thefouramigosblog

Simpson Bay Resort and Marina offers a free shuttle to Philipsburg for shopping. It leaves at 10 and returns at 1 pm. It was a pretty ride along the way.

The person who runs the shuttle also owns a jewelry store that sells hats, T-shirts, Dutch knick-knacks, and electronics. Her shop is called AMA and her name is RT.

We weren’t there really to shop but to just see a bit of Sint Maarten. There were cute little things to see along the way, such as this street sign showing how many miles to different countries.

I saw a cannon and I couldn’t resist although I didn’t have Bruce there to pose with it.

We stopped at St. Maarten of Tours Roman Catholic Church. It was a very simple but quaint church. Nothing like the cathedrals in Europe.

We walked past the courthouse.

And indulged in lattes and cheesecake in a coffee shop. The cheesecake was delicious.

We did a bit of walking and no shopping.

We had gelato which was delicious but I did not have time to photograph it since it was melting quickly.

A cute little alley held treasures.

Our trip back to the resort was uneventful. We had a little lunch and then I lounged by the pool while the girls went in search of sea glass.

The sky was beautiful. Everything is so picturesque. I even spotted another rainbow.

As the sun began to set the landscape turned to liquid gold.

We ate another quiche. We went across the street to the casino and they gave the girls $20 each frerplay. They left with $60 each.

It was a lovely day in paradise!

#sintmaarten#coffeeshops#vacation#girlstrip#travel

@simpsonbayresortandmarina

@philipsburg

@amajewelers

I woke to another rainbow. This one was not quite as vibrant as the day before.

I decided to head down and do a water aerobics class while the girls hung out a little longer.

Kadyn and I spent a bit of time on the beach and then at the pool. We met up with Lauren for lunch in the room. It really does have a nice kitchen.

I’m on a quest not to gain weight on this vacation and I’m doing pretty well.

We went for a walk, grabbed a cappuccino, and bought a salad to go with our turkey kielbasa.

The sky was a bit overcast so we didn’t get a great sunset. Nevertheless, the sky had a pastel hue with soft clouds looking so very serene.

After dinner, we went for a walk to find ice cream. The ice cream place they saw yesterday was closed. So we stopped in a restaurant, the Greenhouse. Lauren and I shared a key lime pie and Kadyn had an ice cream sundae.

Afterwards, it was off to bed so we could get moving early and go to Phillipsburg in the morning.

#gitlstrip#vacation#ocean

@sintmaarten

@thegreenhouse

@simpsonbayresortandmarina

Sint Maarten! Beach time

Sunshine, cool island breezes, and clear ocean waters – perfecto!

We spent some time in the gym before heading to the beach. They charge $6 for the gym. It’s the first time I’ve paid for a gym without a steam room or sauna. However, I had a nice view while riding a stationary bike.

Kadyn found a few pieces of sea glass.

And then we bought a bogo on Virgin Pina coladas.

I headed back to our room to take a shower and saw this beautiful rainbow from our balcony.

We watched the sun set from the beach area.

The girls went food shopping and I made a quick quiche for dinner. Then we settled in for the night.

#vacation#girlstrip#hotel#beach

@sintmaarten

@simpsonbayresortandmarina

Every year I take a girls’ trip with my daughter and granddaughter. We’ve been on two cruises, to Nashville, Myrtle Beach, an all-inclusive in the DR, and this year Sint Maarten.

The girls flew to Florida the night before, and we went to Furin, one of my favorite restaurants.

We arrived in Sint Maarten in the early afternoon. Our hotel room at Simpson Bay Resort and Marina wasn’t ready so we ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant on the property.

Finally, I asked if they could give us another unit, which they did.

We swam in the pool, and Kadyn and I went for a quick swim in the ocean. Then we watched the sunset.

We did a little food shopping, especially coffee for the morning. Then everyone went to bed early!

#sintmaarten#girlstrip#vacation#ocean

@simpsonbayresortandmarina

@furinthaiandsushi

We headed out on the Regal Princess for 7 days. It’s been a couple of weeks at home with doctor’s appointments, scans, PT for Bruce, and virtually nonstop medical stuff. So why do I like to cruise? To get away from the darn doctors.

There’s nothing more relaxing than a cruise either. A week of no cooking, cleaning, making beds, or doing laundry. And as an Elite on Princess, I now get free laundry service.

The Regal is a nice ship. I was on it in 2018 on a transatlantic voyage and in June in the Caribbean. Total capacity, including passengers and crew is between 4700 and 5600. Its layout is in the traditional style with a main foyer or Piazza where many daily activities take place.

There is a walking track on Deck 18 and another more casual one on Deck 16.

The Regal also has an adults-only pool which is nice although Princess is not usually inundated with children.

The fitness center has good equipment and they also have classes for a fee.

We’ve spent the first two days at sea. We had a beautiful sunrise yesterday.

Today we are in our first port, Roatan. I don’t think we will go on any excursions. Maybe just relax by the pool while everyone is off the ship!

Well it’s time to go home! But what an adventure!

Frankfurt

Munich

Cruising to Greece, Montenegro, and Croatia

And of course, Venice!

We started our travel home at 3:30 this morning by water taxi to the airport. Some of these water taxis are really cool!

