Our First Transatlantic Cruise!!
In my last blog I mentioned my mom and Mia and I had a trip planned at the end of November--and let me tell you, it was so much fun! We left for Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on the 24th of November (fun fact: Charles de Gaulle was a French military officer who led a group called the Free French in resistance to the Nazi occupation of France during WW2). The overnight flight was quite long, but we got to Paris safely before noon and after dropping our bags off at our adorable boutique hotel, we set out on foot to explore this amazing city!
Bon voyage!
Notre Dame was still under construction when we visited, but it was beautiful regardless!
Mia took this amazing photo at the Louvre!
Pont Neuf bridge, featured above, is the oldest bridge in Paris!
I really enjoyed the architecture in Europe. Colorful houses lining narrow alleys, cobbled streets, and elaborate cathedrals are a common sight that speaks to the rich history of these cities.
Of course I had to do a Paris photoshoot with Mia! This one is in the courtyard at the Louvre!
THE EIFFEL TOWER!!! Can't believe we're actually here, seeing it in person.
This statue, Cain Having Killed His Brother Abel, was in the Tuileries Garden. We walked through here on our way from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde, where the French nobles were guillotined from 1792-1795 during the French Revolution.
Two of these gorgeous fountains were in the Place de la Concorde--Paris seriously has amazing architecture!
La Arc de Triomphe!
The last stop of our day in Paris was the Eiffel Tower!! It was such a surreal moment, walking up and seeing the tower sparkling in the night.
My mom went to Paris for the first time with a school group when she was about our age and loved it. It's been a dream of hers to bring Mia and I here someday, and it was so sweet to finally come here with her!
Our amazing boutique hotel in Paris! We were on the top floor, and the little room had such character and charm! It reminded me of something Jo March from Little Women would have loved. The bed was also super comfy (or maybe we were just jet-lagged) and there were two balconies from which we could see the top of the Eiffel Tower!
Mia on the balcony.
The next morning, after getting an early breakfast at a local grocery store (they had fresh croissants and pain au chocolat!) we boarded the Eurostar to London. This train goes through the worlds longest underwater rail tunnel, which is super cool! Mia caught up on some beauty sleep and I read a book during the trip, and we arrived into St. Pancras Station in London around noon. Once again we dropped our bags off at our boutique hotel, then went to grab some fish and chips for lunch and start checking things off our sightseeing list!
A Parisian breakfast
The elevator in the hotel was quite cramped 😂
The London outfit ✨
St. Pancras Station
For all my Harry Potter fans out there, you know we had to make a stop here! Kings Cross is just across the street from St. Pancras station, which was pretty convenient.
Mind the gap!
Who's seen the movie Paddington?
The famous red double-decker buses! I actually almost got run over one of these when we were walking around the city--don't forget to look left and right when crossing the road here. 😂
Fish and chips!
The London Eye
Big Ben! Did you know that the name Big Ben actually refers to the bell inside the clock tower? The tower itself is called Elizabeth Tower.
London had some pretty architecture as well!
Can't believe we're at Big Ben!
On our way to Harrods we stumbled upon this photogenic alley and I had to get a few shots of Mia!
Westminster Abbey 😮 we didn't go inside because the tickets were way overpriced, but it was still cool to see from the outside.
Recognize this famous landmark? Welcome to Buckingham Palace!
The Changing of the Guard
My mom booked us an afternoon tea at a 'proper' (as the British love to say) restaurant.
My mom loves hot tea 😁🫖
We had scones with jam and clotted cream and three different kinds of tea!
We went to Harrods, one of the most famous department stores in the world. People like Michael Jackson and the former Queen Elizabeth II have shopped here in the past.
The iconic Harrods teddy bears
The Christmas section of the store was so pretty and festive!
My mom bought herself some tea of course.
The Tower of London! It's comical to see this medieval fortress right beside the futuristic cityscape of London
The Piazza was the heart of the Sky Princess, and they had live music here every night.
Captain's Champagne Waterfall! This was Mia's first; I'd seen one earlier this year on mine and my mom's Alaska cruise.
They had a cute gelateria onboard
I always love the art on cruise ships!
Cute lil gingerbread village!
The entertainment staff onboard was phenomenal. In the picture above, they were doing a mystery game in the form of a play and it was hilarious.
One day we randomly found these clear glass floor panels on the sixteenth deck--so cool!
The wake of the ship
We loved the dance classes onboard! We did a variety of dances, including cha cha, waltz, and line dancing.
Loading supplies onto the ship at one of the ports.
The entertainment team was amazing on the Sky Princess. Tomas from Argentina and Phil from England were a couple of our favorites; Mia and I adopted them as our shipboard 'uncles'.
Woohoo, our first Transatlantic Cruise!
The 80s party on the pool deck was so fun!
