I've uploaded a bunch of pictures from our cruise. The slide shows are on the left by destination. Click on them and it will open up a Photobucket window where you can view them in full size.
Now I just need to get busy and start scrapbooking some!
However, in just a few short days (3 sleeps!) I'll be heading out to Metamora, Indiana to meet up with some fabulous friends.
If you are interested in seeing a little of Metamora, check out this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4my_iG71FA
Now to do some laundry so I'll have some clean clothes to wear...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Home again!
We made it!!! Thankfully, the flight was uneventful -- a little delayed, but that was it.
The drive home was hard for me. I was concenred about Greg driving, since he took a sleeping pill when we got on the plane, but he didn't sleep, so I stayed awake to make sure he stayed awake.
We are both pretty exhausted. We've been up since about 1:30 am EST and although I did nap a little on the plane, it wasn't nearly enough after 3 nights of very little sleep. I hope to sleep better in my own bed tonite. I've already told Greg he can sleep in the other room so I can have a night of quiet... LOL
I'll attempt to post some pictures of our trip over the weekend. I don't remember how many pictures I've taken -- about 1500 or so (give or take). I won't post them all, but I'll pick out some key ones - with some notes.
If you followed this blog during our trip -- thank you! I'd hate to think I went to all that trouble for nothing! LOL Although it will help me with journaling my scrapbook pages when the time comes...
Anyways... it's 9:14 pm EST now and I really need to get some sleep!
Later!
The drive home was hard for me. I was concenred about Greg driving, since he took a sleeping pill when we got on the plane, but he didn't sleep, so I stayed awake to make sure he stayed awake.
We are both pretty exhausted. We've been up since about 1:30 am EST and although I did nap a little on the plane, it wasn't nearly enough after 3 nights of very little sleep. I hope to sleep better in my own bed tonite. I've already told Greg he can sleep in the other room so I can have a night of quiet... LOL
I'll attempt to post some pictures of our trip over the weekend. I don't remember how many pictures I've taken -- about 1500 or so (give or take). I won't post them all, but I'll pick out some key ones - with some notes.
If you followed this blog during our trip -- thank you! I'd hate to think I went to all that trouble for nothing! LOL Although it will help me with journaling my scrapbook pages when the time comes...
Anyways... it's 9:14 pm EST now and I really need to get some sleep!
Later!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Homeward bound...
We have reached our final destination -- Madrid. We won´t be seeing much of it tho --- only what we saw driving around to find our hotel -- another adventure if map reading!! But we made it.
Both Greg and I have come down with a cold or something and we feel lousy. Also, Greg´s gout is really bothering him. We have no energy, so were just going to relax in our room. We found a market near by and bought some bread, meat and cheese and we´ll eat in our room. I´m going to bed real early tonite.
I think we´ll have to be up early tomorrow to give us enough time to find our way to the airport, turn in the car and get checked in.
I don´t know what time we arrive home tomorrow, but I believe it´s mid afternoon. ´
So my next post will be from home.
PS - a couple of things I forgot to tell you about
- while driving around Spain, we´d see these woman on the lower highways standing around waiting for a bus. It didn´t take long before we realized they were not waiting for a bus -- they were waiting for ´work´ !!
- there was something else, but I´ve already forgotton. Maybe when I get home...
Until then -- take care!!
Both Greg and I have come down with a cold or something and we feel lousy. Also, Greg´s gout is really bothering him. We have no energy, so were just going to relax in our room. We found a market near by and bought some bread, meat and cheese and we´ll eat in our room. I´m going to bed real early tonite.
I think we´ll have to be up early tomorrow to give us enough time to find our way to the airport, turn in the car and get checked in.
I don´t know what time we arrive home tomorrow, but I believe it´s mid afternoon. ´
So my next post will be from home.
PS - a couple of things I forgot to tell you about
- while driving around Spain, we´d see these woman on the lower highways standing around waiting for a bus. It didn´t take long before we realized they were not waiting for a bus -- they were waiting for ´work´ !!
- there was something else, but I´ve already forgotton. Maybe when I get home...
Until then -- take care!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A Spanish Adventure...
Today was a day of learning.
We did manage to get out Valencia without any problems and we also made it to our hotel in Cartagena without issue. I can only hope that Madrid is as easy tomorrow!
