We’re packing up and getting ready to head home, but it’s been a very nice visit to a new (for us) place. We spent time with friends, had some beach time, ate some good seafood and even got to see a rocket launch! I didn’t take any photos of the launch because it happened at 3 am and would have only showed an orange ball against a black background! But it was great to see, since it was the closest we’ve been to one (we’re about 30 miles from Kennedy Space Center).
I’ll have some more photos and stories once I get home and get the files into my computer. Processing photos on my tablet is a bit cumbersome. And takes away from my beach time! 😉
Causeway over the Indian River in Melbourne, Florida
We had dinner at a restaurant with perhaps one of the best restaurant names ever: Squid Lips! It overlooks the Indian River in Melbourne. I loved the way the late afternoon light hit the causeway, and interrupted cocktail time long enough to grab a few photos.
Angles of a wall on a building at sunrise. Melbourne, FL
Sunrises without clouds can be boring, even at the beach. So after watching the sun come up into a clear sky, I happened to see this angle on the building and realized that it made for a pretty graphic image. Just another angle on sunrise!
Kathy and I are in Melbourne, FL enjoying a few days at the beach with our friends Jo Anne & Brent. I’m trying something a little different (for me) this trip and am planning to act like a tourist and take photos only with my phone. Took this on the beach before the occupants returned. Over-processed in Lightroom Mobile, which I suppose most tourists don’t do. 😉
Frog and Onion Pub and Restaurant. At Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
I suppose if I were a Twitter-er I could post a comment about it there, but since I’m not, I’ll post it here. I love a good headline, especially in this era of meaningless “clickbait” headlines. This one is pretty tough to beat:
Triangular. Abandoned train trestle supports in Staunton, Virginia
A few weekends ago, Kathy & I visited Staunton, VA to meet up with our friends Jim & Lisa, who drove down from Pennsylvania. We like to find interesting towns to visit for a few days when we have a chance to meet up. Last summer we met in Lewisburg, WV, and we’re planning a trip to Kentucky for later this year.
Staunton (pronounced STON-ton) is a pleasant and vibrant town located along I-81 just north of Roanoke and is about halfway between Jim & Lisa’s home in Pennsylvania and our home in Charlotte. In addition to a nice downtown with good restaurants and interesting shops, Staunton is home to the American Shakespeare Center, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Mary Baldwin University. Oh, and the Camera Heritage Museum.
We spent a few days walking around the town, saw a play at American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse, had some good meals and visited some interesting shops. We were there on St. Patrick’s Day and enjoyed a dinner at a restaurant with a live Celtic band.
Triangular. Abandoned train trestle supports in Staunton, Virginia
One afternoon we were walking around town, and at some point came across these old railroad trestle supports. I don’t remember the words, but Jim asked me if I thought they would make a good photograph. I had seen them but hadn’t responded to them yet, so Jim’s question woke me up. Yes, they were quite interesting, and as it turned out I was able to make a few photographs that prove the point.
Just like with the photos of Bill’s tree in my last post, sometimes it is someone else’s eyes that discover the photo, and my job is to do something with it. Looks like I may have to make another print! 😉
Triangular. Abandoned train trestle supports in Staunton, Virginia
My next door neighbor’s tree, silhouetted against the evening sky.
One evening a few weeks ago, Kathy & I were sitting at the kitchen table after dinner, likely finishing some wine before venturing off the do the dishes. The sun had recently set, and the sky was crystal clear. As we sat there, one of us (I’ll give Kathy the credit) said something about how interesting our neighbor’s tree looked against the sky. I sat there, looked at it and at some point said “I’m going to get my camera.”
My next door neighbor’s tree, silhouetted against the evening sky.
It took me just a few minutes to drag out the camera and tripod, attach the L-bracket and set it up on the patio. There was no wind, so I didn’t have to worry about movement, and I made a couple dozen frames. They aren’t technically perfect – I could have used a little more depth of field – but they do have a bit of a zen-like look to them.
