Live virtual Transatlantic on the Regal

[scubacruiserx2]

Just now, AF-1 said:

Got it;  have a wonderful day.  How far south in Florida are you?  My parents lived in Clearwater, and my brother in West Palm Beach.

 

We're in Palm Beach County .

[scubacruiserx2]

One last shot of another "castle" like home .

 

 

Next stop was a small village . It was interesting to see how the roofs were constructed .

 

 

The village

 

 

The wedding party was there and nice enough to let me take a photo . You can see the tile exterior on the restaurant behind them .

 

 

Walking up a narrow street is where we found the tile store .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

After our village stop near Sintra , we returned to Lisbon and made final photo stop above the city .

 

 

Facing the other way lead to an overview of the city and river

 

 

 

We said our goodbye to another great day and the port of Lisbon .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Morning walk . Some of the halls in the Regal have photos which I guess passengers have taken

 

 

While walking down the promenade before coffee in the IC , some things and photos seem fuzzy

 

 

a dining room in the Crown Grill

 

 

 

this picture in the future cruises looked reall fuzzy to me without my glasses

 

 

 

It is a mosaic

 

 

made from small photos of the world 🆒

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Oops , I forgot to include the sail in video to Lisbon .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Dinner was at Sabatini's

 

 

 

 

Antipasto

 

 

Baby field greens

 

 

An artichoke souffle

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Braised short ribs with Penne . We found a new cheap wine that we like on this cruise for $ 30 ($ 10 at Publix ) .

 

 

Manicotti

 

 

Chicken Supreme

 

 

The veal was a special not found on the menu ( a bit chewy to my taste )

 

 

Desserts and after dinner drinks menu

 

 

The Norman Love Tiramisu

 

 

 

[Loucat]

We tried Sabatini's one night but had a snarky head waiter and not great food so we left. This is the only Regal dining venue we did not like.

We do enjoy having breakfast there every morning. Not crowded; great service and good variety of breakfast foods. Nice suite treat!

[scubacruiserx2]

14 hours ago, Loucat said:

We tried Sabatini's one night but had a snarky head waiter and not great food so we left. This is the only Regal dining venue we did not like.

We do enjoy having breakfast there every morning. Not crowded; great service and good variety of breakfast foods. Nice suite treat!

 

It was fairly empty and the service was good but our least favorite dining experience also .

[scubacruiserx2]

We had a pleasant day yesterday at sea .

 

 

 

The coast of Spain before sunset

 

 

But it got bumpy at night . This morning was cool with possible rain and a high of the low 70's .

Edited April 30, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

[BarbinMich]

21 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

. . . We said our goodbye to another great day and the port of Lisbon .

Thanks again for letting me "visit" Lisbon once again.  I love the blue/white tiles on many of the older buildings and on one visit bought a 4-piece refrigerator magnet, making up a full tile, so now I get to see one multiple times a day <g>.  The Netherlands also is known for its blue and white tiles.  Wonder who had the "idea" first?

[CruzinNoony]

Loving your "live from".  Your pictures are absolutely awesome.  Nice that you had Sabatini's all to yourselves!

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, BarbinMich said:

Thanks again for letting me "visit" Lisbon once again.  I love the blue/white tiles on many of the older buildings and on one visit bought a 4-piece refrigerator magnet, making up a full tile, so now I get to see one multiple times a day <g>.  The Netherlands also is known for its blue and white tiles.  Wonder who had the "idea" first?

 

My wife likes the Delft tile as her mom bought some in Holland . Her parents met in Germany after the war and they spent some time in Europe . They were later married back in the US in Geneva , NY where her mom was from and they returned and lived in Michigan where her dad was from . We're not sure who had the idea first but we first saw some really impressive tile heaters in Catherine's Palace near Saint Petersburg , Russia in 2006 .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, CruzinNoony said:

Loving your "live from".  Your pictures are absolutely awesome.  Nice that you had Sabatini's all to yourselves!

 

Thank you . Taking social distancing seriously in Sabatini's .

[scubacruiserx2]

The local EMS was there to meet and greet us at the port in Bilbao

 

 

 Not being fans of modern art or high priced local guides , we choose to DIY , and bought $6 tickets  for the shuttle bus at the port . The port is at Getxo , about half an hours ride on the bus .

