We got to "sleep in" a bit today, as our excursion into Florence (from the port of Livorno) didn't leave until 8 a.m. And, with the two-hour drive, I had a nice little morning nap once again.
Basically, this was an on-your-own trip, with the bus dropping us off at Santa Croce, a basilica on the southeast side of the downtown which contains the tomb of Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei and other "celebs". Unfortunately, Kristin and I didn't know any of that at the time, so we didn't go in.
Instead, we did a slow walking tour, stopping to see:
--the Piazza della Signoria, a striking square that includes the Neptune Fountain, the statue of Perseus holding the severed head of Medusa and a copy of the statue of David
--the trendy shopping street that is Via Tornabuoni (Prada, Gucci, etc.), though we didn't buy anything
--the Duomo, "the loftiest, most sumptuous edifice human invention could devise." Basically, it was a gigantic cathedral that was brightly colored (green, pink and white)
--the Mercato Centrale, a two-story grocery store. We unfortunately didn't have time to go in and see the vegetable stands, panini stores and cheese and meat stalls.
I think it was near this area where we finally settled on an early lunch (just past 11 a.m.), at a restaurant called Za Za's. I ordered the Florentine-style tripe, which was cooked in some tomato-based sauce (I think). This was my favorite meal of the entire trip. Hell, I liked it so much I bought the restaurant's cookbook!
From there we scurried on over to Galleria dell'Accademia, where we had reservations for noon (I had read that the line to get tickets can be very, very long, and that booking reservations is the way to go). Well, it turned out that the museum wasn't very crowded at the moment, so it actually wouldn't have mattered.
When you enter the museum, the first room is filled with paintings. Then you exit the room and enter a large hallway, and the moment you turn to the right to start walking, you are stunned by the beauty and size of Michelangelo's David, which is at the far end of the hall.
First though, we looked at some of his unfinished statues, and it was amazing to see these huge blocks that were half carved out. Then, we walked right up to the David, and Kristin and I must've stared at it for a good 15 min. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed, but the statue's magnificence and extreme detail will forever be burned in my mind.
After the museum we headed south to the river to see Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge. Then we made our way back to the meeting point, where there was lots of shopping to be done. I think the first thing that strikes any tourist is that Florence is filled with leather stores--a conservative estimate would be 60% of the clothing stores were leather stores. We went in several, and the prices were pretty good, but we didn't buy anything.
The shopping guide from our cruise recommended a store called Italianloves, and it was here where we sampled wine and olive oils. We ended up buying bout 84 Euros (including the 10% cruise discount) worth of wine and oils.
Back on the ship. Tonight (Friday) we ate at a nicer "free" restaurant called Tapas, a Mexican-style restaurant. After dinner we went to the Cirque du Soleil show, which was amazing but short. Then we went to get a drink, and we decided to save money by taking part in the "buy five beers, get one free deal." We drank one each on the spot and took the remaining bottles back to our room to save for the next night.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Mediterranean Cruise Day 5: Rome/Vatican City
We woke up early and got to the theater at 6:45 a.m., as our tickets told us to do. Unfortunately, there was some delay (maybe with the port authorities?), and we didn't get off the ship until 7:45 a.m., which meant we could have slept another hour!
Well, as soon as I got on the bus, I slept most of the 1.5 hours from Civitavecchia (the port) to Rome. I also missed most of the instructions our tour guide gave us, but Kristin heard most of them before she fell asleep as well.
We went right to the Vatican City, which if you didn't already know, is actually its own country. The line to get in wasn't bad, surprisingly, though based on all the ropes, it looked like it could snake for quite some ways.
Our new tour guide (different from the one on the bus) talked into a microphone, which we could pick up on our walkie-talkies (we tuned into channel 48 and used a headphone). She took us from one courtyard to another; the second had stations where tourguides could show and explan to tourists the paintings inside the Sistine Chapel.
The Sistine Chapel was unbelievable, though quite dark (not much light is let into it as to preserve the paintings). Also, you're not allowed to talk or take pics/video, so the guards have a busy task of monitoring for cameras and yelling "Shhhh!"
From there we went to St. Peter's Square, and I was just in awe, especially thinking of all the people that come to get blessed by the Pope, who by the way was at his vacation home in the south of Rome.
