Live, Terry/Spirit: Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany; Pix’s!

[UKCruiseJeff]

We do!

 

It's really embarrasing when the music has been switched off and people are leaving the party and you're wishing them all safe travels home, and someone says "Hold on, the parties not over yet!"

 

Looking forward to all your "wonderful pictures" of Spirit's bathrooms Terry!

 

Enjoy Brittany particularly the seafood and calavados.

 

:D

[jpalbny]

I blinked and the cruise is over. So sad. Enjoyed following along and hope you enjoy your post-cruise adventure in Brittany!

[Keith1010]

Terry, I look forward to your continued posts in France and thank you for taking us along with your very informative and interesting narrative and of course the wonderful photos.

 

Keith

[swindy]

Hi Terry

That's a shame as we board on the 25th so sounds like we will just miss Capt Palmieri

Thanks anyway

[SonjaWinson]

Hi, Terry,

 

Thank you so much for letting us join you on your cruise. Your images are incredible!

 

I look forward to reading more of your impressions about the Spirit and about your post-cruise stay in France.

 

Karen

[TLCOhio]

Hi, Terry, Thank you so much for letting us join you on your cruise. Your images are incredible! I look forward to reading more of your impressions about the Spirit and about your post-cruise stay in France. Karen

 

Appreciate Karen's joining this discussion and making such nice comments. Plus, the other kind follow-ups!!! Jeff will just have to wait for his bathroom visuals. Don't rush too much. Need to hold off that "seeking of excitement". Jeff might not be that interested in those "details", but others who have not been on the Silver Spirit, yet, will be interested.

 

YES, we are surviving, barely, one day being off of the ship without ALL handy services, staff, food, travel logistics being solved, etc.

 

Got off of the ship yesterday. Cab avails on that Sunday morning were a little limited and disorganized in Rouen, but we made it to the ESSO station on a Sunday morning to get our Hertz car. It's a Juke!! Red and cute car. Works and rides fine. Doing well on the manual shifting. Had to get Michelin maps to find Château La Ballue near Bazouges la Pérouse in Brittany. Have a couple of photos below. More details later. This Château goes back to the 16th century. Their website is: www.la-ballue.com.

 

More later, but off for breakfast (not in La Terrazza, sorry!) and then to the walled town of Dinan that sits on the the River Rance.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 51,612 views for these postings.

 

Here are a couple of visuals from Château La Ballue, plus a couple of pictures of a "special event" dance program being held here as we were arriving. This dancer was excellent in doing several flamingo performances. Great, spectacular garden here, etc. It's a real Château in every sense of the word.:

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Next, we traveled to the nearby town of Combourg where the Chateau associated with the family of François-René de Chateaubriand is located. His family acquired the property in 1761 and this famous writer and food "inventor" spent part of his childhood here. You can his statute that is erected just outside the walls of this Chateau. Yes, this Chateau is much, much bigger than the one where we are staying for three days.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Here are a few more picture from Château La Ballue, dinner in Combourg, the ship, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 32,378 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

Here are a few more visuals from Château La Ballue, including from some of their great gardens. The third picture shows the view out from one of the first-floor sitting rooms looking out towards to some of the garden areas.:

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Need some food porn? Last night in Combourg, we had a change of pace from our Silver Spirit dining. A crepe by wife and for a me, a pizza!! Not quite Jeff's pizza, but it was very, very good.:

 

 

From our Silver Spirit, here is a picture of our excellent butler, Dorothy. Her super personality is as wonderful as her beautiful face. Anyone else had the good fortune to have been served by Dorothy?:

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning Terry, lovely piccies ..... you keep them coming!!!! You must be use to British tongue-in-cheek humour by now .....;):D

 

I'm very much looking forward to your pics of your French eatings. :)

[Camillus112]

Terry, appreciating your visuals, as always. But I have to say the spell checker played a joke on you... I was very curious as to the flamingo dancer...

[jpalbny]

Me too! LOL. Was she on one leg?

 

Flamenco makes it through my phone's spellchecker just fine, though.

 

Good to see that Terry and Mrs. Terry are having a great post-cruise trip. Would love to visit a few of those châteaux de la Loire some day.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[TLCOhio]

Terry, appreciating your visuals, as always. But I have to say the spell checker played a joke on you... I was very curious as to the flamingo dancer...

 

YES!! Great sharp eyes and attention to details by Camillus and JP. Clearly, it should have been "Flamenco". And the dancer has two well-performing legs. BUT, between my weak spelling and/or spell-check error, it got screwed up. Glad that things have been corrected for the record.

 

Just got back from a spectacular day in the walled city of Dinan in the heart of eastern Brittany. Wonderful town!! The pictures will reflect its glory, plus some French food to make fun-loving Jeff happier.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

[TLCOhio]

Good Morning Terry, lovely piccies ..... you keep them coming!!!! You must be use to British tongue-in-cheek humour by now .....I'm very much looking forward to your pics of your French eatings.

