Nassau, Bahamas

As the sun began to rise this morning, we pulled into the port of Nassau, Bahamas.  Since our tour didn’t begin until 11:00, we took our time having breakfast and lounged on the deck until it was time to leave.
While we were waiting, our ship and another cruise ship in the harbor both practiced the abandon ship drill.  The lifeboats were all lowered, taken for a short ride, and then returned to the ship.  It was interesting to watch, and reassuring to see that the staff knew what to do in case of an emergency.
Our tour included a short drive past various sites in the city, and a boat ride out to a coral reef.  The boat that went over the reef had a ‘basement’ with windows where the passengers sat to view the fish on the reef.  This tour couldn’t compare to the sights we saw in our other tours in Spain and Portugal.  Nassau was a bit of a disappointment to us.
After buying a couple of tee shirts at the famous Straw Market, we headed back to the ship.
While sitting on our deck, we were treated to a display of hundreds of gulls flying around between the two cruise ships.  It felt like a scene out of the Hitchcock movie “The Birds.”  Some folks were tossing food scraps out of their staterooms, and the gulls were really battling with each other to catch the bits before they fell into the ocean.  We have two more days at sea before we arrive early Sunday morning in Galveston.  This little adventure is nearing it’s end.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy 

Food and Make a Wish

Several readers have asked about the food on the cruise, so I thought I’d give you a sample of the dinner offerings on the Voyager of the Seas.  All of these dishes are included in the cost of the cruise.

Starting on the left are Dorothy, Nancy, myself, Patti, Barb, and my sister, Pam.  The six of us ladies were assigned to table #446 for all of our dinners in the main dining room.  They are a great bunch of gals, and we all have an enjoyable time each evening.  Three of the six are Escapee members, and we each invited a guest to accompany us on the cruise.  The food pics all come from our dinner this evening.

To start the meal, we chose from (clockwise) Crab and Shrimp Salad: Sweet crab meat, surimi and shrimp atop mixed lettuce, mango and papaya dressed with lime-cilantro dressing, or Exotic fruits with mojito jelly, or a Caesar's salad.

For the main coarse, we chose from Cornmeal-crusted Tilapia with Japanese ratatouille and wasabi aioli, or an Asparagus and Brie Tart: fresh asparagus and nutty Brie nestled in a buttery crust and topped with grilled plum tomatoes and arugula salad with red pepper essence and chive oil, or a fillet of Atlantic Salmon with vegetables, or the Slow-roasted Beef Shoulder Filet with decadent mascarpone mashed potatoes and a shiraz reduction.

Our choices for dessert included (from the top left) BBB:Banana and Baileys Irish Cream brulee custard baked under a caramel crust, or Choca-chino Trilogy: Sweet Grand Mariner white chocolate mousse, creamy milk chocolate Kahlua cheesecake and a slice of dense, dark chocolate mud cake, or Magic Mango Parfait: a light, creamy, frozen mango custard layered with Caribbean mango salsa, or Low-fat Exotic Pineapple and Coconut Cake, or Pineapple Sorbet with a cookie.  I guess if you are on a diet, I would suggest avoiding a cruise.  :)  Each day, a different menu is offered, and includes several vegetarian selections.

Of course, we ladies also enjoy bantering with our good looking bartender, Christian!

 

Royal Caribbean also asks it’s cruisers to participate in supporting the Make a Wish Foundation which helps provide last wish experiences for terminally ill children.  They had an auction earlier in the cruise, and there is now the challenge to keep two treadmills in use 24 hours/day until we reach Nassau. 

I bought a tee shirt to support the cause, and…

today was my turn to put in 20 minutes on the treadmill.  I also signed up for Sunday and Monday, and Pam has decided to join me on the second treadmill on those days.  I believe that Royal Caribbean donates $1 for each mile walked.  I’m trying to do my part, and also trying to combat some of those calories from the dining room.  :)

                           I leave you with this morning’s sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

La Palma, Canary Islands

Just at dawn, we pulled into the port of Santa Cruz which is on La Palma, one of the seven Canary Islands.  We were up early since our tour for the day began at 8:15.

The first stop was the Santuario Virgen di Las Nieves.  This church was built in the 16th century.  One of the things that I found most fascinating about this church was it’s courtyard.  More specifically, the pavement of this courtyard.  Two designs in the pavement can be seen above.  Those are all sea rocks that make up the design.  They were all carried to the site of the church by parishioners and those making a pilgrimage to the church.  The flat round stones are set on their side and placed to create the designs.  They are quite smooth to walk on (unless you are wearing high heels).

Our next stop was the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.  Although it is called a caldera, in actuality, it is not.  The ravine resembles a caldera, but is punctuated by crests formed by erosion of volcanic materials.  It was a harrowing drive up and down in the big bus as the road is not one way, but is only one lane wide.  The tour guide suggested we write out our last will and testament as we took this journey.  :)

Depending on what side of the mountains you are on in La Palma determines the weather.  The national park is in the center of the island which has sunny blue skies.  When you head back east over the mountains to Santa Cruz and the coast, the skies become cloudy and the humidity increases.  You can see how the mountains are shrouded in clouds.

It was pretty cloudy as we returned to the ship.  The rectangular area on the left of the picture is the swimming beach.  The beaches have black sand because of the volcanic material.

 

This evening we attended the Ice Odyssey.  There is an ice skating rink on board, and tonight professional skaters put on a very good show.  I’ve never been that close to professional skaters before, and really enjoyed the performance.  We now have six days at sea before we reach Nassau, so we’ll be investigating the ship more.  Several people have asked about the food on the cruise, so I’ll have time to talk about that in the next six days.  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy