Charleston – Day Two

This morning we slept in, went to breakfast, and then went up to the stern and sat enjoying the lovely weather. There are all kinds of wild life here including a dolphin or two that appear to have adopted the ship.

Then around noon we went ashore to lunch at Magnolia’s. It was fun and super delicious. We had fried green tomatoes (the best we’ve ever had), tomato bisque soup, blue crab bisque soup and then I had fried chicken which came with grits and collard greens and biscuits and gravy. It was all delicious. I was sad I couldn’t take a to go container because I could not eat all of that. Tom had spicy seafood and tasso ham on grits. Delicious. Then we had to have a piece of pecan pie. We were so full at that point that we rolled over to Market Street where they have all kinds of touristy things to buy. We resisted.

After that we took a nap and then went up to tea and team trivia. We lost – BOO!! Anybody know what the glands of Montgomery are? We do now.

Then we were sitting there with our friends and laughing and having a good time and they kicked us out of the lounge because we were not appropriately dressed in after 6 PM attire. How do you like that?

Then we came back downstairs and lounged around and then went to dinner. And then we sat up in the lounge talking until I was about to fall asleep on the table.

Tomorrow – a sea day our last and packing. Blech.

Oh and also, we will need to have everyone create a sign-up sheet so that you can come over and feed us – we have breakfast between 8:00 A and 10:30 A, lunch between 12 P and 1:30 P, tea at 4:00 P and dinner from 6:30 P to 9:00 P. And we would like to have about 35 options on each menu. I just know Tom and I are going to get home and look at each other and say who is going to feed us? After every meal we say I cannot eat another thing but yet every meal time there we are again.

And also I think Tom and I are coming down with colds. BAH.

Charleston, South Carolina

We awoke early today to take a tour of the Boone Plantation and Historical Charleston. The tour was sanitized so that they were “enslaved servants” and the war was the “war between the states”. Here in Charleston and in the rest of the South they refer to the war as the “War of Northern Aggression”.

We drove out to Mount Pleasant to see a faux plantation which has been restored by some Canadian guy or else as the guide told us it would now be a strip mall. We did see the house and the “praise” house which was their religious hall and the slave quarters. Oh I’m sorry the “enslaved servants”.

Then we drove around the city of Charleston which is actually quite lovely and saw Battery Park and a lot of restored single houses which is defined as a house which has one room wide house that is traditionally two rooms deep with a stair hall built at the main distance at the house with an outside porch called a piazza. That can be open or closed. It is traditionally two stories high. The piazza entry to the home looks like a front door but actually leads to the piazza. Some of them are lovely. The houses were designed to catch the breeze to cool the house. The guide told us that in the summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees and with the 100% humidity can feel like 115 and in the Old South they did not have air conditioning.

After that we came back to the ship and had lunch and then we stayed in our cabin and listened to the water lapping against the ship and the breeze was lovely and of course I feel asleep. So we went to trivia – unfortunately we lost – I’m embarrassed to say one of the questions is what does J.K. stand for in J.K. Rowling. We were close but wrong.

So then we hung out on the back of the ship for a while watching the pelicans – very big birds – and we also saw several dolphins which actually leapt out of the water. We have a bunch of photos of the dolphins just after they submerged. Such is the justice of life.

So we’ll still be here tomorrow. Tom and I have arranged to have lunch at one of the higher rated restaurants in Charleston. I just cannot do the nine hour trip to Savannah as much as I want to go. So tomorrow will be kind of a weird sea day.

Tomorrow – more of Charleston.

Day at Sea

Today I woke at 8:15 am and went to the restaurant and had eggs Benedict and then we went back to the room and then to a lecture on Charleston and Savannah. Tom slept. I was bored. It wasn’t too impressive. The thing that IS impressive is that the temperature has increased by about 20 degrees and we are about 80% humidity.

Then we went to a cooking demo – also not too impressive.

They had a pool side dinner with Asian specialties. I had a curry that was so hot but it was also super delicious. They have gelato on the pool deck but now that the weather is warming up the cigar smokers are at the bar right next to the ice cream and it’s disgusting.

We played Bingo – did not win – then went to the room and napped for two hours.