It’s another lesson in being willing to make a photograph when it presents itself, even if it is right outside our window.
My next door neighbor’s tree, silhouetted against the evening sky.
This is (finally) the final post of photos from our February cruise marathon. Completed galleries can be found on my Adobe Portfolio page for anyone wanting to see more.
Light fixture over the Martini Bar aboard Celebrity ApexLight fixture over the Martini Bar aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity Apex
Cruise ships have always had vast art displays on board. Even back in the early days of steamship travel, ships were known to have decor consisting of paintings, sculptures and murals. Modern cruise ships seem to be carrying this artistic theme even into their design. More and more we are seeing sweeping atriums, huge glass observation decks, and dramatic architectural features that are much more about form than function.
On our Celebrity Apex cruise, I tried to capture a bit of the flavor of t his art, as well as some of the design elements. Here is a small collection of what I saw.
The main pool deck area aboard Celebrity Apex‘Eden’ lounge and restaurant aboard Celebrity ApexAboard Celebrity ApexCollection of Champagne seals formed into little chairs. Le Grand Bistro dining room aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexAboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexThe Theater aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity ApexArtwork aboard Celebrity Apex
I’m getting close to the end (you’re welcome) of the photos from our cruise marathon this past February. I’ve posted three galleries on my Adobe Portfolio page for anyone who just has to see more.
Our stateroom #7231 aboard Celebrity ApexThe Infinite Verandah was a bit of a letdown. When the window is open the climate control in the room shuts off. The shade covering the window at night can only be raised or lowered, so there is no way to use the balcony while someone in the room is still asleep.
I get a lot of comments about the size of cruise ships, especially from people who have never sailed on one, or sometimes have never even seen one. So I thought I would post some photos and make some comments about this particular ship plus show a brief comparison of ship sizes.
Le Grand Bistro dining room aboard Celebrity ApexA machine almost as nice as Jeff’s!
Celebrity Apex is the second ship in what is known as the Edge Class that was introduced in 2018. The first ship of course was Edge (2018), followed by Apex (2020), Beyond (2022) and later this year, Ascent. There may be more in the pipeline but I’m not sure. Edge Class is the latest of three classes of ship, with the exception of some smaller specialty ships that sail exclusively in the Galapagos (they are on our long-term list but are quite pricey).
‘Eden’ lounge and restaurant aboard Celebrity Apex‘Eden’ lounge and restaurant aboard Celebrity ApexGuitarist Bryan James performs in Eden aboard Celebrity Apex
Cruise ships are generally compared in terms of Gross Tonnage (a measure of volume, not weight), length and passenger count. I’m using Celebrity’s ships for comparison, although there are many other ships with different lines, both larger and smaller.
From a previous cruise: Celebrity Constellation, Oasis of the Seas and Celebrity BeyondThe orange structure on the side is the Magic Carpet. It travels up and down the side of the ship and functions as a bar by day, a restaurant at night, and a tender platform when the ship is operating tenders to take guests to shore.
We don’t usually sail on ships when they are fairly new, because in general they are more pricey than ships that have been out a while. But in this case, we were already in Fort Lauderdale for our first two cruises, so by spreading the travel expenses over another cruise we were able to bring the average cost down. And we got a pretty good price for booking fairly late, and it gave us a chance to try out a ship sooner than we might otherwise.
The Solarium aboard Celebrity ApexThe main pool deck area aboard Celebrity ApexOceanview Cafe dining area aboard Celebrity ApexRooftop Garden area aboard Celebrity ApexRooftop Garden area aboard Celebrity ApexRooftop Garden area aboard Celebrity Apex
One of the recent trends among some of the cruise lines is to make the ships larger and larger. Royal Caribbean has the largest ships afloat, and will soon be introducing Icon of the Seas, which will carry 7,600 passengers. I’m sorry, but that is stupid big. Not to say we’ll never sail on her, but when our preference is ships 1/3 of the size, we aren’t going to be standing in line!
