StLouisCruisers

Brenda @bennybear nice photos! We enjoyed Sintra and Cascais too. Very colorful! LOLl You should note Lenda's photos were presented today under my screen name so we need to give her credit for her photos. If so many of our Dailyites weren't cruising we'd have even more pics to enjoy today.

I don't know. I'm sure they're all expensive these days! Update on the delivery. At 11:55 the FedEx truck stopped here and dumped our package on the porch. Just 24 hours later than promised. The problem here is they now deliver our packages from Macon, not Atlanta. But like the airlines they seem to have a hub system. The package was driven from Florida past Macon, GA to Atlanta, GA, a distance of 70 miles further up I-75. Then they turn around and process it for a drive back down 75 to Macon, another 70 miles. The packages arrive there by late morning and they are put on the delivery truck so they can drive them back north to our house 55 miles away. No idea why the truck that was up here yesterday afternoon couldn't stop here! Today, the package was already on the truck and they simply drove back up here and therefore we get our packages earlier on the second day. Why do they need to drive past our town to take the package to Atlanta when their trucks up there no longer deliver here? Why doesn't it stop at Macon and process our package there eliminating all that driving up and down the interstate. Our packages used to come from Atlanta but that changed a couple years ago. Surely it's not cheaper doing it the way they do now.🤷‍♀️ End of rant! Gerry @ger_77 I certainly understand how frustrated you must be having sent the grandsons their Valentines in plenty of time. I've had our post office deliver birthday cards two week late before. Who knows where they were during that time? I'm sure the boys know you would never forget them!

Lenda's photos post #7 and it has fewer photos. When you have visited a city 11 times, you tend to have a lot of pictures. I promise, these are the last pictures. They are from our 2019 Veendam cruise, and we were on our way to Boston. This time we took the yellow Ho-Ho, and it had a different route on both loops that covered the high points but some different neighborhoods too. A few more pictures of the Park of Nations area. Rosario Station There was another advantage of the yellow bus. The ticket allows you to ride the city buses too. Lenda

Lenda's photos post #5 In 2016, when the Prinsendam stopped in Lisbon, we had a easy, relaxing day. We took the Metro into the main area and and walked around. These pictures are a combination from our walk and from the sail away, with some of the best weather we've had in Lisbon. The walkway from the Santa Justa Lift to the upper level of town. I'm glad we took the elevator in either 2002 or 2004 before the lines got so extremely long. Pictures from the ship and as we sailed back down the Tagus River. Lenda Lenda's photos post #6 In 2017, the Prinsendam took us to Lisbon twice. The first time was on the way from northern Europe to the Mediterranean, and the last time was on the TA back to Fort Lauderdale. On our first visit, we took the train to Cascais, so here a few more pictures. I had forgotten our arrival for our second visit that year was later than normal, giving us a great sail in. The last two times we have been in Lisbon (2017 and 2019), we have tried to visit the MAAT (Electricity Museum). In 2017, we were there on a Tuesday and the museum was closed. In 2019, we were there on a Monday, but they had changed to day it was closed to Monday. Someday. 🤞 It's an off beat museum, but my father worked for the electric utility company, and DH worked for a sister company for five years, so it will be interesting to us. Once on shore, we took both loops of the Ho-Ho. These are from the first loop. The bull ring, but the bulls get to live! An unusual place for tiles Jerónimos Monastery The second Ho-Ho loop took us to the Park of Nations, a revitalized industrial area, where the 1998 Expo was held. Lenda

