Tui Snider
Inquisitive world traveler who writes books, gives talks & leads tours through historic cemeteries. My homebase is Texas, where I share a goth/tiki castle with my mad scientist husband & tabby cat. For my newsletter & more visit: TuiSnider.com Baca lagi🇺🇸United States
    • Barbados Scenery

      20 Januari 2024, Barbados ⋅ 🌬 84 °F

      Despite touching base with Captain Morgan shortly after docking in Barbados, we didn’t drink any rum during our stay.

      When thirst struck, we opted for Coconut Cooler instead. While sipping juice straight from a coconut is my favorite, this fizzy concoction really hit the spot.

      You might think that huge container at the port contains a petroleum product, but it’s full of molasses for rum making. Barbados invented rum when the island was covered in sugar plantations, but these days, the import the sticky stuff. (Calls to mind the Great Molasses Flood they once had in Boston, but I digress.)

      The national dish in Barbados is Cou Cou and Flying Fish. I’ve yet to get a decent shot of a flying fish, although they are abundant here, so that mosaic will have to do.

      Our van driver, Peter, provided wonderfully informative commentary as we drove around. He pointed out the street where pop star, Rihanna, grew up.

      Although the house she grew up in is now a bed and breakfast, according to him, “Rihanna don’t stay there no more when she visit. So don’t go looking for her there. All you will see is a nice plaque. She stays on the other side of the island, where the movies stars and rich folks go.”

      Peter also told us about chattel houses. These brightly painted wooden structures do not have permanent foundations. The house owners rent the land that the houses are on. “This way, if they squabble with their landlord, they can take their whole house and move it somewhere else.”

      Doesn’t seem like the safest thing for a hurricane prone area, but what do you I know?

      Back at the port, Larry bought me a beautiful necklace made from beach glass and little stones as an early Valentine’s Day present. (Yes, I am spoiled, and I know it!)

      The woman who made it has a little booth in the port and we were happy to buy something handmade from her.
      Baca lagi

    • Harrison Cave

      20 Januari 2024, Barbados ⋅ 🌬 84 °F

      I always find it challenging to capture the beauty of caves with my iPhone, but here are a few photos of Harrison Cave in Barbados.

      The original spelunkers crawled on their bellies through narrow channels, but we were carted around in an open topped trolley.

      Harrison Cave features grand caverns with streams and waterfalls. There’s even one cave formation which reminds people of someone proposing to their partner. As a result, people often use this spot to pop the question.

      Unlike other caves we’ve visited, this one did not smell at all like bat guano. It smelled like sandalwood incense, in fact. Our guide said that a few bats live in the mouth of the cave, but that’s it.

      They’ve certainly created a fun and easily accessible tour here. We had a great time.
      Baca lagi

    • The Observatory

      17 Januari 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 77 °F

      One of our favorite spots on the ship is The Observatory. At night, it hosts karaoke and dancing, but during the day, it’s a cozy hangout with a great view of the sea. Here are a few pics to give you a feel for the place.Baca lagi

    • Transatlantic Sea Days

      16 Januari 2024, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

      We’ve spent a week crossing the Atlantic, but there have been so many fun things to do on the ship that time has flown.

      Larry and I enjoy sea days and have no problem entertaining ourselves. We don’t rely on the ship to prevent boredom. That said, Ambassador Cruise Line offers a wide variety of activities for guests.

      In fact, we often have a hard time choosing between all the options. For instance, most cruise lines offer lectures on sea days, but this ship has had as many as three different guest speakers in a single day!

      Like other ships, there’s a live show every night after dinner. We’ve been very happy with the quality of the performers and performances.

      The ship has an accomplished stable of singers and dancers, and the staging and choreography is very creative.

      As you can see, Larry was pulled onstage by Chris Fleming (a well known UK magician.) I even did some accidental magic as you can see: I made Chris shrink in one of the photos I took!

      Ukulele lessons and watercolor workshops are quite popular. (I sent my ukulele home with Larry when he renewed his passport, and I already play a bit so I’m skipping that.) We both wanted to take the watercolor classes, but they filled up right away.

      Luckily, there’s room in the daily choir class. We are having a blast! I’ve had a lot of music training, but Larry’s a complete newbie. It’s so fun to share the joy of rehearsing and learning music theory with him.

      The voice exercises we do in class really help at karaoke. Ambience dedicates Wednesday evenings to karaoke, so everyone who comes gets to sing two or three songs.

      As always, the karaoke enthusiasts are a lighthearted bunch. It’s such a fun way to make friends. (And since this is a British ship, I can sing Kate Bush and people actually know the songs.)

      Ambience also has two women on the ship from an organization dedicated to cetaceans called Orca. When not giving seminars on sea life, they can be found on the deck looking for whales and dolphins.

      We’ve learned a lot from them already. For instance, a quick way to tell a dolphin from a porpoise is if it leaps from the water. Dolphins jump; porpoises don’t.

