meh.

Thinking of adding a couple tee shirts to my badass collection:

Will and I just crack up with these edgy shirts

Although I'm totally off of caffeine

My original

What's wrong with just wanting light-hearted enjoyment in life?

A Long Day's Journey into Night

Packed and ready to go on Wednesday, we met for breakfast at the hotel before boarding buses for Heathrow at 8:15am. Sadly, a Marco Men's Club (MMC) traveler tripped over a bag and fell head-first on the curb. The ambulance arrived within 20 minutes (ugh traffic) and took Brooks to the hospital. That episode delayed our departure, but we still had plenty of time to catch our flight.

Some sort of electrical failure occurred just as we were finishing our check-in at American Airlines. Conveyer belts, escalators and TSA screening came to a halt. Luckily, Bill and I were not terribly effected, but many in our group had tedious manual security checks and lost luggage upon arrival.

We had a comfortable flight. I finally finished my book and watched the movie Free Solo. Once in Miami, it took almost two hours to get our group together between lost luggage claims and erroneous information for gathering and meeting the bus to Marco.

The MMC's group of 39 remaining travelers arrived on the island at approximately 10p. Long day, fun 17 days, Brooks will be fine and lost luggage will be found. Here's some parting shots of our transatlantic adventure:

Final Stop: Good Food in London

We have arrived! Such a lovely welcome into Southampton this morning.
CelebrityEdge Instagram

Monday morning came around pretty early. We checked out of our cabin on the Edge. Celebrity buses were waiting in Southhampton England for a final excursion of two nights in London. The Grange City Hotel in the Tower Hill section had an odd dark vibe with old Egyptian decor; especially obvious coming from a white, sleek, modern ship. Our group of six found lunch at the Natural Kitchen, which was around the corner and a perfectly refreshing stop for a pint and fish & chips after a nerve-racking three and a half hour bus ride in super heavy city traffic.

Four of us made our way to Harrods on the Tube with our newly purchased two-day Oyster cards i.e., electronic tickets for use on all of London's public transportation. We browsed around the iconic store in Knightsbridge and even had high tea there in the late afternoon. Of course we had to find a pub for happy hour and there wasn't one too far away. Haha. They all seem very similar but Paxtons Head was our pick. On to a nearby bistro, Bar Boulud, Chef Daniel Boulud's only London restaurant, for a really good casual meal. It's all about the food! (and wine)

Tuesday morning most of the Marco group boarded buses for an all day guided tour of London. Bill and I couldn't bear to get on another bus for the day, so we used our Oyster cards and did our own tour. It was a beautiful day of lallygagging around London. Our group of six reconvened at the hotel at 7pm and hopped a taxi to dinner at Cantina del Ponte in the Butlers Wharf Building 36c Shad Thames. A fun riverfront scene near the Tower of London. London's culinary reputation is turning and there is good food all around this bustling city. We found it!

The Beaches of Normandy

Breakfast was delivered to our room at 6:30am and we were on the bus before 8am. Pretty good for a big boat shore excursion departure. It was about an hour and a half from our dock at LaHavre to our first stop: Pointe du Hoc at Omaha Beach in Normandy. 

It was a day for the imagination as I tried to envision the largest amphibian attack in history. A wide beautiful beach filled with young boys making their way up the steep rugged cliffs into enemy fire. D-Day. June 6-8, 1944 was the beginning of the end of WWII. 

We spent a solemn hour at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial contemplating war and peace and crazy villains. A softly sounding Star Spangled Banner and Taps in the distance brought tears to hundreds of eyes while viewing thousands of white crosses. On to the Memorial de Caen for lunch, museum tour and a quick war movie before returning back to the ship. 

Our last night aboard the Edge was festive. A special dinner of prime rib was served and once again all eight of us reunited around the table and shared adventures from the long day. 

It was a super fun 15 days aboard Celebrity’s new ship, the Edge.

Bilbao to LaHavre France

Back on the treadmill Saturday, I was able to get a workout in before a 10am lecture on on next port: La Havre, France. At 11am, our captain of the Edge, delivered a fascinating presentation of commanding this vessel on a transatlantic crossing. He shared stats and statistics concerning the planning and execution of a cruise. Safety, navigation, crew, food, water, fuel, emergency contingencies and learning about so many other aspects of the ship were mind boggling.

We met Pat and Glenn for lunch at the Cosmopolitan. Our first full service on board lunch for us. We always just grabbed a bite at one of the self-serve restaurants. The food is very good everywhere on the Edge.

We reviewed our portfolio and started planning for an early morning. After our usual dinner at six, and the grand finale musical show, our 7am departure for LaHavre and Normandy was looming. We did make time for a quick Bailey's before bed!

Bilbao Spain: Basque Country

A leisurely morning was a must Friday after a wild night on board at The Petit Chef and Martini Bar. We rolled out of the terminal around 10am and boarded a bus for the town center of Bilbao. What a gorgeous city among one of the oldest civilizations: the Basques.

