNBA5b4UWLLxteYxbWkQ/s320/012+Art+%2526+Karlene+Bacca.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is a picture of part of our group in the
lounge, AKA the 5 o'clock drinking club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see David and Diane, and
next to them are Tom & Sandy Wills, and beyond them are Mark Alberthal, and
Alice and Bruce – all of these people were with us until Istanbul – great fun!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NW3BLCX4b3tz4-Gs2DCta1e4SPH38pwunUqzyfSGSnH3RmdIG1ZILQVHWnPg3I_SgMFDNPqTdQuQ7E3alu8qVKn85jzKfoojt0SGE9gYXa-eviqFUWwM-HI3pNCdF7c9t0z5gg/s1600/013+The+5+O%2527clock+Drinking+Club.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NW3BLCX4b3tz4-Gs2DCta1e4SPH38pwunUqzyfSGSnH3RmdIG1ZILQVHWnPg3I_SgMFDNPqTdQuQ7E3alu8qVKn85jzKfoojt0SGE9gYXa-eviqFUWwM-HI3pNCdF7c9t0z5gg/s320/013+The+5+O%2527clock+Drinking+Club.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Looking the other way, here are Faye and Phil Smart, Vicki
& Randy Sheppard, and Rick Martinez:</div>
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The next port of call was Cairns, Australia, another place
where Elaine and I stayed in 1999.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was from here that we took a snorkeling boat out to the Great Barrier Reef at
that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, we merely explored
the town with David and Diane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again
they had a very fabulous lagoon for sunbathing and swimming which had been
man-made inland for the use of residents:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruEfnBsS5AlpmNO5GBKZMu8gLIwxaajad2ZxuQ-5u6J1b9Xt0KSa7YXNW_U9TvDw35c8Qg9Pul7nyNVcOBnBUTWKdvf6fgFpZulKryO2zqDwIhttNeTMZvoQL1r4IQa66UI0Qmg/s1600/017+Lagoon+and+Beach+in+Cairns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruEfnBsS5AlpmNO5GBKZMu8gLIwxaajad2ZxuQ-5u6J1b9Xt0KSa7YXNW_U9TvDw35c8Qg9Pul7nyNVcOBnBUTWKdvf6fgFpZulKryO2zqDwIhttNeTMZvoQL1r4IQa66UI0Qmg/s320/017+Lagoon+and+Beach+in+Cairns.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back on the ship, we enjoyed the views of the channel where
the ship was parked in Cairns:</div>
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At the next port of call, Darwin, we enjoyed the views on
entry since we had never been here before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the main attractions is the Oil Storage Tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These tunnels were built in 1942 when Darwin
was bombed by the Japanese and they realized they needed a safe place to store
the oil reserve needed for World War II.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Civilian Conservation Corps built them, but by the time they were
operable, the war was over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1992 they
were reopened as a tourist site:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4irOmIY80Y7jq5N05XJMkUK7ntaCaChSTJx3K5Ybot-nhDybd_y-y0arA2Xzul1u-KLs2JooBSNZBHE3GjOPgt_7BdSQ7wnqTe8B4OFvhQZwZq3uSuRBWbMYv4tNmOa4Nuc3Og/s1600/018a+Randy+Outside+Oil+Storage+Tunnels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4irOmIY80Y7jq5N05XJMkUK7ntaCaChSTJx3K5Ybot-nhDybd_y-y0arA2Xzul1u-KLs2JooBSNZBHE3GjOPgt_7BdSQ7wnqTe8B4OFvhQZwZq3uSuRBWbMYv4tNmOa4Nuc3Og/s320/018a+Randy+Outside+Oil+Storage+Tunnels.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We visited them with Diane and David, and Randy and Vicki
were there when we arrived:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfuVnvm9SeocgRIKPRX3I9vjBQSeg0vjalJ0cR_dyKhdBPk1Dc7SdDeK_AtGBJ-hXHbm6bGZh06JaixsUFwW-LrkDjYdUUkd4VgIUUXgXANepqOhvj2LMLMWrXuCjOPcbPnkPng/s1600/018c+Four+Friends+In+Oil+Storage+Tunnels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfuVnvm9SeocgRIKPRX3I9vjBQSeg0vjalJ0cR_dyKhdBPk1Dc7SdDeK_AtGBJ-hXHbm6bGZh06JaixsUFwW-LrkDjYdUUkd4VgIUUXgXANepqOhvj2LMLMWrXuCjOPcbPnkPng/s320/018c+Four+Friends+In+Oil+Storage+Tunnels.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nearby was the Parliament Building:</div>
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Then we walked to the park, where there was a big war
memorial which commemorated the groups of Australians who fought in WWII and
where they were engaged. Mostly the Aussies fought in the Pacific:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N-Q3kcH9glJq6K8AXf90Qo_JUwnorEM7SkFycgAy2ELtcP0mwCPQhO6a9vnihzKuSjSU3xaSfhXG6sWWhZoPQ_JN5Yx1iGT_d-gvGhqQBPk3oA54WMd6PHIqypJehoJZ65P-kw/s1600/018j+War+Memorial+in+Darwin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N-Q3kcH9glJq6K8AXf90Qo_JUwnorEM7SkFycgAy2ELtcP0mwCPQhO6a9vnihzKuSjSU3xaSfhXG6sWWhZoPQ_JN5Yx1iGT_d-gvGhqQBPk3oA54WMd6PHIqypJehoJZ65P-kw/s320/018j+War+Memorial+in+Darwin.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Many of the old buildings in Darwin were built from this
distinctive stone, and are a marked contrast to the modern buildings such as the Parliament building :</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv_GDoevmpsqDVk6YdIkvcietuX9ovBh8rgLWBD7DmkMMHrrnW8OUo0jCs8h-Gp_XU4vn1byMBW3WDqnXqlJgb3BX3nb5i2nzk2ysz-Dkfy9TRQJOIjS9nqsvit9qJMW8ybz6Yw/s1600/018k+Old+Stone+Building+in+Darwin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv_GDoevmpsqDVk6YdIkvcietuX9ovBh8rgLWBD7DmkMMHrrnW8OUo0jCs8h-Gp_XU4vn1byMBW3WDqnXqlJgb3BX3nb5i2nzk2ysz-Dkfy9TRQJOIjS9nqsvit9qJMW8ybz6Yw/s320/018k+Old+Stone+Building+in+Darwin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was very hot here, since Darwin is tin he most northerly part
of Australia, so we headed back to the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way, we visited the Waterfront Park, which wasn’t far from our
ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a huge area where there
were restaurants, bars, and a huge lawn area for people to picnic and
barbeque.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of the area
where there were water toys set up for people to swim and play:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvoJvj-RbIyz6SDVvBv-7RGmxCx2CXkSK9fOWSXQp5s8GA-pB8obWs8_QIhEKw0lEA41D-1qbbvgHqOR8Epqv_vnUphQZeeYT1XQKIG5EfMMKsLIFUtDyBBXCkt8sHckT0jzPpw/s1600/018l+Waterfront+Park+in+Darwin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvoJvj-RbIyz6SDVvBv-7RGmxCx2CXkSK9fOWSXQp5s8GA-pB8obWs8_QIhEKw0lEA41D-1qbbvgHqOR8Epqv_vnUphQZeeYT1XQKIG5EfMMKsLIFUtDyBBXCkt8sHckT0jzPpw/s320/018l+Waterfront+Park+in+Darwin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was also a big wave pool where people could play in
the waves and on the shallow part, there was a sand beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a marvelous area for locals, and we
were sorry we weren’t staying here longer to enjoy it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0bSl09BA9IfuWpKkRejaBoIrHlEvv2_ZdITowtl5CJFb_V24HbotT7mEzo728C1AhpBqRylTdcRLC68zJPJtbyDfm9IuFQoMHeRGwFFR7AfipbW0BbmS8lJ1nvBRE3JYQoeDWw/s1600/018m+Wave+Pool+in+Darwin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0bSl09BA9IfuWpKkRejaBoIrHlEvv2_ZdITowtl5CJFb_V24HbotT7mEzo728C1AhpBqRylTdcRLC68zJPJtbyDfm9IuFQoMHeRGwFFR7AfipbW0BbmS8lJ1nvBRE3JYQoeDWw/s320/018m+Wave+Pool+in+Darwin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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On April 29 our port of call was Komodo Island,
Indonesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a national park on an
island in Indonesia, which is really a nation of a LOT of islands, (18,110
islands!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B0uxhUg_Rc4oI4fJmTZ1nOcGIcAKaSH_k9UNMb7XfScTuOM5hAJVNC_6rMpYRO4VbxYdnCSQo4bs4AFzS08puJassRaLAOAqUAdpjUorawg4xBFtWX8ObTGOYE_LGB9NOxFOYg/s1600/019+Komodo+National+Park%252C+Indonesia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B0uxhUg_Rc4oI4fJmTZ1nOcGIcAKaSH_k9UNMb7XfScTuOM5hAJVNC_6rMpYRO4VbxYdnCSQo4bs4AFzS08puJassRaLAOAqUAdpjUorawg4xBFtWX8ObTGOYE_LGB9NOxFOYg/s320/019+Komodo+National+Park%252C+Indonesia.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are approximately 2000 people on the island, who are
descendants of the original convicts who were exiled to the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nowadays, they live there and lead tourists
around, and try to sell them handicrafts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Komodo dragon is type of monitor lizard, which inhabits this island
and a couple of nearby islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
lizards are capable of living more than 50 years, and can recognize individual
humans after multiple exposures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They are a variety of sizes but some get to be as long as 7 feet. </span>We
booked a ship’s excursion because we didn’t want to miss seeing these
creatures, and we were unable to find an alternative, which we usually find to
be more cost effective and better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
went ashore on the tender and were met by a guide and another guy who walked
behind our group to “protect” us by carrying a long stick to fend off any
attacking dragons. Before our group left on our hike, we viewed some deer
nearby, which apparently is part of the food opportunities for the dragons.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeYBIWucOxzFYd9yo0sMaqn_gQ1O4GSqpuu-YfsSaqh7WwYOZ6D_HdTQqpQnsbGkYdnE9asEi6sdSKcEgt4D2AXBC3m-KdPA7YQFyoQX4fs-TLryZi2yETlW3CFfDDUX8DrQ2ww/s1600/019a+Deer+at+Komodo+Park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeYBIWucOxzFYd9yo0sMaqn_gQ1O4GSqpuu-YfsSaqh7WwYOZ6D_HdTQqpQnsbGkYdnE9asEi6sdSKcEgt4D2AXBC3m-KdPA7YQFyoQX4fs-TLryZi2yETlW3CFfDDUX8DrQ2ww/s320/019a+Deer+at+Komodo+Park.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a long and HOT
hike through rather unremarkable foliage, we came upon an area where there were
a number of dragons, and other groups viewing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got some good pictures, because the
dragons don’t want to move much in the heat either:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCW7ip-E8OTaYaq7W5TICamdN_1XZI2iM4ESoK5kcs2J42XaSju2IG_JhgS44boVSkaJUjIDcK42CzkEVuvJHgi_bDH5ms2G5xN4MmC-CgSm1b3nE6xrgXBaq5HELhx_wgIE73g/s1600/020a+Komodo+Dragon+Closeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCW7ip-E8OTaYaq7W5TICamdN_1XZI2iM4ESoK5kcs2J42XaSju2IG_JhgS44boVSkaJUjIDcK42CzkEVuvJHgi_bDH5ms2G5xN4MmC-CgSm1b3nE6xrgXBaq5HELhx_wgIE73g/s320/020a+Komodo+Dragon+Closeup.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKrPRm9CfDoipxTY0VbVVC0hdq5Oel8ZqETE-zrwN60zjSR9uVzg5H525LjPzMfpLtK0wvqe80IIvCIVQ1GYGD4aAhIh0G0IMHE5tvbbfBpctZwKrIiTAbiaAxr1YVlGJuHxh3g/s1600/020c+Two+Komodo+Dragons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKrPRm9CfDoipxTY0VbVVC0hdq5Oel8ZqETE-zrwN60zjSR9uVzg5H525LjPzMfpLtK0wvqe80IIvCIVQ1GYGD4aAhIh0G0IMHE5tvbbfBpctZwKrIiTAbiaAxr1YVlGJuHxh3g/s320/020c+Two+Komodo+Dragons.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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In this picture, you can see that Elaine is pretty close to
the dragon behind her:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxU7fGvN5yFvB5Y3imLy0cZ8a-b4xdQ0xwXZgLKWrWMK_TKdO-Kp0EW5PQY3sVyA1P3nXDvv8w3lzRig1aHc05ERb8d6lkCalUr5q_DgoGJa1kklCsDPHOjjHbVxd2l9KuvNIjA/s1600/021+Elaine+%2526+Dragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxU7fGvN5yFvB5Y3imLy0cZ8a-b4xdQ0xwXZgLKWrWMK_TKdO-Kp0EW5PQY3sVyA1P3nXDvv8w3lzRig1aHc05ERb8d6lkCalUr5q_DgoGJa1kklCsDPHOjjHbVxd2l9KuvNIjA/s320/021+Elaine+%2526+Dragon.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course, in leaving, our ship sailed by lots of small
islands, which are part of Indonesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many of their islands are uninhabited.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aj7S4l_oFySkz-l-mx-m93EpAjijGeOnG6LWJvmpv3sSB7zo-71OQLQneQ4QJmvL1ihDc1mIGfxog0jFMVhJq46YmKv2mWkGsTT4FU0wlaKCkp3sIVS2t1eiHhorBtsnqRbtbA/s1600/022+Indonesian+Islands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aj7S4l_oFySkz-l-mx-m93EpAjijGeOnG6LWJvmpv3sSB7zo-71OQLQneQ4QJmvL1ihDc1mIGfxog0jFMVhJq46YmKv2mWkGsTT4FU0wlaKCkp3sIVS2t1eiHhorBtsnqRbtbA/s320/022+Indonesian+Islands.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We also had a beautiful sunset:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAI0ylmzvCsRn2Io_OyjBcdtp4OAmZUsp4QsryxVrdsssTkNAdxbyVJxrsSxvHuHg23X2X1UfFKg8GbSEpMF1EmUBhf_4vfwwRl-rMRSsOUNlSAkVtTKav2h2eh3xgNM8C26aAZw/s1600/022a+Sunset+In+Indonesia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAI0ylmzvCsRn2Io_OyjBcdtp4OAmZUsp4QsryxVrdsssTkNAdxbyVJxrsSxvHuHg23X2X1UfFKg8GbSEpMF1EmUBhf_4vfwwRl-rMRSsOUNlSAkVtTKav2h2eh3xgNM8C26aAZw/s320/022a+Sunset+In+Indonesia.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the year 2000, we flew over to Bali and spent 17 days
exploring before we did 5 weeks in Hong Kong and mainland China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next port of call for us was Benoa, about
45 minutes away from the main sights and tourist areas, such as Ubud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had arranged for a private tour for 4 of
us, and Faye & Phil Smart decided to join us at the last minute, since
there was room in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our driver
and guide, Gede, showed us around a lot of areas, and tailored the days events
around our requests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In driving around,
I managed to get a few pictures on the fly, so they aren’t framed as well as I
would like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most Balinese are Hindu, although
there are also Buddhists and Muslims too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are shrines and sculptures of religious deities all over the
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a very ornate wall we
passed on our drive:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMyaN7bOtONWFvGv_IcQG584iy2t_kE-frgXNKLu_uy3gXcYfbiGoR2fEzDMvRFljLctpybDWw5ix2LJYLKHqEOHFO888ncppgjoYyrn5VLkZ_aOh9UrV4eE7QobUFefTnRrMoA/s1600/023+Fancy+Building+In+Bali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMyaN7bOtONWFvGv_IcQG584iy2t_kE-frgXNKLu_uy3gXcYfbiGoR2fEzDMvRFljLctpybDWw5ix2LJYLKHqEOHFO888ncppgjoYyrn5VLkZ_aOh9UrV4eE7QobUFefTnRrMoA/s320/023+Fancy+Building+In+Bali.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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The first planned stop was at a jewelry making factory with
a very nice shop for selling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First we
had a picture of our group outside:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCyOuZeAe-itbhxlAKxYzwfhj1ZSe7zbH7Do_R9hlkLlOO-BraOLmRfdWWzq0oLqy0Icu59CdwOok3SqithCIDZM4lTSkK2Kac-2t3gzOp9YYcq6p9wpGfVm1DM3WEEO4JJMddw/s1600/023a+Friends+at+Silver+Place.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCyOuZeAe-itbhxlAKxYzwfhj1ZSe7zbH7Do_R9hlkLlOO-BraOLmRfdWWzq0oLqy0Icu59CdwOok3SqithCIDZM4lTSkK2Kac-2t3gzOp9YYcq6p9wpGfVm1DM3WEEO4JJMddw/s320/023a+Friends+at+Silver+Place.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then we enjoyed the interior water garden with koi fish in
it, which was the centerpiece of the buildings:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtu0PYwCdJLrdQL63sjKwT9WUdZAm563Ffgno_cXbY79IHpzDBdL857JzG0A8jW0WPw4Hp7663c3D-j0KKdvUCNj1OOU9aRWIdQyw4BsCyZ-3IAKYzer1tpmP-reCtOPB6IHY7A/s1600/024+Inside+Water+Garden+at+Silver+Jewelry+Place+in+Bali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtu0PYwCdJLrdQL63sjKwT9WUdZAm563Ffgno_cXbY79IHpzDBdL857JzG0A8jW0WPw4Hp7663c3D-j0KKdvUCNj1OOU9aRWIdQyw4BsCyZ-3IAKYzer1tpmP-reCtOPB6IHY7A/s320/024+Inside+Water+Garden+at+Silver+Jewelry+Place+in+Bali.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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There were about 15 people hard at work making silver
jewelry in the workshop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were happy
to explain the process and didn’t mind having pictures taken.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQVI-flgRfn3GBmP-JawMToZosMx3TCu-5KNriEM0k3-uUmb50ro8x3TbpU8uYqSOiFxdzixrACZrL4di0DIK72FzT1mrnwBKtspEt9XKcReUKUOLI5_NwSvl1WwnrvQC08mcvQ/s1600/025+Girls+Making+Silver+Jewelry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQVI-flgRfn3GBmP-JawMToZosMx3TCu-5KNriEM0k3-uUmb50ro8x3TbpU8uYqSOiFxdzixrACZrL4di0DIK72FzT1mrnwBKtspEt9XKcReUKUOLI5_NwSvl1WwnrvQC08mcvQ/s320/025+Girls+Making+Silver+Jewelry.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After a beautiful drive through the countryside, and some
housing areas, we stopped at the Goa Gajah Temple, which is commonly called the
Elephant Cave Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called that
because the central figure on the façade was thought to be an elephant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As always, there were stalls along the
walkway to the site, with people trying to sell us tourist goods.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-lCtiJwAdLufOFyGunK_LlQUjVkojUYrBdnHUtWX2cbNuqSBsslfudzYhRhIqtHUhPXkn8DjqkKOm2475KpcZHD-jckRzjSVoqIiud1kxDRZQXEsxRLzqkvteC9mkmPu12t5ZA/s1600/026+Stalls+Near+Temple+in+Bali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-lCtiJwAdLufOFyGunK_LlQUjVkojUYrBdnHUtWX2cbNuqSBsslfudzYhRhIqtHUhPXkn8DjqkKOm2475KpcZHD-jckRzjSVoqIiud1kxDRZQXEsxRLzqkvteC9mkmPu12t5ZA/s320/026+Stalls+Near+Temple+in+Bali.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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This picture is of one of the many deities statues which are
various places, especially near temples:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAeYEvBR-dEOpE__oH2BYaeaT5C1YhHIn1i7UBVyOMgOAs_3nHDXIzSVk90bRyU5XnKH6xMHO0F1tE0A8dG5yZVGwwWVSU1NJcg9VbsEOEwhD88LroNkm0molqoS22YyQY5G88A/s1600/026a+Typical+Balinese+Religious+Statue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAeYEvBR-dEOpE__oH2BYaeaT5C1YhHIn1i7UBVyOMgOAs_3nHDXIzSVk90bRyU5XnKH6xMHO0F1tE0A8dG5yZVGwwWVSU1NJcg9VbsEOEwhD88LroNkm0molqoS22YyQY5G88A/s320/026a+Typical+Balinese+Religious+Statue.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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This statue was located right before the actual entrance to
the temple complex:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLqXV9jzYbfvPyxbgPA36skFYGdqWxL3XOufY9gop_YbHElyFvjE5X-JNGPlrsPe93C_obXRXP6TMbvxRbIT75tYV6MKXVEdizvAy1Q-6wGDlc7IJoCQB7blabE8W3mq-CAKxHw/s1600/026b++M%2526E+With+Woman+Statue+at+Monkey+Temple%252C+Bali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLqXV9jzYbfvPyxbgPA36skFYGdqWxL3XOufY9gop_YbHElyFvjE5X-JNGPlrsPe93C_obXRXP6TMbvxRbIT75tYV6MKXVEdizvAy1Q-6wGDlc7IJoCQB7blabE8W3mq-CAKxHw/s320/026b++M%2526E+With+Woman+Statue+at+Monkey+Temple%252C+Bali.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is our gang after the guards at the entrance made 5 of
us put sarongs on because they decided our shorts weren’t long enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They provide the sarongs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Diane’s capris were longer, so she didn’t
have to wear one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are posed in front
of the ornately carved entrance to the cave:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zoBd4epo-4tATwE1aE6a-r90p18rWXmZUzhDQDPGdtgo9sQB_YrIzH53YXO2VQIS60Nn5ZcfEY1wKaBrDbxFdus7ksBQnIB0zsei40dtQoSCLVloYMPrhUvkvraCpaoC0rI9eQ/s1600/026c+Friends+at+Monkey+Temple+in+Sarongs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zoBd4epo-4tATwE1aE6a-r90p18rWXmZUzhDQDPGdtgo9sQB_YrIzH53YXO2VQIS60Nn5ZcfEY1wKaBrDbxFdus7ksBQnIB0zsei40dtQoSCLVloYMPrhUvkvraCpaoC0rI9eQ/s320/026c+Friends+at+Monkey+Temple+in+Sarongs.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here is the entrance without us blocking the view:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoZ7_VC6FAqFb8b_K4o3NI-HHYIMOcVYBqSHDT8XgN9sls16R6yjYScy1AQI8v7tWYZ-0-wIDuMEf2gfAbCHoekqyxNLoWjBpld9KTXFaYzxPjOx7J7ExGOzADSLo8n22YJbjCQ/s1600/027+Opening+To+Monkey+Temple+Cave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoZ7_VC6FAqFb8b_K4o3NI-HHYIMOcVYBqSHDT8XgN9sls16R6yjYScy1AQI8v7tWYZ-0-wIDuMEf2gfAbCHoekqyxNLoWjBpld9KTXFaYzxPjOx7J7ExGOzADSLo8n22YJbjCQ/s320/027+Opening+To+Monkey+Temple+Cave.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There were several big bathing pools in the complex which
were only uncovered in the 1950’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
temple complex is a UNESCO world heritage site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way out, we stopped to take a picture of the elephant statue and
since the people are always opportunists, a guy selling carved elephants:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjP7v-LM0Rr96OX_wbXNaHiH_TFLRq3nfrH2IzI60xdXrMrJp4YIGWmbTGQ4YlzQOvIrKJEPddLybCWfVmilPE6QfCuz5mcAMfumtUrAmRlcyQRS0028ufii42dfP3C-8GR5uVZQ/s1600/028+Elephant+Statue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjP7v-LM0Rr96OX_wbXNaHiH_TFLRq3nfrH2IzI60xdXrMrJp4YIGWmbTGQ4YlzQOvIrKJEPddLybCWfVmilPE6QfCuz5mcAMfumtUrAmRlcyQRS0028ufii42dfP3C-8GR5uVZQ/s320/028+Elephant+Statue.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As we drove around some more, we passed places where people
were doing their daily work, such as carving figures out of stone:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL5kcH4RIX1G5DhLfzMmr0BpzoJ5vX8wxhbpgt4fWFbMuw2JyWV4vN9Zf74h39x9xjscHjQ9eHO0XsRvOxCoharMrjJt-LIwUU3FPKPgiq38H9gCLD496aH-o2DeZWOOqJomNQg/s1600/029+Carings+in+Bali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeL5kcH4RIX1G5DhLfzMmr0BpzoJ5vX8wxhbpgt4fWFbMuw2JyWV4vN9Zf74h39x9xjscHjQ9eHO0XsRvOxCoharMrjJt-LIwUU3FPKPgiq38H9gCLD496aH-o2DeZWOOqJomNQg/s320/029+Carings+in+Bali.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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This really reminded us of Mandalay, Myanmar which has huge
stone carving businesses, and most of them carve lots of Buddha’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many wood carving places, and they make beautiful
furniture, carved doors, etc. but we elected to stop at a batik factory
instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a technique where they take cloth and
use a pencil to draw patterns and images on it, then cover the pencil with
wax, then dye it, and the wax areas don’t absorb the dye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they do it multiple times and get a
variety of colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again the workers
were happy to have their pictures taken, and the entire process was explained
to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a girl just starting a
piece:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFd69G82G142na_hM0AtoSCPNJ2kz9LRAjlcPrvqyNF2HIFA_GDI3vsh5NIOSmbg69-LWof_bCt7F7qYTN_KM-FwOSTMOh-hhD4CTBjVWSwIT4WdhGB4ZxVLfjgyc37pSmRkbvg/s1600/029a+Girls+at+Batik+Factory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFd69G82G142na_hM0AtoSCPNJ2kz9LRAjlcPrvqyNF2HIFA_GDI3vsh5NIOSmbg69-LWof_bCt7F7qYTN_KM-FwOSTMOh-hhD4CTBjVWSwIT4WdhGB4ZxVLfjgyc37pSmRkbvg/s320/029a+Girls+at+Batik+Factory.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The following picture is an example of how pretty the images
are once they have finished:</div>
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Then we spent some time in the very large and fully stocked
shop, where there were nice items priced very reasonably, going all the way up
to very expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more intricate
patterns and large pieces were the most expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bought a few small coin purses to use for
gifts for our granddaughters (we like inexpensive, unbreakable, and small items
to bring back).</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a
little extra time, so Gede suggested that we stop at Sanur Beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on the way back to the ship and caters
to tourists, as well as local fishermen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a wonderful suggestion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The beach was beautiful:</div>
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The fishermen’s boats are pulled up on the beach and are
painted very colorfully:</div>
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Because lots of tourists (especially Aussies) come to Bali
for vacation in the winter, there are restaurants right on the beach, and
hotels nearby:</div>
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One reason Bali is so popular is because it is beautiful,
the traveling is easy because many people speak English, and staying and eating
are inexpensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked along the
beach walkway past a lot of bars and restaurants and wished we had more time to
stay there to enjoy the hospitality!! In the future, if we want a place to kick back and relax and not pay a lot of money to do it, we will go here!!!</div>
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That was our last port of call for the first Rhapsody
cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On May 3 we arrived at Singapore
in the early morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elaine and I had
been here on a land trip in 2013 and had spent extra days exploring after the
tour, so we had already enjoyed many of the attractions of this beautiful city.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the view from the ship of the
main downtown area:</div>
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Looking in the other direction, we see most of the important
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstjn_Qx3FdKab9GhlVOoVzEUTisrwGX3zB5MDAMlvAiRr9ST-4yA1OLyHpMIlzJjGTf1MUyoPSF61MFG5zKCN2YPe_HPhYsNRctdCcIYu4lKKJh4x9UK1fBcm2znVjPHy8gW_Yw/s1600/040a+Singapore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstjn_Qx3FdKab9GhlVOoVzEUTisrwGX3zB5MDAMlvAiRr9ST-4yA1OLyHpMIlzJjGTf1MUyoPSF61MFG5zKCN2YPe_HPhYsNRctdCcIYu4lKKJh4x9UK1fBcm2znVjPHy8gW_Yw/s320/040a+Singapore.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tall building with what
looks like a ship on the top is the Marina Sands Hotel and Casino.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is billed as the world’s most expensive
stand alone casino valued at 8 Billion dollars..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is right on Marina Bay and has more than
2500 rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has theaters, an indoor ice
skating rink, restaurants, etc. and a sky park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People enjoy going to the top for wonderful views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a very nice upscale shopping center on
ground level connected to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evenings
there is a wonderful sound and light show on the bay right in front of this
building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Near the Marina Bay Sands is a
very large Ferris wheel, called the Singapore Flyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the second largest one in the world and
it takes about 30 minutes to go completely around and costs $33.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are cocktail flights, and even a one
hour dining experience with a butler (2 rotations) for $269 per couple in the
evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, they also have other
venues to try to suck more money from you, such as shops, restaurants, a
rainforest, and a multimedia presentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also in the same
area is Gardens by the Bay, a fantastic botanical garden complex with beautiful
flowers (of course), some fantastic sculptured trees, lakes, a skywalk overview
walk, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t go there this time,
but we certainly will next year when we are there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The outside gardens are free and you pay for
each pavilion you wish to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
are a few pictures:</div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-19129864523985355792015-07-25T08:12:00.000-07:002015-07-25T08:12:53.376-07:00Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello Blog Readers,<br />
As I mentioned in my last post, we are spending a month at Star Valley Ranch, which is an RV park located near Thayne, WY and very close to the Idaho border. Our last day here will be August 5, so we are trying to use our time to catch up on RV fixing and cleaning, as well as socializing with friends who have lots here. Originally we came to see our Park Sierra friends, Ken and Carolyn Kimpton and Dave & Brenda Neil. Shortly after arriving, we learned that other RV friends, Bill and Priscilla Scott and Bill and Susie Abbott were also here, and we have had social times with them as well. Here we are with Bill and Susie:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcx0uM2bqvU6JakHDESwyUH4yx9PTOl7PclVc7tAyI1HdjmY04uZYSH6fsJPcJoTfbCKlsoX8_UI6l52PLWhrvqEZ_h9n_Y5SgUEGXniudL18VADMWzDdslVgJ-UvWoAK72Bld-w/s1600/Wyoming+July+2015+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcx0uM2bqvU6JakHDESwyUH4yx9PTOl7PclVc7tAyI1HdjmY04uZYSH6fsJPcJoTfbCKlsoX8_UI6l52PLWhrvqEZ_h9n_Y5SgUEGXniudL18VADMWzDdslVgJ-UvWoAK72Bld-w/s320/Wyoming+July+2015+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The lot we are parked on belongs to Tom & Judy Tillery, other RV friends, and we have a gorgeous view of the mountains. The park also has other beautiful areas, such a this pond, which is just down the street from us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYY1fMSRm6dVMpPbDJ3BAJ5dQdwIEdTzk4tlNRDiYhKcuKEcERKg-hK6gl0axjho38I4Q81VKfb_y-qmjWS9bVisJVlCxdUp1J-o2-MfFvR5BQnDx1SPU_jaNgo4iNeSVLiGx8YQ/s1600/Wyoming+July+2015+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYY1fMSRm6dVMpPbDJ3BAJ5dQdwIEdTzk4tlNRDiYhKcuKEcERKg-hK6gl0axjho38I4Q81VKfb_y-qmjWS9bVisJVlCxdUp1J-o2-MfFvR5BQnDx1SPU_jaNgo4iNeSVLiGx8YQ/s320/Wyoming+July+2015+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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One reason we came was to find cooler weather than we had been experiencing in CA. Well, we found it!!!! In fact, it has been challenging to have enough warm weather to get the outside chores done, such as washing and waxing the RV. Even on days when we start out with sunshine, there is often rain sometime in the afternoon. So I have been doing the RV cleaning in increments. We also needed to fix a leak we had so first we determined that it was coming from either a cracked air vent on the roof, or the air conditioner. Elaine tightened the bolts on the air conditioners. Then we drove into Idaho Falls with Ken and Carolyn, where there is a big RV supplier, so we could purchase a replacement vent.<br />
Idaho Falls is 90 miles from Star Valley, so we made a day trip out of it. Happily, we had a sunny and dry day because the drive along the Snake River and through the hills and valleys is gorgeous. Here is a picture we took at the rest stop:<br />
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And here we are with Carolyn, looking the other direction:<br />
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Since there actually are falls right in the town (thus the name), we went over to look at them. They have been modified somewhat over the years, since they run right through the middle of town, but they are still scenic:<br />
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Last Sunday we drove with Ken & Carolyn to Wilson, near Jackson Hole, where the local firefighters were having a chicken fry lunch as a fundraiser. Again, it was a beautiful day and a gorgeous drive. The firefighters were all working hard over the barbeque pits, frying chicken and also huge cast iron pots full of potatoes.<br />
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There were people selling locally produced draft beers, water, soft drinks, and kids walking around selling desserts. There was also a flatbed truck with entertainers providing music. A bunch of people from Star Valley were there and we all brought chairs and tables to sit around and enjoy our meal, which was absolutely delicious:<br />
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After we ate and chatted a bit, Ken and Carolyn drove us to nearby Teton National Park. There is a new visitor center there with wonderful displays about the early settlers and the history of the area:<br />
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We went to the informative movie in the theater, and then the screen goes up, and the curtains open up to a gorgeous view of the Grand Teton Mountains:<br />
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Just outside the building was a sculpture of a moose, which supposedly are prevalent in this area. We had not seen any live ones, so we took this picture of Ken & Carolyn with the sculpture:<br />
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We have now finished vent and roof repairs, and I am 2/3 done with waxing the RV, so this weekend we are having more social events with the friends. The next week here the weather is supposed to be in the low 80's, so we are looking forward to that. I am also working on going through trip pictures and writing a report about our cruises in April and May, which I hope to post on this blog very soon.<br /><br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-2977532724699620342015-07-08T20:11:00.000-07:002015-07-08T20:17:29.596-07:00Radiance Cruise & Sydney April 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello Blog Readers,<br />
Currently we are at Star Valley Ranch
RV Resort near Thayne, WY, very near the Idaho border. We arrived last
evening and were immediately treated to a nice dinner with our friends
Ken & Carolyn Kimpton, and Dave and Brenda Neil. They have RV lots
here and also at Park Sierra. Our lot belongs to other friends and we
are renting it for a month while we work out some RV issues, and catch
up on some things. This is the great view we have from our lot:<br />
<br />
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On
our way here, we stopped in Fremont, to visit Elaine's daughter, Tarra,
and also to check on our rentals in the area. Then we moved up to Ron
& Carol Leonard's in Sacramento and had a nice visit with them over
the 4th of July, and checked our rentals up there.<br />
<br />
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Following that, we stopped in the Reno area to visit with my daughter, Laura, and see the new home they are moving into. <br />
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<br />
As you might remember, on March 28 we flew to Sydney, Australia. After
one day there, staying at the downtown youth hostel, and recovering
from jet lag, we boarded the Radiance of the Seas for a 12 day cruise to
some South Pacific islands. Just before we arrived there, a big
cyclone had hit Vauatu, where we were scheduled to have 4 different
ports of call, in addition to other islands<br />
.