Lenda's photos post #3 we've been there at least 11 times, so we try to find something different each time, while still seeing our favorite places. We have been to Lisbon at least 11 times. We were there in 2009 on Tatihian Princess and took a tour to Sintra and Cascais, mainly so we could see the rest of Sintra. These are from Sintra. We could not tour the palace that day as it was closed, but we saw this model. A few more pictures from Cascais I was primarily taking picture of the statue and the tile work, but today I noticed the O'Neill's Irish Pub in the background. I wonder if it is part of the O'Neill's Pubs in Ireland. Lenda Lenda's photos post #4 I hope everyone is not getting bored with all the pictures of Lisbon and the surrounding areas. Right now, we're up to 2011, with 2016, 2017, and 2019 yet to come. Going through all the pictures from 11 visits to Lisbon has brought back many wonderful memories. With each visit, I seem to enjoy and like Lisbon more. In this case, familiarity does not breed contempt. The Prinsendam arrived in the late afternoon on her TA. That night, we just walked off the ship after dinner and walked around the immediate area. The next day, we took a tour to Batalha and Fatima. The graves of John 1 and Phillippa I'm not sure what I expected Fatima to be like, but this modern shrine was not it. The Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Rosario de Fatima The three children who saw the visions in 1917 were rebured in the church. I hope I've got the pictures of the graves correctly identified. The grave of Francisco who died in 1920. The graves of Jacinta who died in 1919, and Sister Lucia who died in 2005 at the age of 97. Looking across the plaza from the steps of the Basilica Lenda

First of Lenda's photos. I'll try to merge some of the posts together if they aren't too long. These are a few we took on our first visit in 2001 on Golden Princess' inaugural TA. We docked at the cruise terminal that was away from downtown. Pictures from our tour and our walk around downtown after our tour. And the elevator, Santa Justa Lift, from the lower streets to the upper part of town I'll check the pictures from our many visits to see if I find others that are not duplicates. Post #2 These next pictures are from our Noordam 2002 and 2004 TAs and from our b2b 2008 cruise on Prinsendam. Lisbon from our 2002 Ho-Ho tour. The same day, we took the train from Rosario Station to Sintra. Since we were on foot in Sintra, we walked around the area by the train station and did not attempt to climb up to the palace. Our second time in Lisbon on our 2004 Noordam b2b2b2b cruise we took the train to Cascais and Estoril. We were back in Lisbon in 2008 on the Prinsendam. These are from our Ho-Ho tour. Lenda

My photos from Lisbon. In 2018 we went to Lisbon in both April and September on Prinsendam. We just couldn't resist the great itineraries on that little ship! Here is an early morning photo as the ship arrived. The sun was just rising. An interesting way to get around Lisbon, these trams. Aren't they cool? Some of the beautiful flowers for sale at one of the squares. The arch at Rossio Square We stopped at this wine tasting shop in Rossio Square Automatic dispensers You purchase an electronic card and use it to try wines from these dispensers. DH trying a red Cheers!🍷 And from 2019. The tile work in Portugal is known all over the world. You see it everywhere on the streets and inside the buildings. When wandering around Lisbon you will find interesting wall murals like this one, which takes your eye away from the potholes, patched or not.😉 While visiting a small park I spied this van parked in front of the fire station garage door. They had to hunt the driver down to move it so they could go out on a call. Hope it wasn't urgent! We went to the top of a hill (lots of those in Lisbon) and saw these beautiful views. This batch of photos was taken on our April-May 2019 final cruise on Prinsendam.

