Tuesday, February 6, 2024

BUC-EES IN FLORENCE, SC, PILOT MOUNTAIN, NC, ALMOST HOME!

Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Hampton Inn
76 Hospitality Way
Weston, WV
Sunny, 41F to 48F

 


On the road from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., another long day.  I think TK would have driven all the way home, but I suggested that we not do that. Tonight we are about four hours from Erie, and we did drive straight through last year, but we are a year older.  He will not let me drive his truck (it is BIG), and we need to be safe.

 

TK changed our usual route so we could stop at Buc-ees in Florence, South Carolina.  To a casual reader this may seem excessive. That said, Buc-ees is like the Disney World of gas stations and we are acting like little kids.  Again, there are 120 gas pumps, and we did need gas.  We can attest to how delicious their freshly made, warm cinnamon rolls are (with pecans on top)!!

 



[Note: The St. Augustine Buc-ees has 120 gas pumps too, either the clerk misspoke, or I misunderstood her—I had originally written that there were 240 gas pumps there]

 

Because of this stop, our route took us on some less traveled highways, but there was less traffic, less drama, no Charlotte, and that made things easier.  Eventually we returned to I-77 and then I-79 to get to Weston, West Virginia.  Rest stops along the way were very nice in all four states traveled today, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.  That’s important. 

 

From the Internet for Brother Bill: Pilot Mountain, a metamorphic quartzite monadnock rising to a peak 2,421 feet above sea level, is one of the most distinctive natural features in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a remnant of the ancient chain of Sauratown Mountains. 


Approaching Pilot Mountain




My Valentine!

We had dinner at Gino’s Pizza and Spaghetti House near the hotel. Since all we ate was the cinnamon roll that we shared at Buc-ees and a few Combos, we were very hungry.  Gino’s is very comparable to Valerio’s or Maria’s in Erie.  That was our day on the road.

 

Tomorrow—Erie!

 

TK’s Takes: A perfect day to drive, sunny and the roads were dry.

Monday, February 5, 2024

BABY BOARS, A SCREW, AND AN ICE BUCKET: DRIVING BACK TO PENNSYLVANIA

Monday, February 5, 2024
Hampton Inn
129 Cane Branch Road
Walterboro, SC
Rain, Clouds, 58F

 

TK, the best driver!

Originally, I was not going to blog today, but my iPad charger is not working now, and since it is 6:30 p.m, too early for bed, this gives me something to do.

 

We left Fort Myers on I-75 in the rain at 8 a.m.  Within an hour both the rain and the traffic subsided. While TK was driving intently, I had my iPad to entertain me, for hours.  TK was headed to Buc-ees in St. Augustine. He crossed the state on Florida Highway 17, which goes through many small towns. 

We saw orange tree orchards, livestock grazing, campgrounds, and a lot of housing construction.  At one point I even saw 5 young boars eating by the highway.  TK really enjoyed driving through Orlando. [She wrote with sarcasm]. He finally jumped on I-95, toward Jacksonville. Buc-ees was his first stop except for rest areas, a five hour drive.

 

Baby boars are cute

Since we don’t eat breakfast, we were starved by the time Buc-ees appeared.  We shared a sandwich, bought some more of those fabulous peanut butter cups, pumped gas, and away we drove toward Walterboro, South Carolina, through Georgia.


Another four hours later and we arrived in Walterboro and our hotel. Fortunately, a Cracker Barrel was on the property, and we walked to it for dinner. We were really tired.

 

Tired TK said something was bothering his foot –for days. He finally decided to look at his shoe and a screw had gone through the sole to his foot. How did he walk? I could feel the point of the screw that had pressured his foot, and now the screw is removed!

 

The screw: he thinks it may have been
in his shoe since San Juan.

To emphasize our fatigue, I volunteered to fill the ice bucket for our soda. I was almost out the door when TK asked me what I was doing with the wastepaper basket. I thought it was the ice bucket.

