August 2
Get this...I told Barbara that I would be out of the office the week of October 17. She said that she would just be getting back from vacation. Where is she going? On a cruise to the Western Med on the Epic! She'll be getting off as we get on.
I've been in touch with another passenger and might be sharing a tour with her and her husband in Naples.
October 1, 2011
14 days left until we leave for Barcelona!
I have connected with Judy Rorer and Karen Decker and will be sharing tour excursions with them in Florence, Rome and Naples. Still have no plans for Mallorca. I have €350 that I purchased from Billie Watrous' daughter to get us started since we have to pay for the tours in cash. I probably need another €300 or so. I'd like to find travelers cheques. There must be some benefit to having that Amex Platinum card...
October 14
I should be packing (actually unpacking and repacking), cleaning the house, going through my checklists, and finishing up some cards for a swap due as soon as I get home. Instead I'm playing on my iPad. Not good.
I emailed our itinerary to Deb and Mom. Better send it to James, too, so he doesn't pout. Emailed a list of names to be inscribed on the town monument to Willie. Got to drop off items for the fire dept., open house.
Well, I weeded out some items I don't think I'll need. I could conceivably pack for both of us in just one suitcase but I'd worry about the weight. We get 2 free bags each since we're flying international so why skimp?
Had a little panic when my passports weren't where I expected. I wanted to make copies that we could each carry and looked in my small purse and they weren't there. They turned up in the outside pocket of my tote bag where I had thought they would be easily accessible.
It's raining today. I woke at 4:00 with a raging headache.
10/15/11
Brought Rocky to the babysitter at 10:00 after a quick stop at the bank. When we pulled in Kelley's driveway we were greeted by two basset-type dogs. Kelley came out when she heard the ruckus along with her two dogs, Brownie and Benny. I let Rocky out of the car, on his leash, until I saw that the dogs were friendly, and then I let him run around and get familiar with them. He was like Gulliver in the Land of Lilliputians, towering over the basset crossed dogs. I gave Kelley all his things and prepared to leave while Rocky was distracted exploring the yard but as I started to drive away I saw him running after the car. Kelley leashed him and I was able to make my escape.
Brought Rocky to the babysitter at 10:00 after a quick stop at the bank. When we pulled in Kelley's driveway we were greeted by two basset-type dogs. Kelley came out when she heard the ruckus along with her two dogs, Brownie and Benny. I let Rocky out of the car, on his leash, until I saw that the dogs were friendly, and then I let him run around and get familiar with them. He was like Gulliver in the Land of Lilliputians, towering over the basset crossed dogs. I gave Kelley all his things and prepared to leave while Rocky was distracted exploring the yard but as I started to drive away I saw him running after the car. Kelley leashed him and I was able to make my escape.
After lunch I made the bed, called my mom, called my daughter and polished my finger nail ( yes, 1 fingernail). Leslie from A-Limo arrived as soon as I went to the bathroom. I zoned out on the way to the airport while John and Les chatted about politics, the meaning of life and road construction...yawn! Check-in was painless and security went pretty quickly. While John put on his shoes I went to the ladies room. When I got out I waited in front of the men's room door for 15 minutes only to find out that John was already at our gate. We got a cup of really awful coffee and chocolate croissant and sat in the food court. Called Debbie and told her about seeing Deep River Snacks at the airport. We went to our gate and couldn't find two empty seats so I sat and John wandered. The couple sitting next to me were going on a Carnival cruise. We were among the last to board. I can't believe I was charged extra for these seats. I can't imagine having less leg room. Dinner was served right after take-off. I had Dijon chicken with orzo and mixed vegetables. John had pasta. At 30,000 feet we eat whatever is put in front of us. The wifi that I prepaid for doesn't exist. I managed to sleep a little.
