cruise – Scribbles and Snapshots

Pompeii and Pizza – Naples, Italy

September 14, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, Europe, italy, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Cruise, Mosaic, Pompeii, Roman Ruins, Romans, travel, travel blog, Walking TourLeave a comment

September 7, 2025

When most people think of Pompeii, they picture the ash-covered ruins frozen in time. But walking through the ancient streets, it feels less like a tragedy and more like stepping straight into a bustling Roman city. It was complete with bakeries, fast food joints, grand villas, and even mosaics that served as cheeky “welcome mats.” (We even saw one warning visitors to beware of dog because clearly some things never change.)

Pompeii’s fate was sealed in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the city under 21 feet of ash and pumice. The eruption happened so quickly (and lasted for so long – over two days!) that thousands were trapped, their homes and daily lives preserved beneath the volcanic blanket. What’s remarkable is how advanced this city was for its time: courtyards decorated with colorful mosaics, plumbing systems, and even what we’d recognize today as fast food restaurants. It’s wild to think of ancient Romans ordering food much like we do now.

One of the most haunting things about Pompeii is the casts of the victims. Archaeologists discovered that the ash left behind hollow spaces where bodies once lay. By carefully filling those spaces with plaster, they were able to recreate the final moments of those who perished. We only saw three casts of the victims in the market square, but nearly 100 casts have been made over the years out of an estimated 1,300 victims. Seeing even a few was enough to bring the tragedy to life in a way that history books never could. (If you’re interested in reading more about how they make the casts you can read here).

One of the most well preserved buildings was a bathhouse – the roof was still well intact. It was incredible to see inside – shocking that this was over 2,000 years old!

Only two thirds of Pompeii have been excavated 44 hectares so far – 22 hectares – are still covered in debris from the eruption almost 2,000 years ago. Our tour guide said that they are on track to finish it in the next 100 years, she said she wasn’t joking! They can only do their digging during the winter months because of how many tourists visit the site during the summer months. In fact, she is an archeologist herself and is a tour guide during the summer months.

We only had a few hours to explore, but Pompeii has a way of making time stand still. It’s a city frozen in its final day. I know I’ll be thinking about it long after this trip and doing more research into the history.

We could have spent all day there and still not had enough time. Before we knew it we were on our way back to the bus.

The only original part is the white marble at the bottom – I guess Madonna had an event here last year!

Thankfully, we still had time in Naples before the ship left. Naples is the birth place of pizza, so of course we had to eat it there. We had heard that one restaurant was superior, so of course we hightailed it over there.

Naturally, we weren’t the only ones who had that idea. There was over an hour wait. So we started wandering around and finally settled on this other place who had a rather a very charismatic owner who got us seated right away. He was incredible. The food, drinks, and service were all amazing too.

The owner is the gentlemen in the window

We got to talking with a Norwegian couple next to us who were visiting Naples for a concert. It was a really fun conversation and just a nice change of pace and a good reminder why we love traveling so much. They were meeting up with a group of friends to celebrate a 50th birthday and asked us to help record a video to surprise him with, I’m sure we will be part of the blooper reel.

This was our last day on the ship, so once we got back on board we packed up our suitcases and got ready for an early morning.

Up Next:
-Travel day
-Florence
-Tuscany wine tasting

A Postcard from Santorini

September 6, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, celebrity ascent, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, Europe, greece, Islands, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Cruise, Santorini, travel, travel blog, Wine, Wine Tasting1 Comment

September 5, 2025

I have dreamed about Santorini since I first had seen a picture of the whitewashed buildings, the blue-domes, and the blue water in the background. I bought a calendar once and I think I kept that picture for years after because I loved that image so much. When Andy and I got engaged – this was where I originally wanted to get married.

One thing led to another and the universe had other plans and we got married in the Dominican Republic instead. This was the port stop that I was most excited to visit because of how long I had dreamed about Santorini for – and honestly, it didn’t let me down.

Santorini is one of Greece’s most iconic islands, but what makes it truly unique, is that it sits on the rim of an active volcanic caldera. The result of a massive eruption thousands of years ago that shaped its dramatic cliffs and crescent shape.

One of things to note about Santorini is that all of the villages are on the cliffs, and tourists have limited options to get to the top. You can climb up 588 stairs to the top of Fira, ride a donkey, ride a cable car and pay 10 euro per person (one way), or book an excursion with the cruise ship who will arrange travel for you.

We opted for the last option, which took the guess work out of it for us. It did mean we had an early wake up call for us, but we got on tender who brought us over to the new port where our bus was waiting for us. These roads were teeny tiny and would have had anyone who was afraid of heights pinching their eyes closed and praying for it to be over as quickly as possible.