At this point I want to mention that there were three somewhat annoying people with us on this trip. The woman in the group was wearing a tanktop and shorts, and I said to Kristin that I couldn't wait to film the guards denying her entry into the Cathedral (because no bare shoulders and nothing above the knees are allowed). Unfortunately, some other tourists with us lent her (and another woman) a huge shawl that covered their entire body, thus granting them admission (damn!) into St. Peter's Basilica.
As the biggest catholic church in the world, the Basilica has many side "churches" inside where mass is usually performed (in fact, one mass was going on when we were there).
After the Vatican City we headed to a restaurant for lunch (it was included in this ~$269 excursion), but the service was super slow, so we were in the restaurant for almost two hours (you'll see why I'm mentioning this later). We shared a table with a Ukranian couple, who at first didn't seem like they wanted to talk to us, even after I smiled and said "hello."
Finally, the man broke the silence, and we discussed many things, including whether I thought Americans were happy living in America (he was curious). I asked what languages he spoke; he replied Ukranian, Russian, Spanish (he and his wife currently live in Spain) and English. He then joked that his wife "only" speaks Russian, but she gets by in life by pointing at things. (She never spoke the entire time, by the way.)
Back on the bus. Now we were headed to the Colosseum and the Forum. Unfortunately, since the lines to get into the Colosseum were supposedly1.5 hours-long, we did not have enough time to get in (damn that lunch!). I was pissed but dealt with it. Kristin and I walked the perimeter, plus we walked into areas of the Forum. This was simply amazing to see; it was honestly like going back in time. One area had what looked like new pillars, and we were told later that fashion designer Valentino put those pillars there and had a fashion show about two weeks ago--that must have been cool as hell to see.
That marked the end of that trip. I again slept on the bus ride back to port. On the ship, Kristin and I actually split up for dinner--sort of. I went to Chin Chin's again, except this time to its sushi bar where I ate 28 pieces of sushi! What can I say? I gotta get my money's worth. During this time Kristin worked out. After she cleaned up, I sat with her as she ate in the main dining room.
I think it was this night that we went to a lounge on the 13th floor in which we sat next to some super loud Americans. They were SCREAMING when they talked so that everyone in the lounge and the adjacent restaurant could hear them. Plus they hadn't bothered to dress up; one guy, for instance, was wearing a tank top, shorts and flip flops, and this was a pretty nice bar. I was about to kill one of the women in that group, but luckily they decided to get something to eat.
Only two more days!
Well, as soon as I got on the bus, I slept most of the 1.5 hours from Civitavecchia (the port) to Rome. I also missed most of the instructions our tour guide gave us, but Kristin heard most of them before she fell asleep as well.
We went right to the Vatican City, which if you didn't already know, is actually its own country. The line to get in wasn't bad, surprisingly, though based on all the ropes, it looked like it could snake for quite some ways.
Our new tour guide (different from the one on the bus) talked into a microphone, which we could pick up on our walkie-talkies (we tuned into channel 48 and used a headphone). She took us from one courtyard to another; the second had stations where tourguides could show and explan to tourists the paintings inside the Sistine Chapel.
The Sistine Chapel was unbelievable, though quite dark (not much light is let into it as to preserve the paintings). Also, you're not allowed to talk or take pics/video, so the guards have a busy task of monitoring for cameras and yelling "Shhhh!"
From there we went to St. Peter's Square, and I was just in awe, especially thinking of all the people that come to get blessed by the Pope, who by the way was at his vacation home in the south of Rome.
At this point I want to mention that there were three somewhat annoying people with us on this trip. The woman in the group was wearing a tanktop and shorts, and I said to Kristin that I couldn't wait to film the guards denying her entry into the Cathedral (because no bare shoulders and nothing above the knees are allowed). Unfortunately, some other tourists with us lent her (and another woman) a huge shawl that covered their entire body, thus granting them admission (damn!) into St. Peter's Basilica.
As the biggest catholic church in the world, the Basilica has many side "churches" inside where mass is usually performed (in fact, one mass was going on when we were there).
After the Vatican City we headed to a restaurant for lunch (it was included in this ~$269 excursion), but the service was super slow, so we were in the restaurant for almost two hours (you'll see why I'm mentioning this later). We shared a table with a Ukranian couple, who at first didn't seem like they wanted to talk to us, even after I smiled and said "hello."
Finally, the man broke the silence, and we discussed many things, including whether I thought Americans were happy living in America (he was curious). I asked what languages he spoke; he replied Ukranian, Russian, Spanish (he and his wife currently live in Spain) and English. He then joked that his wife "only" speaks Russian, but she gets by in life by pointing at things. (She never spoke the entire time, by the way.)
