A last update......we did make it home after a long travel day on Friday, May 4. Friends picked us up at the airport and we enjoyed a nice dinner together at our favorite restaurant Pattigeorges. Saturday was tackle the mail, drive the cars and unpack the small bags we brought with us. Our other 4 bags were being shipped so we won't be dealing with all of that until later this week. Lynn is still suffering from the cold and is going to the doctor today in between her to dos. Steve is settling back into his office and tackling the many to dos that awaited us upon coming home.
It's Monday and it almost seems like a dream that we did the World Cruise. It was special and a wonderful trip... now we will slowly re-enter our real life here on land. We are very happy to connect with Geoff and Lesley and our friends 'live'.
Again, thanks to all who have journeyed with us. We love being connected to you while on our trips.
This is not the end of our blogging - just the end of this trip. We will be blogging on our other site once we start our national parks trips again. You can follow us at -
http://amboomerwilltravel.blogspot.com/
Peace.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
New York, New York - May 4, 2012
The ship is under the bridge and we are getting ready to dock in Brooklyn. What an adventure! Thank you all for joining us on the cruise. Happy travels! Next blog - back to national parks! Stay tuned.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
At Sea Queen Mary 2 Westbound - April 30 - May 2, 2012
The
Atlantic Ocean continues to be kind to the ship with calm seas and fairly clear
weather. Sea Temp is 54.7 and the air
temp is 59, reasonably consistently since we left. Lynn caught the “ship’s cold” so no gym: it
would be extremely annoying to everyone else if Lynn was coughing all over the
equipment. Walking the deck is the alternative and fairly easy when the seas
are calm. The seas picked up on May 1
and there were squalls. Today all is
calm again. This ship really can sail
the seas! We looked up the dates on our
last cruise across in 2007 to confirm that this trip is taking one day longer. Not sure why - maybe they are allowing for seasonal
weather conditions that would delay the ship’s arrival.
We
celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary April 30th in the
dining room, then again at the onboard Todd English restaurant on May 1, with cruise
buddies John & Eve. Former President
Bush and Barbara came in together while we were eating to enjoy their dinner as
well. Thank goodness no one went
paparazzi on them and they were able to enjoy and intimate meal in the Todd
English restaurant (yes, the Secret Service was sitting nearby).
There are
many different ages of passengers on the QM2.
There was another wedding and we also see many young people working on
their computers around the ship. This
morning, we see a man walking around in his NYC trench coat like he is going to
work? We were told that there are 1,000
USA, 800 British and 200 Canadians onboard, with the rest a mix of other,
mostly European, nationalities.
Tonight is
our last formal night. We have done
everyone – no wimping out. We now
frequently see some of our fellow world cruisers walking towards the buffet in
casual clothes – they gave up! This is
also the night that the head chef and his galley staff march through the dining
room for their recognition. Who is going
to cook for us at home? Let alone there
is no grocery store open on Longboat Key while they rebuild!
Two more
days until we are home; this part of our cruise is getting us ready for that
reality. A good example is filling out our
custom declaration form for our arrival. Now that’s reality!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Aboard the Queen Mary 2 - April 27-29, 2012
The first
afternoon on the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is spent reacquainting ourselves with the
ship’s layout. This ship IS bigger than
the Queen Elizabeth and while we were on this ship 5 years ago, our memories
are dim and the ship’s layout is unique.
In addition, our cabin is on the starboard side of the ship instead of
the port, thereby reversing “forward” and “aft” relative to our previous cabin. If you are left and right challenged, you can
just imagine!
- Art Historian, Seth Gopin
- New York-Based Travel Writer, Theodore W. Scull
- Art /Architecture Expert, Professor Neil Kent
Now for the interesting people onboard (besides us of course) – former President George ‘41’ Bush and wife Barbara, along with several family members (looks like young women but not the other George’s daughters) along with their secret service protection. We see Barbara walking the deck with a young woman, accompanied behind and in front by secret service officers. Then, at the evening show, Barbara Bush along with various young women arrives and is seated, after which President Bush arrives, in a motorized scooter, to a standing ovation. They patiently and graciously smile as many people flash pictures of them. Thank goodness the ‘cruise paparazzi’ stop their picture taking once the show starts. Hopefully the rest of their cruise will not be filled with so much ‘in your face’ picture taking. By the way, they look pretty darn good for 88 and 86 years old. And today, Sunday, we attended the Maritime Church Service and there in the same ‘pew’ were the President and Barbara with family. No pictures by us – you’ll just have to believe this story.