 

Yes, love Jeff's "British tongue-in-cheek humour". Fun and always interesting.

 

We visited Dinan yesterday and this is a “super-star” location for Brittany. Believe me? My visuals will provide some “evidence”. Plus . . . as expressed by Rick Steves: “if you have time for only one stop in Brittany, make it the ancient riverfront city of Dinan. Its half-timbered and cobbled quaintness is Brittany's best medieval town center. The attraction is the town itself, delightfully preserved because it escaped the bombs of World War II.”

More at: www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/brittanys-dinan

 

ADDED ON DINAN: This medieval town on the hilltop has many buildings dating back to the 13th century. It still has much of its city walls, some of which can be walked. At one time, there were a thousand wood-timbered buildings in Dinan, not they have only seventeen of these interesting structures. Many of my pictures capture their unique beauty and character. Major historical attractions include the Jacobins Theatre dating from 1224, the Gothic St Malo's Church, Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica, Duchess Anne's Tower and the Château de Dinan. This town dominates the upper Rance River estuary, standing on a height above the left bank of the river 14 miles (22 km) south of the coast at Dinard/Saint Malo. There are also many fine 18th-century granite buildings, its Gothic bridge, and its 15th-century belfry, the Tour de l’Horloge. The walls of the town, dating from the 11th century, survived two 14th-century attacks by the English. An imposing granite castle, known as the Château de la Duchesse Anne, was built by the dukes of Brittany in the 14th and 15th centuries.

For great views, there are the 158 steps of the Tour de l’Horloge/Clock Tower, but I was not that ambitious to this climb. Dinan is characterized by lovely winding pedestrian streets. They have a large market on Thursday mornings at Place du-Guesclin, the town square named after a fourteenth-century knight who defeated the British in a key battle. To this town’s credit, they have a good range of parking options. On our long day of visiting here, it was wonderful not to be limited to having only an hour or two here as happens with many ship or private tours. We spent five+ hours in Dinan and it was such a totally wonderful experience to explore and enjoy in an in-depth manner.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 182,101 views for this posting.

 

First, here are some visuals from Dinan’s Romanesque St Saviour's Basilica. We walked in, respectively, as the priest was performing a morning mass and the organ was being played. Very inspiring and beautiful!! The final view is of the stone carving you see on entering this impressive church.:

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Next is one of the old wooden-timber buildings with the Tour de l’Horloge/Clock Tower in the background. Shown finally is one of the street music performers in Dinan. It all adds to the great atmosphere of this historic city that is also a "living" town.:

 

[TLCOhio]

I'm very much looking forward to your pics of your French eatings.

 

Just back from visiting around interesting Brittany town. It is called Vitre and it is a little east of Rennes. Avoided rain there, but some has been happening this morning and afternoon. Fortunately, this is the first real rain encountered during this trip.

 

Did Jeff say he wanted to see some French foods/cooking? Here are a few details from our wonderful lunch in Dinan. It was excellent in so many ways, plus our setting was even better!! And, there was free wifi to use, too. Plus, good company and a waiter who understood a little of our English. Who could ask for more?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 216,749 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Did some lunch in Dinan. First is a picture of the view from our seats in this outdoor dining spot. The sun started to come out and the weather worked very well for this day. Who could ask for a better location at Place des Merciers for dining enjoyment in this historic city? Plus, those excellent mussels from Brittany. Moules Marinieres. They were steamed with white wine, shallots, parsley and butter until the shells opened. Lots of great mussels were in this order. Then, the crème brûlée that we had might have been the best we have ever tasted. Had lots of taste orange items in the main custard. See more details below, including an exterior of this historic dining location with its grey-painted timbers and a sign with the name of the restaurant where we super enjoyed lunch in Dinan.:

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DINAN MONEY SHOT VISUAL?: With the sun out and making everything look better, here is OUR view from the Dinan wall's panorama point looking down to the Port of Dinan on the Rance River. This used to be a key commercial/trading point, but is now used mostly for recreational craft. Great vantage point and super scenic?:

[TLCOhio]

Am finishing now with a few more interesting visuals from yesterday in Dinan, reflecting its great history, character and charm. Like this Brittany town? Another others visited here and/or have it on your wish list for the future? Yes, they had lots of "shopping opportunities" here.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 225,623 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

In Dinan, here are some more visuals starting with the statue of the fourteenth-century knight honored in one of their main squares for his leadership to defeat the British in an important battle. Second is the tower of the Châteaude la Duchesse Anne and third are added angles on the interesting wood-timbered buildings. Finally, a few other views around Dinan, showing its towers, buildings, churches, etc.:

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[TLCOhio]

At Chateau La Ballue where we have been staying from Sunday through to Wednesday in eastern Brittany, there was the earlier "festival" and dance activities. BUT, yesterday and today, there was another interesting "wrinkle" on these grounds. A French movie, a comedy, is being produced here. Sorry, no Steve Martin doing Inspector Jacques Clouseau!! Nor, Tom Cruise filming here. Have no idea of the story line and movie message. BUT, below are a couple visuals that I took yesterday.