 

OK—enough for now, it looks like I am grasping for things to write about---

 

Good night!  Sorry, dear friend H, no WWF tonight...

Sunday, February 4, 2024

MORE SHOPPING AND FAMILY REUNION IN FORT MYERS

Saturday, February 3, 2024/Sunday, February 4, 2024
Hilton Garden Inn
12600 University Drive
Fort Myers, FL
Rain, then Sun, 73F

 

Val's Delicious apple fritters
Fleamasters Fleamarket

Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades on Saturday: Fastest time ever getting off the ship! Luggage in hand, no passport needed (just facial recognition now), by 6:50 a.m., leaving Park ‘N’ Go (it was a sunny 58F) in our white GMC Sierra truck at 7:27 a.m., and on the road to Fort Myers!  By the way, I asked the attendant at Park N Go how many cars were in their parking lot—about 2000!!

 

The highway to Fort Myers is called Alligator Alley—the original highway connecting Fort Lauderdale area to the Fort Myers area was built in 1928 as a two lane road. In 1968 the four lane toll highway was completed. 

 

In past years I have seen between 20 and 30 alligators of all sizes sunning themselves along the waterway that the highway follows. On Saturday, I only saw one big alligator, perhaps two others in the water.  It is fun to look for the alligators in the 100 mile stretch that follows the highway.  There are so many waterbirds to see too—some I saw were the White Ibis, many seagulls, Black Vultures (sunning themselves because there was no wind to soar on TK said), Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, many Frigatebirds, and Wood Stork.  This area is a wonderful habitat for the birds and alligators.

 Even the rest areas are educational—with story boards about the precious Everglades and viewing platforms. I totally recommend driving this road!

Wood carved Wood Stork and babies



Tiled image on floor 

Our first mission was visit the Fleamasters Fleamarket in Fort Myers-- 4135 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard to be precise!

 

Part of one of the many aisles
Fleamasters Fleamarket

I’ve written about this market many times over the years, 400,000 square feet of shopping (900 shops) with “everything from fresh produce to hundreds of bargain-packed booths that specialize in unique items - an eclectic mix of new and old - arts and crafts, antiques and collectibles. Kitchen products, clothing and shoes, luggage, jewelry and watches, 20 snack bars serving yummy treats.  https://www.fleamastersfleamarket.com/

 

So what on earth are we looking for? Fresh made apple fritters, licorice (https://licoriceguy.com/), brand name shoes, Kettle Korn, used books 6/$5, and I do like looking at the colorful Florida clothes.  We don’t really buy much (books, licorice, apple fritterss, arepas, Kettle Korn) we sure do like looking.

 

After several hours we headed to another favorite, Miromar Outlet Mall—more shoes, a deal at Travelpro because everyone knows we need more luggage, and that is about it.

Miromar Outlet Mall 

Soon enough we were ready to meet friends from Erie, Mike (TK’s neighborhood friend for life) and his wonderful wife Maria at a new restaurant, British Open Pub in Bonita Springs.  The décor is obviously like a British pub and the food was phenomenal—another highly recommended spot!  I ordered fish and chips and TK had chicken and mushroom pie.  (https://www.bonitabritishopen.com/index.html )  After dinner we went to their condo for Greek dessert that Maria had bought at her church’s bake sale that morning—think delicious baklava.



Today we were ready for TK’s favorite Bass Pro (their shirts are very nice), and then to another mall, Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. I do wonder what our readers might think about all the alleged shopping we do. I can say it is a really great way to get steps on my Fitbit and TK’s Samsung watch.   Today’s total was about 10,000 each, yesterday was over 11,000.

 

Coconut Point Mall

Today’s ultimate highlight was meeting the Koenig family for dinner at Miller’s Ale House near our hotel, including sister-in-law Carol, nephew Thomas, and nieces in law Carmel and Brenda.   We hadn’t seen them since before 2019, and the passing of TK’s brother and two nephews. They all live in the area, and it was really really good to see them and catch up.  They were really happy to see us too.

