Our Third or Fourth Visit to Key West

Today we slept in because we were up late at a pretty good comedy show. The view from our balcony was lovely.

We sat a bit outside enjoying the morning sunshine and drinking coffee.

We weren’t sure where we were going but ended up close by at the Key West Museum of Art and History. It’s $13 for seniors and military, $17 for all other adults. It was well worth it.

The building was a former Customs House which opened in 1891. It also once housed the US Post Office and Federal Courthouse.

There was an art exhibition on the first floor in different media.

Some were acrylic paintings and others were oil and watercolor. Also sculptures of wood and marble. Many photographs as well.

As we climbed the staircase, there were art renderings by world-renowned wildlife artist Guy Harvey. He did these pen and ink drawings at the age of 19, depicting the story of The Old Man and the Sea.

Once on the second floor, there was a sculpture of Ernest Hemingway as well as his bloodied uniform from WWI.

There is an exhibit with a short film documenting Henry Flagler’s building of a railway to Key West. This was completed in 1912 and destroyed by a hurricane in the mid-1930s.

One section is about the sinking of the USS Maine which led to the Spanish-American War.

And for those familiar with folk artist, Mario Sanchez, there is a nice exhibit of his work.

So if you are in Key West the Key West Museum of Art and History is a pretty cool thing to do. We spent about 2 hours inside and I had a cappuccino outside at the little cafe.

We had lunch on the ship and enjoyed some time on our balcony. We watched as we set sail out of Key West. It was a very nice day!

#keywest#keywestmuseumofartandhistory#cruising#celebrity#summit#vacay#

Here We Go Again

This time we are on the Celebrity Summit. First time ever!

The Summit is an older ship and only holds approximately 2200 passengers. It was refurbished in 2019 and is a beautiful smaller ship.

Our cabin is small but has a bit of storage and a nice balcony.

We set up our WiFi and then headed to explore the ship. We met up with a few people and had coffee and conversation.

We went to the spa raffle and Bruce won $100. We are going to have massages.

Our dinner table mates were two other couples from Florida and Kentucky. The food was great and I had my usual escargot and prime rib.

The comedian, Derrick Cameron was hilarious and I think we saw him on another ship. It’s a very big theater.

We tried our luck at the casino but didn’t leave as winners.

I woke up early to catch a sunrise.

Today we enjoyed massages and met up with a few people for coffee.

It’s also a chic night which means you can get a little dressed up.

We ate dinner with two other couples and that was very nice!

Now a production show and a little casino before bed! Tomorrow Key West!

A Day of Entertainment

This afternoon we went to a Joanie Mitchell and Leonard Cohen Tribute Show. It was great fun and highlighted their best music.

Leonard Cohen was a Canadian poet turned songwriter who was a big part of the folk scene in the 1960s. His most famous song, now used as a Christian ballad is Hallelujah, which is funny since he was raised Jewish.

Of course, that song, along with Suzanne and So Long, Marianne, was performed, and the male vocalist was quite good.

Our next stop was Fort Lauderdale, where we had tickets to Les Misérables. This is Bruce’s favorite play.

But we had some time to kill so we had pizza at The Apothecary. It was an interesting place.

Afterwards, we walked to the Broward Center and saw an exceptional performance of Les Mis. This was our third time seeing this play. The first time was 32 years ago in a little theater in the West End of London.

It was a great day with some fine entertainment.

#florida#thearts#pompanobeachculturalcenter#jonimitchell#leonardcohen#thebrowardcenter#lesmiserables#theapothecary330

Our Stop in Puerto Rico

Today we had no plans. We spent time here last year so we toured the fort and old San Juan. We woke a little later and had our coffee and tea in the room. We had a nice view. At least very colorful.

They were offering $20 tours by car to Old San Juan but we decided to walk the promenade or the area by the water. The Beyond is in the background. What a great ship.

It was very warm so we stopped a few times to drink some water. We saw fountains on our walk.

The views were very picturesque.

A giant statue of a seahorse overlooked the walkway.

And time for a drink of water.

We walked a couple of miles back and forth.

We walked past the Capitol on our way back to the shop.

And after lunch spent time at the spa and at the pool. In the late afternoon, we sailed out of the harbor.

Tomorrow Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

#puertorico#celebrity#celebritybeyond#vacation#cruising#capitol#spa

A Roller Coaster Ride on Tortola

We’ve had two beautiful sea days watching the ocean from our balcony and spending time in the thermal suites at the spa.

So very relaxed we decided to get off the ship in Tortola.

Shopping, shopping everywhere. And because I’m not into that we were able to pass by the stores. Lovely buildings in Caribbean colors.

Bruce and I stopped for our usual coffee and pastry. I had coffee he had a chocolate chip cookie.

There was a two-hour tour on an open-air taxi around the island. But they looked so crammed that I didn’t think it would be great. On the other side of the entrance gate, they were offering the same tour for $20. We decided to go with that driver.

He only had a total of six passengers which was great.

The ride was wild. Hairpin turns with vehicles coming at you. The roads weren’t well-paved either.

The views were spectacular and he stopped several times so we could take pictures.

We could see our ship in the harbor next to a Ritz-Carlton Yacht.

We stopped at a little open-air restaurant and had fish cakes. And a beautiful view.

Next stop was Cane Garden Bay Beach where the surf was a little rough but I did get to put my feet in the water.

It was a fun trip and a great way to see the Island of Tortola in the BVI.

Heading back to Road Town and the pier we could see the panoramic view of the area as well as our ship.

Once on the ship, we headed to lunch and then spent some time in the thermal suites.

It was beautiful on Tortola. We watched the other ship leave and then we followed suit. From our balcony, we watched the setting sun.

