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