Sunday May 29

coming over the hill always takes my breath away, there is no picture that can show the wonder of this place. there are about 6 mountain ranges stacked one behind the other and the land looks like a huge patchwork quilt laid gently down on the earth!

the broom straw, butchers broom, everywhere right now making the mountain sides yellow for as far as you can see.

Sunday: Vide Granier in Couiza, Marche in Esparaza, and Vide granier Esparaza

We started off the morning with a trip down the hill to Couiza for their vide granier. I bought a couple of bowls and some books from an English woman that had sold her house and had none to go to yet so she is quickly downsizing..there was a lot of good stuff but none that I really need at the moment..onward to Esperaza and the marche...yumm also to the boulangerie for bread and pasteries..she is the busiest baker in town, especially on Sunday morning. Fresh bread and lots of yummies makes a line out the door everytime! We had the bread for lunch with a nice salad with black tomatos( Jamie they were quite nice), cheese, ham and delicious yellow peppers.

I also got 2 kilo of wonderful "eat over the sink" peaches, for E2,25.

Vide granier Couisa

Me at the vide granier Couiza..looking at books for Unity..so many

Esperaza Marche   little fishies...

dried fruit

all those shoes...everywhere

fake legs with sequined leggings and hello kitty bras! anyone want one?

yummies

aww well I guess that is all for today... more later

.

the beginning

Sunday May 1, 2011

submarine races..really

Carnival party ship passing us...Boy Howdy were they already in action!!!!

Bye Bye Ft Lauderdale

Got up at 5:00 got on the road about 5:30 headed for Ft. Lauderdale. The road was uncrowned that early in the AM.. Arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 9:30.

We waited in the holding area until 11:30 ish..boarded the ship and went into the dining room to wait for the room to be finished at 1:30.

The room is nice, but small. Not too much room for all the luggage..nice balcony,

While we were waiting we saw many “small” yachts and fishing boats coming and going, A huge Carnival ship passed very close going out already partying hardy!

We were held up a while due to a “military maneuver” a submarine being taken out at the time we were to leave. The wait was not long and the Captain so good that we were underway,backed up and turned out to sea and I did not know that we had moved! I am glad that I did not miss the going out of the harbor..it is lovely there and I like waving to the folks along the way out.

It was a long day..so tired that I really did not want to go to dinner at 8:30. We got a table for 4 this trip and no dinner partners, which is a bummer as we always enjoy the new people that we meet and look forward to sharing our day over dinner. More later

Tuesday May10th


Lisbon! I love Lisbon..it so stinky, and so beautiful! We took the bus to the center of the city and walked around the Alfama..hundreds of stairs..up, up, up opps dead end down, down, over one and up some more.and looking out across the roof tops to the sea is so beautiful. The jacaranda trees are in bloom, all purple against the white plaster of the houses.. in the squares there is much life, many people in cafés and walking about, many shops with so many things fabric shops and notion shops with buttons and trim and ribbons, Oh My! We were an hour late getting into port so our day was shorter and we did not have time to do all that we wanted to. The weather was sunny 84 degrees..very warm! Tomorrow is Cadiz Spain at noon…of course all the shops close from 1-3 for siesta..so we will not have a lot of time to shop!! More later

Monday again

May 9th, At sea,

Not too much going on today, read, went to art class and dinner with the group! So much better now with this group. Played trivia with Susan and her group, lots of fun. Cloudy/sunny but cool. More later

Sunday Ponta Delgada, PortugalLand HO  Azores

Landed at about 8 AM..went ashore and bummed around for a while. We had to be back on the ship by 3:30 so we did not do too much. We walked around to places that we had been a couple of years ago, bought pineapple and came back to the ship for late lunch. Formal dinner tonight for Mothers Day, all the ladies got a rose..even those that were from other places that don’t celebrate Mothers Day.

Sunny while we were on the island, but back to cloudy when we are at sea.this has been the rockiest trip yet! More later

Sao Paolo

the old Fort, closed of course!

Gorgeous Hydrangea

Frilday

Friday and Saturday..May 6&7 2011


Friday: we got new seating for dinner and it is so much better- a table for 10 with 6 people and they are interesting and fun and welcomed us with open arms!

Painting class each day and I went to scrap booking class too..

Sat: slept late, went to breakfast in dining room, met some interesting folks who happened to be on the Constellation with us last fall. walked around the shops and went to class, went to glass “show” and then to dinner.. Tomorrow is Azores..most are anxious to get off the ship for a while..I hope to find some pineapple! More later…..

lawn scaping onboard! Real grass.

corning glass in the lobby

Thursday

Thursday May 5, 2011


Lazy day today weather mostly cloudy and high seas.. We went to breakfast and as we were leaving met a woman from Scotland (she sat down at our table) She lives in Canada with her husband of 53 years, a man from Malta named Manny. She LOVES to talk and we spent all morning in conversation. Spent most of the day reading on the balcony, napping, and then to art class. We did not go down to the dinning room tonight, we will talk with the head waiter tomorrow to have a table change..I would like to have a large table of happy people! If that does not work, there is always room service and the cafateria..good food anywhere you go.Bad weather drives more folks inside so it gets crowded in the shops and eating places. Fifth day at sea makes some folks grumpy..not me. I have a good book that I got at the library on ship and someone else is making the bed and cleaning the bathroom and cooking for me all day…I’m good with that! More later

rainbow seas

11 foot seas

'wednesday

Wednesday, May 4,2011


Another cloudy day..sun in and sun out a small amount of rain.

