alexandriacardinals

Belize . . . and thank you.  Belize City was the only stop where a ship does not having docking access.  Passengers are “tendered” to land from from offshore anchorage postions.  This reminded us, of course, of cruising the Chain on the Moby Obie. 🙂  At this point it’s probably a good idea to remind these stops exist almost entirely for the tourist trade.  They are not wealthy places.  Ruth advised us when we were in Roatan that the electricity goes out every day – which makes it pretty difficult for refrigeration and air conditioning.  So every place we landed, we were very much the object of the locals’ commercial attention.

[And speaking of tenders, here’s one now!]

[Tenders hanging around like cabs at an airport.]

[Belize City]

[We’re tendered and leaving the mother ship.]

[The Biddies thoroughly enjoyed their ride in – now accomplished islanders!]

[“ALEX” – a reminder of home!  😉  ]

[Now that we’re all here?]

[Here I have to give all the credit to The Biddies.  Folks always raise concerns about stepping outside your comfort zones – or in this case, leaving the cruise ship compound once on land.  As soon as you do, you are put upon by all manner of vendors hawking various goods and services.  The transportation guys were offering tours of the city at $15 a head.  Now The Biddies, based on their vast experience in commerce, a/k/a, shopping, didn’t think that was a very good deal.  So they went back to the little shops inside the compound and made some inquiries.  A woman with a small gift shop advised them that if we took a left outside the compound, walked several blocks and crossed a small bridge, took a left and walked another couple of blocks, we could ride a city bus all around the city and return to our starting point for $1.  That was all The Biddies needed to hear!  So even with her bad foot, the supervisor charged off in search of a bus.  The following photos were along the route.]

[When you come to the fork in the road, take it.]

[We found the bridge!]

[Rita photo.  In an attempt to be a “cool guy,” literally and figuratively, I’m now wearing my recently purchased Bob Marley bandana.]

[There’s suppose to be a bus stop around here somewhere.  And now there are several forks in the road.]

[Aha, a park!]

[ . . . and a map!]

[And it was by this church we found our city bus – an old Bluebird school bus, and it was blue, but it only cost a buck!  🙂  ]

[A real space saver – put the cemetery in the boulevard.]

[We all sat in different seats for visibility and photo ops.]

[Statuary in the traffic circles.]

[A favorite facility for older people everywhere!]

[Hi!  We really enjoyed our company on the bus.  They obviously figured out we were tourists!  Ha!  So, one guy, who once lived in Chicago and is in the import/export business, gave us a nice commentary on what we were seeing – then wished us a good cruise when he got off.  Then another fellow picked up the tour guide banter until he got off.  Then an older couple got on – and similarly wished us a nice visit.  One of the highlights of the whole trip!]

[A Rita photo.]

[Our favorite restaurant – because it says so!]

[Back to the compound after the city bus circular tour of Belize City.]

[Back dockside – awaiting the next tender.]

[The Biddies are setting records in FUN!]

[The local brew – I believe Rita took them all home as souvenirs.]

[Rita teaching the finer points of FUN!]

[The supervisor claims to be ready for the forever cruise.]

[Tendering back to the mothership.]

[Back to the Grand Atrium for people watching before dinner.]

[Jami’s gluten-free dinner!  Hmmmm!  🙂  ]

[And her gluten-free guy!]

[A hard day of touring creates a dessert entitlement!]

[Somehow got back on board despite state-of-the-art security.]

[A Cheesehead and a Viking.]

[A little deck walk before retiring.]

[It was my turn to model with the origami towel – the supervisor said I ruined the picture as the beds spread!  😉  ]

[Tomorrow – MEXICO!]

OK, we’re on the ship . . . but where are we going?  Please refer to the above map as we follow what I subsequently dubbed the Jacques Yves Cousteau Trail.*  And yes, we did wave hello to Fidel as we cruised by the Cuban coastline.

Having resolved where we were going, we could now relax and partake of the ship’s activities.  First up was an art auction.  Yeah, I know – this was a little out of our league.  But then the supervisor knows how to spot a bargain.  And by merely attending she was able commandeer a gratis glass of the bubbly (and was quite grumpy when they began delivery at the other end).  And Jami was able to do the same for me!  🙂

[Then The Biddies led us on assault of the ship’s theatre . . .]

[ . . . where we saw these not unattractive young ladies perform hits from the 60’s!  How did they know?]

We momentarily interrupt this colloquy to say, RIP Dick Clark.  It somehow seems appropriate we became aware of this right after posting the 60’s show:

[Then we stopped by to see the kids’ room – and our first encounter with an origami towel animal!  😉 ]

[Then it was off to dining (what? again?) in the Versailles – where we had our 2nd (and fortunately last) Code Alpha on the ship.  Medical staff had to come in and whisk a diner not far from us away on a gurney.]

[The Seven Faces of Rita]

[Back “home” to our own origami animal – it was time for the girls to tuck me in.]

[LAND HO!  After more than 24 hours on the high seas, our first sighting of land the next morning.  Roatan, Honduras.]

[We circled the western end of the island which, we subsequently learned, is where the big money lives.]