Our first stop was Oia, with its winding alleys and the famous blue domes. We were one of the first busses to pull into the parking lot, and our tour guide was so excited that she hustled us to the meeting point and told us to get to the “Instagram” point as quickly as possible because the crowds would be getting there soon and the lines would get long for the picture.

This is where things got funny. Andy and I ended up splitting up on accident because she told us that the there were two different vantage points for the domes, and both of us were in too deep with our respective lines. Andy’s line moved faster. He then came over to my line to be the ever-dutiful Instagram husband and take my pictures. Another bucket list item secured!

Since he waited, he got his line’s vantage point

Our next stop was a winery – Artemis Karamolegos. We sampled three wines: a crisp white Assyrtiko, a dry rosé Assyrtiko, and a sweet wine that they were famous for, the Vinsanto. Santorini has some of the oldest grapes in Europe because they were resistant to phylloxera, which had devastated the rest of Europe’s vines. We enjoyed our time there before getting back on the bus for our last stop.

They had some local cheese, tomatoes, and olives as a pairing

They have a unique way of weaving a “basket” with the vines underground.

We made our way to the capital, Fira. This is where most tourists make the pilgrimage from the old port (the 588 steps or the donkey route). Thankfully, we were already at the top. We had an hour here, so we made our way to the edge and snuck a peek of the caldera and the donkeys before doing a little shopping.

The height of the coach bus really highlighted the crazy switchbacks headed down to the new port- sorry to the moms out there following along…

We made our way back to the cruise ship after our stop in Fira. Andy and I discussed, and we realized that everything had worked out the way it was supposed to. We were supposed to get married in the Dominican Republic. Santorini was stunning, and beautiful. But it was small – and I think we would have been bored after a day or two. It’s funny how things work out and you just don’t know it at the time!

Up Next:
Naples

Turkey, that’s my second favorite kind of poultry!

September 5, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, Ephesus, Europe, Kusadasi, Mediterranean, Mosaic, Roman Ruins, Romans, travel, travel blog, turkey, wonders of the world, Zeus1 Comment

September 4, 2025

Our third stop was Kusadasi, Turkey, which was a new country for me – but a revisit for Andy (due to his time in the Air Force). We had booked the “Ancient Ephesus” tour with the cruise line, which would take us a little bit inland to the ancient city. It was an earlier wake up for us, but well worth it!

Strolling through Ephesus feels like walking straight into a history book, only way sunnier and with a lot more cats (and a few dogs!). Once a major city of the Roman Empire, it was famous for its great theater, shiny marble streets, and the incredible Library of Celsus. Back in its day, Ephesus was buzzing with trade, politics, and worship at the Temple of Artemis which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

What makes Ephesus even more fascinating is its connection to the Bible. The apostle Paul spent years here, preaching and later writing the Letter to the Ephesians. It’s believed that the Virgin Mary lived out her final years nearby, cared for by the apostle John, who continued his ministry in this region. You can still visit Mary’s home, and the ruins of Temple of Artemis. Unfortunately our tour didn’t include these two as options, but if you are going – I’d recommend looking for these as add ons!

It was eventually abandoned as the river silted up and malaria spread through the area, leaving the once-great city to crumble. Today, archaeologists are still uncovering its secrets. They think only about 10% of the site has been excavated so far, making it a bit like Turkey’s own version of Pompeii, with more treasures waiting to be revealed. It was recognized as a UNCESO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Now for the fun part! We had an early start – and glad that we did because each port has been HOT. It hasn’t mattered if we start at 8 or at 12pm, it’s hot. But we were hoping that it would be less busy if we went early.

We were dropped off at one end of the valley and started working our way downhill. This city was incredibly advanced: wide marble streets, aqueduct system with fresh water, and an advanced sewage system.

A few of the major stunners in the valley though are the theaters (one of them could hold over 25,000!) and the Celsus Library, which is one of the third largest library in the ancient world. (Not to be confused with the second or fourth largest).

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves – and let Andy take over. Because I think the captions might add more value at this point.

This is The Great Theater (almost 24k seating), they are restoring it for modern shows!

After we left Ephesus we went back into Kusadasi. Our tour brought us to a rug factory where they demonstrated how they gather silk from silk worms, and then they showed us how they make rugs. Of course, it’s a sales pitch. The couple next to us asked how much the smallest rug was – $1,300! Our guide had told us that we would get a group discount of 30%, so I tried to help them out and asked, “Is that with the 30%?” And the guy nodded, “Yes – that’s with the discount. Are you interested. Can I help you?!”

