17 June - A Day At Sea

June 17, 2019

Today was our first full day at sea. We were somewhere in the Tyrennian Sea (between Sardegna and Italy). Visibility was poor today, so we couldn’t see Sardegna. But I know it was there. There wasn’t much to do today since we don’t drink wine, we don’t gamble, and the boutique shops on board are way out of our price range. So, we went to the front of the ship and lounged all day. We both had our books to read, so we spent time doing that. I caught some sun, and basically forgot to put sunscreen on very often, so now I’m a cooked lobster...metaphorically speaking.

Before dinner, we took the game FiveCrowns to the lounge and played a game. Sherry Ann swabbed the deck with me. I had 120 points, and she had 8.

We did celebrate our 23rd anniversary today by eating at one of the specialty restaurants on board...the Tuscan Grill. It was a really good 5-course meal. We were very stuffed at the end. They also brought us a dessert for our anniversary, and we had them send it back to the room. We just couldn’t eat it.

After dinner, we went up on deck 11 and walked around the track for a little while, trying to help our food digest. The sun set behind the clouds and the sea haze. What a gorgeous sight. We continued to walk, then headed back to our room for the night. When we got back, we noticed that our dessert from the restaurant wasn’t inside or waiting outside. We wondered whether they had forgotten. Oh well. That’s okay. We got ready for bed, and settled down for the night.

16 June - Corsica France

June 16, 2019

Happy Father’s Day! Today we played it low key. We didn’t even take our money off the ship. We slept in and had a late lunch...more of a late brunch/almost lunch time. By the time we left the ship, it was, like, 12:15. We decided that since it was Sunday, we would leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on our door so that our cabin steward wouldn’t have to clean it. We got off the ship and headed to the left. I’m not sure which of the cardinal directions we were going. Nothing seems to be on a North/South/East/West kind of grid here. We found ourselves at an open-air market. Not the kind with crafts and shirts and stuff. It was fruits, vegetables, flowers, honey, and local nougat kind of stuff. At the top end of the market, there was a statue of some military guy. I tried to find the name, but didn’t see it. Then we strolled down to the bottom of the market and began our way back up. A guy selling nougat gave us a sample, and asked if we would like to buy some and take it back to the ship. Of course we didn’t bring our money, so we had to decline.

We left the market and headed toward the old citadel. Unfortunately, we couldn’t explore any of it because it’s an active military compound. So, we continued on and found ourselves overlooking a very narrow strip of beach. There was a guy down there struggling with his wind surfing board. He had fallen off and it drifted away. Some other people from the beach helped him retrieve it and get everything situated. We were tempted to go on down to the beach, but, again, we didn’t have our bathing suits on, and the wind was very strong there. So we opted to continue walking along. Eventually we turned back around and found a Plaza with a statue of Napoleon and his 4 brothers. Mr. Bonaparte was born in this city, you see. There were a lot of places named after him and a couple that poked a little fun at his lack of height.

We wandered some more through the narrow streets, and made our way back to the ship. There, we had a late lunch (about 15:00 or so). Then we went back to our stateroom to retrieve our iPads, camera, and Chromebook and returned to the port waiting area, since they had free WiFi. While there, we uploaded our pictures to the Drive, and uploaded our blog entries to the blog. We even were able to contact the kids just before church started. Of course Mattina Ann was the only one who replied since she had her device at church. We joked about her using her device during church instead of listening. Then again, it was us who interrupted her, so…

When it was time, we had to get back on the ship, or make our own way to our next destination...Malta. We enjoyed a late dinner, but not too late. It was only 18:15. Then we just sat around and enjoyed the ocean air as we sailed away from Corsica. The sunset was amazing, and the moon was just about full. It was just a nice pleasant evening.

15 June - Florence, Italy

This post is still on Sherry Ann´s account...we´ll get it later.

14 June - French Riviera: Cannes

June 14, 2019

Today was pretty low-key. Today was our last tender day on the cruise, so we slept in a title and had a late breakfast again. Looking out the window, we could see that it was EXTREMELY windy. So, we tied Sherry Ann’s hair back and set off to the tender boarding area. It was a long line; We had to go up the stairs and back down the stairs! When we finally were able to get on the tender boat, it was nearly full, so we were sitting right behind the door, which they kept open for ease of loading and unloading passengers. It was all good, until about ⅓ of the way to the port. As we turned, the boat began hitting the waves at a different angle, and the wind blew the spray into the door...right in our faces and lap. At first it was a little fun and refreshing, but when we got soaked, the fun was over and we moved to a better seat. About that time!the crew decided it might be a good idea to actually close the door. Oh, well. It made a memory.

After we got to the port and made it to the streets, we wandered for a good hour or more through the streets, but when you find that a simple bathing suit for men costs 190€, and a pair of ladies pants was 320€, you know you’re not going to buy anything in this town. Anyway, we did pass by a chocolatier that we kept in mind for the way back to the ship.

