October 17 - Venice

The night view of the Rialto Bridge from our room


A Venetian traffic jam near the Accademia

Today was a beautiful flying day. Our flight left a little late from Heathrow because the plane was delayed coming in from northern England. Once we got in the air the flight was smooth and we had beautiful views of the Dolomites and of Venice as we landed. This was the latest, both in day of the year and time of day , that we’ve come to Venice. The weather was picture perfect in my opinion. We had brilliant blue skies and temperature in the high 60’s. During the day with the sun out we had no need of a jacket. This evening it cooled down but was still comfortable with a windbreaker.

We shared a water taxi from the airport with our friends Joe and Mollye from near Lynchburg, VA. We’re all staying at the same hotel, the Al Ponte Antico. This is a small place with just nine rooms. Our room has a glorious view of the Rialto Bridge. We’ve stayed here before and the staff and proprietor remember and greet you by name. Matteo, Oliver, Armando and Bruno could not be more gracious hosts.They have a lovely terrace on the first floor (what we would consider the 2^nd floor) where breakfast is served if the weather is fitting and where you can have a drink any time of day and watch the boats on the Grand Canal. It is so incredible to watch the traffic. In the morning all manner of small boats from UPS and FedEx to hearses and ambulances are delivering the goods and services needed to keep this water city alive. Boats deliver everything consumed here and as they unload on various canals, the items are delivered to their destinations by people with handcarts since there are no cars.

After checking in we began our wander around Venice. The place is packed with tourists! An interesting statistic we learned is that the city has 60,000 residents and receives an average of 60,000 visitors each day! It is truly a city within a city. Despite the crowds around the popular tourist sights, the place is as charming as we remembered. For the first time in a couple of visits we got lost and found ourselves on streets we hadn’t seen before. The variegated colors of the buildings, the sometimes exposed brickwork, the laundry hanging and the flower boxes in the windows combine to make beautiful vistas around every turn. There is something so appealing about the magnificent decay. As you walk along you see a palazzo that has been beautifully restored next to one that is ramshackle and moldering.

Tonight we ate at one of our favorites, the Osteria de Santa Marina. We’ve been there each time we’ve visited and the food and service have never disappointed us.

Tomorrow is another full day here and we shall decide in the morning what to do. We ‘ll just take the day as it comes.

October 16 - London

After a smooth flight across the Atlantic we approached Heathrow just as dawn was beginning to lighten the eastern sky. We were ahead of schedule and I thought perhaps we could have made a connection to Venice after all. The pilot came over the PA system and told us that weather conditions had deteriorated and there was heavy fog around the airport so we would be circling for awhile. He also said that if it was too long, we wouldn’t have enough fuel so we would have to land at another airport, gas up and then proceed to Heathrow. I was glad we had decided to be cautious. As it turned out we managed to land at roughly the scheduled time but the UK customs lines were long and we would have never made it.

We had booked a room at the Sofitel London Heathrow which is connected to Terminal 5 (we’ll be flying out of there tomorrow). It’s a very nice and quiet hotel despite the fact that it sits in the midst of this busy airport. We were able to check in, have breakfast, get cleaned up and take a little nap.

After resting up we proceeded to the Underground station in the Terminal and headed to downtown London. The fog had dissipated and it turned out to be a pretty nice afternoon. The concierge gave us directions from the tube to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The train took nearly 25 minutes longer than the Heathrow Express would have, but it cost one quarter of the price plus we were able to get close to the places we wanted to see as opposed to ending up at Paddington Station which was not close to anything.

We got off at Leicester Square and walked to Westminster. Along the way we passed through Trafalgar Square which was packed with people watching a free concert to raise money for some charitable cause. Along the edges of the crowd were people demonstrating for a variety of different things. The cacophony of sounds and the variety of dress we saw was truly amazing and entertaining! Westminster Abbey was closed unfortunately because it is Sunday. We could only look at it and the other iconic buildings around it. Down the street we could hear people protesting something and periodically police cars raced by in that direction with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Across the street from the Abbey was a small tent city with a different group of protesters. The area was packed with tourists like us taking in the sights and sounds. After walking across the Bridge and seeing the London Eye we decided we were pooped and it was time to head back to the hotel. We saw so little that we have a wonderful excuse to come back again and spend more time in this truly interesting place.

