All good things come to an end ....

After six fun days at sea relaxing and feeling spoiled it was time to give up our 11th floor apartment!!  For all our 24 days we never took the elevators but instead always took the stairs.  We made some new acquaintances and some wonderful memories.  Of course getting off is not nearly as much exciting as getting on.  Our flight took off later in the day so we decided to purchase the HAL debarkation tour which would take us and our friends Betsy and Chuck to the Everglades for an airboat ride and then drop us off at the airport.  Our friends had never been to the Everglades so this was totally new for them.  We saw some bird life, some alligators and other interesting information.   We made it home that night greeted by Tessie and Aaron provided with drinks and snacks!  They are the best transport ever!   We were happy to get home and sleep in our own bed but not without thinking about our next cruise!  

Our airboat ride. 

Alligators!

 Birds wanting something to eat!

Huge water turtles!

The end of a great cruise

Tired travelers heading home ...

Heading to the Azores!

For two days we enjoyed calm seas and sunny skies heading toward Ponta Delgada.  We filled those days with walking, card playing, listening to lectures, reading, napping and enjoying evening entertainment or movies under the stars.  Each night our clocks were set back one hour slowly catching us up to time in Florida.   Our guest speaker continued to be Captain Anderson where he spoke enthusiastically about the gems of the Atlantic, the Azores.  His descriptions and photos were excellent and provided us with detailed and interesting information.  The Test Kitchen gave cooking lessons on the flavors of the Mediterranean or you could join in a game of cards or mahjong.  The evening entertainment one night was a virtuoso pianist, Juan Pablo Subirana and another night a vocalist and comedian, Jo Little.  We opted out of the pianist but thoroughly enjoyedJo Little.  She stayed onboard with us till Fort Lauderdale.  I also enjoyed attending the coffee chats in the mornings where the cruise director would interview various ships personnel.   It was amazing to hear about how they got into the industry, their education and work experience and their life outside the ship.  They always served coffee and tea along with a pastry but my interest wasn’t in the food but in the people aspect.  Dan was able to get in a few games of pickleball if it wasn’t too windy in the sport court!

Here is some information about the Azores..

Portuguese settled there first under Henry the Navigator 

Azores are a part of Portugal 

Very active fault line is located through the Azores 

Sao Miguel is their largest island 

Some landscape is like moon scape where others are very green and lush 

Often the Azores are called the purple island due to blooming flowers all the time

Azores Bullfinch and the Azores bat are found here and nowhere else

Early 1400 s they discovered Azores looking for different routes to trade spices 

Fizzy spring water is found in the Azores

Locals can cook meat and vegetables in the ground due to the hot boiling water at Furnas.  

We finally arrived to the port on November 3rd docking station 8 to then leave by 5:00 pm. The weather was about 68 degrees and a little cloudy.  We decided to get off and do our own thing here.  The area is famous for whale watching but not at this time of year as we weren’t there for the migration.  I walked up to a few tour guides and asked them what they could offer the four of us.  They showed their brochures and gave us their sales pitch.  Back behind them all stood a quiet man very unassuming and not pushy to present his information.  As it turned out he was a local tour guide fully certified and trained.  He had a jeep to take us where others couldn’t go and said he would take the four of us for a five hour tour for forty dollars per person.  His Jeep was fairly new and clean and we liked his demeanor so we loaded up and took off with him for a fun day adventure. 

Our guide was exceptional taking us off road high up around the rim of the old volcano.  He took us to a very inexpensive cafe for hot drinks and snacks.  Then again high up for vista viewpoints.  We were amazed by the beautiful blue hydrangeas that we’re profusely blooming along all the roadways planted by the highway department. At the end of our adventure he personally took us to a large mall going inside with us to translate for us.  We were looking for some cold medicine and hairspray!!  He dropped us off at a quaint pub where we had Special Beer made in the Azores and then we also ordered cheese and bread.  It was all delicious and as we walked back to the ship we commented on what a great excursion we had experienced.  

Beautiful lush fields for grazing 

Overlooking the ocean.  We are at least 900 miles from the coast of Portugal. 

The historic old aqueducts 

The huge lake is the old volcano basin.  No swimming in this fresh water lake and supposedly no fishing. 

We stop for cattle driving from pasture to pasture 

An old historic church through these trees

A walk way underground that drains the lake into the ocean when it overflows 

Our quaint cafe for hot coffees and pastries on the banks of the lake 


Another beautiful viewpoint 

The rugged coastline 

Our pub experience!

Walking back to the ship

Seabirds everywhere 

The local beer!!

And some beautiful sail away photos heading west to Fort Lauderdale with 6 days at sea!!

Happy Halloween in Cádiz, Spain

We arrived and were ready to get off the ship around 8 am.  A sunny 72 degrees with a few clouds and a great day for walking about.  Cádiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city on the Iberian Peninsula and has served as the home port to the Spanish Navy since the 18th century.  The Old Town lies within the the ancient city walls with cozy, windy streets and historic architecture.  Seville is a city one can venture to from Cádiz. It was built in the 15th century and is home UNESCO sites such as the Cathedral of St Mary, and the Reconquista. Many folks took off for tours related to the Royal Andalusia School of Equestrian Arts. Seville is full of museums, parks and cathedrals.  Dan can only take so many cathedrals and museums!!

We enjoyed a hop on hop off bus ride with our friends and then spent the rest of the time walking by the coast and into some lovely parks.  We were back onboard early and left port by 5:30.  A Halloween party took place late that night at the BB Kings Blues Club.  The movie Hocus Pocus played on the big screen under the stars. We opted for a comedian and magician Martin Brock.  He was just so so.  After the entertainment we were off to our cabins for a good nights rest.  We will have two sea days before our last stop in Ponta Delgada, Azores.  We also set our clocks back two hours. 

Look at all the beautiful tiled esplanades where each one is unique.  

Beautiful gardens so peaceful for walking and sitting 



Lovely benches. 













https://vimeo.com/379855229 

Watch this funny video.  I wanted one of these!