We spent a bit of time in the Marco Polo Lounge.

Looking out the window from our plane, we were on top of the Alps.

A few more hours at the Lufthansa Lounge and now on our plane back home! Nothing like lay-flat beds to make the journey more fun!

We did it!

#lufthansa#businessclass#vacation#retirement#livingthedream

Today we took a water taxi to Venice on another beautiful but hot day!

As we arrived we could see Saint Mark’s Square and the many buildings surrounding it.

St. Mark’s Basilica is a church but also the official cathedral of Venice. It was built in 1063 and completed late in the 11th century. The original church was built around 828-832 but was destroyed by fire in the next century.

The front entrance is part of the Medieval decoration from the 11th century.

Many entrance portals feature beautiful mosaics.

Upon entering the church, it is hard to ignore the mosaic flooring.

The Nave was exquisite with mosaics throughout. Only the canvas folding chairs detracted from its elegance.

We paid extra to see the Pala d’Oro. This means Golden Panel in Italian and is the altarpiece located behind the high altar.

We climbed steep steps to go to the museum.

The Museum Loggia Cavalli houses beautiful mosaics that were part of the church.

Since the museum is on the upper floors of St. Mark’s, it allows a close-up view where you can examine the golden mosaics and Byzantine gold-leaf walls.

The original gilded copper horses that were on top of the church can be seen inside the church. These horses were brought from Constantinople.

The horses outside are replicas replaced in the 20th century to preserve the originals.

While we were looking at the horses outside we looked out over St. Mark’s Square.

We walked through alleyways looking in shops and looking for a nice place to eat. We finally found a place, Beppino, where I had ravioli and Bruce had tomato soup. We also shared bruschetta.

It was a photographer’s paradise, with all the canals and little alleyways.

I really didn’t care to go on a gondola ride but I did get to see a few.

We stopped for gelato and we both had coconut in a coconut shell.

Then we headed back to the area to catch our water taxi.

It was a really interesting day in Venice and the church with the museum and the Pala d’Oro was $15 Euro each for seniors. Under 65 it would have been $30 each.

Tomorrow we are heading home! It’s been quite an adventure.

#venice#italy#travel#tour#mosaics#food

@St.Mark’s Basilica

@Pala D’Oro

@Museum Loggia Cavalli

@Beppino’s

We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the NH Collection Murano Villas.

After breakfast, we walked to the pier to catch a water taxi to the Original Glass Factory. The hotel features Murano glass figurines in the outdoor seating areas.

The water taxi was free of charge as was the tour of the Original Glass Factory. We waited with a few other people on the pier.

It was a similar boat to yesterday’s.

The demonstration was very interesting. He actually made a horse and a pitcher in only a few minutes.

After the tour, we walked back to our hotel stopping for a cappuccino along the way.

We sat for a while in the shade by a square.

Then we visited San Pietro Martire, a Catholic Church on Murano, with its glass chandeliers.

For dinner, we ate at the Al Canton restaurant next to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Mary and Donato, which dates back to the 7th century but mostly from the 12th century.

It’s very colorful where we sat by the canal and another bridge.

Al Canton is a family business and they only serve what they made today. I had lasagna and Bruce had polenta and potatoes and zucchini.

There were several little water fountains that kept running where you could fill your bottles with water. At the one by the restaurant, a seagull was taking a drink.

Tonight we need to go to bed early so we can spend a full day in Venice tomorrow.

#canal#italy#boats#food#travel#vacation#murano

@Al Canton Restaurant

@cathedral basilica of Saints Mary and Donato

@SanPietro Matire

@Original Glass Factory

@NH Collection Murano Villas

I decided we’d never seen Venice, so we are staying 3 nights on Murano, which is a short water taxi ride to Venice.

We left the ship early in the morning for the 3-hour drive to Venice.

When we arrived in Tronchetto we had to find a water taxi to take us to Murano. We did but it was expensive – 105 Euros. But it was a nice ride.

The water taxi dropped us off at our hotel, NH Collection Murano Villa. At first, our room wasn’t ready but we hung around the lobby and then it was ready. We quickly got ready to go out for a walk and get a bite to eat. Walking out of the hotel, we were right on the canal.

We ate lunch a few doors down. I had pizza and Bruce had pasta.

We took a walk and went into the shops. Most of them were selling the same things. Murano glass or maybe Murano glass. One shopkeeper asked me what I wanted and I said I wasn’t sure, but just looking. He said well he was busy. So I kept looking and he said I had to leave. This was a first for me. Getting thrown out of a store because I wasn’t sure if I was buying. I have to say some of the Italians in the tourist areas are not that friendly. But some are very nice.

Walking along the canal was lovely.

The church and bell tower are across from our hotel.

We went back to the hotel to rest for a while and to clean up. It was really hot outside. Later we headed out for dinner. We had to cross three bridges to get to our restaurant.

There was another bell tower and church where we ate.

I had ravioli for dinner and Bruce had spaghetti with clams.

It was a nice walk back to the hotel now that the sun had set.

Now we are going to bed early so we can explore tomorrow!

#italy#travel#food#watertaxi#murano#glass#church#belltower

@NH Collection Murano Villas