• Laura Folk
  • Laura Folk

Paris, Africa, Spain, & More

Ein 46-Tage Abenteuer von Laura Weiterlesen
  • Last Sea Day

    7. April 2024 in den USA ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Lost an hour last night.

    Our Needlework/Craft group met, exchanged contact info, and admired each others' work.
    Ann made great progress on her kiddy sweater. Annie has started a fan & feather scarf, after finishing the red shawlette with pearls. Berthe learned about sock-knitting and felt confident in her future attempt. Victoria finished a beaded fish. Larilla continued progress on her embroidery. Carol wasn't with us today, but has made a couple of squares for her baby blanket. Candy punched thousands of blue stars for DAR party ornaments. And I am almost to the shoulders of my Floozy Too pullover. It's been a great group, and we'll hopefully stay in touch.

    We did some 8th deck socializing.

    Dinner tonight at La Cucina. Cannoli for dessert.
    Weiterlesen

  • Motril, Spain, Granada, and Alhambra

    8. April 2024 in Spanien ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Grapes roses cypress & oranges
    Love tree, Judas tree

    Our Alhambra tour guide was Daniel- clearly loved his job. He was very animated, and did a great job of explaining the history to us.

    We started out at the Generalife- beautiful gardens and fountains . Then proceeded to the Alhambra palace through the town. We saw Charles Palace- occupied for 6 month honeymoon, then construction stopped for lack of funds.

    The Alhambra Palace was much as I recalled- carved wood, pressed stucco, beautiful colors- some amazing ceilings. And fountains all over the place. The Moorish carvings were mesmerizing, and I could have gazed at them for hours.

    We went back to Granada, and hit a grocery store to get some treats for ship's crew. They love chocolate and crispy things. Then to a garden cafe where we had some wine and tapas- a really tasty potato dish that was served with our bevs. (Those in the know don't order the tapas food- it just gets served in Granada.)

    Then back to the ship- Cagney's!!!
    Weiterlesen

  • Alicante and Murcia

    9. April 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We awoke in Alicante. After breakfast we joined our tour to Murcia, the capital of the province of Murcia.

    We stopped for an orange drink & coffee, then went to the Cathedral in Murcia- very beautiful with many little chapels around the outside. One of these was very large- the family actually had the side of the cathedral removed to make it larger. Outside is an amazing chain carved from stone.

    We then visited the church of San Juan de Dios- very small, and with lovely statues.

    With some free time , we enjoyed a sangria at the same cafe from the morning. Then back to the ship, which was parked next to P&O's newest craft, sporting a Union Jack.

    Then- the worst part of any cruise- packing (and saying goodbye)
    Weiterlesen

  • Montserrat and Cava from Barcelona

    10. April 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The sadness of departing the ship was softened significantly by extending our time with Gen and Ed- friends we've spent a lot of time with during the last month.

    When we told them of our upcoming tour to Montserrat, they decided to join, and we were able to arrange being together for the trip. Our guide was Marta- who grew up on Long Island

    What a remarkable place. The mountains truly look serrated from afar. And when we were near the monastery, it was walking through a medieval town. We had enough time to see the church before they closed for Mass. Unfortunately, we needed to leave before the Boy's Choir sang.

    We picked up some goodies- cheese, almonds, and fig cake. I about got knocked over by a young lady as I tried to pay for some goods- she had to reach across me to grab something.

    Then on to Art Cava- I've discovered a new vice. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine. We've been drinking Freixenet for decades- but Art Cava gave me an appreciation for the smaller vintners. Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarello are the three traditional varieties of grapes used to make Cava. (And I discovered techniques for handling the bubbles.)

    We purchased some bottles to be shipped home. We'll be able to enjoy our memories in the future.

    Then to the hotel.
    Weiterlesen

  • Bagá, France, Andorra

    11. April 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    We found the tour office- no mean feat... and I was able to locate Gen & Ed. Our tour guide was Steven- he's Irish- married to a Spaniard. It was a great day.

    Our first stop was Bagá- a Spanish medieval village- we were able to taste Coca- a Catalunyan sweet bread- and visited a small cafe for a coffee and servicio break.

    Then on to France- Ax de Thermé. We had a really good lunch at a small restaurant- Wayne had onion soup and we shared a Mountaineer Plate- cheeses, meats, and a delicious onion marmalade. Gen and I shopped at a small grocery store and picked up some small goodies.

    Andorra was our next stop. We visited the border town from France, then headed to the capital city. Gen & I dragged the guys to Starbucks where we both got Andorra mugs. IYKYK.

    On our return to Barcelona, the four of us ate at a small Turkish restaurant- I had calamares, and W had paella. We bid farewell to our new friends, and back to our hotel.

    St. George- Jordi
    Pheasant Island
    Weiterlesen

  • Sagrada Familia and Barcelona Ho-Ho

    12. April 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Sagrada Familia-- how to describe it? It's an amazing edifice. To me, it looks like it was designed by a committee with bad communication skills. That said, it was, in fact, designed by a string of architects- the most famous and apparent of whom was Gaudi.

    There were so many details- one of my favorites was on the exterior, where a figure of the Risen Christ is sitting in a ledge overlooking the cross.

    After this sensory overload, we did a nice afternoon ride on the HoHo bus-- with a stop for sangrias and snacks.

    Our evening found us wandering the area near the hotel. Wayne wanted some sherry. We inquired at a bar where the waiter informed us that "It isn't a Spanish drink." O...K....
    Weiterlesen

  • Ende der Reise
    14. April 2024