We just drifted around the banks of the river and enjoyed the beautiful architecture; old and new. Of course, the Guggenheim Museum was a must-see. We found Old Town and a sweet little place to rest and enjoy some pintxos, yummy Basque-style bite-sized snacks at Café Bizuete. The fascinating Mercado de la Ribera was bustling with shoppers for their daily provisions. The fish!!!! A sensational market all around.

We were reunited with our table for eight on board at the Cypress Restaurant and shared adventures from the previous few days. Great fun. Great cruising experience for all! Can’t post pics with tech problems.

**UPDATE: Fixed tech problems and here's some pics:

Lost at Sea

It was another rainy day as we cruised to Bilbao Thursday. Seating was at a premium inside and we found the perfect little corner to play with our devices and read our books. Had a fun dinner at Le Petit Chef on board. 

Mail2Blogger Test

I've been having serious tech difficulties with the convenient blogger feature noted above. With a day a sea, I can perhaps get to the bottom of this pesky problem. I had to download Chrome and add my gmail account on my new iPad. So, if you can read this, the test worked!

Two Hours in Cascais

The ship docked in Lisbon early Wednesday afternoon. We boarded our bus for Cascais, a cute little seaside town, in the rain. The one thing we really, really dislike about big boat crusing is the mob scene. People really lose dignity and manners where food, seats and shore excursions are concerned. Ugh. Our sarcastic mantra on the boat is, “I like coffee (vodka) and maybe three people.”

After a 40 minute bus ride, equipped with a tour guide, we arrived in Cascais and stummbled upon the best little restaurant. The main man at Luis Vaz de Camoes restaurant fed us authentic Portuguese dishes: freshly harvested clams (two minute old), garlic prawns, clam, potato and pork stew with arroz and the traditional condiments of bread, butter and olives. With so little time in rainy and foggy Cascais, we simply ate and ate and ate and sipped a couple of bottles of red wine. Just like the locals. They’re on to something.

Back on the boat, our feisty game of Spades continued until bedtime. Another night at sea with a time change. I suppose losing an hour each night is better than losing five at one time. Bilbao Spain is next.

Azores to Lisbon

It was another day at sea. So relaxing! There's always something to do, so we try to prioritize our workouts before the fun stuff. The daily time change is throwing me off a bit. Today, I attended a lecture on Bilbao: the Heart of Basque Country, before hopping on the treadmill. Mixing it up! It was like a jammie day, with four of us hanging around in gym clothes playing fiercely competitive Spades. So immersed in our game, we opted out of our formal dinner plans for a casual cafe meal. Finally, we changed into our "smart casual" cruising clothes and went to the theater event. A comedian, Steve Womack, is a seriously funny guy from the UK. Lots of laughs. And Patty Ann is in love with her butler.

São Miguel, Azores, Portugal

The Atlantic crossing was a wonderful experience. I thought I would be troubled by five days out to sea, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Edge docked at 8am Monday at Ponta Delgada, the capital city of the Azores located on the island of São Miguel, approximately 1,000 east of mainland Portugal. São Miguel is the largest of nine volcanic islands making up the archipelago of the Azores, Portugal.

We met our driver and tour guide with “Azores for All” at 9am and started the day’s adventure. Heading west in a comfortable van we were awestruck by the lush beauty and dramatic west coast views; reminding us all of Ireland. Sete Cidades was our first stop. The village of Sete Cidades occupies a large caldera. We stopped in the church of São Nicolas for a prayer and walked through the town to the lakeshore. Two large lakes, the Green and Blue lakes, are connected by a strip is land and make for a very scenic view from above.

We worked our way east to the beachfront restaurant Pé Na Areia in Povoacão. We enjoyed a local lunch buffet as we watched some windsurfers take on the wild weather. The fog in the higher altitudes prevented us from seeing other vistas, but we did enjoy Caldeira Velha. A Natural Monument with lush flora, waterfalls and hot springs. Our final stop had us tasting local liquors at Mulher de Capote in Ribeira Grande. We just had to buy the Arroz Doce and best selling Passion Fruit licor for some dinner party fun in Florida.

The best part our our fab day in São Miguel was spending time with our lovely humans and soulful guides, Raquel and Umberto. We’re off to Lisbon Tuesday. 

Cruising Along

Pat and Glenn have been going for acupuncture treatments on the boat and it has turned them into our new chill friends. Not a worry in the world.

Sunday marked our last day of this Atlantic crossing. It was a beautiful day on the boat with so many people taking in the sun on the deck. We arrive in the Azores at 8am Monday morning. For the rest of the trip we should be able to see land.

Meanwhile in LA, Will and Taylor are enjoying an extended weekend of sightseeing. They went for the BTS concert Saturday. I bet the travel bug will bite them hard! Here's a cute picture from my shinning star.

Star Wars Day

May the 4th be with you. Saturday was a busy day on the boat. It started with a Tai Chi class, some laps around the track, lunch with friends, wine tasting event, dinner with friends, theater event with friends and a nightcap with friends. Lots of friends on this trip! This beautiful display of orchids reminded me of a friend we left behind in Marco.