Friday, December 29, 2017

Pictures from our Cruise

As promised (a little late), here are some pictures from our Southern Caribbean cruise. They are a mixture from my camera and Hubby's. And after looking at them, realized I could have probably taken better pictures. Guess I was just having too much fun BEING there to remember to pull out my phone.


First stop was in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. Which is actually the port near Puerto Plata (the city we toured).

I believe this building is a business, but I love the architecture and color.

Wasn't sure what he was up to in the plaza, but there were several people who were in costumes.

Next stop was in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

We rode these dune buggies (well, one of them) during our excursion there. Got a little muddy, too. Didn't take many pictures. It was too dusty and muddy, plus the ride was rather rough. The guy in front of us was taking pictures or video of his ride. Made me wonder how many phones he'd lost over time!


Third stop was in Curacao. That's a picture of a rather deserted beach resort of some sort. It was warm out, so maybe it was siesta time!


 Just look at that water, though. Gorgeous!!


One of our tour stops was at a rum factory. They had some really good chocolate rum. If they sold small bottles of that (and the coffee), I would have bought some, but I didn't need a quart (or liter?) of the stuff!


One of the things that kind of amazed me about Curacao was the cactus. You'd have thought it would be all tropical, not a desert. But there was cactus everywhere.

This is Oranjastaad, Curacao (I think I spelled that right). The island is owned by the Netherlands (thus, the orange). Love those colors!


Lookee there! I got a decent selfie of me in Aruba! That was our 4th and final stop.


We took a tour of the island and one of the spots we stopped at was the Natural Bridge. Except the bridge collapsed a few years ago. Just this small part remains.


The part ahead here is the part that collapsed. Luckily when it occurred, it was around 2 in the morning (I guess it was caught on the security cameras), so no one was injured. But people used to swim under the bridge, so it could have been a lot worse.
 
Here's another view of the collapse.

I snapped this photo of the rocks with little rocks, but had no idea why they were there. Later the tour guide told us that people will stack the rocks, take their picture with it, and make a wish. If the rocks were unmoved by the time they returned, their wish would come true. Seeing how windy it was there (and it was extremely windy), I'm guessing most of the rocks topple.

Hubby and I on top of one of the rock formations. It was windy!!

Another shot from a rock formation. You can see the cruise ships in the distance. The one on the right with the red tail sticking up was ours.

One of the beaches we stopped at. That black stuff is lava rock. Rough on the feet!

Some of the vendors near the port. I actually found a dress here for $20! And yes, I wore it to dinner one night. But no, I don't have a picture.

This pretty sunflower is at the entrance to the Monet Restaurant on the Carnival Conquest. I thought it was pretty.

During one of our visits to Customer Service, we mentioned that we'd turned Platinum on this cruise. The lady who helped us sent us a bottle of wine, congratulating us on making Platinum. Now, I'm not much of a wine drinker, but thought I might as well try it. I almost got a glass down. Hubby, on the other hand, nearly finished the bottle. And he claimed he didn't like it. Sure, he didn't.

We decided to get our portraits done and this is the one we bought. We clean up pretty good, don't we?


You know, if I had thought about it at the time, I would have had an individual portrait done of me for a new author head shot. But I don't think that far in advance (or that quickly), apparently. My loss.


I hope you like what I shared. I refrained from showing you all the towel characters this time (aren't you glad??).


Next time you hear from me, it'll be 2018! If you're planning on partying Sunday, I hope you party safely. We'll be spending the evening at our Columbus friends' house. Surf and turf is on the menu (like it is every year). Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.


Happy Friday and Happy New Year!

Stacy





5 comments:

Maria Zannini said...

Wow! I can feel the warm breezes from here. That sounded like a great trip.

re: author portrait
You're right! The photographer did a good job posing and lighting you. Guess you'll have to go on another cruise. :)

JeffO said...

Great pictures, Stacy, thanks for sharing them!

I'm still amazed at how big those ships are. They're like mountains in the distance! Happy New Year!

Stacy McKitrick said...

Maria - It was a great trip because it got me writing again. Yay! Oh, and I do plan on getting that author shot on the next cruise, which is in July for Alaska!

Jeff - Those ships are huge. I definitely get my steps (and stairs) in because our cabin is usually up front (around deck 6 or 7) and the restaurant is always in the back (on deck 3 or 4)! :)

The Happy Whisk said...

Love the collection of photos!

Stacy McKitrick said...

Thanks, Ivy.