Back on the bus. Now we were headed to the Colosseum and the Forum. Unfortunately, since the lines to get into the Colosseum were supposedly1.5 hours-long, we did not have enough time to get in (damn that lunch!). I was pissed but dealt with it. Kristin and I walked the perimeter, plus we walked into areas of the Forum. This was simply amazing to see; it was honestly like going back in time. One area had what looked like new pillars, and we were told later that fashion designer Valentino put those pillars there and had a fashion show about two weeks ago--that must have been cool as hell to see.
That marked the end of that trip. I again slept on the bus ride back to port. On the ship, Kristin and I actually split up for dinner--sort of. I went to Chin Chin's again, except this time to its sushi bar where I ate 28 pieces of sushi! What can I say? I gotta get my money's worth. During this time Kristin worked out. After she cleaned up, I sat with her as she ate in the main dining room.
I think it was this night that we went to a lounge on the 13th floor in which we sat next to some super loud Americans. They were SCREAMING when they talked so that everyone in the lounge and the adjacent restaurant could hear them. Plus they hadn't bothered to dress up; one guy, for instance, was wearing a tank top, shorts and flip flops, and this was a pretty nice bar. I was about to kill one of the women in that group, but luckily they decided to get something to eat.
Only two more days!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Mediterranean Cruise Day 4: Naples/Pompeii
Kristin and I were on our own again today--no paid tour or anything. When we got off the ship, we were harassed by several taxi drivers in what turned out to be a bidding war for us to choose them. This was funny as each driver would offer us a lower price than the previous driver's. We declined and walked to the train station, about 15 min. away (though it was a bit scary, because the sidewalks were very narrow and there were some sketchy people out and about).
Thank God I read out guidebook, which said most people mistakenly take the train to Pompei (one "I") instead of Pompeii/Scavi (two "I"s). So we were in line for tickets, and I asked the person if this was the correct train to get to Pompeii/Scavi, and he said we had to take the Circumvesuvian train downstairs. There, we bought tickets to Pompeii/Scavi instead of Pompei (yay book!). The driver told us to take the train at 9:40.
We looked at our tickets and it said "1 40 min." Kristin and I did not want to ride a train for 1 hour, 40 min. each way, but after asking a security guard, we found out it's only 40 min. (thus, I'm not sure what the "1" was for).
At the train stop, we took the 9:30 train, and that was a mistake. I was studying the routes on the wall of the train, and I noticed down the line the track splits, with one going to Pompeii/Scavi, the other going somewhere else. I said to Kristin that I bet the 9:40 was the one that actually goes to Pompeii/Scavi, and sure enough, I was right. So this train took us in the wrong direction at the split. We got off, waited 20 min. to catch a train back, then waited another 15 min. to catch the train in the right direction--what a waste of time!
Pompeii, an ancient city that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption from nearby Mt. Vesuvius, was fascinating. Some observations: The city was huge, and protected by a big wall. I can't imagine collecting all that stone! ... None of the dwellings had any doors. In fact, every building had a big opening as an entryway ... seeing the bodies that were trapped in the lava was pretty cool ... I was disappointed we couldn't get into the coliseum (known as the amphitheater) ... after a while, it got to be somewhat painful to keep walking on the stones (I'm sure many people have twisted ankles walking around) ... there were dogs everywhere, and I'm pretty sure they were dead.
After a few hours, we headed back to Naples. We walked around for a long time, mainly because there are so many unmarked sidestreets that didn't correspond with my map. I wanted to eat at Michel's, supposedly the BEST pizza in Italy, but like so many European businesses, it was closed for the last two weeks of August. Instead, I magically found this other pizza place that was highly recommended. I ordered a pizza with various toppings I for some reason can't remember, and Kristin had a pizza with anchovies (she didn't realize ahead of time). Total cost was 7.50 Euros, plus with my huge glass of wine for only 1.50, it made for a cheap lunch. In fact, we thought we were only getting a slice of pizza until they brought us each a big pizza. Man, the pizza was great! Plus, it only took five minutes as it was thin and the oven was obviously very hot.
We continued walking for a while but then headed back to the ship. Before we got back, we bought a bottle of wine.
