After two and half beautiful days in Barcelona, we boarded our cruise ship – the Oceania Riviera – around 2:00 Tuesday afternoon. After settling in, we decided to start a new cruise ship tradition – start at the top of the ship and have a drink at every bar or lounge all the way to the bottom of the ship. Six drinks later, we decided this is an excellent tradition.

Oh, and along the way, Andy decided to start doing videos about his thoughts. Trust me when I say they got pretty funny as the night wore on. Perhaps we’ll share a few along the way. Or perhaps not. 🙂

On the first cruise day, we stopped at the port of Palamos, Spain, where we took a shore excursion to three medieval villages. Interesting history about how people lived in these walled towns and why – pirates! – and how the towns have been restored. Back on the ship, we had some lunch and took a nap, then I had a massage while Andy entertained people at one of the bars on board – natch – then off to a very nice dinner and a comedy show. Night was topped off with Andy winning $70 at the casino. Score.

Barcelona, like most European cities, is a study in contrasts.  Old structures mix with modern buildings, the pace of traffic is scary fast and yet a meal is agonizingly slow, wide treelined avenues mesh with narrow alleyways where it’s easy to get lost, lots of healthy movement and yet they all smoke and there’s tempting gelato everywhere.

Our two days here were spent exploring this vibrant and proud city. Our primary means of transport was the double decker tourist bus – an easy way to get around and hop off when we wanted to see something or have a snack or drink.

The highlight of our stops – beyond wine and coffee! – was the Sagrada Familia, a church that’s been under construction for 100+ years. They say it will be completed in 9 years, in time for the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudi’s death. Gaudi’s work is everywhere in Barcelona. It’s a whimsical style, ornamented with colorful tiles and mirrors. It’s all a bit gaudy, and Andy and I wondered if that’s where the word ‘gaudy’ comes from but Google says no.

Our experience here was heightened further by the fact that we happened to arrive three days after the terrorist attack where a van plowed into a crowd of people in a very busy pedestrian area.  Our hotel is just about a block off the spot on La Ramblas where it all happened. There are 13 memorials – one for each victim. During the day there are peaceful gatherings where people hold up signs indicating solidarity between Christians and Muslims. Another group holds up signs offering free hugs; there’s a long line. At night, prayer vigils are held near the memorials. Police are everywhere we go; they  carry automatic rifles in the open and are on high alert, watching people very intently. And yet life goes on. The tourists keep coming. The city’s dichotomy continues – fast and slow, old and new, pain and healing.

Biker and I made a super-quick trip to Arkansas and Missouri this Memorial Day weekend to scout locations/narrow down the options for a future property purchase. Unfortunately, due to weather, the only riding day we got was Sunday. But it was glorious!

We arrived at a cabin on Lake Taneycomo just east of Branson on Saturday early afternoon.  The forecast called for severe storms early evening and the sky looked a bit threatening so we decided to take the truck out and about for the afternoon. We wandered over to Kimberling City to check out Tablerock Lake. Such a beautiful setting!
Then we headed east toward Bull Shoals Lake. All of the flooding southern Missouri experienced the past weeks is on full display, with rivers out of their banks and bridges closed. As the skies darkened, we headed back to the cabin to cuddle up with a movie and a bottle of wine.

Sunday morning dawned clear and beautiful, and we loaded up on the bike and headed out about mid-morning. After a frustrating stop to get our helmets talking to each other – let’s just say there were a few angry words exchanged! — we turned south and headed into Arkansas.  For all you Arkansas motorcycle fiends, here are the roads we took –Highway 86 to Blue Eye, 311 to Forest Green, 103 south to 21, then north to 221 (road to nowhere), and over to Eureka for lunch. We ate at a Mexican restaurant there (pic of Biker attached). Yummy food but no margaritas – responsible riding!  Our waiter, Jade, was a wealth of information about the area and a heck of a nice guy.  After lunch, we headed south on 23 and turned off on a side road to take a peek at Beaver Lake. So pretty, see pic!  Then off for more riding – north on 23 to 62 (for 10-15 miles north of Eureka a seriously great road), took at side turn onto 187 but the bridge was flooded out so had to backtrack, then swung north of Beaver Lake on 62 over to Rogers, and east on 12 (great road just east of bridge for about 5-10 miles).  South on 23 to Huntsville, where we stopped for a snack, then 74 east and 21 north then back into Branson.  Biker wants me to add that he is impressed with the new front and rear suspension on the bike and proclaimed it a great success.

All in all, a beautiful day of riding and were able to rule out a few places – north and northeast side of Tablerock Lake is too steep and way too populated so it’s out. We know we want waterfront and there are plenty of options. Right now, leaning toward Beaver Lake or a major river like the White. Still more places to consider and lots of time to make a decision.
Back to the cabin for another movie, more wine and couch cuddling. Awwww!

Headed home now and it’s another beautiful day in northwest Arkansas.  The truck just doesn’t take the curves like the bike!

We. Are. Exhausted.

