Our European Adventure- May 2008

The Emerald Princess




April 27,2008

We are currently somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean headed for Barcelona. Our flights were on time and we had no problems. When we checked in at Jax, we didn't know to swipe our passports in the machine so we couldn't get the boarding pass without the help of an agent. The seats are cramped even in the bigger plane. The food is a joke.
Oh well, The sun set about an hour and a half ago and around midnight on east coast time, we will see it rise as we approach Europe.


April 28, 2008

We arrived in Barcelona with no problems. The planes were on time and the luggage made it here. Our passports work :) and we have our first international stamps.
We arrived at the hotel at 10:00 am and our room was ready. Princess had a rep at the airport to meet us and others who were on the flight .
We took a nap before venturing out to sight see. We took some pics of the huge cathedral here in the Gothic Quarter that is being renovated. Checked out the shops and Tavernas in the many narrow little streets. Love the architecture. This area is a big tourist draw. Convenient to all things. Tomorrow we will use the tourist bus to visit other sites around town.

We ate al fresco at (outside)at a taverna next to the cathedral. I had seafood paella and Joe had steak.


Joe isn't happy with the hotel room. It's much smaller than we are used to and not our type of decor. No comfortable chairs to sit on. It does however have a safe the laptop can fit in. It also has a lcd tv. There is a free minibar. The hotel location is great.

We had to change rooms. Shower door fit so poorly, water leaked all over. Moved 2 doors down.

Successfully used wifi in lobby. Bought a line we needed to use the room
line, but forgot how to change over from wifi. Hotel said they have a problem with Macs. They called a rep to the lobby, but I was able to get the hotel page by myself. They just needed to give me a password.

We also forgot to get a universal plug for charging regular stuff. Only had the one for Mac.

Received notification and welcome letter by Princess's travel reps here in Barcelona

We will be checked out and picked up at 10:00 to head for the ship on Wednesday.







Tuesday,April 29, 2008

Partly sunny, breezy mid- 60s. Wore spring jackets. Lovely sight seeing weather today.
We ate breakfast at the same Taverna we had dinner in. Omelettes here are different. They used proscuitto for ham. Mine was verrry salty. Joe's was fine.
We paid 20 euros each for an all day pass for the Bus Touristica and found our way around successfully. We went to the Sagrada Famillia, the most popular tourist sight and saw the unfinished church that the architect Gaudi designed. It is being completed with donated funds. It is so intricate in detail. Gaudi was trying to symbolize every book of the Bible. His architecture is all over Barcelona.
We stopped at the Museum of Art which is high on a mountain overlooking the city. Spectacular views. The museum itself is very impressive.
We ate dinner in a marina in the harbor called La Gavina. We ate outdoors again. I had Seafood Paella again (delicious) and Joe had steak again. He was disappointed. Steak was too fatty and only luke warm. The sides were a joke to him as they would be to any American. Food presentation is so different here. He can't wait to get into the ships restaurants:)

We stopped at Starbucks by the hotel for dessert and coffee.
Used the WiFi here at the hotel. It is 6.00 euros for an hour. Much cheaper than the ship.

Our over all impression of Barcelona is it is very clean, friendly and beautiful. It has the most amazing architecture.

Tomorrow we board the ship.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

At 10:00 am we checked out of the hotel and the buses picked everyone up for the ride to the pier. We had to wait in the lounge until noon before boarding, but it was quite nice and comfortable. Once on board, we unpacked our small suitcases and went to lunch in the Horizon Court. Food choices were well done and tasty. Then we started exploring the ship. We love the ship! It is beautiful and much bigger than the Coral Princess. It is the same as the Crown Princess which is the ship we will book us on for March. The colors are serene and comforting.
I had some trouble getting my card key to work when I tried to set up WiFi. I had to get a new one. I will try the Wifi later.
I did some ironing and washed our jeans while hubby caught up on some sleep.
The ship had a seafood extravaganza for dinner and we made the most of it. Dad ate lobster!!!!! We didn't have to work to eat it either as it was cracked already.
We will be having the muster practice shortly and then I'll try the WiFi.
The WiFi worked fine. I forgot to log out though and may have a billing problem tomorrow.
We went to the party on the Lido deck for farewell to Barcelona. They sang the Barcelona song. The band was playing slow songs so we danced under the stars.
Tried the pizza and ice cream. Watched the ship maneuver it's way out of the harbor.
We will be in Provence in France tomorrow. It was low 60s and sunny today. Hope this weather follows us:) Our cabin steward is Krystian and he is from Poland.He brought our champagne and we toasted our 39 years on the balcony.
Found out that the 60.00 fuel surcharge per person was credited back to us, so we have 320.00 credit.