October 16:
We landed in Barcelona at 7:45 am. I dozed for a few hours but John got no sleep. We were red-eyed and frazzled. First stop was the rest room and them we joined the queue ofr immigration. It was about 4 planes worth of passengers being herded like sheep through a series of twists. The only lines that were moving quickly were those dedicated to Spanish nationals. It took us a good hour to get through the barrier to the luggage claim area and our bags were still just coming onto the carousel. I claimed both our bags, easy to spot with the stripe of hot pink duct tape on all sides, and we zipped through customs with nothing to declare. I attached our Epic luggage tags and signed in with the NCL personnel who told us to wait at a column in 20 minutes. I went to the ladies room and brushed my teeth and changed my shirt. Twenty minutes became closer to 60 as we waited for our bus to return from the ship. We had to transport our bags through the airport, down an escalator, and out to the parking area. Once loaded on the bus we were informed that instead of bringing us directly to the ship we were going on a three hour tour of Barcelona. Our driver was not very fluent in English and a lot of the words he used were not the word he meant. We drove downtown and saw the new financial district, Cataluna Square, Sagrada Familia, a cathedral, a panoramic view of the city and port, including all the cruise ships. When we stopped at the Sagrada Familia John and I were both feeling sick to our stomach and John was looking very pale. We skipped the stop at the cathedral and stayed on the bus so we missed seeing a Mummer's parade in the square in front of the church. I saw the crowds as the bus passed and it was mobbed, like St. Mark's Square in Venice. Finally, at 1:45 the bus dropped us at the pier. The check-in process was very quick and we were quickly on board. We decided to see if our room was ready, and by the time we found it, there was an announcement that all rooms were ready. Our cabin is nowhere near an elevator or stairway. The room sort of undulates, there are curves instead of corners. There is little drawer space, the toilet is separate from the shower and the sink is in the main room. We have a lovely balcony. We dropped our carry-on bags and headed up two flights to deck 15 where we heard there was food. The first thing we found was the grill area near the pool so we had hot dogs and hamburger. When I went looking for coffee I found a more extensive buffet with all sorts of yummies. We ate and then went down to our cabin to find one of our suitcases and our steward, Gary. We closed the drapes and took a nap until 4:00 when we went down to level 6 for the disaster drill. Our muster station is in the casino, which at first glance seems rather puny but it actually extends over a good part of the deck. After the drill we explored a little and found Sheffield's Pub, which looks like a nice spot for some comfort food, and one of the bowling alleys. We went back up to the Garden Grill and had a dish of ice cream and watched the Ryndam sail away. We chatted with a couple from York named Margaret and Brian. Just before 6:00 we went down to our cabin, armed with a plate of cheese and salami and dried fruits to watch the sail away from our balcony. By 7:30 John was in bed snoring.
John's Complaints
John's complaining was driving me crazy so I started writing down his complaints on my iPad and when he'd open his mouth I'd show him the list and ask him if what he was about to say was on it already. Here's his list:
Can't eat the pear or I'll break my teeth
Not enough light to shave by
No room to unpack( later I found the hidden cabinet behind the sofa bolsters)
Coffee's lousy(I had to agree with him here. Actually, the decaf was tastier than the regular)
Too far to walk(out stateroom was practically exactly in the center of the ship and the stairs/elevators were in the front and back, a LONG walk in either direction)
Bathroom setup is terrible
Only one plug in room(glad I brought a power strip)
Have to climb over each other to go from one side of room to the other
Terrible lighting
Sink is too small and in the wrong place
Charge for in-room movies(my complaint)
A lot of noise
Smoking stinks(this was in the casino)
I slept really well last night, and so did John. The bed was very comfortable and we were exhausted. We got up around 6:15 andw it was still pitch black outside..sunrise was set for 7:47am. I showered while John complained about the poor setup of the room. The toilet and shower are separate from each other and the sink is across from the foot of the bed. There's a curtain that you can close to separate the toilet and shower from the rest of the room. It is just not an ideal setup. Glad I packed an extension cord. Thank you, Barbara, for that reminder.
We went down to breakfast at O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill on Deck 6. I had an omelet and John had French toast. The coffee is awful. Service was very fast and the food was hot. After eating we wandered through the casino where a few people were at the slot machines. We went down to Deck 5 where I found Taste, the main dining room, and the Internet cafe where I figured out how to sign on. The whole ship is set up for wifi. We went up to the Garden Cafe for a drink and had some pastries and fruit. No wonder I'm feeling fat. Saw the rock climbing wall, the plunge slide and lap pool where there were some hearty souls in the water while we were chilled just watching them.
At 9:30 the captain announced that there was going to be a medical evacuation via helicopter in "10 minutes." we'll, the helicopter has now made several passes over the ship so my guess was that he was early and the patient wasn't ready to leave.
that's a shot of the helicopter.