We ended up just walking along the beach. Whereas the beach in Nice was rocks, this beach was sand. So we did go down to the shore. Unfortunately, we were ill-prepared for this activity, and didn’t bring our bathing suits. So, instead, we took off our shoes, walked down to the shore, and walked along the beach, looking for a spot to sit and enjoy the scenery and sounds. We sat there for a good two hours. The wind didn’t seem quite as strong here as it did everywhere else. Sometimes, we would walk ever to the surf and wade in to our knees, but most of the time, we sat/lay there enjoying the sun and the gentle sound of the waves...splashing (not crashing...they were very small waves) on the sand.

We began to feel the pangs of hunger since we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, so we slowly made our way back to the ship, weaving in and out fo narrow French streets and looking at the occasional shop. We did make it back to the chocolatier we found earlier and bought a few goodies to take back to the ship. We sat on the top of the tender on the way back across the bay. Again, it was very windy and the boat ride was wild. At one point my ship Sea Pass card blew out of my pocket and nearly went for an eternal read at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. But another passenger grabbed it before it could take that final plunge and handed it back to me. Boy, that was close.

Once aboard the ship, we returned to our stateroom, showered, and got dressed in our nicer clothes, and went to get dinner. Tonight, we asked to be sat separately, so we were placed right next to the window at a table for two...almost. The next table was about two inches away. We had a nice meal nevertheless. We both had spinach and ricotta ravioletti for starter, then Sherry Ann had roasted pork, while I had chicken saltimbocca for our main courses. For dessert, Sherry Ann chose the creme brûlée, and I chose an apple tart with caramel sauce and a side of vanilla ice cream. Then we just wandered around for a bit, until it was time to go to the nightly show.

The show tonight was a comedian/ventriloquist. It was really funny; mostly jokes about old age since a vast majority of the ship’s passengers are older and retired. He had 3 different puppets that he used. We really had a good time and laughed a lot. Then we strolled around the ship and ended up at a lounge where a trivia game was under way. We caught the last 5 or so questions and all of the answers. Then we strolled some more, and at about 22:00, we found that we were hungry, so we found some bread, cheese, deli meats, and crackers, and had a little snack before retiring to our stateroom for the night.

13 June - French Riviera: Toulon and Aix-en-Provence

June 14, 2019

Today was pretty low-key. Today was our last tender day on the cruise, so we slept in a title and had a late breakfast again. Looking out the window, we could see that it was EXTREMELY windy. So, we tied Sherry Ann’s hair back and set off to the tender boarding area. It was a long line; We had to go up the stairs and back down the stairs! When we finally were able to get on the tender boat, it was nearly full, so we were sitting right behind the door, which they kept open for ease of loading and unloading passengers. It was all good, until about ⅓ of the way to the port. As we turned, the boat began hitting the waves at a different angle, and the wind blew the spray into the door...right in our faces and lap. At first it was a little fun and refreshing, but when we got soaked, the fun was over and we moved to a better seat. About that time!the crew decided it might be a good idea to actually close the door. Oh, well. It made a memory.

After we got to the port and made it to the streets, we wandered for a good hour or more through the streets, but when you find that a simple bathing suit for men costs 190€, and a pair of ladies pants was 320€, you know you’re not going to buy anything in this town. Anyway, we did pass by a chocolatier that we kept in mind for the way back to the ship.

We ended up just walking along the beach. Whereas the beach in Nice was rocks, this beach was sand. So we did go down to the shore. Unfortunately, we were ill-prepared for this activity, and didn’t bring our bathing suits. So, instead, we took off our shoes, walked down to the shore, and walked along the beach, looking for a spot to sit and enjoy the scenery and sounds. We sat there for a good two hours. The wind didn’t seem quite as strong here as it did everywhere else. Sometimes, we would walk ever to the surf and wade in to our knees, but most of the time, we sat/lay there enjoying the sun and the gentle sound of the waves...splashing (not crashing...they were very small waves) on the sand.

We began to feel the pangs of hunger since we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, so we slowly made our way back to the ship, weaving in and out fo narrow French streets and looking at the occasional shop. We did make it back to the chocolatier we found earlier and bought a few goodies to take back to the ship. We sat on the top of the tender on the way back across the bay. Again, it was very windy and the boat ride was wild. At one point my ship Sea Pass card blew out of my pocket and nearly went for an eternal read at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. But another passenger grabbed it before it could take that final plunge and handed it back to me. Boy, that was close.