We went to tea in the Gallileo Lounge and then went to a tour of the galley which was impressive. I can’t believe the stuff they throw away because of time or temperature. I think I will volunteer to be their trash compactor.

Then we changed for dinner and went to dinner. We have met some wonderful people on board with whom we plan to have a long friendship, Ann and Whit. It was super fun.

The bad news for today is that a cargo ship has taken our berth in Savannah so we won’t be able to go there – so we’re spending two nights in Charleston. I’m disappointed but what are you going to do?

Tomorrow – Charleston.

New York, New York

New York is such a wonderful town that they named it the same thing twice. This morning we had to get up super early to go into New York Harbor and see the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Tom’s camera takes really good low light shots. I’m not sure how many came out but we took a bunch.

We were berthed alongside the Intrepid Museum and boy did they have a bunch of fascinating things outside – we only wish we had a chance to go inside but there was just no time. They had a Concorde and a Blackbird spy plane, fighter jets, a Growler submarine, a Vietnam era destroyer, some helicopters and sea planes all outside.

Then we went to breakfast and at 10 A we started our 7 hour tour. First of all we drove around various areas like Greenwich Village, Harlem, Soho (which is South of Houston – which they pronounce Howston not Hewston), Chelsea where they have an amazing market, South Street Seaport where we had lunch at Fulton Street and yes I am convinced that New York pizza is better than what we have in California, Battery Park, then we went to Ground Zero (I cried), Chinatown, Wall Street and we saw the Occupy Wall Street protestors, Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, Flat Iron Building, drove around all of Central Park, Theater District, Hell’s Kitchen, Lincoln Center, Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, Central Library – looked just like Ghostbusters, Brooklyn Bridge, Bowery, Little Italy, Union Square, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building and Fifth Avenue. So you see we were driving all over the place. The sun was out today and it was warm so we got a little bus sick.

At the Rockefeller Center we went to the Top of the Rock and I clung to the building while Tom leaned out and took some photos. Then because we had time we went to Nintendo World and wonder of wonders they were having a launch party for Pokemon Rumble Blast for the 3DS. Man I LOVE that store. They have an upstairs where they have all kinds of t-shirts and game related items like Link related Nintendo stuff and Mario Brothers, and Animal Crossing, and downstairs was ALL Pokemon. I bought the new game and they gave us a TON of free stuff – I didn’t get a t-shirt because we didn’t have time to do the scavenger hunt unfortunately but I got a back pack and a coloring sheet and a lenticular and some AR cards (which downloads characters to your game) and pins and a folio of art from the Black and White Pokemon games. And I got a super cool bag to carry it all in. When we got back to the bus the man sitting across from us said oh for your grandkids and I said, slightly sheepishly, no for me. He LAUGHED at me. Don’t care. I’m still all elated about it.

So we got back at the last minute and rushed onto the ship but we were too late for trivia and they lost without us. I’m afraid to tell them that we have a galley tour tomorrow during trivia. EEK.

Tomorrow is another sea day – then on to Charleston, North Carolina. Hopefully it will be warmer.

Sea Day – 2

At Sea, from Boston to NY:

Today began early as we pulled anchor at approximately 5 AM and although I slept through it we began to make our way towards the Cape Cod Canal. We had to wait for high tide and a pilot to come out to the ship and guide us through the Cape Cod Canal. So while we were waiting to transit the canal, I had a nap. We went up onto the top deck just before we started the journey through the canal. The entire canal is at sea level without any locks. After transiting the canal we went to bingo, where I won, but sadly had to share with another woman, so only half the prize. We followed bingo with burgers on the pool deck. It is super cold on the pool deck so that’s an adventure. Then we watched an ice sculpture demonstration (in the cold) and then we went back to the suite where I had another nap. This is where the relaxing part comes in.

Next we went to an educational event and then we went to tonight’s pre-dinner show which was good and then we went to dinner with some people who come to find out was Harry Howell an ex-King Hall of Famer player that was super interesting to talk to and his wife.

After dinner we went to watch a movie about New York which was interesting but now I’m tired and we’re going to bed.

Tomorrow – New York.