Our crazy toilet roomTuesday, October 18 - Livorno, IT
John slept like a rock last night and I just lay in bed waiting to fall asleep. The alarm was set for 6:00 and we dressed and headed up to the Garden Cafe around 6:45. I made a plate of yogurt, granola and marmalade along with a hard boiled egg and some bacon. John asked me to take some sausage for him. He grabbed a box of raisin bran and a carton of milk, but when we sat down I told him that he'd taken chocolate milk (it was written in German or Norwegian). He also forgot a spoon so he went to return the milk and get a spoon, a task that should have taken no more than two minutes. Turned in to at least 20 minutes and I was getting worried that something had happened to him. I saw Judy and Karen but no John. When he finally did find me he was mad at ME. He was also mad that the milk containers weren't labeled in English. He was just mad in general and refused to eat any breakfast. I suggested that he stay on the ship today but he decided to stay with me.
We had all agreed to meet on the pier near the gangway. We walked right off the ship as soon as we were cleared and quickly found Jim and Karen and John. It was chilly outside but the prediction was clear with temperatures around 78F. Judy and Steve finally made it off the ship and they located our driver, David. Our Mercedes van was parked about as far away from the ship as possible but it was very comfortable with a high roof.
Our first stop was in Pisa at the Leaning Tower which David said was started in the 11th century as a way for Pisa to attract tourists heading to the Vatican. I think we had 45 minutes to wander around on our own, which was enough time for John and me. Next stop was a detour on our way to Florence at a winery, San Michaelea Torri. We had a tour of the winery and then a tasting of their Chiantis and some cheese, olive oil, sausage and honey...all organically grown. I bought 2 bottles of the honey and Judy got 4 bottles of their rose along with olive oil and honey. It was a lovely detour.
On our way into Florence we stopped at the Piazza Michelangelo to get an overview of the city. We also saw 2 Chinese weddings.
We drove all around the city on the way to the Academia to view the actual David by Michelangelo. Our David has a unique way of parking so we never had to walk more than a few steps. From there we went to see the Duomo, Baptistry and bell tower. David gave us 75 minutes and suggested a walk we should take. I took my pictures and found a pharmacy to buy John some aspirin. Stopped at an ATM and bought a cannoli to share.
For a treat David took us to a gelateria on the banks of the Arno. John didn't partake. I had chocolate and hazelnut and it was scrumptious. Then we drove back to Livorno. A very nice day!
We had dinner in the Garden Cafe and got down to our cabin shortly after 7:00 ready to go to bed. John shaved so he wouldn't have to do that in the morning.
Prediction for tomorrow is scattered showers.
John slept like a rock last night and I just lay in bed waiting to fall asleep. The alarm was set for 6:00 and we dressed and headed up to the Garden Cafe around 6:45. I made a plate of yogurt, granola and marmalade along with a hard boiled egg and some bacon. John asked me to take some sausage for him. He grabbed a box of raisin bran and a carton of milk, but when we sat down I told him that he'd taken chocolate milk (it was written in German or Norwegian). He also forgot a spoon so he went to return the milk and get a spoon, a task that should have taken no more than two minutes. Turned in to at least 20 minutes and I was getting worried that something had happened to him. I saw Judy and Karen but no John. When he finally did find me he was mad at ME. He was also mad that the milk containers weren't labeled in English. He was just mad in general and refused to eat any breakfast. I suggested that he stay on the ship today but he decided to stay with me.
We had all agreed to meet on the pier near the gangway. We walked right off the ship as soon as we were cleared and quickly found Jim and Karen and John. It was chilly outside but the prediction was clear with temperatures around 78F. Judy and Steve finally made it off the ship and they located our driver, David. Our Mercedes van was parked about as far away from the ship as possible but it was very comfortable with a high roof.
Our first stop was in Pisa at the Leaning Tower which David said was started in the 11th century as a way for Pisa to attract tourists heading to the Vatican. I think we had 45 minutes to wander around on our own, which was enough time for John and me. Next stop was a detour on our way to Florence at a winery, San Michaelea Torri. We had a tour of the winery and then a tasting of their Chiantis and some cheese, olive oil, sausage and honey...all organically grown. I bought 2 bottles of the honey and Judy got 4 bottles of their rose along with olive oil and honey. It was a lovely detour.