The 2011 journey begins

We're on our way for this year's cruise. We're going back to our favorite - Venice to Ft. Lauderdale on the Ruby Princess. We had a limo drive us to Dulles and we're sitting in the Virgin Atlantic lounge until we can board at 17:50. It was lovely not having to drive ourselves up I-95.

It looks like a perfect flying day with clear skies. Our first stop is London Heathrow where we will spend the night. The connection time was too close for my comfort so we opted to spend the day and night in London. If we're not too tired we'll hop on the Heathrow Express and see a little of London.

Monday morning we'll be off to the next stop - Venice!! We'll be spending two nights at the Al Ponte Antico on the Grand Canal overlooking the Rialto Bridge. Then Wednesday the 19th we'll be boarding the ship. The first several days of the cruise are very port intensive so we may not be able to post everyday but we'll try.

November 21 and 22, 2010 - Two Days at Sea

A Beautiful Sunset at the End of a Great Voyage

The Full Moon Rising in the East

We’ve had two absolutely lovely days at sea. We could not have asked for calmer seas and more beautiful skies. Last night (Sunday) we had a spectacular sunset. As we headed west toward the setting sun in the east directly behind us the full moon was rising. From our balcony we could see both. It was quite remarkable to see the two events occurring almost at the same time.

We spent Sunday listening to our last lecture by the astronomer on board, playing Scrabble and in the afternoon our trivia team managed to not win again. Last night we met two of our new cruise critic friends Wes and Ida in the Observation Lounge and wound up dining together. The food, wine, service and company were excellent.

Today we went to a cooking demonstration by the visiting Cordon Bleu chef on the ship. He prepared a quick and easy Tuna a la Basque. I will definitely have to try it at home. At lunch at the Pool Grill they had an international medley of things. There were escargots, crab legs, huge shrimp and mussels, curry, brats and too many other things to name. We wound up at a table by the pool with our British and Scots teammates. We all drank some wine and beer and had a great time. I don’t know if it was the spirits freeing our minds, but we actually WON at trivia today. Perhaps we should have been imbibing a little all along.

We concluded our Scrabble tournament and the winner shall remain a mystery.

All in all it has been a wonderful cruise! The small ship experience has been very nice. I’m sure it won’t be our last.

Hamilton, Bermuda - November 19 and 20, 2010

Eugene Vickers and me

One of Bermuda's beautiful pink beaches

The world's smallest drawbridge

The oldest, smallest active Catholic Church

Hamilton and the Government House at night

We arrived in Hamilton Friday morning at 9 AM, 5 hours earlier than scheduled because of the smooth seas during our crossing. The entrance to Hamilton is pretty spectacular; the channel through which we passed was very narrow and we were kicking up a lot of sand. It’s clear that larger cruise ships cannot dock in Hamilton, but instead must stay out on the West End.

A little about Bermuda is in order. There are actually a couple of hundred little islands. The largest is 22 sq. miles with a width no greater than 1.5 miles. The population is around 65,000. The island was originally found by a Spaniard, Juan de Bermudez, but he didn’t settle it. He did however release some pigs. The English under an Admiral Somers were on their way to resupply Jamestown in 1609 when they were blown off course by a hurricane and shipwrecked on the island. It was uninhabited except for the pigs. The intrepid sailors managed to build two small boats from the wreckage of their original craft and continued on to Jamestown. The Admiral ordered that a new expedition settle Bermuda and it has remained in English hands ever since.

It is a truly beautiful place characterized by the brightly colored houses all of which have white limestone roofs. They are designed this way to capture rainwater which is channeled down to a cistern below the house. Today as houses are being built, the limestone blocks are dug out to form the cistern, a concrete floor is put above that and the limestone which has been excavated is used to build the walls and the limestone plates for the roof. The roof is attached to the building with native cedar beams which allow the roof to flex in the wind.

We spent Friday walking around Hamilton. It’s a lovely town with many shops and restaurants. The primary industry in Bermuda is reinsurance (tourism is second) so there are also many office buildings. We had lunch in a place recommended to us by a shopkeeper. We had a dish unique to Bermuda called Bermudan Guinea Chicks. It sounds like it should be chicken but it’s actually a spiny lobster native to Bermuda. They were served stuffed and grilled and they were delectable!