Good morning friends! This morning it is 36F with an expected high of 66 and sunny skies. Perfect! If only our nights were a little warmer.🌞 Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting Rich's @richwmn's Daily and Fleet Information plus the maps for him. We appreciate it! Some really different days celebrated and recognized this date! Annoy Squidward Day is funny and thanks to Graham @grapau27 for the explanation. International Angelman Day sounds interesting and I respect the thought behind it. Childhood Cancer Awareness (and all diseases affecting children) should be respected and honored. Interesting quote! That is quite a different menu suggestion and one that might come in handy at our next get together. What a name for a drink! No thanks! 🍹 I enjoy Sauvignon Blanc wine and would happily give it a try. A bad day for Socrates, an important date for science, and YouTube folks must be celebrating today. Thank you to Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel, and Ann @cat shepard for your F&B reports today. Prayers said this morning for those injured and for the woman who died at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade yesterday. I hope they can determine who the suspects are and they are punished to the fullest extent of the law. I know how traumatizing events like this can be and it will be a long time before these folks feel safe again. Prayers too for DB and DGD Morgan, Scott and Bob and their spouses, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages held and the U.S. soldiers and sailors at risk in the region. And of course our many friends here on the Care list in need of prayers and help with their medical issues, personal loss and worry, pain and illness. Extra prayers and hugs to Vanessa @JazzyV, Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando, Tana and Terry @smitty34877, Jane @lazey1, Maureen @RMLincoln and Richard, Melisa @HAL Sailer and DH just to name a few. 🙏🙏 A cheer from me for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and all who are cruising! 🥂 DGD Morgan texted us after her presentation yesterday and said it went quite well. She is optimistic about it. 🎉 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the great lists each day. We are so happy you can continue even with all that you are going through. ❤️ The port today is lovely Lisbon, Portugal. This was port of the day before on Aug. 10, 2021 and May 8, 2022. I will post the links next. Then I'll begin posting photos for myself and Lenda. However in noting the number of posts from Lenda's photos I'm going to split them up into groups of 2 and not take over the first two pages of the Daily. I'll give others time to post in between. Once more FedEx has screwed up delivery of a package to our home. We ordered some supplies from Sam's Club and they have incredible service, usually getting our packages to us in two days time. However, they use FedEx and they are the ones who are letting us down. Yesterday our package was on the truck for delivery. At 1:45 DH saw the truck go up our cul-de-sac and return down again after making a delivery up the street. She passed us by. Last night our tracking said they were unable to deliver OR the business was closed and they will try again the next day. Wrong! We are not a business, were home and "open" all day, and they just don't deliver all the packages on the truck! So I imagine we will get our delivery today, a day late. This is at least the third time we can remember this happening. UPS would have delivered until the truck was empty but oh, no, not FedEx! Shame on them!😠 I will try to not let this aggravation ruin my day! Hope you all have a good day, too and stay safe and well!

Happy Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday everyone! It's only 35F this morning but will be 63 and sunny with a bit of wind still during the day. Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Daily and Fleet Report and the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. Today we can celebrate the above holidays and should reflect on congenital heart defect awareness day and how we can help reduce it. A salute to Frederick Douglass whom we can take inspiration from. An interesting take on reading in that quote. No thanks to the curry dish. Wonder what a Jager Bomb is? Someone else can have my glass of the red wine. Hurray for Alexander Graham Bell, and I remember watching scary movies on TV on Friday nights growing up. 🫣 Thanks to Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today! Prayers for all on the Care list and all others here in need of them. So many in pain, needing medical treatment and recovering from past procedures, and suffering from loss and worry. Prayers too for my DGD and DB, friends and their spouses with health issues. And last but not least, the people of Israel and Ukraine fighting for their countries, the hostages still held, and the military members in harm's way. Cheers to all celebrating happy events and cruising! 🎂🚢 Happy Birthday to @Suslor's DH Lorenzo, and Eva's @superoma's twins on this date!🎂 Thanks to Vanessa @JazzyV for keeping up the lists and remembering everyone's birthdays and anniversaries, too! Hope you are doing okay today.❤️ The port today is actually a destination called Barra Norte Sea, Brazil. This is the area near the mouth of the Amazon and the Barra Norte River. This is a first time showing for that destination. We were there on our Amazon River cruise on the Volendam in November-December 2022. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos there. I don't know if Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser has any but she can let us know later. Praying for a good presentation for DGD Morgan this morning. Hoping you all have a lovely day and enjoy your Valentine's Day with your loved ones (or furry friends--LOL!). ❤️ Stay safe and keep well!

