Saturday, March 17, 2012

Our Cruise to Warm Places

Desperate to hasten the arrival of sunny days and warm temperatures, the Gardener and I took off for the Caribbean and beautiful warm places~~


Our 2 week cruise took us to eight wonderful islands in the southern Caribbean. I'd like to share with you some of the photos from our restful and romantic trip- starting with Antigua.   


We usually don't do the ship sponsored excursions - instead we prefer to take off and just "do our own thing".  As we travel together to the different islands, I'll tell you about some of our favorite things to do and places that we love to visit. 



Longbay Beach is about a 30 minute taxi ride from the cruise pier. We were traveling with our friends Bob and Jan, so there were 4 of us in the taxi and it cost about $70 for the round trip fare.  There are no taxi's waiting at the beach as it is on the far opposite side of the island - so you will need to arrange for your driver to pick you up for the return.  (Our driver actually just stayed with us and took a nap in the car while we were at the beach.)    


There are several lovely restaurants on the beach. This is the view from the restaurant where we ate our lunch. 

 For lunch I had grilled polenta with fresh marinara sauce and  it was fabulous! You will need to remember that you are on "island" time here - and restaurant service is very, very SLOW!  So plan accordingly. 

These people seemed to follow me around for the entire trip!
  
 
 

There are beach chairs and umbrellas for rent at a cost of $5.  There is a lot of shade on the beach - so we actually only rented chairs.

  Isn't this a beautiful view?
The beach is nice and long - perfect for beach walks.
 


Yes, the water really is this wonderful shade of blue!



The Gardener and I took a long walk down to the the other end of the beach~


and we found this place.




So we climbed up the stairs~

and found this charming little restaurant. 

This is the view from Mama's restaurant.  Mama was nice~ her menu had fresh home made pasta and the special of the day was grilled red snapper.  I'm eating here next time!!

There were places to rent water sports equipment~

but we were all just lazy - I mostly did this!

(I almost finished Keri Beth's little beaded dress while we were on the cruise!)



We also did a lot of this!

But - all good things have to come to an end - so in the late afternoon we headed back to the pier.

Gosh - this ship looks big here! 


The sunset reflections were beautiful.

