Carolina’s Notes
I was not able to write in Palma because the chocolate overdose of the previous day at sea had taken its toll and I was in a sad state all day Friday. I did, however, get to bless many of Palma’s bathroom facilities with my presence. From what I observed through my nausea, Palma is a beautiful place. We disembarked from the ship smoothly and made it through the 9-hour daytime plane ride home a little sore but alive and well.
Overall, I would say the trip was a great success. We enjoyed excellent food, wonderful weather, awesome companionship, great locations, and lots of dessert. It was also comforting to reaffirm that I fit in and get along well with my new family. It was interesting to see where Jimi gets some of his characteristics; he definitely gets his easy going nature from his father and a streak of fun and adventure from his mother. We spent the most time with Skelly parents and they were excellent traveling companions. Spending time with John, Sarah, and Zoe was also really nice. Zoe is the best behaved 2 year old on the planet; she is smarter and funnier than many adults I know. John and Sarah luckily have the same sense of humor that I have, which makes them super fun to be around. I love vacations because the definitely have a way of making me grateful for the people in my life, the opportunity to see really awesome places, and for home when I return! Although it is hard to believe I will be back in Barcelona in 6 weeks for Round 3 of cruising out of Barcelona this year, which is a little silly. But I am not complaining….
Susan's Notes
Sunday, September 26
We had to get up at the “butt crack of dawn” as Jimi says. We developed a quite intelligent system for pushing, pulling and/or dragging our bags, the stroller and Zoe out to the waiting cabs for our ride to the airport. Apparently the roads in Barcelona, Spain don’t get slick in the rain as our cab driver was speeding quite fast to get us to our destination. I told Carolina it was like driving with Jimi but I could not yell at him.
As hard as people try, it is difficult to be happy go-lucky at 7 in the morning in an airport. Someone spotted the online check-in computer so Carolina and I ran to check in and get our boarding passes. Since there were 5 people on my ticket, Carolina and I developed a system to speed the process up – I typed in the information and she scanned the passports. The man standing there to help people chuckled when he saw us and realized what we were doing.
Airports are “hurry up and wait.” When we were allowed to board and found our seats we knew we were in for an 8-hour flight and when we would arrive it would be 6 hours earlier in the day. What that doesn’t do to a body! To amuse ourselves, John read the nutritional label on the Chicken and Cheese baguette they served us as a snack before we landed. The sandwich was made in April 2010 and expired in January 2011. After eating it, we determined that if the plane went down we would not need to be embalmed because we were already preserved. Anything to save money.
The three-hour ride from Philly was uneventful but tiring. We had a wonderful time and are happy we decided to make this journey.
Monday, September 27, 2010:
I looked on the internet for ideas for my next cruise.
Sarah's Notes
I swear that was the longest flight I have ever been on. You know its long when you look down at your watch and you feel like you have been in the air for 8 hours already and its only been 2. I have to admit though that my child gets two thumbs up for her behavior on the trip and the airplane. She did a fabulous job throughout except for a few small meltdowns which I am probably exaggerating.
I want to thank my parents for giving us the opportunity to go on this trip as a family and spend a week of quality time together with no outside interruptions (cell phones, email, etc.). I look forward to many more trips in the future with everyone. We all had a blast. THANK YOU!
John's Notes
I'll try to keep this short and to a few sentences. This trip to me personally wasn't far from magical. As I stated earlier this was a place that I often dreamed of and to come face to face with sites that I've only read about and seen on tv was surreal. Secondly it was good family bonding. We had just the right mix of together and alone time. We were able to share in both thought and laughter. The trip also served as affirmation that as much as I wold love to travel the world I miss home way too much. It was more than a treat to be able to walk the streets of such cool cities with Sarah and Zoe, the only regret being is that I wish Zoe was a little older so she could remember more, although I have a feeling this won't be her last trip overseas. Again I am always grateful and thankful and this trip helped to align me by taking me thousands of miles from home to remind me of what I have within the boundaries of my family.
Fam
Friday, October 1, 2010
Palma, Spain
Susan's Notes
Today ‘s tour was called “Palma in Depth.” Formerly called Palma de Mallorca, it is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Our first stop was the Bellver Castle. This was the first circle castle in all Europe history. Zoe wanted to go inside to meet the princess. The castle is undergoing renovation and our stop was only to see the fantastic view of the island or in other works, a “Kodak moment.”