Sorry to hear about the fire department fire across the state line, but happy to hear equipment was loaned to help out. It's a necessary service. This fire department is county funded and operated. I don't know about volunteers. Back in 2014 a house 4 doors down from us burned up due to an electrical fire. They had trucks here from all over the county. That was a major fire! I love hearing when people say they slept better last night. It makes such a difference! I hope you have a good day too. Annie, that is so sad about Donna and her life since she was mugged! She really needed therapy to get herself past this. Too bad she couldn't get a fresh start somewhere else. Both Morgan and her mother say they felt such a feeling of relief when we told them we wanted to help get her out of there. I'm hoping she is able to concentrate better on her final months of college with a new location and no bad memories there. My DD says she has the name of the suspect who robbed her in December and looked up his charges, etc. This was a big guy, 6'2" tall and 250 pounds so very intimidating especially with a gun. He has at least 10 charges of robbery over $1000 with a weapon, carjacking with a weapon, eluding police, property damage when they chased the car and he caused damage, even striking (hitting or kicking I guess) a police dog! I can't remember all the charges there were so many! He should stay in jail until trial because his bond is high. Morgan has been instructed she must report Monday the 19th to give a deposition on everything she can remember about that day. They gave her a victim's attorney and everything. I'm sure we will all be relieved when this is over and done with, but the judicial system is slow. Maureen, I hope you can get the answers you need when you need them. Tricky indeed. Hoping the numbers remain good for DH. I hope our firehouse wasn't damaged badly too. The information sent out didn't mention the place burning down or anything so I hope it's still there. I'm sure they won't put us all in danger by not having plans in case of fire or disaster of some sort. There are a lot of homes in this development, and the area around us is rural. Those folks need protection too. I'm sure they've put together a plan for the time being.

I've been trying to book specialty dinners for my 42 day June cruise on Zuiderdam. So far they only show the first 3 weeks of the cruise as options. I was able to book a Canaletto dinner, but Pinnacle Grill just won't work! I finally figured out when I chose the date I want, HAL has the wrong day of the week shown for that date. For instance Saturday the 22nd of June is shown as Friday the 22nd of June when you get ready to click on submit. Nothing happens! So I will have to call them I guess to make the reservations. We will also receive two free 5 star Pinnacle dinners but we will book those onboard. I don't want to pay for them today and then try to get the money back on the ship as compensation. Roy you might find this interesting. Last weekend our fire department station nearest our home had a fire! About 2:50 am they were alerted to smoke in the fire station. Upon further investigation they found one of the fire trucks engulfed in flames. They requested help from other stations as they proceeded to fight the fire. They've asked the State Fire Marshall to join in the investigation of the cause of this fire. Now they have to replace the fire truck and are coming up with plans for service coverage. I certainly hope there won't be any delays in case of fire in this area of the district! Meanwhile, good luck to you with all the appointments this week! Ann that is very sweet of you to say about offering Morgan a place to stay while she finds herself a new home. I'm sure she would love living with you and Bindi!❤️ Hope you are doing okay with the upcoming move and packing. What a job that is!! Jacqui, great memes today as usual. The one with the German Shepherd reminds me of something my DGD Ashley posted over the weekend. It was her German Shepherd Finn bobbing his head up and down to the beat of an Usher song. He looked so serious about it too! Hilarious! I asked her if Finn liked music a lot, which she answered yes he really did. However they got him to do that using a treat. They moved it up and down, over and over again, and he kept his eye on that treat very well!🐕 Praying the weather isn't too, too terrible and you'll be able to get around as needed! Be careful out there on the ice.🙏 That's terrible service in Tamarind if John didn't even get his meal! I'm appalled. I hope someone was notified of this complete lack of service. I hope things improve there soon, and meanwhile enjoy your day!