Tomorrow Puerto Rico.

#tortola#bvi#celebritybeyond#cruising#excursion#openairvehicles#canegardenbaybeach#vacation

Back on the High Seas For A Birthday Cruise

This is our third cruise this month, but instead of four days, it’s seven. We are on our favorite ship, the Celebrity Beyond.

We have a lovely infinity balcony again. Although I like the outside balconies this gives our cabin so much more room.

On this cruise, I am going to eat less and work out more, hoping to lose a little weight, then gain. We signed up for the thermal suites which should help Bruce’s back.

The skyline of Miami was beautiful from the spa.

We had dinner at Cyprus. The setting sun was beautiful.

I also asked to have less sodium in my meals. This was the beet salad.

We had this crazy waiter who was flinging parmesan cheese on Bruce’s plate.

We went to the comedian and he was actually really funny. A couple of times I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

Today so far I did a stretch class and then the thermal suites.

We enjoyed the afternoon by the pool and after which we met some friends for coffee. No pastries for me. Some pretty decorations around the ship.

Now we are getting ready to watch a show!

#celebrity#beyond#cruising#vacation#holidays#

First Time on a Monster Ship

Usually, Bruce and I sail on medium- to large-sized ships, such as Celebrity Beyond and Sky Princess. They are manageable with roughly 3,000 passengers. But for this short four-day cruise we decided on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.

Walking on board we were greeted by a giant promenade. Guest Services were right in front of us, and to the right were shops and restaurants, and on the upper floors were balcony cabins.

We decided to drop our bags off in our room before attempting to find our muster station.

The skyline of Miami looked ominous, a prediction of cool and rainy weather ahead!

Our room is spacious with a lot of storage, a couch, a mini refrigerator, and a safe. The balcony is large.

The Boardwalk was interesting with Johnny Rockets, several bars, the Aqua Theater, and a carousel.

We had a great dinner in the main dining room with our female waiter and her assistant. I had escargot and prime rib.

We walked around the ship and there was a Christmas Tree Lighting.

On our deck – 12 – there’s an interesting restaurant called Wonderland. It’s a take on Alice in Wonderland. We didn’t eat there but heard it is an experience.

Many of the shows were sold out but Bruce and I wandered into the theater just minutes before showtime. The crew member said that many people book shows but don’t show up. Anyway, the show was great!

We went to the spa for a while before casino time!

In the morning we had coffee in our room and it was cold and dreary out on the balcony. We decided to stay in so we went to the spa.

Then we spent some time in the solarium, an adults-only area.

We had lunch in the Windjammer and then walked through Central Park.

Now we are taking a nap before dinner. At our table, we can see the rocky seas.

This ship has a lot to offer. It’s like being in a small city. The elevators have been a little easier today. At least the wait has not been as long and sometimes we don’t stop at every floor.

A metal cowboy hat is part of the ambiance of the promenade.

So our four day vacay on the Wonder of the Seas has been fun and not as chaotic as I thought. The ship is so big that the crowds have plenty of places to hang out!

#toyalcaribbean#wonderoftheseas#cruising#vacation#miami#florida#

My Take On Traveling To Egypt

If you like adventure, Egypt has a lot to offer. From the pyramids in Cairo, to the tombs in Luxor, and to the many temples throughout the region, there is so much to see.

For us in our 70s, it would have been a lot easier 10 years ago. Maybe even 5. We were on a river cruise with Avalon. However, only 4 nights were on the river. We stayed in hotels in Cairo for 6 nights.

I clocked my steps with my Apple watch and most days were about 11,000 steps. We also walked up quite a few stairs. Living in a one-story house made that a bit of a challenge at first.

If you don’t tolerate heat, it gets a bit warm and humid. Little flies took nips at bare legs. We traveled in October and the temperature in Aswan was in the 90s.

Now smoking. Cigarette smoke was everywhere. It seems that the majority of Egyptians smoke and you can smoke in restaurants, hotels, ships, just about anywhere. Our guide who smoked said, The only place you can’t smoke is in the operating room. I think he was being funny.

Security was very good. In fact, even getting into the hotel you had to go through a screening process. Sometimes though when they did the pat down, which was almost always, they were a little too personal.

If you like dogs, they are everywhere. Most looked pretty good, even though they live on the streets. This guy was posing for me.

So my final thoughts. If you really want to go to Egypt go sooner rather than later.

My favorite place

That’s not easy to say when I travel the world. Places are different.

I may love a city or a small town or the countryside.

I love primates so Uganda was amazing. I was up close and personal with a silverback.

I traveled to Borneo to see orangutans in the wild. I wasn’t able to get great photos but the experience was amazing. But I did get to see many other primates.

Now as far as cities, I’m originally from New York and I still love the city.

Next year I plan to visit Prague, which is supposed to be beautiful.

Bimini

A few months ago when we went to Bimini, we paid $38 for the shuttle, lounge chair and umbrella, and punch!

As we sat there I noticed a few people without the yellow wristbands we were wearing. One lady told me that you don’t have to pay. She just took the shuttle and came to the beach.

I thought we would do the same this time. However, when we got to the beach resort they told us it was $67 per person. Of course, we didn’t do that.

Instead, we strolled along as we headed back to the ship. The locals were offering golf carts for $80 per day. I think we might do that next time.

We went back to the ship and enjoyed spending time in the pool and hot tub.

In the afternoon we read our books, took a nap, and met some friends for coffee.

I enjoyed a cup of coconut gelato which I got for free as a Select member on Celebrity Cruises.

This has been a very relaxing cruise.

#celebrity#cruising#bimini#gelato#