Thursday, May 14, 2009
Beauty Beyond Words
4:00AM - what is there to do? I woke up and noticed a light under the dark drapes, got up to just peek out and see the early sunrise now that we are in the North Sea before I turned over and went back to sleep. What awaited me beyond the blinds brings tears to my eyes! A beauty so intense that I could just stare. The ship is no longer in the North Sea, we are floating up the Oslo Fjord and I had somehow forgotten the beauty that kept me awake for days when I was on my Norwegian cruise to the top of the European continent. So many emotions flooded back, so many thoughts! I grabbed my camera and was out taking pictures in the cold of the Norwegian morning in my gown, no time to waste getting dressed! First of all, the wooded hillsides covered in white houses is stunning in itself. But add to that the pinks, purples reds and oranges of the sunrise in the sky and clouds behind that and you have one of nature's most beautiful paintings! I stood mesmerized by the beauty I faced and tears filled my eyes. How lucky I am to experience such amazing and beautiful sights around the world!
Tulips in Holland
My mother had a flower shop in Houston for a few years when I graduated from college. That inspired me to go to floral design school and when I completed the program I worked at a florist shop in Denver and helped my mom for years at her little shop on holidays and when she went on her vacations to Las Vegas. She always made a big deal about getting her tulips from Holland. And of course I always saw pictures of the tulips in Holland and couldn't imagine seeing that beauty in person. Two years ago when I took this same cruise I was signedup ahead of time for the tour of Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. Before we reached Rotterdam they made an announcement that the tulips had bloomed early and weren't there so we could change our tour. I decided to go to Amsterdam instead and although I enjoyed it a lot, it wasn't tulips in Holland, so that desire was still inside. This time I knew that nothing would stop me from seeing tulips in Holland! (Of course if the weather had prevented a landing, I know that would have delayed that dream becoming a reality.) But weather decided to cooperate this time and we reached the dock with no troubles at all.
This was my 3rd visit to The Netherlands, and I know the terminal well and right where to go to find the things I want to take home. This was another tour that started in the afternoon and I just couldn't wait all morning on the ship. I had also taken the ship's shuttle into town here too and didn't find a lot to do so I knew I had a couple of hours and needed another new adventure. What was there to do and see? Well the only thing I kept thinking of was the area called Kinderdijk (spelling?) In this area there are many original windmills along a dike. I decided to try to take a taxi to see them. I am a little nervous about doing that alone, but it was worth it to see original windmills in Holland! After all, windmills, clogs and tulips are what Holland is all about, right? And I see a man making clogs in the ship's terminal each time I am there, so that I've seen. Time to see the rest! I had to talk to the taxi drivers about getting me there and back and after they found out I didn't have 3 hours, nor would I pay 300 euros, I was able to find a man who would take me for 2 hours and charge 110 euros. It is a lot, but seeing the windmills was a desire that just had to be satisfied. So off we headed. Turns out he had only been there once years ago and had to call his father for directions. We had to drive onto a tiny ferry to go across a small waterway, held about 6-9 cars at a time and took less than 5 minutes. We finally found them and how exciting to see 2rows of windmills! They were along a narrow waterway and beautiful although I am sure the pictures did not capture the beauty! I didn't spend long there, I knew we didn't have a lot of time and I wanted to get back to the ship in plenty of time for the tour to the tulip gardens. I got 'home' safely and with such an exciting new experience to tell about!
I had a quick lunch and headed out to the buses for the tour about 20 minutes early. I got to the parking lot on the shore and was shocked, all 5 buses were already filled with people! My friend, the tour manager, told me that people had been there almost an hour. I know so many people were excited to be going to the tulips and they were on the ship all morning just waiting. He assured me 2 more buses were coming and they were late, but did arrive and got filled and we were on our way. We got to the gardens much later, the traffic was terrible, and we still had to meet at the same time that the other buses who arrived way before us had to meet. I requested a few extra minutes and was told no, we had to get back to the ship in time to sail. I walked as fast as I could the whole time, less than 2 hours, and still didn't see everything. (My legs are very sore today!) I even missed seeing the famous windmill there!! That was disappointing, but I did get a calendar with a picture of it so that will have to do for now.
