ljandgb

9 hours ago, gnome12 said:

Pompidou Centre, Paris, Seine River.

That's it.  I made a special trip to see it as I distinctly remember the pages about it in my high school French book.  See, I said it would be easy.  On to you, @gnome12.

Mama Mia would be fun too. I’m not a huge public singer but could make an exception for good musicals. 
 

Let’s try this. I think it will be easy. Long week, so I’m going to bed early. I’ll check in morning to see how quickly someone gets the right answer. 

The Berlin Wall?  That is a marker where it was?  

Just guessing.  I saw it when it was still a wall in the late '80's.

1 hour ago, gnome12 said:

I have attended sing-along Sound of Music showings a few times now. They are hokey, but a lot of fun. I sing along to most musicals when I watch at home, but I do live alone. (I've also been to sing-along Mamma Mia! and sing-along Hairspray.)

 It never occurred to me there were singalong shows!  I totally need to search one out.  Surely in Houston or Austin.  One day.  After the pandemic...

If there were a SoM singalong anywhere around me, my kids would die of mortification.  I'd be loud and proud, if only for all the great childhood memories.  I'd love a SoM tour.

I can scare up some pictures if needed, but let's let @jpalbny or @renmar try to find one first.

Thanks for the shoutout, @notamermaid.  We were hit pretty hard by the storm in Texas. It's just been a very busy, weird time.

I've been lurking for a while as I've not had the ability to quickly identify anything or the time to sleuth it.  I just wanted to chime in that I grew up on Sound of Music and my best friend was one of 8 kids.  We played SoM regularly and I have the entire movie memorized.  My kids can not understand my love for it!

There is a steady small stream of posts regarding just this, but the number of people who have any real experience with these cruises, that post here, is pretty small.  It may be hard to get anyone to do an apples to apples comparison.

What does get stated frequently, including by me, is that Iceland is best suited to a land tour.  Or at the very least a combined land/sea.  What makes Iceland appealing - the vast undeveloped spaces and amazing natural beauty - makes seeing it by sea less than perfect.  Other than Reykjavik and Akureyri, the port stops are very small hamlets with limited excursion choices, frequently just whatever the cruise line is offering.  Isafjordur pre-covid also has some choices, but is still very small. The major sites are often large distances from each other.  Much of what is considered must see in the southwest is a long day's tour away from Reykjavik, and anything closer will be (pre-covid) busy with tourists. 

Iceland is easy to navigate, as there are very few roads and they are well marked.  Once you leave the boomerang zone of Reykjavik day tours, you should be able to leave most other tourists behind.  If planning the trip is concerning, there are definitely companies that will make all the arrangements for you. Or, head over to the TripAdvisor forum and get advice there.  

Agree with all above.  Iceland is best seen as a land trip.  Even if it's just a few days, which allows you to range a bit more out of the city.  Most of the sights are far apart, so even doing a "there and back" 1-2 day trip limits you.

If you really want to cruise, do several days on land pre- or post-, and that should cover all your bases well.

My all time favorite Barcelona experience was a Steel Donkey bike tour.  Big, easy bikes to ride, the land is mostly very flat, great guide, and there are lots of bike and pedestrian only streets.  It was a great way to see the city and get a good idea of the layout for further exploration.

Are we talking Africa? Cairo?

We did a walking tour (tapas focused) of Picoteo with Food Lover Tour 2 years ago.  It was great.  The food was fantastic, and it's a wonderful neighborhood full of Barcelona charm.  

We were on a land tour, so can't comment on how do to it from the port.

Oh man, that episode kills me every time. 

I've not been specifically, but it looks like St-Remy-de-Provence?

We drove through the countryside east of Aix-en-Provence in July 2017. It was heavenly.  The air itself smelled good. 

Yup, jpalbny got it.

I know, not very historical, but VERY popular if you are in London for some reason.  For any HP fans, practically required.  I was there with my daughter on a quick spring break trip.  We also scored tickets to the HP play, The Cursed Child, which was very good though a time commitment as it is actually 2 full plays done with a dinner break in between or on separate days.

Professor Snape says try harder. 😉

No takers now that I’m back? I’ll go then. This is a very popular excursion from a major nearby city. 

Well, how many food markets have disco balls AND Rubic's cubes?  I'll have to suggest at least the disco balls for our local farmer's market!

We'll have to stop by there in September when we're in Budapest when we (hopefully) get to go on our Danube cruise.

Wild card.  I'll be away from the computer most of the day.

Szimpla Kert, Budapest, Danube?

The disco balls and Rubic's cube made the google search fruitful.  (see what I did there? 😉 )

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

As to the latest picture:  no clue, but it looks like a church designed by a committee of egoists.  "Oh, so you put four little towers around the main one?  Well then, I'll add two little ones around the apse.  Take that!"

I thought of it as the "more is more" school of thought. LOL

Maybe a convent, or school, associated with the church?

So...Portugal had various animals at the roof corners, different animals (or figures) symbolizing different blessings or protections.  Asian countries generally use dragons, and use the corners and roof leading up to it.  I found a mention of clay bulls used in the Andes on the top of the roof, so maybe somewhere near the Amazon??

I was typing as jpalbny posted.  His makes more sense!

I asked over on a Disney-centered forum, as Adventures by Disney uses the AMA ships.  Consensus there is the 3rd bed, a pull out from a chair, is best for tiny adults or children.  One poster said even their kids did not like it as it was not comfortable.

Unsolicited, the recommendation was to get a second room.

15 minutes ago, Daisi said:

@ljandgb, click on the word "Quote", not the "+" symbol.  Quote is for one quote, the + is for a multi-quote.  Mind you, it also may depend on how you access the forum.

 

Sorry, just trying to help if I am saying something you already know.

 

 Well, that was easy!    Thanks. 🙂

"We have tolerated open sea pictures of the Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon with the closest river cruise port some 200 km away."

For some reason I can't figure out how to quote here.  If that was directed at me, we've done a few Lisbon centered locations, with the rationalization that Lisbon is a frequent inclusion in the total Douro river cruise package.  Cabo da Roca is 39 km from Lisbon, an easy bus ride, and a frequent tourist stop.

I have no clue on the location of the gate, but I whole heartedly vote yes to including the Thames.  I'm running out of interesting pictures from other rivers.