The Rock of Gibraltar

This is definitely one for the bucket list.  Gibraltar is owned by the British and they have done everything they can to make it authentically English.  You have the streets that look like something right out of a Harry Potter movie with plenty of pubs and fish & chip shops.  Plus around every corner you encounter a large cannon emplacement, a walled fortress or a cemetery dating back to Lord Nelson and the days of wooden ships. 

We departed the ship at 0815 and strolled into the town in search of a large rock to scale, wild apes to view and a warm octopus’ salad.  More on the salad later.  We made our way to Casemates Square and down Main Street to the cable cars that go up to the top of the Rock.  I know I said the word “scale” earlier, but lets’ face it, we are not getting any younger and it is 1400 meters to the top.  In true first world fashion we just threw money at the problem and found ourselves with a short cable car ride and a wonderful view.  The terrific Wi-Fi signal for the next 3 hours was an added benefit. 

The Straights of Gibraltar are roughly 7 miles wide so from the top of the Rock you could see Morocco to the south.  The main draw beyond the history and view is a large band of Barbary Macaques.  These tail-less monkeys are the star attraction for the hordes of tourists that make the trek up to the top.  They are quite comfortable around people and they will not hesitate to jump up on your shoulder and help themselves to any food you have in your hand or stashed in your backpack.  It really is entertaining to watch. 

After strolling along the summit, we headed back down the cobblestone streets to Casemates Square.  We were searching for a café where James had eaten when he was doing ops here in 2001.  They had a warm salad with grilled octopus that he remembered fondly.  The square is the same, the restaurant is gone. C'est la vie.    

 This pic had to be taken.

For those keeping track, Gibraltar is at 36.15 N, 5.35 W. Weather was partly cloudy and 65 degrees. Next stop is Cartagena, Spain.

While we did not see Elvis, the house band was playing "Don't Be Cruel" as we sailed away. A sign?

Cheers,
P&J

The Island of Madeira

We arrived from our Atlantic Ocean crossing at 0920 on Sunday 4/10.  It was a beautiful day, with the sun breaking over the mountains to the east.  The sky was partly cloudy with a 20 knot wind coming over the stern rail.  The town of Funchal was just stirring as the local people make their way to church.  However, this Sunday was also the annual Flower Festival, with the town decked out in thousands of flowers in every shape and size. 

Lots of great sidewalk gardens.

Happy Pat

The vender tents were brimming with all the latest souvenirs (made in China) and there were groups in traditional dress ready to dance and sing for the crowds.  And there was a big crowd coming.  Once the church bells signal noon and the faithful come back out into the sunshine, the sleepy town seemed to double in population.  Apparently, many years ago the tradition of wearing a hat that looks like an acorn (boater hat) became all the rage.  And yes friends and neighbors, for a mere pittance you too can own one of these little jewels. 

No, No, it looks good on you.

We had a delicious Cappuccino at Café O Calhau located in the same Plaza as the Cathedral.  The plaza would become some kind of band stand later on in the evening so James couldn’t resist his chance to be in the shot

There is no I in team, but there is one in Madeira.

There is an another tradition where two “Carreiros do Monte” take you on a wicker toboggan ride descending from the village of Monte.  The runners dressed in white guide you down the 2 kilometers at upwards of 30 kilometers an hour on a thrilling ride.  This seemingly dangerous act can be yours for the low-low price of 15 Euros.

Wicker helmet is optional.

After a beautiful day spent wondering the old town, we made our way back to the port.  At the beginning of the pier there is a small island with a stone structure that towers over the ocean about 5 stories high. Our curiosity had us climbing a half dozen set of rocky stairs where we discovered that we had indeed stumbled onto the Principality Islet Atlantis. Yes, Atlantis.  Now hold on you “sceptics”, wait just a minute,  we have proof.  There was a sign!!!  No, not a sign from God or anything that predictable, there was a large color glossy print that explained everything.

We give you proof.