The tulips were incredible! You could see where probably half of them had already been cut back, I cannot imagine the beauty just a few weeks ago! Such beautiful colors and a variety of sizes and heights. The pinks, reds, yellows and purples were stunning! There were a variety of other flowers around, but tulips were the focal point! There are millions of bulbs there, from all over the world. I didn't hear this, but the gardens are open on the first of April and close by the end of May. Two short months for acres of gorgeous flowers. The gardens were filled with people, but it was not as crowded as Monet's Garden was. A truly spectacular sight! I am not sure how much earlier one should visit the gardens to see the fields of color on the drive to the gardens and to see the gardens at their best, but I am sure someday I will make a trip to Amsterdam and take a whole day to enjoy the gardens, earlier in the spring.
And until then, the visit to Oslo will have to be enough to enjoy. So tomorrow we arrive there and I will once again be driving through the countryside to the Hadeland Glass Factory, set in a valley next to a lake at the foot of a mountain. Tomorrow, Norway splendor!
Before I know it, I will be flying from Copenhagen to home, via D.C. And in my mind will remain the incredible sights of this vacation, so many beautiful things to see in the world!
This was my 3rd visit to The Netherlands, and I know the terminal well and right where to go to find the things I want to take home. This was another tour that started in the afternoon and I just couldn't wait all morning on the ship. I had also taken the ship's shuttle into town here too and didn't find a lot to do so I knew I had a couple of hours and needed another new adventure. What was there to do and see? Well the only thing I kept thinking of was the area called Kinderdijk (spelling?) In this area there are many original windmills along a dike. I decided to try to take a taxi to see them. I am a little nervous about doing that alone, but it was worth it to see original windmills in Holland! After all, windmills, clogs and tulips are what Holland is all about, right? And I see a man making clogs in the ship's terminal each time I am there, so that I've seen. Time to see the rest! I had to talk to the taxi drivers about getting me there and back and after they found out I didn't have 3 hours, nor would I pay 300 euros, I was able to find a man who would take me for 2 hours and charge 110 euros. It is a lot, but seeing the windmills was a desire that just had to be satisfied. So off we headed. Turns out he had only been there once years ago and had to call his father for directions. We had to drive onto a tiny ferry to go across a small waterway, held about 6-9 cars at a time and took less than 5 minutes. We finally found them and how exciting to see 2rows of windmills! They were along a narrow waterway and beautiful although I am sure the pictures did not capture the beauty! I didn't spend long there, I knew we didn't have a lot of time and I wanted to get back to the ship in plenty of time for the tour to the tulip gardens. I got 'home' safely and with such an exciting new experience to tell about!
I had a quick lunch and headed out to the buses for the tour about 20 minutes early. I got to the parking lot on the shore and was shocked, all 5 buses were already filled with people! My friend, the tour manager, told me that people had been there almost an hour. I know so many people were excited to be going to the tulips and they were on the ship all morning just waiting. He assured me 2 more buses were coming and they were late, but did arrive and got filled and we were on our way. We got to the gardens much later, the traffic was terrible, and we still had to meet at the same time that the other buses who arrived way before us had to meet. I requested a few extra minutes and was told no, we had to get back to the ship in time to sail. I walked as fast as I could the whole time, less than 2 hours, and still didn't see everything. (My legs are very sore today!) I even missed seeing the famous windmill there!! That was disappointing, but I did get a calendar with a picture of it so that will have to do for now.
The tulips were incredible! You could see where probably half of them had already been cut back, I cannot imagine the beauty just a few weeks ago! Such beautiful colors and a variety of sizes and heights. The pinks, reds, yellows and purples were stunning! There were a variety of other flowers around, but tulips were the focal point! There are millions of bulbs there, from all over the world. I didn't hear this, but the gardens are open on the first of April and close by the end of May. Two short months for acres of gorgeous flowers. The gardens were filled with people, but it was not as crowded as Monet's Garden was. A truly spectacular sight! I am not sure how much earlier one should visit the gardens to see the fields of color on the drive to the gardens and to see the gardens at their best, but I am sure someday I will make a trip to Amsterdam and take a whole day to enjoy the gardens, earlier in the spring.
And until then, the visit to Oslo will have to be enough to enjoy. So tomorrow we arrive there and I will once again be driving through the countryside to the Hadeland Glass Factory, set in a valley next to a lake at the foot of a mountain. Tomorrow, Norway splendor!
Before I know it, I will be flying from Copenhagen to home, via D.C. And in my mind will remain the incredible sights of this vacation, so many beautiful things to see in the world!