So we thought that some of our ports might be changed, and we called it
our "mystery cruise". Finally Royal Caribbean contacted us just before
the cruise left, and told us that 2 of the Vanuatu ports were
cancelled, replaced by sea days.<br />
Here we are on the ship just before it departed the port in Sydney:<br />
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You can see that our ship was docked right across the harbor from the Opera House. Looking towards the front of the ship, we could see the docks for the harbor ferries, and some of the tall buildings downtown:<br />
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As our ship sailed out of the harbor, we went right past the opera house, and this was the view:<br />
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Our first port, on April 3, was the Isle of Pines, New Caledonia. It is a small island, only 13X15 km. and is about 100 km from Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, which we visited later. The French took possession of it in 1853 and it has been French ever since. It was named by Capt. James Cook, because it has lots of very tall pine trees such as these, which can be seen all over these islands:<br />
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This was a port where we had to use tenders, and when we got off the tenders we had to walk through an area of very different trees to get to the snorkeling area:<br />
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There was a fairly nice beach, and a small island where there were fish and corals nearby which made for some decent snorkeling:<br />
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In this picture you can see people in the snorkeling area. We were glad that we had brought our own snorkel equipment:<br />
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The beach was pretty nice and you can see the tall pine trees toward the back of the beach:<br />
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The next port of call was Champagne Bay, Vanuatu, which was very good for swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing. It was especially nice because there were lots of areas covered by trees where people could get out of the hot sun, and lay on some grassy areas:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVaUwHNvtu1ibCAH-1NcjPsg3PxSC5_660X9GaPN1nhtX9qafvVlDHCE6JKmUh4_u2ZdZ0xTAnEcqsvxBEgSR9x2IackDTGPp7UzP7TscfsS1o4SaHfiiGaAQhgN81FLXL0VS4Q/s1600/007+Champagne+Bay%252C+Vanuatu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVaUwHNvtu1ibCAH-1NcjPsg3PxSC5_660X9GaPN1nhtX9qafvVlDHCE6JKmUh4_u2ZdZ0xTAnEcqsvxBEgSR9x2IackDTGPp7UzP7TscfsS1o4SaHfiiGaAQhgN81FLXL0VS4Q/s320/007+Champagne+Bay%252C+Vanuatu.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
There was a beach bar, which was very popular:<br />
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And there were lots of stalls where local goods were for sale:<br />
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This is a view from the beach where you can see the ship waiting in the bay for our return:<br />
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On April 6, we were in Luganville, Vanuatu. There were shore excursions, but none that we wanted to do, so we just walked around the town. This was the view from the ship when we arrived:<br />
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You can see that there were lots of stalls set up with people hoping we would buy things. There was a double row of them, almost all the way into town! Here are some of the things that were on sale:<br />
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We walked through the town and ended up at the local market, where they were selling a lot of really fresh fruits and veggies, also some that we hadn't seen before:<br />
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On April 8 we were at Lifou, Loyalty Islands. Our view from the ship showed a thickly forested island with a small church on the headland:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDi-UX3AQOSW4idPfyo6dqDidyAtA_wvQX1aPWrJh4RtzaXl9kSROJm6_K4pSts6JHAywSRxI7C4Rdi1YoVZlXSH1Q9ELVmrG8vHCR6Qkum_rHXK2JhgcwnKriQx1NQFOKiejpjw/s1600/014+-+Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDi-UX3AQOSW4idPfyo6dqDidyAtA_wvQX1aPWrJh4RtzaXl9kSROJm6_K4pSts6JHAywSRxI7C4Rdi1YoVZlXSH1Q9ELVmrG8vHCR6Qkum_rHXK2JhgcwnKriQx1NQFOKiejpjw/s320/014+-+Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
There wasn't much to do except go snorkeling, and we had done that on the last 2 islands. Plus, it was pretty windy, which created a lot of waves on the beach near where the tender dropped us off. So we decided to hike up to the church. On the way, we passed several of the local huts, which were thatched and looked primitive:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibNgU_aMwgLZF-BGm7P1x9GQYADZ8_7f0Ata8Oe6QbKzDZLs-4ZTa8EPNahUDObHReZ4njP_xrTIZUIm_VlW75x_N07w7QHNVZOP_LRFdHCiMnfg_gUAW8OD6I_7cdZ5vS5tziQ/s1600/015a+Thatched+Hut%252C+Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibNgU_aMwgLZF-BGm7P1x9GQYADZ8_7f0Ata8Oe6QbKzDZLs-4ZTa8EPNahUDObHReZ4njP_xrTIZUIm_VlW75x_N07w7QHNVZOP_LRFdHCiMnfg_gUAW8OD6I_7cdZ5vS5tziQ/s320/015a+Thatched+Hut%252C+Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Once we got near the top of the island, we could see a sheltered bay on the other side of the island which was where most of the people from the ship were going to snorkel. It was a shame that they were charging quite a bit of money to use this beach, and it was very crowded too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj305gT09KonrZ-2dlFomnHa4VgLiPGrIjHqve0vznLCaDwksLeBNRes5RTciMshaN8GrlXdIPmOtqyXt7IIzN4kyL9QMdqc7qA-w12DQtEBpJCnN3nnfiJO0sI96SbGuePUQJqA/s1600/016+Snorkeling+Bay%252C+Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj305gT09KonrZ-2dlFomnHa4VgLiPGrIjHqve0vznLCaDwksLeBNRes5RTciMshaN8GrlXdIPmOtqyXt7IIzN4kyL9QMdqc7qA-w12DQtEBpJCnN3nnfiJO0sI96SbGuePUQJqA/s320/016+Snorkeling+Bay%252C+Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
On the hike, we passed a huge spider which had a web in the forest near the hiking path:<br />
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Needing a bit more of a walk, we continued down the road to a different church:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUI6xDCvPOzFA_ZYPIdkhO6a9glIS3QkBlVCBnYY-kilyGpOyT2TJo8g2Nxds5P1JXSSl0l9oLF5vATdwm9WfybApdDw4jwvcTR4mu5r9ExiL_RbbRD2-nFCI9UUdiaLNjMwm5-A/s1600/018+Church.++Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUI6xDCvPOzFA_ZYPIdkhO6a9glIS3QkBlVCBnYY-kilyGpOyT2TJo8g2Nxds5P1JXSSl0l9oLF5vATdwm9WfybApdDw4jwvcTR4mu5r9ExiL_RbbRD2-nFCI9UUdiaLNjMwm5-A/s320/018+Church.++Lifou%252C+Loyalty+Islands+%25284%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
The interior was more complete than the much smaller church up on the bluff:<br />
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And next to the church was this graveyard:<br />
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April 9 we were at Noumea, capital of New Caledonia. It has a protected, deep water harbor, so we were able to dock here.<br />
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A shuttle dropped us off at the local tourist information office, where we bought tickets for a small train which drove us around to see the sights. While waiting for our tour, we walked over to the local open market stalls. There were lots of fish for sale, and we were surprised to see some of the colorful ones we had seen while snorkeling in these islands:<br />
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They also had some very large crabs:<br />
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And of course, you always need to have some good veggies:<br />
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This is Elaine with the little train which we boarded to sightsee:<br />
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There was a very good view of the marina as we climbed the hills behind the city:<br />
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Some of the buildings had very colorful and well done murals on them:<br />
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The view from the very top of the island was quite spectacular:<br />
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Downtown, not far from the tourist information building, there is a very large park, with lots of lovely trees, and a bandstand, where there was live entertainment:<br />
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There were lots of stalls in the park, selling goods to both locals and tourists:<br />
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There was a whole group of boys, hanging around, trying acrobatic tricks, and showing off for each other:<br />
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Back on the ship, we had 2 days of sailing to get back to Sydney. This was one of the towel animals which our room attendant made for us one evening:<br />
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And we had a very nice lunch with Robert Taggert, the Hotel Director (center), and a couple of the other officers:<br />
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Sailing back into Sydney Harbor, we had some great views of the city:<br />
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We had 5 days to explore Sydney before our next cruise, so we rented an apartment in the Darlinghurst area, not far from Kings Cross, using airbnb.com. This is the living room:<br />
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The bedroom:<br />
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The fully equipped kitchen:<br />
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There was also a nice big bathroom and shower, with a washer and dryer, but I don't have a picture. Towards the end of our stay, David & Diane Wilson were staying in a nearby hotel, so we had them over for dinner:<br />
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And this entire apartment cost less than a room at their hotel! Not very far away was a little park with this unique water fountain:<br />
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And a mileage sign so people could see how far they had come to see this unique place:</div>
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One day we walked into town to join a free walking tour. We passed this cathedral on the way. It is huge and magnificent:<br />
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The walking tour started at the Town Hall, built of sandstone in the
1880's and is the only building left from that era which retains its
original purpose:<br />
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Our walking tour guide was very good and we had an excellent tour for about 3 hours. The only request is for people to tip the guide at the end. Here she is with one of the art displays near a food court:<br />
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One of the most stunning buildings was the Queen Victoria building, built between 1893 and 1898. Here is the outside:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakzDPLnk3iBUhyphenhyphenGIBsooIVkQO5vVyMdtbNBTluIFl5CX5aANpcBdxMKQCJxRwkSsfMzB0w5qtMU2OYy1SS8iy724QvM2IaYaobI1rmww23Nno6UuVCCq469jw6rE3fLvXwF9YrQ/s1600/045+Sydney+-+Queen+Victoria+Exterior.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakzDPLnk3iBUhyphenhyphenGIBsooIVkQO5vVyMdtbNBTluIFl5CX5aANpcBdxMKQCJxRwkSsfMzB0w5qtMU2OYy1SS8iy724QvM2IaYaobI1rmww23Nno6UuVCCq469jw6rE3fLvXwF9YrQ/s320/045+Sydney+-+Queen+Victoria+Exterior.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Our
tour walked through the interior, which is now an upscale mall with
four levels of trendy shops, restaurants, food stalls, etc.<br />
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There
is a unique clock suspended from the ceiling in the center, which has
moving dioramas on 2 sides of it with 6 scenes of English royalty
showing every hour on the hour:<br />
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Downtown
there is also a tall tower which reminded us of the Space Needle in
Seattle. It is called the Sydney Tower Eye, and is 250 meters tall,
with 360 degree views over the city:<br />
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The walking tour ended down near the cruise terminal and Circular Quay at an area called The Rocks:<br />
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When
the convicts were first dumped here by England in 1788, this was the
area they settled. Most of the buildings are of sandstone. Over the
years the area became a slum, and some houses were demolished. Some of
the buildings have been restored and expanded, and are now tourist shops
and restaurants. But there are still Council houses here, and the
residents are fighting to keep them because the area is becoming so
expensive.<br />
<br />
Even though there was talk of building a
bridge across from the northern to the southern shore of the harbor as
early as 1840, the actual bridge wasn't completed and opened until
1932. It carries 6 lanes of traffic, 2 rail lines, and has a bike lane
on one side and a pedestrian walking lane on the other.<br />
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In
the 1950's and 1960's there were occasionally people who climbed the
bridge pylons illegally. In 1998 the Bridge Climb was offered to the
public. Climbers wear protective clothing and have wire harnesses
attaching them to the bridge. It takes 3 1/2 hours and costs $225 per
person.<br />
<br />
Looking under the bridge (across the harbor) you can see an amusement park called Luna Park. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPKO7HKCjUKv7G-VyZAR3VBiZEDqejwKsFsSdCyoz_canI0sLSv5T7ZYjsq8Z0hywYtmI1snG66AMC1_wn7bWJGUu2_9OHJFIVqRyY0jmogJi86Kksb13eOzLsPP5Air6wRad6Q/s1600/051+Sydney+-+Luna+Park.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPKO7HKCjUKv7G-VyZAR3VBiZEDqejwKsFsSdCyoz_canI0sLSv5T7ZYjsq8Z0hywYtmI1snG66AMC1_wn7bWJGUu2_9OHJFIVqRyY0jmogJi86Kksb13eOzLsPP5Air6wRad6Q/s320/051+Sydney+-+Luna+Park.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Across Circular Quay from The Rocks, is the most famous building in Sydney, the Opera House:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1b0b_b1RdqTqu9PwDe0XPb1yLDM6pVrdNJMkc1rKZV4fujd45A9jKEQYRFkfYB04OkSMutvi-K77It5ONSAMvsX_UmZbo0N3NCtzhLMvgdRl9eD-1mojeS9oZNiC_bbq2rvK1A/s1600/051a+Sydney+-+Opera+House.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1b0b_b1RdqTqu9PwDe0XPb1yLDM6pVrdNJMkc1rKZV4fujd45A9jKEQYRFkfYB04OkSMutvi-K77It5ONSAMvsX_UmZbo0N3NCtzhLMvgdRl9eD-1mojeS9oZNiC_bbq2rvK1A/s320/051a+Sydney+-+Opera+House.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In
1957 the Australian government had an international competition for the
design and a Danish architect named Jorn Uzon won with this design. It
was started in 1958 but had multiple cost over runs and after poor
treatment by the government, the architect resigned and went back to
Denmark. In 1973 the building was finished and opened, but the
architect never returned to see the building he designed.<br />
<br />
If you walk up the steps from Circular Quay, this is what you see. The
building actually has several theaters inside as well as the main opera
house. <br />
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In this view, you can see the many tiles which make up the shells.<br />
<br />
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Just past the opera house, there is a huge and beautiful botanical garden, with wonderful trees, plants, water features, etc.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvfhR84bTmtYd-VnzvGNxMsrBfWTB1w9iTt3ZuO23O0BA0QZxKtzfGcOykuzbmQEEp158sywvtmHily6QReZLvnQmuPHvr4vPDZ2vGxZ0SPZtssPa2kBzVyVUp7UgtmadlqjL0w/s1600/054+Sydney+-+Botanic+Garden.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvfhR84bTmtYd-VnzvGNxMsrBfWTB1w9iTt3ZuO23O0BA0QZxKtzfGcOykuzbmQEEp158sywvtmHily6QReZLvnQmuPHvr4vPDZ2vGxZ0SPZtssPa2kBzVyVUp7UgtmadlqjL0w/s320/054+Sydney+-+Botanic+Garden.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On
one of our Alaska cruises, we met a very nice couple from Canberra,
named Ron & Jenny Neate. When they heard that we were coming to
Australia, they wanted us to stay with them. We already had the
apartment, so they drove into Sydney to pick us up, and then drove us
all the way to the Blue Mountains for a lovely day of sightseeing. Here
we all are with the Blue Mountains behind us:<br />
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This
is a view across the valley. They are called the Blue Mountains
because lots of the trees are eucalyptus (blue gum trees), and they give
off a vapor which makes the air look slightly hazy with blue:<br />
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One of the famous formations is called The Three Sisters:<br />
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Although it wasn't the rainy season, there was still a small waterfall nearby:<br />
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This
area is one where aboriginal tribes used to be very prevalent, and
there are still some of them nearby. This is a picture of some of them
dressed up the way they did for ceremonies:<br />
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They also made and played musical instruments called didgeridoos. Now they sell them to tourists:<br />
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Back
in Sydney, we had more time for exploring so we used the fast,
extensive and inexpensive ferry system to go to Manley Beach, which is
located very close to where the harbor ends and the open sea begins.
This is the Manley ferry, and it takes about 30 minutes to get to Manley
Beach from Circular Quay:<br />
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From
the ferry terminal, there is a walk down a street with tourist shops
and restaurants, water fountains, and sculptures with the beach at the
end:<br />
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This is the beach, which is on the ocean, not the bay:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_vDSbHwt4_mE6OGXSeoenKMTMKWM1mLDZx9DJtKf06w9wGzaTWMY7wK1Vx5wGc8Gep1p_ZGBTSsefbK7iiYftjJzXPIPlCfp92jDDM3xCbrY46hyChZZiqYXNEJueeC2dIrigw/s1600/064+Sydney+-+Manley+Beach+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_vDSbHwt4_mE6OGXSeoenKMTMKWM1mLDZx9DJtKf06w9wGzaTWMY7wK1Vx5wGc8Gep1p_ZGBTSsefbK7iiYftjJzXPIPlCfp92jDDM3xCbrY46hyChZZiqYXNEJueeC2dIrigw/s320/064+Sydney+-+Manley+Beach+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We did the beach walk trail to Shelley Beach, which went along the shore and looked like this:<br />
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There were signs about not bothering a protected and endangered species called water dragons:<br />
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We saw quite a few of them, and most were posing in the sun. We also saw some shore birds:<br />
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There were sculptures of various animals usually seen on or near the shore. Here is Elaine with a penguin sculpture:<br />
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We
took the Manley Ferry back to Circular Quay, and then caught a
different ferry to Watson's Bay. It made several stops, so we got to go
into several of the very picturesque bays on the way:<br />
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When
we got to Watson's Bay, there were several very nice restaurants, such
as Doyle's Seafood, but by walking across the park and the road, we
arrived at a national park area called The Gap. Here there are dramatic
cliffs over looking the open sea:<br />
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<br />
There
were several hiking trails along here, and we regretted not having time
to do one of them. There were also some unique rock faces:<br />
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The next day we wanted to see some areas of Sydney we hadn't explored before. They have a small but interesting Chinatown:<br />
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Most
Chinese seafood restaurants have tanks outside the front with live
seafood which patrons can select and then have cooked for them. Here
are some very large crab outside one of them:<br />
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We also went to the Currency Museum because on our walking tour we learned that it was free, and they have such beautiful money:<br />
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They
were the first to develop polymer notes, which are basically very thin,
strong plastic. They also were one of the first countries to have
pictures of women on their currency. They produce polymer notes for
lots of other countries too. Also in the museum was this copy of their
national seal. The animals on it are the emu and the kangaroo, both
unique to Australia and both animals which are unable to walk backward.
They are one of the few countries with animals on their national emblem
which they EAT!!!<br />
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One of the very popular areas for tourists and locals alike to enjoy restaurants, hotels, and bars is Darling Harbor:<br />
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It is also where the cruise ships of some other cruise lines embark. There are nice sculptures and fountains as well:<br />
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Overall, it is just a nice place to stroll and enjoy, and it is right near the very busy downtown:<br />
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This
was the end of our Sydney explorations, except for some poking around
with David and Diane Wilson when they arrived from New Zealand. Then we
all boarded the Rhapsody for 56 days. The next blog posts will be
about those cruises.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-42833224938373309052015-06-26T15:09:00.001-07:002015-06-26T15:12:08.596-07:00Family Reunion June 13-14<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On June 13 there was a reunion with our 4 kids, and a couple of the grandkids, at Tarra and Alonzo's house in Fremont. We had just flown back from Istanbul and had stayed in an airport hotel overnight. We took the shuttle to the airport where Tarra was working, because she was recently hired by Virgin America. Thomas, who lives in San Francisco, took BART to the airport and met us there too. Then Tarra drove us all to Fremont when she got off at 9AM. It was great to see Tarra at work because she loves her new job, and luckily for us, we are now on her family list for free or cheap flights through Virgin or their partner airlines. People started arriving at the house, and we managed to have some family interaction time before the big party started at 3PM. Alonzo's daughter, Alia, had graduated from high school the night before, so the party was for her. Here are some of the pictures:<br />
Baby Evelyn is Elaine's first biological grandbaby. She lives in San Diego with her Dad, Darran (Elaine's son), and her Mom, Marielle. She will be one year old on June 29. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8g16_ZLTN-oWlU-I-MjVy3aHkj6N60niyC1n6kg6QRrCOhApRoQK6-8RPCx4F4zQI8XHputeiY45cD98pQC1nk5nVgPUu_yySyZLRvDqqEjEYCfqjbv7G5ETylWl1Fq8tl1vDkQ/s1600/001+Baby+Evelyn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8g16_ZLTN-oWlU-I-MjVy3aHkj6N60niyC1n6kg6QRrCOhApRoQK6-8RPCx4F4zQI8XHputeiY45cD98pQC1nk5nVgPUu_yySyZLRvDqqEjEYCfqjbv7G5ETylWl1Fq8tl1vDkQ/s320/001+Baby+Evelyn.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The following picture is Mary with her 2 adult children: Laura & Thomas. </td></tr>
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Laura and her husband, Dennis arrived from Sparks. They also stayed overnight in the same nearby motel where Thomas, Elaine, and I had a room.<br />
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All 4 kids haven't been together with each other, or with us, since Laura and Dennis got married in Sept., 2013. When Elaine and I first got together, they were these ages: Thomas (9), Laura (6), Tarra (3), Darran (2). Here they are 36 years later:<br />
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And here they are with their proud Moms:<br />
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When Tarra married Alonzo, he had 3 daughters by his first marriage. That was about 10 years ago, and now Ari, the oldest one, is in college, and Alia just graduated from high school. Analy, the youngest, was away at a softball game. She is 12. Here are Ari and Alia in the backyard, where they had just finished helping Alonzo build the deck which you can see behind them:<br />
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Elaine enjoyed playing with Evie, and here she is on her Gramma's shoulders:<br />
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There are lots of good looking girls in our family, and here are some of them altogether - Tarra, Marielle, Laura, Alia, and baby Evie:<br />
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Elaine's kids and spouses: Tarra and Alonzo, Darran & Marielle, and Evie:<br />
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Couldn't have a big party at the Monges household without getting a picture of the family together. Too bad Analy was not at the party:<br />
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The weekend festivities continued the next day when we took most of the family out for brunch at the Cabrillo Park Cafe in Fremont. I am putting the name in here because it turned out to be a GREAT place to eat! Dennis picked it out from Yelp reviews, and it had great food, with lots of choices, and excellent service. This is unusual with such a large group. Here are the happy diners:<br />
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The next day we returned to Park Sierra.<br />
My next blog posts will be travel tales of the long trip we recently completed.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-47511916468749315322015-06-25T20:31:00.003-07:002015-06-25T20:31:56.980-07:00Now at Park Sierra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have returned from our long trip and are now at our RV lot at Park Sierra. It has been very hot here, and we are eager to leave as soon as we finish having some doctor appointments, and our rig is packed. Our return from Istanbul was on June 12, then we spent the weekend in Fremont, having a family reunion at Tarra and Alonzo's house. It was the weekend of Alia's high school graduation so they had a big party for her. We managed to get all 4 of our kids together with us for a few hours before the party started. Darran and Marielle (+ the baby, Evelyn), had driven up from San Diego, and they stayed only until mid-afternoon, when they had to leave for San Francisco. Marielle's cousin was having a graduation party over there too. The rest of us also enjoyed a very nice brunch together at a local restaurant the next day, before Thomas had to take BART back to San Francisco, and Laura and Dennis had to return to Reno. Everyone is doing well, and it was great to see everyone. <br />
Elaine and I took AmTrak back to Fresno where Gia and Elleen, friends from our park, picked us up. Since we have been back, we have been trying to catch up on all the pent up tasks, such as going through mail, paying some bills, washing clothes, shopping, cooking, etc. Additionally, we both had a few days in which we were a bit under the weather, so we allowed ourselves some recovery and rest time. People at our park have welcomed us back, and we have had several nice dinners at the homes of park friends. <br />
July 1 we will leave here and go to the Bay Area, where we have to inspect the rentals (insurance company demands this), and see Tarra and family again. Then we will move up to Sacramento, to stay with Ron and Carol Leonard, and check our rentals up there. July 5 and 6 we will visit Laura and Dennis in Sparks, where they will be moving into their new home. Then we will drive to Thayne, Wyoming, to spend some time at Star Valley Ranch, an RV resort where several sets of friends have lots. While we are there, I will do my best to go through all the pictures from our trip, and write some blog posts about all the adventures we have been having on our "trip around the world". So please be patient, some interesting travel tales will be posted to this blog in a short time.</div>
Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-86424911060490200492015-05-03T21:18:00.000-07:002015-05-03T21:18:12.420-07:00Update From Malaysia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today we are in Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur. We didn't go in because it is a long drive, and we have been here before on a land tour a few years ago. Yesterday was the start of our second cruise - Singapore to Dubai. There are lots of friends on board and we are having good times. The last cruise was great - Sydney to Singapore. We got out of Sydney just in time because a huge storm hit and there was even flooding and lots of trees down. The ports for that cruise were Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Komodo Island, Bali, and Singapore. I have been taking pictures and have a lot to share with you, but can't download them now and we have had very limited internet access. So you will have to air until we return to California on June 12.<br />
One exciting event happening on this cruise is thqt we will achieve Pinnacle status, which is the highest on Royal Caribbean. The other event will be our 36 th anniversary on May 6. We are both well, trying to stay fit, and having good social times with all the friends.</div>
Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-53415072497073932462015-03-27T15:35:00.002-07:002015-03-27T15:36:36.072-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Getting Ready For Adventure Down Under<br />
Today is our last day at Park Sierra since we start our travels to Australia tomorrow. We have been busy organizing, packing, and socializing, so I have been neglecting this blog - again. Also, we haven't been doing anything exciting, as far as travels go.<br />
This has been a beautiful time to be here on our lot at Park Sierra. Here are a few pictures of our rig and our lot:<br />
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The weather has been warm and sunny and everything is green, as the trees leaf out again. This is the view out our side window:<br />
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The wildflowers are popping out all over the place.<br />
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Since St. Patrick's Day occurred while we were here, we attended the dinner at the park clubhouse. It was great to see a lot of our old friends, and sit with some of them at our table. Here is Elaine with Lorna Dunham, Betty Prange, and Elleen Deck:<br />
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The other side of the table is where I sat with Curt & Viv Rogers, and Carol Rodely (our neighbor):<br />
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One of our dear friends, Betty Prange, finally decided to get a lot here and has been a member now for about 5 months. She had us over for a delicious dinner of Moroccan lemon chicken with couscous:<br />
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She is also going to drive us to Fresno tomorrow to catch the Amtrak train to Richmond. The Richmond station also has a BART station, so we can change there to BART to go to the San Francisco airport. Our plane doesn't leave until 10:15PM.<br />
