Tag Archives: Travel

Happy Forty Twos-Day!

Biltmore House from The Lagoon. Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina

Kathy & I are at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC celebrating our 42nd anniversary. I’ve been joking that this is quite an upgrade from our honeymoon in Gatlinburg, TN. πŸ˜‰

We did an early morning guided house tour on Monday and have a few days of exploring planned, including taking in their Leonardo Davinci exhibit on Wednesday. I’ve taken a few photos so far, including this one of the Biltmore House from The Lagoon, a spot along the French Broad River.

Patchwork. The Gardens at Biltmore House and Gardens, Asheville, North Carolina
Stonework on the exterior of Biltmore House

Another Morning On The Beach

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

I turned the alarm off this morning and went back to sleep, but woke up 15 minutes later and knew what I had to do. πŸ˜‰

Once more it was worth the effort.

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Feet In The Sand

Thirteen. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

I managed to get my tripod feet (and my own feet) into the sand this morning! πŸ˜‰

Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Postcard From Carolina Beach

Evening cloud formations. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Kathy & I decided to escape from the neighborhood for a few days, and what better way to do that than a late-season trip to the beach? I haven’t done a lot of photography, but did manage to get in a little bit off our balcony on Monday evening, and I drug myself out of bed for a little work on Tuesday morning. Nothing spectacular, but a few frames to show for the effort.

Here are a few more bonus shots to show the ‘clouds’ theme:

Evening cloud formations. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Morning on the beach. Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Evening cloud formations. Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Last Bermuda Post!

View from our stateroom window while docked in Bermuda aboard Celebrity Summit

Very few people will be interested in this, but for those few who are, here is a brief post about our stateroom aboard Celebrity Summit.

View of our stateroom window from the helipad

On recent cruises, we have recognized the relatively better value of booking an “Ocean View” stateroom as opposed to a “Veranda” stateroom. The main difference is that an Ocean View stateroom has just a window, which can range from a porthole to a large picture window, while a Verandah stateroom has a balcony, with sliding glass doors from the room. The cruise lines have been quite successful in marketing the Verandah staterooms, since they cost more, thus being more profitable. Some of the newer ships have done away with all or nearly all Ocean View rooms for this reason. But depending on the specific cruise, the price difference can be significant.

Our stateroom #6001 on Celebrity Summit
Our stateroom #6001 on Celebrity Summit

This was our third cruise with an Ocean View room, and we have found that there are certain Ocean View staterooms on certain ships, that are much larger than “regular” Ocean View rooms, sometimes to the point where they are larger than the higher-priced Verandah rooms. We have really come to enjoy the rooms in the very front of the ship. They provide an interesting view and more space, with the tradeoff that they are on one end of the ship, so you have a long walk to just about anywhere. But we like it!

So this is just a short overview of our stateroom on Celebrity Summit. Those who have been on cruises will recognize the layout, those who have not might still be interested.

A Special Treat: Sail Away From the Helipad

On the day we left Bermuda, we along with “several hundred of our closest friends” were invited to experience Sail Away from the helipad. It is the second time we got to do this, the previous time was on a cruise sailing from Barbados.

On most cruise ships, the helipad is off-limits to everyone but crew. A few of the larger ships do allow passengers on the helipad when conditions are safe. Someone always has to do the “Titanic” thing on the bow.

Generally though, sail away is by invitation only. I asked the Captain’s Club hostess how people were chosen, and she kinda answered that there was no magic formula and that the number was determined by the captain. But I do know that our past-passenger status with Celebrity – high but nowhere near the highest! – had to have helped. It was a fun time, I got a few photos and we had some free champagne-like wine. It is always a treat, and we enjoyed the experience!

The National Museum of Bermuda

The National Museum of Bermuda explores the maritime and island history of Bermuda. The maritime museum is located within the grounds of the fortress keep of the former Royal Naval Dockyard.

The Commissioner’s House is used to display a number of exhibitions. The basement shows Bermuda’s Defence Heritage, a display about Bermuda’s defenses and fortifications since 1612, and the role of local forces in World War I and World War II (this is devoted only to the British aspect of Bermuda’s naval and military history, although there is a separate exhibit devoted to the United States bases). The pillared hall is site of a two-story History of Bermuda mural by the Bermudian artist Graham Foster. The main floor has a number of themes related to Bermuda’s history including slavery, immigration, and tourism. One room is dedicated to the history of the Bermuda Race. The upper floor contains collections of maps, books, coins, maritime art, and exhibits concerning activities of the Royal Navy and the US Forces, specifically during World War II. Other buildings show shipwreck artifacts, local watercraft, or are under renovation.

Other outbuildings house various exhibits. The Queen’s Exhibition Hall/1850 Ordnance House contained a display pertaining to underwater archeology. The building known as the Boat Loft contains historic local watercraft, a collection of vintage outboard motors, and a fascinating two-story clock mechanism.

The “Other End” Of Bermuda: St. George’s

On our second day in Bermuda we took a ferry from the Royal Naval Dockyard to the town of St. George’s, located on St. George’s Island on the east end of Bermuda. St. George’s was established in 1612 as New London, and was the original English settlement on Bermuda. St. George’s served as the capital of Bermuda until 1815, when it was moved to Hamilton.

Downtown St. George’s is a quaint little place, pretty quiet except just before and after the arrival of the ferry. It also serves as the dock for smaller cruise ships, and the Oceania Insignia was docked there during our visit. The shops and restaurants there were very nice. For my money I would revisit St. George’s before returning to Hamilton, due to the hustle and bustle of the larger capital city.

After our tour, waiting for the time to return to the ferry, we had a very yummy lunch at Wahoo’s Bistro, a restaurant recommended by our guide. They are known for their fresh seafood, including their “Fish Sandwich” which consists of lightly fried local fish on raisin bread, with a tangy sauce. It’s a little hard to imagine the combination, but believe me when I say it was delicious! Sadly, I don’t have a photo of it. πŸ™ We also indulged and had a Yellow Bird, a Bermudian cocktail made with rum (Gosling’s, of course!), pineapple and orange juice, Creme de Banana and simple syrup. We only had one (each) so we would be able to make it back to the ferry dock!

Royal Naval Dockyard

Most cruise ships that visit Bermuda dock or tender at Royal Naval Dockyard, which sits at the very northwestern tip of the island. Originally established as a base for Britain’s Royal Navy, the Dockyard occupies a strategic location in the Atlantic and has played a role in many naval operations, including a key role in the War of 1812, when the British blockade of American ports was orchestrated from Bermuda.

Today the Dockyard is primarily a marina and shipping port, complete with a requisite shopping areas and restaurants, including the ubiquitous Diamonds International. The “shopping mall” was a disappointing collection of t-shirt shops and souvenir stands, a far cry from the high end shops on Front Street in Hamilton. We wasted too much time there, missing out on visiting the Bermuda Transport Museum as well as a potential lunch at a restaurant that one of our guides recommended. Next time!

Adjacent to the Dockyard is the National Museum of Bermuda, including the former Commissioner’s House which sits atop a hill overlooking the bay. I’ll detail that in another post as it is a destination unto itself.

Wikipedia article about the Dockyard