Beautiful Belgium
Tuesday, May 12 we actually were able to dock and see Belgium. Passengers were happy to be on land and although it was a cold, windy, and sometimes rainy day, we were in a port to see more and that was great! My tour was of Brugges, my favorite place in the world, and it began at 12:30 so I had the morning free. Most people just hang out on the ship and wait for the tours in the afternoon but I hate spending time in Europe on a ship. I've taken the shuttle to Blankensberg before and I've walked down the long main street to the beach there. This time I watched the port lecture on Zeebrugge, the seaport we docked at, several times and knew I had to do something new. There was a tram that went along the beach for 20 minutes, I thought, to a town of Oostend (not spelled correctly). I decided I could do that in the 2 hours I had before I had to get to the ship for the afternoon tour. So I took the shuttle into Blankensberg, crossed the churchyard, street and square and found the tram station on the other side, bought a ticket and waited. Luckily I was sitting next to a 17 yr old girl who spoke some very broken English and she was going to OOstend for school so she would show me how to go. Well, the tram was 15 minutes late, which she said never happens and as we left I saw no beach and there were small hills between the tram and the beautiful white sand beaches of Belgium. AND the tram stopped along the way but no one else seemed to speak English, so there Iwas all alone on a tram going somewhere I'd never been. No beach to be seen, just traffic and a few little villages. The tram stopped at places where you could cross the street and climb over the dunes to get to the beach, but I didn't know how I would get back from the middle of nowhere. It was not scenic at all and finally, after a 50 minute ride I was in the city of Oostend. Now what? I only had a couple of minutes before I had to get on the tram back so I wouldn't miss Brugges. I was nervous! I walked a little ways down a street and saw a bookstore. This trip I have gotten something written in every language to share with kids and I was able to pick up some cute books on numbers, letters, colors and words in Flemish. I needed to go to the bathroom before heading back for the long trip so I went into a little restaurant and asked if they had good hot chocolate, after all it was Belgium, and the lady said it was melted chocolate so I ordered a cup. It was the best in the world, I am sure!!! It was so delicious, maybe even better than what we had in Musee d'Orsey in Paris. I savored it quickly, visted the restroom and rushed down the street to the tram stop. I had only gone 1/2 a block, someday I will go back and spend longer. I waited a few minutes for the tram, not one person spoke English, but I knew which one I wanted and off I went, for the50 minute ride back to Blankensberg. I rushed back to where the ship shuttle was, and watched it drive away! I was worried then! But I chatted with a nice couple from Argentina who are on the ship too and when the bus came and loaded we went to the ship without a wait. I arrived 10 minutes before the bus left for Brugges! Enough time to run in and drop off my packages at the purser's desk and go to the bathroom and get on the next bus. And off I went for another glorious day in Brugges!
Arriving in Brugges, you have to park at the edge of the city and walk in. They say it is a mile, but I think it is less. They always go to the same place and tell you they will meet you there in 3 hours. Luckily the meeting place is right across the street from my favorite waffle stand! It is a tiny restaurant and even though it was a cold,cloudy day, the tables were out on the street. I ordered the waffle I love, savored that incredible taste, and then headed off to explore my town! I always recommend Lily's to everyone I talk to and no one has been disappointed in their waffles yet! One couple told me they should pay me for being such a great travel consultant, everything I told them to do was wonderful. I wandered around the town and ended up in front of a different 'friete' stand so decided to have frites (fries) with tartare sauce on them, and they were delicious! I met a couple on that side of town and told them about the waffle place and before my group left, they arrived there and ordered their waffle. I always get back to the meeting place early, time for one last waffle! This time I talked to the owner/manager and he remembered me. He asked me if Ihadn't been there earlier andI said I go twice a visit! He said he remembers me saying one time I was a pig for eating 2. Actually that was the time I took 2 to César back on the ship and said I wasn't a pig really, they were for a friend. Whatever, he did remember me! And he thanked me for sending so many of the cruise passengers to his restaurant, he said you are the one aren't you? And I said I was! So after enjoying one last delicious, to die for waffle, I left with the group for the walk back to the bus. It was a cold, windy day, but it was in Brugges, so how could that ever be a bad day? A dream, and I think it was my 5th visit there. Hopefully, not my last! There is still so much of Brugges I haven't seen yet! Maybe I should just arrange to fly to Brussels, and take a train to Brugges for a few days, that would be delighful!
So that was my day off the bus in Belgium! New adventures, familiar favorites and a new place to go for the best hot chocolate in the world!!