We said no and head downstairs to the other part of the store. Not that the rugs weren’t beautiful, just a bit out of our price range. I did buy some jewelry and a few other souvenirs at their shop.

We wandered around Kusadasi a bit more before returning to the cruise ship. It was a lovely town, it definitely had a resort feel. We were even surprised to see pine trees!

Up Next:
Santorini

Our first taste of Greece: Mykonos

September 3, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, celebrity ascent, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, Europe, foodie, greece, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Cruise, travel, travel blog, Zeus1 Comment

September 3, 2025

We arrived in Mykonos early today and were awoken by a ton of shaking. Not sure what the shaking was because we weren’t actually docked, (this is a tender port for us – which means they shuttle us back and forth to shore by smaller boats) but it was really windy. I guess Mykonos is notorious for being windy, but without the wind the heat would be unbearable. Honestly, it feels a bit like a hair dryer because it’s hot!

One of my favorite types of cuisines is Mediterranean, so we had booked a walking food tour while we were in Mykonos with Celebrity. It didn’t start until lunchtime so we took it easy in the morning and got ready at a leisurely pace.

We got there a little early, and walked around waiting for our guide to show up. Once Claudio did, we immediately knew that we were in good hands. We could tell that he carried himself with professionalism, was incredibly knowledgeable, and that he was well known with others in the industry.

And honestly, without him we would have gotten lost within the labyrinth that is the Mykonos maze. The maze was set up intentionally to confuse pirates that may have tried to invade to loot the town in the past. Now it just confuses tourists (including us) and makes for a fun adventure when you’re trying to find a shop that you spotted a cute sun dress in the window at earlier!

We had five different stops that included a variety of traditional Greek food and drink. The first stop was a bakery that had a Tiropitakia (cheese pie), which was something that the average Greek would grab when they were “on the go.”

Claudio also wanted to make sure he mixed in cultural stops too – so we stopped to see some windmills and “Little Venice.” It was a really picturesque area!

From there we had kebabs – some people in the group opted for gyros, which were the size of your head. Once we left that restaurant we reentered the maze. As we wove through the streets, we saw the interesting mix of high end stores (Louis Vuitton) with Mykonos branded mugs and keychains shops. And there were so many cats everywhere! Claudio taught us that cats are loved on the island because they help keep both the rodent and viper population under control, plus they’re cute!

The next couple of stops were a little quicker – the next was a sweet. It was called the “Ypovrichio.” The submarine – a rich white chewy sweet that is served on a spoon dipped in a long glass of crystal cold water. So that’s exactly what we did, we all stood outside a candy shop with our glass of water with these!

My 10-year old self would have killed for one of these. But it was a little too sweet for me now, but it was so fun to try!

From there, it was a quick walk over to our next stop where we had a shot of Ouzo and an appetizer plate with traditional Greek items that were all super tasty. The Ouzo was definitely an acquired taste – has a very strong licorice flavor (not my favorite). But, when in “Rome” in this case, Mykonos… bottoms up!

We rounded out the day at The Milky Way, our final stop for Greece’s spin at Turkish Delight and a sample of Mastiha (another one of their liqueurs). The restaurant was hopping so the server actually brought the glasses and the loukoumi out to us on the beach. Both were actually very good, and the liqueur was far tastier than the ouzo we had at the previous place.

After we finished those, we parted ways from Claudio and the rest of the group and made our way into the maze and started shopping. It was fun to drop into different shops, and window shop. But we didn’t leave with too many different things.

We made our way back to the ship with plenty of time because we wanted to make sure we didn’t get lost and left behind in the maze. (Although it might not have been the worst place to get stuck!)

Up Next:
Ephesus, Turkey

Pastizzi and Panoramas: A Day in Valletta, Malta

September 2, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, celebrity ascent, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, Europe, malta, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Cruise, travel, Valletta1 Comment

September 1, 2025

Our first stop on the cruise was in a micro-nation, Malta. We had most of the day to spend there, but as per usual, my jet lag kicked in. I woke up in the middle of the night and was up for about 3 hours, so we got ready a little slower in the morning.

We hadn’t booked a tour with the cruise line, so we decided to make the most of it with a self-guided walking tour of Valletta. The city might be small, but it packs in centuries of history, stunning views, and more uphill climbs than our legs were ready for.

Once we got off the ship, it was a quick 20 minute walk over to the Barrakka Lift, which would save us quite a few steps for 2 euros total to bring us up to street-level.

