thefouramigosblog

It’s just a quick 7 day Carribean cruise that Celebrity offered for port taxes and of course gratuities. We are sailing on the Reflection which brings fond memories of our first Transatlantic crossing. The ship is a little older but it has a lot of class.

I love how it’s decorated for Christmas, very elegant. Our cabin is a veranda and it’s much larger than the balcony cabins on Princess. We even have a couch.

The bathroom has good storage and nice soaps and lotions.

We relaxed up on deck and watched as the ship left the port.

Today I was going a comparison between Princess and Celebrity. So far the cabin is better on Celebrity as well as the food. Every night I can have escargot.

I had lamb in a phyllo dough and Bruce had fish for dinner. We dined with 10 people since the only way we could get a table was to share. Which is usually good but this old girls hearing is not so great so it was hard to talk with everyone.

As far as entertainment, first night Broadway Cabaret was a disappointment. I have to say based on tonight, Princess wins a round.

It’s time for shut eye since we land in Nassau at 7 am. We are taking a tour of the island. Bruce has never been there. I’m glad I didn’t book a snorkeling trip since it will be a high of 78.

#Celebritycruises#princesscruises#celebrityreflection#fortlauderdale

Mount Dora is a small town in central Florida known for its Christmas festival. With a population of a little over 16,000 it’s quaint and country with little hills and a fairly good sized lake.

Gift shops line the main street along with restaurants and coffee shops.

They even have pickle ball courts that were well in use during the day and evening.

We arrived early in the day and had lunch at a quaint little restaurant that made Maine lobster rolls. Keeping with my tradition of only having lobster in Maine, I had shrimp and a side of cole slaw. We were all so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the food.

We stayed at a Hampton Inn, just on the outskirts of town with a 10 minute drive downtown. Hampton Inns, part of Hilton chain, are reasonably priced, clean and provide breakfast. We checked in around 3 pm and headed back downtown around 4:30. Parking was relatively easy and free.

We walked to Sunset Park on Lake Eustis just in time for a beautiful sunset.

The four amigis back together again.

We found a lovely German restaurant for dinner, the Bavarian Haus, one street over from the lake. I had Schnitzel, Bruce had bratwurst and Linda and Stan had sauerbratten. Unfortunately, no photos. We had black forest cake for dessert.

Now for the lights. So many and so beautiful it was magical.

We even listened to a piper playing.

It was well worth the three hour drive to visit Mount Dora at Christmas.

#mountdora#bavarianhaus#christmaslights#holiday#hamptoninn

It’s been quite a few days without WiFi onboard but finally have it for the day. We learned that a hurricane is heading towards Florida tomorrow and we arrive the day after. Hopefully, it won’t get too crazy at sea.

We’ve been busy eating, talking and amusing ourselves with the entertainment. Today they had a talent contest. It was cute. People sang, told jokes, played harmonica and guitar.

Tonight we are having dinner with a group of friends and tomorrow night dinner with a couple we were on an excursion with in Lisbon.

We went to the gym most mornings with breakfast afterwards. Often we sat around listening to good music or talking with people from all over the world.

The enrichment series was on forensics and today the lecturer discussed the Jonbenet Ramsey case. It was very interesting and a few of us met with him afterwards to further discuss the case.

We also went to an enrichment series on astronomy which was also very interesting.

We also spent some time in the casino using the free play that Princess gave me. I turned $400 free play into $350 cash but have been managing to give the casino my profits.

Sometimes we played trivia which we weren’t very good at, or watched game shows. The marriage game was very funny! There were 3 couples – one married only a year although they were probably in their 80s, a couple married 39 years and another couple married 52 years. They asked each husband questions like when was their first kiss, what size bra would you buy your wife and who would you send one way to the moon. Then the wife would have to match her answer to her husbands. The couples were cute and funny!

The shows have been fun with lots of beautiful costumes and dramatic props.

Now we are just waiting to see where the hurricane hits. Hopefully not my house!

The Azores are part of Portugal but located 300+ miles off shore in the Atlantic. On our last crossing we were supposed to stop but didn’t. Apparently it’s not always easy to land here. But this morning, bright and early at 7am, we docked to a very rainy day!

We met our driver Nuno from Green Vision at the port.

There were six of us in the van. We rode to an area called Caloura. The countryside was lush and green.

Churches are very interesting white and brown trim.

Fishing boats were being worked on.

There was also a man made pool that is fed by the ocean.

The roads are steep, narrow and windy in the Azores. Areas have many houses and then many fields.

We traveled to an overlook, Senhora da Paz viewpoint, with a church on top of the hill.

Each step landing had a ceramic image. This is the church of Senora da Paz or Lady of Peace.