Grand Lobby |
We agree
the QM2 is a beautiful and amazing cruise liner - after walking at least 3
miles just figuring out where things are on the ship. The promenade area displays brass wall murals
representing the four seasons and four continents impressing us once again.
Brass Wall Murals |
Asia |
Description of the blades picture |
Our dinner
table is still located right next to the same couple we sat next to on the
Queen Elizabeth. And the next table over
is another couple we met on the Queen Elizabeth so we feel like we are still at
‘home.’ The food is excellent as is to
be expected J
After
dinner is the evening’s entertainment. Both the first night and the second
night, the orchestra and the dancers put on excellent shows. In addition, the QM2 has a planetarium
theatre called Illuminations. Daily you
can pick-up tickets for one of the four afternoon prerecorded planetarium
shows. There are two different shows so
we attend one our first day on ship and the other the second day.
The speakers
on the ship include:
-
Chief
White House Correspondent, Ken Walsh- Art Historian, Seth Gopin
- New York-Based Travel Writer, Theodore W. Scull
- Art /Architecture Expert, Professor Neil Kent
The Blades |
Each day
we plan on attending some of their lectures throughout the voyage. Those lectures we miss we can watch on the TV
in our room later in the same day or throughout much of the next day. There are also movies as well in the day and
sometimes in the evening, “The Descendents” and “War Horse” to name a few.
This
ship’s journey carries all different people and even pets (the QM allegedly has
the only kennel-at-sea). There are 9
dogs and 2 cats on board in the kennels, a woman announces on the elevator as
she is going up to visit her dog.
Hitchhikers or Immigrants |
We also
discover on a morning walk that the ship is providing free passage to
immigrants to New York – a small flock of birds is camping out on the Promenade
deck. We can only hope that the
deckhands adopt them, just as the QE deckhands adopted a seagull emigrating
from San Francisco to Honolulu back in February!
Now for the interesting people onboard (besides us of course) – former President George ‘41’ Bush and wife Barbara, along with several family members (looks like young women but not the other George’s daughters) along with their secret service protection. We see Barbara walking the deck with a young woman, accompanied behind and in front by secret service officers. Then, at the evening show, Barbara Bush along with various young women arrives and is seated, after which President Bush arrives, in a motorized scooter, to a standing ovation. They patiently and graciously smile as many people flash pictures of them. Thank goodness the ‘cruise paparazzi’ stop their picture taking once the show starts. Hopefully the rest of their cruise will not be filled with so much ‘in your face’ picture taking. By the way, they look pretty darn good for 88 and 86 years old. And today, Sunday, we attended the Maritime Church Service and there in the same ‘pew’ were the President and Barbara with family. No pictures by us – you’ll just have to believe this story.
Another
first – the Captain announced at noon that he had just conducted the first
official wedding ever performed on a Cunard ship. Rather remarkable since Cunard has been
around since the 1840’s. Wow! Congratulations to Barry & Denise Maloney
the lucky newlyweds who were also privileged to blow the QM2’s horn at Noon.
We are now,
rapidly it seems, experiencing the rest of our whole-day catch-up we lost when
we crossed the International Date Line in the Pacific. The clocks have already been set back (or as
the British say, “retarded”) two hours, with three more to go before New York. More time to eat, read and reflect!
Almost
around the World! (And if this man in the picture can
do it – seriously he was on the Queen Elizabeth too – anyone can do it!)
Disembarkation & Embarking Southampton - April 27, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Queen Mary 2 -April 27-28, 2012
We made it on to the Queen Mary 2 and are finally settled into our room. Unpacked now and checking out the schedule for today. We learned last night that President Bush senior and Barbara are on the ship. I will write more later with updates and some pictures. This ship is quite spectacular and has many more areas unexplored. We sailed this ship five years ago so we are refreshing our memories. Thanks again for following our travels. We are almostaround the world!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Lisbon & At Sea - April 24 - 25, 2012
Quiet River to Lisbon |
Clearing the Bridge |
The Tower |
Explorer Monument |
The tram
tour includes a glass (two or three for the brave or foolish) of port and one
of the famous custard pastries while we are told about the ancient history
(Romans and Moors), the various historic neighborhoods, and the city squares
with their statues and buildings. Since
it is a cool and dreary European day, we are glad to be aboard a tram enjoying
the explanation by Isabelle and treats served by her helper. We also see an ancient-but-functional funicular
tram that routinely transports the residents up and down on of the many steep
streets. Fun to see – definitely not a
street we would want to live on!