Tuesday we had a small Happy Hour event on our lot because some friends had just arrived back in the park, and other friends were leaving (including us). Here is Judy Farrow and Lou Stoetzer, who have been here while Lou had some medical procedures:<br />
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The neighbors who live across the street, Brenda & Dave Neil, are just back from wintering down in Yuma:<br />
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And the rest of the gang sat around and caught up on each others news:<br />
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We are lucky that we have such great friends here at the park, and also on the cruise ships!<br />
I don't know when I will be able to update this blog again, because we land in Sydney on the 30th and board the Radiance of the Seas the next day. I'm sure there will be some jet lag. We have not received any notifications from Royal Caribbean that our cruise ports have changed, which surprises us, since 4 of the stops are supposed to be in Vanuatu. That is an island group of about 80 islands, of which about 15 are inhabited. But the category 5 cyclone that hit there a couple of weeks ago caused quite a bit of devastation. So we are calling this the "mystery cruise", and we will have to go along with whatever happens. I'm sure it will be interesting, wherever we go.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-75960474081341134972015-03-09T20:50:00.001-07:002015-03-09T20:50:16.839-07:00February and Early March Travels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Blog Readers,<br />
Sorry for the long delay in posting this. We have been traveling fast, stopping to visit friends, and also did 2 weeks of cruising with friends from Galveston. As I write this, we are now back on our lot at Park Sierra, where we arrived last Thursday evening, and we have been enjoying beautiful Spring weather.<br />
Our last post ended with us at the SKP headquarters in Livingston, TX. We had a nice time there, catching up on chores and getting ready for our cruises out of Galveston. The afternoon before our cruise, we drove to Houston to visit our friends, Duane & Dorothy McCarthy.<br />
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They have a lovely home and we have stayed with them before - their hospitality is unsurpassed. As always, we had a delightful Happy Hour and dinner with them, and their friend, Mary.<br />
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The next day we drove to Galveston and boarded the Navigator of the Seas for 2 weeks. Our good friends, David & Diane Wilson, were on board with us and we had a delightful time. Usually on formal nights we all ate at Giovanni's, the Italian specialty restaurant. <br />
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Most days Elaine and I worked on our fitness by walking a lot on the deck and going to the gym. Sometimes at the ports, we also got off to explore, but we had been to most of them before. Here is Elaine and Diane with our ship on Roatan, Honduras.<br />
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One nice thing that happened on this ship was that we met some people in the lounge who are going to be with us on some of our upcoming cruises. This is Tom & Sandy Wills,<br />
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and Mark Alberthal ,<br />
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who will be with us on the Rhapsody out of Australia. Of course, we also reconnected with other cruise friends in the lounge, but I won't put all the pictures here. One of the new experiences we had was dining at Sabor, the Mexican restaurant on the ship, with David & Diane. <br />
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It was good, but not as good as Mexican food is in California.<br />
Once we got off the ship, on Feb. 22, we drove directly back to Livingston, picked up our RV and hit the road, because we wanted to be on the other side of Houston before the morning rush hour. Also, we had heard that a big cold front was heading there. Unfortunately, it caught us the next day. As we were driving across west Texas on highway 10, we had to continually stop to de-ice our windshield. This is a picture of Elaine scraping it with one of our kitchen spatulas. <br />
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Finally, just after 2PM, we stopped at an RV park to get an electrical hookup, because it was so cold and we didn't want our tanks to freeze. Also, it was too dangerous on the road and we had already passed 2 big rigs and 2 smaller vehicles which had spun out and crashed either in the divider or on the roadside. Here is what the side of the road looked like. <br />
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We finally made it past the ugly weather and arrived in Las Cruces, where we had a happy reunion with our friend, Pene, and her new partner, Lofie.<br />
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They have a lovely new home together, and after a glass of wine there, they drove us out into the countryside to an authentic Mexican restaurant run by his cousins, where we had a delicious dinner.<br />
The next stop was in Tucson, where we stayed 2 nights on the property of Elaine's Aunt Marion. Penny, Elaine's sister, came over each day. The first night we fed everyone in our rig.<br />
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The next night Aun Marion had us over for snacks and drinks and included her new daughter-in-law, Sandi<br />
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It was fun meeting her, since she had recently married Elaine's cousin, Tom.<br />
Proceeding west, the next stop was in Yuma. Our good friends, Ron & Carol Leonard,<br />
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always welcome us warmly and have a big lot for us to park. The first night, our friends Lee & Susie Blattner joined us for Happy Hour.<br />
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Jack & Susie, good friends of Ron & Carol's who have a nearby lot, also joined us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRlHdyo0EnQpadqH0YzSRFA_vQJAd4CzRefsmPLW-D5tyOTHXGhfNSpdprgYu3t66DtYlDheg3F5LuMbi982vr4vSRgJAucB7vZBJU5AvrbFtc2MDVeovn9zVW7kwns6F1t-OLQ/s1600/010+Ron+&+Carol,+Jack+&+Susie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRlHdyo0EnQpadqH0YzSRFA_vQJAd4CzRefsmPLW-D5tyOTHXGhfNSpdprgYu3t66DtYlDheg3F5LuMbi982vr4vSRgJAucB7vZBJU5AvrbFtc2MDVeovn9zVW7kwns6F1t-OLQ/s1600/010+Ron+&+Carol,+Jack+&+Susie.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next day we visited Elileen and Neil, and had a good time with them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGK-fbbfkn1bHih_qaJLRS4K1ozrBEc1tC2qNKrTkRuNea7yBmbFMQSsnMmoWfthhUTvNsC3BvNe7a1sVGFk27UagI9NsqeiCwvv2luazEzdrTfmg-BeANZdzHN3mKRQ-uP_lRw/s1600/011+Eileen+&+Neil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGK-fbbfkn1bHih_qaJLRS4K1ozrBEc1tC2qNKrTkRuNea7yBmbFMQSsnMmoWfthhUTvNsC3BvNe7a1sVGFk27UagI9NsqeiCwvv2luazEzdrTfmg-BeANZdzHN3mKRQ-uP_lRw/s1600/011+Eileen+&+Neil.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We met her in 1995 in Alaska!! That evening we had quite a good crowd at Ron & Carol's, because other RV friends had heard that we were in town, and leaving the next day, so they came over 1 day early. This is Jim & Diane FisherBaker,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMIUhDQEmKCH85el5ZpPCByQ_QadxZOYtQQE9D4_ID3GBk-Llfe8-aKcz5kprq8rVwgklr3F4xMAmbFR3KRE4lzl1Z5WjEnFiJ1hb0mfQjrCB-zfsRbWmGmwgJb_VRoDFgzXlmA/s1600/012+Diane+&+Jim.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMIUhDQEmKCH85el5ZpPCByQ_QadxZOYtQQE9D4_ID3GBk-Llfe8-aKcz5kprq8rVwgklr3F4xMAmbFR3KRE4lzl1Z5WjEnFiJ1hb0mfQjrCB-zfsRbWmGmwgJb_VRoDFgzXlmA/s1600/012+Diane+&+Jim.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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and Sue & Bill Abbott.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcvTnNEF_mTlwv-zEOvDLoZ5wn-TnNNAvgulutI-PSAe0GxOQ79YNEWaOPd1t4ee4K7UQZHuax52aFlReYmp_cxVNNugyVa_AmXupgAGF2t7JEm06QNU3Y8YqAgbvhZpgFKEQHw/s1600/014+Bill+&+Sue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcvTnNEF_mTlwv-zEOvDLoZ5wn-TnNNAvgulutI-PSAe0GxOQ79YNEWaOPd1t4ee4K7UQZHuax52aFlReYmp_cxVNNugyVa_AmXupgAGF2t7JEm06QNU3Y8YqAgbvhZpgFKEQHw/s1600/014+Bill+&+Sue.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was a happy reunion for all of us, and the weather was nice too.<br />
We continued west to San Diego. Just as we pulled off the freeway to get to Darran's house, Elaine noticed that our car had swung way out when she turned. So she immediately pulled over and this is what we saw:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHQOtKfCoZFpvBUioIz_vsZQg5aMNP4Uto5BRAI3Zd-nMHPkEhuixaSXa4Ke9hnGGVZ020cdEllnk9_CvU_fhEyTmMBbkB69zTMcNuvFJP76N3tESYMCybTGI4SH-ORqIFh3rKg/s1600/014a+Broken+Towbar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHQOtKfCoZFpvBUioIz_vsZQg5aMNP4Uto5BRAI3Zd-nMHPkEhuixaSXa4Ke9hnGGVZ020cdEllnk9_CvU_fhEyTmMBbkB69zTMcNuvFJP76N3tESYMCybTGI4SH-ORqIFh3rKg/s1600/014a+Broken+Towbar.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Our tow bar arm on the driver's side had snapped in half. Luckily we had no damage to the car or the RV. We took the tow bar to the dealer in San Diego the next day and Blue Ox, the manufacturer, authorized them to give us a new towbar (an updated version), free of charge!<br />
The visit with Darran, Marielle, and Evie was joyous. Here is Darran with his daughter:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRWnAL2SVKZbMcnahf2QzdR0tcN2mo9dUCrKeU9TsKQpEj9yeuiYm7l-gTZck7KAJoGdRMQaWqPWnIG9g8y2E6hOHHyphzLKQi7EhcTxluSTUkZFqCVj5tNBxJfGmQvvRngITzw/s1600/015+Darran+&+Daughter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRWnAL2SVKZbMcnahf2QzdR0tcN2mo9dUCrKeU9TsKQpEj9yeuiYm7l-gTZck7KAJoGdRMQaWqPWnIG9g8y2E6hOHHyphzLKQi7EhcTxluSTUkZFqCVj5tNBxJfGmQvvRngITzw/s1600/015+Darran+&+Daughter.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
And here are the happy parents:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mWBBdqsoZLXHF6k2zCmsQtAs1WXaUzripNZUMdtkunqq_bEGahy1oKUGNTYUJlmezxeXOXQv0rraMVXOVGs8UST1Rq3Ue42W74OvFU0Jf9GiqyO1JOYHYwS53X2iVg5YZRsXLA/s1600/016+Marielle+&+Darran.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mWBBdqsoZLXHF6k2zCmsQtAs1WXaUzripNZUMdtkunqq_bEGahy1oKUGNTYUJlmezxeXOXQv0rraMVXOVGs8UST1Rq3Ue42W74OvFU0Jf9GiqyO1JOYHYwS53X2iVg5YZRsXLA/s1600/016+Marielle+&+Darran.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the delights was watching Evie enjoy her jumping chair:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAv0znKwKiQJfHeg2AL3LmL-c20PZfQsKNQJX_uiOSHubrTwrQYBycACDZBxOwm2QPiqGNQSv_zYBJOlzIqnvs9xcbaKymuEWomDms_YbD2J4ZDLblocr9ldcBi3aaXvHzpkxsIg/s1600/017+Evie+in+Jumper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAv0znKwKiQJfHeg2AL3LmL-c20PZfQsKNQJX_uiOSHubrTwrQYBycACDZBxOwm2QPiqGNQSv_zYBJOlzIqnvs9xcbaKymuEWomDms_YbD2J4ZDLblocr9ldcBi3aaXvHzpkxsIg/s1600/017+Evie+in+Jumper.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And of course, the Grammas enjoyed holding her:<br />
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She is a very happy baby: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mKlciHVW9XOBejpy01FQMVtGtMqZigKvH2zrgNmJTiD3au8v78KMDMQ_NHeOAzm9sWYC7ARFnCyajqHM0pky7YTCxbOVSYkT0jk8QfNXu_DV9FEzxFDY324PVsImfuP9vc1DTA/s1600/019+A+Happy+Baby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mKlciHVW9XOBejpy01FQMVtGtMqZigKvH2zrgNmJTiD3au8v78KMDMQ_NHeOAzm9sWYC7ARFnCyajqHM0pky7YTCxbOVSYkT0jk8QfNXu_DV9FEzxFDY324PVsImfuP9vc1DTA/s1600/019+A+Happy+Baby.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Marielle's parents came over both nights for dinner, and we enjoy them very much, but I didn't get any good pictures of them this time. They have recently moved to San Diego from New York, and are getting settled in their new condo.<br />
The next day we drove to the SKP park outside of Temecula, called Jojoba. Our good friends, Carole & Dick Schneider, and Terry and Vicky Webb, and George and Diana Ruelens, have lots there and we enjoyed a nice Happy Hour at Carole's with them. Unfortunately, I was enjoying the time so much that I forgot to take pictures, and all I got was this lovely sunset, as we left:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBb0pY_cFMyaBnLv4FHpl2Gi3RQ8uNIllBE06F2Kwx_-GDjeW5BzQaDHyKQKfysLT8vKA-RqSxN_hozxA7WN1jx62rlpm5mCT3w5iPaaDbk6GjV8WHp8t1P4er7Nf19OKUvbJiPw/s1600/020++Sunset+in+Jojoba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBb0pY_cFMyaBnLv4FHpl2Gi3RQ8uNIllBE06F2Kwx_-GDjeW5BzQaDHyKQKfysLT8vKA-RqSxN_hozxA7WN1jx62rlpm5mCT3w5iPaaDbk6GjV8WHp8t1P4er7Nf19OKUvbJiPw/s1600/020++Sunset+in+Jojoba.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
My youngest brother, Jerry, and his wife, Diann, moved from Auburn to Palm Desert about 3 months ago. Leaving our rig at Jojoba, we drove over the mountain in the car for a visit with them. What a beautiful new home they have in the Del Webb community there! Here is their picture:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6CA50dQgZ9L8WgIfr-FOzwUQBaSDqVVhiE2aUnwGpunHUrlHkH-R17fcwY2iIy_OAJk6ALo3YZgPdFe1MONdTwFoMwg3cSrYWZvY06OCsG9sSwc8WyvbG_-Fbd0SxpOo6e5p0w/s1600/021+Jerry+&+Diann.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6CA50dQgZ9L8WgIfr-FOzwUQBaSDqVVhiE2aUnwGpunHUrlHkH-R17fcwY2iIy_OAJk6ALo3YZgPdFe1MONdTwFoMwg3cSrYWZvY06OCsG9sSwc8WyvbG_-Fbd0SxpOo6e5p0w/s1600/021+Jerry+&+Diann.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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and this is their pool and backyard, which is right on the golf course:<br />
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We also needed and brother-sister picture:<br />
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I am 7 years older than he is, but he has more grey hair than I do!!!<br />
The next day we drove our rig back to Park Sierra, where we were happy to be back after 8 1/2 months on the road (or on a cruise ship). In my next post I will post some pictures of what it is like here because the weather has been fabulous, and we have enjoyed walking around, catching up with park friends, and making a stab at catching up on mail, and getting chores done.<br />
The main chore while we are here is to get ready to leave again. On March 28 we fly from San Francisco to Sydney, arriving on March 30. The next day we board the Radiance of the Seas for a 12 day cruise in the South Pacific, visiting these islands: New Caledonia, Loyalty Island, and 4 stops in Vanuatu. Then we will have 5 days in Sydney in an apartment (airbnb). On April 17 we board the Rhapsody of the Seas for 56 days, going from Sydney to Singapore, then to Dubai, then through the Suez Canal to Istanbul, then through the Greek Islands and back to Istanbul. On June 12 we will fly back to San Francisco. This is a unique itinerary, with great ports, and quite a few cruise friends will be on board, so we are really excited about this cruise. We will try to post about it if we have some decent internet access.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-59126411691460315532015-01-27T18:02:00.002-08:002015-01-27T18:09:48.676-08:00January Cruises and Travels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In January we made the most out of being in Florida by doing
4 short (4 & 5 day) back to back cruises out of Tampa on the Brilliance of
the Seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like that ship, but now
that we have done those cruises, have determined that we do not like short
cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the drawbacks was that
we went to the same ports several times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The advantage was that we experienced mostly nice weather, and, of
course, were pampered on the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Needless to say, we went in and out of Tampa 4 times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a picture of the downtown as we
left:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a very nice Riverwalk down there
which we enjoyed several times while in port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crew on the
ship was extremely friendly and efficient, and we got to know some of them
quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day when we went to
the Concierge Lounge at 5PM, we were warmly welcomed and well served by Mickey,
the bar server: </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also met quite
a few people there, a few of whom we had cruised with before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the people doing the short cruises
are Floridians, and many of them are younger than the people we usually cruise
with and are still working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
longer cruises, we usually met retired people, because they have more time to
cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one of the cruises we met two
women who have been in a committed relationship for a long while and who raise
foster children, even though they have adult children of their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They recently adopted a 2 year old girl who
was their foster child since she was a baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a picture of us with them;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>from the left:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary, Khloey,
Arlene, Lisa, & Elaine </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCo7LhmeJSrPmw9vskjrujxKk2qCevqRP2RqsOZ4rR5XiigxNBxH7Qm_afT4palrtcgy2tU5k-fvxnsFb2pFG3ORo5cXBon7H7VeHefG1mqfSDGkjwHtVVcYtydbfbTvFQ4V4OQ/s1600/011+Arlene,+Lisa+&+Khloey+With+Us.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCo7LhmeJSrPmw9vskjrujxKk2qCevqRP2RqsOZ4rR5XiigxNBxH7Qm_afT4palrtcgy2tU5k-fvxnsFb2pFG3ORo5cXBon7H7VeHefG1mqfSDGkjwHtVVcYtydbfbTvFQ4V4OQ/s1600/011+Arlene,+Lisa+&+Khloey+With+Us.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another couple we enjoyed spending time with was Phyllis and Larry
Tandy, whom we first met in Sept. on the Oasis transatlantic to Barcelona:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A35-60cGyF0p7OqzsZbD97HK1M_oM_Rk6SxNQ5CQFBpicYEuXcbe89Gv-lT75ozsLNSQfjdRQmLTVxhvUnWzMk3CtIBF9ccKrP6X98A8-7oi61U2JuP3HygaLViAEeZ6BrA3bQ/s1600/014+Phyllis,+Larry+&+Us.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A35-60cGyF0p7OqzsZbD97HK1M_oM_Rk6SxNQ5CQFBpicYEuXcbe89Gv-lT75ozsLNSQfjdRQmLTVxhvUnWzMk3CtIBF9ccKrP6X98A8-7oi61U2JuP3HygaLViAEeZ6BrA3bQ/s1600/014+Phyllis,+Larry+&+Us.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of these friends live in Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several of the new friends we made, who live in Florida, have invited us
to stay with them the next time we return.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Jan. 12, the
friends who hosted us for Christmas in Punta Gorda, George and Elaine Lewter,
joined us for 5 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way out of
Tampa, we passed the Vision of the Seas: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOKDnPsIXKzbjBvZkb9a8s5NdQKB3EImFGUwZTOU6ZqnGJ3PPcLqYtjSMwk_nNa5XRRDxKYIpK2lpkk0drRF75nRxCEVhnS7Ei3ROPYQYYuVj25SEi98iKXkSbcN5VMqtcO9hiQ/s1600/008+Vision+at+Tampa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOKDnPsIXKzbjBvZkb9a8s5NdQKB3EImFGUwZTOU6ZqnGJ3PPcLqYtjSMwk_nNa5XRRDxKYIpK2lpkk0drRF75nRxCEVhnS7Ei3ROPYQYYuVj25SEi98iKXkSbcN5VMqtcO9hiQ/s1600/008+Vision+at+Tampa.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first port was Grand Cayman, where they
had been before many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
took the public bus to the Cracked Conch restaurant, out on the west end,
because there is a snorkeling cove right there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8F9_eYIWxwL7wGq4OncTJZoZF3saIU6iW9aSMRMva-hYHXggxQv1tseUsI3XqEXSLNWOo0trdXDArC7HMPpSkCCVaBchHlNgqsAlD3qozAnWk4cgbZY9KbQ2mBxqgfMTLEvDj7w/s1600/004+Snorkel+Spot+on+Grand+Cayman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8F9_eYIWxwL7wGq4OncTJZoZF3saIU6iW9aSMRMva-hYHXggxQv1tseUsI3XqEXSLNWOo0trdXDArC7HMPpSkCCVaBchHlNgqsAlD3qozAnWk4cgbZY9KbQ2mBxqgfMTLEvDj7w/s1600/004+Snorkel+Spot+on+Grand+Cayman.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had their own
equipment, but I rented some fins and a mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elaine C. decided it was too rough for her to enjoy it, so she stayed
onshore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here I am snorkeling with
George:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QL6VJs1g1TDKAleY1KJU-DHP4VjJtsYD51rLQEXGIJR7hIrX7d2mIAEsIVAui5CVuMRHV2ne2pY8LsHIz9UdyN7qhZljjrdiU7LK-AQIgxajuPAjKMwpBm9cze2berfUp599KQ/s1600/005+Snorkeling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QL6VJs1g1TDKAleY1KJU-DHP4VjJtsYD51rLQEXGIJR7hIrX7d2mIAEsIVAui5CVuMRHV2ne2pY8LsHIz9UdyN7qhZljjrdiU7LK-AQIgxajuPAjKMwpBm9cze2berfUp599KQ/s1600/005+Snorkeling.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> and both George and his
wife, Elaine, snorkeled for quite a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the snorkeling, we all had some food and beers at the outside
tables: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHugT9e82P5iloo6RlZwS-tvmFCV9iIrrymiBCLgfx5WKCHBqHJBaA_cwP0aUkxOFZCzYLyOIPmg594FkEOLG-cYDhW2Zs-ENlkzpegbf8qnD13qNrz4GdxXTQWPWNF4OmNjonZw/s1600/006+Beers+With+George+&+Elaine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHugT9e82P5iloo6RlZwS-tvmFCV9iIrrymiBCLgfx5WKCHBqHJBaA_cwP0aUkxOFZCzYLyOIPmg594FkEOLG-cYDhW2Zs-ENlkzpegbf8qnD13qNrz4GdxXTQWPWNF4OmNjonZw/s1600/006+Beers+With+George+&+Elaine.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently I swam too
close to some jellyfish because I ended up with 2 rows of tentacle stings along
the inside of my upper arm which I didn’t even notice until a few days
later!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back on the ship, we had a
delightful dinner at Giovanni’s with Elaine and George.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeyaSGQA3AxkiARL_v0w5qvGR4zPbtSo84r_SpKtnwcTI4hpK_FeJ4NYRGTUhXTvc28zcENkjmp7klqtXfRY11PvsWvd1tfzgEJ0jbAUyK733q8FbdVP4sDsG2Dj9vhc6U4WVxg/s1600/007+Dinner+at+Giovannis+With+George+&+Elaine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeyaSGQA3AxkiARL_v0w5qvGR4zPbtSo84r_SpKtnwcTI4hpK_FeJ4NYRGTUhXTvc28zcENkjmp7klqtXfRY11PvsWvd1tfzgEJ0jbAUyK733q8FbdVP4sDsG2Dj9vhc6U4WVxg/s1600/007+Dinner+at+Giovannis+With+George+&+Elaine.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day at Cozumel, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IZOF8U2E8SegS1kIeGa9PWTTjYmO9VBDD-VbYxFv38HXpAd-Gjwc8JNIv-9BLYlNUOSfVmA5x_Idjv-Q7bEkmbSbVhTfIZuczZj8RnnhRbS_zI0VgxHG16qx-k3g_03p0ZR9-g/s1600/009+Cozumel+Shoreline.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IZOF8U2E8SegS1kIeGa9PWTTjYmO9VBDD-VbYxFv38HXpAd-Gjwc8JNIv-9BLYlNUOSfVmA5x_Idjv-Q7bEkmbSbVhTfIZuczZj8RnnhRbS_zI0VgxHG16qx-k3g_03p0ZR9-g/s1600/009+Cozumel+Shoreline.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we were meeting friends sailing on the
Vision, which was also docked there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>George and Elaine went on a ship’s shore excursion taking them to 3
different places to snorkel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to
Mandy’s, a Mexican bar and restaurant right in the port area, where we enjoyed
a few Mexican beers and the company of Peter Blosic & Jim Thompson, and
David & Colleen DeForest: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxpQWF0qqJ-Js61JcBR1_V50Jh3X-t5ctQzitTDUcfmYGHP19F-tEpYskn_kHa2exNiFy0d9bYR8B3cpAF-mNYdpm7GHWguWY1JKB0jojHjccDO1F5To8QFcy_upHhXC1HA-3yw/s1600/010+Six+Friends+at+Cozumel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxpQWF0qqJ-Js61JcBR1_V50Jh3X-t5ctQzitTDUcfmYGHP19F-tEpYskn_kHa2exNiFy0d9bYR8B3cpAF-mNYdpm7GHWguWY1JKB0jojHjccDO1F5To8QFcy_upHhXC1HA-3yw/s1600/010+Six+Friends+at+Cozumel.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next day was a cruising day and Elaine L. was having pain in her hip and leg
which she thought was caused by getting off and on the snorkeling boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last day, when they needed to get off the
ship, she couldn’t even walk, so we helped her get a wheelchair and into their
car at the port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we spoke to George
later that day, she was in the hospital with a broken hip!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a fun cruise which ended in such an
unexpected and painful way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last cruise
we had a different port: Key West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
enjoy walking here, and this time we walked to the marina area where we saw
this colorful whaling wall, painted by Wyland: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIegqJ8RBRE7etzgu1nppaE2Jbwzphqy-rN9XabF1awilbq3qsxA7lSfjffacwZPAvdghVfRI2tlopAMxDJSEvRAH7qJ9DCjzq0AgXzfjRj40f9rtiJLkUD2GBdoHlOk2yuiwZHg/s1600/012+Wyland+Wall+in+Key+West.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIegqJ8RBRE7etzgu1nppaE2Jbwzphqy-rN9XabF1awilbq3qsxA7lSfjffacwZPAvdghVfRI2tlopAMxDJSEvRAH7qJ9DCjzq0AgXzfjRj40f9rtiJLkUD2GBdoHlOk2yuiwZHg/s1600/012+Wyland+Wall+in+Key+West.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of Elaine with a colorful
marlin display, made to look like the real thing in the area where they used to
bring in lots of them: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-28mmXrxi_i3XUJYK9VFuFSYbLwvVB_LIwMLq7wRSSmHjHRy3tjLtBgbPdvRqYc0VYWyhPIxb9emvWMIRnNm9ZyiWKjPKJ9IMu80CkOzqMdEUGWL0hrCCvKpQjFB4aRSTNTJ1w/s1600/013+Elaine+&+Marlin+in+Key+West.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-28mmXrxi_i3XUJYK9VFuFSYbLwvVB_LIwMLq7wRSSmHjHRy3tjLtBgbPdvRqYc0VYWyhPIxb9emvWMIRnNm9ZyiWKjPKJ9IMu80CkOzqMdEUGWL0hrCCvKpQjFB4aRSTNTJ1w/s1600/013+Elaine+&+Marlin+in+Key+West.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
walk, we just enjoyed sitting on our balcony in the warm weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last night on the ship, we had this
picture taken with some of the staff up at the Windjammer: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiVZ5Y6Xfy3xJqjTueYn5W1TloTr3fHyMlkS-sA8LZdZkZBjuTTL_K6hQGs7wS4sJ663V1lyDyDa5yeHunoWWWfFCxPtJp3HyRkL17VNn8S3ma2hS2WPQMf4ANdfv4oviXty5Gw/s1600/015+Windjammer+Guys+With+Us.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiVZ5Y6Xfy3xJqjTueYn5W1TloTr3fHyMlkS-sA8LZdZkZBjuTTL_K6hQGs7wS4sJ663V1lyDyDa5yeHunoWWWfFCxPtJp3HyRkL17VNn8S3ma2hS2WPQMf4ANdfv4oviXty5Gw/s1600/015+Windjammer+Guys+With+Us.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We ate up there so often that we got to know
them pretty well and Alex, the chef, went out of his way to get us anything
extra we wanted, such as my favorites, mushroom soup and Key lime pie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After getting off
the ship, on Jan. 22, we drove back to our RV, which was stored at the Elks
Lodge in Brandon, quickly got it ready to roll, and headed for the SKP park in
Bushnell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That same day we managed to
get our laundry done, and also some shopping for food and cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we drove the car to The
Villages, a very large retirement community about 30 miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friends, Stephanie and Paul Bernhagen,
who used to be RVers, and who built a beautiful home in Las Cruces after that,
relocated to The Villages 2 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They bought a home which needed lots of TLC, almost totally renovated
the inside, and now it looks beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here they are in their living room:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4tr9nfbFMDCwrWRK2GdgbKaMW6gNBpr3b7Ib6oK8QBVzeF8JlrnffslTB7jXa34CRYS58xdukoYEMbBucx5z6XkIMoGyXnr3bz8w54iyo3wCVc8_rwJ66WuKBXms9ZKrOqHrsA/s1600/017+Visiting+Paul+&+Stephanie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4tr9nfbFMDCwrWRK2GdgbKaMW6gNBpr3b7Ib6oK8QBVzeF8JlrnffslTB7jXa34CRYS58xdukoYEMbBucx5z6XkIMoGyXnr3bz8w54iyo3wCVc8_rwJ66WuKBXms9ZKrOqHrsA/s1600/017+Visiting+Paul+&+Stephanie.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
It happened to be
Stephanie’s birthday the day we were there, so we went out for lunch with them
and some other former RV friends, Jim and Cindy Cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmxp2gQAx82oTkkxWT2txN5eX-AtlaPFocRGrHg3zvuI1s1ixYu2SJu-4sde479cDAoCMBfa_We5a6MusA9E_Er02ayg8_Diys1cW4OdizhOiQgZuXS5VHl7t4N35LgZ_XIxryw/s1600/018+Lunch+With+Friends+at+The+Villages.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmxp2gQAx82oTkkxWT2txN5eX-AtlaPFocRGrHg3zvuI1s1ixYu2SJu-4sde479cDAoCMBfa_We5a6MusA9E_Er02ayg8_Diys1cW4OdizhOiQgZuXS5VHl7t4N35LgZ_XIxryw/s1600/018+Lunch+With+Friends+at+The+Villages.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After lunch Paul and Stephanie gave us a very extensive tour of The
Villages, which took hours because there are about 110,000 people living there
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was built for people over 55,
and it has extensive amenities which have been built for each little area of
homes, called a village, as well as about 32 golf courses. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many groups and clubs that it
takes a daily newspaper to list all the activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is quite a variety of house types and
neighborhoods, and each recreational area also has its own theme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were quite impressed, but definitely not
interested in moving there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It suits
Paul and Stephanie quite well, and he is playing golf nearly every day and also
working part time at the golf course.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left Bushnell
on Jan. 24 and started driving cross country on I-10, heading to Livingston,
TX, where we are now happily set up at Rainbow’s End.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the headquarters of our RV club, the
Escapees, and there is an extensive campground here, where we are
boondocking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing we have until
Feb. 8 to stay here because we have lots of things to catch up on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mail forwarding building is here, so we
were able to pick up our mail, which means we had 3 months of business and
statements to deal with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to get
visas for 6 of the countries we will be visiting when we sail between Sydney
and Istanbul in April, May, and June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, we have to get our taxes done before we leave the country on March
28.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Feb. 8 we will be driving in the
car to Galveston, where we will board the Navigator of the Seas for 2 weeks of
cruising with David and Diane and other friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We planned to
visit them while we were in Texas, and when we contacted them, they said they
were cruising, so we said we would join them!</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the cruises
are finished, on Feb. 22, we will pick up our RV and continue heading west,
back to California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Planned stops to
visit friends and family will be in Las Cruces, Tucson, Yuma, San Diego, Palm
Desert and possibly Temecula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to
be back at Park Sierra early in March for medical checkups and to prepare for
the trip to Australia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow is