Arriving in Brugges, you have to park at the edge of the city and walk in. They say it is a mile, but I think it is less. They always go to the same place and tell you they will meet you there in 3 hours. Luckily the meeting place is right across the street from my favorite waffle stand! It is a tiny restaurant and even though it was a cold,cloudy day, the tables were out on the street. I ordered the waffle I love, savored that incredible taste, and then headed off to explore my town! I always recommend Lily's to everyone I talk to and no one has been disappointed in their waffles yet! One couple told me they should pay me for being such a great travel consultant, everything I told them to do was wonderful. I wandered around the town and ended up in front of a different 'friete' stand so decided to have frites (fries) with tartare sauce on them, and they were delicious! I met a couple on that side of town and told them about the waffle place and before my group left, they arrived there and ordered their waffle. I always get back to the meeting place early, time for one last waffle! This time I talked to the owner/manager and he remembered me. He asked me if Ihadn't been there earlier andI said I go twice a visit! He said he remembers me saying one time I was a pig for eating 2. Actually that was the time I took 2 to César back on the ship and said I wasn't a pig really, they were for a friend. Whatever, he did remember me! And he thanked me for sending so many of the cruise passengers to his restaurant, he said you are the one aren't you? And I said I was! So after enjoying one last delicious, to die for waffle, I left with the group for the walk back to the bus. It was a cold, windy day, but it was in Brugges, so how could that ever be a bad day? A dream, and I think it was my 5th visit there. Hopefully, not my last! There is still so much of Brugges I haven't seen yet! Maybe I should just arrange to fly to Brussels, and take a train to Brugges for a few days, that would be delighful!
So that was my day off the bus in Belgium! New adventures, familiar favorites and a new place to go for the best hot chocolate in the world!!
Get Off the Bus
On one of the sea days a nice man sat down with me for lunch. He buys and sells movie lighting in LA and is on the cruise with his girlfriend. As we talked about travel adventures, he told me always remember to 'get off the bus'. He said tourists go around and get into the bus together, look out the windows at all of the fabulous places, get off the bus together for the tour, and never get to know the real places. I told him in education when things change they say do it or get off the bus and you know me, I usually get off the bus quickly! However, when it comes to international travel, since I am alone, I am quite content to 'stay on the bus' and look out the windows! But I realized, while talking to him, that I do 'get off the bus' a little more each trip and this trip was no exception. Seeing the bull on a back road in the hillside of Spain was an example I am sure! Of course I was there with Cesar so I felt safe, sort of. But there were other examples of getting off the bus too...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Surprises
SURPRISES aren't all good. I was signing on this morning to say how excited I was to meet my friends soon in Dover and then write about all the surprises that yesterday held, and the captain made an announcement that because of very high winds we were unable to land in Dover! He said the winds were over 40 MPH and expected to get as high as 70 MPH and our safety was the greatest concern. We were close enough that I had already taken the pictures of the white cliffs from my balcony and my cell phone worked. I hated making that call, I had to call Diana to let her know that my ship was not going to make it in so to wave to me from shore! She and Alec drove hours to reach Dover last night to meet me today. Terry drove in 3 hours from where he was and it was going to be a surprise that I got to see him too. However, the surprise was for all of us, I was not going to even get in to see them at all. NOT all surprises are good! I am so disappointed and still in disbelief this is really happening. The passengers all understand but imagine the disappointment of not getting to see London and other exciting places they had so looked forward to. It was the first trip for many people. So almost 3000 people are wandering around disappointed. The captain also announced the weather was expected to be in Belgium tomorrow so we might not be able to land there either. That was not good news either, but we just had another announcement that they are going to try to get to Belgium tonight and dock so we can beat the storm there. The downside of that is that we have now picked up speed and the ship is really rough as we go through these rough waters at a higher speed. We had been going quite slowly to save us this rough journey. I had quite a day in France yesterday so I might just get back to my cabin and sleep through this part of the trip.