Once aboard the ship, we returned to our stateroom, showered, and got dressed in our nicer clothes, and went to get dinner. Tonight, we asked to be sat separately, so we were placed right next to the window at a table for two...almost. The next table was about two inches away. We had a nice meal nevertheless. We both had spinach and ricotta ravioletti for starter, then Sherry Ann had roasted pork, while I had chicken saltimbocca for our main courses. For dessert, Sherry Ann chose the creme brûlée, and I chose an apple tart with caramel sauce and a side of vanilla ice cream. Then we just wandered around for a bit, until it was time to go to the nightly show.

The show tonight was a comedian/ventriloquist. It was really funny; mostly jokes about old age since a vast majority of the ship’s passengers are older and retired. He had 3 different puppets that he used. We really had a good time and laughed a lot. Then we strolled around the ship and ended up at a lounge where a trivia game was under way. We caught the last 5 or so questions and all of the answers. Then we strolled some more, and at about 22:00, we found that we were hungry, so we found some bread, cheese, deli meats, and crackers, and had a little snack before retiring to our stateroom for the night.

12 June - French Riviera: Nice

June 12, 2019

Today, we did not dock at a port. We did what is called a tender. This is where the cruise ship rests out in the middle of the harbor and the guests get transported back and forth to the port dock by smaller boats. Since we didn’t really have a lot planned for the day, we waited until the crowd leaving the ship died down. This meant that we were able to sleep in a little and have a slightly later breakfast. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! A lot of sunshine and warm temperatures.

We go to the port in Villefranche and walked down the wharf to the train station. The lady in front of us was having trouble with the ticket vending machine, so we tried to help her...but to no avail. It turns out that many places in France...this machine included...will not accept foreign credit cards without a PIN. So, we left the line, went under the tracks and purchased our tickets from a real live person! The tickets for the train cost us 3€80 each. It was quick and easy. Soon, the train came and took us 2 stops in to Nice. The station there was pretty big with 8 tracks! By this time, Sherry Ann really needed to use the restroom, but the public toilets here cost €80. Well, if you know Sherry Ann very well, you also know that she was NOT going to pay to use the restroom. But I was able to talk her into it, which was good. She felt much better. The station also had free internet, so Sherry Ann messaged AJ and also Mattina Ann. While we had Google Maps available, we also looked for the nearest post office. We had brought some things to mail to AJ, and decided that France was a great place to mail it from, being a domestic shipment. Anyway, It was right in front of the station at the other end! Sweet!

We walked the distance to the post office and mailed the package, 2-day priority, for a mere 12€50! It would have cost us over $100 to send it from home. And it’ll get there so much faster.

From there, we made our way down to the water front and the Prommenade des Anglais. On the way there, Sherry Ann remembered that it was time to apply more sunscreen. It just so happened that we stopped right in front of a brasserie (which Sherry Ann learned is not a brazier store). The front window had many tempting pastries on display, so we gave in. We each got a nut pie. This was a mix of pecans, pistachios, almonds and other nuts mixed in probably molasses and placed in a tart crust. We also got a couple of very dark chocolate bonbons. Wow. That’s all I’m going to say about that. Anyway, we got to the prommenade. This is the main road with so many stores and shops. The public beaches also line the prommenade on the sea side. At the far East end, there is a big...sign...that says #ILoveNice, so we got our pictures there then headed up to the ancient chateau. The way there was up a very long series of stone staircases that wound up the side of the mountain. Fortunately, Sherry Ann was able to find, at the expense of a 10-minute wait, an elevator. Oh, happy day! Once at the top, it was my turn to find a restroom. When we finally found it, it was also available for a fee. This time, it was only €50. Again...oh happy day.

As we strolled around the hill-top castle ruins, we came upon a man-made waterfall. It was very impressive. We took some pictures and enjoyed the sound of the sascading waters for a bit, then proceeded back to the elevator to go back down the mountain. At the bottom, we again wound our way through narrow cobbled streets, past shops toward the course. Just before we got there, we stopped in a deli and Sherry Ann got a panini, while I got a sandwich and we ate it on the go. They were both really good. The course was really a wide park in the middle of the road. Grass, trees, playgrounds, splash pads, trees, shops, etc. At the end of the course was the Fontaine de Triton. It is a big, impressive fountain where we took some more pictures. From there, we made our way back to the train station.

When we got there, Sherry Ann had a minute to get on her phone and send another message to Mattina Ann. We’re pretty sure we woke her up...it was only 08:30-ish back home, but that’s okay. I kept an eye on the time table looking for the time our train back to Villefranche would be departing, but saw nothing. Mattina Ann called mom via FB Messenger, and just then, the schedule changed and we had 3 minutes to get down to the platform before our train left. The next one would be 30 minutes later. So Sherry Ann said good bye, and we booked it to the platform. There was still a crowd of people there, so we knew that we hadn’t missed it. So, we waited...and waited...and waited some more. I looked at the timetable, and it was now delayed 25 minutes! Not so happy day. We didn’t really have to wait that long...it was more like 15 minutes. Happier day.