On our way into Florence we stopped at the Piazza Michelangelo to get an overview of the city. We also saw 2 Chinese weddings.
We drove all around the city on the way to the Academia to view the actual David by Michelangelo. Our David has a unique way of parking so we never had to walk more than a few steps. From there we went to see the Duomo, Baptistry and bell tower. David gave us 75 minutes and suggested a walk we should take. I took my pictures and found a pharmacy to buy John some aspirin. Stopped at an ATM and bought a cannoli to share.
For a treat David took us to a gelateria on the banks of the Arno. John didn't partake. I had chocolate and hazelnut and it was scrumptious. Then we drove back to Livorno. A very nice day!
We had dinner in the Garden Cafe and got down to our cabin shortly after 7:00 ready to go to bed. John shaved so he wouldn't have to do that in the morning.
Prediction for tomorrow is scattered showers.
If it's Wednesday it must be Rome.
After going to sleep at 8:15 I woke up at 1:15 and read for about 45 minutes until I finished the book I was reading. Then I slept until 6:00, so we had a good 9 hours sleep. I showered and dressed and we were up in the Garden Cafe around 7:00. This morning I had waffles, bacon and an omelet with juice and coffee. We stopped at the restroom and then headed off the ship to meet Judy and Steve, Karen and Jim and John W and our driver, Pepe. We were in a VW bus and the ladies took the rear seat, the husbands took the middle and John W rode shotgun again. The ride from Civitavecchia to Rome was much more scenic than the ride to Florence, but there was also a lot more traffic going into the city, perhaps because today was Wednesday and the pope gives his weekly address. Once again our first stop was a panoramic view of the city. Then we drove into the city and stopped at a very nondescript church (from the outside). Inside, it was breathtaking and contained a statue by Michelangelo that Pepe said we could touch. It was the Church of Santa Maria something or other and was located near the Pantheon, which we walked to after stopping in a little shop for a coffee so we could use the bathroom. We had a 20 minute stop at the Trevi Fountain where we took each others pictures tossing coins over our shoulders. We went to the top of the Spanish Steps and saw the palace of the Medici Family, watched local artists, walked halfway down the steps (and back up) and visited another church. I think this was the church where John made note of the Orsini Chapel. I got a picture of a beggar woman on the church steps. We got to the Coliseum around 12:30 and Pepe purchased our tickets and gave us instructions on how to proceed. I raised my umbrella and led the group to where we could see the tunnels beneath the stadium and then up to the first tier, up 4 very steep flights of steps. We had about half an hour to explore before we headed back down to meet Pepe and I think we headed to the Vatican City. We had arranged for a tour guide (good decision!) and we met Claudia across from the entrance to the Vatican Museums. I have some memories of visiting the Vatican in 1966 but it was nothing like today's visit. Claudia lead us upstairs and prepared us for each room we were going to go through. The paintings and statues were awesome and I had to keep a close eye on my battery meter on my camera because I was almost on the end of my second battery of the day. We all agreed to share our photos with each other. We were at the Vatican for a good 2 hours. The only place that felt crowded was the Sistine Chapel, but we were only in there for about 5 minutes. Claudia took us into St. Peter's Basilica where we saw the Pieta and all the fabulous mosaic artwork. When we left the Basilica to view the courtyard Claudia called Pepe and brought us to a little souvenir shop where we could use the restroom. John bought me a thimble while I went to the WC and wound up peeing on my pants. There was nothing I could do but pull them up and act like. Itching had happened I couldn't wait to get back to the ship and take a shower. We did not hit the expected traffic on the way back to port so we were on board shortly after 5:00. We were all starving since we didn't stop for lunch so we all headed up to the Garden Cafe for cheese and crackers to tide us over until dinner.