So let’s start with yesterday. Cause I was waaaaaay too tired last night to write the blog. We spent most of the day at Animal Kingdom. Rode perennial faves Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari. Our driver on the safari had such a weird cadence to his voice, Alex and I had a hard time keeping straight faces. We spent a good chunk of the middle of the day drinking beers (the boys) and margaritas (me) on a great patio with a view of the big carved tree. We even made a Mickey with our drinks. You know I’m all about staying on brand; it’s the job. LOL The weather was again absolutely fantastic.

We went to Epcot for an overpriced – but pretty good — dinner at the Mexican restaurant there. Then quickly monorailed to Magic Kingdom for Wishes, the nightly fireworks show. Then we made a rookie mistake – we thought we could get to Space Mountain quickly and make it through the line pretty fast. No on both counts. First mistake? Ignoring the ‘105 minutes’ wait time sign. We found out – 110 minutes later – at 10:55 p.m – that it was right. And the coaster just isn’t living up to most others these days. Home late. Asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

This morning – despite our late night – we stuck with our plan to start super early so I could ride my hands-down favorite – and in Biker’s top 3 and Alex’s top 5 — Soarin’.  We were at Epcot before they opened and ran – yes, ran – to Soarin’ when they opened the gates. Keeping up with the long legs of Biker and Alex is no easy feat! Rode it twice in a row, then moved on to what we call the Chunkmaster but what is really called Mission:SPACE. 2 Gs are still 2 too many!  So many deep breaths and thank God for the cold oxygen they pump into the small space they put you in! Then over to Hollywood Studios for the bulk of the day. Our first ride there, the amazing Rockin’ Rollercoaster, had ‘technical difficulties’ just after we got in our seats. They hustled us off and down a hallway where we had the option of waiting for the ride to be fixed or getting free FastPasses to make up for those we lost. We took the passes and moved on to the Tower of Terror. Both the Tower and the rollercoaster complete my top 3 rides at Disney so once we got back on the coaster and made it through this time with no problems, I was a happy girl. Storm Troopers and a people watching period, and then we were off to Disney Springs for pizza and back to MGM for a wander through the Star Wars area for Alex.

20,000 steps both days. Simply exhausted. But having a great time!

That’s what we call Disney World. Make fun of us all you want, but we love the place.   We’re those weirdos with strategies for which direction to go first, we know where all the bathrooms are without consulting the map, and we absolutely know our way around each of the parks without needing help. Like I said, we love it.

So, this time it’s me, Biker and Alex. We spent most of the day at Magic Kingdom and then went to Epcot for dinner at the Nine Dragons Chinese restaurant. It was a gorgeous day – easily the best weather we’ve ever had while here.  And we had a blast riding some of our MK faves — Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lighyear (where Alex showed Biker the meaning of a high shot count!), and the Haunted Mansion, to name a few. 

A few observations:

• There are a lot of people here on Spring Break, and when we went to the Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot, where they have you put in your home location, the entire east coast was lit up. Makes sense.
• There are a lot of people – I’d put it at 25% or more – wearing Disney shirts. Old, new. Young, old. Mickey, Minnie, Elsa, Buzz … name your fave Disney character and we saw a shirt today with him/her on it. A trend I’ve never noticed before. Lots of ear headbands, too.
• You can’t use – or even carry – a selfie stick in a Disney park.
• The hot dog place at the far end of Main Street has really good corn dog nuggets. 🙂

Today is our last day of fun in Australia. Tomorrow begins the journey home.

We started off the day bright and early with a hike to watch the sun rise over Uluru and Kata Tjuta – the spiritual icons for the Anangu, the aboriginals who live here.  The sunrise and hike were great, but the amazing number of flies that constantly buzz around your head – they seem to LIKE bug repellant – made it a necessity to constantly swat around your head.  Many of our pictures feature people swatting around their heads!

An afternoon of relaxation and pampering at the hotel spa, and we were ready to head out to the Sounds of Silence dinner and Fields of Light art exhibit.  Great dinner – we tried kangaroo and crocodile! – and a fantastic astronomy talk and beautiful walk through the art exhibit. What a way to end our trip!!

It’s been an amazing trip to this proud, diverse, friendly country.  But we’re definitely ready to go home. See you all soon!

No, we didn’t see a dingo today. But we ARE in the Outback, the great red center of Australia. Where Meryl Streep famously lost her baby to a dingo. This area is also home to 4 of the 10 deadliest snakes in the world and the second largest lizard in the world. No, we didn’t see any of those either, and let’s hope it stays that way.

Today, we traveled to Ayers Rock, home of Uluru, the spiritual center of the Australian Aboriginals. Ulura is a massive red rock rising off the desert floor; it’s the second largest monolith in the world (the largest is somewhere west of here). We checked into our very nice hotel and rested up a bit. It’s hot here, but “it’s a dry heat so it’s not as bad.” Why do people say that? It’s still freaking hot. Our room is really nice, with a beautiful balcony. I’m not sure when we’re going to use it (see previous comment about it being hot). Supposed to be 104 tomorrow.