That night, we didn't have any reservations at any restaurant, which was unfortunate because they were all at capacity. Consequently, we had to eat at the main dining area again, which we weren't thrilled about. So to prevent a repeat, we made reservations for Friday and Saturday. We turned in pretty early that night because of our early morning (6:45) the next day.
Thank God I read out guidebook, which said most people mistakenly take the train to Pompei (one "I") instead of Pompeii/Scavi (two "I"s). So we were in line for tickets, and I asked the person if this was the correct train to get to Pompeii/Scavi, and he said we had to take the Circumvesuvian train downstairs. There, we bought tickets to Pompeii/Scavi instead of Pompei (yay book!). The driver told us to take the train at 9:40.
We looked at our tickets and it said "1 40 min." Kristin and I did not want to ride a train for 1 hour, 40 min. each way, but after asking a security guard, we found out it's only 40 min. (thus, I'm not sure what the "1" was for).
At the train stop, we took the 9:30 train, and that was a mistake. I was studying the routes on the wall of the train, and I noticed down the line the track splits, with one going to Pompeii/Scavi, the other going somewhere else. I said to Kristin that I bet the 9:40 was the one that actually goes to Pompeii/Scavi, and sure enough, I was right. So this train took us in the wrong direction at the split. We got off, waited 20 min. to catch a train back, then waited another 15 min. to catch the train in the right direction--what a waste of time!
Pompeii, an ancient city that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption from nearby Mt. Vesuvius, was fascinating. Some observations: The city was huge, and protected by a big wall. I can't imagine collecting all that stone! ... None of the dwellings had any doors. In fact, every building had a big opening as an entryway ... seeing the bodies that were trapped in the lava was pretty cool ... I was disappointed we couldn't get into the coliseum (known as the amphitheater) ... after a while, it got to be somewhat painful to keep walking on the stones (I'm sure many people have twisted ankles walking around) ... there were dogs everywhere, and I'm pretty sure they were dead.
After a few hours, we headed back to Naples. We walked around for a long time, mainly because there are so many unmarked sidestreets that didn't correspond with my map. I wanted to eat at Michel's, supposedly the BEST pizza in Italy, but like so many European businesses, it was closed for the last two weeks of August. Instead, I magically found this other pizza place that was highly recommended. I ordered a pizza with various toppings I for some reason can't remember, and Kristin had a pizza with anchovies (she didn't realize ahead of time). Total cost was 7.50 Euros, plus with my huge glass of wine for only 1.50, it made for a cheap lunch. In fact, we thought we were only getting a slice of pizza until they brought us each a big pizza. Man, the pizza was great! Plus, it only took five minutes as it was thin and the oven was obviously very hot.
We continued walking for a while but then headed back to the ship. Before we got back, we bought a bottle of wine.
That night, we didn't have any reservations at any restaurant, which was unfortunate because they were all at capacity. Consequently, we had to eat at the main dining area again, which we weren't thrilled about. So to prevent a repeat, we made reservations for Friday and Saturday. We turned in pretty early that night because of our early morning (6:45) the next day.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Mediterranean Cruise Day 3: Messina
Our first shore excursion! It was just amazing to wake up and look out the window and see an entire city's landscape.
Kristin and I did not purchase a tour package for this city, so we were on our own. The first thing we did was walk to a church-like building we saw way up the hill (it was the Shrine of Cristo Re). After a long hike up a steep hill (the entire city is built into a mountain side), we arrived only to find it was not open for tours. However, the view of the city was beautiful, and a tour bus stopped by to also enjoy the view.
From the shrine we decided to head into the rest of town, but we ended up going way, way south of where we wanted (it included a stop at the Royal Palace Hotel so I could use the restroom). When we finally looked at a map to see where we were, we discovered we were not even close to where we were headed. For your perspective--and I wish we had remembered to buy pedometers--we walked about .47 miles west to the shrine, .45 miles southwest to the hotel, then .57 miles southeast, then .11 miles northeast to the bay and then .34 miles to get back to our docking point (altogether at least 2 miles in hot weather).
Along the way, we stopped at a cafe and sat outside--I had an espresso, and Kristin had a coke. Then we did some shopping--and I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I bought a speedo that was on ultra clearance for 5 Euros. From there we went to another small shop for some gelatto, then we backtracked to the Norman Cathedral with the world's largest astronomical clock (many other tourists where here). It was at this plaza that we had lunch: wine and a margherita pizza. Thus in one day we had espresso, gelatto and pizza, three food items for which Italy is known.
