Breaking news here, while most of us will be paying for items in Europe via "normal" means, credit cards, cash and the like Mike will be paying for things in Europe with sexual favors (don't shoot the messenger). I thought that these surveys would be helpful to gather information but never did I think that the surveys would be a tool for bribery. Mike/Mo we will talk off line on this subject.
We clearly all want to see the Pompeii while Ken and Cindy want to also see Capri and Sorrento. There's only so much dust we can take in a day :-). As far as what the cruise line is offering we have a split decision from those who answered the question. Two peeps (Mom and Dad) will be taking NP03 (Exploration of Pompeii) and two peeps (Ken and Cindy) are leaning towards NP02 (Capri, Sorrento & Pompeii - NP02, Colloseum). Mike/Mo or should I say Mo/Mike, I understand you may be leaning towards the on your own excursions. Can wait to see everyone to catch up!
As far as the cuisine in Naples -- on the off chance I misunderstood I will apologize up front -- sorry Mo if I misunderstood -- Naples is the birth place place of pizza, unlike anything we've had in the states, please please eat a slice of pizza. Karen, Ken and I will be nibbling on some bruchetta right after the pizza (did I mention the gelato?). 9:09 PM just happened to look at the excursion Ken and I might take and I'm uncertain if we'll be getting any pizza. According to the description we will be having lunch at a typical restaraunt. We may need to reconsider.
We will be retiring the line of questions involving shopping and souvenirs.
The next survey will be a little more racy so stay tuned.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
22 more days...
Cruising with Cyn
Collection of useless information circuitous to the OPERATION: Poisson Rouge Adventure.
Naples is the first stop on our European adventure.
Naples is not only picturesque, it's also one of the world's greatest cultural centers, filled with extraordinary works of art and architecture in the classical Greek and Roman styles. Several interesting tours are available of the city itself and the fascinating places that lie just outside of Naples.
The One Thing You Don't Want to Miss
While you're in the area, you'll want to visit Pompeii [or Herculaneum!], one of the most famous excavation sites in the world. A thriving city 1,900 years ago, it was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. when 30 feet of volcanic ash and pumice stone covered it. Enter Pompeii by the sea gate and take a short walk to the hub of the city: the Forum. View the lavish temples and porticoes that lay beneath the ash for centuries.
Other Fun Things to Do
See ya in Naples
Collection of useless information circuitous to the OPERATION: Poisson Rouge Adventure.
Naples is the first stop on our European adventure.
Naples is not only picturesque, it's also one of the world's greatest cultural centers, filled with extraordinary works of art and architecture in the classical Greek and Roman styles. Several interesting tours are available of the city itself and the fascinating places that lie just outside of Naples.
The One Thing You Don't Want to Miss
While you're in the area, you'll want to visit Pompeii [or Herculaneum!], one of the most famous excavation sites in the world. A thriving city 1,900 years ago, it was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. when 30 feet of volcanic ash and pumice stone covered it. Enter Pompeii by the sea gate and take a short walk to the hub of the city: the Forum. View the lavish temples and porticoes that lay beneath the ash for centuries.
Other Fun Things to Do
- Take a boat trip to the entrancing Isle of Capri, and explore Capri Town. Wander its quaint streets and explore its shops and cafés. Discover the Gardens of Augustus, overlooking the famous Faraglioni of Capri and Marina Piccola.
- Take a ride up the Amalfi Coast. With its ocean views and beautiful vistas, it's one of the most breathtaking stretches of road in the world.
- Walk around and spend an afternoon getting to know the picturesque city of Naples.
See ya in Naples
Thursday, April 29, 2010
23 more days...
Barcelona!
We touch down in Barcelona at 9: 15am on Sunday May 23rd. Brittany's 18th Birthday! Feliz Cumplianos Brittany! We should arrive at the port between 11am and noon. If you've completed you're on-line check-in (Mike and I have), the boarding process should be quick. You'll need a printout of your electronic cruise documents, your passport, and your photo ID (driver's license). Our bags will be tagged and sent to our rooms. If you plan on heading into Barcelona, remember to have whatever you need to be a tourist with you, because the bags will take a few hours to get to the rooms. (Keep valuables with you and not in your tagged bags!) We can lunch at the Windjammer Cafe. We may get a few hours in Barcelona. If you leave the ship (and I really hope we get to) you will have to reboard. To reboard you will need to repeat the check-in process at the pier (I called RC and they said you can use your SeaPass to re-board). In addition, Government regulations mandate that the ship will be locked down 1-2 hours before her scheduled departure time. Once the lock down begins, no guests will be allowed to reboard in Barcelona.