One of our first stops was Jean de Valette Square, named after the founder of the city. Just around the corner is the open-air Royal Opera House, which was bombed during WWII and now serves as a striking mix of ruins and modern architecture. It’s a reminder of Malta’s resilience, standing right in the middle of daily life. There are still discussions if it will be rebuilt to its pre-WWII prominence.

Once inside Valletta, everything feels like a living museum, with every corner showing off its limestone buildings and colorful balconies. We then made our way to the Triton Fountain, which is right outside the city gate.

We wandered down Republic Street, which is lined with shops and cafés.

I asked one of the restaurants for a look at their menu. I was looking for the classic pastizzi (flaky pastry filled with ricotta or peas typically) and only saw overpriced food. I asked him if they had the pastizzi and he pointed to Spar (basically a 7/11) and said they would have them.

You could tell he was annoyed that I wasted his time and I mean I was annoyed he wasted mine with his overpriced food! We walked into Spar and tried the chicken and mushroom pastizzi. It was simple, cheap, and delicious. Exactly what I thought it would be!

We saw down to enjoy an Aperol Spritz and cool off in front of a fan. It was in the upper 80s and super sunny, so it was nice to relax in the shade with the fan blowing on us. I noticed a street food stand that had a qassatat, which was another Maltese food. This one is rounder and stuffed with ricotta – and it’s flaky and delicious and as good as it sounds. Except it was in the upper 80s and we weren’t already having a hard time staying cool. But both food dishes we tried were 10/10 – no notes. Malta knows what they are doing with their food!

Of course, no walk through Valletta is complete without a stop at the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The views over the Grand Harbour are some of the best in the city. It’s the kind of view that makes you stop talking for a minute just to take it all in.

It might be a view you recognize, because it’s actually been in a lot of different movies and TV shows!

Valletta is one of Europe’s smallest capitals and is a UNESCO world heritage site – it really is a gem.

We made our way back to the ship in time for one of our favorite games – will anyone accidentally miss the cruise ship? No one did yesterday! At least no one that we witnessed!

We had dinner in the Mediterranean restaurant on board and actually reconnected with one of the staff members from our first cruise, Jayson. It was fun – naturally he didn’t recognize us, but I put the pieces together right away. What a small world!

Up Next:
At Sea
Mykonos on Wednesday

Bon Voyage Barcelona!

September 1, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona, Barcelona Cathedral, Casa Batlló, celebrity ascent, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, España, Europe, Gaudi, Park Güell, Sagrada Familia, travel, Travel Day5 Comments

August 30, 2025

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready for the day and finished packing up our luggage before walking over to Sagrada Familia. This is Barcelona’s most iconic landmark and we wanted to see it one more time before heading to the cruise ship.

Sagrada Família has been under construction since 1882 and was dreamed up by Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí was Barcelona’s resident genius of all things whimsical. It’s still not finished, so every time you go, you are getting a front-row seat to the world’s longest home renovation project.

They say the main structure will finally be finished by 2026… just in time for the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death, but knowing this place, you might still be able to catch scaffolding selfies well into the 2030s. That might be part of the allure, maybe it’ll never be truly be finished. Time will tell!

From our hotel, it was a nice 30 minute walk over to Sagrada Familia. As we walked over we saw Casa Batlló from last year and got a better exterior picture of that as well.

Comparing pictures of Sagrada Familia from last year, it looks like the center tower is a bit taller. But honestly, it’s just incredible to look at – it’s so worth the walk to stare at.

You really need to walk around the whole thing- each side is SO unique

Afer we walked around to get a view of all the angles, we caught a cab over to the Gothic Quarter, which was another stop similar to last year. But there was a famous bridge we didn’t know about last year, called the Ponte del Bisbe.

It’s a cool looking bridge tucked away in the neighborhood, it looks like it’s original – but was actually built in 1928. Either way, it was a super cool stop. The Gothic Quarter has such a nice mix of old medieval feel with winding streets – and modern retailers. The centerpiece is definitely the Barcelona Cathedral, which after we walked past that we made our way back to our hotel.

We checked out and got into a taxi and our way to the ship. This was the newest ship in Celebrity’s fleet – the Ascent. (Their next enters the fleet in November). The line was flowing pretty smoothly as we boarded and we didn’t have any issues getting on board or to our room. After dropping our carry ons, we headed to the cafe and got lunch.

Our tradition is a celebratory cheers on the sundeck!

Once we wrapped up lunch we decided to do a quick tour of the ship to get more familiar with the space and amenities. One of our favorite parts of cruising is the ability to unpack and get settled in while being able to see a bunch of new cities/countries. Once our suitcases arrived we got settled in to the room and then had dinner.