Friendly Port Server |
Electric Tram |
Tile Work on Building |
Another example of tile facade |
Typical Square |
Funicular Tram on Steep Street |
After a switch
to bus transportation near a beautiful downtown park, we head to three famous
buildings. The first is the St. Jerome
Monastery and St. Mary’s Church, where Vasco du Gama is now buried. Since we had visited and photographed his
first tomb in Cochin India, we hoped to get a picture of this tomb, to which he
had been moved by his son. Unfortunately
we are unable to go in because there is a huge funeral going on inside the
church. The next stop is the Tower, a
fortress that was initially and strategically constructed in the middle of the
river, only to have the river recede and “move” it to the north bank. Two such fortresses, twins, had been used to
protect and control ships coming to the city of Lisbon; the other did not
survive history. The final stop by our tour is the Monument the Golden Age of
Portuguese Explorers. When we were on
the ship we could see this monument but not the side with the sword or the tiled
world map in the walkway in front of the monument. A great tribute.
St. Mary's where V.Du Gama buried |
Steve at the Tower |
Explorer Monument upclose |
Jesus facing the river & bridge |
We would
have loved a close-up view of the statue of Jesus built in 1959 as a replica of
the one in Rio de Janeiro. It stands on
the south bank of the river, overlooking the city and the bridge. The bridge was built by the same American
company that built, and using the same design as, the San Francisco Bridge.
Another beautiful Tile work |
Today’s
schedule is interesting. There will be
two lecturers in the morning (which we will skip to start our packing), a
Captain’s reception at 11:30 AM, pre-UK-immigration passport clearance session at
2 PM and the last formal dinner in the Britannia dining room tonight. Packing is now down to what we won’t need on
the Queen Mary 2 and the trip souvenirs, which must fit into some hypothetical suitcase
void that did not exist when the trip began.
This will
be our last blog for the Queen Elizabeth portion of our voyage. We have a seven-day Atlantic crossing on the
Queen Mary 2 and will definitely write an entry or two on that trip as our world
cruise comes to an end.
Given the very
rough seas we face over the next two days, we feel it appropriate to convey the
prayer the ship’s Master read at Sunday’s maritime church service. Some may know the prayer from prior sea-born
experience
The
Cruisers’ Prayer
Heavenly
Father, look down on us, your humble, obedient cruise servants who are doomed
to travel this earth, taking photographs, sending postcards, and buying souvenirs.
We beseech
you, O Lord, to see that our ship is not detained, or ports missed, or
schedules unmet. Give us divine guidance
in our selection of ship. We pray that
the telephone lines are unclogged and the internet freely connecteth.
Lead us to
good, inexpensive restaurants where the wine is included in the price of the
meal. Give us the wisdom to tip
correctly, even in currencies we do not understand. Make the natives love us for what we are and
not for what we can contribute to the local economy. Grant us the strength to visit the museums,
cathedrals, palaces, and if we skip a historic monument to take a nap after
lunch, have mercy on us for our flesh is weak.
Dear God,
protect our wives from bargains they don’t need or can’t afford. Lead them not into temptation for they know
not what they do.
Almighty
Father, keep our husbands from looking at the foreign women and comparing them
to us. Save them from making fools of
themselves in night clubs and bars.
Above all, forgive them their trespasses, for they know exactly what
they do.
And when
our voyage is over, grant us the favor of finding someone who will look at our
cruise pictures and listen to our tales from the launderette, so our lives as
cruise veterans may not have been in vain.
Amen!!
Monday, April 23, 2012
At Sea via Strait of Gibraltar - April 23, 2012
We awoke
early this morning cruising briskly into the narrows approaching the Strait of
Gibraltar, with Algeria on the port side and Spain on the starboard. The wind is near hurricane force (68 mph – “whole
gale”!) as the ship enters the Strait and as the famous Rock of Gibraltar comes
in to view. Gibraltar is a British crown
colony near the southern tip of Spain and is only 1 and 7/8 square miles. The rock is one of the ‘Pillars of
Hercules.’ . I can’t help but think of Prudential
Insurance and the 1960’s Wild Kingdom TV show that showed the Rock at the
beginning because “The Pru” sponsored the show.
The rock looks a lot more interesting than it did on TV.
At its
narrowest point the Strait of Gibraltar is only 8.5 miles wide. Opposite the Rock is the northern point of Morocco;
Tangiers is near the northwest end of the Strait, right as we enter the Atlantic.