On our way from the soft serve ice cream bar 🍦
We had a variety of entertainment onboard, from acrobats and comedians to vocalists and production shows!
Rock Opera was a great show with beautifully dramatic costumes and a great mix of music! The singers and dancers were sooo talented on this cruise.
Another photo from Rock Opera
The second production show of the cruise was a video-game themed one (which sounds weird but it was actually pretty good) called Five Skies.
One night we got to watch a Mongolian contortionist and her magician husband--they were both so talented!
Our first night on the cruise we had a nice Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room. The rest of the time we had all kinds of different foods, from fish and chips and curry to crepes and pizza. Cue the food photos!
French onion soup
A little shenanigans at dinner 😉
This flourless choc cake was ah-mazing
Super cool bread display in the buffet area
On the last night of the cruise our server convinced us to order the desert of the night, something called a gelato baked alaska. Basically it's gelato with toasted marshmallow fluff on top and chocolate sauce! Yummm.
Today, Cherbourg is a charming, quiet little seaport
Fun fact: the RMS Titanic made its first stop in Cherbourg after leaving Southhampton, England; for its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Spoooooky.
We walked through a cute garden park and I thought this blue door was so aesthetic!
The garden park also had a greenhouse with tropical plants.
We love going to local streets and such when we travel.
These cute Vespas were everywhere on our travels! Mia loves them.
Basilique Sainte-Trinité de Cherbourg-en-Cotentin--aka the Basilica of the Holy Trinity
We thought this statue inside the cathedral might be Joan of Arc
Our second stop was Vigo, Spain. None of us had ever been to Spain before, so this was an exciting first! The streets here were so steep, and the cobblestones definitely had the potential to be dangerous when wet. Vigo was one of my favorite stops on the cruise (my favorite is still to come--stay tuned!) and we got to explore a fortress from 1665, meet some of the friendly locals, and walk down one of the nice shopping streets where I bought my first bottle of perfume!
Vigo is actually mentioned in the famous Jules Verne novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea:
"Well, Professor Aronnax," Captain Nemo answered me, "we're actually in that Bay of Vigo, and all that's left is for you to probe the mysteries of the place."
"Well, Professor Aronnax," Captain Nemo answered me, "we're actually in that Bay of Vigo, and all that's left is for you to probe the mysteries of the place."
Vigo has some odd sculptures...
You can't really tell in this photo, but you'll just have to trust that the streets were hilly. 😅
Basilica de Santa Maria de Vigo
Jack Sparrow standing on a balcony with a Santa hat? That's something you don't see everyday....
Monte O Castro is a medieval fortress with amazing views from the top. We climbed a lot of stairs to get up here, but it was totally worth it.
Lots of stairs...
The early morning sunshine was beautiful on the mossy stone walls!
Welcome to the Monte O Castro fortress!
This area inside of the fort looked like something from Lord of the Rings.
The morning mist on the mountains....
A courtyard inside the fort.
Monte O Castro blueprints
This beautiful pond was also inside the fort.
Ta da! My new perfume--it smells so good (I'm actually wearing it as I'm writing this).
After we left Vigo that evening, we arrived in Lisbon, Portugal the next day! Lisbon was hands down our favorite stop--the color, the history, the people, the architecture--it was amazing. Speaking of history, Lisbon holds the record for the oldest city in western Europe--older even than Paris or London! This is especially impressive since Lisbon suffered a devastating earthquake in 1755 that destroyed 85% of the city's buildings--including the royal palace. In addition to all this though, Lisbon is also famous for a specific genre of music called fado. The lyrics, sung to guitar music, are typically full of sadness and longing--often about life out at sea or living as a poor person. We didn't get to see a fado performance while we were in Lisbon, but I heard a short clip of a song and I thought it was a lovely style of music.
This is the 25 April Bridge, named after the day of the 1974 Carnation Revolution, when Lisboans revolted against dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar in favor of democracy. This bridge may look familiar to you, and that's because it was built by the same company that constructed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco!
We were in Lisbon on Mia's birthday!
The Alfama district was my favorite area. The narrow, steep, curving streets are like a labyrinth--intentionally designed this way to shade pedestrians from the sun. This district was also historically home to the fishermen and their families, and one of the few areas that escaped destruction during the earthquake in 1755, giving it an air of deep history so strong it's almost tangible. This district also has a very local feel to it.
A cathedral in the Alfama district
Some street art
See what I mean about narrow streets in Alfama?
As we were wandering through Alfama, we came across this courtyard-ish area with orange trees! We could smell the oranges in the air, and this was definitely one of those 'What is my life!' moments.
Lisbon is famous for its wall tiles as well (I told you this place is colorful!) . A bit later in this post I have a picture of the scarf I bought after five minutes in Lisbon. It's patterned with blue and yellow tile designs, and I thought it was the perfect souvenir.