Port
Port Vell (Old Harbor) was built as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Before this, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. 16 million people visit the complex each year. It is now a focal point of the city and tourist attraction, containing the Maremàgnum (a mall containing shops, a multiplex cinema, bars and restaurants), IMAX Port Vell and Europe's largest aquarium. A pedestrian walkway, Rambla de Mar, connects La Rambla to Port Vell. It incorporates a swing bridge, in order to allow ships to enter and exit the harbour.
La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike. A 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall between Barri Gòtic and El Raval, it connects Plaça Catalunya in the center with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell. Street performers, nudists, and tourists all in one place! And don't forget to drink from the fountain in Rambla de Canaletes, the upper part of La Rambla, near Plaça de Catalunya. Folklore says that if you drink from this famous fountain at the top of La Rambla you will always return to the city. 
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
Mercat de Sant Josep, Mercado de La Boqueria is one large building with hundreds of food vendors to excite and delight every palate. This is the place to be if you are looking for something to eat, drink, or purchase the ingredients to fulfill a gourmet's desires. Each stall or store has colorful vendors who will help you make decisions on what's good and what's great.
La Sagrada Familia
Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), often simply called the Sagrada Família is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the project's vast scale and unusual design have made it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years. You must see the detail that covers the exterior. Truly amazing. There is symbolism and biblical references that literally cover the walls.
Port
La Rambla
La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike. A 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall between Barri Gòtic and El Raval, it connects Plaça Catalunya in the center with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell. Street performers, nudists, and tourists all in one place! And don't forget to drink from the fountain in Rambla de Canaletes, the upper part of La Rambla, near Plaça de Catalunya. Folklore says that if you drink from this famous fountain at the top of La Rambla you will always return to the city. 
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
Mercat de Sant Josep, Mercado de La Boqueria is one large building with hundreds of food vendors to excite and delight every palate. This is the place to be if you are looking for something to eat, drink, or purchase the ingredients to fulfill a gourmet's desires. Each stall or store has colorful vendors who will help you make decisions on what's good and what's great.
La Sagrada Familia
Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), often simply called the Sagrada Família is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the project's vast scale and unusual design have made it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years. You must see the detail that covers the exterior. Truly amazing. There is symbolism and biblical references that literally cover the walls.
Park Guell
Park Guell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. (The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site.) Gaudí avoided leveling the grounds so that the park has a network of twisting roads which follow the contours of the land. The lowest point is the entrance, from which a double staircase leads to the hypostyle chamber, the ceiling of which serves as the floor of the huge public square. Outlying areas have imaginative viaducts and colonnades, which in their design evoke natural forms.
Casa Milà and Casa Batlló
Antoni Gaudí was an architect from Catalonia, Spain, who belonged to the Modernisme (Art Nouveau) movement and was famous for his unique style and highly individualistic designs. Two of his building designs located in Barcelona are Casa Milà and Casa Batlló. Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for 'The Quarry'), is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built during the years 1906–1910. Casa Batlló, better known by the local name Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality, was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona.
Now quick, get back to the ship! We have a cruise to take.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
24 more days...
So who thought I would forget to submit my blog on time? :-)
What are we doing in Barcelona you ask? Andy/Dad/Pop Pop was simply brillant with this quote: Actually I do not plan to "plan ahead" for Barcelona but instead, upon arrival, decide what to do based on available energy after a long airplane ride, what is still available and what seems appealing at the time.
Maureen and Karen are experiencing Barcelona to the hilt...but my money is on Mo. 1. She filled out the survey before even me (I admit to waiting though) 2. Mo filled out the "Other" text box with like 3 or 4 sites she came up with on her own. Sounds like a woman with a plan, map and iternery. Minimally we can all meet up on Las Ramblas as we've all unanimously said we'd be strolling/shopping. Ken and I are going to stalk Mo though.