 

L: Thomas, TK, Janie
R: Carmel, Carol, Brenda

We are headed home tomorrow morning, hope to be back by Wednesday, February 7. It will be really good to see our Erie/Jamestown families.

 


Pictures from Friday:

Tiendai from Zimbabwe, Janie, and
Elmer from Philippines
Soleil Dining Room


I always take a photo of our luggage
when we place it outside our door
for pickup


Friday, February 2, 2024

THE JOY OF PACKING ON THE LAST CRUISE DAY AND GROUNDHOG DAY!

Friday, February 2, 2024
Sky Princess
Stateroom S222/17
At Sea
Sun, 76F

 

Sunrise, February 2, 2024, by TK
Groundhog Day!
Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring!!
Time to head home!

Packing, the last day, the bane of cruising! This morning we turned in more books and TK skimmed the Internet looking for another cruise, so we could give Joey, our room steward enough time to make the beds and refresh our towels, etc.  We returned to the room so TK could start his packing. This is not a social event and I tried to be unobtrusive.  I will leave that concept with our readers.

 

This is not a matter of gathering everything up and throwing the accumulation of clothes and sundry items into a suitcase. We both must plan for the rest of the trip, packing appropriate clothes for Fort Myers/ Estero/Naples and the drive home.  That means putting the right things in the right suitcase. We sure don’t want to lug 3 suitcases each into the next three hotels! TK was finished by 11:30 a.m. and it was time to meet Erie friends, Jeff and Doris P, for lunch.

 

We had not seen them in a while, so it was fun to catch up. They have been enjoying the Concerts at Sea with the legends like Brian Hyland (Sealed with a Kiss), Gary and the U.S. Bonds (e.g. New Orleans and Quarter to Three), and Peter Rivera (original lead singer for Rare Earth).  Jeff is an expert at rock n roll trivia and TK can sure keep up. We also shared cruise stories, as well as plans for future cruises. 

 

I also learned cheeseburgers are not a simple option in a main dining room.  The menu said, “Signature Burger, 1/3 lb. patty, gouda, cheddar, bacon jam, tomato aioli, arugula, on toasted brioche bun.”  What the heck is bacon jam??? I knew that aioli meant garlic, so I didn’t want that either.  I asked the server if I could just have a cheeseburger with cheddar cheese. He looked at me like I might as well have asked him to fly a cow in from the moon.  He also pronounced “patty” like pate, which further complicated my brain.

 

Aside--- I learned via the Internet just now that tomato aioli is described as such:  Tomatoes are tossed in olive oil, garlic and diced red onion. They are then roasted in the oven. In a food processor (or a large bowl using an immersion blender), blend the roasted tomatoes, mayo, hot sauce, sherry vinegar and smoked paprika until smooth.” 

On the surface, that does not sound evil, unless we are talking about my stomach. 

 

So, I ended up with a cheeseburger (cheddar) with fries. TK paid extra for a lobster roll, which he said was pretty good.

 

After such a nice lunch, Doris and Jeff went to their next concert and TK and I returned to the room so I could pack.  The process went better than I expected and an  hour later the luggage was almost ready.

 

It is always sad to say goodbye to our servers in the main dining room. Tiendai promised me that if next week’s guests were not as nice as we are, he would give us a call and we could return.  They told us that next week 900 guests from Ireland will be dining in the main dining room.

 

Octopus!

While we were out and about this morning, we
saw some of the housekeeping staff making 
towel animals

Swans!

Tomorrow we will disembark around 7:10 a.m., catch a shuttle to our truck, and off we go to the Gulf Coast near Ft. Myers!   We had a very fine cruise!


Princess Photos-- too bad I wore the same outfit!  Actually Cozumel was week 1 and St. Thomas was week 2. 

COZUMEL

ST. THOMAS

TK's Takes:  The lobster was not as good as those in New Englanc. If you want a lobster roll, go to New England!  Packing was easy because we did not buy much.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

A WALK ALONG THE WATERFRONT LEADS TO CHARLOTTE AMALIE!

Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Sky Princess
Stateroom S222/17
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
Sun, 83F

 

TK captured a sunrise at St. Thomas

I will admit one of my favorite ports is St. Thomas, because of the shopping.  We have toured the island, walked it extensively, but a few years ago I told TK that all I ever want to do in St. Thomas is shop. TK told me that it was only 1.6 miles from the cruise ship at Havensight to downtown Charlotte Amalie, so we started early this morning for a walk.  Five thousand steps later (5,000), we reached the town. What happened? I think the Internet site TK checked was wrong, or Charlotte Amalie moved a little further away. One or the other. 

The walk along the waterfront is beautiful, a sunny day, palm trees, dragon flies, yachts and other boats in the harbor, more cruise ships arriving. Thankfully we both are able to do such a walk.  Even though St. Thomas is part of the United States, people drive American style cars with the driver sitting on the left, but they also drive on the left hand side of the road, like the British.  This makes for interesting driving. 

 

Public art in a shopping area!




NCL Encore (left), Sky Princess (right)

Photo Opps!


We are about half way to Charlotte Amalie

For the last many years my first stop has always been Alpha Jewelers (https://alpha-jewelers.com/). They clean and check the prongs on my rings and sometimes I decide to add something.  TK likes to sit in the king’s chair. I introduced Cruise Friend Donna to the shop and now she buys her jewelry here too.  It is always a good experience.

 

TK in the king's chair!

Alpha Jewelers!

Today another couple was near me as I was looking at earrings. We left the store at the same time and struck up a conversation, they were experienced cruisers, had shopped at Sonny’s for about 15 years. We were talking about our upcoming cruise to Great Britain, and they were giving us some pointers. Sonny, the owner of Alpha Jewelers, came out of the store and said, “Why don’t I treat all of you to lunch?” He had one of his clerks take all four of us to nearby Gladys’ Café (https://gladyscafe.com/) and we had a lovely lunch!

 

Our new friends, Pam and Glenn M from South New Jersey, shared some of their cruise stories (e.g. Iceland, Greenland, Australia, Tahiti, Great Britain) and we made some suggestions on cruising in the Mediterranean. They were both educators in a public school system in NJ.  This week they are sailing on the maiden voyage of the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas (https://www.royalcaribbean.com/icon-of-the-seas/). 

 

Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas

The Icon of the Seas, brand new, is the largest cruise ship on the seas today. It is 1,197 ft. long, has a beam of 159 ft., 20 decks, 6 water slides, an ice skating rink (and so much more), maximum passengers-7,600, and crew 2,350. That is two and a half times more people than Union City, PA, where I grew up!

After parting ways with our new friends, we continued our walk around the town, but by 2 p.m. I was ready to return to the ship where TK rested before dinner and I read a new book on the balcony, a nice breeze keeping me cool.

 

There are three of these passageways in
Charlotte Amalie
The town was the first permanant European
settlement in St. Thomas in 1672.
The passageways were probably built
in the early 1800s.

Cafe Amici in one of the passageways


Another great day!

 

TK’s Takes:  He enjoyed the walk into Charlotte Amalie and spotted a fish in the water.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

OLD SAN JUAN AND THE YOUNG CAT WHISPERER

Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Sky Princess
Stateroom S222/17
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sun, 83F

 

We love Puerto Rico!

Where did our 14,000 steps take us today? Old San Juan is within steps of the port. Our first stop was Walgreen’s for cat nibbles and hair gel. Walgreens is half a block from the ship, and the store gets very busy later in the day. Anyway, TK was on a mission to find the stray cats that we saw on our last visit.  The story is that some are believed to be descendants of colonial-era cats brought to the island by Spanish ships.   More recently, mid-20th century, cats were brought to the capital in the to kill rats. Guess what, the cats multiplied.