Yesterday, a dream day in France! I was met by my driver and the experience was nothing like I expe4cted! The taxi was a new SUV, nothing like the little old taxi cab I'd imagined. My guide spoke very good English with a wonderful French accent and was the nicest man. We took off for Giverny and arrived there just 10 minutes after the gardens opened. My driver knew a back way into the gardens which saved me from waiting in a very long line in the front. (just heard another announcement that we may not be going to belgium because of the weather after all!!!) So I entered the gardens with a minimum of waiting and the scent of the flowers was a great tease as I waited in line. The gardens were magnificent! More flowers than I remember and I loved knowing I could wander and photograph without my 1 hour time limit that was there the first trip. The beauty, the colors and the scents were a delight! Because it was Sunday the gardens were packed shortly after I arrived and it was the only thing that kept it from being a perfect day! But I was able to stroll along the garden and relish the experience. After a couple of hours I visited the gift shop and then left and found my private driver. He had found a little outdoor cafe where we ate a little French lunch together. It was wonderful having someone to speak French and translate for me, of course I am used to that when I am with César, but it was nice having someone else who could help me in France. He told me about a lovely garden behind the hotel where we were eating and I had time to go out and enjoy that as we waited for our meal. We ate out on the street and enjoyed watching the people wander by. The food was delicious and we ate and walked back to the car. My driver Franz, asked me if I would like to visit a monastery that was actually a working one, with monks there too. He said it was a way in the French countryside and I would never pass up an opportunity to see anything in the countryside! And so I was in store for quite a nice surprise! We had a gorgeous drive into a tiny village and we visited a monastery that was built in 600AD! The church was interesting, very old, very plain, nothing like the oppulence of the cathedral we had visited in Spain. There was an old monk praying and when we left we saw a young monk walking along. There are 50 monks of all ages at the monastery. We went in the little gift shop and a monk was running it and there was such a feeling of peace around him. The shop was filled with things made from monks at different monasteries. Evidently they used to sell their own products but now they have started selling other products from the other monastaries and the choices were amazing. I bought a tiny glass angel to take home and use to remember my first visit to a monastery. She is so sweet!
By the time we were through with that visit there really wasn't time left to go to the seaside town of Etretat but the driver told me he would still take me there. He was so pleased I had accepted his suggestion to see the monastery that he said the rest of the day was on him!! For 2 1/2 years he had offered that to tourists and I was the first who had been interested. So we drove more through the beautiful country and found a place to park near the beach, lucky us because it was so crowded! I walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed the cool breeze and the variety of people there. I stopped at a little outdoor cafe on the boardwalk and went in for a crepe. I ordered one that had butter inside and sugar on top, that seemed to be the way the people there were getting them and I decided the French would know best. Always do what the locals do?? So I sat and savored the delicious crepe while looking out at the lovely arch that Monet painted so many times. I tried not to take too long and after a little shopping, headed back to the car and we drove back to LeHavre. One last stop was the final surprise of the day. My driver took me to a spot where Monet painted his famous painting, Impression Sunrise. Do you know why that was important? A newspaper reporter wrote about that picture and called him an Impressionist and that is the painting that led to the term Impressionists for the painters who painted like Monet. I stood next to the sign on the street and Franz took my picture there. And then we went back to the ship. I felt so lucky, I was supposed to be on the trip for 6 hrs, but it had turned out to be 10 and filled with delightful surprises! Franz and I exchanged email addresses and I am sure we will stay in touch. He is a nice 50 year old man with a wife, yes, and 3 children and a grandchild. He gave me a European goodbye, a kiss on each cheek and we said goodbye. The manager of the Shore excursion office was there so I introduced them and Arcadieuz told the driver that I show up all over the world so the driver would probably see me again, everyone does. Cute!
After a nice dinner I went to bed early for my big day in England! Surprise again!
So from the sea, goodbye!
Yesterday, a dream day in France! I was met by my driver and the experience was nothing like I expe4cted! The taxi was a new SUV, nothing like the little old taxi cab I'd imagined. My guide spoke very good English with a wonderful French accent and was the nicest man. We took off for Giverny and arrived there just 10 minutes after the gardens opened. My driver knew a back way into the gardens which saved me from waiting in a very long line in the front. (just heard another announcement that we may not be going to belgium because of the weather after all!!!) So I entered the gardens with a minimum of waiting and the scent of the flowers was a great tease as I waited in line. The gardens were magnificent! More flowers than I remember and I loved knowing I could wander and photograph without my 1 hour time limit that was there the first trip. The beauty, the colors and the scents were a delight! Because it was Sunday the gardens were packed shortly after I arrived and it was the only thing that kept it from being a perfect day! But I was able to stroll along the garden and relish the experience. After a couple of hours I visited the gift shop and then left and found my private driver. He had found a little outdoor cafe where we ate a little French lunch together. It was wonderful having someone to speak French and translate for me, of course I am used to that when I am with César, but it was nice having someone else who could help me in France. He told me about a lovely garden behind the hotel where we were eating and I had time to go out and enjoy that as we waited for our meal. We ate out on the street and enjoyed watching the people wander by. The food was delicious and we ate and walked back to the car. My driver Franz, asked me if I would like to visit a monastery that was actually a working one, with monks there too. He said it was a way in the French countryside and I would never pass up an opportunity to see anything in the countryside! And so I was in store for quite a nice surprise! We had a gorgeous drive into a tiny village and we visited a monastery that was built in 600AD! The church was interesting, very old, very plain, nothing like the oppulence of the cathedral we had visited in Spain. There was an old monk praying and when we left we saw a young monk walking along. There are 50 monks of all ages at the monastery. We went in the little gift shop and a monk was running it and there was such a feeling of peace around him. The shop was filled with things made from monks at different monasteries. Evidently they used to sell their own products but now they have started selling other products from the other monastaries and the choices were amazing. I bought a tiny glass angel to take home and use to remember my first visit to a monastery. She is so sweet!