What always surprises us is that for the most part, the ships don’t feel crowded. Exceptions are sea days by the pool, and “lobster night” in the main dining rooms. Sometimes there is a special event going on in the central atrium (called different things on different ships) and those can get crowded. Other than that, Kathy & I have developed some routines that get us out and about before the crowds arrive (we call them “the nooners” although I’m aware that term has several meanings. 😉 ). There are often out of the way places where it is quiet and uncrowded, although that also means we have to walk a way to the bathrooms and retrieve our own drinks. 🙂
The main pool deck area aboard Celebrity ApexPassageway along the pool deck aboard Celebrity Apex
The great thing about newer ships, however, is that the decor and architecture are beautiful. The layout, styling and technology have come a long way since we started cruising in 2000. There are more dining choices, more entertainment options, the theaters have new technologies and even the staterooms have fancy gadgets like temperature and lighting controls. It’s even possible to adjust the shades, lighting and temperature of a stateroom using an app, from anywhere on the ship. Not terribly useful, but there are cases where it might be.
Production show ‘Rockumentary’ in The Theater on Celebrity ApexCellist ‘Elanka’ performing in The Theater aboard Celebrity ApexThe Theater aboard Celebrity ApexCosmopolitan dining room aboard Celebrity ApexTuscan dining room aboard Celebrity ApexCasino aboard Celebrity Apex
There were things we loved about Apex, and a few things that we didn’t care for. I won’t go into a lot of detail here, but overall we liked the ship, but for our money we prefer the smaller and slightly older Solstice Class like Equinox that we sailed on for the first two cruises.
Cleaning the light fixture over the Martini Bar aboard Celebrity Apex
Jaguar Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, Belize
After our visit to Key West, Celebrity Apex sailed to Belize. We had sort of visited Belize in 2020, but only to stop at Harvest Caye, Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island. This time we got to see the “real” Belize with a visit to Lamanai Archaeological Reserve.
From travelbelize.org: Lamanai (from the Yucatec Maya for “submerged crocodile”) was a city-state dating to 1500 BCE. Archaeological research has revealed that the site was continually occupied for 3,000 years until European contact. More than 700 Maya structures have been identified, but only a few have been excavated and studied, including a ball court, stelae, and principal structures like the Mask Temple, adorned by two impressive carved limestone masks over 13 ft. (3.9 m) in height.
The vast majority of the site remained unexcavated until the mid-1970s. Archaeological work has concentrated on the investigation and restoration of the larger structures, most notably the Mask Temple, Jaguar Temple, and High Temple. The summit of this latter structure affords a view across the surrounding jungle to a nearby lagoon, part of New River.
Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, BelizeHigh Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, BelizeRestoration work in process at High Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, BelizeMask Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, BelizeMask Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, BelizeJairo, one of our guides at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, Belize
We were not able to climb the High Temple, as it was closed for restoration work. Instead, we were able to climb the Mask Temple. It doesn’t have the view of the High Temple, but it was interesting and fun to climb.
Yes, I climbed it! Mask Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, Belize
Getting to Lamanai involved a tender ride from the ship (there is no cruise ship dock in Belize), an hour plus bus ride to a boat, then a boat ride to the reserve. Once there, a lot of walking, then back to the boat and do it in reverse back the ship. Fortunately, between the return boat ride and the bus ride, we got lunch!
Colorful canopies shade the walkway along the waterfront in Belize City, BelizeColorful canopies shade the walkway along the waterfront in Belize City, BelizeColorful waterfront in Belize City, BelizeColorful waterfront in Belize City, BelizeColorful buildings along the waterfront in Belize City, Belize
The ruins were very interesting, and our guides did a good job explaining the various pyramids and their uses. The Mayan culture has largely disappeared, although their descendants, including our guides, help keep the heritage alive.