Good morning friends! It is a mere 41 degrees this morning and supposedly cloudy. It will be 55F later today with gusty winds at times, and mostly sunny skies. We had a break in the rain in the late afternoon so we dumped 4.6 inches of rainwater out of the rain gauge which was a 24 hour total. Then last evening we had a sudden thunderstorm followed by very gusty winds. I assume the weather front is on its way up north now. Good luck with your weather today! Thanks go to Jacqui @kazu, Roy @rafinmd and Rich @richwmn for the posting of the Daily and Fleet Report/maps! Well, today is Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras so tomorrow we have Ash Wednesday. Try not to party too hard or you might regret it afterwards.😜 Sorry, I've never heard of Black Love Day or Desperation Day. Not sure about the quote. I hope someone will try the chicken and cornmeal dumplings and let us know. No thanks to the Kentucky Mule drink or the pinot noir. Today was important in English history I guess. A shout out to Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard for their reports today.🙂 Prayers for DGD, DB and friends in need today. Also for my friends here on the Daily with pain, difficulties before and after medical procedures, sickness, worry, stress and loss of loved ones. In addition we continue to pray for Israelis, Ukrainians, hostages still held, and our military in danger overseas. 🙏 May all here have good times on their cruises and happy birthday and anniversary to anyone celebrating one. 🥂🎂 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists today. I hope your week goes well and that you are able to get some pain relief and sleep soon. The port today is Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This was the port before on June 9, 2021 and May 9, 2022. I have not had the opportunity to travel there, only to Dubai but I'm sure it's just as interesting. I'll post the links below for you. I don't have any photos to post today for either myself or Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser. Hoping everyone has a wonderful day! Stay out of that bad weather!

Thank you Cruise Suzy. Twenty years ago! It's more of an antique than the ones I've earned.

Since DS wanted me to have the tiles, maybe I should reconsider releasing the tiles and keep them in our collection. I wonder when that particular tile came out? They don't come with dates stamped on them as far as I can remember. Our current tiles would be from 2014 forward. Still raining hard off and on with thunder and lightning all around us. A good day to stay home.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs for their win in the Super Bowl! I believe they're officially a Missouri team so I will give them my support even though we are from the other side of the state. Back in the 1980's we supported the 49ers with Joe Montana and also the Oakland Raiders because we briefly lived in northern California. But we moved on (and so did the Raiders!). Is anyone here interested in Ryndam II tiles from Holland America? Yesterday DS and DDIL were browsing in an antique shop in McKinney, Texas and ran into two of them. He sent me a bad photo of one and asked me about them. I explained they were probably given to some Mariners on a HAL cruise. Before I knew it he said he got them for me! I said "Wait, you'll just end up with them, and the drawerful of tiles I already have", but he said too late! If anyone here is interested in them, they are pretty old I would say.

I believe this is all for today from Lenda's selection of Normandy photos. I found three pictures taken on our first two visits to the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach that I've not shared before. On our first visit on May 28, 2004, on Noordam III, the visitor's center at the cemetery was still a small building, but this picture says a lot about how the people living near the D-Day beaches feel about the allied soldiers who liberated France beginning June 6, 1944. Our second visit to the area was in 2011 on Prinsendam. We visited the new visitor center at the cemetery and found it very moving. The two displays that say it all are in these pictures. The flags of the Allies in Europe in WWII. This one makes me tear up every time I see it. The tribute to the fallen soldiers. It is just outside the door as you leave to walk to the cemetery. Lenda

Here is Lenda's second batch. I'll continue the tour of Normandy with a few more pictures. We were there in 2011 and 2016 on the Prinsendam. These pictures are from 2016. We stopped in Arromanches that day. Some of the mulberries still in the harbor. After a stop at the American Cemetery, we drove the Saint Mere Eglise. This was the first time we were able to drive in the town and to stop at the church were one soldier's parachute was caught on the steeple. He was lucky the Germans did not see him. IIRC, some of the towns people cut him down. In 2011, we saw this cart being driven on Omaha Beach. In 2004, after the D-Day ceremony, we drove to Mont Saint Michel. We had time since it was a very late sailing that day. The next day we were in Le Havre. I forgot to mention the security surrounding the D-Day ceremony. We had to park about 10 miles from the cemetery and take a bus to and from the cemetery. Before June 4, 2004, when driving around the area of Omaha Beach and down to the beach, we noticed a missile battery and a field hospital just below the ridge where it was difficult to see from the cemetery. They brought many soldiers from Germany to be in the cemetery on June 4. Lenda