By the time we were through with that visit there really wasn't time left to go to the seaside town of Etretat but the driver told me he would still take me there. He was so pleased I had accepted his suggestion to see the monastery that he said the rest of the day was on him!! For 2 1/2 years he had offered that to tourists and I was the first who had been interested. So we drove more through the beautiful country and found a place to park near the beach, lucky us because it was so crowded! I walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed the cool breeze and the variety of people there. I stopped at a little outdoor cafe on the boardwalk and went in for a crepe. I ordered one that had butter inside and sugar on top, that seemed to be the way the people there were getting them and I decided the French would know best. Always do what the locals do?? So I sat and savored the delicious crepe while looking out at the lovely arch that Monet painted so many times. I tried not to take too long and after a little shopping, headed back to the car and we drove back to LeHavre. One last stop was the final surprise of the day. My driver took me to a spot where Monet painted his famous painting, Impression Sunrise. Do you know why that was important? A newspaper reporter wrote about that picture and called him an Impressionist and that is the painting that led to the term Impressionists for the painters who painted like Monet. I stood next to the sign on the street and Franz took my picture there. And then we went back to the ship. I felt so lucky, I was supposed to be on the trip for 6 hrs, but it had turned out to be 10 and filled with delightful surprises! Franz and I exchanged email addresses and I am sure we will stay in touch. He is a nice 50 year old man with a wife, yes, and 3 children and a grandchild. He gave me a European goodbye, a kiss on each cheek and we said goodbye. The manager of the Shore excursion office was there so I introduced them and Arcadieuz told the driver that I show up all over the world so the driver would probably see me again, everyone does. Cute!
After a nice dinner I went to bed early for my big day in England! Surprise again!
So from the sea, goodbye!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
A Lot of BULL - continued
And so there we were on an old country road in the mountains. While I was going through my suitcase for the hotel paperwork, César decided to go into the trees to pee, the joy of being a boy! While he was gone I thought it was interesting that there was a big wind that had picked up in the trees across the road. It dawned on me that the 'breeze' was accompanied by a loud thudding noise and I looked closely across the street and at that time César came running up to me at the car and asked what it was. I thought wind at first, but then we could make out the shape of animals just beyond the trees along the road. We froze in surprise as the thundering passed by, and then from no where we heard the sound coming back our way and out of the trees ran a big bull!! We all three stared at each other, a stone's throw apart. I'm sure the bull was quite surprised and what a picture it must have been to see César and I run to the doors and jump in his car. We stared at each other for a moment, or an hour and I finally got the camera and we backed up to get a picture and when we did, the bull ran back into the trees, lost to us forever! Once the fear and shocked passed, it was hilarious that we had met a wild bull in Spain! I so regret not thinking to get out of the car long enough to get a picture or two! But who knows what our bull would have done, seeing me so close again. And so quite relieved, we called the hotel and got directions and went on our way,sure that seeing a wild bull across a small road from us had to be the thrill of the trip! What could top that? And I much preferred seeing him run free than in a bullring being killed!! And believe me, this story is not a bunch of bull!
We finally arrived at our hotel and it was as incredible as I remembered it from the tour that went there for snacks. We checked in and enjoyed a nice dinner in the restaurant and spent quite a while outside on our private balcony overlooking the beautiful ocean hitting the rocks below. We had snacks I'd taken and the wine the travel agent sent me and before we knew it, it was 2AM! César fell asleep quickly and I knew he was tired from working the night before and driving so far that day. I couldn't sleep so I went down to use the internet and spent almost 2 hours talking to the night manager and couldn't fall asleep until 5AM! The time change is so hard for me. I was awake at 9 and somehow made it through the morning awake! We had breakfast and decided to make the 'one hour' drive to Santiago de Compestela, the famous pilgrimage site. The 'one hour' drive was much closer to 2 hours and when we got to the town we couldn't find the church right away. We did laugh about believing the time that Europeans tell us something will take. We learned better on other trips. The cathedral was absolutely amazing! It was beautiful and ornate and very impressive. We arrived at the end of the mass and the organ music was gorgeous! After purchasing a cd from the Spanish serenade singers who were there, we walked back to the car and decided to have a nice lunch in Vigo before I got back on the ship. We were both so tired and when we got to Vigo the ship was much further away than we had expected and I later found out that another ship had taken the pier where we were supposed to be. By the time we found the ship we were not anywhere to have lunch and I knew he was concerned about his long drive home alone so we said goodbye much sooner than we had expected. That is always hard for me, not knowing if and when we will be together next. I won't be going to Portugal for my birthday this year,he just can't get off work so the future is unknown.