Finally, it was time to call it a day. Back on the ship, we sat out at the pool for the rest of the afternoon, then we had dinner at Chin Chin's (an Asian restaurant). Earlier we had discovered "happy hour," which takes places from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and gets you 1/2 off the extra charge at the premium restaurants (that would have been nice to know for Cagney's the day before). So we ate at 6 p.m. with just a few other people in the restaurant, but at least we saved some money.
If memory serves, we saw a magic act that night at the theater. This guy is a two-time world-champ, which begs the question, why is he on a cruise ship? Well, he brought this up during the show, and he said he didn't like Vegas much and prefers the intimacy of a cruise. I thought he was entertaining, but his show was too short (less than 1 hour).
After the show, we had a drink and then turned in.
Kristin and I did not purchase a tour package for this city, so we were on our own. The first thing we did was walk to a church-like building we saw way up the hill (it was the Shrine of Cristo Re). After a long hike up a steep hill (the entire city is built into a mountain side), we arrived only to find it was not open for tours. However, the view of the city was beautiful, and a tour bus stopped by to also enjoy the view.
From the shrine we decided to head into the rest of town, but we ended up going way, way south of where we wanted (it included a stop at the Royal Palace Hotel so I could use the restroom). When we finally looked at a map to see where we were, we discovered we were not even close to where we were headed. For your perspective--and I wish we had remembered to buy pedometers--we walked about .47 miles west to the shrine, .45 miles southwest to the hotel, then .57 miles southeast, then .11 miles northeast to the bay and then .34 miles to get back to our docking point (altogether at least 2 miles in hot weather).
Along the way, we stopped at a cafe and sat outside--I had an espresso, and Kristin had a coke. Then we did some shopping--and I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I bought a speedo that was on ultra clearance for 5 Euros. From there we went to another small shop for some gelatto, then we backtracked to the Norman Cathedral with the world's largest astronomical clock (many other tourists where here). It was at this plaza that we had lunch: wine and a margherita pizza. Thus in one day we had espresso, gelatto and pizza, three food items for which Italy is known.
Finally, it was time to call it a day. Back on the ship, we sat out at the pool for the rest of the afternoon, then we had dinner at Chin Chin's (an Asian restaurant). Earlier we had discovered "happy hour," which takes places from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and gets you 1/2 off the extra charge at the premium restaurants (that would have been nice to know for Cagney's the day before). So we ate at 6 p.m. with just a few other people in the restaurant, but at least we saved some money.
If memory serves, we saw a magic act that night at the theater. This guy is a two-time world-champ, which begs the question, why is he on a cruise ship? Well, he brought this up during the show, and he said he didn't like Vegas much and prefers the intimacy of a cruise. I thought he was entertaining, but his show was too short (less than 1 hour).
After the show, we had a drink and then turned in.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Mediterranean Cruise Day 2: At Sea
Monday was a day of travel only (no port). We slept in until 10 a.m., then went to workout. The fitness room was on the 12th floor, and one side is all windows with a gorgeous view of the sea. A lot of the people in the fitness room didn't seem like they had ever been in one; it was more of a novelty to them (esp. the non-Americans).
We then had lunch in the main dining area, then relaxed a long time in the pool area (once we finally secured some chairs, which took a long time since everyone wanted to hang out at the pool). Each day a Caribbean cover band played (as in, they played covers with a Caribbean sound), and they were quite enjoyable. We swam a bit in the adults-only pool, which was filled with salt water, and also sat in one of the four jacuzzis, which were not nearly hot enough.
Today was an optional dress-up night, so we did (dress for Kristin, suit for me). Before dinner, we took free salsa dancing lessons. Then we had dinner at Cagney's, a steakhouse. This required an additional fee of $20/person, so we ordered a LOT of food to compensate (multiple appetizers, filet mignon, prime rib, dessert, side). God, we were stuffed!
After dinner we went to one of the many bars and had one martini each (that's all we could afford!). I then did some light gambling in the casino (I may have done this in the afternoon--I can't remember when). Then I bought a cigar in the cigar lounge and smoked in on our balcony while staring out at the sea with a beautiful moonlight.
We then had lunch in the main dining area, then relaxed a long time in the pool area (once we finally secured some chairs, which took a long time since everyone wanted to hang out at the pool). Each day a Caribbean cover band played (as in, they played covers with a Caribbean sound), and they were quite enjoyable. We swam a bit in the adults-only pool, which was filled with salt water, and also sat in one of the four jacuzzis, which were not nearly hot enough.