After going to sleep at 8:15 I woke up at 1:15 and read for about 45 minutes until I finished the book I was reading. Then I slept until 6:00, so we had a good 9 hours sleep. I showered and dressed and we were up in the Garden Cafe around 7:00. This morning I had waffles, bacon and an omelet with juice and coffee. We stopped at the restroom and then headed off the ship to meet Judy and Steve, Karen and Jim and John W and our driver, Pepe. We were in a VW bus and the ladies took the rear seat, the husbands took the middle and John W rode shotgun again. The ride from Civitavecchia to Rome was much more scenic than the ride to Florence, but there was also a lot more traffic going into the city, perhaps because today was Wednesday and the pope gives his weekly address. Once again our first stop was a panoramic view of the city. Then we drove into the city and stopped at a very nondescript church (from the outside). Inside, it was breathtaking and contained a statue by Michelangelo that Pepe said we could touch. It was the Church of Santa Maria something or other and was located near the Pantheon, which we walked to after stopping in a little shop for a coffee so we could use the bathroom. We had a 20 minute stop at the Trevi Fountain where we took each others pictures tossing coins over our shoulders. We went to the top of the Spanish Steps and saw the palace of the Medici Family, watched local artists, walked halfway down the steps (and back up) and visited another church. I think this was the church where John made note of the Orsini Chapel. I got a picture of a beggar woman on the church steps. We got to the Coliseum around 12:30 and Pepe purchased our tickets and gave us instructions on how to proceed. I raised my umbrella and led the group to where we could see the tunnels beneath the stadium and then up to the first tier, up 4 very steep flights of steps. We had about half an hour to explore before we headed back down to meet Pepe and I think we headed to the Vatican City. We had arranged for a tour guide (good decision!) and we met Claudia across from the entrance to the Vatican Museums. I have some memories of visiting the Vatican in 1966 but it was nothing like today's visit. Claudia lead us upstairs and prepared us for each room we were going to go through. The paintings and statues were awesome and I had to keep a close eye on my battery meter on my camera because I was almost on the end of my second battery of the day. We all agreed to share our photos with each other. We were at the Vatican for a good 2 hours. The only place that felt crowded was the Sistine Chapel, but we were only in there for about 5 minutes. Claudia took us into St. Peter's Basilica where we saw the Pieta and all the fabulous mosaic artwork. When we left the Basilica to view the courtyard Claudia called Pepe and brought us to a little souvenir shop where we could use the restroom. John bought me a thimble while I went to the WC and wound up peeing on my pants. There was nothing I could do but pull them up and act like. Itching had happened I couldn't wait to get back to the ship and take a shower. We did not hit the expected traffic on the way back to port so we were on board shortly after 5:00. We were all starving since we didn't stop for lunch so we all headed up to the Garden Cafe for cheese and crackers to tide us over until dinner.
Thursday in Napoli.
Up, again, at 6:00. Today we wanted to sleep more because John had trouble falling asleep last night and, at 2:00 am, he was turning on all the lights trying to turn on the light in the bathroom. I went right back to sleep and he finally fell asleep.
The weather was a little unpredictable this morning and the seas were rough. There were 6 ships trying to dock and we were following a Princess ship that finally had to give up and anchor off of Sorrento, so we were a good hour late in getting off the ship. Our driver was Amadeo (Judy thought his name was Hans) and he was the quietest driver we've had, with the least English. We started off by going to Positano. We drove along the Amalfi Coast with no talk about the famous people who lives in the villas we were passing. He dropped us off and gave us directions to get down to the beach and gave us an hour to look around. John and I went in the direction that the driver suggested which included a steep downward path and then some very steep steps leading to a hotel and the beach. We passed lots of souvenir shops and gift shops, art galleries, etc. the beach had coarse black sand and a high surf. John found a WC while I took pictures and then we began the ascent back up to where we were to meet the group. I stopped in a shop and bought some lemon soaps for the girls in the office, some lemon marmalade for me, a small bottle of limo cello for Kelley and some lemon drops for Jimmy. John ordered two coffees and nearly pitched a fit when they served us tiny espresso cups. They replaced his with a cafe American which was still espresso so he didn't like it, but it to me it tasted like the crema that James made me in New Zealand.
Next stop was Sorrento where Amadeo suggested a pizzeria for us to try Neapolitan pizza. John and I sat with Judy and Steve and we decided to share a family sized Margerita pizza. We had beer and wine to go along with it. Our beverages were brought to the table by the owners 4 year old daughter. I can just imagine something like that happening in the states. The little girl seemed to enjoy helping out. The pizza was delicious. After lunch we split up for 15 minutes. John and I took a walk and I had a gelato ( not nearly as good as the one in Florence) and I bought a scarf for Kelley, a snow globe for Kendra and a thimble for me.