I am so used to being alone but after spending time with such a wonderful friend who takes such good care of me, it is hard to be alone again. I couldn't resist tears when I was asked how the trip was. The nice crew member who okayed my paperwork had to meet me at the ship and get me reregistered to get back on. She was so sweet and said that she really liked me and would I like to have dinner with her and some friends to keep the tradition of knowing crew alive on this trip too. How sweet that was! And I believe I mentioned that César's roommate from his Australia contract is on the ship, and he said he would like to get together with me too, so that will be fun. He knew all about me from César and had seen pictures of me. Small world in the cruise industry after all. And so, I have now adjusted back to my lone existence on the ship and the pleasure of company for 24 hours is history now.
And luckily I have so much to look forward to ahead of me, it will help. Tomorrow we arrive and I will be spending the day with my own taxi and driver and spend as long as I want at Monet's Garden, a perfect day! And then the next day I will already be back with friends again! Alec and Diana, who I met on the Antarctica cruise will meet the ship and we will get to spend the day together! I'm excited to see them and be together to see England. We might be joined by Terry, who I also know from another cruise, but I haven't heard yet. How lucky I am to have so many friends to be with this trip. If it is indeed the last long trip I get to take, what memories I will have! Bull, and all! And so, hasta luego!
We finally arrived at our hotel and it was as incredible as I remembered it from the tour that went there for snacks. We checked in and enjoyed a nice dinner in the restaurant and spent quite a while outside on our private balcony overlooking the beautiful ocean hitting the rocks below. We had snacks I'd taken and the wine the travel agent sent me and before we knew it, it was 2AM! César fell asleep quickly and I knew he was tired from working the night before and driving so far that day. I couldn't sleep so I went down to use the internet and spent almost 2 hours talking to the night manager and couldn't fall asleep until 5AM! The time change is so hard for me. I was awake at 9 and somehow made it through the morning awake! We had breakfast and decided to make the 'one hour' drive to Santiago de Compestela, the famous pilgrimage site. The 'one hour' drive was much closer to 2 hours and when we got to the town we couldn't find the church right away. We did laugh about believing the time that Europeans tell us something will take. We learned better on other trips. The cathedral was absolutely amazing! It was beautiful and ornate and very impressive. We arrived at the end of the mass and the organ music was gorgeous! After purchasing a cd from the Spanish serenade singers who were there, we walked back to the car and decided to have a nice lunch in Vigo before I got back on the ship. We were both so tired and when we got to Vigo the ship was much further away than we had expected and I later found out that another ship had taken the pier where we were supposed to be. By the time we found the ship we were not anywhere to have lunch and I knew he was concerned about his long drive home alone so we said goodbye much sooner than we had expected. That is always hard for me, not knowing if and when we will be together next. I won't be going to Portugal for my birthday this year,he just can't get off work so the future is unknown.
I am so used to being alone but after spending time with such a wonderful friend who takes such good care of me, it is hard to be alone again. I couldn't resist tears when I was asked how the trip was. The nice crew member who okayed my paperwork had to meet me at the ship and get me reregistered to get back on. She was so sweet and said that she really liked me and would I like to have dinner with her and some friends to keep the tradition of knowing crew alive on this trip too. How sweet that was! And I believe I mentioned that César's roommate from his Australia contract is on the ship, and he said he would like to get together with me too, so that will be fun. He knew all about me from César and had seen pictures of me. Small world in the cruise industry after all. And so, I have now adjusted back to my lone existence on the ship and the pleasure of company for 24 hours is history now.
And luckily I have so much to look forward to ahead of me, it will help. Tomorrow we arrive and I will be spending the day with my own taxi and driver and spend as long as I want at Monet's Garden, a perfect day! And then the next day I will already be back with friends again! Alec and Diana, who I met on the Antarctica cruise will meet the ship and we will get to spend the day together! I'm excited to see them and be together to see England. We might be joined by Terry, who I also know from another cruise, but I haven't heard yet. How lucky I am to have so many friends to be with this trip. If it is indeed the last long trip I get to take, what memories I will have! Bull, and all! And so, hasta luego!