It did not take long to see cats roaming around as we walked along the tree lined sidewalks next to the shore on this beautiful day.    There were parks, gardens, sculptures, pigeons, narrow blue cobblestoned streets, bird of paradise flowers, bougainvillea, mangrove trees with exposed roots, and tourists.

 

Blue cobblestone street (closeup)
Bricks in Old San Juan streets are blue stone
cast from furnace slag which were brought over
on Spanish ships as ballast. 
The blue color comes from age and moisture.
They are  beautiful!

Looks to me like a baby being sacrificed
I could not find anything about it

TK and mangrove tree

Close up of mangrove tree



We love tree lined streets and sidewalks!

Street cats


Fountain

Most of the cats were friendly and hungry, they eagerly ate the treats TK was giving them.  After a while we arrived at the “Save a Gato” cat sanctuary.  A multitude of cats flocked around the “Cat Whisperer,” a sight to behold, as they seemed to treasure the treats that he was giving them.  He really enjoyed the cats and probably would have taken one home if he could. He left the rest of the cat treats with the sanctuary.

 And then we found the area of the cat sanctuary:








The Cat Whisperer




TK thought the car on the roof was amusing

Soon we arrived at the back a U.S. National Park, which includes the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the citadel/fortification that protected the island from attackers approaching by sea for the 250 years.  Because we were coming from the back of the area, we had to climb a very steep mountain. Okay, it was really a hill, but still steep.

This colorful gate stands as an entrance 

to the walled city of Old San Juan. 

It is 16 feet tall, one of five, and the 
last one still in existence

 

The mountain we climbed. It kills me
that I cannot capture perspective

El Morro still protects the island!

By this time we were very thirsty, and TK spotted a sign for a coffee shop within the old army barracks near El Morro. Coffee was probably not the best thirst quencher, but it sure was delicious at the Don Ruiz Café inside the barracks area plaza. It turned out that Don Ruiz is a 4th generation coffee producer whose ancestors arrived in the Caribbean during the 15th century Spanish colonization.  We would totally recommend a stop for coffee here!

 

Don Ruiz Cafe
Very good coffee

Army barracks for the fortress

Between El Morro and the barracks is a square with a 4o foot tower known as El Totem Telurico, meant to symbolize the origin of the New World. The square itself was built in 1992 as a commemoration of Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas.  I am very fond of public art and Old San Juan did not disappoint!

 

El Totem Telurico

We continued our journey to Restaurant Barrachina, 104 Fortaleza, in Old San Juan.  We always stop here—a place that claims to be the birthplace of the pina colada. The pina colada here (without alcohol) is the very best, fresh, not watered down, delicious pineapple and coconut! 

 

A peak into Barrachina

Entrance


The quintessential Pina Colada!


The appetizers we shared were delicious too. [Assorted fried delicacies (turnovers, corn fritters and croquettes)/ Surtidos de frituras (croquetas, sorullitos de maíz y pastelillitos de carne y pollo)]—whatever they were, they were delicious. I did not ask. Key word: fried.

Obviously we had already eaten a few of these appetizers 

I might mention that it wouldn’t be Old San Juan without a policeman holding up traffic for an unknown reason—thing blaring horns, black Suburbans, angry shouts in Spanish.  The streets are narrow, reminiscent of our favorite European cities.

 TK bought another t-shirt at Cariloha and then he spotted a Starbucks. We have a fun collection of Starbucks coffee cups from many places we have visited. No coffee this time.

 
The lady next to TK (his left) wanted wave 
for the photo

Our latest Starbucks coffee cup




TK is such a good model!

Twelve thousand steps later, we returned to the ship for a break! 

TK's steps today
I have 13,410 today

Flags flying from the ship

New San Juan looks beautiful too!


Soon enough it was time for dinner and now TK rests.

 

TK’s Takes:  Today was the nicest day so far, weatherwise. Clear skies, no wind, lots of sun, and smooth seas.


Finally, the ship's library cucbicles