Sierra Nevada Mts. in Spain |
Gibraltar in sight |
Gibraltar |
TV Shows where we are loccated |
The other side - Africa |
Tangiers in the distance |
Today, April
23rd, is St. George’s Day.
This is a day to honor St. George, a Christian martyr of around 300
CE. In Britain it is customary to fly
the St. George’s Cross flag in some way, at pubs in particular. Also it is customary for the hymn “Jerusalem”
to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on the Sunday closest to the
date. It is also customary to wear a red
rose in one’s lapel. We wondered about
that last night as there were several people with them in their lapel. We did not know of this holiday and now we
do. Okay, that’s enough geography and history for the day.
The lecture
today by Eamonn Gearon was about “The Egyptian Revolution, the Why and What’s Next?” Excellent overview, and his book called
‘Sahara’ is a very educational read.
The
entertainment director on the ship conducted an interview with Sir David Frost
and there was also a book signing following the interview. David Frost is still as witty and interesting,
and still has the same great comedic timing, as ever.
This
evening, there is a gathering of the group who went on the Angkor Wat trip to
Cambodia. Some of these travelers will
be ending their world cruise in Southampton.
A good chance to say our goodbyes. Tomorrow, Lisbon.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Civitavecchi (Rome) & At Sea - April 21-22, 2012
In sailing
to Civitavecchia, up the western Tyrrhenian Sea coast of Italy, we passed a few
islands. One of which was
Stromboli. It is one of the active
volcanoes in Italy and is still smoking today.
Steve takes some great pictures as the ship is sailing nearby.
Tour guide
“Mickey” fills us with history and stories as we travel from the farm to the
walled city of Tuscania, named after the ancient Etruscans who first settled
the area. This town is one of the many
still maintaining its charm as a walled city.
The buildings all look old but we learn many had to be renovated following
a devastating earthquake that hit this area of Italy in February, 1971 (does
anyone remember this?). We have the
opportunity to just walk around and experience the cobblestone roads and lovely
views to the ruins of two churches where the original city was located. This original city was destroyed by the
French in the 1490s and the walled city we are walking was built soon thereafter. As always, Italy will charm you and make you
want to stay.
Stromboli |
Port Civitavecchi |
The port
of Civitavecchia has always been the port and docks for Rome. It is primarily a commercial port (aka
containers) with a large fishing fleet and heavy ferry traffic between the adjacent
isles and the mainland. It is Saturday, the
fishing and ferry fleets are idle, and the primary ships coming and going are
cruise ships – Cunard, Holland America, P&O and a large and striking passenger
sailing ship. The tours all leave early
in the morning, the majority of people headed to Rome. A few tours go into the Italian countryside
and that is what we choose – Tuscany – since we immersed in Rome five years back.
Italian Countryside |
As we
drive along the road, there is much to view in the rolling hillside. There are farm fields with durum wheat heading
out and anticipating its golden metamorphosis, red poppies along the road and
fields of canola plants with their neon yellow flowers. It is so nice to see “green” after the sands of
the Sahara! Sheep are lazily grazing and
there are small towns along the way with a mix of old and new buildings.
Some Sheep Grazing |
The tour’s
first stop is to a small farm which also happens to have a B&B and
Restaurant – Cerrosughero. The farm’s
product is olive oil and we have a sampling with a nice morning snack and then
are shown the various machines that are used to make olive oil. This particular brand has won top ratings for
the past 10 years. The views of the
surrounding area are spectacular. You
can even catch a glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea.
Scene from Farm Restaurant |
Yummy |
Awards |
Olive shaker |
Ruins - old Tuscania |
Quaint house |
Friendly Italians |
City Gate w/clock |
Town water fountain |
The back gate to the city |
Small doorways everywhere |
Nice fountain near cafe |
Too bad -
back on the bus and home to the ship.
The weather
is coolish (60 degrees) and the air is refreshing. We take a long walk along the pier, and along
with many other passengers, check out the other docked cruise ships. The sea is right behind a huge breakwater, recently
built to protect the harbor area from tsunamis and make room for more ships.
Now the ship
will sail to Lisbon through the straits of Gibraltar and up the west coast of Europe.
Our days will
be filled with lectures, laundry and packing.
Today, Sir
David Frost will be speaking to us about his life interviewing people. The movie based on his interview, “Frost/Nixon.”
is being screened this afternoon.
And, yesterday,
being named as it is, the ship celebrated the actual, not official (which falls
in June) birthday of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth!
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