Elaine’s 68<sup>th</sup> birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
don’t have any big plans, because as usual, we are trying to lose some weight
and get in better shape between cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will have to celebrate properly when we join our friends on the ship.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
</div>
Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-32005222643188827982015-01-08T08:05:00.001-08:002015-01-08T08:05:10.428-08:00December Travels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
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This is a catch-up post about what went on in December:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
December found us with a few more cruises planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had arranged to store our RV at the
Brandon Elks, and we spent a few days there packing and getting ready for our
flight to New Orleans on Dec. 6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
we were in Brandon, we found a nice area to walk around one of the many small
waterways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was lots of bird life,
and I managed to get a closeup picture of some sandhill cranes</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwdN37wQ6V-27lToLrgLz3nVOXThPW_TQ0xR1UqR8sywb5Aj_YFcjGX-TOZOf7vcEREs_ahcNo05VRdVFb3RAcCYPcxhyphenhyphenGRO-5KgtzH9VUDA2qyJJWDxsEYh2Ke4fq8hDkKfStA/s1600/001+Brandon-Cranes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwdN37wQ6V-27lToLrgLz3nVOXThPW_TQ0xR1UqR8sywb5Aj_YFcjGX-TOZOf7vcEREs_ahcNo05VRdVFb3RAcCYPcxhyphenhyphenGRO-5KgtzH9VUDA2qyJJWDxsEYh2Ke4fq8hDkKfStA/s1600/001+Brandon-Cranes.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and a marabou stork:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsX-Db58c8HRY20esMl6BWseO5duBysiNTz3WqB8-wYSA7-fTeCNof6vlEmQ739RNGm9f29iOoAGV-dQyfxk0-ZJd5guGat29avBHgcVfDLxon1ajK1nqbjETG_OGs6LJ5DN5zQ/s1600/002+Brandon-Maribou+Stork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsX-Db58c8HRY20esMl6BWseO5duBysiNTz3WqB8-wYSA7-fTeCNof6vlEmQ739RNGm9f29iOoAGV-dQyfxk0-ZJd5guGat29avBHgcVfDLxon1ajK1nqbjETG_OGs6LJ5DN5zQ/s1600/002+Brandon-Maribou+Stork.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were taken not far from a housing
development – the birds aren’t too afraid of people, it seems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>December 6 we
flew to New Orleans and boarded the Serenade of the Seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Park Sierra neighbors, Dave & Brenda
Neil, had asked us to join them on this cruise a long time ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weren’t aware that it was a reunion cruise
of the family and friends – they had about 33 people in their group!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to get them alone long enough to
have this picture taken:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglELlTSscBdEvYejGTlyQk1xWUYYNzchsHsP4Qq9uiI55WNuiNRcSF1uA4xLD5hu9UqX5q0rVXsUUcHdNlLfRbmmpLWcM2OpMqaevsxTGEQ5kFfp-fASGuVrQR5lavTYAGHJQXgw/s1600/003+Serenade-With+Dave+&+Brenda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglELlTSscBdEvYejGTlyQk1xWUYYNzchsHsP4Qq9uiI55WNuiNRcSF1uA4xLD5hu9UqX5q0rVXsUUcHdNlLfRbmmpLWcM2OpMqaevsxTGEQ5kFfp-fASGuVrQR5lavTYAGHJQXgw/s1600/003+Serenade-With+Dave+&+Brenda.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other cruise friends of ours, Jane and Doug
Vickery, had a suite so we enjoyed a glass of champagne in their suite for
sailaway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYuLxWYEdppd9JEwRGJH7CZ8YoBG97iwXQk2PsEAKIn1ESm-zxnDYrkiHezTY3JdTfgRgjUN5SHotjNka0UcnAlPXOIXw3bYZJ3s5ylfeJUHJ7bG5huYJ5C0GGWg7k73Zf1Bm8g/s1600/004+Serenade+-+Doug+&+Jane+Vickery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYuLxWYEdppd9JEwRGJH7CZ8YoBG97iwXQk2PsEAKIn1ESm-zxnDYrkiHezTY3JdTfgRgjUN5SHotjNka0UcnAlPXOIXw3bYZJ3s5ylfeJUHJ7bG5huYJ5C0GGWg7k73Zf1Bm8g/s1600/004+Serenade+-+Doug+&+Jane+Vickery.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had other friends on board and we enjoyed
going to Izumi with them one evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here we are with Lisa & Larry Kimmons and Sandy & Roger Hagstrom:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge70HiO2csMm8r1quOqvnkGf2NRa92b9g-7RIJV97iAo3ix1v7YlypnUIgKR4YAZjz036KCVDxypbZBXMYwuwIw1PN8zrDNN7hLbNvYGcmFgm_IeGy6p60QzT8htbt02AFJrQG2Q/s1600/005+Serenade+-+6+Friends+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge70HiO2csMm8r1quOqvnkGf2NRa92b9g-7RIJV97iAo3ix1v7YlypnUIgKR4YAZjz036KCVDxypbZBXMYwuwIw1PN8zrDNN7hLbNvYGcmFgm_IeGy6p60QzT8htbt02AFJrQG2Q/s1600/005+Serenade+-+6+Friends+at+Izumi.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Izumi is the Asian restaurant on
board, and this is one of the food orders:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNj_1kogMn6fZoiDMxp1sEzjYL-UC5GzcxB_y83W8-fM3D4gAONqgp7xpNNDIO6okwoxzQPKUECjbxnz3R4TSBnqNPf5PslYYwLAPmWl_lzakHN64Eflaze76OfKvR3IU3pE2MA/s1600/006+Serenade+-+Food+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNj_1kogMn6fZoiDMxp1sEzjYL-UC5GzcxB_y83W8-fM3D4gAONqgp7xpNNDIO6okwoxzQPKUECjbxnz3R4TSBnqNPf5PslYYwLAPmWl_lzakHN64Eflaze76OfKvR3IU3pE2MA/s1600/006+Serenade+-+Food+at+Izumi.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other friends, Mark &
Mary from Minnesota, asked us to join them on their shore excursion in Grand
Cayman, which was to Stingray City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifXcWcM-QmM4zNgm36Sfjhh2oLZ81x6dGEMerb_altOAJd9fGlzcKzU0A5z56BJFSMJtrs_XO9QDJXc5ArlJ110NNIftB0u8RFJaaASNFxdXcUOdalej4MgXDRxeJBbezHKOACQ/s1600/007+Grand+Cayman-Singray+City+with+Mary+&+Mark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifXcWcM-QmM4zNgm36Sfjhh2oLZ81x6dGEMerb_altOAJd9fGlzcKzU0A5z56BJFSMJtrs_XO9QDJXc5ArlJ110NNIftB0u8RFJaaASNFxdXcUOdalej4MgXDRxeJBbezHKOACQ/s1600/007+Grand+Cayman-Singray+City+with+Mary+&+Mark.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a sandbar area
where large stingrays collect in great numbers and because the boats and people
feed them, they seem quite tame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NtAssaZEZ5zHa3qaa0unnc9Aq9aAypNPDxyAPvGmkk7MexkowN7eiq6arqLKc14Vtd_mS5I05GUehK-x9iIjdYOI6UQISW8SeWIrdTDrZ58H6D9mx3Yg068DlNSMO8rqaBQA2w/s1600/008+Grand+Cayman-Stingray+City.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NtAssaZEZ5zHa3qaa0unnc9Aq9aAypNPDxyAPvGmkk7MexkowN7eiq6arqLKc14Vtd_mS5I05GUehK-x9iIjdYOI6UQISW8SeWIrdTDrZ58H6D9mx3Yg068DlNSMO8rqaBQA2w/s1600/008+Grand+Cayman-Stingray+City.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They swim right up to you,
let you touch them, sometimes they swim right over your arms or body (they have
a silky feel), and they let the boat guys hold them and show their faces with people
for pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was windy the day we
were there so there were lots of waves, which made it harder to stand there and
interact with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is better to go
on a calmer day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that the boat
took us to a nearby area where we snorkeled to see different brightly colored
fish and corals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last day of the
cruise, we had lunch with some of the officers, and here we are with one of our
favorites, Anders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roger and Sandy are
in the picture with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDO47lyzQMpjxbPyhvhyonho_q8whWz3IPbqYiOCDvt2Ewlf6GOym2KRjIrh7NEx2LUHSZTF6AYWrGZlWlJOSTcEc7jMU8BplrLovVEYBOjgVWcIPcmp5mP2qq1TtQeivwbkRbOw/s1600/009+Serenade+-+Roger,+Sandy,+Anders+&+Us.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDO47lyzQMpjxbPyhvhyonho_q8whWz3IPbqYiOCDvt2Ewlf6GOym2KRjIrh7NEx2LUHSZTF6AYWrGZlWlJOSTcEc7jMU8BplrLovVEYBOjgVWcIPcmp5mP2qq1TtQeivwbkRbOw/s1600/009+Serenade+-+Roger,+Sandy,+Anders+&+Us.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were taking
the next cruise as well, and so were Jane & Doug, so we spent the turnover
day in New Orleans with them, riding the trolleys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjEZbZJGyz11oHvcVx-TnOvXLBaTtExPH-nP8HRtRNhe4lKCdfe35lsoVkl97_E2Snub0IJEmq4o0yW6XPVHVkhAGIY8San5TB9vDNS1kGzyal9Oj9mMLgMcOXnQ75vHfLnoWTQ/s1600/010+New+Orleans+-+Trolley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjEZbZJGyz11oHvcVx-TnOvXLBaTtExPH-nP8HRtRNhe4lKCdfe35lsoVkl97_E2Snub0IJEmq4o0yW6XPVHVkhAGIY8San5TB9vDNS1kGzyal9Oj9mMLgMcOXnQ75vHfLnoWTQ/s1600/010+New+Orleans+-+Trolley.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are 3 lines, it only cost 40 cents for seniors, and we could
transfer between lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the lines
goes through an area of stately old mansions, such as this one: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoaqa3sIYVaqOQFr_ZlPGf9DMa1gKR0EiGIjObqsKMK-zpiz9BEOwWhHm3RpVOtX6RKYZguuNijREOlXToAlujxOGbSlbOj9z_gChC9lCPk6ijGOsvsvS8In7G5Es5MsHphL2uQ/s1600/011+New+Orleans+-+Mansion+Picture+Taken+From+Trolley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoaqa3sIYVaqOQFr_ZlPGf9DMa1gKR0EiGIjObqsKMK-zpiz9BEOwWhHm3RpVOtX6RKYZguuNijREOlXToAlujxOGbSlbOj9z_gChC9lCPk6ijGOsvsvS8In7G5Es5MsHphL2uQ/s1600/011+New+Orleans+-+Mansion+Picture+Taken+From+Trolley.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Near the riverfront, there was a large and
elegant mall, and here we are in front of the fountain:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjU8Sqqrh07Lpa_dECB_MvntoCjEHxkw98hJ4Vn_PKOdf4VEmT86RWdbpMsNSpxxQg-fZpie2-mowE2bJ8G7Wb452VwLFWgudaSAa_8rEOQdoJgRACtY3WWTWpSAWEhZUzrn8ug/s1600/012+New+Orleans+-+Fountain+at+RiverFront+Mall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjU8Sqqrh07Lpa_dECB_MvntoCjEHxkw98hJ4Vn_PKOdf4VEmT86RWdbpMsNSpxxQg-fZpie2-mowE2bJ8G7Wb452VwLFWgudaSAa_8rEOQdoJgRACtY3WWTWpSAWEhZUzrn8ug/s1600/012+New+Orleans+-+Fountain+at+RiverFront+Mall.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first port was Key West, one of our favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the waterfront where the ship
docks:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw4Q9KoEwCjL3av5bRHXE4RmC2ojV63TwsTK9FpVRAsM9ufU_MRZu84P8LifMzwr_zPCQFwfnFsfIyiMo5NAMBjAh4FKiRMNaMyS9KGPJFGdmLfGCYnL_2zrg_2BygrfkDmMmDw/s1600/013+Serenade-Key+West.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEw4Q9KoEwCjL3av5bRHXE4RmC2ojV63TwsTK9FpVRAsM9ufU_MRZu84P8LifMzwr_zPCQFwfnFsfIyiMo5NAMBjAh4FKiRMNaMyS9KGPJFGdmLfGCYnL_2zrg_2BygrfkDmMmDw/s1600/013+Serenade-Key+West.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wanted to walk in some different areas, and
a really nice quiet one was near the “Little White House”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO2192e-K3eRKWkuOvC36okEYHHU_XIHYczk5PsSRSFk2xg73EWJZ5HSi9N7RzhsmB2NfcTbC4_Khu8JjQeGXhNhYqHD8cv5ZS8B6UKMk_CVf-sF4KFgyoVojSiUu1bZasCoNQw/s1600/014+Serenade-Key+West+-+Little+White+House.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO2192e-K3eRKWkuOvC36okEYHHU_XIHYczk5PsSRSFk2xg73EWJZ5HSi9N7RzhsmB2NfcTbC4_Khu8JjQeGXhNhYqHD8cv5ZS8B6UKMk_CVf-sF4KFgyoVojSiUu1bZasCoNQw/s1600/014+Serenade-Key+West+-+Little+White+House.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was built in 1890 as naval quarters, but was used as a vacation home
for many presidents, including Taft, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, and
Clinton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harry Truman used it the most,
so it is sometimes called the Truman White House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some important conferences and decisions were
made in this historic home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Nassau,
the most obvious attraction seen from the port, is the Atlantis Hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffaHRNUlS7uSRW_yunl-kFFlKS0B2l-QPd4dKogVfQT8HO-POwtf5jGuWp6cFIIZuqgAQiutJqcQ5gSKrABBi1hf8IWthPYr4IRCGyTJEFVnd3B7MtNEZKBhMTQUSsYVYAOd2Rw/s1600/015+Serenade-Atlantis+Hotel+in+Nassau.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffaHRNUlS7uSRW_yunl-kFFlKS0B2l-QPd4dKogVfQT8HO-POwtf5jGuWp6cFIIZuqgAQiutJqcQ5gSKrABBi1hf8IWthPYr4IRCGyTJEFVnd3B7MtNEZKBhMTQUSsYVYAOd2Rw/s1600/015+Serenade-Atlantis+Hotel+in+Nassau.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We often walk over there for exercise, and it has a great aquarium,
casino, elegant shops, and an extensive collection of Dale Chihuly art glass
pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, however, we took the
public bus to explore other parts of the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back on board, we had another delicious
dinner at Izumi, this time with Lisa & Larry, and the Loyalty Ambassador
Melissa with her fiancée, Claudio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b0MRh476BrrKgvFlfUleCrpD3RlMYavSBwMqojeprSqWbR7qDek7sk8Ea8KsOT1ofJTmmyyjaUTfHUwxr7coFpV0YYj9iQFrMOxVbi3T12XXe0GSr6CFdh-12Uj8vZ0vbwlOvQ/s1600/016+Serenade-6+Friends+at+Izumi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b0MRh476BrrKgvFlfUleCrpD3RlMYavSBwMqojeprSqWbR7qDek7sk8Ea8KsOT1ofJTmmyyjaUTfHUwxr7coFpV0YYj9iQFrMOxVbi3T12XXe0GSr6CFdh-12Uj8vZ0vbwlOvQ/s1600/016+Serenade-6+Friends+at+Izumi.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lunch with the officers
enabled us to meet Karine, the Guest Services Manager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is from France, and was delightful to
have as a lunch companion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwB6wjRiMfhHQTM3gbxQkIqhjy5ynykwGt28b5A-DeRRxTl3Qe2yZ9hrfsS4MZRk4Y9yG1IdyWlRpysV5_YI-_RPVbXThyjw0ycNALr1oan0xJNROGZWbCaW_xYt_Lo9PgUU2rA/s1600/017+Serenade-+Us+with+Karine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwB6wjRiMfhHQTM3gbxQkIqhjy5ynykwGt28b5A-DeRRxTl3Qe2yZ9hrfsS4MZRk4Y9yG1IdyWlRpysV5_YI-_RPVbXThyjw0ycNALr1oan0xJNROGZWbCaW_xYt_Lo9PgUU2rA/s1600/017+Serenade-+Us+with+Karine.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We flew back to
Tampa and removed our RV from the Brandon Elks, driving it to Punta Gorda,
where we also stayed at the Elks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
lodge there is the second largest in the country, and they not only have a nice
bar, lounge, and restaurant right on the waterfront, but they also have a few
rental cabins, and a large grass field for RV’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An old friend of Elaine’s from her school
days in Illinois, Elaine Lewter, and her husband, George, had rented a home
nearby for 4 months to escape the cold winter in Michigan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went over to their place for drinks and
games one evening, and then they joined us at the Elks potluck on Christmas Eve
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the potluck, we all went
walking over at the Fishermen’s Village, where they had wonderful Christmas
displays:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfdj-t6EHf_d3v1mSkHZdSLbgjE94k3NEzYoivayBMsgRN6N9p7hiSfQMGhcBfDqtvAP7Ptg11Dn9dt3pzsTEnHJ-LleAwx0-uwrnSmxuadLZxjvsk-cjhMmX0zaICumsaKcE4A/s1600/021+Christmas-George+&+Elaine+at+Fisherman's+Village.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfdj-t6EHf_d3v1mSkHZdSLbgjE94k3NEzYoivayBMsgRN6N9p7hiSfQMGhcBfDqtvAP7Ptg11Dn9dt3pzsTEnHJ-LleAwx0-uwrnSmxuadLZxjvsk-cjhMmX0zaICumsaKcE4A/s1600/021+Christmas-George+&+Elaine+at+Fisherman's%2BVillage.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Christmas Day, they cooked for us at their rental home:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqZf8yYFhxsU5DKyCcGhmF89b6TmTKEW6fId91PnaJKqwfIBZBTMolr1t0RZyX9WnDcPlOV8z0okr_HMyshZsjGE1j9fAg7QYn29-YD2IK_NIhbW0ziaaD41PryQsOMiJVUeedQ/s1600/018+Christmas-George+&+Elaine+Cook.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqZf8yYFhxsU5DKyCcGhmF89b6TmTKEW6fId91PnaJKqwfIBZBTMolr1t0RZyX9WnDcPlOV8z0okr_HMyshZsjGE1j9fAg7QYn29-YD2IK_NIhbW0ziaaD41PryQsOMiJVUeedQ/s1600/018+Christmas-George+&+Elaine+Cook.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We enjoyed the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwc3RULk9cP1eH8Pls7TlsCNrkzA6CJSnGouhi2PXflSQvrMhSjx2xZKJLmklDalNdLqW8kQ23XVbA8Y3R20EyxXy39upJDaydqDnA65hDqD_ECxq70t-SDorD-MzqoujPUXHSw/s1600/019+Christmas-Dinner+Table.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwc3RULk9cP1eH8Pls7TlsCNrkzA6CJSnGouhi2PXflSQvrMhSjx2xZKJLmklDalNdLqW8kQ23XVbA8Y3R20EyxXy39upJDaydqDnA65hDqD_ECxq70t-SDorD-MzqoujPUXHSw/s1600/019+Christmas-Dinner+Table.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards, we played games with
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was wonderful to connect with
them again, since we have visited each other every few years in various
locations, and always kept up with each other’s families and events.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSiMT-zKgA8MQdaQqAlXIK7dWYVsUWObiYP1ehlxgmz0bNF0C9ByqdstAcS1RwSPARHabGURgjKRrD0BelvY031hw50QnxBT-pS_RgL6F7KPwrcG_pCor2u3f86j0YVOlRdNVbA/s1600/020+Christmas-4+Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSiMT-zKgA8MQdaQqAlXIK7dWYVsUWObiYP1ehlxgmz0bNF0C9ByqdstAcS1RwSPARHabGURgjKRrD0BelvY031hw50QnxBT-pS_RgL6F7KPwrcG_pCor2u3f86j0YVOlRdNVbA/s1600/020+Christmas-4+Friends.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dec. 26 we moved
our RV to the SKP park in Zolfo Springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This park has a nice pool and the weather was warm enough that we used
it almost every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also a
nice walking area at the county park in town, just a few miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left our RV there and drove the car over
to Okeechobee for a visit with cruise friends Jeff and Dorothy Brooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are Canadians but for 4 years they have
owned a place in an RV park right near Lake Okeechobee, and Jeff fishes a
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were all prepared to take us
out in their boat, which was a special treat for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is Elaine with them as we headed down
the canal to the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVJDn3GAAMiHN0EMIZnIN1zKr2cLC2hj4wvXoBakERNG_YClZUW_i9j7ErCLKpYzboerz-W7gyPuiUVmkQiXvN1La3Jys9zWHPpxd74ZJPUZyVg4tfaUVBP_cBYhUfBto8uRNoA/s1600/022+Okeechobee-Friends+On+The+Boat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVJDn3GAAMiHN0EMIZnIN1zKr2cLC2hj4wvXoBakERNG_YClZUW_i9j7ErCLKpYzboerz-W7gyPuiUVmkQiXvN1La3Jys9zWHPpxd74ZJPUZyVg4tfaUVBP_cBYhUfBto8uRNoA/s1600/022+Okeechobee-Friends+On+The+Boat.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lake is the second largest fresh water
lake in the US, but to get out on it, you have to go through a lock, which
separates the lake from the canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SfgY5cyemQdzLdw7BsWbvDYKRDInZemZCsPXjNsIcL3uZgd4fV1TsA6D7AVn3h6MnSPxmXSnmvNO-bH7vQFskNFVYImiqhYjPPkbNt5M_4NuMjlkAFo9ah6ngqH8fnvE4NQmSw/s1600/023+Okeechobee-The+Locks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SfgY5cyemQdzLdw7BsWbvDYKRDInZemZCsPXjNsIcL3uZgd4fV1TsA6D7AVn3h6MnSPxmXSnmvNO-bH7vQFskNFVYImiqhYjPPkbNt5M_4NuMjlkAFo9ah6ngqH8fnvE4NQmSw/s1600/023+Okeechobee-The+Locks.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> There is a big berm separating them, in order to prevent flooding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lock doesn’t lift boats up or down
because the water levels are about the same, it just keeps the lake water
separated from the canal and out of the nearby fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we are in the lock, holding on to some
ropes to keep the boat in place while the gates open and shut:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPl2vo3akomdWQnvzPpRj7rMSoBjD4btaUmL_dnWEs5w9z3PMcqZrxvx-0HOnFSqSggjk4V211src_jy9qaeRKNgEqDMi60cvlusbKmZFexq5lmWYd4cMJ3jhOu4EtD2HqAYsUw/s1600/023a+Okeechobee-Holding+Ropes+In+The+Lock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPl2vo3akomdWQnvzPpRj7rMSoBjD4btaUmL_dnWEs5w9z3PMcqZrxvx-0HOnFSqSggjk4V211src_jy9qaeRKNgEqDMi60cvlusbKmZFexq5lmWYd4cMJ3jhOu4EtD2HqAYsUw/s1600/023a+Okeechobee-Holding+Ropes+In+The+Lock.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went across part of the lake, which has
reeds and water plants in places near the shore, but no buildings, houses,
resorts, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff says there are often
alligators to be seen out there, but this day there were none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went through another lock, and a different
part of the canal to get to a place where Jeff and Dorothy often go on Sundays
to listen to live music and drink beer with friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ODKyPQwOxqDco_OxVQramJlPBhdSrmy8k2ZxnZdtG4mrT3Wgwa9II10kclFOPmlEXzKAElQ0Efu6svctVYtvmCXkeptL-FLX5IXALlubNxNbg2uY5rjA7dBLQS76iImve_4W6w/s1600/024+Okeechobee-Sign+for+Gator+Hole+Tavern.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ODKyPQwOxqDco_OxVQramJlPBhdSrmy8k2ZxnZdtG4mrT3Wgwa9II10kclFOPmlEXzKAElQ0Efu6svctVYtvmCXkeptL-FLX5IXALlubNxNbg2uY5rjA7dBLQS76iImve_4W6w/s1600/024+Okeechobee-Sign+for+Gator+Hole+Tavern.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were lucky because on this day, WE were the friends!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp947EMY28wZTldGkVML199uKnqC5RKBx50MBrABhr8eJPPbFvfflrBTRBnMdik5YTUP-8rc3cXNRsqokd9PZiIvZfvRQW2IC0VjOTIQ53IsY6poA4aoT3MaH92iZBeW3GCGs5sw/s1600/025+Okeechobee-Foure+Friends+at+the+Tavern.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp947EMY28wZTldGkVML199uKnqC5RKBx50MBrABhr8eJPPbFvfflrBTRBnMdik5YTUP-8rc3cXNRsqokd9PZiIvZfvRQW2IC0VjOTIQ53IsY6poA4aoT3MaH92iZBeW3GCGs5sw/s1600/025+Okeechobee-Foure+Friends+at+the+Tavern.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way back, we went along the canal,
which has some houses on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWVm0eTCnWvxE4NTzY0xqQLwcPg9eLkZIWcF-atHTPQ8wYNpADVcWGVEXFPKIoPtHUeb3XQiViD_nVpegZKL3IC8rD6TNZz17jacG6zA7zN115OdnegRqIm81IBEsjev250wXzg/s1600/026+Okeechobee-Dorothy+&+The+Canal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWVm0eTCnWvxE4NTzY0xqQLwcPg9eLkZIWcF-atHTPQ8wYNpADVcWGVEXFPKIoPtHUeb3XQiViD_nVpegZKL3IC8rD6TNZz17jacG6zA7zN115OdnegRqIm81IBEsjev250wXzg/s1600/026+Okeechobee-Dorothy+&+The+Canal.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
evening, they prepared a delicious BBQ dinner for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80zQIsLy00p_mm2FYFJC1v0O1M4q5NSIbO4RtuM89rxK3cyDmQGQv5JlmCRMRRimVyIQXHD540hGMrpA4yh54ik_WCqF3P2_d05L5ueN7D4CzqZbbGjY4cKIQWRkzVbJcLK4ObA/s1600/027+Okeechobee-Dinner+at+Jeff+&+Dorothy's.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80zQIsLy00p_mm2FYFJC1v0O1M4q5NSIbO4RtuM89rxK3cyDmQGQv5JlmCRMRRimVyIQXHD540hGMrpA4yh54ik_WCqF3P2_d05L5ueN7D4CzqZbbGjY4cKIQWRkzVbJcLK4ObA/s1600/027+Okeechobee-Dinner+at+Jeff+&+Dorothy's.JPG" height="220" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a view out the back of their place,
looking across to some of the neighbors nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we all had a
hearty breakfast together, and then Jeff went fishing while Dorothy took us for
a walk on the trails near their park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were quite impressed with their wonderful hospitality and also their home and park.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLUUY9dkmOUu96upaBrM_qhak4cs1kjyjVNl3tmIGsfyoXBJ5rPexKJmbxv6tN6tkLnIk16NkRe_fNY0HpY_EGGOgzit4Dppn0Av-vVzOWVfMovTU0r5m4d0IfR41e0YzOxH7wA/s1600/029+Okeechobee-Breakfast+With+Jeff+&+Dorothy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLUUY9dkmOUu96upaBrM_qhak4cs1kjyjVNl3tmIGsfyoXBJ5rPexKJmbxv6tN6tkLnIk16NkRe_fNY0HpY_EGGOgzit4Dppn0Av-vVzOWVfMovTU0r5m4d0IfR41e0YzOxH7wA/s1600/029+Okeechobee-Breakfast+With+Jeff+&+Dorothy.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We returned to
Zolfo Springs and spent another day, then headed back towards Tampa in the
RV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a very quiet New Year’s Eve
in the parking area (with hookups) at Camping World in Bartow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was time to get ready for the next batch
of cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We once again put our RV in
storage at the Brandon Elks, did a little shopping and a lot of packing, and
drove to the parking area near the Port of Tampa on Jan. 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We boarded the Brilliance, and are now
scheduled to be on this ship until Jan. 22.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is visiting a few ports in the Caribbean where we have been before,
but we are enjoying the amenities of the ship, and the warm weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are using this as a “spa” experience –
trying to go to the gym every day in order to do the elliptical and weights,
and walk 5 miles a day on the decks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hopefully, we will be in much better shape by January 22!!! (Because you can see in the pictures all the FOOD events we have been having!!)</div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-16367153072662936032014-12-25T09:17:00.001-08:002014-12-25T09:22:06.166-08:00Merry Christmas 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hope you are having a very Merry Christmas! We haven't had time to do a blog post since we returned from our last 2 cruises, but here is our Christmas letter in case you didn't receive it by e-mail.<br />
<br />
Happy Holidays 2014<br />
At this time of year, we always enjoy the newsy messages and greetings we receive from family and friends, and hope that you enjoy ours as well. Sometimes, as I think about our year and try to summarize it, it seems impossible. But lately the real challenge is remembering it!!!<br />
As usual, we pursued our passion - travel, by land and by sea. Early in January we flew to Ecuador where we experienced our first Gate 1 Travel tour. It was 8 days, cost effective, plus they allowed us to change our return airfare to 5 weeks later. Our fellow travelers (22) were a pleasant bunch, we had an excellent guide, and we had many adventures, wonderfully diverse and comfortable hotels, and delicious meals. Gate 1 has this motto: "more of the world for less", and they certainly provided that. From Quito we went to the Equator, Otavalo market, took a boat to the upper part of the Amazon, stayed in a spa hotel in the Andes, enjoyed the sights around Baños, stayed in a hacienda, visited a rose plantation, and hiked to the biggest waterfall in Ecuador, plus much more. We then spent several weeks exploring Ecuador on our own, staying in apartments we booked through airbnb.com. Cuenca, was where we stayed the longest. It has a nice climate and lots of ex-pats have settled there, mostly because they can live there very inexpensively yet there is good infrastructure and access to English-speaking friends. We returned to Quito just long enough to catch a flight to Baltra, in the Galápagos Islands. There we boarded the yacht Angelito, which had 8 crew and 16 passengers, plus Maja, our Swiss-born naturalist. It was quite comfortable, the food was delicious, and everyday we did hikes and snorkeling, usually on several different islands. It was hot, quite a difference from the other parts of Ecuador, which are cool because of the Andes. The Galápagos Islands have unique wildlife, which has no fear of people, so we could get right next to the animals for pictures.<br />
April 1 we left to do 2 cruises on the Legend of the Seas, first from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal, and then on to Copenhagen, which we booked because it stopped in some great ports in France, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Going through the Panama Canal was awesome, as was Cartagena, Columbia which was new for us. Unfortunately Elaine had a hard fall in the solarium and fractured her left elbow two days from FL We decided to leave the ship and fly back to San Diego, thus missing the second cruise. At the Kaiser hospital the x-rays showed that the head of her radius was shattered, and on Easter Sunday she had surgery and they put in an implant.<br />
Thank goodness we could stay with her son, Darran and his wife, Marielle while all this was happening. <br />
We returned to our lot at Park Sierra for the healing process.<br />
By June, Elaine had decided she could finish healing on a cruise ship, and we did 2 cruises on the Radiance, going up to Alaska and returning the next week. We always have old friends on the ships, and make new ones in the lounges, which enhances the experience. We also had good weather. As soon as Elaine was released by our doctor, we headed south again. She was still in a big metal brace, but could take it off to do exercises. This time in San Diego, there was her first biological granddaughter to visit (3 days old). Darran and Marielle were the proud parents of Evelyn Maryann Clemo, a real cutie. Marielle's parents were there, so we rented another Airbnb place. It was fun being with them all over the 4th<br />
of July.<br />
Heading north in our RV, we stopped in Reno to see my daughter, Laura, and her husband, Dennis. Next stop was Denver, where my twin sister Marsha lives. Had an enjoyable time with her, and her partner, Debbie, and son Joe. We also celebrated our 70th birthday together, although the real day wasn't until Aug. 29. We had a nice visit in Rapid City with 2 RV couples we enjoy a lot, then drove to northern Wisconsin to see David and Diane Wilson, cruise friends, who also have an RV and a wonderful lake cottage. And we stopped for a few days in Mayville, to see Elaine's sister, Barbara, and her niece, Lisa. Finally we arrived at the Cannell family farm, where a big celebration was scheduled in early August<br />
because it was the 100 year anniversary of family ownership. More than 250 people came to the huge lawn party, and we had fun seeing far-flung family members, and people who knew Elaine in her youth. Of course, it was wonderful to have a reunion of Elaine's older sisters too.<br />
Arriving in Florida in the heat and humidity of August was not smart, but we had to get ready for our big Europe trip. We put our RV in storage for 3 months in Ft. Lauderdale, and did a series of cruises and tours: the Vision for 4 days, then the Oasis 12 day transatlantic cruise to Barcelona. Had a lovely 4 day visit in Alicante staying with cruise friends, Ger & Jeannette in their villa, before flying to Madrid for 4 days in an apartment. We loved Madrid’s architecture and ambiance! Our Gate 1 Travel tour of Spain started there, went to Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Valencia, ending in Barcelona. Fabulous trip, great meals and hotels, made some new friends. A quick flight to Paris followed, then 3 days in another airbnb apartment, with lots of city explorations on our own. Joined another Gate 1 tour through France: our tour went to Epernay (Champagne), Dijon, Beaune (Burgundy), Aix-en-Provence, Carcassone, Lourdes, St. Emilion, Bordeaux, Cognac, the Loire valley, Versailies, and Paris. Of course, every place had its outstanding attractions, which I can’t expand on here. If you would like more information, description, and pictures, please visit our blog at www.canellane.blogspot.com. At the end of our tour, we took a train to Rotterdam and again boarded the Oasis for the 13 day return cruise to Ft. Lauderdale.<br />