      All in all, we are having a great time on the Ambience. It’s a cozy little city at sea.
      Baca lagi

    • Canary Islands

      13 Januari 2024, Sepanyol ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

      Due to a storm, our ship diverted to the Canary Islands, where we enjoyed a leisurely day exploring the town.

      In the town square, there’s a monument featuring four figures next to an obelisk.

      As you can see, each of the four men are brandishing what looks to me like a femur!

      What is that all about?

      After a quick spin around the internet, all I've learned so far comes from this website:

      "Four marble statues of indigenous Guanche people are at the base venerating the image of Mary atop the obelisk. In May the 'Feast of May' is held in the square memorializing the founding of the city."

      Guanches are the native people of the Canary Islands. But why waving leg bones around is a way to offer respect to the Virgin Mary is beyond me.

      As always, I had to do a happy dance at the sight of a living wall. Not only did this one feature poinsettias, but the wall adorns the local police station, making a nice change from the usual somber demeanor such institutions have.

      Mysterious bones aside, we had a fun day wandering around Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
      Baca lagi

    • Cemeterio Municipal de Matosinhos

      10 Januari 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

      Next to the church we found a charming historic graveyard with eye-catching gates, as you can see.

      The skull and crossbones are a typical "memento mori" meant to remind visitors of their mortality. The winged hourglass below it, reminds us that "time flies."

      As we explored the grounds, the skies opened and gave us a good dousing.
      Baca lagi

    • Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos

      10 Januari 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

      The grounds for this church were quite lovely, with mossy grottoes and mosaic walkways.

      Unfortunately, the doors were locked, so we were unable to see the famed baby Jesus within.

      The area next to the graveyard features rugged picnic tables made from discarded bits from the church.Baca lagi

    • Matosinhos

      10 Januari 2024, Portugal ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

      It was gray and drizzly in Matosinhos, Portugal. Though it may look chilly in the photos, it was lovely walking weather.

      We originally planned to take the Hop On Hop Off to Porto, but never did find the correct bus stop. After following 3 different signs pointing 3 different directions we decided to explore Matosinhos.

      After posing in front of the ruins of a chapel, we wandered to the local market where I saw a hen with a beautiful comb.

      In true Portuguese fashion, there were mosaic walkways and buildings featuring colorful tiles.

      Portugal is known for a pastry called “pastel de nata,” so I was eager to try one. These are little tarts filled with a custard made from egg yolks.

      Back in the day, egg whites were used for starching clothes. Some monks in Lisbon created the pastel de nata to use the surplus yolks.

      My verdict? Yum! I love egg custard and these were creamy and not too sweet.

      As for the statue, I wasn’t able to read the sign next to it. I think he looks a little like Gary Oldman, actually…

      Later in the day, we stopped at another cafe. The sign on the door gave me a laugh because although “puxe” is pronounced rather like “push,” it actually means “pull.”
      Baca lagi

    • Curaçao Liqueur

      9 Januari 2024, Curacao ⋅ 🌬 84 °F

      How did the island of Curaçao get its name? A popular theory suggests that Portuguese cartographers combined what the Spanish called it: “corazon” (meaning heart) along with Portuguese words for “heart” (coraçao) and “healing” (cura) after scurvy prone sailors who were miraculously cured after eating the island’s abundant fruit.

      A few years later, in the early 1500s, Spaniards introduced Valencia orange trees to Curaçao. Rather than flourish, the orange trees produced a small and bitter fruit rather than a tasty orange.

      Eager to make “lemonade” out of this experience, the islanders experimented until the found a way to take the dried peels of these oranges and create a tasty orange flavored liqueur.

      Locals called the drink “Laraha” but along the way, it became known as Curaçao. The traditional blue color is simply due to food coloring.

      There are now 10 different flavors of liqueur produced on the island of Curaçao. We sampled three of them after our distillery tour.

      After which, as I’d promised myself, I enjoyed a frozen coffee drink with a shot of coffee flavored Curaçao. Yum!
      Baca lagi

    • Curacao Semi Sub

      9 Januari 2024, Curacao ⋅ 🌬 84 °F

      Since I’m claustrophobic, I was a little nervous about taking a semi submersible tour in Curaçao, but my love of the sea won out.

      As a precaution, I skipped my morning coffee and on the bus ride over, I decided that even if I freaked out, it was only one hour of my life. Also, since we were visiting a Curacao distillery afterward, I promised myself a drink as a reward.

      As it turned out, I did absolutely fine in the semi sub! It helped that there was a steady airflow. Seems like hot stuffy air triggers my claustrophobia.

      So if you also deal with anxiety in confined spaces, I’m letting you know that this was not bad at all.

      The hour long ride was over all too soon, in fact. Along the way we saw lots of gorgeous fish, and at one point, our guide gave us a little show by feeding the fish and blowing bubbles underwater.

      I was surprised to learn the that the resort which hosts the semi sub only charges $675 for a month long stay.

      Wouldn’t that be a nice place to bring the family? Or sequester for a month and write a book…
      Baca lagi

    Dapatkan profil pengembaraan anda yang tersendiri

    Percuma

    QR code

    FindPenguins untuk iOSFindPenguins untuk Android