Fully taking advantage of our infinite veranda, enjoying the moon’s reflection

We’re quite pleased so far with our room and the cruise! Our first day is a sea day, so I think we’ll skip writing about that – so you’ll hear from us next when we recap our first port: Malta!

Up Next:
Malta

A taste of Barcelona

August 31, 2025Posted in Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona, celebritycruises, cruise, España, Europe, Gaudi, La Boqueria, Sagrada Familia, Spain, travel, Travel DayLeave a comment

August 29, 2025

If there is one place in Barcelona that feels like the city’s heartbeat, it is La Boqueria Market. Tucked right off La Rambla, this colorful maze of stalls is where locals and travelers collide over fresh fruit juices, sizzling tapas, and seafood that looks like it came straight off the boat that morning. But what makes La Boqueria so special is not just the food, it is the history. This market has been feeding Barcelona for over 800 years, and stepping inside feels like joining a tradition that has been alive since the Middle Ages. (It opened in 1217, the indoor structure you see today was opened in 1840, and then later in the 20th century the metal roof was added).

Last year when we visited Barcelona, we did not get the chance to go. As much as I wanted to, there just was not enough time to squeeze everything in. This year though, I made sure to set aside plenty of time to wander the aisles, sample the stalls, and soak in the energy of the market. And I am so glad we did, because La Boqueria ended up being a fun stop in the city!

We took our time getting ready in the morning and walked over to the market. I had read about a restaurant that was “in the market” but as looked at Google maps it was actually taking us just outside of it. We didn’t mind, it took us through a very cute area of Barcelona.

The restaurant was called Bar Pintxo – and because I’m a picky eater… I should have known better than walk in without reviewing the menu. But I really wanted to try some Spanish food. You can’t blame a girl for trying. I was so excited that they had chicken paella on the menu, but Andy swerved and ordered two tapas instead of an entree (which threw me off, because he isn’t a tapas kind of guy). So I swerved and ordered two tapas myself.

This is where I went wrong. The shrimp had heads and legs. And my rule, well, it isn’t actually a rule, but if it looks like it was alive at one point, my head can’t seem to get past it… But I have a hard time eating it.

I struggled to choke any of it down. I was dry heaving at the table. I knew I should have stuck with the chicken paella. The restaurant was adorable, the service was incredible, the sangria was exceptional. You should go to this restaurant if you are in Barcelona. Don’t let me deter you. I just ordered poorly for my taste!

Our server brought over little shots to close things out – Andy had Vermouth and I had the Cuarenta Y Tres (very similar to limoncello, the Italian, more sweet drink) so it was a wonderful experience.

We made our way back to the market and it was actually less busy than when we first got there. I don’t want you to worry, I didn’t go hungry. I was able to secure plenty of food at the market. Lots of watermelon and ice cream to get me through until dinner.

This market was so bright and colorful. There were so many different booths selling food, wine, and souvenirs. You could even take cooking classes there. (Probably other topics as well). We spent a few hours in this area wandering up and down the stalls taking it all in and looking for the best prices.

We made our way back to the hotel so Andy could log on to work for the day. We had miscalculated his PTO for the year and this was his remote week for the quarter, whoops. Grateful that his company allows him the flexibility to be able to work from anywhere though.

I had just started a new job at the end of June and had a few things I needed to wrap up before I felt like I could properly log off for vacation, so I worked for a few hours before shutting my laptop for the rest of the trip. After that, I started sorting my carryon and suitcase to get things ready for the cruise ship.

We ate dinner late at a restaurant near the hotel, El Racó. My dinner order was a much safer option compared to lunch. We felt like my croquettes looked like our corgis at home, what do you think?

We checked out our hotel rooftop before Andy logged back on to finish up his work day, we got to see Sagrada Familia from a distance. What a beauty!

Once work was done we enjoyed watching the nightlife from our terrace, which included comparing the Barcelona police vs. the police in the US. It was fun to watch – we do feel bad for the poor guy who likely ended up getting a ticket for what we can only assume was drunk-biking. (And walked home by a police officer).

Up Next:
Stop by Sagrada Familia
Gothic Quarter
Board cruise ship

Oh my god, we’re back again… (Barcelona 2025!)

August 30, 2025August 31, 2025Posted in Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, british airways, celebrity ascent, celebritycruises, cruise, Europe, greece, italy, malta, Spain, travel, Travel Day, turkey2 Comments

August 27/28, 2025

Flights to Europe from San Diego are pretty limited, but there are a few options to London, Munich, and another new one to Amsterdam a few days a week. We were pretty excited because this was our first time that we had converted our AMEX points into AVIOS with British Airways and got Business Class aka… lie flat seats. Yippee!