We took in the massive monolith and a few other local sights via a sunset tour on camels. So, riding a camel is basically like riding a bigger horse. They’re pretty docile, just plodding along in a line since they’re tied to each other. Mine was named Nicko and mom’s was Kahn. The sunset was pretty, but I’ve seen better in OK and TX. Of course, riding through the Outback adds a certain mystique.

We have an early morning tomorrow, so that’s it for tonight. Yawo.

Today we visited the Kuranda Rainforest, and we got there and back through a variety of modes of transportation.

On the way up, we rode the Kuranda Scenic Railway, a narrow gauge train that winds up through the rainforest to the little village of Kuranda. Along the way, there’s a little waterfall that’s pretty impressive and (what’s supposed to be) a big waterfall that’s not so impressive. In any case, the ride is pleasant and the scenery beautiful and peaceful.

The little village of Kuranda is a bit of a tourist trap, but we had fun wandering the shops. Until I didn’t feel so well. It was so flippin’ hot up there – 95-degrees with high humidity – and not an air conditioner in sight. We chatted with the local artists, and bought a few of their wares. Then it was time to head back down the mountain by gondola. We were HIGH above the treetops.

A fun but hot day and another great experience Down Under.

My mom has always been full of advice delivered in idioms. A few of her favorites:

• If it’s meant to be, it will be.
• That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Today, she was the embodiment of this third one. We spent the day on the Great Barrier Reef. First of all, can I just say — amazing. I’ve snorkeled in several places in this big ole world, and this is by far the most amazing, vibrant, lush experience ever. Yes, some of the reef is dying and it’s noticeable. I’d say it’s about 25% or less. The dive guides explained this is a natural part of the life of the reef, although it has sped up in recent years. Still, most of the reef is full of life. It’s colorful – the coral is bright yellow, electric blue, hot pink, white, lime green, and purple. There are plenty of beautiful fish, including all of the Finding Nemo fish. We saw HUGE clams, along with turtles and reef sharks. The tiniest little minnow-like fish and really big grouper-looking fish.

Our guides were fantastic. We made two stops to snorkel at different parts of the refund went on a glass-bottom boat tour to see yet a third part of the reef. But the real story of the day is mom’s courage to try again even after her first snorkeling experience ever – at 70 (go mom!) – wasn’t the best. I was so proud of her for getting right back out there at the second stop and this time, getting. It. Done.

A note about the pics – we had to wear stinger suits cause box jellyfish, which are apparently very dangerous, are out this time of year. We didn’t run into any that we know of, but if we had, our suits would have saved us!

So… I took a day off from the blog yesterday.  We flew from Sydney to Cairns (3-hour flight), checked into our hotel, walked down the boardwalk to get a late lunch and, exhausted from our go-go-go schedule and the 100-degree heat, took a nap and ordered room service for dinner.

Cue today.

Our first full day in Cairns was filled with highs and culture. We so fancy.

We started off the day super early – we got up with a 3 at the front of the number on the clock to make our 4:30 pickup for a hot air balloon ride. An hour ride north up a winding mountain road, and we came to a field where four huge balloons were being inflated. Ours, we were told, was the second-largest balloon in the Southern Hemisphere. So there’s that.

The balloon ride itself was amazing. Beautiful views, watching the sun rise over the mountains, and kangaroos – who are plentiful, like deer at home – hopping across the fields and woods. After the balloon ride we went to a gorgeous resort called Palm Cove for a champagne breakfast as part of our tour. Wonderful meal with a beautiful view. I fell in love with coconut jam.

Our next stop was the Tjupakai Cultural Center, which was kind of like the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. There were shows and demonstrations, and we got to throw spears and boomerangs. I ruled at both; maybe I was a warrior in a previous life? Mom was not so good at either (although I was pretty proud that she got in and out of the balloon basket on her own – a rule they have, and she aced it both ways! Go mom!).

Our final stop was back at the hotel, where we put our pinkies in the air for high tea. The service was awful, but the food and drinks were pretty darn good. I had a champagne high tea (natch) while mom opted for the traditional with actual tea. Our favorite high tea food was the scone with jam and clotted cream. Yum!

A bit of shopping – including grabbing bread, cheese, salami and wine again for dinner in our room – and we’re back in the room for the night. It’s so darn HOT here – heat index hovering around 100 degrees – that we are exhausted by mid-late afternoon.

Another day, another snotty comment about Donald Trump by a non-American. I mean, I understand the comments at home, but c’mon people! The US isn’t your country or Trump your president, and many world leaders have their own issues and baggage (I’m lookin’ at you, Canada). I’m trying to enjoy my vacation and don’t need you making snide comments about MY president. So far, I’ve managed to hold my tongue, and my intention is to continue to do so.

Oh, one final thing – they use GPS to fly balloons now. Where’s the romance in that?

Yawo.
(our Tjupakai guide’s aboriginal language word for goodbye)