Today was an optional dress-up night, so we did (dress for Kristin, suit for me). Before dinner, we took free salsa dancing lessons. Then we had dinner at Cagney's, a steakhouse. This required an additional fee of $20/person, so we ordered a LOT of food to compensate (multiple appetizers, filet mignon, prime rib, dessert, side). God, we were stuffed!
After dinner we went to one of the many bars and had one martini each (that's all we could afford!). I then did some light gambling in the casino (I may have done this in the afternoon--I can't remember when). Then I bought a cigar in the cigar lounge and smoked in on our balcony while staring out at the sea with a beautiful moonlight.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Mediterranean Cruise Day 1: Barcelona
I must start by saying that Kristin and I ate a lot. Take our first day, for example (really two days). Beginning with Saturday, Aug. 25, we got breakfast (doughnuts) at Lane's Bakery around 9 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., we had lunch at the Great Dane in the airport. On the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, we had dinner (surprisingly good chicken) and breakfast (cheese and egg biscuit sandwich). On our flight from Amsterdam to Barcelona (this is now the next morning), we had two mini sandwiches (I ate the tomato, Kristin had the chicken). In Barcelona, we split a open-faced prosciutto sandwich. On the ship, we had dinner at Tsar's (somewhat Russian-like), then at 11:30 p.m. (just before one of the cafeterias closed), I grabbed a huge plate of food (breaded cod, jerk chicken, lots of other stuff) along with a decaf cappuccino.
To summarize a very long paragraph: Approximately eight meals in 31 hours (9 a.m. CST to 11:30 p.m. Central European Summer Time).
Barcelona was nice, but we only got about 1.5 hours before we had to board the ship. We went to a place called Las Ramblas, a pedestrian area with lots of stores and cafes. I bought a soccer jersey (Real Madrid), one of my shopping goals I made prior to the trip.
At the cafe, I wanted some sangria, but it wasn't on the menu, so I ordered a beer instead. Then someone else ordered the sangria, so I was extra disappointed.
After the meal, Kristin and I walked to the boardwalk, which I noticed was missing something vital: stores! No where to buy snacks, drinks or souvenirs. Before catching a cab to the ship, we also took some pics with the statue of Christopher Columbus.
The ship, the Norwegian Cruise Line's Jewel, was HUGE. It dwarfed other cruise ships we saw at various ports. The first thing we did was unpack, then napped for an hour before we had our emergency drill (basically how to put on your life jacket and where to go in case of emergency). After that, we took another nap, then we went to the casino (we didn't gamble, though; they were giving away free drinks). I felt a little woozy at this point, so I put on the motion-sickness patch I got from my physician.
After dinner, we walked around the ship, sent a few e-mails to our parents, then relaxed a little bit.
And no, we weren't really hungry, but we wanted to take advantage of the all-you-can eat, so that's why I got that plate of food. My God, we ate a lot.
To summarize a very long paragraph: Approximately eight meals in 31 hours (9 a.m. CST to 11:30 p.m. Central European Summer Time).
Barcelona was nice, but we only got about 1.5 hours before we had to board the ship. We went to a place called Las Ramblas, a pedestrian area with lots of stores and cafes. I bought a soccer jersey (Real Madrid), one of my shopping goals I made prior to the trip.
At the cafe, I wanted some sangria, but it wasn't on the menu, so I ordered a beer instead. Then someone else ordered the sangria, so I was extra disappointed.
After the meal, Kristin and I walked to the boardwalk, which I noticed was missing something vital: stores! No where to buy snacks, drinks or souvenirs. Before catching a cab to the ship, we also took some pics with the statue of Christopher Columbus.
The ship, the Norwegian Cruise Line's Jewel, was HUGE. It dwarfed other cruise ships we saw at various ports. The first thing we did was unpack, then napped for an hour before we had our emergency drill (basically how to put on your life jacket and where to go in case of emergency). After that, we took another nap, then we went to the casino (we didn't gamble, though; they were giving away free drinks). I felt a little woozy at this point, so I put on the motion-sickness patch I got from my physician.
After dinner, we walked around the ship, sent a few e-mails to our parents, then relaxed a little bit.
And no, we weren't really hungry, but we wanted to take advantage of the all-you-can eat, so that's why I got that plate of food. My God, we ate a lot.
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