The drive from Valencia and Cartagena was lovely. It was a little in the mountains (which Greg loved) and a little seaside. I loved all the terra cotta houses. I tried to get some pictures, but the are not very good.
By the way, I don´t think I mentioned what we´re driving in Spain. It´s a Citroen. I´m not sure what model, but it´s a good one -- fully loaded, leather seats and all. Greg preferred the Alfa we drove in Italy tho.
So anyways -- we arrived in Cartagena around 5:30 or so. We settled into our room and then headed out for dinner. We walked for about an hour, but could not find anything open. Went back to the hotel and asked. They told us about a place a few blocks away. Walked there -- not open unti 8pm. Walked back to the hotel and relaxed and went back just after 8. I guess the Spanish like to eat late. Also, there´s the ´siesta´ that they take in the afternoon. Everything is closed in the afternoon.
We didn´t experience this in Barcelona because where we were staying (Ramblas) is a big tourist attraction, so everything is open. By the time we got to Valencia and went for dinner it was after 8, so it never occured to us that nothing would be open at 6pm. Oh well. Now we know!
Anyways, we go to the restaurant. They pegged us as english speaking right away and brought both an english and spanish menu. There were no prices and the selections were -- interesting, to say the least. Beef, Ox, Duck, fish, and other stuff we weren´t sure of. So the waiter comes to take our order. I point to what I want -- asparagus salad and the beef. The waiter shuts the menu and starts to go, when Greg takes it from him and orders the pork. A few minutes later someone else comes to the table and asks if I ordered the Sea Bass. ????? No. So I open the menu and show him. He asks what kind of sauce... I pick one. A while later the asparagus salad comes -- which is white asparagus (never had that) with a red sauce. It was quite good. Then what we thought was my ´main course´comes out. They put down a plate with barely cooked slices of steak and then they put down a hot grill, sprinkled with sea salt. It´s a ´cook your own´meat deal. So I start to cook the beef, but nothing has been brought out for Greg. So we share the beef with the rockefort (sp?) sauce and an order of fries (I couldn´t understand anything else he said... LOL). Good thing we did share, because there was a LOT of meat and we were concerned that they would bring the pork out later -- but I guess they just ignored his order. So after some dessert (chocolate cake) and a shot of lemon snapps, we are now back at the hotel. Considering the language barrier, we managed ok... lol and we enjoyed the food!
As for Valencia and Cartegena, although I enjoyed the travelling between the two cities, the cities themselves are kind of boring. Not much to see. I have no pictures (except of the hotel) in Valencia and I have a picture of Greg in front of a fountain in Cartegena. Oh well. It was still a good journey.
Tomorrow I hope to get up early and head to straight to Madrid -- no scenic route. It´s 4.5 hours and I would like to do some touring around, since we won´t have any time on Friday. We have a 12:30ish flight back home.
Health wise -- my rash had pretty much gone away and the swelling is down -- but not gone. Greg´s gout is still here and really starting to both him. I think I may have a cold. My sinuses are bugging me and my throat is sore. It also might be because I didn´t sleep well last night. Hopefully tonite will be better and I´ll feel better in the morning.
Anyways -- just 2 more nights and then we are on our way home! I´m sad and glad at the same time. I would love to tour around some more, but I´m also looking forward to seeing my furbabies and sleeping in my own bed. Although knowing that Sweat Pea won´t be there will be sad... :-( Going back to work -- not looking forward to so much... lol
I´m sure I´m forgetting some other important piece of information that Greg wanted me to pass on. I´ll try to remember it and post tomorrow...
Well that´s it! Good night!
We did manage to get out Valencia without any problems and we also made it to our hotel in Cartagena without issue. I can only hope that Madrid is as easy tomorrow!
The drive from Valencia and Cartagena was lovely. It was a little in the mountains (which Greg loved) and a little seaside. I loved all the terra cotta houses. I tried to get some pictures, but the are not very good.
By the way, I don´t think I mentioned what we´re driving in Spain. It´s a Citroen. I´m not sure what model, but it´s a good one -- fully loaded, leather seats and all. Greg preferred the Alfa we drove in Italy tho.
So anyways -- we arrived in Cartagena around 5:30 or so. We settled into our room and then headed out for dinner. We walked for about an hour, but could not find anything open. Went back to the hotel and asked. They told us about a place a few blocks away. Walked there -- not open unti 8pm. Walked back to the hotel and relaxed and went back just after 8. I guess the Spanish like to eat late. Also, there´s the ´siesta´ that they take in the afternoon. Everything is closed in the afternoon.