[The boat people line up in the hallways, readying for the assault on Roatan!]

[And here we come!]

[Jami nabs an early photo op.]

[We had an ace-in-the-hole here.  Rita had a friend, Ruth (not her sister, Ruthie), who lives on Roatan for four months every year.  Thus, we had a tour guide!]

[We said good-bye to our boat for the day.]

[Friend Ruth helped establish a library on the island.  And you could see our boat from there!]

[And here it is.]

[The supervisor at Ruth’s condo.]

[The view from her balcony – photo by Rita.]

[Noah is building an ark across the street – seriously.]

[Danny at . . . Benjamin’s (I think I forgot already?) at a high point on the island.]

[Jami got her hair braided there.  Apparently several other boat people also discovered this place.  Many tweens to teens to elders were braided for the rest of the trip.]

[Rita opted for a fresh coconut.]

[The view from Benjamin’s.]

[Rita bought sunglasses from a guy who had 25 pairs around his neck.]

[And now the reason for a cruise stop at Roatan.  In fact, for every stop on the cruise.  As we later learned from a guide on Cozumel, we can thank Jacques Cousteau.*  Cousteau discovered there is a continuous barrier reef from Roatan to Cozumel, the 2nd longest reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  And all the beaches because of that have the clearest water I have ever seen – beginning here at Bananarama, it was absolutely unbelievable.]

[Look at me!]

[Though not a fan of heat and humidity, I found the shade of beach side restaurants eminently comfortable!  😉 ]

[Always try the local brew.]

[Who’s got tip money?]

[Good-bye to Bananarama – I could have spent a few days there!]

But before we move on, a few more Bananaramas from Rita:

[And then back to our vehicle . . .]

[Jace, our driver, sold us right off the boat by saying he could handle 6 passengers in his van.  He was a hoot.  We had added Ruth, but Tom had gone off for a snubaing adventure (scuba attached to a hose) – it was the highlight of his trip.  Photo by Rita.]

[Self photo in Jace’s van.]

[Heading to the aforementioned West end.]

[Dining on Roatan at Half Moon Bay!  🙂  ]

[Rita got a photo there.]

[It was next to the submarine place and close to our boat.]

[Had lodging, too.]

[Go Deeper – a real sub place!]

[Heading back to the boat.]

[And the Roatan port area.]

[And back onboard . . . and photos therefrom.]

[The Biddies and Jami hustled back to claim their own personal hot tub at the front of the ship.]

[Roatan dock area.]

[Pruney yet?]

[We’re pulling away now – on the road to Belize.]

[The West end as we’re heading out of town.]

[Ruth’s house on the left, her church on the right.]

[I believe Roy-san has this at his house.]

[Porfessional photography was going on all the time.  Of course we already had . . . me.      🙂  ]

[Our Grand Atrium and the photography area.]

[The Biddies take the spiral staircase.]

[And back to the room – with thoughts of Belize on the morrow.]

The title of this series is Cruisin’.  That would seem to indicate that at some point the story line would involve a boat?  Well, here it comes.  Crazy Dave and Mary kicked us out just in time to join the kids and Tom at Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs.  The park is unique in that you take a mile-long causeway to reach the beaches out on a little spit of land.  It was a really lovely park, but our time there was cut short by the one incidence of rain we had while in Florida.  Thus, my sole photo there – you can see the storm coming:

We bolted for a Greek restaurant, Mama Maria’s, in Tarpon Springs – unfortunately, everybody else had the same idea and the place was overwhelmed.  I ordered a Greek salad (seemed like the place to do so), which arrived almost immediately.  I had long since finished said salad (a complete disregard for Emily Post’s rules of etiquette) before the hot food orders arrived for everyone else.  The server then went back to get my Greek salad, having forgotten it had already been delivered and devoured.  Then it was on to the hotel where we would all spend the night before sailing.

[Grandson Tom just waitin’ on a room.]

In keeping with our travel traditions, our room at the “suites” wasn’t ready when we arrived.  It was to be a double room to handle the 5 of us (Rita was arriving from Indiana the following morning).  When we finally obtained “clearance,” we schlepped all the bags up a long flight of stairs to what was obviously the wrong room!  Our travel bogeyman had struck again!  It behooves me to advise that the weather in SW Florida for the entire 17 days we were there (or in the vicinity) was the same everyday – sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80’s, lows in the mid to upper 60’s.  I don’t know why they need weathermen?  So, as the 5 of us stood out in the parking lot, guarding our luggage, in the heat of the late afternoon sun waiting for our room assignment, I was thinking bad thoughts.  Oh, and it’s always really humid there, too – so fungi were having a party in my unmentionables.  We finally got a room – and then it was time for dinner.  One of selling points for the place where we stayed was that it was right next door to the oh-so- fashionable “Caribbean Breeze” restaurant – where my fungi could continue their partying.  We piled into the car, basically made a U-turn into the restaurant where we discovered there was a mere hour and a half wait.  Boarding the ship couldn’t come soon enough for all of us.

[The following morning our little beauty was waiting for us at the Port of Tampa.]