Here is the first batch of photos from Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser taken from the April 2, 2023 post. We've been to Cherbourg at least four times by 'BHBs. We have always rented a car and toured the Normandy beaches. I thought I had pictures of Cherbourg but didn't find any. In 2004, on b2b2b2b cruises on Noordam III, we were in Cherbourg twice, for a total of three days. Most of the pictures are from the overnight on June 5 and 6. The ship had passes to the 60th anniversary of D-Day ceremony, and we were lucky to get a couple. While I don't have pictures from the ceremony, which was very crowded, I do have other pictures from the American Cemetery on June 4, 2004. These pictures are of Pointe du Hoc, where the American Rangers scaled the 100 foot cliffs and took our the German emplacements. The first group of pictures of the American Cemetery were taken on June 5, 2004, before the crowds arrived the next day. This was the seating arrangement for the D-Day ceremony with the tv camera platform in the foreground. They had tv monitors placed at intervals on each side of the seating. When we were there a few days earlier, the chairs were not there. Instead, there were risers along each side facing the center aisle. That was changed when the White House said the arrangement was unacceptable. It really didn't matter since we were just a few rows from the back and could not see much of the ceremony. These pictures ere taken on June 6, 2004. Preparing for the 21 gun salute Omaha Beach from the cemetery I have a few more pictures that I will post separately. Lenda

Good morning friends! We had a night filled with thunder and lightning, the temp now is 59 and will rise to about 65, Rain and thunderstorms will continue all day and we need to be aware of possible tornado watches and warnings and even flash flooding. ⛈️ The next few days will make up for it with sunny days into Friday! Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. Thanks also to Rich @richwmn who spent a lot of time compiling it all and preparing it all ahead of his fantastic cruising. Happy Birthday to our great President Abraham Lincoln, and to Charles Darwin as well who was a great contributor to scientific thinking. I'll give DH some hugs and send some via text to my loved ones. Wish I could hug them all personally. I agree with the quote, would probably pass on the soup for other favored varieties, and hope Paul likes today's classic martini cocktail. No thanks on the wine of the day. A good day for Dior and Gretzky. Thank to our reporters Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard! Prayers sent out for my DGD and DB, friends and spouses in need of them, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages who remain held and the two who were just rescued! Praying for our troops in the region in harm's way. Many prayers for our Dailyites with health issues, pain, lack of sleep, loss in their lives, worry and stress. Congrats to those celebrating happy events such as @MISTER 67 on his birthday! 🎂 Woohoo to those cruising and preparing to cruise!🚢 Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the list keeping chores today! I hope you and BFF are able to get everything done that needs doing to prepare for your floor work. And that you have gotten some sleep and can endure your leg pain a little longer. The destination today is Cherbourg (Normandy), France which was also our port on Jan. 5, 2022 and April 2, 2023. I haven't yet been there but we are scheduled to visit Cherbourg and Normandy on May 23, 2024 and am looking forward to it, sobering as it will be. Here are the links for your convenience. I'll post photos from Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser shortly. My sleep was interrupted by deafening thunder in the area around 2:30 a.m. so am a bit tired this morning. Might be time for another "rest" in the napping room downstairs! I didn't get a thing done yesterday on the cross stitch stocking. DD and I were discussing where Morgan should move in the Tampa area. We're thinking St. Petersburg but there are good and bad areas and we aren't experienced around there. She is asking a realtor friend who is headed to Tampa to get some info for us. Meanwhile Morgan has a huge final presentation in a capstone course Wednesday (70% of her grade) so has been preparing for that. She is relieved she will be able to move and will get on that pronto. We all will feel much better when that happens. If anyone knows of any good apartments in the St. Pete area please advise! Have a great day everyone! Stay safe, keep well, and try to stay dry!