Thank goodness for our friend, Doug White, who hosted us in his home in Ft. Lauderdale, between cruises. After the Oasis, we boarded the Allure and cruised a week in the Caribbean. Then we retrieved our RV and moved it to the Elks Lodge in Brandon, FL, near Tampa. After a lovely Thanksgiving stay with cruise friends, Dave & Colleen DeForest in Madeira Beach, Dec. 6 we flew to New Orleans and did 2 weeks on the Serenade with Dave & Brenda Neil, from Park Sierra. Now we are back in the RV and preparing to share Christmas with Elaine and George Lewter, in the Punta Gorda area. They have rented a house there for the winter. The 2 Elaine’s are childhood school friends who have kept in touch all these years.<br />
Plans for 2015 include several more Caribbean cruises, returning to California for Feb. and March, a flight to Australia in late March for a south Pacific island cruise, and other cruises taking us from Sydney to Singapore, to Dubai, to Istanbul, and through the Greek Islands after that. We will be back in the USA by mid-June and look forward to more RV travels in the summer.<br />
Among the joys of travel are the visits we squeeze in with old friends, and the new friends we make along the way. Please keep in touch, and let us know what is happening in your lives. As this year ends, we wish you all the joys of the holiday season, and our hope that the events of your year in 2015 are the best ever.<br />
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-46459810517733355152014-11-30T06:45:00.001-08:002014-11-30T07:02:51.020-08:00France Tour, Return Oasis Transatlantic & Other Cruises <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On Sept. 29 we flew from Barcelona to Paris, to start the
second part of our land travels in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had booked an apartment through Airbnb.com for 3 days in Paris, and
our host had e-mailed us directions as to how to get to the place on public
transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to get there
using the metro and train connections, and arrived at the place about 2 in the
afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first we were disconcerted
by the exterior appearance of the building, and then the appearance of the
winding staircase to the 4<sup>th</sup> floor apartment (no lift).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything looked very dilapidated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the apartment itself had been renovated,
and was clean and bright.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our host had left the key for us and we were able to relax and enjoy the
place a bit before he came over to meet us and solve any issues we had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turned out it was exactly what we needed,
because it had a washing machine and dryer, ironing board, fridge, TV, etc. and
we were very happy there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was located
in a very mixed neighborhood, with many shops, restaurants, and bars although
there were also many Muslim residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
it was very close to a metro station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
spent the time there catching up on resting, laundry, and sightseeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we had a free walking tour
booked, starting at Notre Dame cathedral, so we took the metro to get
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right along the Seine River, was
this gorgeous building, which turned out to be one of the municipal buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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It was so picturesque to
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discovered that some of the bridges have
become what they call “lock bridges”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lovers bring a padlock with their 2
names on them, and lock them on the bridge walls to show that they are locked
together eternally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But because the
locks are so heavy, they have started to cause the sides of the bridges to fall
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city is trying to solve the
problem by taking them down and installing Plexiglas sides, but so far they
haven’t removed very many of the walls with locks on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, Notre Dame is famous for its
flying buttresses:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB1pflq12xKErsePED5asnRK5F8emQhgqIQ6sCnCQCIbV7GAguREWM98wBDblVZ2XpmruhIjukBhGYRd9VDt9wp9mo4FbkkXK1XgFspFK0YjRa3XQdR61xn9MF8Mcn2t7R-sOvg/s1600/072+Flying+Buttresses+of+Notre+Dame.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB1pflq12xKErsePED5asnRK5F8emQhgqIQ6sCnCQCIbV7GAguREWM98wBDblVZ2XpmruhIjukBhGYRd9VDt9wp9mo4FbkkXK1XgFspFK0YjRa3XQdR61xn9MF8Mcn2t7R-sOvg/s1600/072+Flying+Buttresses+of+Notre+Dame.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another place we passed on our walking tour,
in the Latin Quarter, was the Pantheon, which was under renovation but still
impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck87zpmUqJktQ11lfLCbdZO1E1i4xr8snQ8_EGPS_Rhlb5R5F9NcWCVklzQc1JbpwhsVczmwDNqvFrvJUBNn0Wi-xB18l3sshidJ57MKHZToSFY4ak6N0bgq7XP41VIG9kLtR2Q/s1600/073+Parthenon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck87zpmUqJktQ11lfLCbdZO1E1i4xr8snQ8_EGPS_Rhlb5R5F9NcWCVklzQc1JbpwhsVczmwDNqvFrvJUBNn0Wi-xB18l3sshidJ57MKHZToSFY4ak6N0bgq7XP41VIG9kLtR2Q/s1600/073+Parthenon.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is modeled on the
Pantheon in Rome, but is now basically a mausoleum with some distinguished
citizens of Paris buried there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elaine
and I also enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Luxembourg gardens, which were
absolutely beautiful with impressive walkways, flowers, buildings, and packed
with people enjoying it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also visited the outside gardens and areas
of the Louvre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobFLxTb0j4NNtlK-l_0WHuTIqjaCAxVXUlTf0tl5vLOkI0fQLnBPhKn60i1TAjitf0WoxWlvIOfgEgeZxY7qmvvJmQV0yTUotwCKBKAgW_sTLshwpwtkQAMeymjIk_TGfwszOlw/s1600/075+Louvre.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobFLxTb0j4NNtlK-l_0WHuTIqjaCAxVXUlTf0tl5vLOkI0fQLnBPhKn60i1TAjitf0WoxWlvIOfgEgeZxY7qmvvJmQV0yTUotwCKBKAgW_sTLshwpwtkQAMeymjIk_TGfwszOlw/s1600/075+Louvre.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have already
been there, so we didn’t feel compelled to visit it later when our tour group
had a chance to do an optional visit inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the Place de la Concorde there are impressive fountains, and also
this obelisk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTwckooEf5AxXAVpnLGP9sliYUt2j-lxQk029yZv1WJgj7zRfOEhdwSJwnZ1oqtgbWKJ9KwegosCzMvXCHT5BXL8P0koXl-vvzDpIH6rEFyPCnXxpV1XU2Lz0AwbLRsz4bi8tSw/s1600/076+Place+de+la+Concorde.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTwckooEf5AxXAVpnLGP9sliYUt2j-lxQk029yZv1WJgj7zRfOEhdwSJwnZ1oqtgbWKJ9KwegosCzMvXCHT5BXL8P0koXl-vvzDpIH6rEFyPCnXxpV1XU2Lz0AwbLRsz4bi8tSw/s1600/076+Place+de+la+Concorde.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the
largest square in Paris and is at the eastern end of the Champs Elysees, the
most famous boulevard in Paris, with the Arch de Triomphe at the other
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get to the sights at the other
side of the river, we crossed the very picturesque Alexander III bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcYGYPk7Q0UuPC2wHvqquJRZQOURKT6mfgye6DirHVH69oYpSrYmKZ6WbPw94e6O0g-SgbhNtfyqLQGkb-Mj2FrjghwdZ6r2E7TRMWPTZLl_WNE12GOa6GONJ2rnpoVDLFSJrdQ/s1600/076a+Alexander+III+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcYGYPk7Q0UuPC2wHvqquJRZQOURKT6mfgye6DirHVH69oYpSrYmKZ6WbPw94e6O0g-SgbhNtfyqLQGkb-Mj2FrjghwdZ6r2E7TRMWPTZLl_WNE12GOa6GONJ2rnpoVDLFSJrdQ/s1600/076a+Alexander+III+Bridge.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It connects the Champs Elysees quarter and the Invalides and Eiffel
Tower quarter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides some nice
sculptures, there are beautiful light fixtures on the bridge:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT3Phtq2sfhWaHFCRM9zj2Nj23gIgZbNjjFNBcBtQ5x_dkEWTjiiBUATQtjaSkOC1b1ML0vUa7PC6oM1WWdZSflRc98AmZbC_-2cMJp8XW1ONbc5RG8fFRRVNct2jpu7pBHjTrg/s1600/077+Alexander+III+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT3Phtq2sfhWaHFCRM9zj2Nj23gIgZbNjjFNBcBtQ5x_dkEWTjiiBUATQtjaSkOC1b1ML0vUa7PC6oM1WWdZSflRc98AmZbC_-2cMJp8XW1ONbc5RG8fFRRVNct2jpu7pBHjTrg/s1600/077+Alexander+III+Bridge.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With an impressive gold dome, everyone notices the Les Invalides museum,
which is a complex that has a lot of war memorabilia, as well as the history of
the time it was a hospital, and is additionally the place where notable people
are buried, such as Napoleon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
walking tour ended at the Eiffel Tower, which is always impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair, and is the most visited single monument in the world.</span></div>
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</span>When we joined our Gate 1 tour group at the Paris hotel, it was located
very close to the Eiffel Tower, so we were able to go out at night to see it
when it was lit up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was really fun because every hour on the
hour at night between 8 and 12, for 5 minutes, they turn on lights that make
the entire tower “sparkle”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took a video of it, but I
can’t post it here – if you want me to send it to you, e-mail me and I
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The Gate1 tour group was slightly smaller than the Spain
group, and about 16 were a bunch of college fraternity guys and their wives who
were all over 70!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had kept in
touch all these years and done previous travels together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hung around with everyone else. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our bus tour of the city with the group, we
were able to stop and take some pictures at the Arc de Triomphe:</div>
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It honors those who fought and died for
France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, and the names of the
generals and battles are inscribed inside the arches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also the tomb of the unknown
soldier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another impressive sight is the
Opera House, which we didn’t see until just before our tour left the city.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUpPA3YFhzUlMpF04ZFM5m18rxGImau7KMItf1y1OM0CjgrRiNMG0KrJHI_AtRfJ2as3BUr2_lqUUrixIhLxQiwPwM_ZJrVHFJfRjtfYOSwN_DwxSBs70XqAQGV0Iq6MdE7hyLA/s1600/081+Opera+House.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUpPA3YFhzUlMpF04ZFM5m18rxGImau7KMItf1y1OM0CjgrRiNMG0KrJHI_AtRfJ2as3BUr2_lqUUrixIhLxQiwPwM_ZJrVHFJfRjtfYOSwN_DwxSBs70XqAQGV0Iq6MdE7hyLA/s1600/081+Opera+House.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next time we are there, I would like to tour this place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one of the days when Elaine and I were on
our own, we took the metro to Sacre Couer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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This is a Catholic church located at the top of the area known as
Montmartre, the highest point of the city. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a big lawn area on the hill in front
of it and it was absolutely packed with people enjoying the warm day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the view is amazing, but this day
it was hazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we left Paris and
had our first stop in Epernay, about 130 km from Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the main place in France where
champagne is made and stored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to
the Mercier Caverns, where the first sight we saw was a huge wooden cask:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The history of the house of Eugène Mercier is told in a visual spectacle
before visiting the cellars. Then, two panoramic elevators took us 30 meters
underground, where a train guided by laser beam helped us discover a part of
the 18 km of tunnels, where this is what we saw:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDRjZzVF10LJt0wQjn4PoOALRGNV4tpSLUin7Hd4kLjEAc1qskVGJLcGVsjhekCrsApi48WOxQymlQQKHW6PXG9XRLpv6UP_lktKd8yzLqpH0rZ2gDAjUKyHzmUGPjN_PHortug/s1600/084+Champagne+Bottles+in+Cellars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDRjZzVF10LJt0wQjn4PoOALRGNV4tpSLUin7Hd4kLjEAc1qskVGJLcGVsjhekCrsApi48WOxQymlQQKHW6PXG9XRLpv6UP_lktKd8yzLqpH0rZ2gDAjUKyHzmUGPjN_PHortug/s1600/084+Champagne+Bottles+in+Cellars.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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</span>The tunnels seem extensive:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIeCt9PN464YUs1srvyAYLNosq-EfwrXo1imhb9lllg7KeNSJiR_ZaDnsrslDhDrBblxCd9N3hIM59kzrKR-T1rNO_BYxtpzFxWNbTIxiXN8MXbzqDTz_VtOsUPjE4117ce_Ysw/s1600/085+Cellar+Tour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIeCt9PN464YUs1srvyAYLNosq-EfwrXo1imhb9lllg7KeNSJiR_ZaDnsrslDhDrBblxCd9N3hIM59kzrKR-T1rNO_BYxtpzFxWNbTIxiXN8MXbzqDTz_VtOsUPjE4117ce_Ysw/s1600/085+Cellar+Tour.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we went back to enjoy
a glass of champagne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next stop was
Dijon, the capital of the Burgundy region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is one of the main squares:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an architecturally
rich town and has an interesting cathedral with many diverse gargoyles on the
front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between the 11<sup>th</sup> and
15<sup>th</sup> centuries, it was a place of great wealth and power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the interesting streets was this one,
very narrow and with many half-timbered houses still there from the 15<sup>th</sup>
century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, the
main sight during the drives between places of interest was vineyards and wine
estates. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQxjmYgKJVumjhGdkCQ9MBUcx71Gkm5owmSZudKDE6CFetfPgXNN0sqBR4NubHmDbrzeLhVhXHqVEGeeHNOCocF2m3E0erS-a-jao9q0JXXI8I4wbpZtJwAOSDe7j7hNUGJdJ3A/s1600/088+Vineyards+&+Wine+Estate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQxjmYgKJVumjhGdkCQ9MBUcx71Gkm5owmSZudKDE6CFetfPgXNN0sqBR4NubHmDbrzeLhVhXHqVEGeeHNOCocF2m3E0erS-a-jao9q0JXXI8I4wbpZtJwAOSDe7j7hNUGJdJ3A/s1600/088+Vineyards+&+Wine+Estate.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the main wine
centers in France is the town of Beaune, and is sometimes called the “capital
of burgundy wines”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a walled city,
with perhaps 50% left of it, and has many Roman features remaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of part of the town:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
group did a wine tasting in an old church there which is now a wine store with
wine cellers in the basements under the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moving on to
Aix-en-Provence, our group had a walking tour starting along the Cours Mirabeau.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is lined with fine houses and
buildings and has many impressive fountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The buildings are of a yellow sandstone type which reminded us of the
Cotswolds in the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture
of the city hall: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13ZTXHHkDGaNeeasl-pv2EwuuD3cMUFRLFpVPA6w5aPiQSMSWCVm2qr24vSIDIr5ZuwRDrOt7kTOl9E8LuHJT2qzHtklUBrkofw8gkkAnDtST0U6nXTzGaioWBHlZDG_3DdhuSQ/s1600/091+Town+Hall+in+Aix-en-Provence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13ZTXHHkDGaNeeasl-pv2EwuuD3cMUFRLFpVPA6w5aPiQSMSWCVm2qr24vSIDIr5ZuwRDrOt7kTOl9E8LuHJT2qzHtklUBrkofw8gkkAnDtST0U6nXTzGaioWBHlZDG_3DdhuSQ/s1600/091+Town+Hall+in+Aix-en-Provence.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we
took an optional tour to St. Remy, where we saw some very old buildings such as
these: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Et7bbPFePAiJcSWe5HgHkPhS_7SA6GVZBlDOP8nJNVxaSc3Tx6fqc_OFkmCO86mIME-4oZAVrLL3yhvzI3Zxdskg1HPdOyo-c2lEjGOUpl_fHhzMauOgxcgHVsjyy3mO2_tpog/s1600/092+Old+Tower+in+St.+Remy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Et7bbPFePAiJcSWe5HgHkPhS_7SA6GVZBlDOP8nJNVxaSc3Tx6fqc_OFkmCO86mIME-4oZAVrLL3yhvzI3Zxdskg1HPdOyo-c2lEjGOUpl_fHhzMauOgxcgHVsjyy3mO2_tpog/s1600/092+Old+Tower+in+St.+Remy.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a quiet place, not
heavily visited by tourists, and we had a nice walk there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was one of the interesting
fountains:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERs8Su1mkkgWbpcbRLZc4jQhfNZVbQvBU1YiPSj-irgBVeOooQKr8U7rXUotYTr1uoN7OjXNRM2ZmzMaSGHIB5oE-8jKZnTS2i_8v7VNSY0vS5RWX24c3vf3RVkdmgZgfi8Yoog/s1600/093+Old+Fountain+in+St.+Remy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERs8Su1mkkgWbpcbRLZc4jQhfNZVbQvBU1YiPSj-irgBVeOooQKr8U7rXUotYTr1uoN7OjXNRM2ZmzMaSGHIB5oE-8jKZnTS2i_8v7VNSY0vS5RWX24c3vf3RVkdmgZgfi8Yoog/s1600/093+Old+Fountain+in+St.+Remy.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heavy mineral content of the water
spilling out the mouth of the sculptures have caused a limestone buildup, and
then plants started growing on it to make this display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outside St. Remy is the Saint-Paul asylum,
where Vincent van Gogh was a patient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
painted many of the scenes he saw around the building and from his window, and
now they are on display there on the grounds:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HMV5UZgfdQm3BbKb4pQXlUE71LbtdGHoqZzs3auOdXd17aSmpU-I2W-J81FeR6UlorOmnZkvOPiMdM8-EtrIN0XpjmxC1w_RKg-miVcs8PL5J8yFOO6EYtTUmrUcNVzWHKRgCw/s1600/095+Near+Vincent+Van+Gogh+Infirmary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HMV5UZgfdQm3BbKb4pQXlUE71LbtdGHoqZzs3auOdXd17aSmpU-I2W-J81FeR6UlorOmnZkvOPiMdM8-EtrIN0XpjmxC1w_RKg-miVcs8PL5J8yFOO6EYtTUmrUcNVzWHKRgCw/s1600/095+Near+Vincent+Van+Gogh+Infirmary.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we drove between
villages, there were tree-lined roads:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLQk1RRcGmNEwArA4P6HNV7RKcESyM844u4SarfJf6okBIE4ZpanvonnJZvUYit_BnnHYHHP6x4TqBRvgFpLwi6u9ZhfhrRl2HcaW9XFbxpJxO4GjviTAzQGs5Cv2Y4mThjWxdg/s1600/094+Tree-lined+Road.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLQk1RRcGmNEwArA4P6HNV7RKcESyM844u4SarfJf6okBIE4ZpanvonnJZvUYit_BnnHYHHP6x4TqBRvgFpLwi6u9ZhfhrRl2HcaW9XFbxpJxO4GjviTAzQGs5Cv2Y4mThjWxdg/s1600/094+Tree-lined+Road.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Les Baux-de-Provence has a spectacular position in the mountains and is
crowned by a ruined castle at the top of the town. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmploSpfCY3zMoB3hQK9iZH7zReix6CitQlgCEt-ewlHEe_Go4_I8SQw7zSP2gkXB-ncLXGaF4yxvntN2dIWecBIUKUKtErR5VT4AWGrYrbLoqnqPWLRaqOLIVJMrNHZ0hoYjjlw/s1600/096+Les+Baux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmploSpfCY3zMoB3hQK9iZH7zReix6CitQlgCEt-ewlHEe_Go4_I8SQw7zSP2gkXB-ncLXGaF4yxvntN2dIWecBIUKUKtErR5VT4AWGrYrbLoqnqPWLRaqOLIVJMrNHZ0hoYjjlw/s1600/096+Les+Baux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a convoluted town of houses, stores and
restaurants all made of rock. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkwkFQKfNhidehVI9b6yO_RA_UdhVXyMXdNggkW1PugClJwLmoINqkmIjWqQaw9XIyaOxT7niq_d1pj95gqd2T5wwT-3_57qBvskhf_A7ZFnpXyubAnB1T05T5fHYVeP6WsM_Fg/s1600/097+Architecture+in+Les+Baux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkwkFQKfNhidehVI9b6yO_RA_UdhVXyMXdNggkW1PugClJwLmoINqkmIjWqQaw9XIyaOxT7niq_d1pj95gqd2T5wwT-3_57qBvskhf_A7ZFnpXyubAnB1T05T5fHYVeP6WsM_Fg/s1600/097+Architecture+in+Les+Baux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
started as a town in 6000BC and has been continuously inhabited all this
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a view of some houses in
the valley below:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXh2RcYDxqqX7hZcGC5hYLpOgqeD8jiCQRTfxi5mi2FdE-SW0mmzF8AocwGsJCRg9lzVUg1tEhGeUBU39vBlximxNbbLo_-Pa9v8ultcHATaIzYVyWPuEo0TmlwVT2Afxph5X_A/s1600/098+View+From+Les+Baux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXh2RcYDxqqX7hZcGC5hYLpOgqeD8jiCQRTfxi5mi2FdE-SW0mmzF8AocwGsJCRg9lzVUg1tEhGeUBU39vBlximxNbbLo_-Pa9v8ultcHATaIzYVyWPuEo0TmlwVT2Afxph5X_A/s1600/098+View+From+Les+Baux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now it mostly survives on tourism, although
in the past the mineral bauxite was discovered and mined near here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carcassone, one of
Europe’s most perfect fully walled cities, and a UNESCO world heritage site, was
our next stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFjub0AAwlEm6fcZJKKk4fa2jPBSqlwbu55hfAzyqpCsuLTQOp4BevfoBYa8KpGe5QYx9D7nlQjV0iypuvTHBkIMX2rmgH8Z7IPYi95_lUIMnlbD4DY55ukHgyTW-aGknNKXToQ/s1600/099+Outer+Wall+at+Carcassone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFjub0AAwlEm6fcZJKKk4fa2jPBSqlwbu55hfAzyqpCsuLTQOp4BevfoBYa8KpGe5QYx9D7nlQjV0iypuvTHBkIMX2rmgH8Z7IPYi95_lUIMnlbD4DY55ukHgyTW-aGknNKXToQ/s1600/099+Outer+Wall+at+Carcassone.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The outer walls and towers are huge and
impressive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RuYw_YxX8zMheHdVtw5pqtpPX0aIgylALIjc1M-1MutBV_o-S7uvQGQD4lJ8g25zSuN8ObjPDaADn6LGhs89wprw-r4hZecq-tU0Dzr6RLQvWONSesj99IDcmTaYkQedGrOdpw/s1600/100+Inner+Wall+and+Towers+at+Carassone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RuYw_YxX8zMheHdVtw5pqtpPX0aIgylALIjc1M-1MutBV_o-S7uvQGQD4lJ8g25zSuN8ObjPDaADn6LGhs89wprw-r4hZecq-tU0Dzr6RLQvWONSesj99IDcmTaYkQedGrOdpw/s1600/100+Inner+Wall+and+Towers+at+Carassone.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there is a huge,
dry moat, and here we are at the inner wall:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7IEqKxjc6Cjswtgg3UWWFHodlAM1QI8WK8IQQYYpBlkaC0U1oK7FjHQulRuonHwJ0cQVyFE7nCH4kuWnJ0CMzJqv0cccs0kJFsMXIuLeAJqhKcS6uAdgwnEmnTZwGupkarX9aw/s1600/101+M&E+at+Carcassone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7IEqKxjc6Cjswtgg3UWWFHodlAM1QI8WK8IQQYYpBlkaC0U1oK7FjHQulRuonHwJ0cQVyFE7nCH4kuWnJ0CMzJqv0cccs0kJFsMXIuLeAJqhKcS6uAdgwnEmnTZwGupkarX9aw/s1600/101+M&E+at+Carcassone.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many shops, restaurants, and houses
in the town, and huge old cathedral where we had a musical performance by a
group of guys from Eastern Europe who were trying to sell some CD’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the houses were very old and built of
stone, with interesting facades: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQ9SSUGAq2-qziN67YMiO626-E8uVIvmB2Ke9fsta1YFC3-MMKr2W1G8JbQXzpwk2BmAU29INWoRjM-HAFn0GJhjcj1qG-q67-QbjmNvnY9CP2KQKuhsdOmHKv-VqQXXTwIFwbQ/s1600/102+Old+Houses+Inside+Carcassone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQ9SSUGAq2-qziN67YMiO626-E8uVIvmB2Ke9fsta1YFC3-MMKr2W1G8JbQXzpwk2BmAU29INWoRjM-HAFn0GJhjcj1qG-q67-QbjmNvnY9CP2KQKuhsdOmHKv-VqQXXTwIFwbQ/s1600/102+Old+Houses+Inside+Carcassone.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the way out of town, we stopped to take an overview picture of the
entire town, but this picture does a much better job of showing the enormity of
the whole thing: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBPoG8ObAqbjzfFI6035n6xGJA8ah4oX2bOVesu0N7Pj6euGKgz7q6H7J4B7zxDGnkwZl4t6t_OtYM3IZln_3kTdQbUrAn6qzfwZd9U1a7jqPZhvtEcIedzZO7PMUpyRu4uhoeA/s1600/103+Picture+of+Carcassone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBPoG8ObAqbjzfFI6035n6xGJA8ah4oX2bOVesu0N7Pj6euGKgz7q6H7J4B7zxDGnkwZl4t6t_OtYM3IZln_3kTdQbUrAn6qzfwZd9U1a7jqPZhvtEcIedzZO7PMUpyRu4uhoeA/s1600/103+Picture+of+Carcassone.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given its popularity
with tourists today, it is surprising that in the mid 1800’s, France almost
demolished the whole place because it had fallen into disrepair, and lost its
importance as a fortification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank
goodness they didn’t!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a real change
of pace, our next stop was Lourdes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is not far from the Pyrenees mountains, and is a major Catholic pilgrimage
site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are only 17,000 residents,
yet they get more than 5 million visitors per year thanks to visions of the
Virgin Mary reported by a young girl named Bernadette in 1858.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNur9ie42l6AWXHVh34jqKXt8z7OLNKOIB4GIouYGNVvlTvUq7ZA7K8ZMHETJVfULszQ0hyphenhyphenB4jge5EDAHwbLN4L902iIgO9O-Z4vGHAbKVTGBKiJn-DSnoEFdoXlVJzV3ki6Ii3A/s1600/104+Bernadette+of+Lourdes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNur9ie42l6AWXHVh34jqKXt8z7OLNKOIB4GIouYGNVvlTvUq7ZA7K8ZMHETJVfULszQ0hyphenhyphenB4jge5EDAHwbLN4L902iIgO9O-Z4vGHAbKVTGBKiJn-DSnoEFdoXlVJzV3ki6Ii3A/s1600/104+Bernadette+of+Lourdes.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
area near the basilica is full of narrow streets lined with shops selling
religious artifacts, and hotels where all the faithful stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtowOw2QX4Hscjs70fA9VgyMt28uNJJZB2CCySQfZu33xtPp1Jxmtn9B6uDNagbfrM7a0iNsu53EDJ3z0A2WaIm4l7ZZNuEVclgG7WGRQdBbRE_ygM8DEMcURDNPwxuA0sA4OJSg/s1600/105+Crowded+Street+in+Lourdes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtowOw2QX4Hscjs70fA9VgyMt28uNJJZB2CCySQfZu33xtPp1Jxmtn9B6uDNagbfrM7a0iNsu53EDJ3z0A2WaIm4l7ZZNuEVclgG7WGRQdBbRE_ygM8DEMcURDNPwxuA0sA4OJSg/s1600/105+Crowded+Street+in+Lourdes.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every evening there is a procession and ceremony on the huge square in
front of the basilica and there are hundreds of people there in wheelchairs and
in rolling beds who have come there hoping for a miracle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RRv5MXDi9BHNJms7tTKL-72luQtix0sYljCtqpQbUnAp4jQX-zPAhg43K4s8IO-JTU9Yj22MI8dM6bXQpco67evOKQuFT-QPWP_rYeXIB9XJ7CF-OXdpJ69Y6p87BySq1iYmrg/s1600/106+Night+Procession+at+Lourdes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RRv5MXDi9BHNJms7tTKL-72luQtix0sYljCtqpQbUnAp4jQX-zPAhg43K4s8IO-JTU9Yj22MI8dM6bXQpco67evOKQuFT-QPWP_rYeXIB9XJ7CF-OXdpJ69Y6p87BySq1iYmrg/s1600/106+Night+Procession+at+Lourdes.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everyone brings candles, which they light and carry around during the
ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Catholic church has officially
recognized 69 healings which have taken place here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of the huge basilica </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgSapb0q1OpMWDsACHrRsu7-Dscu5DZBHvz07EA58KphnwWE3dqDYYzgdvL3UUTT5HdrKQZk473XOq_IBLZLdfZaJSGK0qGWtQUWPWCZ2Nakn5Pg3wXWCZFJoLd1ZqoVTopQmBQ/s1600/107+Main+Cathedral+at+Lourdes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgSapb0q1OpMWDsACHrRsu7-Dscu5DZBHvz07EA58KphnwWE3dqDYYzgdvL3UUTT5HdrKQZk473XOq_IBLZLdfZaJSGK0qGWtQUWPWCZ2Nakn5Pg3wXWCZFJoLd1ZqoVTopQmBQ/s1600/107+Main+Cathedral+at+Lourdes.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is built on the top of the grotto
where Bernadette had her visions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHTh2PwhmSRm24_c9B44oIme-0hSCllxExXhun6YzikCgW25SCoVsYXEHCfDLs2ht2OHLS37FEkpH2dCNWjsrpEmt709OD9yvSvTX_7meyiPLiMprMDKSDGZdZojSnMh-ezAp5w/s1600/108+Grotto+at+Lourdes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHTh2PwhmSRm24_c9B44oIme-0hSCllxExXhun6YzikCgW25SCoVsYXEHCfDLs2ht2OHLS37FEkpH2dCNWjsrpEmt709OD9yvSvTX_7meyiPLiMprMDKSDGZdZojSnMh-ezAp5w/s1600/108+Grotto+at+Lourdes.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Emilion, our
next stop, one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux, is a very scenic
town which specializes in pate as well as wines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sits in a bowl, so there are steep streets
leading down through town:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBM8FG5FcpDfUKEmgy6CaxI5hvntjgqK0FSMueH7u08dSF_moswPRHSe6rFKNkYm1fZRR273cvvCLvVpiJUnIS5fXBL3P5hXWv92Cg-ncVzDLe3FZ922zgMv7pXqXPhbWdD0zGA/s1600/110+St.+Emilion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBM8FG5FcpDfUKEmgy6CaxI5hvntjgqK0FSMueH7u08dSF_moswPRHSe6rFKNkYm1fZRR273cvvCLvVpiJUnIS5fXBL3P5hXWv92Cg-ncVzDLe3FZ922zgMv7pXqXPhbWdD0zGA/s1600/110+St.+Emilion.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
UNESCO heritage town also has Romanesque churches and ruins, as well as one of
the tallest buildings which was this clock tower:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLAY5eXBMqSTwOxOwO6f78tr9q3BXVnZqd0lFZuvejAwOndVTzvcDgyzfG-uaad5G7YFMRQQrxbjE8V2CLu90Sr5K2bCDMmPhkXaW99m6e5twhtqGr3nESlfMoz6VAuNA2xDOzw/s1600/109+Tower+at+St.+Emilion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLAY5eXBMqSTwOxOwO6f78tr9q3BXVnZqd0lFZuvejAwOndVTzvcDgyzfG-uaad5G7YFMRQQrxbjE8V2CLu90Sr5K2bCDMmPhkXaW99m6e5twhtqGr3nESlfMoz6VAuNA2xDOzw/s1600/109+Tower+at+St.+Emilion.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
stopped at one of the local places and did some pate, cheese, and wine tasting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoU2uE4iMHb8oyPmbV-XPyfEoFRbWTIX8NjDAt-0k6TbGNguz_qRx_FfpofYRLDj-r6cTjeLVbiC2YASPOZj3qVW9vB7gmY2LNC4LiltarZA_twJHQa3ggQq8bpdwdYH_2Peaqag/s1600/111+Pate,+Cheese+and+Wine+Tasting+at+St.+Emilion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoU2uE4iMHb8oyPmbV-XPyfEoFRbWTIX8NjDAt-0k6TbGNguz_qRx_FfpofYRLDj-r6cTjeLVbiC2YASPOZj3qVW9vB7gmY2LNC4LiltarZA_twJHQa3ggQq8bpdwdYH_2Peaqag/s1600/111+Pate,+Cheese+and+Wine+Tasting+at+St.+Emilion.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on the way to the city of
Bordeaux, which we were very impressed with when we visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a large city, but has the old walled
city area which has many fascinating buildings and charming squares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the world’s major wine industry capital
and is on the UNESCO world heritage list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Despite the fact that it is a very old city, there is a very modern tram
system, even servicing the old historic part of the city. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeMpVJvorGy5p-EGYYQN234EaOlOuTduAihZ_YTfLdpaj6UObgd-YbCJqiLrLWZZxYULfZNOxtvDlm8XU3tM_ItFK5VroIyH1my-L0ALidisjc9KKAMTupTEeftdJFjmP53c7CQ/s1600/112+Modern+Tram+in+Bordeaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeMpVJvorGy5p-EGYYQN234EaOlOuTduAihZ_YTfLdpaj6UObgd-YbCJqiLrLWZZxYULfZNOxtvDlm8XU3tM_ItFK5VroIyH1my-L0ALidisjc9KKAMTupTEeftdJFjmP53c7CQ/s1600/112+Modern+Tram+in+Bordeaux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the Grand Theater, which was built in
the 18<sup>th</sup> century:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xMgCmzJxiGv206z2tPCoduBJ-bgbeTDlToFw_iwzTtCJFPhI_YugseXWTMtSlKc6Zb3Z9ftQOa_ywFje3sn28AHU_NfDRDf4uuTh0oLu_dMTFKV2O1VqGNJfzfsNuaOS3eHGJA/s1600/113+Building+in+Bordeaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xMgCmzJxiGv206z2tPCoduBJ-bgbeTDlToFw_iwzTtCJFPhI_YugseXWTMtSlKc6Zb3Z9ftQOa_ywFje3sn28AHU_NfDRDf4uuTh0oLu_dMTFKV2O1VqGNJfzfsNuaOS3eHGJA/s1600/113+Building+in+Bordeaux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Place de la Bourse, is a huge building on a huge square and is the stock
