What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?
For most of my childhood I was so embarrassed by my middle name. It wasn’t American. It was my grandmothers name and she was Swedish. In fact all my grandparents were Swedish. But oh that name. It sounded so much better in Swedish.
So what was this name. Gerda. And so many ugly rhymes could go with it. Especially dirty Gerty .
Although the name no longer makes me cringe, when I changed my name for marriage and back again, I decided to drop the middle name. All my legal documents no longer include the cringeworthy Gerda.
You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?
The first thing I do is to check if it’s true! Yup in this day and age I’m beginning to not trust anything! Sounds negative right? Maybe just realistic!
So it’s true! I have fantastic news! I would share the news with my husband. Then I’d say a short little prayer of thanks.
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?
When I was younger, I skied, skated, danced, and drank.
Well the drinking I gave up over 30 years ago. No more late-night shenanigans. Dancing has become less frequent because I don’t hang out in places with live music.
The other stuff stopped because frankly if I fall I might have difficulty getting up. It was hard enough in my 40s weighed down with all the winter clothing. But in my 70s I would probably have to roll down the mountain until I found something I could lean on to pull myself up. Not a very pretty picture.
So now I mostly do things that are easy. Walking, water aerobics and kayaking fit in my comfort zone.
I can remember going to the candy store with Pennie’s to buy single strands of delicious red licorice. So my love of it goes way way back.
Not black licorice which is so strong but the red which is fruity,
I can sit and eat a pound of red licorice in less than an hour. Of course my teeth would hurt and my stomach doesn’t feel good.
I remember visiting my mother and finding a bag of red licorice stored in her kitchen cabinet. I said, “Mom!” and she gave me a sly look and said, “I love red licorice!”
I always thought it was only chocolate that people craved. But alas there are many red licorice lovers among us. Maybe you are one too!
This was a short cruise. Five nights, two ports, and two sea days. Our second port was Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
We didn’t plan a shore excursion but decided to walk around the port for a bit. There is a free pool, lazy river, and lounges. We didn’t wear our bathing suits so we didn’t take advantage of these freebies.
There are a lot of shops, both expensive jewelry and cheap souvenirs. I saw spa treatments, cigar shops and many, many bars.
After we walked the entire area we decided to head back to the ship.
We went in the hot tub and pool which was empty. The best time to be at the pool is port days. I hate fighting the crowds on sea days.
Last night’s show headliners was the Las Vegas Tenors. They were great. They played everything from oldies rick and roll to opera. Terrific.
Tonight we dined with our usual table mates. No escargot. I had a shrimp cocktail. Bruce ordered mac and cheese with lobster but it was awful. Too many breadcrumbs and couldn’t find any lobster.
Tonight the show was Tango Buenos Aires. It was fabulous and made us reminisce about our time in Buenos Aires last year.
It’s been a fun little cruise although I do prefer them a little longer. The next one up will be 15 days then 21 days.
Tomorrow is our last sea day. We will probably sleep late, have coffee delivered, and enjoy some of the activities around the ship.
Haiti is on the same island mass as the Dominican Republic but for many years, especially lately it has been riddled with crime. In fact it is at level 4 on the State Department list.
So why Labadee? For many years Royal Caribbean has been renting this island at the northern tip of Haiti. At one point they stopped visiting but I’m glad we were able to go today.
It was a beautiful day although clouds threatened rain on several occasions.
We disembarked the ship around 9:30 and strolled along the pier.
Bright sunshine makes my heart sing. There’s nothing better than sun and tropics.
We took a tram to Adrenaline Beach.
This is the beach where the zipliners zip over the beach and water. Also we could hear the screams from the roller coaster riders.
The beach was lovely and there was a floating bar out on the water.
They served a delicious lunch. A pasta salad and a Caprese salad. Hot dogs. Hamburgers and jerk chicken. Lots of fruits but my passion was the coconut macaroons. I couldn’t stop eating them.
There was live music playing reggae. And when they were finished playing two dance troops performed.
After a while we called it a day and headed back to the ship.
Labadee was fun, safe, and lovely. Did I really visit Haiti? Can’t say I’m sure about that. But this little stop was fun!
What can I say! I just love to travel and cruising is an easy way to do it. This one’s a short one. Five nights on Royal Caribbean’s the Grandeur of the Seas. Two ports. Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
This is our first time in an ocean-view cabin. It’s cute. It’s big enough to have a small sofa. Lots of surprising storage space. But no mini fridge and there was hair and body wash all in one in the shower. I forgot to pack some and they were good enough to bring me shampoo and conditioner. We also asked for a fridge and they gave us a medical one. Very small but big enough for Bruce’s milk and Gatorade.
The ship is an older, smaller one. A little tired and will need some cosmetic work if it’s going to continue operating in the future.
We spent a little time relaxing in the grown-ups only solarium.
Then listened to a duo in the Centrum.
Two nights of escargot, I have to say it’s not the best. I think it needs more garlic. But all is good with the food.
After five days in Puerto Rico, we returned home, did laundry, and are now headed out on a five-day cruise.
It was easy packing. We just basically repacked the clean laundry adding a dressier outfit and a warmer jacket. It may get cold on the ocean.
We are on Celebrity Silhouette. I think she’s a sister ship to the Reflection which we love.
Unfortunately, I am not feeling great so we plan to just relax and read our books on this trip. I’ve been to Key West and the Bahamas and feel no great need to get off the ship.
We sat on our balcony and watched as we sailed out of Port Everglades. We could see the rain in the distance.
What do you see when you look at this picture?
Do you remember one of the Star Wars movies?
The ship was fully decorated for the holidays!
We relaxed by the pool looking out on the city of Key West.
We played in the casino a bit.
But most of all it’s time to relax and get better.
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