Apparently a gentleman named Prince Don Renato II “The Fair” was the ruler of this previously thought mythical land where they apparently wear scholarly professor’s robes and do not believe in combing their hair.  Still skeptical?  There was also a pamphlet. 

It states: “On this atoll the discoverers, in 1419, took refuge before stepping onto its neighboring island – the island of Madeira”.  It goes on to tell of the British buying the island and not recognizing the sovereignty of this island nation.  The Royal Charter letter is deposited in London and is recognized by the Portuguese state.  Fortunately, Prince Donny’s nation was recognized by the Guinness book as the smallest country in the world, (in your face Britain).  The pamphlet goes on to say that Atlantis starts in the year 57 APRB (after prince Renato’s birth).  I’m not sure when that is but you could probably look that up in your spare time at www.fortesaojose.org. 

Happy James.

The city of Funchal.

So that is it for the island of Madeira.  We sailed at 5 and headed for the straits of Gibraltar.  The forecast is for rolling seas up to 17 feet with strong winds and possible showers.  Before departure, our position was 32.70 N, 16.77 W.  The Madeiran flower festival did not seem to lure Elvis to the island, but we did catch a glimpse of him in a painting at the art gallery that evening.

We didn't bid on it.

When next we meet, we will be in the Mediterranean Sea.    

Cheers, 

P & J

We are really far from land or our Mid-Atlantic update

Our seventh day at sea is overcast with 1 to 2 foot seas and a fresh breeze of 20 knots.  We have settled into a nice routine as the passage continues.

After a 7:30 wake-up, we head to the gym for an hour of cardio and some stretching.  Then off to the galley for breakfast.  We have been trying to eat well with lots of fruit, yogurt, egg white omelets and juices.  James has discovered peppermint tea as his morning drink while Pat is sticking with Earl Gray. 

The last four days we have set our clocks ahead one hour to prepare for the five-hour advance when we reach Madeira.  This makes the days interesting because you are never sure of the time. It is a very gentle ‘jetlag’.  Yesterday, we noticed an aircraft’s “con trail” overhead and could not help but think of Kevin going on about the benefits of sailing to Europe as opposed to traveling at 600 MPH in an aluminum tube at 36,000 ft.  At this particular time Kevin, we happen to agree with you.  This was a much better view.

So much nicer then that little window on the plane.

You are always bound to see a lot of interesting sights aboard the ship if you just keep your eyes open.  Here are some of our favorites.

Satyr eating grapes.

Large beast with fish.

Man lost in time?

The passengers are an interesting mix, those headed from the US on vacation and those headed home to Europe.  The gym has been full and we have not seen a dance floor that didn’t have at least three or four couples.  The theater is full for both shows and don’t even get me started with the buffet line.  The sushi buffet opens at 5:30pm and if you are in the way you had better be good at fending off “chop stick” attacks and shin kicking.  Jackie Chan has nothing on these guys.

We are due to make landfall on Sunday the 10^th on the island of Madeira.  Then on to Gibraltar. 

Heard a joke at the show the other night.

Two Snakes are slithering along a path when one asks the other,

“Are we poisonous?”

“I don’t know…Why?” says the other snake.

“Because I just bit my lip.” 

Only the best entertainment on a cruise ship.

As to our location, we are not sure our exact position, but this chart shows our progress. Weather forecast is for mostly cloudy and 75 degrees.

As far as we can tell we are at least 2000 miles from the closest Elvis impersonator.

P&J

Life of leisure

Here are a few pictures of life on board the Celebrity Constellation:

Relaxing by the pool 

Our inside stateroom

Fine art to appreciate

We will be underway for eight days on the crossing so this will be our last post until Madeira.

See you real soon

Sand, Sea and lots of Sunshine

Ahh, we made it to Florida. James' home state. Sun, warm breezes and so many palm trees.  Fort Lauderdale is a departure from our usual Florida vacation.  There are no large mice wearing clothes, no pirates of the Caribbean, not even a princess in sight.   