exchange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp508stJOqVymKnc7v2YX4S0qwGLiQoryBvzcG5jfDKyxQHHKcWzla257ixOzDvUK0XMw4_oG4C8_adnZlL-f8PLuY3Fs8LkFSs6JdcG3dleC8S7rh4894NlOe9Tl-pD11Ej_Rg/s1600/114+Stock+Exchange+in+Bordeaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWp508stJOqVymKnc7v2YX4S0qwGLiQoryBvzcG5jfDKyxQHHKcWzla257ixOzDvUK0XMw4_oG4C8_adnZlL-f8PLuY3Fs8LkFSs6JdcG3dleC8S7rh4894NlOe9Tl-pD11Ej_Rg/s1600/114+Stock+Exchange+in+Bordeaux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is located right
across the street from the river, which leads to the port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the river, there was a re-creation of the
tall ship Hermione, General Lafayette’s 18<sup>th</sup> century ship which
helped America win the Revolutionary War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is scheduled to sail to America in 2015. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguULaeVQII3UU9dlDohpfZGQI8X-pv3vs0lWfjUf3EZZCT5wDXjq1dDT0JlhF4YMPT_VTZDpQWZNXRn5Lbnnc4YEzxjN167M28zbooCV8IEzY_Ih1gMcWkkK-i7e0YPCePROocSQ/s1600/115+Old+Ship+Replica+Hermione,+in+Bordeaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguULaeVQII3UU9dlDohpfZGQI8X-pv3vs0lWfjUf3EZZCT5wDXjq1dDT0JlhF4YMPT_VTZDpQWZNXRn5Lbnnc4YEzxjN167M28zbooCV8IEzY_Ih1gMcWkkK-i7e0YPCePROocSQ/s1600/115+Old+Ship+Replica+Hermione,+in+Bordeaux.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the participants were in costume:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2V7hZWjqfce18mIqGVGPGe6FNtiSTrcq2pfjPZuZYVOPEPYgEITOm0YrYcInS21VytwVGJjqitswC-C0q0bcev0yaCXcGY_ysI-DMAS2RJy7MW2AaobkoYVEL3ARD3jF9pFnuQ/s1600/116+Actors+from+Hermione.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2V7hZWjqfce18mIqGVGPGe6FNtiSTrcq2pfjPZuZYVOPEPYgEITOm0YrYcInS21VytwVGJjqitswC-C0q0bcev0yaCXcGY_ysI-DMAS2RJy7MW2AaobkoYVEL3ARD3jF9pFnuQ/s1600/116+Actors+from+Hermione.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the more impressive parts
of the old city was one of the old city gates: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGbhUtpGRAIY7IZQfb_CPPXu-xLs_MWn1PN_8o2EOMMSOaffae10kKQ8zZgRPqJTC4bSO85ygAt2GMv62vym8DShKLs-nPk1CcE9EEcZBK6RfddnZxBAaROZlWIwjA7QiuFlOng/s1600/117+Old+City+Gate+at+Bordeaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGbhUtpGRAIY7IZQfb_CPPXu-xLs_MWn1PN_8o2EOMMSOaffae10kKQ8zZgRPqJTC4bSO85ygAt2GMv62vym8DShKLs-nPk1CcE9EEcZBK6RfddnZxBAaROZlWIwjA7QiuFlOng/s1600/117+Old+City+Gate+at+Bordeaux.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also a very impressive fountain,
located at the base of the Column of the Girondins, and this is the sculpture
in it: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Dcvtp-sxLkngAoo5rjbFoTt-lrSKY8zBpxUQrPokCxVGaqcANUjscJKiglTPbjDoWW0FTGH0K3d7pDXKv8msHpOODNK64pN1SRHAmcK_bXlGJerJgFJFTfkX2Khu71iqWvUkjQ/s1600/118+Fountain+Sculpture+in+Bordeaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Dcvtp-sxLkngAoo5rjbFoTt-lrSKY8zBpxUQrPokCxVGaqcANUjscJKiglTPbjDoWW0FTGH0K3d7pDXKv8msHpOODNK64pN1SRHAmcK_bXlGJerJgFJFTfkX2Khu71iqWvUkjQ/s1600/118+Fountain+Sculpture+in+Bordeaux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a huge carousel
and carnival in the nearby park.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Baron Otard cognac dynasty was founded in 1795.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is housed in a medieval chateau in the town of Cognac, which is
fascinating to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originating in the
9th century, this castle went from being a fortress during the Hundred Year War
to the home of the Valois family in the 1500s and future King of France,
Francois I. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1688 the Scottish Baron
James O’tard followed King James II into exile in France and acquired the
property, where his expensive and delicious cognac is now produced, stored in
the cellars and dungeons to age, and bottled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQuHvVcDZMNfGxiHH3xZEti1KbAh2YFcLyWwA-Qp4kArMVlIsf0vEW-mjjEjUmER4Y3fdJagepCtehYdbhZY7Q-r-5BJbhHHmGH8ynVr_fZ8maEgj9teCormBXrlGjeTK2oE5Ww/s1600/119+Cognac+Bottle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQuHvVcDZMNfGxiHH3xZEti1KbAh2YFcLyWwA-Qp4kArMVlIsf0vEW-mjjEjUmER4Y3fdJagepCtehYdbhZY7Q-r-5BJbhHHmGH8ynVr_fZ8maEgj9teCormBXrlGjeTK2oE5Ww/s1600/119+Cognac+Bottle.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> We did a tour and tasting there and were educated about this liqueur,
and impressed with the product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqV7dtyEGC9ZZvPnYr9SfIar4EdrW5zwRYgpn6K9ghZWpMZu4T-PLzzS-mKxq8dE6glueM71bMBOJTp_R4mHx_rAFEFP2BoCpTMgHTIizcUCSw3Y4-2ELTMcwHUYm6L7NzivztQ/s1600/120+Cognac+Tasting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqV7dtyEGC9ZZvPnYr9SfIar4EdrW5zwRYgpn6K9ghZWpMZu4T-PLzzS-mKxq8dE6glueM71bMBOJTp_R4mHx_rAFEFP2BoCpTMgHTIizcUCSw3Y4-2ELTMcwHUYm6L7NzivztQ/s1600/120+Cognac+Tasting.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the bottles cost more than 4000
Euros!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some of the casks being
aged in the dungeon: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_pO-vGQ0Oppb6CQYeLt4OuvjIKqlZK4WeEy787om4_oUumfrSnVjJ-gerBYjG39vDUFVL8ky8DFCwoa-KUwhYa0drG0WEh79g_2XqbdleTUStz-fWR4x5fBXqYvwAV3qH2NTKQ/s1600/121+Baron+Otard+Cellars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_pO-vGQ0Oppb6CQYeLt4OuvjIKqlZK4WeEy787om4_oUumfrSnVjJ-gerBYjG39vDUFVL8ky8DFCwoa-KUwhYa0drG0WEh79g_2XqbdleTUStz-fWR4x5fBXqYvwAV3qH2NTKQ/s1600/121+Baron+Otard+Cellars.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order for
the liqueur to be called “cognac”, it has to be produced in the Cognac region
of France, made from certain kinds of grapes, produced in copper pot stills, and
aged a minimum of 2 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are different
grades of cognac, and also there is some blending involved by the producer: the
2 year old cognac is VS for “very special”; the 4 year old is VSOP for “very special
old pale”; XO is between 6 and 20 years old and stands for “extra old”; and
then there are other grades above that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course, the price goes up as the liqueur is aged longer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way back
to Paris, we stopped to visit the Chateau de Blois, in the Loire Valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a royal chateau because it was the
residence of several French kings and is also the place where Joan of Arc went
in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army
to drive the English from Orleans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
just one of the sides:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjll4iAnDZJcUJ3TYyURsPp9Hi0OfCBqsTtrguXepLbFzFrfROI-d4INYVm3wfLM0Y_u9hmsoaH5UFLsQ_TsFEcemYtiIgNNLlMHqdqbZfd1S-JpJdTlj9F59gYGsDVhCQSij8_UQ/s1600/122+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjll4iAnDZJcUJ3TYyURsPp9Hi0OfCBqsTtrguXepLbFzFrfROI-d4INYVm3wfLM0Y_u9hmsoaH5UFLsQ_TsFEcemYtiIgNNLlMHqdqbZfd1S-JpJdTlj9F59gYGsDVhCQSij8_UQ/s1600/122+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is
another in a different style because it was built at a different time:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMquY41HJTvK8sRLXBXyHL-dYCBGtD_CoLuPA-0ekBO8wau2l7BdJVwHh7CLpLSzPm3E_ZXhYtpWQy7zRyrMoko6tl9jGR0W6v7Tex6qHeKh7OmWXlpGpj6qCnWP7kNuLotlY9A/s1600/123+Other+Wall+of+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMquY41HJTvK8sRLXBXyHL-dYCBGtD_CoLuPA-0ekBO8wau2l7BdJVwHh7CLpLSzPm3E_ZXhYtpWQy7zRyrMoko6tl9jGR0W6v7Tex6qHeKh7OmWXlpGpj6qCnWP7kNuLotlY9A/s1600/123+Other+Wall+of+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has 564 rooms and 75
staircases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inside is brightly
decorated such as it was during the 18<sup>th</sup> century:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80OOpv-hHeHwSd441NnQ4dGGSgq1F-FCNXM1MbEGlDakLAekxDJtOxtO-SsPcKQ29lW39UVV6PUE4Y6aCBNeQDv7I6hovTQqbJLMFbBmUNJyKr5a89KHLEMACzQVeiPJ5D18gHw/s1600/124+Inside+of+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80OOpv-hHeHwSd441NnQ4dGGSgq1F-FCNXM1MbEGlDakLAekxDJtOxtO-SsPcKQ29lW39UVV6PUE4Y6aCBNeQDv7I6hovTQqbJLMFbBmUNJyKr5a89KHLEMACzQVeiPJ5D18gHw/s1600/124+Inside+of+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are wonderful tapestries:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCBxYvfpryLfpIh31fpJ4MzE7T0iY_1nU9jAJjdiYpN29wXBVRBHQ6BABbRwfZRwoDslSUXSEaA6eodMKeS3gTLyzVZNOlP3C4hec3iFCH9eN881x9sjL0h8dZte1-edkxH0r1g/s1600/125+Tapestry+at+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCBxYvfpryLfpIh31fpJ4MzE7T0iY_1nU9jAJjdiYpN29wXBVRBHQ6BABbRwfZRwoDslSUXSEaA6eodMKeS3gTLyzVZNOlP3C4hec3iFCH9eN881x9sjL0h8dZte1-edkxH0r1g/s1600/125+Tapestry+at+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even a Queen’s bedchamber:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsNdxI5wP2sCkrUTWqn54dh6vOlopSOVgUKnwlWh0-rz6nXxc9G3-_wnuCpIAwOdvVRS__ubmYp_PIIloM0CZewgibMXiSjKSwktvIsgBEgTi5jyVDemUdkDuGBMkZPsc-7XcdA/s1600/126+Bedchamber+at+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsNdxI5wP2sCkrUTWqn54dh6vOlopSOVgUKnwlWh0-rz6nXxc9G3-_wnuCpIAwOdvVRS__ubmYp_PIIloM0CZewgibMXiSjKSwktvIsgBEgTi5jyVDemUdkDuGBMkZPsc-7XcdA/s1600/126+Bedchamber+at+Chateau+de+Blois.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the view from the wall towards the
Loire River: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu-cvV6cJpXa_Z7TX9BEVE9_A6NUiUQrf1Kwcr12s4dhGTJkXLeC6oasQNfF_r6k56hkh2-U2i8P98vQVa3UMbeHRogvL7dIlGwbDKS3I2blLxgI7zRxB6ikjMQCEycJNTQL1NQ/s1600/127+View+From+Chateau+de+Blois+Towards+Loire+River.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRu-cvV6cJpXa_Z7TX9BEVE9_A6NUiUQrf1Kwcr12s4dhGTJkXLeC6oasQNfF_r6k56hkh2-U2i8P98vQVa3UMbeHRogvL7dIlGwbDKS3I2blLxgI7zRxB6ikjMQCEycJNTQL1NQ/s1600/127+View+From+Chateau+de+Blois+Towards+Loire+River.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>When Elaine and I
were touring around Europe in a campervan in 1989 with our kids, we visited a
different chateau on the Loire called Chenanceau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of that chateau, which was
built over the river so they could stop passing boats and collect tolls: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qiCNC-xqfkhSxIUC-wFmqqa4OxCeOuZq3XGdEq0n-gaMGONV-B_z6c3yna2zY1end2RAR0lqD8VY8RI3rkwq83mOiwTxvgyqQXFZ0Q7DcWKyWp76QFYby76tMyb8wVUPvf5m1Q/s1600/128+Picture+of+Chenanceaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qiCNC-xqfkhSxIUC-wFmqqa4OxCeOuZq3XGdEq0n-gaMGONV-B_z6c3yna2zY1end2RAR0lqD8VY8RI3rkwq83mOiwTxvgyqQXFZ0Q7DcWKyWp76QFYby76tMyb8wVUPvf5m1Q/s1600/128+Picture+of+Chenanceaux.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another interesting chateau we
stopped at this time was Chambord: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2R3zyo0cl0-D2kyFiVw7sR7lSPf7sR_TN4M_-zZAL2P4vqDMprTmAECf27X5a4Z7BIxdvW5SO2DH7uLEJyrbD24hn_sw8r8OK4alCU2nqhqaQl69W3uqRBhoG-oN5KnQNBEF-g/s1600/129+Chambord.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2R3zyo0cl0-D2kyFiVw7sR7lSPf7sR_TN4M_-zZAL2P4vqDMprTmAECf27X5a4Z7BIxdvW5SO2DH7uLEJyrbD24hn_sw8r8OK4alCU2nqhqaQl69W3uqRBhoG-oN5KnQNBEF-g/s1600/129+Chambord.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was not open this early and we didn’t have time to tour it, but it
was interesting to see the grounds, and especially the roof tops: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1EiKNStra_3J4JMhhVmIVpqqWf5YcuxTuzBLoRMmVERkYlSDt7O3hdDDF2cA9piJ89iFLjIM2M-qmYR_034d8DW_NqvYCMEJn3aJL9rUbEkLRNGJK0tn45C-PDeQKwO42OqTCg/s1600/130+Roofline+of+Chambord.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1EiKNStra_3J4JMhhVmIVpqqWf5YcuxTuzBLoRMmVERkYlSDt7O3hdDDF2cA9piJ89iFLjIM2M-qmYR_034d8DW_NqvYCMEJn3aJL9rUbEkLRNGJK0tn45C-PDeQKwO42OqTCg/s1600/130+Roofline+of+Chambord.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too far from
Paris is the city of Versailles, with the very famous palace of Louis XIV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing we have been there before because
touring the interior was not part of this Gate1 tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of the front courtyard, and
you can see that there was a really long line of people trying to get in:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuohKgWtI0t1KnjNq6yRKvEI8etB1wWCXKMDlfQ9DDjBnJVLUBGclrX66CxH2AZVi1ifxogdJXS3MyD0XE7jcZydPVAe2GDoCH49cWVVxpBcNfnPVhxPJ2O40Mu0tb5fg8d12twQ/s1600/131+Front+of+Versailles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuohKgWtI0t1KnjNq6yRKvEI8etB1wWCXKMDlfQ9DDjBnJVLUBGclrX66CxH2AZVi1ifxogdJXS3MyD0XE7jcZydPVAe2GDoCH49cWVVxpBcNfnPVhxPJ2O40Mu0tb5fg8d12twQ/s1600/131+Front+of+Versailles.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group was there to tour the
gardens, and we had to be there at a certain time because there are wonderful
fountains in the gardens, but they are only on at certain times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one was right behind the actual palace: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0l4CYRna4NWpS_e_9dFEjXnSzoO4zlc-8WW_ugeEpvgAn4R2DGEEEWgbVtb-_7dZnUm0qE_0TreX3A4tQDJjyzzwjRkgbFBvFnbjG9S0thXjfeyFS3TmYWr1TtjjVhC9Zwfh2A/s1600/132+Gardens+&+Fountains+of+Versailles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0l4CYRna4NWpS_e_9dFEjXnSzoO4zlc-8WW_ugeEpvgAn4R2DGEEEWgbVtb-_7dZnUm0qE_0TreX3A4tQDJjyzzwjRkgbFBvFnbjG9S0thXjfeyFS3TmYWr1TtjjVhC9Zwfh2A/s1600/132+Gardens+&+Fountains+of+Versailles.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This shows the quite extensive
lawns and the lake which are in the gardens: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOe-ZcKFVUkxMJ_DFV0-85KACtQv1PGIhnse9x5Y0p8ka2NUjRD0Guj9K-d3g14ERKfAZJApRthXQ3DAJr6zLH8azTv_rPp-b4OB4AdNx2eozb0q9rLSjtsXUPRI46TmBDfgF2g/s1600/133+Gardens+of+Versailles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOe-ZcKFVUkxMJ_DFV0-85KACtQv1PGIhnse9x5Y0p8ka2NUjRD0Guj9K-d3g14ERKfAZJApRthXQ3DAJr6zLH8azTv_rPp-b4OB4AdNx2eozb0q9rLSjtsXUPRI46TmBDfgF2g/s1600/133+Gardens+of+Versailles.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was the sculpture in
the fountain just in front of the lake: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ40Yk3s1kK29w2eOfPlPYUzTHqUN6fot9GYzaz_O6axxn0XlSwvsAD2eAUVOYxB7w9w9sI8ZtKQrf3Yzm7UvwpbhWlxWaBPOEhpiSiJ-AtrVyhPey_ys1lFEweAbDv1MTcddypQ/s1600/134+Fountains+at+Versailles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ40Yk3s1kK29w2eOfPlPYUzTHqUN6fot9GYzaz_O6axxn0XlSwvsAD2eAUVOYxB7w9w9sI8ZtKQrf3Yzm7UvwpbhWlxWaBPOEhpiSiJ-AtrVyhPey_ys1lFEweAbDv1MTcddypQ/s1600/134+Fountains+at+Versailles.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many other fountains but they were very spread out and it was
impossible to see them all during the short time they were turned on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was very annoying, because the fountains
were on all the time when we were here in 1989.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No doubt people finish their tour of the house and want to see them, and
they aren’t on!!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So our tour ended
in Paris on Oct. 12, and on the 13<sup>th</sup> Elaine and I took the train to
Rotterdam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a very pretty city,
and we wished we had more time to explore it, but the weather was not good and
it was raining part of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
enough time to walk around and find the cruise port area, and take this
picture: </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkH5uqKqeK1tofvcvXR6KaYypquPP5ekvc4Y9sEgBYrMtRfdw0ez_FRX1nghDiVamm8kzfMGXzd1uA41yMKnyRZbiOgdO9zB8WSxqEmXtgg1r5M07gx4oAlBZ5QNoMFubA8sXoA/s1600/135+Unique+Buildings+at+Rotterdam+Cruise+Port.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkH5uqKqeK1tofvcvXR6KaYypquPP5ekvc4Y9sEgBYrMtRfdw0ez_FRX1nghDiVamm8kzfMGXzd1uA41yMKnyRZbiOgdO9zB8WSxqEmXtgg1r5M07gx4oAlBZ5QNoMFubA8sXoA/s1600/135+Unique+Buildings+at+Rotterdam+Cruise+Port.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The port is across the
bridge and in front of the unique tall building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning we took a taxi to the port
and had a horrible time getting there, because of the traffic, and an even more
horrible time getting on the Oasis of the Seas for the return journey to Ft.
Lauderdale because of inept staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
the ship we had a happy reunion with our friends Bruce, and Doug: </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdH-620AJg3TkfwxHT4hZ6jEWXVMBK0cC7i0TadyvBzwVkEWcK_k46cpuS_66g0jxZ-Ftl6F0umtRLFVjmIDbzUDuseWnwr06o3p0MWdex6GOwCSNprFeq3Ad87P6tmpyx1PN8w/s1600/136+Doug,+Bruce,+M&E+at+Vigo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdH-620AJg3TkfwxHT4hZ6jEWXVMBK0cC7i0TadyvBzwVkEWcK_k46cpuS_66g0jxZ-Ftl6F0umtRLFVjmIDbzUDuseWnwr06o3p0MWdex6GOwCSNprFeq3Ad87P6tmpyx1PN8w/s1600/136+Doug,+Bruce,+M&E+at+Vigo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day a lot of people boarded in
Southampton, and they had a bad experience getting on as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weren’t very happy there either, because
they made us get off the ship to go through customs, and then sit in the
terminal for hours before they would allow us back on the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Oasis had been in dry dock in Rotterdam
and some of the changes they made were not complete, so they continued working
on it during our cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also did not
like many of the changes they made, and lots of the good crew members had been
taken over to the new ship, the Quantum, and replaced by inexperienced
crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the cruise back was not nearly
as enjoyable as the one we had taken over to Europe in early September.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was one stop, in Vigo, Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got off and explored with Bruce and
Doug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely, sunny day and it
was fun walking around. This is a statue dedicated to the fishermen of Vigo,
because that is one of their major industries:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7XOUqokE7hLZBY7e9VT827tN2n9-AsMvl-dFBus79FRQIsiEEGlzcLl1vWR78bIGq13bND_AoeB8CZxxa5_6v-hvJGqQ6fHB_FbL8i7FD9KA44w1cqXBrWgejW5GwxaiX1bjqw/s1600/137+Fishermen+Statue+in+Vigo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7XOUqokE7hLZBY7e9VT827tN2n9-AsMvl-dFBus79FRQIsiEEGlzcLl1vWR78bIGq13bND_AoeB8CZxxa5_6v-hvJGqQ6fHB_FbL8i7FD9KA44w1cqXBrWgejW5GwxaiX1bjqw/s1600/137+Fishermen+Statue+in+Vigo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another traffic roundabout had this
impressive horse statue: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIM8Nit5ozUi-CMYOrrMwhmPtUWZTmnH6jThNVPF2XqvUCDgKuS8IuQkamUf-bq62eKSxrdmbxFelBzOlIRo-CgWUFpbK4p9KA31RrCyOp2AnDXWo60hxNClkOJx7gUt9_64nBQ/s1600/138+Horse+Statue+in+Vigo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIM8Nit5ozUi-CMYOrrMwhmPtUWZTmnH6jThNVPF2XqvUCDgKuS8IuQkamUf-bq62eKSxrdmbxFelBzOlIRo-CgWUFpbK4p9KA31RrCyOp2AnDXWo60hxNClkOJx7gUt9_64nBQ/s1600/138+Horse+Statue+in+Vigo.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our good friends,
Letty Reeser and Denice Osborne were also on the ship, and here we are having
lunch with them, and the guys, in Giovanni’s:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi431nvXtem8LTlO-BLI7v3bDpNP-fBbgRlroaULdmaOne2RPf38wee9Hz-u71qHldFfytkEl3IAeuWsWYLCuBtUKlZGeHd42vusduElhh9UnZfPwDMY81SWGNgyFX8hRX_hjKeXQ/s1600/139+6+Friends+Having+Dinner+On+Oasis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi431nvXtem8LTlO-BLI7v3bDpNP-fBbgRlroaULdmaOne2RPf38wee9Hz-u71qHldFfytkEl3IAeuWsWYLCuBtUKlZGeHd42vusduElhh9UnZfPwDMY81SWGNgyFX8hRX_hjKeXQ/s1600/139+6+Friends+Having+Dinner+On+Oasis.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the big events was when our friends Bob
and Jon, from Toronto, made Pinnacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbNV_Y80Wn8hdwR06uPgz94QgbB5d1jb6V2j0v_5E8v6BUC2BPEIwuXoP_Yd218YsZRqvRtjrqcs1FVicRJd2YJeTobeURjIHxscDJp8EEhQ_QT6BYtfrQJ85BcS1EViR4IfQKw/s1600/141+Bob+&+Jon+Make+Pinnacle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbNV_Y80Wn8hdwR06uPgz94QgbB5d1jb6V2j0v_5E8v6BUC2BPEIwuXoP_Yd218YsZRqvRtjrqcs1FVicRJd2YJeTobeURjIHxscDJp8EEhQ_QT6BYtfrQJ85BcS1EViR4IfQKw/s1600/141+Bob+&+Jon+Make+Pinnacle.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that they have
acquired over 700 cruise days with Royal Caribbean, and they get extra perks
each time they sail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Towards the end of
the cruise, on Oct. 25, we had dinner at Sabor, the new restaurant onboard with
the 4 friends: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPGaKN6STwzAincoEXs3NwT5PF4_7lwzcwmmxiokc7-4o7Tj4EbxeDwHeckl7tG_WOqxAayyv1mpO6FYBrPwsbd9PR7DSf2IMOzan7vm2gWOCLxITWcIO1jPnbH8WUB83EK_qtg/s1600/142+Dinner+at+Sabor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPGaKN6STwzAincoEXs3NwT5PF4_7lwzcwmmxiokc7-4o7Tj4EbxeDwHeckl7tG_WOqxAayyv1mpO6FYBrPwsbd9PR7DSf2IMOzan7vm2gWOCLxITWcIO1jPnbH8WUB83EK_qtg/s1600/142+Dinner+at+Sabor.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, since it was
our 6<sup>th</sup> anniversary, they had arranged for a celebratory cake for
us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsTnddQLdtJ76PXR8smXeXXQvbxyIbjeYd8ww-KzvuThZvwSSLjUyB-VQSsfMiTEMABK_IfHagZcTPcEHo7VWSruu7p-senVyDM_aFa-IedvxsbBWNLwQf7shq3Jewf5iRC3ZMw/s1600/143+Anniversary+Cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsTnddQLdtJ76PXR8smXeXXQvbxyIbjeYd8ww-KzvuThZvwSSLjUyB-VQSsfMiTEMABK_IfHagZcTPcEHo7VWSruu7p-senVyDM_aFa-IedvxsbBWNLwQf7shq3Jewf5iRC3ZMw/s1600/143+Anniversary+Cake.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entertainment on the ship now included
the Broadway show, Cats:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNci5sCHS3tMgdAXfW9jefgnTBEkPPXfvA2g-fNhx6wI2WdqtQJYf-5QM_9cJsleoqcI_gnQ1k-cQwx7To40aMPc7xxvoSQXIvtFe88-GMsGmkCNQqdTW8HNX6kGvwDEBy_7nOuA/s1600/144+CATS+Rehersal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNci5sCHS3tMgdAXfW9jefgnTBEkPPXfvA2g-fNhx6wI2WdqtQJYf-5QM_9cJsleoqcI_gnQ1k-cQwx7To40aMPc7xxvoSQXIvtFe88-GMsGmkCNQqdTW8HNX6kGvwDEBy_7nOuA/s1600/144+CATS+Rehersal.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
costumes were good but the performance was too long and a lot of people left at
the intermission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another gang of
friends we enjoyed hanging out with on this cruise was John and Jackie Doherty,
and Jackie’s parents, Jim and Julie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They all were enthusiastic participants on the flow rider, and we
enjoyed watching them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This picture was
taken on formal night when we all had dinner at Giovanni’s:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpN3Q_ygE-_aXUJpeRaX8PqPMqI922tuNGc5xiMNVc4o6A-reAzU4me2bF9M1vWT9TVFb2EkbzFV9MhmgfkuA1LCi4IZ-7pvyp9DyBqSh5kQ26SK02t_AzXiJLCCcFXKAySsKWPA/s1600/145+Dinner+With+the+4+J's.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpN3Q_ygE-_aXUJpeRaX8PqPMqI922tuNGc5xiMNVc4o6A-reAzU4me2bF9M1vWT9TVFb2EkbzFV9MhmgfkuA1LCi4IZ-7pvyp9DyBqSh5kQ26SK02t_AzXiJLCCcFXKAySsKWPA/s1600/145+Dinner+With+the+4+J's.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our perks, being Diamond+ members, was
having lunch at Chop’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some of
the friends we enjoyed there:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David,
Mary, Charlie, Clare, and Debbie:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_TwjJPRR_kxcfUm6phuVYQiJlmfceOTawaBqjvdYfGYxFBkwxjmJdvnB0w1u0c0ZY7rOfmdjXULewvFibpSeOF1bmcwsl03goPldAffNtZNDgVLdjK54ORur1Vi7auE1ZLxRjA/s1600/146+David+&+Debbie,+Charlie,+Clare,+and+Mary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_TwjJPRR_kxcfUm6phuVYQiJlmfceOTawaBqjvdYfGYxFBkwxjmJdvnB0w1u0c0ZY7rOfmdjXULewvFibpSeOF1bmcwsl03goPldAffNtZNDgVLdjK54ORur1Vi7auE1ZLxRjA/s1600/146+David+&+Debbie,+Charlie,+Clare,+and+Mary.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is also a short zip line that goes over the Boardwalk section of
the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is Elaine in all the
gear, getting ready to zip along: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36-2NmSOc9RZS1GqIK_z18Hdjyw67tcAffLpo2N3lF9z6lXRRf9yw3eLsACpB6reMmhAYkpG0alNcQGcxvZsNXw4Q-Sr3NqM3ws3dwNWw-T_Y2JWq30XpnEcUafIyOMnHxzAp0A/s1600/147+Elaine+On+Zip+Line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36-2NmSOc9RZS1GqIK_z18Hdjyw67tcAffLpo2N3lF9z6lXRRf9yw3eLsACpB6reMmhAYkpG0alNcQGcxvZsNXw4Q-Sr3NqM3ws3dwNWw-T_Y2JWq30XpnEcUafIyOMnHxzAp0A/s1600/147+Elaine+On+Zip+Line.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
on board were some old RV friends, Joe and Carla Calwell, who have now sold
their rig and moved to Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFN4kEY8FGl0X4ftQH7SLH6Qhb2yXAl3rU5ckZ4ZYoqLIBycHLH63r_lB3JLqNcUX3XBAozrmgfbMpAZoS0O4pGiYFGfkU103RtZLJdwbTt0ks3AOHVMLNayXAnaMGWxnYt44Yw/s1600/148+M&E+With+Joe+&+Carla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwFN4kEY8FGl0X4ftQH7SLH6Qhb2yXAl3rU5ckZ4ZYoqLIBycHLH63r_lB3JLqNcUX3XBAozrmgfbMpAZoS0O4pGiYFGfkU103RtZLJdwbTt0ks3AOHVMLNayXAnaMGWxnYt44Yw/s1600/148+M&E+With+Joe+&+Carla.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We
had several pleasant visits in the Diamond lounge with them, and other mutual
friends, Maddie & George. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cruise
ended on Oct. 27 and we returned to Doug White’s house in Ft. Lauderdale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had acquired a
cold the last few days of the cruise, so I used the 4 days we were there to try
to recover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had to wash clothes
and repack because we were flying to London in order to board the Independence
in Southampton for another transatlantic cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our flight did not go well, because we spent
an entire day in the Miami airport waiting for our flight to leave for Chicago
and then on to London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, we were
able to get switched to a Swissair flight to Zurich, and then back to London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this put us in at Heathrow at 1:20PM and
we only had until 3:30PM to get to Southampton or we would miss the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to jump in a taxi and pay 224 pounds
(!) but he got us there with 15 minutes to spare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are still in the process of getting Choice
Air (our booking agent) to reimburse us this money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Independence has been sailing out of the
UK for years, and this was going to be the last transatlantic, so the ship was
very full of Brits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on the ship
with us were four friends from the UK:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sheila and Dave Matthews, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsOg6eKZfXcsRRGSiJmwAhPQdLOXUNGwt2btDy5-Q7tQnEHjR1-CMMv50wQddoauqiXoWJC0-a9m970efZepVy1Yqg3NH9qgwASBQGn07Qmh1DBiz69lNc-rZFP1AqQDgUNL_GQ/s1600/150+Sheila+&+Dave+Matthews.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsOg6eKZfXcsRRGSiJmwAhPQdLOXUNGwt2btDy5-Q7tQnEHjR1-CMMv50wQddoauqiXoWJC0-a9m970efZepVy1Yqg3NH9qgwASBQGn07Qmh1DBiz69lNc-rZFP1AqQDgUNL_GQ/s1600/150+Sheila+&+Dave+Matthews.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and Mazen & Sue Khammash:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8rvBnBh-bZkedQ09Wnfb0NPUaKTaYjqmyQfuVOZH9pj5wz-Alwu60dOLMKZ2tqMbkQXiLqv7a8l9Z8UViJ3lQlYTfVNElNnpwhUuqOZWZJ18k8px_BsobaTXeUgvZQXCAYRLTQ/s1600/149+Mazen+&+Sue+Khammash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8rvBnBh-bZkedQ09Wnfb0NPUaKTaYjqmyQfuVOZH9pj5wz-Alwu60dOLMKZ2tqMbkQXiLqv7a8l9Z8UViJ3lQlYTfVNElNnpwhUuqOZWZJ18k8px_BsobaTXeUgvZQXCAYRLTQ/s1600/149+Mazen+&+Sue+Khammash.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had lots of good fun with them in the
Schooner Bar each day doing the trivia quiz – they are experts at it!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pool area on the ship has whimsical
statues in it and colorful lights at night:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHoocIOCJs5LkcttWiGNVExsh4MgLqwIxBhiMtY5nAuUmap8waficEMpQubK0Yf4FYf5dha75hPuD7fdxrAud6y78ULduXMnU5bOafoasQlM9e79BGna1TBh1KyUEcrMG5Yg4-Q/s1600/151+Pool+On+Independence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHoocIOCJs5LkcttWiGNVExsh4MgLqwIxBhiMtY5nAuUmap8waficEMpQubK0Yf4FYf5dha75hPuD7fdxrAud6y78ULduXMnU5bOafoasQlM9e79BGna1TBh1KyUEcrMG5Yg4-Q/s1600/151+Pool+On+Independence.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed several ice shows during the
cruise, with wonderful costumes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxYV__409JUSAzm5XJlfMwKmtX8Bhcty9r0oybzUVgj6koJKeLWOOSOGRCxCOybY_aDJDZOYKp7dq6Zamn1k0fEkJPLd00HN8nYIq2RO3wmUMKVfakZLq4OL-_6iB6jOaMCYEZA/s1600/ice+show+pictures.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxYV__409JUSAzm5XJlfMwKmtX8Bhcty9r0oybzUVgj6koJKeLWOOSOGRCxCOybY_aDJDZOYKp7dq6Zamn1k0fEkJPLd00HN8nYIq2RO3wmUMKVfakZLq4OL-_6iB6jOaMCYEZA/s1600/ice+show+pictures.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxNXhZlrbgXA9hnN37U9ZcAdQM2sGcwoc1ih_FOjW0lCYIY-RF5xjneMqoKKsKJJPAqgR3hYBWZTHS6X4DlBKuhtWUt0AKBIVu64ayXKOFMKPZa_RB1f094LP7auLG-GurHhXZA/s1600/ice+show+pictures+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxNXhZlrbgXA9hnN37U9ZcAdQM2sGcwoc1ih_FOjW0lCYIY-RF5xjneMqoKKsKJJPAqgR3hYBWZTHS6X4DlBKuhtWUt0AKBIVu64ayXKOFMKPZa_RB1f094LP7auLG-GurHhXZA/s1600/ice+show+pictures+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first port was in the Caribbean – the island of St. Maarten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely, sunny day and very
warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLATaonN7lAyLOPybcAEAfplshv-QUQ2gh2VILTqwULqZuFZIkWasbHViRVDh2VHwGm4hL-7V_kyd-FEXVcpnHN-P-rD0jWRqadFjlRKHvbf9d9mgpjtJC1odzmXZkimjbszhSCg/s1600/152+St.+Maarten.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLATaonN7lAyLOPybcAEAfplshv-QUQ2gh2VILTqwULqZuFZIkWasbHViRVDh2VHwGm4hL-7V_kyd-FEXVcpnHN-P-rD0jWRqadFjlRKHvbf9d9mgpjtJC1odzmXZkimjbszhSCg/s1600/152+St.+Maarten.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked into town and found the Apple
store, which was good because we were each having an issue with an Apple
product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got those fixed and did a
little internet there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Elaine
was starting to feel bad because she was now getting the cough and cold that I
had been suffering with for several weeks, so we went back to the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing we have been to this island
before, and explored it fairly thoroughly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the smallest island in the world shared by 2 nations – we were
docked on the Dutch side, called St. Maarten, and you can take a public bus to
the French side, called St. Martin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next port was St. Thomas, and again we never got off the ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we went to Puerto Rico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a beautiful place to sail into so I
took a picture of the fort on the point on the way into San Juan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E8qZta_W2MTk9hRki_XKL_C37GxMMJzRJ2JPR2mBSD3TOOaJrxH04v7pUL0jq33fF_WBB10YZuZYFR2a3gbxSq7bOynAlGLzP11hInm6ZbgiNryuwxtngki7wY9n32aQ0qUiVQ/s1600/153+Fort+at+San+Juan,+PR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E8qZta_W2MTk9hRki_XKL_C37GxMMJzRJ2JPR2mBSD3TOOaJrxH04v7pUL0jq33fF_WBB10YZuZYFR2a3gbxSq7bOynAlGLzP11hInm6ZbgiNryuwxtngki7wY9n32aQ0qUiVQ/s1600/153+Fort+at+San+Juan,+PR.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the Castillo de San Cristobal and was built by the Spanish in 1783
