jam19872016

For a moment I considered doing a hop on hop off tour, but the people waiting indicated they had been waiting for a very long time and there were more people waiting than would likely be able to board the next bus so I kept moving to see what I could find on foot today

The final port of call for this cruise was Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. There was shopping a fairly close distance from the ship, so the first stop was with my mom for a little light shopping. Looking back at the ship. Shopping center right by the port. My mom got carried away trying to spend the last of her Euros so I needed to carry them back to the ship while she continued her shopping. I had a quick bite to eat (Mongolian Wok if I remember) and made my way back out to start my exploring. These seats don't look very comfortable, but I think these are life size fidget spinners. Took another opportunity to get some pictures of the freshly painted Carnival Freedom.

Down 2.0 pounds today with 1040 calories. On track to do less calories today, the hunger monster has left me alone today so I've taken advantage and eaten lightly. Getting things together for my cruise on Thursday. I'm really going to try and not buy wifi and just unplug for four days, I'm not sure if I am going to do it. I really just need it for meal time. Eating solo and just staring off into the room is quite boring. I have 90 minutes free wifi and that will be enough probably to get through at least a couple days. I don't remember dinner being particularly efficient on Celebrity. Got the parking done, check in done. Specialty dining was a bust. No reservations left which seems very unlikely. I wanted first night for the discount but even checking every night, there is not a single reservation available. Considering the outrageous pricing on their specialty dining, I really find that hard to believe. I will try again on board. I really just want the lawn club grill. I went there on my first celebrity cruise in 2020 (early 2020 obviously) and it ranks the best specialty dining experience I've ever had. I think it's only one two of their ships and I don't sail Celebrity often (2024 excluded) so I want to get in while I have the chance. Ended up going into work for a few hours today so wrapping this thing up today is off the table. Going to carry on with the final port day though now.

I don't have the will power for one piece. It's all or nothing 😄. I usually will allow myself a cheat day here or there as I find it keeps me on track and kick starts my metabolism when the weight is not coming off anymore. I have 30 more days of cruising in 2023, I don't need any extra cheat days at this point 🙂

As I layed in bed last night hunger hit me but I was out of my 8 hour window that I'm not fasting so I grabbed a pickle and that did the trick. Unfortunately I think I've already reached the end of the "easy" weight loss. I am even today with yesterday's weight.

Lost another 1.6 lbs when I weighed today and if I can lose another pound today I will have undone everything I gained on the return trip home from Barcelona. Yesterday was the first day I really struggled with hunger. Calories clocked in at 1330 yesterday. Today I was hungry again but it did subside as the day went on. Finished at 983 calories and I am hopeful for at least a pound to come off the scale. The next two days will be difficult. Sunday is my long day at work and I always get snackish and then Monday I am off which always proves to be a test of my will power. I will try to stay on track and just keep reminding myself that Thursday I will be eating like there is no tomorrow again! Unless I'm too worn out from work tomorrow the plan is to post the final port day which was Las Palmas. I guess it will technically be Monday morning before I get off though 🙂

Thank you! Did that trip on that ship last year except it ended in Miami. Fantastic cruise all around. I loved New Orleans and it definitely is high on the list for a repeat visit.

I don't remember it all that well so it could be. I felt like it deserved a few points credit since it was overrun by the festivities 😅. It was certainly the wildest event I've ever partaken in.

Not sure if I will be able to get much posted this weekend but I plan to be finished on Monday or Tuesday at the latest! One more port left to review plus a bunch of random pictures that I took but did not post yet. I also will share my thoughts on both cruises and of course CD Andy who is definitely worthy of his own post 🙂

A couple more from the ship before we left that evening.

My mom has a thing for cactus. I thoroughly enjoyed my day exploring! This was a great unexpected find for me and I was very pleased with my day. The climb back up was not as bad as I feared (the climb in Malaga was brutal!). With my thirst for exploring quenched, I returned to the bus and rode back to port. I did a little more walking in port in search of a pharmacy for something for my mom. In doing so I found a little souvenir shop right by the ship that I was able to take my mom to so she was able to get something out of the day as well. Heading back.

From here I have a great view. I decide to descend down the walking path and see where it leads me. It is very steep and I try to be mindful this time that however far down I go, I will eventually have to climb back up. I'm really digging the unexpected nature hike I've ended up on. Nearly an hour and a half passes according to the time stamps before I get my phone out and start taking pictures again. This was some hike!

I was on the wrong side of the bus for it, but we had amazing views of the ships in port. I decide to hop off the bus as this stop looks like something that would interest me.

Pole got in my way Looks like I had a thing for trees that day 😆

Our courtesy shuttle let us off near a hop on hop off tour stop. I was still bummed out by Naples and to a degree Civitavecchia and Valencia so not sure if I wanted a walking day or a tour. I sat for a moment to ponder. The bus didn't seem over crowded and was running very frequently so I gave it a shot. The cost was €22 if my memory is correct. Some pictures along the way, keeping in mind it is difficult to get good shots on a moving bus.

As I didn't venture into Rome and we missed our stop in Ajaccio, the next stop was Palma de Majorca. After a few meh ports, this one was very lovely. We're in port today with an Aida ship. There is also a Celebrity ship in with us today.

Naples is definitely a port that needs a shore excursion. There are some great tourist attractions here, but the city itself is not one. People who went to Pompeii had great things to say about it and next time that will be my plan for my day in Naples.

I was trying to reach a peak for some nice views. The incline was not too steep which was making it easier to climb than previous cities, but it was also taking too long and I was starting to get tired, and honestly I felt a little less comfortable venturing on my own in this city than in other places I had recently visited so I got a couple pictures from the highest vantage point I would reach and made my way back. This was the only port that I got rained on. It was light and thankfully only lasted a minute or two as I had no rain gain with me. Almost back now,

The part of the trip where I could have died, this sidewalk was closed and I had to walk in the highway. Obviously I lived to tell the story though 😁 Why?

The graffiti was also bad here. Even after coming to expect it in Europe, it was especially bad in Naples.

Walking.

My next port was Naples. Someone mentioned it was not pedestrian friendly and I would agree that it was the least walkable of all the ports I visited. It is possible and I managed just fine, but I would exercise caution. It is walkable, but really, this place was gross and not worth the exercise. Very, very gross. I would say probably the dirtiest city I've ever visited, and I walked Bourbon St. on Lundi Gras (the day before Mardi Gras for those that don't speak French 😅) The entire city smelled like rotting garage, and that is because the streets are littered with it. Everywhere you walked there was trash on the ground. I actually witnessed a homeless man walk to a trash can and throw his trash away and it amazed me because I don't think many people here are taking care of their city like this man was. I can't imagine how it must smell here in the summer. I tried not to take too many pictures of it, but I will have a couple to highlight it. In port with us today was Costa Toscana. Walking. My mom was fascinated by this logo in Livorno so I got a photo so I could look it up later and figure out what the heck it is supposed to be. This was the view pretty much the entire walk. I can't remember why I took this picture, old man syndrome.

Happy to do it! Thanks for following along 🙂

Double checked the scale today to make sure it was right. I'm -4.6 lbs today. Lowest weight since 10/26. Calories were up to 1,000 which is an oddly round number. Awesome, hope to keep that up but I'm sure it will start slowing down as my metabolism adjusts. Off to work, Naples and possibly Palma de Majorca tonight. Tequila 🎶