Final stop for the day was Pompeii. We had arranged for a guide and met Franco who was very knowledgeable a bought the history of Pompeii and Herculaneum. We got in to some areas that the general public don't get to see. We only had two hours to get a brief overview of life in 79 AD but , in all honesty, I think that's about as much as we could absorb. I know I was exhausted after walking on the roughly cobbled streets. I am so glad that tomorrow is a sea day!
Friday, at sea
We slept until 8:00 today. My stiff neck and sore feet from yesterday were gone. We went up to the Garden Cafe for breakfast around 9:00, along with 4,000 other passengers. We were looking for a table when we spotted John Wilson. He was just about finished eating so he gave us his spot. After breakfast we explored the ship above Deck 15 and ran into Karen and Jim Decker. 2 US military planes flew overhead while we were in the strait between Corsica and Sardinia. Took pictures of the basketball court, rock wall, water slide and plunge. It was still not quite warm enough for me to even consider laying out in a deck chair. At 12:00 we met the Deckers, Rorer's, John Wilson and George and Susan at O'Sheehan's for lunch. After lunch John showed us his single cabin and the shared living room. It was quite comfy. He has more storage space than we do. He's changing to a balcony cabin for his trans-Atlantic leg. He's one of the many cruisers doing the back to back cruise, in fact, of our "group" we're the only ones leaving the ship on Sunday. Boo-hoo!
After seeing John's cabin we went down to the casino to get rid of some of our US currency. Didn't take long! Then I got a latte and went to an interview with the guys from the Blue Man Group before lining up for standby seating for the Steven Sorrentino show. I got in and the show was very good. Finished my first hand warmer and now we're contemplating going down to dinner at Taste. It's been a lovely, relaxing day. None of us have plans for Palma...we'll probably run into each other on the pier trying to figure out where to go and what to do.
We slept until 8:00 today. My stiff neck and sore feet from yesterday were gone. We went up to the Garden Cafe for breakfast around 9:00, along with 4,000 other passengers. We were looking for a table when we spotted John Wilson. He was just about finished eating so he gave us his spot. After breakfast we explored the ship above Deck 15 and ran into Karen and Jim Decker. 2 US military planes flew overhead while we were in the strait between Corsica and Sardinia. Took pictures of the basketball court, rock wall, water slide and plunge. It was still not quite warm enough for me to even consider laying out in a deck chair. At 12:00 we met the Deckers, Rorer's, John Wilson and George and Susan at O'Sheehan's for lunch. After lunch John showed us his single cabin and the shared living room. It was quite comfy. He has more storage space than we do. He's changing to a balcony cabin for his trans-Atlantic leg. He's one of the many cruisers doing the back to back cruise, in fact, of our "group" we're the only ones leaving the ship on Sunday. Boo-hoo!
After seeing John's cabin we went down to the casino to get rid of some of our US currency. Didn't take long! Then I got a latte and went to an interview with the guys from the Blue Man Group before lining up for standby seating for the Steven Sorrentino show. I got in and the show was very good. Finished my first hand warmer and now we're contemplating going down to dinner at Taste. It's been a lovely, relaxing day. None of us have plans for Palma...we'll probably run into each other on the pier trying to figure out where to go and what to do.
Saturday in Mallorca
No alarm clock this morning but I woke up at 6:30 and saw we were pulling into port in Palma, Mallorca. I showered and got John up and we went up to breakfast. We really had no idea what to do here. We walked off the ship around 9:30 and took the NCL shuttle bus downtown to the cathedral. Figured that was a good place to start. We admired the outside of the building and made our way around to the entrance, arriving just a few minutes before their 10:00 opening. Took loads of pictures. The sunlight was coming through one of the stained glass rose windows making a beautiful rainbow of light on the opposite wall. When we had seen all we wanted to see, and I purchased two thimbles, using up some of our euro coins, we headed out into the streets and alleys of Palma, not really keeping very good track of where we were going considering we had to get back to the cathedral to get back to the ship. I was looking for some Majorca pearls for an anniversary present. In the first shop we stopped in I found a necklace that I liked but didn't want to spend 270€. I asked if they had the necklace any shorter but they didn't. There were pearl shops all over and I think I looked in most of them. I finally found exactly what I was looking for and bought a necklace and coordinating earrings. Then I had John worrying that someone would steal our very distinctive red shopping bag. We made our way to a square with jewelry and scarf vendors and lots of cafes. John was hungry and I was thirsty so we stopped for an early lunch of paella and pizza. We walked and walked through narrow streets until we had no idea where we were or where the cathedral was. All we knew was that a restroom would be very nice. We tried to take a taxi but instead the driver told us we were only 5 minutes walk from the cathedral (more like 10 minutes, which, when you need a bathroom could feel like hours). We were back on the ship by 2:00 and had our afternoon cheese and coffee and rested our feet. I got most of our packing done. All I have to do is put today's dirty clothes in the suitcase when we get back from dinner. Tonight we are going to Cirque Dreams at 6:30.