Upon our return to the ship, we got ready for dinner. Instead of going to the formal dining room, we tried out the casual dining buffet. It was good, but not super great. It’s good for breakfast, but I’m not quite sure how often we’ll have dinner there. Anyway, after dinner, we went back to the Solarium and soaked in the sea-water pool. Funny story...the wind had really picked up, and the waves began to swell, so the ship was rocking pretty good. As you walked down the halls, you would stagger back and forth across the hall, it was that strong. Anyway, the pool was interesting, because the water was also going back and forth across the pool. It was difficult to stay in place, but we didn’t feel so much of the motion of the boat. It was more like sitting in a little cove at the beach.

We eventually got out of the pool and dressed once more to go to the grand theater to see a musical production of popular music across space and time. It was a really good show. We ended up sitting next to the Brit couple we had dinner with the other night. They’re really nice. After the show, there was a pool party on deck 10 where they featured music by the Beatles. We went and strolled around up there for a while, singing along. But Sherry Ann got wise and steered us back to our room, knowing we had a paid excursion in the morning, and we had to get a early start the next morning. It was already past 23:00!

11 June - French Riviera: Sete

June 11, 2019 - Sète France

This morning, we slept in until about 08:00. It was really nice. We went to breakfast and prepared ourselves for our visit on French soil. Looking out the window of our stateroom, we could see that we would need our jacket. In fact, it was raining off and on for most of the day. We started off by strolling down the Grand Canal Royale and out to the wharf to the Sète lighthouse. It was a nice little stroll. On our way back to town, we saw a French cemetery on the hill so we walked up to it and wandered for a little bit. They sure do love their dead family and love to honor them and keep them in remembrance.

From the cemetery, we continued to hike up the hill to the belvedere. It was quite a hike. I told Sherry Ann that it was like this nearly every day on my mission. She couldn’t believe it. After we finally reached the top, we looked out over the city and marveled at how high we had actually climbed. At the top, there is a small chapel/church that we went into. This church was so humble and plain compared to the big churches and cathedrals in the big cities.

Coming back down the mountain was faster. About half of it was coming down a. Set of stairs, and then a pretty steep road. We made it down and found ourselves at a market, where we stopped for lunch. At one of the stands, there was an interesting food that was all closed up like a pie. We almost bought one, but since I didn’t know what was inside, I hesitated too much and we walked on by. We agreed on a pretzel-looking bread with melted cheese all over it, a baba rhum, and some...not sure what they are, but like a marshmallow square, and sat down to eat. Pretty soon, three local ladies sat down next to us, and each had one of those pie things. So I asked them what they were and how they were prepared, and they said it was a local specialty and that we needed to try it. The filling is made with a tomato paste and chopped up tuna and calamari. So, I got up and bought one, which Sherry Ann and I divided (with the help of a knife that the ladies let us use). Okay, I can’t lie...it was pretty darn good.

After eating, we found the neares WC, and headed back out to explore Sète. We were tempted to stop by a gelateria, but kept going and quickly stumbled upon a place with crêps and Nutella. Of course we didn’t dare pass it up. They made the crêpe when we ordered it, so it was fresh and warm, and the Nutella all melty and...yum! We ate it as we walked some more. Eventually, we found our way back the the ship and boarded.

Hardly anyone was to be found on the decks of the ship since it was still cold ad rainy. We went back to our stateroom, and while Sherry Ann unpacked her clothes, I took a bit of a nap. I felt much better afterward. It was almost 17:00, time to depart, so we decided we would go to the top Forward deck ad watch the process of leaving port. So we went and got a hot chocolate to take the chill off. It was good, but not quite like the gooey chocolate we had with the churros in Barcelona. It was basically cream with a powder mix. The lady also offered a cookie, so Sherry Ann asked for a chocolate chip and I got the oatmeal raisin cookie. We went up top and sipped our hot chocolate as we left the port of Sète.

Tonight was smart chic night on board...that means we had to dress up a little bit for dinner and wandering the ship. So, we went and got ready, then headed for dinner. We were seated with 5 other people this time...2 Brits, 2 Canadians, and another American from Missouri. We had a nice conversation over dinner. We both had chilled pear and honey soup for starters. We weren’t too sure about a cold soup, but it was really good. Sherry Ann had shrimp scampi for her main course, while I had lamb chops. I’ve never really been a fan of lamb, but this was really good. For dessert, Sherry Ann had a panda cotta with strawberry soup...without salt (family joke). After dinner, we went to the Ocearview bar and ordered a couple of drinks...raspberry fizz. It’s difficult to say which I prefer...the raspberry or the pomegranate mojito. Then we each got a frozen drink and headed back to our stateroom to use the restroom and then head to the 21:30 show in the grand theater.