Gerry @ger_77 yesterday was definitely a bad day for you with the sad news about your two friends. I'm so sorry to hear it and send my condolences to you and the families involved. Very nice of you and other friends to think of the widow with the meal train. I'm sure it will make a difference for her. Annie @marshhawk perhaps we will have an early spring after all. Yesterday while we were outside working for several hours, we saw two groups of geese flying by in the V formation going due north! Amazing how they know which direction to fly twice a year.🔃

Oh my Jack! Excuse us! Thank you and Ray @USN59-79 both for your service to our country!

And here are Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser's photos. We have been to Taormina twice on BHBs. In October 2017, the Prinsendam docked in Messina, and we took the transfer to Taormina. In August 2019, the Veendam tendered at Naxos just down the coast, and we took a local bus to Taormina. I hope I'm not duplicating too many of @StLouisCruisers Sandi's pictures. The first two pictures were taken from the top of the parking garage where the bus dropped us off in 2017. The top one is the road from the coast up to Taormina, and the second is Mt. Etna. The next ones were taken in 2017 as we walked around the walled part of the city. The next pictures are from our 2019 visit, where we started from the other end of town. The first is the remnants of the city gate. The street leading to the ancient Greek theater and a view of the ocean A few pictures of the Greek theater which is still used for concerts and other events. Both times, we stopped at here for gelato, and the view. The town outside the old city gate Lenda

I checked my Cruising Profile and it said we had been to Taormina on the Prinsendam Holy Land cruise we took in Oct. 2014. But when I looked at my Shutterfly book of that cruise it turns out we were unable to go there and they substituted Messina instead. Knowing I'd seen Taormina on a tour once I was able to determine we'd been there in October 2016 on Emerald Princess. The port was Messina and the tour was to Mt. Etna and Taormina. October 5, 2016 on our tour of Taormina. It's a charming town and very scenic but can be a problem to negotiate when crowds are large. It would be nice here off season, whenever that is! The Duomo and the funky fountain in front of it. A small walkway. I love those lanterns hanging from the building. A shopper's delight... A dining/drinking delight... The view from an overlook A closer look at that ship in case you'd like to identify it...might be a Windstar The Church of St. Joseph (or the Chiesa San Giuseppe) In front of the church Lots of people! Enough for today.

Good morning friends! Weather here is 60F and we shall have rain off and on all day with a high of 68. 🌧️ Thank you to Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. It's always nice to see where all the BHB's are on any given day.🚢 I agree with Graham @grapau27 that autism recognition is so important. It's hard to imagine life without electricity! And I agree we shouldn't cry over spilled milk or make a mountain out of molehill, another old saying. To me they mean essentially the same thing.. An excellent quote. I'll have to pass on anything spicy to eat. I'm not sure what the drink contains but I like most any sauvignon blanc. All the days in history are good days. Thank you Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard for the reports today! I haven't said my prayers yet because it was my sleep in-no exercise day but I will do that shortly. First will be DGD and DB, our friends in poor health, and the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still left and held against their will, and our troops in the region in harm's way. And very importantly, prayers for all here on our Care list and all others, in pain, awaiting or recovering from medical procedures, suffering from disease, loss of loved ones, worry and stress. 🙏 We hope for better days for you all. Cheers for everyone celebrating happy events and going cruising!🥂🚢 I hope the best team wins the Super Bowl tonight, and everyone has a good time watching it, especially the commercials. 😄 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the work you put into the lists for us all! We appreciate you, and worry about you! Prayers always for you. Same for dear Tana who is a very brave individual and a blessing to her family and friends. The port this morning is Gardini-Naxos, Taormina, Italy (Sicily). Goodness, we've had Taormina three times already, on Sept. 14, 2021, May 15, 2022, and Sept. 17, 2023. Both Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser and I have been so I'll post our photos after the links. Please feel free to retrieve your photos to give us a look again! Have a great Super Bowl Sunday! Stay safe and keep well! And Bon Voyage Karen @quilty964!!

Yes, thank you I did make that mistake. Our Virginia Navy man @Heartgrove!