We went to art class..did a still life. I started with a bottle then two wine glasses (the rule of three you know), then I added a table and a stone wall and a chair to go with the table and my still life became a landscape! Oh well, good that we are not graded.

We had our first unpleasant experience at dinner. When we went to the dinning room on the first night we found that we were at a table for 4 and no one at the table. we have always had table for 8. I enjoy meeting up at dinner time and sharing what we all did for the day. I have met so many lovely folks around the table. We did not go to the dinning room for two nights because I was too tired to bother and when we went tonight I was delighted to see that there was someone at the table. But they were not delighted, in fact she said to the waiter, “separate these tables” and acted like we had a disease that she might catch. There was much ruckus getting the tables set up and the noise level was so that we could not hear across the table. Unpleasant dinner experience. But I guess we are lucky to not have had any before.. I went to the movies and saw Eat,Pray Love..I was not able to see all of it at home, so finished it here..It was good..now maybe I will watch it again when I get home! More later

 People by the pools

Glass blowing demo..Corning glass  very nice

Tuesday May 3,2011


Second full day at sea. Partly sunny, very windy and cool. 10 to 12 foot seas..and Celebrity does not use stabilizers it would seem…oh my see me wobble!

We went to a watercolors class today, couldn’t get in yesterday so today they had a larger room so we all fit. It is very nice and no cost!

Spent the day relaxing, reading and roaming the ship. There are still places to be discovered. I hope that I find them all before we leave. Saw a show in the theater, a Welsh comedian, singer..she was good. Very strong voice. Very tired, I didn’t sleep well last night either. I hope for sleep tonight. More later

this is the flower pot that holds the ficus tree suspended in the foyer!! Ugly..

this is the balcony off the room where I relaxed and read!!

Saturday, May 22 I think

I am never really sure what day it is, unless it is someones birthday or such, so forgive me that.
Today we went to Sat. Marche in Quillan. Marion asked if she could go along to look for tomato plants.
I found the petunias for my planter, and a large lavendar to replace the ones that are missing.  I also picked up some fresh goat cheese from my favorite cheese maker. We had not seen him for 5 months,( he spent a lot of time in Brazil while we were in the States, I hear), but he looked up and said Bonjoir, Oh hello Virginia, LOL He practices his English and insists that I speak French to him, an even swap I would say. He is very patient and doesn't get grumpy when I get it wrong.
after the market we went to Limoux to the grocery store and got the car washed.
When we got home I pitted the cherries that we bought and made a cherry pie...now for those that do not know, when I first came to this house, the stove and I were mortal enemies.. Part of it is gas, the rest is electric..and I think it was here when the Germans marched in during WWII! The oven does not have degree markings, just numbers 1-10, I have since found that between 6 and 7 is about 350 degrees, but my first pecan pie took 2 hours..and more patience than I had to be sure!!
But since I got a oven thermometer, and did the figuring we have made friends, and I can tell you that this tiny oven is a work of art. It will hold a 9X11 pan but not too much bigger, one cookie sheet, and maybe one cupcake pan. Not too wonderful for one who bakes, but there are so many boulongeries here that no one needs to bake for themselves! I will say that my Zucchini bread was quite a hit, no one had heard of it here and since there is sooo much zucchini, here, under the assumed name of corgette, that I made it to use some that I had in the kitchen... Paulo said that he could sell as much as I made, but then with such a small oven it is hardly worth the trouble. There are no ovens in old houses that will hold a 25 pound turkey, but that is ok since there are no whole  turkeys in France!!!!  I nearly give myself a hernia opening the door everytime, but the heat stays in the oven not in the kitchen.  When you finally get the darned door open you get a steam bath, so it is multipurpose! I cooked the cherry pie today for about one hour, not 2!!
A storm followed us across the ocean, making for a rocky voyage! It does not bother me, so that was not a problem. We stopped in the Azores, then Lisbon. We did not have a lot of time in Lisbon,so pretty much stayed near the port and walked around the Alfama. We had hoped to see a friend there but there was no time, then on to Cadiz Spain. Cadiz is a lovely town, self contained, and you can walk to anything there. No need for a taxi, or bus. It is a beautiful old village, with many lovely buildings. Malaga was next, and one of Michael and my favorite places. The walk in from the ship is about a mile,through a lot of construction. YUCK...but the town is worth it. The old building have been saved and restored on a wide street, no traffic, and the open air marche is stunning..unfortunately you can take no fruit or veggies on the ship so we could not buy anything that we did not intend to eat there.

The Alfama..so many stairs, so little time! Thousands of them..really

Sao Palo Azores

on the Solstice.

One night at sea and we were pulling into Barcelona at 6-30 AM and off the ship by 7:30.. Didier picked us up at about 9, after slipping by the port police who would not allow him to drive to the debarking area..and on to Montazels, with a short stop in Quillan.. the rest is cleaning the dirt and dust of 3 months empty house and getting settled.. French class on Tuesday for the first time in 5 months, but did not do too shabby!!  The garden is underway, but there has been little or no rain here for 3 months, so it will be a struggle..the rain barrel from winter is already at the bottom.. we had a sprinkle today, about 35 drops... the clouds hang there on the mountain top, teasing.. my eyes are getting tired, it is noonish there in America, and 6 PM here..I will have to start dinner soon.. Tomorrow we will go to the Fete of Roses in Camon, called the village of Roses...all houses have roses growing onthem..very lovely..a stop off at a vide granier (community yard sale) also known as a car-boot sale in Fa. busy busy busy  LOL   More later