One of Andy’s coworkers (shout out to Courtney!) had taught me the secret last year – and I’m forever in her debt. Let me know if you want to learn more and I can write more about it!

We are pretty excited for this trip because we are visiting a handful of new countries, but most excited because we are finally getting to Greece. I’ve dreamed of visiting Greece since I was young – I guess probably right after I learned about Greek mythology about Mount Olympus and Zeus. (Not to mention I’ve loved tzatziki as long as I’ve known about it).

We finished out the work day at the airport and then hopped on the plane. I’m not going to get used to flying this way… because on the second leg of the trip we were already back in economy, but it was pretty comfortable when we were able to lay flat!

We didn’t end up landing in Barcelona until around 8ish on Thursday evening – we were so excited that once we got to the hotel that they had upgraded our terrace room that was two chairs to a full terrace with like, six chairs and a full patio! It was stunning!

Andy had to work that evening (Thursday back in California) so we ordered room service. I was dead on my feet – and slipped on my eye mask and was asleep before he even wrapped up his calls.

Accommodation:
NH Collection Barcelona Gran Hotel Calderon

Up Next:
Barcelona
Mediterranean Cruise

Final days of Antarctica

February 11, 2025Posted in Antarctica CruiseTagged adventure, antarctica, argentina, cruise, hx expeditions, Maps, travel, Travel Day, ushuaiaLeave a comment

January 6/7/8, 2025

We woke up on our final day of the cruise to much smoother waters. We were relieved that we had survived the Drake Shake and that we could relax a bit more on the final day. We spent the morning getting our suitcases organized and watching some of the different crews science talks from our room.

There was one session we wanted to attend in-person, and that was the talk about where we all stopped on the cruise. It was really fun to be able to look back on the different stops and see the names and locations all in one map.

The lecture hall is right by the Science Center, so on our way out we were also able to take a look at all of the animals that had been spotted throughout the trip. It was pretty cool to see what animals and what days they were spotted on. Antarctica – and the surrounding area are just incredible. I’m writing this about a month after we left the ship – and it feels like a fever dream to know that we got to be in these animals’ natural (almost undisturbed) habitat.

I hope that for years to come other explorers get to see the pristine wilderness of Antarctica. We only scratched the surface! I know many people view Antarctica as a once in a lifetime trip, but I sure hope that I can go back again one day. I LOVED it.

The evening of our last day, the officers hosted a toast to all of us and previewed a video that the professional photographer put together with his pictures. It was really beautiful to see – and also, even though we were on the exact ship – see some of the pictures (and videos!) of wildlife that we missed! If you’re interested, it’s actually hosted on YouTube and you can view it here. It is long – but I swear, it’s worth it!

After dinner, our group of new friends made our way up to the lounge one last time. Davon, the professional pianist gave me a proper send off with some of my favorite 90s music. I really hope he has the most wonderful life in front of him, he definitely made our experience more enjoyable throughout the trip!

Sure hope he has been practicing his Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys!

We all toasted our friends good night before heading off to bed before an early wakeup the next day.

We woke up in Ushuaia the next morning and had breakfast with Craig and Kim one last time. They were on an earlier flight and we wanted to have a proper send off with them before they made their way to the bus.

We were the last group to be called to get loaded on the buses, but what we didn’t realize was that we were getting a proper tour of the city before getting dropped at the airport! We had about an hour to walk around and pick up some souvenirs. (Which was great, considering the only place we could even get postcards was from Port Lockroy and the Penguin Post Office!)

Ushuaia really is a charming little town – and I wish we could have had a bit more time there. But we were glad that we got to see a bit of it before heading to the airport.

This was going to be the longest travel day ever. We were set to fly from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, which was a 3.5 hour flight. Once we landed in BA, we had an 8-hour layover. We had toyed with the idea of getting a hotel, even if to just take a nap and freshen up before our next flight, but the hotels were more expensive than we had thought and would take about an hour roundtrip to get to/from.

We opted to stay in the airport for those 8 hours. We were flying AeroMexico, and their check-in counter didn’t open until closer to 8pm. That meant we had to sit on the other side of security for a few hours. Our new friend Dena was in a similar position, so we looked around at the only restaurants that were outside of security. And we landed on Outback Steakhouse. (This one was for you, Ash!)

Dena parted ways with us and we made our way to Starbucks to sit for a bit longer. We finally had a check in counter, and now we just needed it to be staffed. I don’t think we’ve ever been so relieved to see the gate agents making their way to the counter!