[After presenting all our paperwork to numerous functionaries, we were granted the privilege of sitting together in a humongous waiting room for several more hours before boarding the ship.]

 [Tom & Danny handled the wait with great aplomb.  I noted that the young lady over Tom’s right shoulder looked an awful lot like his friend at camp last summer.]

[“Yup, that’s our boat!  And people are boarding.”]

[We didn’t board right away because we were waiting for Rita.  Her flight from Indianapolis had been delayed by thunderstorms (that good luck travel thing again).  When she finally arrived, she was whisked to the head of the line, and then ushered into the VIP section for a nosh and a beverage.  There seemed to be no explanation for her special treatment.  So we let her know what we thought about that!  😉 ]

[The view of Tampa upon boarding the Norwegian Star.]

[Our room – me and The Biddies.  By spatial necessities, a menage a’ trois.  I, as the lone male, had to make certain accommodations – such as realizing that for an entire week, every hook, knob, or protuberance in the room was going to be a resting place for every manner of female dainties.]

[We had a balcony.]

[A fellow Norwegian Cruise liner.]

[Once onboard, head topside – for the pool and the views as we prepare to leave port.]

[The Biddies found a spot in the shade – and close to the cold beverage facility!  🙂 ]

[Tanning chairs were tiered front and back – I preferred A/C.]

[We were the middle of three cruise ships leaving port.]

[The kids claimed the Leonardo DiCaprio/Kate Winslett position at the very front.  It was the first cruise for Danny (straw hat) and Tom.]

[Tampa]

[Our trailing ship.]

[Front of the ship crew only deck.]

[Heading for the Sunshine Skyway – the connection between St. Pete and Bradenton-Sarasota, a/k/a the Bridge to Somewhere.]

[Finding my niche!]

[St. Pete]

[The Grand Atrium – our favorite hang out place.]

[The Versailles – one of several restaurants.]

[I’ll have one of each!]

[Togetherness]

[The supervisor heading for our first breakfast.]

[A cruise is NOT the thing to do if you’re on a diet!]

We left Minneapolis and Mary (photo by Associated Press) the following morning.  As usual, I got stopped going through airport security (always, as I apparently meet the terrorist profile rather than that of a sweet grandfatherly type I actually am).  Plus, the supervisor had developed plantar fasciitis (think an ice pick in your heel) two days before we left, so naturally our plane’s gate was at the far end of the terminal (four moving sidewalks).  We had a non-stop to Ft. Myers, the cheapest destination on Florida’s West coast.  We obtained our rental car with surprisingly little difficulty (though naturally it was in the lot farthest from the terminal), and made our way north to Rosie and Dick’s B&B in Sarasota.

[The supervisor makes her way through Rose and Dick’s lovely neighborhood – their pool and tennis courts are only a block behind her.]

[Then it was off to downtown Sarasota’s bayfront for a walk with Groucho.]

Then it was off to a nighttime cruise of St. Armand’s Circle.

[Rosie and the supervisor love the night life!  🙂 ]

The next day featured a somewhat lengthy drive to the tip of Anna Marie Island where we dined (what else?) at the Rod & Reel Pier, which has the rare distinction of being “born” the same year as this reporter.  And it begun my run of grouper entrees.

[A manatee (the one not in the kayak).]

The next day our gracious hosts took us to Libby’s, a chichi restaurant in Sarasota’s Hillview area.  I swear every woman who walked by while we were dining was either a supermodel or the mother of a supermodel. 😉

Then back “home” for a few tunes from the Sarasota Mandolin Ensemble.

[A regular stop on visits to Sarasota.  The supervisor and Dick are at the order window.]

Our last morning with Rose and Dick – a trip to the No. 1-ranked beach in the entire United States!  That Siesta Key has received such distinction will draw no complaints from me.  While Rosie had to stay behind to help even older folks with their taxes, the supervisor, Dick, and I walked up and down the water line, taking particular notice of those from the raisin ranch (a term used in Jess Lourey’s latest book, November Hunt, by Mrs. Berns in describing retirees who have spent far too much time in the sun).  The beach sand is not white sugar – it’s white flour!

[Dick and the supervisor.]

[Not locals]

Having reached the 3-day, dead fish threshold with our first hosts, it was time to search out other “price is right” lodging in the area.  Fortunately, Alexandria’s-own Crazy Dave and Mary live just a few miles down the road from Rose and Dick in Sarasota.

[Mary and the Easter Bunny welcome the supervisor.]

[We boarded Crazy Dave’s classic Sebring convertible (one of the few vehicles I can enter and exit without hitting my head) for a trip to Venice.]

[We noshed (do you recognize the senior life style revolves around eating?) at Sharkey’s at Venice Beach.]

[Crazy and the supervisor plotted stategies on how best to approach the nude beach.]

[Ain’t we got fun?]

[Not far from Sharkey’s, where the 9-11 terrorists did their flight training.]

[From a Venice beach access.]

[The supervisor, Mary, and Crazy shopping downtown Venice.]

[A must stop every time we visit these environs – Nokomis Groves for orange ice cream!]

[It was 85 and sunny – a major portion of this delight ended up on my clothes and on the floor of the Sebring’s back seat!]