We went to the dormant Furnas volcano, where there are mud baths and thermal pools. People go there to drink the mineral water from the springs.

The area was quite picturesque.

Nuno bought a sweet bread, bobos levedos, that we shared. It had the consistency of an English muffin but sweet.

Our next stop was a tea plantation, Cha Gorreana. We toured the plant. Some of the equipment dated to the 1800s.

The soil is very fertile and hydrangeas grow wildly along roadsides.

And you have to watch out for the cows!

Lots of sites a long our way!

And one last church- Nossa Senhora da Estrella church built 509 years ago!

Finally a delicious lunch with authentic Azorean food!

Back on board to sail away! Next stop Fort Lauderdale!

#azores#greenvision#nossasenhoradaestrela#furnesvolcano

Today we arrived in Lisbon, a beautiful city with lots of history. We woke to a beautiful, sunny morning with a spectacular view of Lisbon’s Landscape from our balcony.

It’s the first morning we awoke early enough to have breakfast. Partly because we gained an hour’s sleep last night. I had granola with fruit and yogurt. Bruce had eggs, sausage and pastry.

We met with our guide, Susan, outside the port. Our first stop was at the top of a mountain above the old city.

We listened to street music, always fun!

There are so many tuk tuks here, all different styles.

We drove to the National Pantheon which was originally a church built in the 17th century.

We drove to a Park at the top of a hill where there was a beautiful maze.

Also a sculpture to signify the end of the revolution and the dawn of a new age.

Two columns honoring the relationship between Portugal and Britain.

We spent a little time in the city center. There were lots of shops and restaurants surrounding the square.

We also toured the Church of Saint Jerome. When we were in Portugal last time the church was closed.

Vasco de Gama, the explorer who discovered the route to India, is entombed in this church. He had died in India and his remains sent to Portugal. He had been buried somewhere else but in the 1800s they brought his remains to the Church of Saint Jerome. This was the location from where he set off on his explorations.

The church had magnificent architecture and intricate carvings. Some areas of the church had damage from the great earthquake of 1755.

We visited the famous pastry shop known for the delicious tarts.

Our last stop was at Belem Tower where we were able to watch the sun set.

A lovely day spent in Lisbon!

#portugal#lisbon#belemtower#pasteusdebelem#churchofsaintherome#nationalpantheon

I didn’t give much thought to Halloween or a costume because I didn’t realize that Halloween is apparently a universal celebration. With the tragedy that hit South Korea by party goers celebrating Halloween, I learned that it is celebrated everywhere. Unfortunately Seoul was a great tragedy.

But on the Sky Princess they were decorated with spiders, webs and ghosts.

Passengers were dressed in all sorts of costumes, from nuns and priests to dinosaurs and alligators. Everyone having fun to the beat of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

It was a lively crowd even though many were even more senior then us. They had a competition – men vs. women to make a person into a mummy using toilet paper. It was a silly contest and both teams fell short but they gave champagne to both teams.

All was fun and the chefs even decorated the pastries with ghouls and goblins.

Next time I’m aboard a ship for Halloween I will bring a costume. It was great fun watching and doing a little dancing too!

Last night was formal night. I checked the menu out. No escargot or lobster so we dressed a little and went to the buffet but not before we saw this spectacular sunset from our balcony.

Tomorrow we land in Lisbon!

#costumes#sunset#skyprincess

We woke up losing an hours sleep because we are back in France. We’ve been to Cherbourg in the past and went to the Normandy beaches and the museums related to WWII. So today we decided to just walk around the town of Cherbourg.

At the port terminal we bought shuttle passes for 4 Euros that was for roundtrip to Town.

At the first stop we got off, hunting for a pastry shop. The first place was crowded but we found a lovely place, Patisserie Yvard, shortly after wards. I had a chocolate pastry and Bruce had a Napoleon.

Mine was fabulous – rich chocolate with a crunchy base and a cream filling. Bruce’s was a flaky crust filled with layers of custard.

As you can see there was so much to choose from.

We walked the streets and took in the charm of this French town.

Since it was Sunday, most everything was closed. But it was nice to be out and about although a bit nippy!

The only shops open today were pastry shops. I could have eaten a dozen but Bruce was satisfied with one so I’m going to be good and not indulge.

We didn’t walk all that much. Perhaps two miles.

The buildings were quite old, apparently surviving the bombings during WWII.

Also it was interesting that the Titanic sailed out of Southampton with its first stop in Cherbourg. We walked through the area that is where they have the school of music.

And I always have to take pictures of unique door knockers.

We arrived back on the ship in time for late lunch. I had roasted vegetables. Bruce had pea soup and shepherds pie.

We are meeting some new found friends for coffee and then catching a show. No more internet for three days.