NO PRINCESSES????

We had a very restful day yesterday with a light dinner at a local waterfront place around the corner, a walk along the beach, and a good night's rest.  Our hotel could very well be the one where your parents stayed if they traveled here in the 1950's. White stucco walls, courtyard pool, tile floors and an air conditioner that would make ice cubes if you didn't turn it down.

Anyone for a Slow Gin Fizz by the pool?

Today we observed that we have no projects due, no deadlines, nothing pressing to be taken care of immediately. And for the first time since 2005 we don't have to run out and rent a place to live. The house back home is just waiting for us. Combined with a realization that our next appointment is a month from now when we will meet Sandy and Dan in Amsterdam, you begin to realize how small you are in a great big world. That was the discussion at lunch. Can't wait for dinner, maybe quantum physics.

Even the chairs seem bigger when you feel this small.

    Tomorrow, we leave the beach for the open sea on a beautiful vessel called Constellation.

No, that's in Baltimore.

Nope

That's the one.

Currently our position is 26.11 N by 80.15 W.  The temperature is 86 degrees under sunny skies.

We will try to get off another post before we get underway, but sailors make no promises.  So until next time brothers and sisters, we leave you with the immortal words of the king himself,  "You are always on my mind".

Cheers,
P&J 

Where we are headed

The time has arrived for our trip to begin. So where are we going?

We head to Fort Lauderdale, where we will board the Celebrity Constellation. First up is crossing the Atlantic to Rome with ports of call in Madeira, Gibraltar and Cartagena. Staying on the Constellation we will sail Italy and Greece stopping in Sicily, Malta, Rhodes, Mykonos, Athens, Santorini and the Amalfi Coast ending back in Rome. After leaving the ship behind we will start a train trip across Europe where we will tour Venice, Turin, Paris, Bruges and Amsterdam. From Amsterdam we will fly to Singapore for a few days and then on to Japan to tour Tokyo and Kyoto.

Today started in Southport, NC with one last check that we had passports and credit cards. Not much else is really necessary, though we did pack a few essentials.

One bag and one backpack each

The toughest part of packing light is finding room for your clothes around the electronics you plan to bring. It says something about our priorities that we had a harder time eliminating an iPad than a sweater. YouTube was a great resource for tips on packing light and bundling your clothes into a carry-on. Who knew there were so many ways to pack a suitcase. In the end we should be fine in both spring and summer weather and have enough tech to blog throughout our trip.

Here is our general packing list (pretty much the same for both of us):

2 pair of long pants
2 pair of shorts
6 t-shirts
2 collared shirts
2 polo shirts
6 pair of socks
Gym shorts/shirts
Night clothes
Underwear
Bathing suit
Flip flops
Walking shoes
Sneakers
Light fleece
Rain Jacket
Toiletries
First Aid Kit
Flashlights (you know there are more of these than I can count)
Camera
Backup/Sunglasses
Enough electronics to put a man on Mars

We are spending the night in Raleigh and fly out to Fort Lauderdale in the morning.

Now to the specifics.  Current position: 35.90 N, 78.83 W.  At 1pm, 69 degrees under sunny skies.

While Elvis did play Raleigh on Feb 8th 1956, he has not been seen in these parts recently.

Cheers
P&J

Setting off once again

Hi Everyone,

After over 20 years in the Washington D.C. area and nine years since our last big trip, we are headed off for a little traveling.

We always considered ourselves to be "part time" residents of the Washington area and now it is time to test that theory with a two month trip around the world.  First, we will need some luggage.

These will do fine.

We are leaving the D.C. area and heading to points South and East. Different from our sailing adventure (see the 2007 entries in the blog), this time it is a combination of planes, trains and ships with a lot of walking in between.  Hopefully we won't end up like this.

At least it is sunny.

