ADVENTURING TO AVENTURA MALL

Saturday, January 27, 2024
Sky Princess
Stateroom S222/17
Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Sun, 80F

 

Double Rainbow, over the 

Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas

From our balcony

A double rainbow greeted us this morning in Port Everglades! We are sailing on the Sky for one more week, so we are “Guests in Transit.”  We had to get off the ship and go through U.S. customs.  This process is so easy now—one’s photo is taken, matched with records, and within 10 seconds one is free to pass through. Technology!

 

TK surprised me by calling an Uber to take us to the Aventura Mall we heard about a week ago, the 5^th largest mall in the country. 

 

By 10 a.m., we were walking around this beautiful upscale mall. Are you saying to yourself, “What the heck, a mall?”  I can’t help it, I like to walk around malls, and TK doesn’t mind, it is a good workout! I love window shopping, checking out fashions, looking for something different.  I always think I will spring for a Hermes scarf, a Gucci bag, or something like that, but in the end, I don’t do that. 

 

I didn't know that Porsche was into watches 

and fashion too

Penney's!

NOrdstrom

Louis Vuitton

Quite a display for two purses

There's a camo outfit!

Jimmy Choo

If they only had a green and blue scarf!

Tiffany and BMW, sign me up!

This is a $200,000 BMW

About noon, TK called me to meet him near a Macy’s entrance. He did not realize there were two Macy’s in this mall and the one he was at had 4 inside entrances. Believe me, finding him added a lot of steps to my Fitbit!  When I found him, he was excited to show me he had found sfogliatella! My favorite Italian pastry which I wrote about over and over when we were in the Mediterranean. He was very pleased with himself, and he should have been! After eating two (better step up the walking!), we decided to say goodbye to Aventura Mall and return to the ship.

 

Sfogliatella--very much like those we ate in Europe 

(by the dozens)

Nice fresh sandwiches

Mozzarella and Tomato sure look good!

Sfogliatella on the right

Rosetta Italian Bakery!

It was there just for us!

TK called up Uber and away we went.  Sky Princess was waiting for us, and we breezed aboard, ready to sail away again.  We could tell this week the passengers are a livelier crowd. Probably attributed to the “Concerts at Sea, 50s and 60s Themed Oldies Cruise.”  When guests book the cruise, they may also book the concerts. The concerts were full when we booked, but we will experience them vicariously through friends, Jeff P and Doris, who are on this cruise. 

  

Elmer welcomed us back to our table #84 in Soleil Dining Room. He had a little more time tonight to talk to us-last cruise he had 2 large tables with 18 people, plus us so he was very busy. He told us about his father in law’s farm back in the Philippines where they grow coffee plants, papaya, avocados, bananas, and more. Elmer has been working for Princess for 25 years and has a wife back home.  The contracts are nine months long with three months off.

Sugar Free "Lemon Pie"

Watching our calories haha!

After dinner tonight I decided to try the hair salon while TK rested—it has been a very long time since I have done that on a cruise ship.  I hope the styling lasts for tomorrow’s beach/picnic day at Princess Cay. That is kind of a joke because it will be hot and humid there!

Onward to sea we go!

Yesterday was a sea day, and there wasn’t much to tell because we basically read and ate and read and ate. We did go to the Veterans Get Together. One of the ladies and her husband were in the Air Force for 20 years each. There was also a World War II veteran, too.  I love seeing the camaraderie amongst veterans.

 TK’s Takes: He couldn’t believe the Millcreek Mall is the 13^th largest mall in the U.S.

For those who are intensely interested, here is the rundown of some of malls we have experienced:

• King of Prussia Mall, 3^rd largest in USA, 2,793,200 sq. ft., built 1963, 450 stores.
• Aventura Mall, 5^th largest in the USA, 2,700,000 sq. ft., built 1963, 300 stores.
• Sawgrass Mills Mall, 11^th largest in the USA, 2,260,610 sq. ft., built 1990, 350 stores. 
• Millcreek Mall, 13^th largest in the USA, 2,200,000 sq. ft., built 1975, 175 stores.

 

NAPLES, A VIBRANT CITY, WELCOMED US!

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Port of Naples, Italy

Aboard the Enchanted Princess

Room Aloha 212

Sunny, 74—another gorgeous day

 

Mount Vesuvius from our balcony!

Mount Vesuvius greeted us this morning, our view from the ship, only 13 ½ miles away.  When the volcano erupted in 79 A.D., the volcano killed the people who lived on the other side in Pompeii and surrounding area.  Aldo, our tour guide for today, said he lives in the “red zone”  and they often feel tremors.  The volcano is still an active stratovolcano, with the city of Naples and its 3 million residents.  It is said that the city could be destroyed in 2.5 minutes—that is why Vesuvius is one of the most studied volcanoes in the world.  Now we know.