No alarm clock this morning but I woke up at 6:30 and saw we were pulling into port in Palma, Mallorca. I showered and got John up and we went up to breakfast. We really had no idea what to do here. We walked off the ship around 9:30 and took the NCL shuttle bus downtown to the cathedral. Figured that was a good place to start. We admired the outside of the building and made our way around to the entrance, arriving just a few minutes before their 10:00 opening. Took loads of pictures. The sunlight was coming through one of the stained glass rose windows making a beautiful rainbow of light on the opposite wall. When we had seen all we wanted to see, and I purchased two thimbles, using up some of our euro coins, we headed out into the streets and alleys of Palma, not really keeping very good track of where we were going considering we had to get back to the cathedral to get back to the ship. I was looking for some Majorca pearls for an anniversary present. In the first shop we stopped in I found a necklace that I liked but didn't want to spend 270€. I asked if they had the necklace any shorter but they didn't. There were pearl shops all over and I think I looked in most of them. I finally found exactly what I was looking for and bought a necklace and coordinating earrings. Then I had John worrying that someone would steal our very distinctive red shopping bag. We made our way to a square with jewelry and scarf vendors and lots of cafes. John was hungry and I was thirsty so we stopped for an early lunch of paella and pizza. We walked and walked through narrow streets until we had no idea where we were or where the cathedral was. All we knew was that a restroom would be very nice. We tried to take a taxi but instead the driver told us we were only 5 minutes walk from the cathedral (more like 10 minutes, which, when you need a bathroom could feel like hours). We were back on the ship by 2:00 and had our afternoon cheese and coffee and rested our feet. I got most of our packing done. All I have to do is put today's dirty clothes in the suitcase when we get back from dinner. Tonight we are going to Cirque Dreams at 6:30.
Dinner and the show, Cirque Dreams, was very entertaining. We sat with a Chinese couple and their son. Dinner was a set menu with a trio of mini starters, followed by beef filet and shrimp and then a trio of desserts. The show reminded me of Chinese acrobats. The most amazing act was the quick change artists. We got out of the theater just after 8:00 and finished packing and went to bed.
My alarm didn't go off so we didn't get up until 5:45. We dressed and went upstairs to breakfast and then picked up our carry-on stuff and left the ship. It was very easy to find our luggage and we were able to check in for our flight right at the pier. We took the shuttle bus to the airport and went through security. I shopped in the duty free shop and bought 2 bottles of Bailey's Irish Cream and some water. We still had more euros to spend so we went into another shop and picked up a luggage cart because the bottles of Bailey's were rather heavy. I stopped in the restroom and at that point I noticed that my purple purse was not on my shoulder or on the luggage cart. We retraced our steps to no avail and went over to an information desk to report the loss. While I was waiting to talk to the attendant I noticed my purse on his counter. John showed the man the photocopy of my passport and I was given the bag. I looked inside relieved to find my passport and boarding pass, but further inspection showed that all my money, both euros and U.S., was gone along with my camera and both memory cards. My credit cards all seem to be there but they were definitely handled by the thief as they were now in my magnetic money clip where my cash had been. We went up to security to report the crime to the police, who speak no English. We spent over an hour until we just had to go through passport control and get to our gate. We told the police to come to our gate when they had the paperwork we needed to fill out so in the unlikely event that they apprehend the culprit they will be able to return my camera to me.The surprise was that the police actually came to our gate and got our contact information, but on hindsight, the questions that they didn't ask would fill a book...like what kind of camera was it? what did it look like (it was a GE 1680e in electric blue with a long braided metal neckstrap if you see it on ebay).