May 1,2008

We had breakfast in the buffet. Went to Lourmarin, France to a castle and then on to Rousillon for lunch and shopping. The food was delicious. We had medallions of beef and since the food looked so gourmet in presentation, I took pics of it. The scenery was spectacular and I bought a tiny piece of pottery, French made, that I plan to use for an ornament.









When we got back, we went to the cruise desk and booked a 31 day South Pacific cruise for Oct. 2009. Yippee! We have to wait for a reply from the Cruise office in order to see if we can book three cabins for March 2009 for the kids and the Caribbean.
Ate in the Davinci dining room tonight. Joe had halibut and I had cornish hen. Very good.Sunny and 60s.

May 2,2008

We went to Florence today. Lot of walking on rough walkways. Leg muscles are screaming. The city is gritty and it is a long walk from the bus to the historic center. The Domo and church in the square was massive and beautiful. Sunlight was in back of the church and the pics are dark. Got one good shot of the bell tower.
Had lunch in a hotel. The food was ok, but yesterday's was better.
After lunch we left Florence to visit Pisa. It is awesome in person. Got good pics.
Took a soak in the hottub before dinner. Felt much better after that.
Went to Michaelangelo dining room tonight. Had Duck and chicken cordon bleu.







May 3,2008

Today we visited Rome. Another beautiful day and great seas. Temp in the upper 70s.
We went to the Coliseum first. Awesome. Our guide was Francesca. We encountered huge lines but this spitfire got us in because we were a group. It was 40 minute wait, but we never would have gotten in on our own in this time frame.
Same thing at Vatican City, however we walked right in without waiting because we were on a reserved group tour. We had pasta and veal for lunch. Mine is better.
The Vatican museum is gorgeous and the Sistine Chapel brought tears. St. Peter's Basilica also brought tears. Took lots of pictures. A memorable day.
Went to Caribe Cafe for dinner. Food and service has been wonderful.







May 4, 2oo8

Today we visited Naples and toured Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii.
Another glorious sea and weather day. Capri was a little Mediterranean Island across the Bay of Naples from the Port of Naples. We had to go up a mountain on a Funiculare, ( a tram on tracks) to the town center. What a view! Blue water and Vesuvious in the distance. We saw Vesuvious as we came into the harbor earlier in the morning, from our balcony.
We took lots of pics, window shopped and bought a couple little refrigerator magnets for the kids. We met our guide Luciano at the appointed time and took a jet boat over to Sorrento where we had lunch. Pasta and chicken. Mine is better.

After lunch we took some pics in Sorrento, a neat ,wealthy beach town, and then boarded a bus for Pompeii. The ride was scenic and wild coming down mountain terrain and sharp curves. Pompeii was everything they talk about and more. The knowledge we were walking through history rediscovered blows ones mind. The fossilized bodies of humans and animals is heart breaking. The scenery surrounding the town is awsome. We have many pics to remind us but I will never forget Pompeii.

Ate dinner in Caribe again as we were too tired to dress for the dining room. Went to bed early. Sea day tomorrow. We will rest.








May 5, 2008

Today was a sea day. The sea and weather were a ten. We can't believe our run of good luck on this cruise.
We slept late, went to breakfast and sat with people we met from Arkansas,Doris and Ken. Then we did laundry, sent some e-mails and checked with Sue at the travel agency by e-mail to book a third cabin for next years anniversary cruise.
We went on deck and used the hot tub and got some sun. Had hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch by the pool.
Tonight was formal night. We went to dinner at 6:00 to avoid the crush of people who come after pics. We didn't do a pic because we wore the clothes on the last cruise and already have a pic.Met a nice couple from Mississippi and a mother and daughter (older) from of all places, St. Augustine!!! They live on Anastasia.