After dropping our bags we made our way through the longest security line and made our way to a lounge to relax before our flight. Our next stop was Mexico City – just a short 9.5 hour flight. 🙈 We aren’t sure how, but we somehow got upgraded to “extra room” seats. It was nice to have the extra space on that long flight!

Shortly into the flight is when I started to have the “sickening” aka when I started to feel like I was getting a chest cold. I started to get full body aches – and I knew this wasn’t going to be good. Something similar had happened to me on the way back from Australia and I wanted to be anywhere but on a plane.

After landing in Mexico City, we cleared customs and tried to find somewhere to hole up for a few hours so we could stretch out. One perk about having travel credit cards is lounge access – can’t stress this enough – it makes a layover that much more enjoyable with free food and comfier chairs, in addition to quieter environments.

Our final flight was from Mexico City to Tijuana – another 3.5 hour flight. We finally made it home on Wednesday, January 8! It was a long journey from the end of the world, but it was an absolutely incredible trip!

Next trip:
– Panama for Andy’s 40th!

The Drake Shake

February 2, 2025Posted in Antarctica CruiseTagged adventure, antarctica, cruise, drake passage, hx expeditions, Maps, travel, Travel DayLeave a comment

January 5, 2025

After all of the excitement from the previous days, we were ready for a day to relax. However, Drake had other plans for us. I woke up in the middle of the night to rolling waves and a deep shuddering. The shuddering was so intense I thought I was going to vibrate right out of the bed. I don’t normally get sea sick and I had taken Meclizine tablets in preparation the night before, but despite my best efforts I woke up feeling like I was going to be sick.

For about an hour I had bounced back and forth between thinking that I was going to throw up and then reminding myself that I was going to be fine. After that hour, I finally decided to wake Andy up to get one of his motion sickness patches. Once I had that, I started to feel better pretty quickly and was able to fall back asleep.

The expedition team had some activities planned for us – and a lot of different lectures that we could attend during the day. We watched a few from our room and then went to the buffet for lunch since it was on a lower floor. (We were hoping it would make the motion sickness better). But as we sat near the window, we saw just how big the swells were – we later found out that they were about 25-28 feet. It’s really hard to do these waves justice in pictures/videos, but I assure you they were bad!

We were grateful that we didn’t have the Drake Shake both ways, because it really put a damper on the morale of the ship because so many people were sick.

We made the best of it though, and we attended a Bridge tour. We’ve done a handful of cruises in the past, and this was our first time being able to see what it looked like. The crew were incredible – they actually allowed me to pretend to be the captain and use their binoculars. It was really cool and a lot different than I thought it would be.

After that, we attended the Officer Q&A, which was pretty fun to hear the different questions and answers. I naturally wanted to understand how the restocking process works since we don’t stop at any ports. Come to find out that they only restock once a month for non-perishable items, and then restock each time they dock in Ushuaia with the perishable items. The hospitality manager said that we had let her down when it came to the amount of beer and wine we had drank during that cruise, and we had more left than she thought we would have. (We all saw this as a challenge, naturally! 😂)

Most people weren’t feeling their best, and so most of the sessions were pretty quiet. The crew let us know to expect similar conditions the next day, which none of us were thrilled to hear.

Up Next:
– Another day on the Drake

Deception Island & Whaler’s Bay

January 22, 2025Posted in Antarctica CruiseTagged adventure, antarctic-peninsula, antarctica, cruise, penguins, polar plunge, travelLeave a comment

January 4, 2025

Our last stop in Antarctica was Deception Island – specifically, Whaler’s Bay. Deception Island is a volcanic island in Antarctica, famous for its hot springs and stunning landscapes. It’s still an active volcanic caldera, having most recently erupted in 1970. It’s considered a “restless” caldera, which means it shows ongoing signs of activity – such as, earthquakes, geo thermal activity (part of the beach was steaming), and gas emissions. The caldera formed 10,000 years ago when the volcano collapsed after a major eruption.

Whaler’s Bay was once a busy whaling station from the 1900s to the 1930s due to its natural protection from wild weather). The bay was home to a major whaling station operated by the British, where whales were processed for oil and other products. The station had large processing facilities, and after the whaling industry failed the station was abandoned. All that stands today are the decaying buildings, rusting equipment, and bone fragments that provide a rather haunting view into the past.

That morning our crew let us know that we would be passing through Neptune’s Bellows, the narrow entrance into Port Foster (Deception Island). It’s a very small gap that is the only way into the crater of Deception Island – many people gathered outside to get pictures and videos. I have to say, it was really cold, so we didn’t last for very long outside due to the wind!

We started our day’s adventure off with a zodiac tour, to our amazement we immediately saw a leopard seal! Our driver told us that it’s very unusual to see leopard seals in that area because they really like being on the ice, so we were excited that it decided to grace us with its presence!