This family is so like minded - we are all looking to drop a couple of pounds before the cruise -- which works perfectly for the couple of pounds a cruise adds to one's waist line. We are also not dead set on buying any souvenirs - that's ashame Ken and I thought we'd be showered with plastic snow globes :-)
Speaking of like minded most of us will be eating the scrumptous seafood offerings in Barcelona. It should be simple for us to stop off at a Tapas bar for seafood.
What we decided to splurge on was all very cruise related such as suitcase, comfortable shoes, messenger bag (check out my messenger bag!) but Ken's response was priceless -- he said his splurge is the cruise.
Well that's it for now. Get ready for questions about what we are doing in Naples. Oh my did you see that? I think that was the Naked Man of Barcelona!
What are we doing in Barcelona you ask? Andy/Dad/Pop Pop was simply brillant with this quote: Actually I do not plan to "plan ahead" for Barcelona but instead, upon arrival, decide what to do based on available energy after a long airplane ride, what is still available and what seems appealing at the time.
Maureen and Karen are experiencing Barcelona to the hilt...but my money is on Mo. 1. She filled out the survey before even me (I admit to waiting though) 2. Mo filled out the "Other" text box with like 3 or 4 sites she came up with on her own. Sounds like a woman with a plan, map and iternery. Minimally we can all meet up on Las Ramblas as we've all unanimously said we'd be strolling/shopping. Ken and I are going to stalk Mo though.
This family is so like minded - we are all looking to drop a couple of pounds before the cruise -- which works perfectly for the couple of pounds a cruise adds to one's waist line. We are also not dead set on buying any souvenirs - that's ashame Ken and I thought we'd be showered with plastic snow globes :-)
Speaking of like minded most of us will be eating the scrumptous seafood offerings in Barcelona. It should be simple for us to stop off at a Tapas bar for seafood.
What we decided to splurge on was all very cruise related such as suitcase, comfortable shoes, messenger bag (check out my messenger bag!) but Ken's response was priceless -- he said his splurge is the cruise.
Well that's it for now. Get ready for questions about what we are doing in Naples. Oh my did you see that? I think that was the Naked Man of Barcelona!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
25 more days...
Cruising with Cyn
Collection of useless information circuitous to the OPERATION: Poisson Rouge Adventure.
Barcelona is the first taste of our European adventure. And a small taste it is.
We have a bit of time buffer in case our flight is delayed (see Karen's weather reports for more info on that possibility).
Logistically we have to make it from the Barcelona airport to VOTS. There should be someone from RC there to direct us to the pier. We will need to secure our luggage and go to the pier. We've been told that we will be allowed to board the boat (oh no my mom says it is a ship appparently boats are small and the Voyager of the Seas ain't small), I digress (have you seen that commercial?), drop our luggage, relax a bit (but do realize I believe staff will still be tidying our rooms on the boat, I mean ship) and then we may leave the ship if we are back by 5PM.
So what does one do with a limited and undetermined amount of time in a foreign city? Here is a short description of items to do in Barcelona taken from the RC web site. Just make sure you are back in time.
While you're in Barcelona, don't miss the Picasso Gallery. Several adjoining 15th-century palaces house a huge collection (over 2,000 pieces) of Picasso's work.
- Other Fun Things to Do Stroll along Las Ramblas, a wonderfully vibrant part of the city where street vendors and performers vie for your attention. [We are within walking distance to Las Ramblas.]
- Explore the many churches and cathedrals of Barcelona and discover the city's modernist architecture along Paseo de Gracia.
- Visit Antoni Gaudí's unfinished Segrada Familia. With eight soaring spires and a spectacular main façade, this cathedral is a true architectural masterpiece.
Of course there are also things to do outside of Las Ramblas, perhaps a taxi drive away.
Onto the crux of this posting...please tell us what you may do in Barcelona and take the survey below. I will then post the results in a subsequent posting.
And don't forget to do your homework - see what excursions RC has in Naples.
See ya in Barcelona!
Collection of useless information circuitous to the OPERATION: Poisson Rouge Adventure.
Barcelona is the first taste of our European adventure. And a small taste it is.
We have a bit of time buffer in case our flight is delayed (see Karen's weather reports for more info on that possibility).