to protect the city from attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of
it was demolished to help traffic flow into and out of the walled city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked in the area around the port a
little bit, and rested on the ship most of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the last nights on the ship we had
dinner at Chops with Cecelia Borges, the Loyalty Ambassador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj53GOZcuGS0SgpNwINvsP0-WMec9zGhbrIm_l0iPqauL8OpenybOFxrnI7WJ7fD-bLF_0DY1F7yUxHdcEfriUpZfz88RYuCZSUjjWRQtqJUeM4ef9goDfPacHUqx-YiVP-LcWg/s1600/156+Dinner+at+Chops+With+Cecelia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj53GOZcuGS0SgpNwINvsP0-WMec9zGhbrIm_l0iPqauL8OpenybOFxrnI7WJ7fD-bLF_0DY1F7yUxHdcEfriUpZfz88RYuCZSUjjWRQtqJUeM4ef9goDfPacHUqx-YiVP-LcWg/s1600/156+Dinner+at+Chops+With+Cecelia.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
was on a ship with us before and we had become friends with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a delightful evening, especially since
we were all leaving the ship soon – she was being sent to the Legend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, we said
goodbye to Sue, Mazen, Dave & Sheila and Doug picked us up from the
port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We only stayed
with Doug overnight, because we were booked on the Allure which left for a 1
week Caribbean cruise starting on the 16<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was so we could experience the Allure
before it too goes into dry dock in Europe next year, and they change it,
hopefully doing a better job than they did on the Oasis. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKYbKbTZY-D35mtRskUpymwqKmwZZuRhTGGxtXTwb9LJ_2GCVyQ2BMcHv9pspH5cHfxCGiEWM_lwkG6CrutfxLOrJ1kKi0qSsDTiqBY-PBUrRXftrjZIBJigxBsRCz4cGmp7Osw/s1600/155+Allure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKYbKbTZY-D35mtRskUpymwqKmwZZuRhTGGxtXTwb9LJ_2GCVyQ2BMcHv9pspH5cHfxCGiEWM_lwkG6CrutfxLOrJ1kKi0qSsDTiqBY-PBUrRXftrjZIBJigxBsRCz4cGmp7Osw/s1600/155+Allure.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very similar to the Oasis and we enjoyed
the Concierge Lounge and some friends that were onboard from other
cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them was Laura Spyrka,
and here is a picture of all of us on the Rising Tide Bar:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhlZFDXMAkrOHVuJ9Fmkv7n6fbydLI1kGLa0DG3Vm2cZdYmRoVWFan6-UKSHmeQnhR7D8XFLGP9HAWwRAd3FzEZ_rjnBcPTjrbZTaPPrxAhVDRiMeaURMDhBv2puP0SqGNvcBGQ/s1600/154+Laura+With+M&E+On+Allure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhlZFDXMAkrOHVuJ9Fmkv7n6fbydLI1kGLa0DG3Vm2cZdYmRoVWFan6-UKSHmeQnhR7D8XFLGP9HAWwRAd3FzEZ_rjnBcPTjrbZTaPPrxAhVDRiMeaURMDhBv2puP0SqGNvcBGQ/s1600/154+Laura+With+M&E+On+Allure.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The musical show on the ship was Chicago, and
we enjoyed that a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
performance we liked was later in the week and was called “Blue Planet”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It opens with a huge tree, and as the music
starts, performers start to emerge from where they are on the tree – at first
you can’t even tell that it is anything except a tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There were 17 people in this tree!! Can you see them?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLGba68C3T4nOwbzBZbVR4GZU0fXUysScW0ojA7swOEn-_F_gmQOtUllL8wCzRCuRuukB2EOIIncOsstdFpmpErRFkDKNXwp2PtOj0aZEVjC40nhzw36mNHS09c5klhkHYdx23w/s1600/157+Blue+Planet+Tree+on+Allure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLGba68C3T4nOwbzBZbVR4GZU0fXUysScW0ojA7swOEn-_F_gmQOtUllL8wCzRCuRuukB2EOIIncOsstdFpmpErRFkDKNXwp2PtOj0aZEVjC40nhzw36mNHS09c5klhkHYdx23w/s1600/157+Blue+Planet+Tree+on+Allure.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Elaine and I were still recovering from
our colds, and this is the first cruise we have ever taken where we did NOT go
to the gym to work out at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too bad,
because there is a huge, well equipped gym and not many people were using
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t get off at any of the
ports either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we returned
to Ft. Lauderdale, on Nov. 23, we took a taxi to Doug’s house and stayed
overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day he returned from
his cruise, and he drove us to pick up our car where it was being repaired by a
friend of his.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we returned to our
RV in storage and got it set up to start traveling again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our last night with Doug, we took him to the
Olive Garden near his house for a farewell dinner: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonCk0wHj9dNEOYBZ9178Xsho6jM8LG9Acg5wQoQKlbazs26ccqEVG9RseaNbTEzpx6_aqGMnN-J41Ufbfpzn96q23SJTXUqY7O6kl6FStYtTH-AXz6sRI9BBrRdeoFXJx50mKNQ/s1600/158+Dinner+at+Olive+Garden+With+Doug.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonCk0wHj9dNEOYBZ9178Xsho6jM8LG9Acg5wQoQKlbazs26ccqEVG9RseaNbTEzpx6_aqGMnN-J41Ufbfpzn96q23SJTXUqY7O6kl6FStYtTH-AXz6sRI9BBrRdeoFXJx50mKNQ/s1600/158+Dinner+at+Olive+Garden+With+Doug.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a wonderful host and we were very
fortunate that we could stay with him so many times between our various
cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove through Florida and
had to make a stop at a Camping World to have our toilet replaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was having a couple of major
problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed at their campground
there on the 25<sup>th</sup>, and that night there was a HUGE rainstorm that
went through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were in Bartow, not far
from Tampa, and there was about 4 inches of rain!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we parked our rig in the storage
area of the Brandon Elks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we drove
over to Madeira Beach, not far from Saint Petersberg, where some cruise
friends, David & Colleen DeForest have a house 1 block from the beach. They
had made arrangements with a nearby hotel for us to park our rig there for
$50/week, but we were nervous about driving it across the bridges to get out to
the barrier island where they live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, they were leaving on a cruise on Nov. 29.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we just stayed at their house for several
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a picture of them with
Elaine on the neighborhood walk we did the first night: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC3eB1Guux09bUUYhoL-lnWfnWBPmUmDq-qV2QcWBWX9XYPueA-_XmWCKmPdbN6S09LVt8N0dMyKC2Nq4bOSA3Be_gDLLB5e9D4kkSQuXIw52O6HNNgiT5Wjo0KNyl2KhoDIa-A/s1600/159+David,+Colleen+&+Elaine+on+Neighborhood+Walk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC3eB1Guux09bUUYhoL-lnWfnWBPmUmDq-qV2QcWBWX9XYPueA-_XmWCKmPdbN6S09LVt8N0dMyKC2Nq4bOSA3Be_gDLLB5e9D4kkSQuXIw52O6HNNgiT5Wjo0KNyl2KhoDIa-A/s1600/159+David,+Colleen+&+Elaine+on+Neighborhood+Walk.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we did a 3 mile walk along the
beach in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many
Great Blue Herons hanging around:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Mvwe2J1OCbaIEXEwl8nUTcm64uwF0ZZyEf0wntZa00rigAKBo478ba6T07UIF2m1sZlHHeqbGhhkBdPgW_FAfY3iSoS2HsSRtCbynSOmIJZTOSNDiLKVO1OdFsoJg-8TxpBwdA/s1600/160+Great+Blue+Heron.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Mvwe2J1OCbaIEXEwl8nUTcm64uwF0ZZyEf0wntZa00rigAKBo478ba6T07UIF2m1sZlHHeqbGhhkBdPgW_FAfY3iSoS2HsSRtCbynSOmIJZTOSNDiLKVO1OdFsoJg-8TxpBwdA/s1600/160+Great+Blue+Heron.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a sunny and beautiful day, and here we are with Colleen:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3GJahjVO4rNinBkCT9MbgLQRq9jbLxZF-2PTw1RDelUQToqA-a7BFYDlUx_4YqP2ruma7KskK5RzBQJbClwNumSCuJSuEaIfTyEYrIJxhqYpxhyaBtSb5wdcgAxv6UmLi7Jakg/s1600/161+Beach+Walk+Us+With+Colleen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3GJahjVO4rNinBkCT9MbgLQRq9jbLxZF-2PTw1RDelUQToqA-a7BFYDlUx_4YqP2ruma7KskK5RzBQJbClwNumSCuJSuEaIfTyEYrIJxhqYpxhyaBtSb5wdcgAxv6UmLi7Jakg/s1600/161+Beach+Walk+Us+With+Colleen.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanksgiving Day we had a simple
but delicious turkey breast, salad, green beans and baked potato dinner. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr4LDyl3kW9jEhbapX0pzlcDmOeMfFia4yG0XU01gQkOqn88uypGW6Bn-Y0pK36iTHmZLcPgGoMYGLa4010Fku68vlF-4hQtOqMQX6UPo-c5OC6eeBl1pkKCwg6G3VCIqvVR8kQ/s1600/162+Thanksgiving+Dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr4LDyl3kW9jEhbapX0pzlcDmOeMfFia4yG0XU01gQkOqn88uypGW6Bn-Y0pK36iTHmZLcPgGoMYGLa4010Fku68vlF-4hQtOqMQX6UPo-c5OC6eeBl1pkKCwg6G3VCIqvVR8kQ/s1600/162+Thanksgiving+Dinner.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one wanted lots of leftovers
because of leaving soon on cruises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next day I wanted another beach walk, but it was way too cold and windy (in the
50’s), which is unusual for Florida, even at this time of year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went thrift store shopping with David
& Colleen and then headed back to our RV in Brandon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15648994.post-64491988939197966002014-11-24T07:58:00.000-08:002014-11-24T08:06:07.196-08:00Fall Cruises And Spain Trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will be the first in a series
of reports of our travels since August 27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we travel, we usually do not
have good internet access, and not enough time to write reports anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, when we got back to Florida for a
few days between cruises, I was so sick with a bad cold I acquired on the
Oasis, that I did not have the energy to write anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So these promised blog posts are very late –
sorry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On August 27, we
put our RV in storage at Kozy Kamper RV in Ft. Lauderdale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a big grassy fenced lot adjacent to
the actual RV park, and they charge $106/month for storage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to park our car right in front
of our RV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doug White, a cruise friend
who lives 6 miles from the RV park picked us up and we stayed overnight with
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a lovely home, and he not
only took us out for a delicious dinner, he had a birthday card and cake for
me, since the 29<sup>th</sup> was my 70<sup>th</sup> birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHEOSU4seY3RLrTYBJyoKL49FP9U301YtsUAMo750t1NqWO6Ea2tJ3IwZq-jyqXwKIYeT2goTPGYrwQ82LD5UUCcP44_NhUPVVBatQ8bxAmbJ0P9S0WFHHUQyxrfBaLzFtfmVHw/s1600/001+Mary's+Birthday+at+Doug's.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHEOSU4seY3RLrTYBJyoKL49FP9U301YtsUAMo750t1NqWO6Ea2tJ3IwZq-jyqXwKIYeT2goTPGYrwQ82LD5UUCcP44_NhUPVVBatQ8bxAmbJ0P9S0WFHHUQyxrfBaLzFtfmVHw/s1600/001+Mary's%2BBirthday%2Bat%2BDoug's.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day Doug
drove us to the port, where we boarded the Vision of the Seas for a short 4 day
cruise in the Caribbean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other cruise
friends, Roger & Martin, Dilia & Amy, and their families, were on that
cruise to celebrate Dilia’s 40<sup>th</sup> birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLptXp-9VFqVapF1YRuMyEDeTAkInsnswkTHpWZgw7OYu27ehjiHI2nbwnDJd2OR7Y7qDO90YTzyT_oAqgylmlFA3-ZIhvHf0QMHiwzGlWYs1pBSP_vIgcMwfEoggglVgXeS7QyQ/s1600/001a+Four+Friends+On+Vision.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLptXp-9VFqVapF1YRuMyEDeTAkInsnswkTHpWZgw7OYu27ehjiHI2nbwnDJd2OR7Y7qDO90YTzyT_oAqgylmlFA3-ZIhvHf0QMHiwzGlWYs1pBSP_vIgcMwfEoggglVgXeS7QyQ/s1600/001a+Four+Friends+On+Vision.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all dressed up for formal night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITSfi0IPpLE7qqd36EbCkM3ZHFgIWrODw-1B1alGREg1V0oS872QFhVxD8DMZAxy0i9Xu_BW25dtcVxOQnthGRE_oa4rqP0HBth51hGFVge0Cz00i8ACdrMhNwoRmTkE8FsEHWQ/s1600/001b+M&E,+Martin+&+Roger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITSfi0IPpLE7qqd36EbCkM3ZHFgIWrODw-1B1alGREg1V0oS872QFhVxD8DMZAxy0i9Xu_BW25dtcVxOQnthGRE_oa4rqP0HBth51hGFVge0Cz00i8ACdrMhNwoRmTkE8FsEHWQ/s1600/001b+M&E,+Martin+&+Roger.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fun and fast 4 days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Sept. 1 Royal
Caribbean provided a bus for us to transfer over to the Oasis of the Seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiG52RCbmzEkbGqBnP7fyHd5rote7rr5xSM1xnfZbUCxDj-Yfl6jXlq01Brts6qA8S_ezoLaN2c06VDH4gSqwcGkjtAUJ59wfAE3FFDcxEr0Pr7EezHCmqmBsLP8hOwgxEwGYdA/s1600/002+Oasis+of+the+Seas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiG52RCbmzEkbGqBnP7fyHd5rote7rr5xSM1xnfZbUCxDj-Yfl6jXlq01Brts6qA8S_ezoLaN2c06VDH4gSqwcGkjtAUJ59wfAE3FFDcxEr0Pr7EezHCmqmBsLP8hOwgxEwGYdA/s1600/002+Oasis+of+the+Seas.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 12 day cruise was a transatlantic between Ft. Lauderdale
and Barcelona, with one stop in Malaga, Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the first time Oasis had cruised over to Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These unique cruises always attract a lot of
frequent cruisers, so we had many friends on board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This picture shows the Boardwalk area, where
there was a carousel, some restaurants, and the aquatheater, where the diving
and fountain shows were held.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnkZH52DOkktYAca8XDkJ6e_wajfYeIXeC5QhSuUD3F2LCCvL4l7jOTtTZd7hpzq_wr3a05r4qj5CdLBWWEQ-6SHkxYS956fXxJlNRQWuxkyE0XNSBGTR6lpSRcaIcqHhyphenhyphenyoSbg/s1600/003+Oasis+Boardwalk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnkZH52DOkktYAca8XDkJ6e_wajfYeIXeC5QhSuUD3F2LCCvL4l7jOTtTZd7hpzq_wr3a05r4qj5CdLBWWEQ-6SHkxYS956fXxJlNRQWuxkyE0XNSBGTR6lpSRcaIcqHhyphenhyphenyoSbg/s1600/003+Oasis+Boardwalk.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of our room – we
had a balcony cabin overlooking the Boardwalk, which turned out to be very
convenient because we could watch the shows from our balcony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRn6bBwIE3J8rxsSDmcqVJ_vTDzCJnaPiRhrR2a1WbOvmO9uLrtYNPKYdbpQSfTd5dp4sRLc5Ps0OfL-QSEBD3Ee2evkzLKdmiUnm5n61rLwVKFBJD20Bwj6gcVAr_2zJZq-DmA/s1600/004+Our+Room+On+Oasis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRn6bBwIE3J8rxsSDmcqVJ_vTDzCJnaPiRhrR2a1WbOvmO9uLrtYNPKYdbpQSfTd5dp4sRLc5Ps0OfL-QSEBD3Ee2evkzLKdmiUnm5n61rLwVKFBJD20Bwj6gcVAr_2zJZq-DmA/s1600/004+Our+Room+On+Oasis.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our friends, Marcia & Lawson had a loft suite, and we attended a
suite party in their room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here they are
on their balcony:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPgUeAbITnB417C735LcJkh3NLm2Ech71mBxDE7ev5-YuzEy3gENkRu8KKhkz04RIIAZEW0E9csbQla7O6vRdxvTuunZCzqnyBNEnaznjGFaRNLfqCUYt9wSvxXHSkaJxSndn2Q/s1600/005+Elaine,+Lawson+&+Marcia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPgUeAbITnB417C735LcJkh3NLm2Ech71mBxDE7ev5-YuzEy3gENkRu8KKhkz04RIIAZEW0E9csbQla7O6vRdxvTuunZCzqnyBNEnaznjGFaRNLfqCUYt9wSvxXHSkaJxSndn2Q/s1600/005+Elaine,+Lawson+&+Marcia.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other friends, David & Colleen DeForest,
have offered to have us stay at their place in Tampa when we get back from our
other cruises.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-4orBcGeZxnJTm0o6wZt35Te8X4FqeN4Ex7Uhd080T8GFCTwpRuPvlriNTzzVgsRbyIS_SY1cXiu-RF0X-MY0b35wDx5YOroaU3F6gpCfqIdtRC1M1Zxq9m6YudUibjsIN6dqw/s1600/006+Colleen+&+David.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-4orBcGeZxnJTm0o6wZt35Te8X4FqeN4Ex7Uhd080T8GFCTwpRuPvlriNTzzVgsRbyIS_SY1cXiu-RF0X-MY0b35wDx5YOroaU3F6gpCfqIdtRC1M1Zxq9m6YudUibjsIN6dqw/s1600/006+Colleen+&+David.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes at
night, there were fountain shows with music, colored lights, and multiple
fountain effects: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNL4B6EBFs0QCRSAHuuzUvjT2Z6qeZ-t8Y9XoXV9hqwd8JEH3omauja3qF6EdhtFr-e6ooT9nPd1YzkZpei0CXrpj37ct8KmrepJJYV4kHgVdL7PjszGUjOxZzT5CMJsQO3Pftg/s1600/007+Fountain+Show.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNL4B6EBFs0QCRSAHuuzUvjT2Z6qeZ-t8Y9XoXV9hqwd8JEH3omauja3qF6EdhtFr-e6ooT9nPd1YzkZpei0CXrpj37ct8KmrepJJYV4kHgVdL7PjszGUjOxZzT5CMJsQO3Pftg/s1600/007+Fountain+Show.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our ship
arrived in Malaga, we arrived early in the morning, so there wasn’t the big
celebration we expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely
day, and Elaine and I walked into town and explored a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we joined a free walking tour, which was
excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guides are always good
because they don’t make any money unless people tip them at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Malaga is a delightful town, with lots of
old, beautiful buildings, ruins of a Roman theater, and a huge castle/fort
overlooking the town at the top of a hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This picture was taken from a hill in the town during the tour, and it
shows how big the ship is compared to the buildings:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlO4uF7r3U_auTOCCExl_Lubi8L28HphOx3JVGX7OvSIG7HBkB1I0E59OC9gJm5K-Uukpj5FKeqMkJ-xUwHt5NS-12v9CyOXkWFBGP1BxFcmqw6S5-hFs0iayU3H5RkxlnU1lHg/s1600/008+Oasis+in+Malaga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlO4uF7r3U_auTOCCExl_Lubi8L28HphOx3JVGX7OvSIG7HBkB1I0E59OC9gJm5K-Uukpj5FKeqMkJ-xUwHt5NS-12v9CyOXkWFBGP1BxFcmqw6S5-hFs0iayU3H5RkxlnU1lHg/s1600/008+Oasis+in+Malaga.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The ship holds over 5400 people, plus over 2000 crew, so it is really
huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had been publicized that the
ship was coming and it was the first visit, so when we left, there were
thousands of people all over the streets and sidewalks in the port area, and a
fire boat proceeded our ship, shooting water jets in the air:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9e50O6xO6hGgcjCAVwT5_NjDXnJA_vvcwUShKMNGsWcorIDG14iTgLW2XwpUAao_d4mqCL1tMxcYm5FiH7K4FW0rnRAmnw3wJkeZWQhvDp-HPCurPujj1Iw1ob8Fhovv_nMkxw/s1600/007a+Welcoming+Oasis+To+Malaga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9e50O6xO6hGgcjCAVwT5_NjDXnJA_vvcwUShKMNGsWcorIDG14iTgLW2XwpUAao_d4mqCL1tMxcYm5FiH7K4FW0rnRAmnw3wJkeZWQhvDp-HPCurPujj1Iw1ob8Fhovv_nMkxw/s1600/007a+Welcoming+Oasis+To+Malaga.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Someone on board took a video of our
departure, and all the crowds and hoopla, and posted it on You Tube, if you
want to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On board, we joined
friends at some of the specialty restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here we are with Marcia, Lawson, and Lisa, Marcia’s twin eating in the
Solarium Bistro: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEVIwHeXOoV1t1p2FV_TLKr10ZIErIil2W6PVwb2mRlPhWoxSWQyy2t11WuNUmL8Yg1DynPooSq1NdnDxUIMQr59aihN1SbaQOkPGoeHWpBcDnzSZQTOyi2iF4B9KwEHY0XuyZQ/s1600/008a+Dinner+With+Twinacles+&+Lawson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEVIwHeXOoV1t1p2FV_TLKr10ZIErIil2W6PVwb2mRlPhWoxSWQyy2t11WuNUmL8Yg1DynPooSq1NdnDxUIMQr59aihN1SbaQOkPGoeHWpBcDnzSZQTOyi2iF4B9KwEHY0XuyZQ/s1600/008a+Dinner+With+Twinacles+&+Lawson.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
last evening we ate in Izumi, the Asian restaurant, with Andrew, Mark, and their
friend Beth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bvvsYl1CmC6Hw7dWz0B72676HzSDXo-XvP5xCXGyJvbmQ8nPfTNs6LbtPhT1WhXq9Rznd0dQTPFYS4Bg4Tm90-yCpXRX7PBDUSbmONH_Lyr3ZOLHaRwkwGlCtGFcrTkgUX-KRA/s1600/008b+Dinner+With+Andrew+&+Mark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bvvsYl1CmC6Hw7dWz0B72676HzSDXo-XvP5xCXGyJvbmQ8nPfTNs6LbtPhT1WhXq9Rznd0dQTPFYS4Bg4Tm90-yCpXRX7PBDUSbmONH_Lyr3ZOLHaRwkwGlCtGFcrTkgUX-KRA/s1600/008b+Dinner+With+Andrew+&+Mark.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Oct. 13<sup>th</sup>
the ship docked and we flew from Barcelona to Alicante, a resort town on the
south eastern coast, where our friends Ger and Jeannette de Beus picked us
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a lovely villa in Ciudad
Quesada, a nearby town, and they had offered to host us for 4 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even had our own apartment on the second
floor of their villa:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf20lJMlrlGVNUeZ_ROsCSRxuFmhOb_DAAHd_I70bdrAtQlQHWP8nk-m0D1rJXOk2k7-6eHbKMafCHOemZc2tq-0R-6M2HNCW1s4uM6tal2XqzNgtUSHNE5jswbFlgR8gOjP2QQ/s1600/011+Our+Apartment+in+Ciudad+Quesada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf20lJMlrlGVNUeZ_ROsCSRxuFmhOb_DAAHd_I70bdrAtQlQHWP8nk-m0D1rJXOk2k7-6eHbKMafCHOemZc2tq-0R-6M2HNCW1s4uM6tal2XqzNgtUSHNE5jswbFlgR8gOjP2QQ/s1600/011+Our+Apartment+in+Ciudad+Quesada.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most afternoons we had snacks and
cocktails by their beautiful pool: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAegxVxEYFCzowK9kNo3OXyg_zGJRgaJXzATUgF10NG2RCwaC_MOZSREJh4qyqDVCoKgtgiLqefMKEobWEcXU6nOpCwi8KpIt4DpYtPqBrUW7mlTN666rfQaTNPHe7T9fxev9gw/s1600/009+Ger,+Jeannette+&+Elaine+at+Pool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAegxVxEYFCzowK9kNo3OXyg_zGJRgaJXzATUgF10NG2RCwaC_MOZSREJh4qyqDVCoKgtgiLqefMKEobWEcXU6nOpCwi8KpIt4DpYtPqBrUW7mlTN666rfQaTNPHe7T9fxev9gw/s1600/009+Ger,+Jeannette+&+Elaine+at+Pool.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day they took us over to the beach at Torrevieja.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2EA-eZv4HIcYpRRoKh7Ck8jtErOTnB-noP6pAOCz1a2wC4vb2Ch1RDkCQ3dxnJXCr3O1HBOu33MT1_lvojRHrFsQs8gedrN2J1SzeqSVu315Ak20SPldV0BRHP9U6CJ4XzwxkA/s1600/012+Beach+at+Torrevieja.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2EA-eZv4HIcYpRRoKh7Ck8jtErOTnB-noP6pAOCz1a2wC4vb2Ch1RDkCQ3dxnJXCr3O1HBOu33MT1_lvojRHrFsQs8gedrN2J1SzeqSVu315Ak20SPldV0BRHP9U6CJ4XzwxkA/s1600/012+Beach+at+Torrevieja.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a Sunday, so it was very crowded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every evening we went to a different and
unique restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first night was a
local place where there was a flamenco dancer and also a small band and
singer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another evening we ate at a good
Chinese place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place we liked best
was an Argentinian restaurant at a beach where they knew the owners.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjF_T3zrf-ZpA62FAOuLOOKefV297rtwx3bKr-8pk21sZXr_ZeJXy0vdqvdvXZmREFoYdxlGUspz-T-ql1uc5fsyersIWRCqbytAK0Pa12lYrn6EiMnOLY7xmLvMaArgxRHMu3A/s1600/013+Dinner+at+the+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjF_T3zrf-ZpA62FAOuLOOKefV297rtwx3bKr-8pk21sZXr_ZeJXy0vdqvdvXZmREFoYdxlGUspz-T-ql1uc5fsyersIWRCqbytAK0Pa12lYrn6EiMnOLY7xmLvMaArgxRHMu3A/s1600/013+Dinner+at+the+Beach.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This picture shows the 4 of us at
the table, but behind the guy taking the picture was a gorgeous beach, with a wonderful
sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the days we drove to a
factory where they make a liquor called Cuarenta y Tres (which means 43).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we are in the tasting room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SzQlW3Fsz4_pKmRqEHb4iyNYVQVyJw3rLhbeFH76nh0EA7odwTV22E4tTv78a75iUdU-K9qPADXEKY5Oir8CuwdpC7wnqXtfwZFPYUpBaDCAu9suc_IXWNtma4LrLIBF1O0GWg/s1600/015+Visiting+Quarenta+y+Tres.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SzQlW3Fsz4_pKmRqEHb4iyNYVQVyJw3rLhbeFH76nh0EA7odwTV22E4tTv78a75iUdU-K9qPADXEKY5Oir8CuwdpC7wnqXtfwZFPYUpBaDCAu9suc_IXWNtma4LrLIBF1O0GWg/s1600/015+Visiting+Quarenta+y+Tres.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the visiting fee (9 euros per
person), included a guided tour, plus 2 specialized drinks, one of them a
delicious coffee concoction, and another one was a cute one served in a small
beer mug with whipped cream on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another day we drove even further away to visit a factory (El Lobo) where
they make a nougat product using mostly almonds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rMySJ9NfbmkDZRcdbC-KLGLZMXmYfxdsfqY_7Ka_AnHhjTrZKAihn4SKoMvhp6GgzqDqpffx-lvrJ3r0cXZD5Hc7hr_X32z0vCOlJlB8BCxVFS_xHGQJvtW5EIDUFk_3oikglw/s1600/016+El+Lobo+Turron.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rMySJ9NfbmkDZRcdbC-KLGLZMXmYfxdsfqY_7Ka_AnHhjTrZKAihn4SKoMvhp6GgzqDqpffx-lvrJ3r0cXZD5Hc7hr_X32z0vCOlJlB8BCxVFS_xHGQJvtW5EIDUFk_3oikglw/s1600/016+El+Lobo+Turron.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is very famous in Spain and especially popular at Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right in the small town where Ger &
Jeannette live, there is a wine store called a bodega, where they sell wines
right from the barrel into the container you bring, and they are delicious and
cheap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg39NxWbn7Ci6F_H1FCHGcxdWAjvnH4U-jzrM0CM5MxMF2gkyiea9D2Z5y6yiRtyJz1Vpg_RHhvJpcDGVq1EIpaJGBdsEbWwiLUtVT0Su3aFhP8OgmIXmLJ2NuxiXTdDR3y_5i3Q/s1600/017+Bodega+in+Ciudad+Quesada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg39NxWbn7Ci6F_H1FCHGcxdWAjvnH4U-jzrM0CM5MxMF2gkyiea9D2Z5y6yiRtyJz1Vpg_RHhvJpcDGVq1EIpaJGBdsEbWwiLUtVT0Su3aFhP8OgmIXmLJ2NuxiXTdDR3y_5i3Q/s1600/017+Bodega+in+Ciudad+Quesada.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Oct. 17 we
flew to Madrid, where we had booked an apartment for 4 days on Airbnb.com.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty basic place but had
everything we needed and was located in a very interesting part of the city
called Chueca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it was on the top
floor and at the back of the building, it was quiet at night, which we
appreciated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spaniards are famous for
staying out very late at night and also making lots of noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had previously gone online and found a
company which offered free walking tours, so the second day we went to the
Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) and met up with our tour guide:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This used to be one of the city gates in the 15<sup>th</sup> century but
now it is a big plaza with statues and fountains, and pedestrian streets
leading to it from other parts of the city. . There are also street performers
such as these:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo3EcxYgG7fdiey_NBFCU_Srnuwhv0OkQDY70PEfxQgml9PBOoKg6fkOMnJBsk6NuIwGVEOH3XpM8xBF5oV475l1ocKWlTZlRGbvhAmgs6tGkKaplMmjqqVdxHPDiZFlFn2DGwQ/s1600/019+Street+Performers+in+Madrid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo3EcxYgG7fdiey_NBFCU_Srnuwhv0OkQDY70PEfxQgml9PBOoKg6fkOMnJBsk6NuIwGVEOH3XpM8xBF5oV475l1ocKWlTZlRGbvhAmgs6tGkKaplMmjqqVdxHPDiZFlFn2DGwQ/s1600/019+Street+Performers+in+Madrid.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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There
were mostly young people from hostels in our group, but it was a great tour and
we saw a lot of the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because the
guides work for tips, they usually give a very enthusiastic and entertaining
tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another major square is the Plaza
Mayor.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was built during
the Habsburg period, but reconstructed in the 1700’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our tour stopped here to have a local beer,
and a sandwich of the Iberian ham, which is famous and supposedly everyone
loves, but we thought it was very salty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Madrid is full of very ornate, old buildings with edifices which would
cost a fortune if they were built today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the Metropolis Building, which is just an office building, but
it was near the hotel where our tour group stayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
fabulous building was the Cibele Palace & Fountain, which we seemed to pass
often on our walks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The building is city
hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitiYEX45v4Mt7u6mgSenGfhvpS93xTlDoCuX82GVCdtOL_1oRgRFt6_G4FSYYeTuID-yZ4zSpmBxHumcmZ-HzUeORpSKur4va_Cv5mTxWKY_gMtergl_eKbmUKvGbuj5b4MmKo8g/s1600/025+Fountains+&+Building+in+MAdrid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitiYEX45v4Mt7u6mgSenGfhvpS93xTlDoCuX82GVCdtOL_1oRgRFt6_G4FSYYeTuID-yZ4zSpmBxHumcmZ-HzUeORpSKur4va_Cv5mTxWKY_gMtergl_eKbmUKvGbuj5b4MmKo8g/s1600/025+Fountains+&+Building+in+MAdrid.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t see the fountain very well in that
picture, so here is a closeup:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8bvJ4MkMxcFkzkWcxjwhp4DC-iDejyMuecFkX0hsEHuZEB9uSR5dvgXERV3zGDFeaNW69laV-ioC2nLcFbQXQORQANQr-K6V8mZ-g6xGVY5kx10tjgLjEB65gkNWEnGtFcuMYQ/s1600/022+Fountain+Statue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8bvJ4MkMxcFkzkWcxjwhp4DC-iDejyMuecFkX0hsEHuZEB9uSR5dvgXERV3zGDFeaNW69laV-ioC2nLcFbQXQORQANQr-K6V8mZ-g6xGVY5kx10tjgLjEB65gkNWEnGtFcuMYQ/s1600/022+Fountain+Statue.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fountain depicts the goddess,
sitting on a chariot pulled by two lions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was built between 1777 and 1782.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another great place to visit in Madrid is the Royal Palace.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwouXxJ-thkN0scY4rNVJydTGEBIrwKNCgyFJJVEgnGhDbhnfZUJMgv8XzDjHgETxC2iM7qng6YjaIQrtLrNzVR5uIH_cH-guu3wbwpl-zXUFhw8BUDyUFvfnyyP1Kf1Ai1krUQ/s1600/023+Royal+Palace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwouXxJ-thkN0scY4rNVJydTGEBIrwKNCgyFJJVEgnGhDbhnfZUJMgv8XzDjHgETxC2iM7qng6YjaIQrtLrNzVR5uIH_cH-guu3wbwpl-zXUFhw8BUDyUFvfnyyP1Kf1Ai1krUQ/s1600/023+Royal+Palace.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This palace really reminded us of the
one built by Louis XIV at Versailles, because it was built by King Phillip V
who grew up in Versailles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inside is
very ornate and beautiful </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVinR8a7zJFWNLWrfMS7zoTN82t8EDLc4ZmnFDIxeNL7hKZlITZsXPh-pSes2Dzf_kmmvFFNoFENEILByv_PXM9VuIO5KH57gtT3A7lBSqwi88kIDyUrGsG9UeEYk4U3gp0ob9Vg/s1600/024+Interior+of+Palace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVinR8a7zJFWNLWrfMS7zoTN82t8EDLc4ZmnFDIxeNL7hKZlITZsXPh-pSes2Dzf_kmmvFFNoFENEILByv_PXM9VuIO5KH57gtT3A7lBSqwi88kIDyUrGsG9UeEYk4U3gp0ob9Vg/s1600/024+Interior+of+Palace.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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and is full of collections such as