We have another week in Virginia, then a couple of weeks in N.C.  We start our travels at the end of March and return sometime near the end of May.

We are looking forward to sharing the trip with you and hope you will enjoy the ride as we continue our journey to find Mr. Presley.

Cheers,

Pat and James

Life Ashore

Hi All,
It has been a long time since we last posted. Since coming ashore we have moved into a house and resumed our shore side life. Pat has returned to work and picked up where she left off. Nice company that will let her do that.
I have become head chef and house man of Team Helios shore base. We finally got some furniture that we left with Pat's parents and bought a bunch of stuff from IKEA. Gotta love IKEA. Furnish your whole house for about a grand(boat unit).
We have had a few great dinner parties and have attended several dinners of our friends. Life ashore is going fine.
Do we miss the boat, yes. Do we miss the freezing temps, no. We just take it a little at a time. Slow and sweet. We may start the blog again. I don't know right now. Maybe a cooking blog. I could dig that.
We'll let you know.

Cheers,

James

Destination Deale

Once the storm finally blew itself out, it was an easy 45 mile trip up from the Solomons. We arrived at Herrington Harbor Marina in Deale, Md on a cold, rainy Thursday afternoon. It was surprisingly similar to the day we left 5 months before. I took to my bunk for an hour or so to collect my thoughts. Just a small panic attack.

In the evening my folks came to pick us up to drive us to Bob and Ann's, where we stopped long enough to borrow their brand new car, before heading off to Kevin and Lisa's to borrow a bed for the night. Great and wonderful friends and family.

Now it is time to reestablish our shore life. Early Friday morning we met with Sue Fitzhugh to start looking for a house to rent. We found one we liked and are waiting for all the usual background checks before we can sign a lease. To pass the time there is the boat maintenance we have been putting off for the last few months to keep us busy. Luckily since we are no longer traveling, the weather has turned warm and sunny. Nothing I love better than sanding and varnishing.

Since we didn't find Elvis on the waterways from Maryland to South Carolina and back, we will continue with a thorough search of the greater Washington DC area to see if he shows up. We will keep you updated on our transition to land life.

Enjoy,
P&J

Tales from the Storm Front

The winds keep getting stronger. We hit 40 knot gusts overnight, now our highest gust stands at 48 knots or 55 mph. Interesting to see the NWS has finally lifted the Storm flags. The one good thing about storm force winds is that it really knocks down the pollen count in the air. James hates spring due to the evil yellow spores trees put out for the sole purpose of making him look like Ernest Hemingway after a bad weekend in Havana.


Man I hate pollen.

The howl of the wind is beginning to affect Team Helios. Stir crazy? Not us. James keeps telling me that the best way to fight out a storm is like Lt Dan from Forest Gump. Going up the mast with no legs just makes sense to you after 2 full days of wind.

You call this a storm?

Though the winds are gusting, the seas are not bad in our refuge. Back Creek does not have enough room to build any fetch. We have the lines doubled and tripled up and the fenders in all the right places. Every hour or so, James heads on deck to fiddle with the lines and then comes below to pronounce that everything is fine. But the next hour there always seems to be something else to fiddle with. Very strange.

Yesterday, about noon the first part of the storm calmed down and we both dashed up to the Holiday Inn for hot showers. There is a rather nice bath house and health club right at the end of the pier. James managed to find a Washington Post in the lobby, so I got to enjoy my Sunday paper in bed with my coffee. Today the boat is rocking and it is difficult to get off onto the dock. So James is camped out in the main saloon watching the food channel and I am on the computer in the back cabin. We have power, cable, Wifi, news, food and drinks. All the comforts of home.

It is somehow fitting that the worst east coast storm in 25 years pops up as the "Helios Frostbite Tour 06/07" is just about over. We are going to continue to hideout until we can make our final run north to Herrington Harbor in Deale Md. With a pot of chili on the gimbled stove and the fridge still making ice cubes, we are just fine.

Stay safe and enjoy,

P & J