We didn´t experience this in Barcelona because where we were staying (Ramblas) is a big tourist attraction, so everything is open. By the time we got to Valencia and went for dinner it was after 8, so it never occured to us that nothing would be open at 6pm. Oh well. Now we know!
Anyways, we go to the restaurant. They pegged us as english speaking right away and brought both an english and spanish menu. There were no prices and the selections were -- interesting, to say the least. Beef, Ox, Duck, fish, and other stuff we weren´t sure of. So the waiter comes to take our order. I point to what I want -- asparagus salad and the beef. The waiter shuts the menu and starts to go, when Greg takes it from him and orders the pork. A few minutes later someone else comes to the table and asks if I ordered the Sea Bass. ????? No. So I open the menu and show him. He asks what kind of sauce... I pick one. A while later the asparagus salad comes -- which is white asparagus (never had that) with a red sauce. It was quite good. Then what we thought was my ´main course´comes out. They put down a plate with barely cooked slices of steak and then they put down a hot grill, sprinkled with sea salt. It´s a ´cook your own´meat deal. So I start to cook the beef, but nothing has been brought out for Greg. So we share the beef with the rockefort (sp?) sauce and an order of fries (I couldn´t understand anything else he said... LOL). Good thing we did share, because there was a LOT of meat and we were concerned that they would bring the pork out later -- but I guess they just ignored his order. So after some dessert (chocolate cake) and a shot of lemon snapps, we are now back at the hotel. Considering the language barrier, we managed ok... lol and we enjoyed the food!
As for Valencia and Cartegena, although I enjoyed the travelling between the two cities, the cities themselves are kind of boring. Not much to see. I have no pictures (except of the hotel) in Valencia and I have a picture of Greg in front of a fountain in Cartegena. Oh well. It was still a good journey.
Tomorrow I hope to get up early and head to straight to Madrid -- no scenic route. It´s 4.5 hours and I would like to do some touring around, since we won´t have any time on Friday. We have a 12:30ish flight back home.
Health wise -- my rash had pretty much gone away and the swelling is down -- but not gone. Greg´s gout is still here and really starting to both him. I think I may have a cold. My sinuses are bugging me and my throat is sore. It also might be because I didn´t sleep well last night. Hopefully tonite will be better and I´ll feel better in the morning.
Anyways -- just 2 more nights and then we are on our way home! I´m sad and glad at the same time. I would love to tour around some more, but I´m also looking forward to seeing my furbabies and sleeping in my own bed. Although knowing that Sweat Pea won´t be there will be sad... :-( Going back to work -- not looking forward to so much... lol
I´m sure I´m forgetting some other important piece of information that Greg wanted me to pass on. I´ll try to remember it and post tomorrow...
Well that´s it! Good night!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Valencia...
is quite nice. It is similar to Barcelona, but on a smaller scale.
Our drive to Valencia was uneventful - thankfully. We started with a smaller highway, but eventually moved to the main one. It was a nice drive. Spain is a beautiful country.
Once we got to Valencia, things were not so easy. I did have detailed instructions, but I cannot tell you how many times we went around the same traffic circle. We did eventually find our way tho. Then the trouble was parking. The parking for the hotel was full, so we ended up parking somewhere that was several blocks away. It was 8:30 by the time we got into our room. We then walked for 15 minutes to find a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. We just got back to our hotel.
Tomorrow I hope to see a little more of Valencia and then we will make our way to Cartagena, which is about 2.5 hours away.
It has been adventure.
Our drive to Valencia was uneventful - thankfully. We started with a smaller highway, but eventually moved to the main one. It was a nice drive. Spain is a beautiful country.
Once we got to Valencia, things were not so easy. I did have detailed instructions, but I cannot tell you how many times we went around the same traffic circle. We did eventually find our way tho. Then the trouble was parking. The parking for the hotel was full, so we ended up parking somewhere that was several blocks away. It was 8:30 by the time we got into our room. We then walked for 15 minutes to find a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. We just got back to our hotel.
Tomorrow I hope to see a little more of Valencia and then we will make our way to Cartagena, which is about 2.5 hours away.
It has been adventure.