Upon first glance, you could already tell this stop was different from the rest. It was very rough and jagged – with lava rock lining the beaches. As our boat drove around, there were Chinstrap penguins swimming along next to us and jumping out of the waves. It was so cute to see them playing in our wake! The island is home to colonies of over 70,000 Chinstrap penguins, which we could see every direction that we looked. It was also incredible to see the steam rising up from the shore due to the geothermal activity.

After our zodiac tour, we went back to the ship and we had a decision to make. Most expedition ships offer the polar plunge to their explorers – which usually entails being harnessed to the ship and jumping off the side. HX only offered the polar plunge from shore, which most of us were not thrilled about. In my humble opinion, and because you’re here… It’s in the name right? Polar plunge. Not slowly wander into the cold water from the beach.

I was teetering back and forth on if I wanted to do it, because you would have to wear your swimsuit under your winter wear for the landing. (Which also meant hiking in it!) And I just didn’t love the idea of hiking in it, and then having to be taking back by zodiac to the boat. I had a glass of champagne with our new friends, and another… and decided that if I was in a nursing home later in life I would regret not doing it.

So I suited up – and then bundled back up. Our group met at the Expedition Launch and we made our way to the zodiacs that would bring us to shore. We went on a short hike to a scenic viewpoint – on the way we walked past a lot of wildlife: penguins, seals, birds, and saw whale bones scattered among the lava rock.

I personally had a one track mind. I didn’t want to chicken out of doing the polar plunge, so as soon as we got to the approved “plunge” area I started stripping. Our goal as a group was to go in at the same time, but I was hot to trot because frankly, I wanted to get it over with!

Unfortunately for us, the team hadn’t put us close to the geothermal water that was warm. We were in a cold area – and since we were strolling in, it felt like my toes might actually fall off. I dunked down to my neck and popped back up and went running back to shore. HX provided towels, so I quickly rubbed down and threw on my robe then my jacket and snow pants over that. (It really was quite the sight!)

We made it back on board and quickly hopped into the hot tub to warm back up. Honestly, I would have preferred that we did it off the ship, but I’m glad that I did it.

That evening we spent in the Observation Lounge encouraging our favorite pianist to play our favorite songs so people could sing along. It was a great last day on Antarctica!

Up Next:
– Drake Passage

Walking in a winter wonderland

January 16, 2025Posted in Antarctica CruiseTagged adventure, antarctica, cruise, hx expeditions, seventh continent, travelLeave a comment

January 2, 2025

On our expedition, we were unsure of how many continental landings we would have throughout it due to the changing ice and weather conditions, the team has to be incredibly agile when planning out itineraries. There are many islands that make up the Antarctica archipelago, but I think all of us on the ship were extremely excited to actually touch “mainland” Antarctica.

Our stop for the day was Neko Harbor. Neko Harbor has a resident glacier in its midst, and our landing site was near that. We had to quickly get off of the zodiacs and climb up the beach in case the glacier “calved” any icebergs that would cause a wave to send tourists running for higher ground. They even had someone from the Expedition Team on glacier duty – watching for any activity to walkie the others in case they needed to pause operations.

That particular day, we were some of the first groups to get outside for our landing. It was a steep climb up to a rocky outcropping that faced the glacier and provided a beautiful view of the surrounding harbor. We grabbed our trekking poles and started to make our way to the top. There was a penguin rookery halfway up, but we kept moving and decided to stop to see it on the way down. That way we would have more time with fewer people at the “top.”

The snow and wind picked up – and it truly felt like we were walking in a winter wonderland. For a few moments, it felt like we were climbing Mount Everest with how windy it got! We had the disadvantage of not having more people ahead of us creating a clear path, so it was pretty slippery and I had some trouble trying to find my footing.

Our friend Dena had beat us up there, but she graciously offered to take some pictures of us (and vice versa of course!). After that, we wanted to make our way down to get out of the windy zone. Part of the way down, we stopped to look at the Gentoo penguins. We could see a bunch of nests, and the parents fiercely defended their chicks from Skuas (predatory seabirds). One of the talks we sat in on explained that it took the parents getting distracted for one second and that would be the end of the chick. Unfortunately, we had a front row seat of watching one of the baby chicks being taken away by a lucky Skua. (Cue the “Circle of Life”)

We made our way back to the ship and warmed up for a few hours before venturing out again for our zodiac cruise. We bundled back up and made our way out for our cruise. From the zodiac’s vantage point, all of the people climbing the hill looked like ants. (And it looked as steep as it felt!)