Our next stop was at El Pueblo Español. This is a quaint village to the west of the town that was made up of reproductions of important and characteristic old buildings from all parts of Spain. Many of them are occupied by craftsmen's workshops. It was here my granddaughter told me to “get out of here” as I took her to the restroom. She likes her privacy.
On the way to the cathedral, our tour guide warned us about the pickpockets that would attempt to befriend us on the grounds. She said they have perfected their trade so well that we would not know anything was gone until long after they were.
Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built on a previous mosque. Although construction began in 1229 it didn't finish until 1601 and local architect Antoni Gaudí was drafted in during a restoration project in 1901. Since we toured the Gaudi house in Barcelona we were able to pick out the architecture Gaudi designed. The stained glass windows were magnificent.
Past the docks with the yachts that are bigger than the entire town on North Beach, Maryland, we boarded our bus to return to the ship. Our guide said the shops, if they were open on Saturday, would close for siesta and may or may not reopen.
On to the pool for dunk in the salt water. I just loved the way it felt except when Zoe splashed me in the face with it. To the pool – into the hot tub – back to the pool – what a life.
Our dinner was at the hottest place on the ship – a Japanese restaurant similar to Benihana. It was fun. While the cook was at the grill, the phone from the Tree Top Kids Club rang with a message that Zoe wanted her Mommy. John picked her up and she was mesmerized by the antics of the chef. After dinner, she wanted to go back to the club to say good-bye to her new friends.
John and I spent the last few hours in the casino (go figure!). This friendly woman started to talk to us and won all the money I lost that night as John and I watched in amazement. Such is life.
John's Notes
Mallorca was a nice final destination to our trip. It's a fairly large Island off the coast of Spain with beautiful coastlines and entertaining street mimes. We took a short tour, visited yet another cathedral, and headed back to the ship. Our last night on the ship included more eating. We had dinner at Japanese steak house and I think I am officially 0 for 5 in catching the chicken/shrimp that the cook throws. Jimi was successful. Zoe had one last night in the Kid's Club where she made her own personalized t-shirt and was able to say goodbye to her friends she made on the trip, including her friend Chloe from Great Britain.
Today ‘s tour was called “Palma in Depth.” Formerly called Palma de Mallorca, it is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Our first stop was the Bellver Castle. This was the first circle castle in all Europe history. Zoe wanted to go inside to meet the princess. The castle is undergoing renovation and our stop was only to see the fantastic view of the island or in other works, a “Kodak moment.”
Our next stop was at El Pueblo Español. This is a quaint village to the west of the town that was made up of reproductions of important and characteristic old buildings from all parts of Spain. Many of them are occupied by craftsmen's workshops. It was here my granddaughter told me to “get out of here” as I took her to the restroom. She likes her privacy.
On the way to the cathedral, our tour guide warned us about the pickpockets that would attempt to befriend us on the grounds. She said they have perfected their trade so well that we would not know anything was gone until long after they were.
Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built on a previous mosque. Although construction began in 1229 it didn't finish until 1601 and local architect Antoni Gaudí was drafted in during a restoration project in 1901. Since we toured the Gaudi house in Barcelona we were able to pick out the architecture Gaudi designed. The stained glass windows were magnificent.
Past the docks with the yachts that are bigger than the entire town on North Beach, Maryland, we boarded our bus to return to the ship. Our guide said the shops, if they were open on Saturday, would close for siesta and may or may not reopen.
On to the pool for dunk in the salt water. I just loved the way it felt except when Zoe splashed me in the face with it. To the pool – into the hot tub – back to the pool – what a life.
Our dinner was at the hottest place on the ship – a Japanese restaurant similar to Benihana. It was fun. While the cook was at the grill, the phone from the Tree Top Kids Club rang with a message that Zoe wanted her Mommy. John picked her up and she was mesmerized by the antics of the chef. After dinner, she wanted to go back to the club to say good-bye to her new friends.
John and I spent the last few hours in the casino (go figure!). This friendly woman started to talk to us and won all the money I lost that night as John and I watched in amazement. Such is life.
John's Notes
Mallorca was a nice final destination to our trip. It's a fairly large Island off the coast of Spain with beautiful coastlines and entertaining street mimes. We took a short tour, visited yet another cathedral, and headed back to the ship. Our last night on the ship included more eating. We had dinner at Japanese steak house and I think I am officially 0 for 5 in catching the chicken/shrimp that the cook throws. Jimi was successful. Zoe had one last night in the Kid's Club where she made her own personalized t-shirt and was able to say goodbye to her friends she made on the trip, including her friend Chloe from Great Britain.
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