Monthly Archives: October 2012

Farewell to Celebrity

Posted on October 24, 2012 by steve

Here are a couple of last photos from our final two sea days aboard the Celebrity Constellation. The bottom line is that I’d recommend this line if you’re looking for a Royal Caribbean type experience with better entertainment, but not … Continue reading →

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Celebrity Cruises Observations

Posted on October 23, 2012 by steve

Celebrity seems little different than its parent, Royal Caribbean, with only slightly better food, similar accommodations, and similar passengers. Although positioned as a premium cruise line, and voted the top premium cruise line for three years, this must be for … Continue reading →

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Porto

Posted on October 22, 2012 by steve

Porto isn’t far from Vigo—just 84 kilometers—but it’s a different country and different wine-making. Our shore excursion took us to the Douro Valley, two hours away, where port comes from. Although port is named after Porto, the city has nothing … Continue reading →

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Vigo

Posted on October 21, 2012 by steve

Vigo is one of the southern most cities in Northern Spain, located only 20 miles from Portugal. It is Europe’s main hub for shipping fish, and the 10 mile long harbor is filled with platforms used to raise mussels, oysters … Continue reading →

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Bilbao

Posted on October 20, 2012 by steve

After a workout Friday morning we spent a restful day on the ship. originally we had a dinner scheduled in a Michelin-starred chef’s kitchen, but it was cancelled, and since it was rainy we decided to spend the day on … Continue reading →

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Margaux

Posted on October 18, 2012 by steve

I’ve been struck on this “wine themed cruise” by how little the other passengers know about wine: basically that it has alcohol in it and isn’t beer. Today’s excursion to Margaux included a few passengers who seemed to know their … Continue reading →

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Bordeaux

Posted on October 17, 2012 by steve

The last time I was in Bordeaux, I stepped off the ship onto the main street along the waterfront. This time our ship is larger, and we are docked two hours away, in Le Verdon. This obviously makes every shore … Continue reading →

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Sea Days

Posted on October 16, 2012 by steve

Sea days are often the best days on a cruise. With nothing scheduled and no early wake up times for shore excursions, it’s easy to relax. Today started with surprisingly rough seas, which made the tread mill and interesting exercise, … Continue reading →

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Livarot and Calvados

Posted on October 15, 2012 by steve

Linda’s birthday! Morning workout in the gym and then buffet lunch. Salad bar is okay, nothing spectacular. Our tour today is all about fermented apples and cheese. First stop is the Graindorge Fromagerie, which by coincidence is an Alcorn McBride … Continue reading →

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Etretat

Posted on October 14, 2012 by steve

We got up at 10:00 am, but I’m going to use the one hour time change between England and France as the excuse. They have a nice assortment of workout machine on the gym, although I realized that when Linda … Continue reading →

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Southampton

Posted on October 13, 2012 by steve

Eddie Manning’s limo service provided our transfer to Southampton, and despite the skepticism with which we viewed the mountain of luggage for the five of us, it fit easily into the back of the seven-passenger Mercedes van. We were at … Continue reading →

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Natural History and Pied-à-terre

Posted on October 12, 2012 by steve

After a lazy morning Linda and I took the tube to Kensington for an Indian lunch at the lovely Bombay Brasserie, then walked to the Natural History Museum to visit the dinosaurs. The Natural History Museum is BIG. It must … Continue reading →

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The Phantom of Westminster Abbey and Clos Maggiore

Posted on October 12, 2012 by steve

Linda and I spent today on our own while our friends were off doing other stuff. We slept in and then found a nearby teeny tiny Japanese restaurant, Ichi-Ricki, for lunch. I’m glad the reviews I’d read warned me it … Continue reading →

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London

Posted on October 11, 2012 by steve

We’re off to London for a few days before heading out of Southampton on a twelve night wine cruise. This was Linda’s first experience with the airline beds that recline all the way, and they certainly make a difference; we … Continue reading →

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Epcot’s 30th Anniversary

Posted on October 2, 2012 by steve

Jim, Martin, Jeremy and I visited Epcot to celebrate the 30th anniversary on October 1, 2012. The park was crowded, but not insanely so. There were lots of people there wearing vintage Epcot shirts, so it was rewarding to see … Continue reading →

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