Monday, September 7, 2009
I HEART Barcelona
i am going to apologize upfront for any typos... spanish keyboard -- things are not where you expect them to be...
anyways, we made it to Barcelona and I love it. I may wish that we had stayed a day longer...
We were up early -- had to be off the ship by 8:30. After collecting our luggage, we took a bus to Monserrat, which was very nice. The drive up there was incredible. Not one you would want to take being tired, drunk or talking on the cell phone. You need to be completely focused to drive that road, but there was some great scenery.
From there we went to the airport to get our car. It only took us 2 hours to find our hotel -- which was only 20 minutes away. We are getting better at finding our way.
Our hotel is in the Rambas (sp?) district which has lots of shops and food -- and a great market. We walked around and found some place to eat -- along with some Sangria. Greg went back to the room I wandered around some more. Did manage to get lost, but did ask someone and found my way back, but wow...what a wonderful city.
Tomorrow I hope to get to the Gothic district. Then we will make our way to Valencia -- about 3.5 hours away.
It is going on 9:30 pm and I'm heading back to the room for the night.
Have a great evening.
anyways, we made it to Barcelona and I love it. I may wish that we had stayed a day longer...
We were up early -- had to be off the ship by 8:30. After collecting our luggage, we took a bus to Monserrat, which was very nice. The drive up there was incredible. Not one you would want to take being tired, drunk or talking on the cell phone. You need to be completely focused to drive that road, but there was some great scenery.
From there we went to the airport to get our car. It only took us 2 hours to find our hotel -- which was only 20 minutes away. We are getting better at finding our way.
Our hotel is in the Rambas (sp?) district which has lots of shops and food -- and a great market. We walked around and found some place to eat -- along with some Sangria. Greg went back to the room I wandered around some more. Did manage to get lost, but did ask someone and found my way back, but wow...what a wonderful city.
Tomorrow I hope to get to the Gothic district. Then we will make our way to Valencia -- about 3.5 hours away.
It is going on 9:30 pm and I'm heading back to the room for the night.
Have a great evening.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
It's almost over...
It's our last day. It's been relaxing -- just hanging out -- doing a little bit of last minute shopping. I even played bingo today and won $108!!! Of course, I've already spent more then that at the casino... lol
I've already packed -- we have to have our bags out by 11pm tonite. We go for dinner at 9, so needed to get it all done beforehand.
Tomorrow we have our Montserat (sp?) excursion and then we'll get to explore Barcelona a little more. I believe our hotel is near the Gothic District, which is suppose to be really nice, so I'm looking forward to checking that out.
We are really going to miss our new friends from Brittan. We've really enjoyed spending time with them and hope that we'll stay in touch. I had suggested at dinner last night that we'll have to do dinner once a month via webcam or something... lol Time it so they are having a late dinner while we're having lunch or something.
Although the cruise is over, we still have a few days to explore Spain. We'll stay in Barcelona tomorrow night and then we're going to Valencia, which is about a 3.5 hour drive. We'll stay in Valencia and then we head to Cartagena for a night and then to Madrid.
Fortunatey, with the time difference, we leave on Friday afternoon, and arrive home on Friday afternoon! So we'll have a couple of days to recouperate before going back to work.
Anyways -- I'll update when I can over the next few days or I'll post when we get home.
Later!
I've already packed -- we have to have our bags out by 11pm tonite. We go for dinner at 9, so needed to get it all done beforehand.
Tomorrow we have our Montserat (sp?) excursion and then we'll get to explore Barcelona a little more. I believe our hotel is near the Gothic District, which is suppose to be really nice, so I'm looking forward to checking that out.
We are really going to miss our new friends from Brittan. We've really enjoyed spending time with them and hope that we'll stay in touch. I had suggested at dinner last night that we'll have to do dinner once a month via webcam or something... lol Time it so they are having a late dinner while we're having lunch or something.
Although the cruise is over, we still have a few days to explore Spain. We'll stay in Barcelona tomorrow night and then we're going to Valencia, which is about a 3.5 hour drive. We'll stay in Valencia and then we head to Cartagena for a night and then to Madrid.
Fortunatey, with the time difference, we leave on Friday afternoon, and arrive home on Friday afternoon! So we'll have a couple of days to recouperate before going back to work.
Anyways -- I'll update when I can over the next few days or I'll post when we get home.
Later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)