 

This includes one officer of their Gendarmerie with a pretty powerful-looking automatic weapon. No, they were NOT coming to arrest me!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 51,612 views for these postings.

 

At Chateau La Ballue, here are some actors dressed as Gendarmerie officers prepared to film a scene.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

 

[liptastic]

Terry your photographs and text continue to delight on this land part of your special holiday. Wonderful photographs, thanks again. Jean.

[spinnaker2]

Great photos!

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

I do love a man with mussels.

 

:)

[spinnaker2]

And frites...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[TLCOhio]

Terry your photographs and text continue to delight on this land part of your special holiday. Wonderful photographs, thanks again. Jean.

 

Great photos!

 

Appreciate these c0ntinued kind comments and follow-ups. This is only encouraging me to post MORE!! So here goes.

 

Next, I will post more from our visit to Vitré today. This town has been designated a "ville d'art et d'histoire", a town of artistic and historic significance, by the Ministry of Culture in recognition of its rich cultural inheritance.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 32,378 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

From our visit Friday, June 23, to St. Peter Port, Guernsey, I noted how much we super loved our Powerboat Seascape Expedition. From Silvia, the Silver Spirit's Excursion Manager, she snapped a picture of us ready to start that true "adventure". Here I am in the front seat with Frank from Charleston, SC. Penny did NOT want to be in that front "death seat". Frank's wife, Capers, is sitting next to Penny. This gives a better idea for the seating on this fast craft with two super-big outboard engines. Great memories for the best ship excursion of our trip.:

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From the window of our Chateau La Ballue room on the second floor, this is the spectacular view out to a portion for their gardens here. Plus, it shows the extended view to what is called the "Valley of the Queen". Super country sights from here!. Agree?:

 

While inside the Château de Vitré, a medieval castle in the town of Vitré, their signage for the toilets was rather different and unique. Thought I would share that visual here. Do you get the "joke"? Anyone ever seen such markings for the WC for women and men?:

[UKCruiseJeff]

And frites...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

Don't mention the war ..........:)

[TLCOhio]

I do love a man with mussels.

 

And frites...

 

YES, I plead "GUILTY" to loving mussels, especially when they come from Brittany. Sharp eye by Spins in noting the FRENCH fries.

 

From our visit today to Vitré, here are some visual highlights of this town that has a heritage as a place with tremendous wealth. This is one of the cities of Brittany that has best preserved its original appearance with its houses with porch or timber-framed, its ramparts, its religious heritage, old streets, etc.. Vitré is in some ways consider a perfect example of a town from 500 years ago. Two of its key locations are the Château de Vitré, its medieval castle, and the 14th century gothicNotre-Dame Church. It is also called: Eglise de Notre Dame.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

Here is the first group of today's visuals from Château de Vitré. The good news, as noted in some reviews, is that this castle does not get the huge crowds that flock to nearby Mont St Michel. Loved the tall towers, rounded shapes, great moat and draw-bridge, etc.:

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This castle or chateau had a number of interior rooms available to visit with many furnishing from those eras to give a sense of life here. BUT, only if you were part of the right and powerful families who could live in the nice rooms of such a structure.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Now a few visuals from Vitré's Eglise de Notre Dame. This the 14th century gothicNotre-Dame Church is very moving and interesting to visit. In Brittany, the Roman Catholic church is very strong. In fact, Igor, our guide, noted that most Catholics actually attend church on a regular basis, not just for a couple of the holidays. Most every small town in Brittany that we have passed has had very impressive Catholic churches, most with very unique and/or tall spires. Have not seen any other churches here other Catholic.

 

This part of France is very proud and strong with its highly-rated agriculture production, especially for dairy and grain.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Just completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun pictures!! Those pictures start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

Here are some pictures from Vitré's 14th century gothic Notre-Dame Church. First shows a picture of this church as seen from the nearby castle/chateau. Next are several interior views.:

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[TLCOhio]

Now to finish from our visit today to Vitré, here are few final samples from historic town.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Venice: Loving It & Why??!! Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 68,788 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

Here are three additional visuals from historic Vitré.:

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[MissSophia]

Such lovely photos of your exciting trip Terry.....so kind of you to take the time to allow us to join you.......and just for Spins and Jeff.....any Petit Pois on the menus yet 😉