Logistically we have to make it from the Barcelona airport to VOTS. There should be someone from RC there to direct us to the pier. We will need to secure our luggage and go to the pier. We've been told that we will be allowed to board the boat (oh no my mom says it is a ship appparently boats are small and the Voyager of the Seas ain't small), I digress (have you seen that commercial?), drop our luggage, relax a bit (but do realize I believe staff will still be tidying our rooms on the boat, I mean ship) and then we may leave the ship if we are back by 5PM.
So what does one do with a limited and undetermined amount of time in a foreign city? Here is a short description of items to do in Barcelona taken from the RC web site. Just make sure you are back in time.
While you're in Barcelona, don't miss the Picasso Gallery. Several adjoining 15th-century palaces house a huge collection (over 2,000 pieces) of Picasso's work.
- Other Fun Things to Do Stroll along Las Ramblas, a wonderfully vibrant part of the city where street vendors and performers vie for your attention. [We are within walking distance to Las Ramblas.]
- Explore the many churches and cathedrals of Barcelona and discover the city's modernist architecture along Paseo de Gracia.
- Visit Antoni Gaudí's unfinished Segrada Familia. With eight soaring spires and a spectacular main façade, this cathedral is a true architectural masterpiece.
Of course there are also things to do outside of Las Ramblas, perhaps a taxi drive away.
Onto the crux of this posting...please tell us what you may do in Barcelona and take the survey below. I will then post the results in a subsequent posting.
And don't forget to do your homework - see what excursions RC has in Naples.
See ya in Barcelona!
Monday, April 26, 2010
26 more days...
The Finance Report:
BOO-YAH!
There has been yet another lead change in the great O:PR Euro Shootout! Once again, Mo has moved into first place, and this time by her most significant margin! The $US is at its highest point since we began tracking it, and it looks like the MICP Method (Mo's Index Card Prediction) may have something behind it. But, then again, something tells me that the duel is not yet over, and Nana is far from being out of it. Stay tuned and find out.
CONTEST UPDATE:
Mo grabs the lead back from Nana who ripped it from Mo, whole stole it from Nana, who the previous week had wrestled it from Mo, who the week before that swiped it from Nana!
The winner of our contest (Grand Prize = 1 euro!) will be the one with the closest guess on May 21st, 2010.
______________________________
______________________________
THE WEB REPORT:
64 Countries...
64 countries... blah-blah-blah...
Nana on the Titanic:
25,755 Views!
ANOTHER milestone! Nana has earned her 25K pin by achieving 25,755 views on YouTube, as of Friday... (Sunday update: 26,571!!!) Who would ever have thunk it? Will Nana hit 30,000 before the cruise? Mo says, "Yes"... and she seems to be good at predicting things. Place your bets!
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Postcards - $5 each!
Our offer remains open to anyone in the world who wants to receive a postcard from the cast of Operation: Poisson Rouge during our European adventure. Please click on the 'contact me' button below, and make your request. There are 3 more postcards requests available.
SPECIAL WEB PROMOTION: Include the coupon code "FREE" in your note to me, and your postcard will be totally free! Limited time offer!
Postcard #1: One Million Postcards
Postcard #2: Pope Benedict
Postcard #3, #4, #5: Still available
26 MORE DAYS!!!
(It's getting kinda scary now...)
(It's getting kinda scary now...)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
27 more days...
***BREAKING NEWS***
Officials say that air traffic in Europe has returned to normal. Most of the restrictions put in place during the volcanic ash crisis are no longer in effect. Thousands of passengers remain stranded as airlines work to clear the backlog of flights.
The following was reported on April 20th, 2010
Iceland's civil protection agency said Eyjafjallajokull was still spewing ash, but that the plume was now around 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) high — not large enough to reach jet streams. Winds are now gusting from the south east — away from Europe.
The only way to appease the volcano in Iceland is to sacrifice Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber....(picturing Mom & Dad going..."Huh???")
The following was reported on April 20th, 2010
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Iceland's civil protection agency said Eyjafjallajokull was still spewing ash, but that the plume was now around 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) high — not large enough to reach jet streams. Winds are now gusting from the south east — away from Europe.
The only way to appease the volcano in Iceland is to sacrifice Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber....(picturing Mom & Dad going..."Huh???")
Cruise along and Enjoy!....^_~
Karen
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