Today, Saturday the 20^th, we took a tour to the southern shores of the island and to the Dockyard at the West End. Eugene Vickers was our driver in a taxi for four. Eugene is a retired Deputy Police Chief having spent 40 years on the police force and he knows everyone and every place on the island. Our drive took us along the southern shore where we could see some of Bermuda’s beautiful pink sand beaches. Our first stop was the Gibbs Hill lighthouse which is 117 feet high, 362 feet above sea level, and the oldest cast iron lighthouse in the world. The view from there across the island was spectacular, even though we didn’t climb the 185 spiral steps to the top.

We drove through the grounds of the famous Southampton Princess Hotel whose rooms have spectacular views. Next we headed out to the West End and the Royal Naval Dockyard. This is where large cruise ships dock. The area used to be the home of the British Navy when it was here. Parts have been converted to a shopping mall. Some of the housing is being torn down and replaced for public housing.

As we made our way back around the island, Eugene took us to some unplanned stops. The first was a really unique place. It’s the oldest and smallest active Catholic Church maintained by two nuns. It gave us an opportunity to see what an old (1700) Bermuda house was like. We also saw the world’s smallest drawbridge which opens just wide enough for a sailboat’s mast to pass through. We also stopped at a lovely new hotel across the harbor to get some photos of Hamilton. Finally, Eugene took us to the Botanical Gardens where we saw one of the world’s oldest rubber trees. The Gardens and associated parks are a beautiful area which people use for horse and dog shows, picnics, cultural events and many other things.

Then, sadly, it was time to get back to the ship for our final sailaway of this cruise. We have some 950 nautical miles to go before we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday.

I hope I’ll come back to Bermuda some time in the future to spend more time on this lovely island.

At Sea - November 16, 2010

Sailing away from Madeira

The Winning Housekeeping Team at the Country Fair

We're about halfway across the Atlantic on our voyage to Bermuda.

Today started off as a dreary day. Midmorning the rain was coming down in buckets. There was supposed to be a pizza and pasta event at the Pool Grill but it had to be moved inside. During his noon report the captain said the rain is supposed to continue for the next 24 hours. I’m happy to report that the weather forecast is no more reliable at sea than at home. It has cleared off nicely this afternoon.

After lunch we went to the Country Fair in the Atrium. The various ship’s departments set up booths with games that the passengers play. You win raffle tickets to be put in for drawings for various and sundry prizes. The passengers vote on the Most Fun and Most Creative departments. The Housekeeping staff had set up an obstacle course that you had to run through with an egg on a spoon. The Galley staff had vats of various foods which you had to reach into without benefit of looking and determine the nature of the food. I wound up fondling a big hunk of octopus! The band played on the steps and a good time was had by all! Regent does seem to come up with some novel ideas for getting passenger participation. I think they can do these because there are fewer of us on the ship than on the large vessels.

Days at Sea - November 14 and 15

Sunday dawned a little cloudy and gray. As the day progressed the skies became partly cloudy and the seas had some swells. The temperature was pleasant but not pool weather. We played some Scrabble and formed a trivia team with a Brit, an Irish couple and a Scots couple. We’re having fun despite the fact we haven’t won anything.

Sunday at the Pool Grill, the galley staff set up big grills and had fresh fish grilling. On this ship, unlike the Princess ships, the Food Service Manager and Executive Chef go ashore in ports and buy local provisions. So Saturday in Madeira they bought a variety of fish which they served up for lunch. It was delicious. Today, Monday, the pool grill had an American Barbecue. In addition to hamburgers and hot dogs, they had some of the best barbecue ribs we’ve ever tasted . Naturally there were all the trimmings to go along. For those of us with a sweet tooth, they have near the grill an ice cream bar where each day they have about 10 flavors of ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt. Of course, next to that they have chocolate sauce, sprinkles, nuts etc, etc I wish I hadn’t found it!

Last night we ate at one of the alternative restaurants (no charge for these) Prime 7. I think we had one of the best veal chops we’ve ever had anywhere on land or sea. The food was exquisite and service outstanding.

We’ve been enjoying the enrichment lectures. They have a retired NASA astronomer on board. He’s doing a series of lectures on the solar system and galaxies and his pictures are incredible. Some of them were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope just within the last few months. Who knows, we may actually come home having learned some things.

Well, that’s about all for now. Tomorrow I may try to post some photos if I have a chance to go through them. They are having a Country Fair around the pool tomorrow afternoon. I don’t know what that will be but it sounds like fun.