May 6, 2008

Mykonos, Greece was our port today and what a gem!! Lovely white washed buildings, tiny alleys of stores, gorgeous water. Windmills are still on the island. We went to the hottub and it was peaceful because everyone was still ashore. We sat on our balcony and had lunch overlooking the island when we got back on the ship. I had my nails done and we went to the Crown Grill for dinner. It was ok, but the Bayou Cafe on the Coral Princess was better.







May 7, 2008

Today we visited Istanbul. The mosques were impressive from outside,but not as interesting inside. This was our least favorite tour so far. We were taken to a rug store and given a sales pitch. We walked around the shops. We visited the Blue Mosque and The St. Sophia Museum. The weather was cool and overcast most of the day.
Once again the seas were good. Had lunch in Horizon Court and dinner in Da Vinci dining room. I am eating too much salt and my body is reacting. Went to a game show in the Wheel House Bar. Bought two pics and got an album for the cruise.



May 8, 2008

Today we arrived at Kusadasi to visit Ephesus. The harbor and city were quite unexpected. Very cosmopolitan beach resort. We visited St. Johns tomb and the final resting place of the Virgin Mary. We lit a candle in prayer. Very emotional experience.
Afterward, we went to Ephesus. St. Paul preached to the Ephesians here. It used to be a port city, but the Aegean Sea silted the area and the sea is now 3 miles from Ephesus. The ruins are 1400 years old. Our guides name was Besim.
We will have dinner tomorrow night with Doris and Ken, a couple we met on the Mykonos tour. They are from Arkansas. We have met a lot of people that we see on tours or at meals. I guess we are creatures of habit.



May 9,2008

Today we were in Athens Greece. A very congested and polluted city. Our tour guide was unsatisfactory, but we managed to see what we came to see. The Acropolis is very impressive, but the trip up was difficult due to the size of the crowds. We spent about 5 minutes taking pics up there because we needed time to get back down for our bus. She took up too much time talking before giving us pic time. She should have stayed with us and come down as a group. She was adamant that the bus would leave whether or not we were back. We then went to the Plaka district which is their main shopping area. She left us on our own for 1 1/2 hours and then we met to go on to the restaurant. The greek food was ok, but not my favorite. We had Greek entertainment also with dancers and singers. It was enjoyable.
We had dinner tonight with Doris and Ken from Arkansas. We met them on the Mykonos tour and enjoyed each others company.
After dinner, we did some laundry and then went to the Crew show at 10:30 PM. We had a balloon fight:) and thoroughly enjoyed the show. They have a lot of talent in the crew.




May 10, 2008

Today was a sea day. Another 10!! Slept in and had breakfast at the Horizon. Afterwards we sent some e-mails and did some bargain hunting. Joe got two t-shirts and I got two bracelets. We then changed and went to the Lido deck for a hot tub and sun. It was hot in the sun, but cool in the shade. Pool water was to cool for us. After lunch in the Horizon, we took some pics of the ship to show the kids. This ship is the same as the Crown.
We both needed naps. When I got up, I did a load of wash to begin packing. We had dinner in the Michaelangelo dining room and met two British couples.


May 11, 2008

Today we made a grand entry into Venice. It was so beautiful. a moment we'll never forget. The ship played Andre Bocelli's " It's Time to Say Goodbye". The ship is so huge and we couldn't believe it could travel through this channel so close to the city. We went on the shuttle after lunch and had a gondola ride, and a visit to the Doges Palace. Bought some Venetian masks for decorating the tree.Venice was the crown jewel of this perfect trip. Ate in the Caribe for our last dinner.






May 12,2008

We headed home today. We have met so many people this week and shared a wonderful cruise. 12 days of sunshine and great seas only happens once in a lifetime.
Our flight left Venice a half hour late but we made it to Atlanta in ten hours and connected to our Jacksonville flight.
Joe ended up with a bad cold on the way home. We went to the doctor the next day. I had my knee x-rayed also. Thank goodness the fall didn't mess up the rest of the trip and Joe's cold didn't happen till the end coming home.


Addenum

May 26,2008

Today was Memorial Day and we went to St. Augustine to play tourist. For the first time, after living here for 4 years, we discovered the Shrine of St. Photios, a Greek Orthodox memorial. It was right on St. George St., but until today we never noticed it. It took a trip to Greece for us to become aware of the Greek History in our Spanish town. In fact, we realized just how much of Europe is right on our doorstep.