Okay...let's finish up the last few days of the cruise. I hope to be back to some regular blogging in the next few weeks before we head back to the States and then it will be sporadic throughout the summer as, well, I'll admit...I'm lazy. I like to spend my time reading, golfing, sitting by the lake, visiting with friends and family...oh, and this summer I'll throw in some work, too!
But, let's finish up the cruise and I can daydream about summer later!
Day 7 - Day at Sea. So this was a day at sea...a very relaxing day at sea. We slept in - which was heavenly! We also booked a special tour of the galley and brunch that day - which was our ship version of a food tour. Very fun to go see the inner workings of the kitchen - which is quite small considering how many meals they put out in a day - and then the lunch/brunch was fantastic. You got to try dishes from all of the specialty dining restaurants (so Grayson chowed down on some sushi!) and then you had a lovely filet mignon with your choice of sauce! Bring on the hollandaise! And unlimited champagne! And crepes for dessert! The afternoon brought more bingo and drinks! And, the evening had us dining with our favorite waiters - Elmer and Gabriel. This night Elmer decided he would show us some of his magic tricks and Grayson decided he was going to have his growth spurt at dinner where he ate...well, multiple rolls, appetizers, and desserts - along with his entree. Gotta love that kid!
Pix from Day 7: https://goo.gl/photos/DdLEWevTVsgCU3ck8
Day 8 - Kotor, Montenegro. While it was not raining upon our arrival, it soon started to rain in Kotor. But, Caleb, Blaine and I decided to get off the ship and go anyways. (Grayson opted to stay on board and play Wii...big surprise!) At this port we had to tender to Kotor. This was the only port where we had to do this - and while we had explained to Caleb that we would be taking the lifeboats over - I'm not sure he believed us until he saw that they were in the water. Kotor is another beautiful walled city, but more commercialized than Mdina. We had fun walking around in the rain and doing some shopping, but decided we would rather be on board in dry clothes with some beverages in our hand, a good book, and play some Ticket to Ride - so that's what we did. Of course, another round of bingo was played! (My Grandma would've been so proud!) and we got involved involved in some of the ship's activities. (Many old folks kicked our butts in trivia at various points on this cruise!) A good day for us!
Pix from Day 8: https://goo.gl/photos/5dBV5SmLqfYjE3hF9
Day 9 - Ravenna, Italy. So...this was another day in port, but I'll be honest...this port sucked. The nearest town was about 16 km away and Bologna was about 90km away and really, Ravenna is an industrial port - not a cruise ship port. It was also cool and very windy this day...so we opted to stay on board. (As did many others!) So yes, it was a day of trivia, reading, Ticket to Ride, bingo, eating, drinking, and napping. The kids hung out with some friends they made on the boat and Blaine and I planted ourselves in our favorite seats in the Schooner lounge for most of the day and then moved ourselves to the Centrum lounge to see our favorite piano player before dinner. (He did some great Billy Joel and Elton John!) As it was the last night with our waitstaff we snapped some pictures with them - and of our tablemates! (We had great tablemates! Very fun and easy to talk to!) All of the wait staff did a little show for us - which was fun! And that was the end of our cruise! The next morning we were off the ship early in Venice and straight to the airport we went to catch a flight home!
Pix from Day 9: https://goo.gl/photos/21mGrPdezgtin7ti8
So there you have it! 9 days full of fun! The kids are already asking when we can do another one (and secretly I'm hoping that next spring break I can find a cruise to someplace new for us, too!)
Later this month we're off to Madrid for a long weekend and then it's homeward bound for the summer!!! In all honesty, I'm looking forward to going home more than anything else! And, so are the boys! I've booked them into one camp and I'm looking for more! They can't wait to see their family and friends...and of course, fishing and golfing and whatever else comes their way! When you are far from home...going home is the best vacation there is!
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