 

Our tour today was a walking tour of vibrant Naples with 15 of our closest new friends. We dodged motorcycles, buses, taxis, and other pedestrians as we made our way past an archeological excavation of a recently discovered Roman port, next to the Naples port.

The medieval “New Castle,” so named because there is an older one, was erected in 1279, is one of the major architectural landmarks. 

 On the hill above the city, we could see Castle St. Elmo, a medieval fortress that now serves as a museum and exhibition hall.

Castle St. Elmo

Our first destination was Royal Theater of Saint Charles, an opera house that opened in 1737 and is the oldest continuously active venue for opera in the world.  It was the model for theaters later built   in Europe, known for its size, structure, and antiquity. 

Royal Theater on a poster

Inside was a café (Caffe Borbone) where we were treated to coffee AND sfogliatella. The tiny bit of coffee was thick in the small cup, and we thought we were directed to pour the carbonated water we were given into the cup—Big WOW. That is not a taste to mix. I can drink the very strongest of coffee but adding that kind of water was disastrous. Thankfully, the sfogliatella saved the morning!

Caffe Borbone under the theater

Sfogliatella

The Caffe Borbone was near the huge Piazza del Plebiscito, which opened in 1846. The plaza was full of young students, college students, tourists, and residents. Tour Guide Aldo told us that on New Year’s Eve it is a great place to celebrate.

Piazza del Plebiscito

 

We continued our walk through narrow streets, still dodging motorcycles an pedestrians on our way to our next restaurant, Sette passi a Chiaia. Sette was a small restaurant, spotless, with risqué posters on the wall—think Italian bingo with each number representing something unmentionable in this blog. (I suppose I could mention one was the “B” word, but that word is mild compared to others). But I digress.  Aldo explained each course.

Sette passi a Chiaia (On Chiaia Street)

Plentiful bread, made here!

Caprese Salad--so fresh!

Janie in Sette

Aldo explained that Naples is the birthplace of pizza and that Margharita is a specialty.  Fresh ingredients are imperative.  Pizza dough is never tossed. One must use buffalo mozzarella from Naples—the buffalo (brought to the area by Vikings) are raised on grass grown in the lava rich soil, that makes all the difference.

Sign says birthplace of La Pizza Margherita

1889 

After eating the caprese salad, I sure could verify everything Aldo said, including that the buffalo mozzarella was fresh this morning!! It was like butter only better. Incredible.

 

Next was the pizza Margharita, and we were each given half a pizza—we were also instructed to fold a slice like a sandwich-that is the way to eat pizza. Wood fired oven pizza—950F, 50 seconds!  If only TK would buy a wood fired oven for me!

Pizza Margharita

 

Leaving the Sette, we trailed Aldo to our next stop and I was hoping we would make it alive—narrow streets and motorcycles and cars make danger an every minute thing.  Our final food treat was gelato made by a chocolate factory at Gay-Odin —another Wow!! Many chocolate choices, milk, dark, tiramisu, and others. I opted for pistachio and salted pistachio (small dish—2 choices), and TK chose dark chocolate and salted pistachio.

Sign outside

Choices of gelato

Chocolate candies made here

 We continued walking toward the Galleria Umberto, a spacious cross-shaped structure with a glass dome, now used for businesses, shops, cafes, and apartments (on the 3^rd floor, many still owned by the original owners’ descendants).  A very large, but very old mall!

Galleria Umberto

A Sfogliatella shop with my name on it!

Imagine that!

Galleria

Lots of space!

Note:  two story apartments above the shops

Marble floors!

Glass ceiling

Closeup of carved marble

Virgo mosaic

Cancer mosaic

Note: if you stand by your astology sign and turn around

3 times, you will return to Naples

We have to return to see the Archeology Museum

that has most of the artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum!

THINGS WE SAW ALONG THE WAY:

Chocolate shop

Welcome to the Spanish Quarter!

Note: Motorcycles, pedestrians, and vehicles on this very narrow street!

Children's clothing

Pizzeria

Men's clothing

TK checking out lemon candy

Spanish quarter, older, love the laundry hanging out to dry!

Same street, closer

Cars, motorcycles, pedestrians-stay safe!

Laundry close up!

 

There was no time for shopping, Aldo kept us at a quick pace as we headed back to the ship--he did a fine job.

Soon enough it was time for dinner, but despite our over 10,000 steps today, we opted to eat light and skipped dessert.  Now we need to prepare for Rome tomorrow, where we will celebrate Thanksgiving with you!