silverware and ceramics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current
royal family doesn’t live here; it is used for state occasions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It contains 3418 rooms!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also a huge collection of
armor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a huge park called El
Parque de Retiro, which isn’t far from the other tourist attractions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a delightful place, well used by
locals, and especially popular at the very large lake in the center:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZyHSA2MKz1180T0NysD_jjTV7PZDiCtJ63ERA1iGo1Jgh06O2eGrRyx1pafoW0HUJgpcux4-x9KzE77oOOvn6EjGXPXW2qrzbLYcbCBhw_V_JrEhl_r_EA1KBm_Sw1XZV1BX8Q/s1600/026+Lake+In+Park+in+Madrid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZyHSA2MKz1180T0NysD_jjTV7PZDiCtJ63ERA1iGo1Jgh06O2eGrRyx1pafoW0HUJgpcux4-x9KzE77oOOvn6EjGXPXW2qrzbLYcbCBhw_V_JrEhl_r_EA1KBm_Sw1XZV1BX8Q/s1600/026+Lake+In+Park+in+Madrid.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This crystal palace was also open for visiting and is located in the
park as well:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRn1vGrylrUZtfIdfkS1twDcUoVfYnlWTdUKzxPIHJ7qnMwE6naUUbjyIJBTMz3VVLJ5jmFhp3Fl-T9cw9j4CwbVIKSA13ppOvONXXN0IxvsuM3cP4Pgl2kYudaXzXjTwp9qb6g/s1600/027+Crystal+Palace+in+Park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRn1vGrylrUZtfIdfkS1twDcUoVfYnlWTdUKzxPIHJ7qnMwE6naUUbjyIJBTMz3VVLJ5jmFhp3Fl-T9cw9j4CwbVIKSA13ppOvONXXN0IxvsuM3cP4Pgl2kYudaXzXjTwp9qb6g/s1600/027+Crystal+Palace+in+Park.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many famous and interesting museums
in Madrid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them was the Reina
Sofia, which is the modern art museum <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtt12lGLcc2JyL04oJX6zNqVM2OfJMMs8z2ZGyakdH9187Pk8_JOZitX30RQoPOu7jEKnZkq0vT2zNv4EGLjl_IWzopqb12e8BR7bKPxP1JxO3XgTDqJHs7aTgSdBf6oFugowbyQ/s1600/028+Reina+Sofia+Museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtt12lGLcc2JyL04oJX6zNqVM2OfJMMs8z2ZGyakdH9187Pk8_JOZitX30RQoPOu7jEKnZkq0vT2zNv4EGLjl_IWzopqb12e8BR7bKPxP1JxO3XgTDqJHs7aTgSdBf6oFugowbyQ/s1600/028+Reina+Sofia+Museum.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and it was free on Sunday, so we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of the more interesting exhibits:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8YojOdLjWskExqaiqYpECFGSVos5Ria9CFEQQH4XM5rry4rgusElR_v2_n0pHbm4LuBIxvbuHrLKA7-XzbexmR8-l8Wdg83AmWE1gFiSno782SvJKY2He0BJFCj21xIRvlKgVA/s1600/029+Art+at+Reina+Sofia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8YojOdLjWskExqaiqYpECFGSVos5Ria9CFEQQH4XM5rry4rgusElR_v2_n0pHbm4LuBIxvbuHrLKA7-XzbexmR8-l8Wdg83AmWE1gFiSno782SvJKY2He0BJFCj21xIRvlKgVA/s1600/029+Art+at+Reina+Sofia.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also learned that the Prado was
free most days after 6PM, so we did that too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a huge line but it moved quickly, and because the museum is so
huge, once we got in there, it wasn’t even crowded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A guided tour of the Prado was going to be
part of our Spain Tour, with Gate1Travel, but we wanted to go early because
there is too much to see in only one visit to that very famous and worthwhile
museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guided tour called
11 day Crown of Spain Tour, and given by Gate1 Travel, started on Oct. 21, so
we moved from our apartment to the Vincci Capital Hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a very nice hotel right on the Gran
Via, the main thoroughfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rooms
had good soundproofing, so street noise wasn’t a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is our room:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ca_2xW3lt9ddbeAj0nl1NXbE6vmfCCy9JLlR6DLBeevPIG8sJIhDrFS1ZROr1MiXydHYnC-JhKGtG0G2Z-0Zl3RNQlfWb6E1MG5fAGBjeaaIkjksPNMKQMNPdpE7N31_fvzOCA/s1600/031+Hotel+In+Madrid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ca_2xW3lt9ddbeAj0nl1NXbE6vmfCCy9JLlR6DLBeevPIG8sJIhDrFS1ZROr1MiXydHYnC-JhKGtG0G2Z-0Zl3RNQlfWb6E1MG5fAGBjeaaIkjksPNMKQMNPdpE7N31_fvzOCA/s1600/031+Hotel+In+Madrid.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also enjoyed having a picnic up on the roof terrace:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q5v34ztqDWKXFb-fRYrnqhegDK5BY6oo4fwcFbfcvlVIyLVerWfulS_8DetQhXG5-SHKhYCHnGugX5ewdMj2HUd2iBWuIlD9RImUsX5NKib2MPBPOdQ67jrm2igbfyQiEGJ3pQ/s1600/030+Picmic+On+Hotel+Roof.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6q5v34ztqDWKXFb-fRYrnqhegDK5BY6oo4fwcFbfcvlVIyLVerWfulS_8DetQhXG5-SHKhYCHnGugX5ewdMj2HUd2iBWuIlD9RImUsX5NKib2MPBPOdQ67jrm2igbfyQiEGJ3pQ/s1600/030+Picmic+On+Hotel+Roof.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gate 1 provided a very good city tour, and the Prado guided tour was excellent
– we got so much more out of that visit than we did when we went on our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group also went to an excellent
restaurant together on the first night.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were quite
a few people on our tour (38), so we had a big bus to haul us from place to
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first stop after Madrid was
Toldeo, a UNESCO world heritage city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First we stopped outside the city for a good view: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ3TztulGcNs47Z4D5WeSJ6OlnhdTCsLHPIp_W1KOQGPCCDvMxpD_U0Rs5cIVc0n1SbM6uP_8Hn1CCbqfGGHCOqge4oceGasU_3wE0SyE5K7_WO3NwMFPz1yKJx9-bexrDHhQUw/s1600/032+Toledo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ3TztulGcNs47Z4D5WeSJ6OlnhdTCsLHPIp_W1KOQGPCCDvMxpD_U0Rs5cIVc0n1SbM6uP_8Hn1CCbqfGGHCOqge4oceGasU_3wE0SyE5K7_WO3NwMFPz1yKJx9-bexrDHhQUw/s1600/032+Toledo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPsFpE4bpV1m7S_z3tHgDOmtPNjU5pSyodod-BXGCa9NvHKlrPLP6LlR_6zUyp2VKsr1DMsU0XCEHlU9HqvwdpXacoNb6So8inJhRWQpxThhXgHGZLojORuAyfYBxfRooyPaJrg/s1600/033+M&E+and+Toledo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPsFpE4bpV1m7S_z3tHgDOmtPNjU5pSyodod-BXGCa9NvHKlrPLP6LlR_6zUyp2VKsr1DMsU0XCEHlU9HqvwdpXacoNb6So8inJhRWQpxThhXgHGZLojORuAyfYBxfRooyPaJrg/s1600/033+M&E+and+Toledo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was founded by the Romans in
192BC, conquered by the Visigoths in 418 and the Arabs in 711, and eventually
the Spaniards got it back in 1085.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
was an important Jewish community here and the old synagogue was interesting to
visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKljbLTD_eNl0YkF7XZkuMEGx4mThi_WOxkYY5mX_K-nAQzYjLjKBenQwuupf9Av8queLVSx6WNktcb1ZjXuSwmEvYMoprC7qtg5O5XtP6WSac4UcMSAl4acmMFrZaQoznO7-7g/s1600/035+Jewish+Synagogue+in+Toledo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKljbLTD_eNl0YkF7XZkuMEGx4mThi_WOxkYY5mX_K-nAQzYjLjKBenQwuupf9Av8queLVSx6WNktcb1ZjXuSwmEvYMoprC7qtg5O5XtP6WSac4UcMSAl4acmMFrZaQoznO7-7g/s1600/035+Jewish+Synagogue+in+Toledo.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toledo is famous for
iron works such as swords, and armaments, so this scene in a store showed off
their wares: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD24u53bkf2zXIK0wTUJbH_NvnI4jhhpGUMCPxSImaoCP_v5FM8vhJI1XPntmfMUI_v1i2OUHQZx7DphYYSmkFRl1AV2FywRpjKEbYDsDkBwsH11s34aPkH3M4E95WqTZCYKS1YQ/s1600/034+Store+in+Toledo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD24u53bkf2zXIK0wTUJbH_NvnI4jhhpGUMCPxSImaoCP_v5FM8vhJI1XPntmfMUI_v1i2OUHQZx7DphYYSmkFRl1AV2FywRpjKEbYDsDkBwsH11s34aPkH3M4E95WqTZCYKS1YQ/s1600/034+Store+in+Toledo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The carved figures
are Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, famous figures made famous by the Spanish
author, Cervantes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elaine and I walked
around on our own a bit and found the ruins of the old Roman baths:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA_gSBWhUGdcf-ts23nb3lQipI2CZ63zDjbad-IXy2kaHP8efODUSM4tgZomLa06j42HgZ8wx9S6pzW0cjUyZR3JaUIwTzOukUaOR5UP6ScPat4UavKpM0CYgFYHDEKOIeT9Akw/s1600/036+Roman+Baths+in+Toledo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA_gSBWhUGdcf-ts23nb3lQipI2CZ63zDjbad-IXy2kaHP8efODUSM4tgZomLa06j42HgZ8wx9S6pzW0cjUyZR3JaUIwTzOukUaOR5UP6ScPat4UavKpM0CYgFYHDEKOIeT9Akw/s1600/036+Roman+Baths+in+Toledo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaving Toledo,
we saw some windmills on the hillsides along the road:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA52-J7re6GRV2hdAjrZqjoJp2Z8LHDdjnQ-KrN6xjjUrwrSX-kdJrSa53GnllSxZugQ7GLbCOh9RkJrOk3oQaZRWh1X02Ll5VE4maaNNEE574EibL7u1OCG3WEL_ner0L3H_OIA/s1600/037+Windmills+On+Hill+Alongside+Road.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA52-J7re6GRV2hdAjrZqjoJp2Z8LHDdjnQ-KrN6xjjUrwrSX-kdJrSa53GnllSxZugQ7GLbCOh9RkJrOk3oQaZRWh1X02Ll5VE4maaNNEE574EibL7u1OCG3WEL_ner0L3H_OIA/s1600/037+Windmills+On+Hill+Alongside+Road.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we passed many, many miles of olive groves, since Spain is the major
producer of olive oil and olives in the world.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPGg9uB4wubSFz1HOI6AgPWO-V9APObAvdS2el2eZNTYtSTtRRMpiCQSnq4P6fVbjKCPPNCwabugG8ddOciM2y0WJt9OdNrCJH_5Lsh5KYMwLkwd7jCjZToceOd8utcrNfi7GEg/s1600/038+Olive+Groves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPGg9uB4wubSFz1HOI6AgPWO-V9APObAvdS2el2eZNTYtSTtRRMpiCQSnq4P6fVbjKCPPNCwabugG8ddOciM2y0WJt9OdNrCJH_5Lsh5KYMwLkwd7jCjZToceOd8utcrNfi7GEg/s1600/038+Olive+Groves.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of our hotel in Cordoba at
night:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTG5FYWuW60gSIBwoGceePKWq-gMghDHojVoyuc1rmEgePOdaTwKpZ9RYvRBS6g_NtiKUbdZ9SH-jTxF8s8-ZZmjykyJQmRdzUtSt51ThHt-0YLsdzUtsdz-SdGZ7d7Hb-wtZJA/s1600/039+Hotel+in+Cordoba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTG5FYWuW60gSIBwoGceePKWq-gMghDHojVoyuc1rmEgePOdaTwKpZ9RYvRBS6g_NtiKUbdZ9SH-jTxF8s8-ZZmjykyJQmRdzUtSt51ThHt-0YLsdzUtsdz-SdGZ7d7Hb-wtZJA/s1600/039+Hotel+in+Cordoba.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was located right along a very beautiful
pedestrian walking area with fountains, sculptures, flowers, etc. which had
formerly been a railroad line into the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had an excellent walking tour of the city the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a picture of a scenic courtyard:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNzs4vHXBzD_pobhqI5iWknj0Tg6VzmiyoccODeDlXjdWEDepDU_AwW_TZMH9p45qtAOXt2Dv2wlWYFsK3qEF6VFmb0uXjxkd1yb_A_qc3JyVH0FV6supw9pUUZdRCVInF9pAlw/s1600/040+Courtyard+in+Cordoba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNzs4vHXBzD_pobhqI5iWknj0Tg6VzmiyoccODeDlXjdWEDepDU_AwW_TZMH9p45qtAOXt2Dv2wlWYFsK3qEF6VFmb0uXjxkd1yb_A_qc3JyVH0FV6supw9pUUZdRCVInF9pAlw/s1600/040+Courtyard+in+Cordoba.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This city was the capitol when the Moors (Arabs) were in charge in
1000AD, and there were almost a million inhabitants!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cathedral is called the Mezquita, and it
is huge, having been built in one of the largest mosques in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has long outer walls and a huge courtyard.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApZ-aWpWqyoPkf0rq7M3kTO-IWKHFgKSuvEFrF3jFEOIXFtG0ehsooFaRYTaJulS6lnJ1DSNKgdiB8h_Cs9qIqQPXhlO2Qjm4dhSfvbB2D1uPv4RiqP6lod2EaFRdExA8fFNS2Q/s1600/041+Wall+and+Tower+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApZ-aWpWqyoPkf0rq7M3kTO-IWKHFgKSuvEFrF3jFEOIXFtG0ehsooFaRYTaJulS6lnJ1DSNKgdiB8h_Cs9qIqQPXhlO2Qjm4dhSfvbB2D1uPv4RiqP6lod2EaFRdExA8fFNS2Q/s1600/041+Wall+and+Tower+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important
architectural feature of the Mezquita are the double horseshoe arches, made of
jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. There are more than a thousand columns in
the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJad6LHAvGpEOIoo1l7KBDy3qkI2SRrU4h4AP5b22s5z3hikOsLnmf3F2XN18KLmgDbZauUmMzS_oG4Pa0DNyq9pIqeq6DeSRoEtz6CS_0t9HOAOcgt3yjNW6u1PHE9Zj8hEX6WQ/s1600/042+Inside+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJad6LHAvGpEOIoo1l7KBDy3qkI2SRrU4h4AP5b22s5z3hikOsLnmf3F2XN18KLmgDbZauUmMzS_oG4Pa0DNyq9pIqeq6DeSRoEtz6CS_0t9HOAOcgt3yjNW6u1PHE9Zj8hEX6WQ/s1600/042+Inside+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Christians reconquered Cordoba in
1236, they built a nave in the mosque so it became the cathedral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt8f-CEZ9bJzjMV5BByKiXRdk2vqall2tw-k27SGY1-07FS8k-ODp0l040S2ybhQdscWIb1yt76HxX0YKLYALIFgyYO_kirvvEN52YiTM7QvruBKSk05j8qVIV9HtInLVipsX5A/s1600/043+Part+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt8f-CEZ9bJzjMV5BByKiXRdk2vqall2tw-k27SGY1-07FS8k-ODp0l040S2ybhQdscWIb1yt76HxX0YKLYALIFgyYO_kirvvEN52YiTM7QvruBKSk05j8qVIV9HtInLVipsX5A/s1600/043+Part+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9q6U4bwX5m70Iit9H28CiEd75woq5xRxGyEn57_NAIwj9A-j0uDSP8h5-SgfIWgnC0oWLyCfHAn5Sdhl1vpBt8yzSbyuqYpl9ti0lqnaVZ1FwaYC5edI9X61K1IEdMPUkhjISw/s1600/044+Ceiling,+Choir+Area+and+Organ+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9q6U4bwX5m70Iit9H28CiEd75woq5xRxGyEn57_NAIwj9A-j0uDSP8h5-SgfIWgnC0oWLyCfHAn5Sdhl1vpBt8yzSbyuqYpl9ti0lqnaVZ1FwaYC5edI9X61K1IEdMPUkhjISw/s1600/044+Ceiling,+Choir+Area+and+Organ+of+Cordoba+Cathedral.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our hotel at the
next city, Seville, was another nice one and not far from the city center
sights:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqIfHMIxPWun-ej8-nbERQ4TrNhgdR4BckQYJFbSroLw_X78ff9wkAMnt_IMO6JsledsQQbW9mGnfDwysjOwGYBb1UOk7EoGA0lZRQnzlgZMETNXD_MakyCLZpv2zYemGhMDQCA/s1600/045+Hotel+Room+In+Seville.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqIfHMIxPWun-ej8-nbERQ4TrNhgdR4BckQYJFbSroLw_X78ff9wkAMnt_IMO6JsledsQQbW9mGnfDwysjOwGYBb1UOk7EoGA0lZRQnzlgZMETNXD_MakyCLZpv2zYemGhMDQCA/s1600/045+Hotel+Room+In+Seville.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>This was one of the
features of our previous Gate 1 tour which we greatly enjoyed – very nice
hotels in good locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been
in Seville before and enjoyed seeing more sights this time, since we had a nice
city tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Plaza de Espana, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Maria Luisa Park, was built for the 1929 Ibero-American
Exposition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsFF90AsCnoaePU_gBafdzCy8jVGdDD9-UXebEbVLMUuHo-2Ll2XCCVDObbtN688xMBPVpEpnAdCZM6THsqSv0PTUL0MNe5WfZYvZOdQpzxDktiOqU-65ukAkPQbXr95MjAjbzg/s1600/046+Plaza+de+Espana+in+Seville.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsFF90AsCnoaePU_gBafdzCy8jVGdDD9-UXebEbVLMUuHo-2Ll2XCCVDObbtN688xMBPVpEpnAdCZM6THsqSv0PTUL0MNe5WfZYvZOdQpzxDktiOqU-65ukAkPQbXr95MjAjbzg/s1600/046+Plaza+de+Espana+in+Seville.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides the tall towers and large buildings,
there are wonderfully colorful tile displays in sections showing off the
special features and history of many cities and regions in Spain:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_BpY6pTw40PtzPQ3R0smELuoT-9O0iSOrhSPKwSShI7dcYROHsUnSy6UF0-I7ZncMPRA62MmzGcylqvIjRgVDITdvHUZsUh4d9XU8qKLatrbg7Qe3Gs9OBXugMCcnWM7eYWe-Q/s1600/047+Tile+Work+at+Plaza+de+Espana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_BpY6pTw40PtzPQ3R0smELuoT-9O0iSOrhSPKwSShI7dcYROHsUnSy6UF0-I7ZncMPRA62MmzGcylqvIjRgVDITdvHUZsUh4d9XU8qKLatrbg7Qe3Gs9OBXugMCcnWM7eYWe-Q/s1600/047+Tile+Work+at+Plaza+de+Espana.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one was for Alicante.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cathedral, which used to be a mosque, is
one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world and has the longest nave in
Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The altar is huge and covered in
gold:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1fPplVFy9W29F3BzsRWiyjlRwghha-pKfDM98YOHBVGarLZ3UGZih0BmCEqWrCPOnK8LzU3lFstzaLjGotqIuDz_kH_brSvQSW0D06X7_cffDlhyw98Kw7WX6VE9TrvNATG1Gw/s1600/048+Altarpiece+of+Cathedral+in+Seville.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1fPplVFy9W29F3BzsRWiyjlRwghha-pKfDM98YOHBVGarLZ3UGZih0BmCEqWrCPOnK8LzU3lFstzaLjGotqIuDz_kH_brSvQSW0D06X7_cffDlhyw98Kw7WX6VE9TrvNATG1Gw/s1600/048+Altarpiece+of+Cathedral+in+Seville.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot of marble work, and columns,
such as this: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoEWhhmo_TtJLs7polvcvJWICLo7bP-co5H6IqUiylX0eCCaVnJ-Bk3tsnv5UMf8DSyHzth-GR1bb66pS-o1ka5WDRBo-3EZppcbtRgrXLdeFWWG5Gh5vpJo5iYI3yKunm9-6KA/s1600/049+Marble+Work+Inside+Seville+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoEWhhmo_TtJLs7polvcvJWICLo7bP-co5H6IqUiylX0eCCaVnJ-Bk3tsnv5UMf8DSyHzth-GR1bb66pS-o1ka5WDRBo-3EZppcbtRgrXLdeFWWG5Gh5vpJo5iYI3yKunm9-6KA/s1600/049+Marble+Work+Inside+Seville+Cathedral.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Giralda, which
used to be a minaret in the old mosque, was converted into a bell tower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has ramps going up to the top so officials
could ride horseback to the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
climbed to the top and this was one of the views of the cathedral roof on the
way up: </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciYOAtuZgALYSZWwu6-rKrfUJp66KFnEn8MXtUhPe6lhnCITO7_aEl3_0I7ShhGb8k2l0U0bT1gCB4bwjSXMNTcn7DCox15sTv6ijo53VOaN9373Aa7fVfLShpZtTPlgwMOr2Pw/s1600/050+Seville+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjciYOAtuZgALYSZWwu6-rKrfUJp66KFnEn8MXtUhPe6lhnCITO7_aEl3_0I7ShhGb8k2l0U0bT1gCB4bwjSXMNTcn7DCox15sTv6ijo53VOaN9373Aa7fVfLShpZtTPlgwMOr2Pw/s1600/050+Seville+Cathedral.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four of our friends
from the tour group, Dory & Paul, Rosalie and Zivi, climbed up with us and
someone took our picture at the top: </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjey4bH8C5qYbgdUAmFy3hmqxJabtJPfxQpuATCXthHvbfMmExy2fJXZbktSJVfUiGSPwWWoLE-DTzYVQQ0DMmbKVlStoBDXcGRM-q59KNkjMbkonQPcW3Tz-wxVIev65HYoUjYZg/s1600/051+Six+Friends+at+Top+of+Seville+Cathedral+Tower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjey4bH8C5qYbgdUAmFy3hmqxJabtJPfxQpuATCXthHvbfMmExy2fJXZbktSJVfUiGSPwWWoLE-DTzYVQQ0DMmbKVlStoBDXcGRM-q59KNkjMbkonQPcW3Tz-wxVIev65HYoUjYZg/s1600/051+Six+Friends+at+Top+of+Seville+Cathedral+Tower.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Alcazar, which used to be a Moorish
palace, was started in the 1180’s and took 500 years to build, is one of the
most beautiful buildings in Spain. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTApry2nu2VFm3HrPRHbeBBM7nTGgAFTRHFFId0VngDuzvYl2lX-w42e36TUMKMQhdEJC4koPwXii8b2t3ImO2sgfwY1nhd_6ILOMt9BLtIDw2rCL7GdA3qaeXVpavHr18eWelwg/s1600/052+Outside+of+Seville+Cathedral.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTApry2nu2VFm3HrPRHbeBBM7nTGgAFTRHFFId0VngDuzvYl2lX-w42e36TUMKMQhdEJC4koPwXii8b2t3ImO2sgfwY1nhd_6ILOMt9BLtIDw2rCL7GdA3qaeXVpavHr18eWelwg/s1600/052+Outside+of+Seville+Cathedral.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We didn’t have time to explore the inside, but the courtyards and
gardens are also supposed to be spectacular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granada is a nice
city, but does not have nearly as many attractions as Seville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main reason people go there is to see the
Alhambra Palace, a UNESCO world heritage site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was originally built in 889 and then rebuilt and enlarged by a
Moorish emir in the mid-11<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Moors were evicted from Spain in
1492, it was taken over by a sultan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
1527 Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor took it over and greatly enhanced it,
but again it fell into disrepair until the 19<sup>th</sup> century when it was
rediscovered and renovated. It is now one of the leading attractions in all of
Spain, because of its Islamic architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFAoVnfgL054eTPeMr7lptKLRxSA2KflrNMZ1jD2mqgiEL9elCC_jelrovlo_RmSS6eQ-6mfSRMLjavNDry46zQoe_MK2PYBiB7a_xmyyVdL4F9XsnDdkLYWtZPF4m8hGr5gnxg/s1600/053+Outside+of+Alhambra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFAoVnfgL054eTPeMr7lptKLRxSA2KflrNMZ1jD2mqgiEL9elCC_jelrovlo_RmSS6eQ-6mfSRMLjavNDry46zQoe_MK2PYBiB7a_xmyyVdL4F9XsnDdkLYWtZPF4m8hGr5gnxg/s1600/053+Outside+of+Alhambra.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECdtIEmRgrHnBr0D0-B4pu5dpmYI2M-9hSQv87MM1Kf5ckV2ZrCtOT90yL3sGOhEZE0o8-HQNPjdOGDwI7MyLSNLZbdEOkSssNU0VKl8gOMhG4bNXq-X1VemLSbILfkdmDqJaVA/s1600/054+Inside+Pool+of+Alhambra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECdtIEmRgrHnBr0D0-B4pu5dpmYI2M-9hSQv87MM1Kf5ckV2ZrCtOT90yL3sGOhEZE0o8-HQNPjdOGDwI7MyLSNLZbdEOkSssNU0VKl8gOMhG4bNXq-X1VemLSbILfkdmDqJaVA/s1600/054+Inside+Pool+of+Alhambra.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9LiOjd-lMD_-OIBwxjxCe3GGiMNwRa_HSTJ6Q_Mas1bjkuignu5awBh8Ccr-IsvtZxxqTv3lBaY3Ex1KxUzFruMwJui4MUxZN87K8fpk4ZNNJS0Fw0SDQdrsVn2_4kjxfNpDWw/s1600/055+Inside+Arches+in+Alhambra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9LiOjd-lMD_-OIBwxjxCe3GGiMNwRa_HSTJ6Q_Mas1bjkuignu5awBh8Ccr-IsvtZxxqTv3lBaY3Ex1KxUzFruMwJui4MUxZN87K8fpk4ZNNJS0Fw0SDQdrsVn2_4kjxfNpDWw/s1600/055+Inside+Arches+in+Alhambra.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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There are beautiful gardens as well:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNo3RvgIncaj_ppPWnZ192e5kRZnP9Z4t3rlSGnrporidtrT_dAWBcgnnYHoL2yx-tjWwpoMZj9-1Y02ddhwglo79WeVeXmGf5T_jCBENrB_UaXGCou_H9Us-B6au1KbU_Awimw/s1600/056+Gardens+at+Alhambra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNo3RvgIncaj_ppPWnZ192e5kRZnP9Z4t3rlSGnrporidtrT_dAWBcgnnYHoL2yx-tjWwpoMZj9-1Y02ddhwglo79WeVeXmGf5T_jCBENrB_UaXGCou_H9Us-B6au1KbU_Awimw/s1600/056+Gardens+at+Alhambra.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is difficult to get tickets to tour this
place, and they are timed, so plan accordingly if you go.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the drive from
Granada to Valencia, we drove through the mountains, with groves of olives,
almonds, lemons and oranges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The terrain
was very dry in places and we even saw some cave dwellings. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAdzi2YSLauRXctufsXbyJ4VrbiC7fpJlomHQvwVJI5HhIeRrFWPzFXTh8Iwg3VHZoTmQLn8NkL5hOo0wuB5_mKbRICmM5EzDWLZZkc4u0_Mzsuy_vibfWU2q7PAbPIajRcQIig/s1600/057+Cave+Houses+In+Mountains.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAdzi2YSLauRXctufsXbyJ4VrbiC7fpJlomHQvwVJI5HhIeRrFWPzFXTh8Iwg3VHZoTmQLn8NkL5hOo0wuB5_mKbRICmM5EzDWLZZkc4u0_Mzsuy_vibfWU2q7PAbPIajRcQIig/s1600/057+Cave+Houses+In+Mountains.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And periodically there were forts and castles
built on the tops of hills: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2ZEsQCMU7RZgawVzbigCUcZyj-__ztUMyW22v0QNNY2HmyJSVt2eJax8iFvO0mZj0ys1t03WYrBI4UV-SnoZT3kiJBe8TQ5Lti84-7016JIJDQuRvBwhs4yHkTqxtbCnFUSvwg/s1600/058+Old+Castle+On+Hilltop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2ZEsQCMU7RZgawVzbigCUcZyj-__ztUMyW22v0QNNY2HmyJSVt2eJax8iFvO0mZj0ys1t03WYrBI4UV-SnoZT3kiJBe8TQ5Lti84-7016JIJDQuRvBwhs4yHkTqxtbCnFUSvwg/s1600/058+Old+Castle+On+Hilltop.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Valencia, the 3<sup>rd</sup> largest city in Spain, is famous for good
oranges, but also has a beautiful old city center, cathedral, and many
squares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cathedral has 3 different
styles of gates with the Plaza de la Virgen nearby, which used to be the old
Roman Forum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi253onHHk5-aX8x6PYXn1XYRexJwrXYl0fzHzk6mG4UPSSZB1tCXuW-gMhxfw0UdlTbWXZzisSwgrSmQVrLryK-_h3yzvjHS9BcmhaSrPA_ykAGbk5lJoUSro9EONNmP6bedPbMQ/s1600/061+Main+Square+&+Synagogue+in+Valencia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi253onHHk5-aX8x6PYXn1XYRexJwrXYl0fzHzk6mG4UPSSZB1tCXuW-gMhxfw0UdlTbWXZzisSwgrSmQVrLryK-_h3yzvjHS9BcmhaSrPA_ykAGbk5lJoUSro9EONNmP6bedPbMQ/s1600/061+Main+Square+&+Synagogue+in+Valencia.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One place our group stopped for a break had
this ornate tile entryway:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfdWBQlBloEeT9hYi1I28X9akTfgahpic2rRBSSY36acOoJlHhjtD44fGOLbtRgD-sifWaZRYFBAxtNr7WrDfMd8oZxnCqxj9rosn2c8PCFgANzmC3L4G2GjE9QjJWugFWI4-XQ/s1600/060+Tilework+in+Valencia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfdWBQlBloEeT9hYi1I28X9akTfgahpic2rRBSSY36acOoJlHhjtD44fGOLbtRgD-sifWaZRYFBAxtNr7WrDfMd8oZxnCqxj9rosn2c8PCFgANzmC3L4G2GjE9QjJWugFWI4-XQ/s1600/060+Tilework+in+Valencia.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of
the unique drinks of this place and the area is horchata, made from almonds,
and it was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A place we were
most impressed with was the City of Arts and Sciences<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4hFfbdHN8tYWsVqWJH9VQOjDa3YlDDfAAnu4X44zrGPW89B3gDyqDcHjixdz1IyFsBy_5zi4NxCzHGrIrFYLqdOVQFRWBbwIp1SgxK_g4IYexgPC2vjwWqJi6uCt972TG_CPUg/s1600/059+City+of+Arts+&+Sciences+in+Valencia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4hFfbdHN8tYWsVqWJH9VQOjDa3YlDDfAAnu4X44zrGPW89B3gDyqDcHjixdz1IyFsBy_5zi4NxCzHGrIrFYLqdOVQFRWBbwIp1SgxK_g4IYexgPC2vjwWqJi6uCt972TG_CPUg/s1600/059+City+of+Arts+&+Sciences+in+Valencia.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The City of Arts and Sciences complex
includes five buildings: <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hemisferic</span></b> is
an IMAX cinema, the <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Museo de las Ciencias</span></b>
is a science museum, <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Oceanographic</span></b>
is a giant marine park or aquarium, the <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Palau de les Arts</span></b>
is an Opera House and the <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Agora</span></b> is a
multi-functional space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are spread
out along a huge park like area which also has gardens, pools, fountains, playgrounds,
and is built in the old river bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
loved the route of the river to outside the city because of the frequent flooding
and damage, and built this complex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because our hotel was right
nearby, we walked over there at night and were very impressed with the lights,
and reflections: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiViNsSz32t-pX9sgI3yXmNvQkCnIvab8_F2GIhmU4Sw3I_uihagHrgteaH8_J1hZ2i-63vg45dk86c57IAl2K1KKHYRLmy4suzu3AWjQd6RarwzOcmXTpH0TTzIGHw_YNlhlLPw/s1600/062+City+of+Arts+&+Sciences+at+Night.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiViNsSz32t-pX9sgI3yXmNvQkCnIvab8_F2GIhmU4Sw3I_uihagHrgteaH8_J1hZ2i-63vg45dk86c57IAl2K1KKHYRLmy4suzu3AWjQd6RarwzOcmXTpH0TTzIGHw_YNlhlLPw/s1600/062+City+of+Arts+&+Sciences+at+Night.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon our return to Barcelona, where the
tour ended, we had our first heavy rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First we checked into our hotel which was right on the Plaza de Espana,
and which had this great view:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5enlqmzmiGkbFbuA2_OEWSv8nTun8iQwMotVidN-4pnNFJdx6hPPKvoQ5gsviFdHqyjmqSVplOuKjABCrDNJ8r7FIUEiIoB6DB9Xbn7-6BvtQkNmWfFirD-gxhDQweu4K_RGQ6w/s1600/065+Plaza+de+Espana+in+Barcelona.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5enlqmzmiGkbFbuA2_OEWSv8nTun8iQwMotVidN-4pnNFJdx6hPPKvoQ5gsviFdHqyjmqSVplOuKjABCrDNJ8r7FIUEiIoB6DB9Xbn7-6BvtQkNmWfFirD-gxhDQweu4K_RGQ6w/s1600/065+Plaza+de+Espana+in+Barcelona.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our bus took us on a city tour, and when the first stop was near the
Olympic Village on Montjuic hill overlooking the port, and we could see hardly
any of it because of the mist and rain, we knew the tour wasn’t going to be
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the bus stopped 3 blocks from
La Sagrada Familia, the famous Gaudi cathedral, most of us stayed on the
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had already been there before
anyway – and everyone who walked over there got drenched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we drove by the Placa Catalunya, there
was so much water coming through it that the steps looked like
waterfalls!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right across the street
from our hotel was the old bull ring, which has been converted into a big mall
with the entire top floor given over to a variety of restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMrDJQUDX4Vfk3OzmTNU5ktASDVCiX3RRpgRE0oRnv3tOEeKaPfbGySt_fc_J_sdWhyphenhyphenapRdZNVxnpbsIGBc35ahLLuk4qMIO_wvzuInSE4xI1eoniadIyLUSj6fEx6WTt7zXfyA/s1600/066+Bull+Ring+in+Barcelona.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMrDJQUDX4Vfk3OzmTNU5ktASDVCiX3RRpgRE0oRnv3tOEeKaPfbGySt_fc_J_sdWhyphenhyphenapRdZNVxnpbsIGBc35ahLLuk4qMIO_wvzuInSE4xI1eoniadIyLUSj6fEx6WTt7zXfyA/s1600/066+Bull+Ring+in+Barcelona.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our tour group had a last dinner together there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, the rain had stopped, because the
Magic Fountains show was located right near our hotel, so we went to it
(again).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fountains have computerized
shows on weekend nights, with beautiful lights, great music, and different
water spout displays – all for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzL33pmmmOMeE2lerSPlROX09vPadb2PwBuDPIjAw6-UDWql91v6-gz6xZqLzIWDUR21O3k69zntpjbMWfH_4-54ttZBE9aYHQC1lAcCs9PVlEtzanbhpgNBjmaP69xXsYYcOAw/s1600/063+City+of+Arts+&+Sciences+at+Night.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzL33pmmmOMeE2lerSPlROX09vPadb2PwBuDPIjAw6-UDWql91v6-gz6xZqLzIWDUR21O3k69zntpjbMWfH_4-54ttZBE9aYHQC1lAcCs9PVlEtzanbhpgNBjmaP69xXsYYcOAw/s1600/063+City+of+Arts+&+Sciences+at+Night.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
are in Barcelona on a weekend night, don’t miss this!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day everyone was on their own in the
city and it was a beautiful sunny day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elaine and I walked around in the center, and did a little shopping for
some unique jewelry they make there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then we had the last dinner of the tour with our friends, Zivi, Rosalie,
Paul & Dory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZKmAbGUMEb5rF-mppQ3gkaGmDBKmxzqDLi1cdca637FHn7Y5PZaisGeyhMIHQ7JnznaXTBzJWsLo3AnVVmJC_7zfKIPytozL_bO9qabPXYIaR4HVtW7KV1zHn5oV6zWopqo47g/s1600/067+Six+Friends+Having+Dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUZKmAbGUMEb5rF-mppQ3gkaGmDBKmxzqDLi1cdca637FHn7Y5PZaisGeyhMIHQ7JnznaXTBzJWsLo3AnVVmJC_7zfKIPytozL_bO9qabPXYIaR4HVtW7KV1zHn5oV6zWopqo47g/s1600/067+Six+Friends+Having+Dinner.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we flew to
Paris to start the next phase of this journey. I will put that in my next
report.</div>
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Mary and Elainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15444993754747078380noreply@blogger.com1