 

 

The bus let us off near Plaza Moyua

 

 

Our plan was quite simple . Walk from black # 23 , down Lopez de Haro to black # 11 , Casco Viejo . Later , follow the river North and West to blue # 9 and the funicular . Then continue to follow the river to yellow # 7 , the Guggenheim , and have lunch near there .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Setting out from the plaza , we headed down the broad street Lopez de Haro .

 

 

We were surprised to see half of a statue of John Adams , the second American President , in front of the Regional Government Office .

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams

 

We had forgotten that we were in Europe , and that many people sleep in late .

 

 

Making it to the older area we saw the Arriaga Theatre from 1890 . The building is older than the city that I was born in .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Looking back at the bridge

 

 

Beware of trams in old town !

 

 

It's filled with narrow streets

 

 

And shops

 

 

We wanted to check out the ham shop

 

 

This ham was clamped in a meaty-evil looking device known as a Jamonera .

 

 

" The first jamones ibéricos were released for sale in the United States in December 2007, with the bellota hams due to follow in July 2008. The basic jamón ibérico is priced upwards of $52 a pound, and the bellota is priced upwards of $96 a pound, making these hams some of the most expensive in the world. "

Quote from Wikipedia :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam%C3%B3n_ib%C3%A9rico

 

Suddenly , the Chef's Table looked inexpensive .  And now , we wished that we would have bought some 

[scubacruiserx2]

Most of the shops didn't open until 10 , and some 11 . We went to the Gothic Santiago Cathedral ( 15th century ) , just as a tour bus arrived .

 

 

They left quickly and we went inside .

 

 

 

 

The light was nice on the building across the street where a local football fan lived .

 

 

Returning to the river we saw the San Nicholas Church ( 1756 ) .

 

 

This park was to the left of the church and the river to the left of the park

 

 

Heading North , we saw some blue skies and hills .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

We noticed a pair of shoes hanging out . I wonder if a tornado dropped the slide on him ? A closer look revealed a Coke can . Maybe he had too much to dream last night .

 

 

Next up : City Hall circa 1892

 

 

And in the distance ... Zubizuri .

 

 

But next up - the funicular .

 

 

Waiting for the backward launch into the tunnel reminded me of Space Mountain in WDW .

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

But , in the men's room at the top of the hill....

 

 

it was more like ... Splash Mountain !

 

 

And in the stall ! What's wrong with this picture ? 

 

 

I still haven't figured it out yet . I'm just glad that I didn't need it !

[scubacruiserx2]

After our break , we needed some fresh air and Mt. Artxanda provided it . The view was great and it was noticeably cooler and very breezy .

 

 

I choose to hike down to the overlook

 

 

Where 3 overlapping photos

 

 

yielded 1 nice panorama

 

 

And the telephoto lens brought us in closer

 

 

to the Guggenheim .

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Guggenheim close up

 

 

Back up top , the smell of grass and flowers was in the air . And after all , it was Spring !

 

 

I loved these flowers . My wife said that they were chestnuts .

 

 

The big fingerprint in the sky

 

 

was really just some art

 

 

a steep incline .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

After our descent on the funicular , We crossed the Nervion River on the Zubizuri Bridge ( Basque " white bridge " ) , which is a foot bridge .

 

 

 

From here it's just a short walk to the next bridge and the Guggenheim Museum .

 

 

 

The next piece of art is Maman , which reminded me of the Martian fighting machines in the War of the Worlds .

 

 

But the artist said that it dedicated to her mother :

 

The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.

— Louise Bourgeois[4]

 

 

We could see that it is a popular photo spot and it inspires people . This guy was doing a spider dance for the photographer . I should have went to the video mode as it was pretty funny .

 

 

[AF-1]

Your pictures make me miss being on a ship and having a relaxing time.  Have you ever visited Oporto, Portugal?

[bcnvcanada]

Can't wait for the next stop and our favourite brewery in Bruge

Straffehendrik and Zot Belgisch Beir.  Thanks for posting all the'wonderful

pictures.  We have enjoyed our revisit to all the wonderful places.  Hopefully,

we shall be able to see some of them again.   

.