Via le Barcelona

Barcelona is amazing. The 3 days we have been here, it has rained at night and the sun has shone in the daytime. We have walked miles, taken taxis, and buses.  Today we plan to take the train to Monserrat, Spain where there is a monastery, boys choir school, museum and church. Barcelona has many parks with playgrounds. It is a great city for kids. The food, art, architecture are wonderful. I want to live in a highrise apt. With a balcony here. Dave likes looking at them but wants his space at home. There are shops, stores, and malls everywhere. It is good I am not a shopper.

Sailing Through the Straits of Gibraltar

Seeing both Gibraltar on the north and the mountains on the coast of Morocco (N. Africa) to the south was amazing.  The ship traffic picked up substantially because of ships from the Atlantic and Mediteranean are compressed into a nine mile strait. Also, last night's chocolate buffet was fun.  There were 6 or 7 large ice sculptures, chocolate sculptures and about 30 kinds of chocolate desserts.   There was even champagne in chocolate rimmed glasses.  Everything we tried was delicious.  Today involves packing, farewells, pictures and trying a few last foods and activities.  Tomorrow -- "Buenos Dias, Barcelona."

The Azores and Approaching Gibraltar

We had a fantastic, but too short time, on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores.  The entire island has 130,000 people and 300,000 dairy cows.  There are not barns but instead, mobile milking machines with tanks for the milk.  These machines go out into the fields to milk the cows.  The historic buildings are mainly made from crushed volcanic rock and are black and white.  The island has lush plant life, hot springs, and pineapple grown in green jouses.  It was interesting to see the greenhouses right in the cities.  Tuesday night we had the best dessert of the whole cruise.  It was Pistachio Creme Brulee with chocolate slivers layered throughout.  Amazing!! Dave wanted you to know that it matched the green shirts we both happened to be wearing.  Tomight we pass through the Straits of Gibraltar and near the coast of North Africa.  We have taken a couple Spanish classes and we are learning many new things.  A chocolate dessert buffet is happening tonight. :>

Still on the high seas!!

The cruise continues to be fairly smooth. We have moved forward 5 time zones to Greenich Mean Time. OnTues., April 24 we will be in the Azores. We have found a Bible Study tobe part of. It is ecumenical with Christians ftrom US, Canada,Mexico and Spain. Fun.

Vacation Days 3-5

We had a quick time in Miami.  We were surprised to see mostly white skyscrapers.  There was also one lovely older building that was white.  We saw our friend Deb for about 4 hours.  She drove 3.5 hrs each way to see us.  That's a lot of driving.  Thanks Deb. 
Yesterday was unbelievably calm.  There was hardly a ripple.  If this is life in the Atlantic, we are coming back.  So differnet from the Gulf.  Swimming, music and food by the pool; reading and sudoku in the sun. 
Day 5, Thursday, we have rolling waves.  It is still nice.  Winds in the low 30's are better than in the low 60's.  We saw a wonderful musician last night.  He is the #1 mandolin player int eh US and is from the Czeck Republic.  He played several native flutes also.  We played ping pong last night and Yatzee today.  We are just wild and crazy.

Day 1 and 2, in a word, "WINDY"

The 8 hr cruise down the Mississippi was beautiful.  As we got closer to the Gulf, it got breezier.  The ship is going about 25 knots and the wind is 25 knots which they told us equates with 42 mph of wind.  Whoosh!!The food is good and I am finding plenty of gluten free options.  I am trying not to overdo and Dave is finding plenty to enjoy.  Dave is slightly seasick but is pretending not to be.  We are reading, napping, using the internet and visiting with people.  I swam and did crafts this morning and made up for it this afternoon by reading and sleeping.  Miami is tomorrow.  Cheers.

The Relaxation Begins

We had a safe trip to Houston.  The truck is parked at Joanna and Philip's house.  Every item of clothing is washed and we are ready to get on the plane to New Orleans.  Last night after vegetarian kabobs at Zoe's Kitchen and Dulce le Leche at Swirl Yogurt we took a new picture with Joanna.  Then we had a great nights's sleep.  All the getting ready is over and we can relax. Yay.

Approaching the Starting Line

Well, tomorrow is the day!  Hopefully, at 10 a.m. we will get in the truck and head to Houston.  We plan to spend some time with Philip and Joanna before heading to New Orleans on Sat. afternoon. We have packed lightly so that when we are done with the cruise, we will not be burdened down with lots of luggage.  Hopefully we will be prepared for most contingencies.

Post-Easter Departure

We are looking forward to a two week cruise starting in New Orleans on April 15, 2012.  We plan for stops in Miami, the Azores and Barcelona, Spain.  We hope to post every few days while on the ship and then as we visit in Spain, Belgium and Germany.  Dave and I have never cruised before so this is big and new for us.  As far as visiting Europe, that is new too.  We have been in the airports of some countries but that is not the same as actually visiting the country.  We'll let you know how it all plays out. 
We do not want to miss the joy of Easter before we take off. Happy Easter.  Lois