Final thoughts

Final thoughts

We all had a wonderful time. Many laughs were shared, many bottles of wine were shared but most of all great friendship was shared. Some final thoughts as I sit here on the plane back home…….

Friends never let friends drink wine without a proper wine glass.

We can have a picnic anywhere.

Don has a knack for directions, he said, just look for the old shit.

Ted is great at telling stories and jokes.

Maureen has an infectious laugh.

Lisa and Randy made new friends and are now joining the Elio’ Club to Russia.

Jeannie and Lavinia are our Laverne and Shirley.

Paula always looks beautiful.

Tony and Donna enjoyed their first trip ever to Europe. Tonsss, my picture taker!!!!

Elizabeth wants her vodka with real orange juice, not Fanta, thank you!

Randy and Lisa took a cooking class onboard.

Rufus lost 10 pounds but found it later.

Elizabeth should never go to the ships doctor.

We enjoyed wines from all over the world, some good, some forgettable.

You can never have too much ice delivered to your room.

Elio is always there to please, he is the bond that keeps us together.

Harold and Mary are always smiling and enjoying themselves.

Maureen left one of her suitcases in the cab from the ship to the hotel, containing many important things including medicine and camera and house and office keys. A few hours later the luggage was returned to the hotel…a major miracle.

Thanks to my husband, Rufus, for helping me keep the schedule on time and rounding our troups to make this happen. And to make sure everyone had their walkie talkie’s on and we all stayed connected.

This group are not only wine experts, but certified foodies! How many other people do you know take this many pictures of food?

I enjoyed planning our excursions and showing our group around, I think everyone enjoyed it too.

When I finish with our dvd movie I am making, I will post the link here so you can share with all your family and friends, won’t be for a few weeks though. I am still waiting for some more pictures of the end of our trip.

Till we come up with a name for our Russian group, this blogger is signed off………….Yvette

Dinner at La Barca del Salamanca

Barcelona the next day

Barcelona, the next day

We headed out to the underground metro to make out way to La Sagrada Famila. While passing Catalan Square we realized there was a huge protest going on. Television cameras and media were everywhere, along with many demonstrators. The crowds were roaring.

Underground, it took us forever to figure out how to get tickets to the metro. We went to three machines before we found one that worked. Finally…..Sagrada Famila is a cathedral that has been an ongoing process of building for 400 years. Gaudi took over as architect at the age of 32 and had free reign on the gothic design. They expect completion of the cathedral by 2026, the 100 year celebration of Gaudi’s death. He is buried at this cathedral. It is the tallest building in Barcelona.

While at lunch, Don and Elio were approached by innocent enough looking young ladies, they looked like college students with clipboards. The waiter of the restaurant comes running out to chase them off. We found out they are gypsies, working in gangs to rob/pickpocket you while distracting you. All was good, we didn’t loose anything.

Lunch was just outside the cathedral, then hopped back on the train to Las Ramblas and our hotel.


The demonstration has gotten larger by this point.

Dinner was at another marina restaurant. I had squid ink feduilla, which was spectacular, with a goat cheese salad preceding it. Others got fish, shrimp, octopus, foie gras, seafood soup, squid, and paella. Most enjoyed their meals.

Hailing a taxi to return was not a problem. The problem was getting anywhere near Las Ramblas, where out hotel was. We were let out several blocks away because the demonstration now had gotten so large, all streets were blocked and the demonstrators had now made a sit it. The sit in went on forever, taking us Las Ramblas and the surrounding streets.

We made it back to the hotel with no other hiccups, but it was certainly an experience.

Back to Barcelona

Back to Barcelona

After disembarking the ship we arrived back out our starting point, The Silken Ramblas Hotel. Our room was not ready. Our group split as some wanted to shop, some wanted to visit places they had not been before.

Group one went shopping to the 5th Avenue of Barcelona. Many high end shops spattered with interesting boutiques and many Tapas restaurants. We stopped for lunch then continued on to the Casa Batllo, one of the most famous of Gaudi’s works. He built this mansion for a rich textile trader in 1906. I was a “gaudi” display of wealth in its time. We toured the mansion which is still occupied by a family.

The other group went to the Park Guell, the other famous rendition of Gaudi’s works. I have not seen them yet to find out about their trip, will fill you in later, hopefully with pictures. The view from the top gives you an incredible view of Barcelona Harbor.

Tonight I will try to find the restaurant I loved so much 10 years ago….till then.

Update....

I found the restaurant, but alas, there was a wedding booked there that took up the entire restaurant. A walk down the boardwalk by the beach produced many restaurants. We picked one that would take all 16 of us. A pleasant restaurant with a gorgeous view of the beach and the Mediterranean Sea. There were lots of harkers on the boardwalk selling roses and hats. Rufus tried on a hat that was too small. That left the harkers to come by our table every 10 minutes looking for the guy with the big head. Tony pulled out his NOPD badge at one point to tell them to scram. Very funny.

Sea Day again

no pics that I know of, but we booked another cruise today. We are all going to RUSSIA next year. FOLLOW UP WHEN WE GET TO BARCELONA

Sea Day

Nothing to report today. We have a sea day.

Picnic on the deck with food we bought in Montenegro. Pics to follow later.

Tomorrow another sea day, so I might not report till we get back to Barceloa.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Arriving in the beautiful seaside port of Dubrovnik in the Adratic Sea we disembarked for the short taxi ride to the old town. Dubrovnik, like most of the ports we visited is also a walled city.

They are undergoing major renovation after the civil war launched on them by the Serbs in 1991-1992.

They were part of the republic that broke away from Yugoslavia.

The old town has now been restored to its former beauty.

Things have dramaticaly changed since Rufus and I were here 10 years ago. Durrovnik has become a huge vacation destination town, and with that unfortunately comes too many souvenier shops in my opinion.

We walked around the old town, with its marble walkway and took in the sights until it was lunchtime.

A lunch stop at Ragusas fit the bill, with its fresh seafood, we feasted on squid, mussels, shrimp, fish and grilled vegetables. All washed down by the local wine of course.

After lunch, we took the gondola (cable car) ride to the top of the mountain to get a birdseye view of the entire island and its walled city.

Back sat the ship for our next two days at sea.

Goodbye Venice

Views from leaving Venice.

Wines around the World

Wines of the World

As we are departingVenice, there was a wine tasting at the Lawn Club. 12 wines from around the world were served on their grass bocce ball field. We had fun, wines were not too good, we we did it all together. In two days they will have their premium wine tasting which I hope will be better wines.