Goodbye to Cherbourg!

#cherbourg#cruise#titanic#patisserieyvard#frenchpastry

Finally we can unpack for 14 days. Cruising is as restful as you want to make it or as lively. Right now I need a little restful. I’m starting to feel my age.

Everything has been wonderful. We loved Paris. Our hotels were great and everyone we met was friendly. Now it’s time for some R&R at sea, although we hit Cherbourg tomorrow.

We made it through security and onto the ship in record time.

All was easy peasy. Now for a little music and food!

Our stay in London was a one nighter and we had made plans to have a private driver take us to Southampton for an overnight before we board our ship back to the US.

It’s about a two hour drive from London so we sat back and relaxed. We did drive by Baker Street. Next time we are in London I’d like to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

We arrived at our hotel in Southampton. Nothing fancy. It’s a Doubletree by Hilton. I’m a Hilton Gold member so we had early check in and bottled water. They also gave us delicious cookies.

Our afternoon was spent taking a two mile walk to the Commons. On our walk, we came upon an old church. Unfortunately the doors were locked.

The Commons was a lovely park with walking trails.

It was a pleasant Autumn day and we of course stopped for a selfie.

There was a small pond in the park with lots of birds.

We made our way to the Cowherds Pub where we had a glass of sparkling strawberry infused water.

It was a cozy pub and we sat by the fire. Living in Florida we don’t get a chance to sit in front of fireplaces.

After a relaxing half hour or so, we were ready to get back to the hotel, although reluctantly leaving the warm fire. The 2 mile trek back seemed like 5 miles.

Not having a car limits our mobility so we chose to eat in the hotel. They had fish and chips on the menu. So what’s a trip to England without indulging in that. Bruce ordered a pasta dish. The waiter brought out our meals and whatever he brought me it wasn’t fish and chips. So I had to wait a bit for my meal as Bruce’s started cooling off. The waiter finally brought the real fish and chips and it was delicious.

Then another waiter came by and asked if we wanted dessert. We asked to see a menu. He never came back but walked right by our table. At this point we called the manager over. We told him about the meal and how I was given something I didn’t order and then about having to wait for my food. Also about the dessert menu. So he was very nice and brought us the menu and took our order. He brought us the desserts. Bruce had sticky toffee pudding and I had a chocolate coconut almond cake with coconut ice cream. Both delicious.

The manager asked us if he could give us a bottle of wine. We told him that we don’t drink. So he said our meal was on the house. We objected but he insisted. He was a very competent manager. Now he just needs some help with his staff!

Off to bed because tomorrow we are cruising back to the US on the Sky Princess.

#southampton#unitedkingdom#england#doubletreebyhilton#london#stickytoffeepudding#fishandchips#skyprincess

Bruce really likes trains so I decided to book the train through the Chunnel from France to England.

We woke around 8am. It’s hard to get used to the sunrise so late. It still felt like the wee hours of the morning. I had my usual breakfast of granola and yogurt. I had time for two cups of coffee today which I desperately needed.

Our cab picked us up at 10am for a train at 12:13pm. I usually book first class or business on the train but I figured for a two hour ride regular would be fine. I think it was a mistake but at least we had assigned seats.

Security was in two phases and nobody spoke English so I was hoping we were going there the right way. Passports were shown, photos taken and luggage scanned.

Now waiting for train which was delayed 30 minutes. And the crowds grew.

Finally on board we could relax in fairly comfortable seats.

The countryside was not easy to see. Sometimes we were down below the tree line.

But I was able to get a few shots of the French countryside.

We had a little snack on board, a chicken salad sandwich on a baguette. I decided to forego another cup of coffee and have a Coke 0,

Once we reached London, we found our way to the taxi area. It was a short line but met a nice couple in front of us who were from Australia. The cab driver was very helpful with our bags.

The cab even had a full window roof.

Our hotel, the Kimpton Fitzroy London is over 100 years old. I booked our room using chase points and they also gave us an upgrade.

The lobby is old but has the feel of luxury with a fine marble staircase.

Our room was ok, the bed is comfortable but we don’t have much of a view.

We went for a walk around the neighborhood then had scones at the Palm Court restaurant in the hotel.

A dragon made of Bronze sits on the bannister at the second floor landing. They call him Lucky George. His twin, placed on the Titanic, was lost at sea.

We decided to have a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant, Galvin Bar and Grill.

We weren’t very hungry after the scones so I ordered a pumpkin soufflé and Bruce had a fish soup. Luckily we weren’t very hungry because they weren’t substantial.

And now it’s time for sleep. We are both exhausted from a lot of walking and the hectic pace. Two more days and we will be on the ship.

#kimptonfitzroylondon#eurostar#london#galvinbarandgrill