One last picture before getting back on the ship! 
~~~
Next up will be the island of Grenada.  We'll visit the spice market and take a little tour of the island.  (While we were there - I did a little audition for a new job~~ (oh, yeah!)- you just wait!)
 Love,
Vicki 

ps- My latest travel feature was just published in the online 
"Living Better at 50" magazine.  This month I am taking you to someplace very special - Venice!  You can access my travel feature by clicking the photo on the top of my sidebar. I hope you enjoy traveling with me! 

25 comments:

Joyful said...

Fantastic post and stunning scenery. I long for the spring here. We are expecting snow 3x this week. I simply cannot believe it. We are usually gardening by now. I will check out your Venice article. Blessings. xx

Lyn said...

OOh my what a beautiful place, white sand and blue sky......perfect. I am enjoying coming along on your trip!
xxx

SuZeQ said...

I gasped so hard looking at these photos that I actually started to choke. No lie. The scenery is absolutely spectacular. You make that point and shoot scream, girl! What's this about a "new job???????" You have that much spare time to take on something else? Ha! let me know how THAT works out for you!
kosec@sbcglobal.net

Art From The heart said...

What gorgeous photo's and you look beautiful.
Hugs

Lili said...

Hello you little cutie!! Oh my goodness what a way to relax and unwind amidst some truly gorgeous scenery. That knit beaded dress sounds adorable and I hope you show it to us when you finish. That is so cool that the same people seem to always follow you around on your jaunts around the globe! heehee xoxo ~Lili

Suzan said...

How wonderful that you are able to do so much traveling!! Two more years to retirement and I hope to also travel. The color of the water is beautiful!!
Your yarn - where do you get yarn with beads already in it? Lovely!
Suzan

The Painted Garden said...

Hi Vicki,

Thank you for the tour - as usual your photographs are fabulous. I am off to read your new travel article.
Blessings,
Erin

Tanya said...

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh - what a FABULOUS trip. That sand is SO white!! And the water. You can see why they all work on Island Time - I know I would! Can't wait for the next island! Happy Sunday - Tanya

Susan said...

How relaxing..your pictures are awesome as usual. Thanks for taking us on your trip in pictures. Have a great week. We are enjoying some really above normal temps here. 80 today!!

jerilanders said...

My goodness, it has been a long time since I walked a beach or had a suntan like yours. I can almost smell that salty air! I think I came here from "Normandy Life", (intrigued by your birds nests), but I have been traveling down the page and around the globe with you and am not quite sure anymore.
I am sure of one thing though, the birds nests are wonderful and so are your travels, lucky you!

Createology said...

Your photos are always so beautiful. I feel like I am right there with you. Those blue waters are breathtaking...especially since blue is my favorite color. Bless you for traveling...

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Well heck honey, look at you out there knitting. I loved seeing that and I loved all the brilliant colors, the turquoise seas, the towns, everything! I have been reading a lot about Antigua lately and it seems amazing.

Thanks for the vacation, I needed it!

Love across the miles, and hey, you do the word Grandma proud,

Sharon

Esme said...

Vicki, you look so gorgeous and relaxed in the photo. These photos are gorgeous. It looks like you had a wonderful time. The beaches look so inviting. I want to come along next time.

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

Vicki, did you go swimming?
The water looks warm, perfect for bathing. Looks like you got a great tan too
xx
julie

Julie Marie said...

Just beautiful Vicki!... it looks like Heaven on earth... oooh how I would love to sit on the beach like you were, dig my toes in the moist sand, and knit!... ( I don't know how to knit, I wish I did, I have my mama's old knitting needles and such)... but I DO know how to crochet!... those restaurants look delicious!... thanks for sharing your beautiful photographs... did you find any "new" vintage seashell handbags???... xoxo Julie Marie

Lois Evensen said...

What a lovely post. Celebrity is an excellent cruise line. ;) Your on-your-own exploring is our way of going ashore, too.

I, too, have my knitting and crochet out here at sea.

Sunday hugs from Port Canaveral (for another hour or so),
Lois

Unknown said...

how wonderful to live vicariously through you and follow you on these amaaazing trips! oh yes....i would follow you anywhere! Venice here we come! ;)

yaya said...

How beautiful and peaceful it all looks. The water is unbelievable! Thanks for sharing your fabulous pics, they always make me feel like I was there with you...but I'm missing something..oh yeah, it's the tan I'm missing! I look more like that white sand!

Sherri said...

It looks so beautiful there and you looked so pretty in the picture!! You go on the greatest trips!!

knitalatte said...

Vicki,
Wow oh wow, what a beautiful place you vacationed in. I think you and the Gardner really know how to pick the perfect beaches for strolling and gazing out at the crystal blue sea. Loved looking at all the photos. I'm glad you came home to find your house and town spared from the horrific storms that hit while you were away.
Hugs,
Karen

Shirley said...

Hi Vicki, I couldn't wait for you to start your trip and I am here for the ride. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. It looks so relaxing. Of course you know I will be going to check out Venice. It is my way of traveling and you take me on such wonderful excursion. I will be watching for the next post. Take care Hugs from your Missouri Friend.

Mosaic Magpie said...

Calgon, take me away....or in this case your photos have. I can almost feel the sand between my toes! Beautiful photos! I like all the new photos on the sidebar as well....I am seeing some pretty brightly colored yarns there!!
Deb

sjmcdowell said...

Dear Vicki,

How exciting for you and the Gardener to go on this wonderful cruise! I love all the wonderful photos...my kind of place! Love that you mostly relaxed and kicked back!! We all need a place like that to get away from it all!!

Happy you are back...I kept forgetting that you said you would be gone for a month and kept looking for you here! Missed you!!

Love and God Bless,

Susan

Acorn to Oak said...

What a gorgeous place! The views, relaxation, warm temps, and knitting time sound heavenly!

Silke Powers said...

Wow, I can almost hear the sound of the ocean and feel that Caribbean sun on my skin seeing your beautiful photos!! What a great time you had!!! I cannot wait for our next cruise... Love, Silke