A Lot of BULL
As we roll around on the Bay of Biscay, many memories of my road trip from Lisbon to Vigo roll around in my head! We are sailing through 'swells' of 12 ft. and the ship, as large as it is, is swaying quite a bit from this encounter. For the first time in days there is sunlight with scattered clouds, rather than the cloudy days we've had.
César and I agreed that a little over 24 hours is just not long enough to be together and enjoy a trip. Of course we liked being together but everything was too rushed with the schedule. He was at the pier before the ship even docked waiting for me. I had to wait a while after the first passengers went on shore because I needed immigration and customs approval. When I finally got off and walked through the 'safe zone' and through the terminal and saw him waiting for me, we both just smiled! First was the American greeting, a big hug, and then the traditional European greeting, a kiss on both cheeks. We went to the car and talked a lot and he opened the surprises I had for him and they brought laughs as always and then we headed out for our big road trip. We got on a different highway than we had been on before and from the beginning it was a beautiful drive. Although I am not sure drive is the word for it. We had gone a long way before I commented that I wasn't comfortable with him going 140 miles an hour. He laughed and said it was kilometers and I felt much better! We were only going 100 miles an hour!! Then I got excited and said that the 299 to Porto, was so much closer than I thought since it was km. not miles! The whole trip seemed shorter to me because of the numbers being km, notmiles and he thought that was pretty funny. I really wanted to see the ocean so we took a side trip which turned out to be a very long way, to eat our Portuguese lunch near the beach. I was sad that we didn't stop for any pictures along the way and you can't get good pictures when you are flying by at 100 miles an hour. Next time we will do this trip with a lot more time to enjoy the sights along the way. We were both frustrated at the pace we had to keep to get to Vigo that day. But we could admire the beauty as we flew past it! We tried to enjoy Porto, what I saw was beautiful! But the traffic was horrible so I wanted to just turn around and get out so we didn't really visit anywhere in Portugal. We arrived in Spain with no big welcome. We took a turn to Vigo, which I don't think we should have taken because rather than being on a freeway we were on gorgeous back roads through mountains. However, we had no idea where we were and it was getting late, and we didn't want to be lost up there in the dark. So we stopped on a country road for me to get out the hotel info from my suitcase in the back of the car so we could call and see where to go. WEll, that is when the bull story begins...but it is time for my French class so I will have to continue the big bull story later, what an adventure that was! so for now, Au Revoir!
César and I agreed that a little over 24 hours is just not long enough to be together and enjoy a trip. Of course we liked being together but everything was too rushed with the schedule. He was at the pier before the ship even docked waiting for me. I had to wait a while after the first passengers went on shore because I needed immigration and customs approval. When I finally got off and walked through the 'safe zone' and through the terminal and saw him waiting for me, we both just smiled! First was the American greeting, a big hug, and then the traditional European greeting, a kiss on both cheeks. We went to the car and talked a lot and he opened the surprises I had for him and they brought laughs as always and then we headed out for our big road trip. We got on a different highway than we had been on before and from the beginning it was a beautiful drive. Although I am not sure drive is the word for it. We had gone a long way before I commented that I wasn't comfortable with him going 140 miles an hour. He laughed and said it was kilometers and I felt much better! We were only going 100 miles an hour!! Then I got excited and said that the 299 to Porto, was so much closer than I thought since it was km. not miles! The whole trip seemed shorter to me because of the numbers being km, notmiles and he thought that was pretty funny. I really wanted to see the ocean so we took a side trip which turned out to be a very long way, to eat our Portuguese lunch near the beach. I was sad that we didn't stop for any pictures along the way and you can't get good pictures when you are flying by at 100 miles an hour. Next time we will do this trip with a lot more time to enjoy the sights along the way. We were both frustrated at the pace we had to keep to get to Vigo that day. But we could admire the beauty as we flew past it! We tried to enjoy Porto, what I saw was beautiful! But the traffic was horrible so I wanted to just turn around and get out so we didn't really visit anywhere in Portugal. We arrived in Spain with no big welcome. We took a turn to Vigo, which I don't think we should have taken because rather than being on a freeway we were on gorgeous back roads through mountains. However, we had no idea where we were and it was getting late, and we didn't want to be lost up there in the dark. So we stopped on a country road for me to get out the hotel info from my suitcase in the back of the car so we could call and see where to go. WEll, that is when the bull story begins...but it is time for my French class so I will have to continue the big bull story later, what an adventure that was! so for now, Au Revoir!
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