We got to the top of these stairs and were able to see our cruise ship through the gap between buildings!
Laundry drying on clotheslines is a common sight in Lisbon, and for some reason this made me so happy. 😂 It just seemed so authentic!
Another tile art design.
There are several great viewpoints overlooking the red tile roofs of the Alfama district, and we went to a couple of them.
My scarf 😊
This tree's roots were crazy!
Lisbon's famous dessert is a flaky egg custard tart that goes by the name pastel de nata. This custard tart was invented before the 18th century by monks in Lisbon's Jeronimos Monastery and is a must-try treat if you are visiting Lisbon!
These little vehicles, called tuk-tuks, were one of the more popular modes of transportation in Lisbon.
One of the famous trams
The Lisbon Cathedral
The iconic yellow tram!
I thought this building was so beautiful!
Praca de Commercio is Lisbon's most important square. Built on the location where the royal palace once stood, it used to be very important for the city's enterprise.
I was so happy with the way this photo and the next turned out! Both were taken at the Praca de Commercio.
Another steep winding street. Lisbon is known as the City of Seven Hills, but it definitely has more than just seven.
Welcome to the oldest operating bookstore in the world, Livraria Bertrand!
And it has the certificate to prove it!
The bookstore from a distance--I love the explosion of color in Lisbon! It's so cheerful and beautiful.
The Historic Giant Plant of Lisbon. The Tripadvisor reviews on this attraction were hilarious, but it was pretty cool. Growing out of an average-sized clay pot, this house plant is now the size of a tree.
More tiles!
We had another stop in Portugal on the cruise, a couple of days after leaving Lisbon. This time, we were visiting the island of Madeira. Though it is a part of Portugal, it's actually closer to the coast of Africa than it is to Portugal! This is also the island where famous soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo grew up. The weather here was sunny and warm, and the island enjoys a somewhat tropical climate which was lovely.
Christopher Columbus
We stopped at a sidewalk cafe in a downtown shopping area of Madeira and enjoyed some espresso and pastel de nata
One of the top attractions in Madiera is the museum dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo's legacy
Ahh, I love a cobblestone street 😉
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is built in the Gothic and Romanesuqe style.
Another beautiful cathedral in Madeira
I loved seeing all these bougainvilleas in Lisbon and Madeira!
The Mercado does Lavadores, which translates to 'farmers market' was alive with tourists and vendors selling fruit, purses, and souvenirs.
The painted doors on Rua de Santa Maria are another big attraction for visitors. The narrow street is lined with little restaurants, and it's fun to walk the whole way down, browsing the various art styles.
Behind the scenes of mine and Mia's painted doors photoshoot. 😉
The mermaid was my favorite
On our way back to the ship we stopped at a viewpoint, and this cute blue bicycle was at the base of the steps!
Mia loves the birds of paradise flowers (I have a picture of these flowers in Bermuda later on in this blog)
Our last stop on the cruise was Bermuda. We docked at the Royal Naval Dockyard, and stayed overnight, which was fun. The first night we just walked around the Dockyard and got our transportation tokens for the next day, since we planned to go to different parts of the island then; and not long after dark we returned to the ship to get a good night's rest. We got up early the next morning, took the ferry to Hamilton, the 'city' area, located in the middle of Bermuda, and then caught a bus to Horseshoe Bay to see the famous pink sand. Unfortunately there wasn't as much pink sand as there used to be, and some locals explained that this was due to recent severe storms that had washed it away. Regardless, we still got to see some, and we enjoyed walking along the beautiful beach.
A helpful map of the island and its various areas. We docked at the far left tip of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard.
The Royal Naval Dockyard reminded me of Port Royal from Pirates of the Caribbean,
where Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner lived.
The Dockyard has a stone fort and 'victualling yard' where they would fill barrels of food to give to ships coming into port.
The Keep Fort, pictured above, kept Bermuda safe from land and sea attacks.
Chickens roam freely across the island, which reminded us of Key West.
Bermuda is actually owned by Britian, so the inhabitants have British accents and drive on the left side of the road.
Welcome to Hamilton! This is the 'big city' of Bermuda, and is famous for its shopping and dining. We were not interested in either, so we went to see a couple of gardens and a church, then took a wild bus ride to Horseshoe Bay for some beach time.
The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity
Birds of Paradise flowers!
In one of the parks, I wanted to try out a cute photo idea I'd seen on Instagram with Mia --and I love how it turned out!
These yellow-breasted birds were all over the island--such a bright shade!
The beach! Isn't the water gorgeous?
These little sea creatures on the rocks looked like trilobites.
The tide was out when we visited the beach, so we got to see some cool coves and a cave!
What a beautiful day!
My mom's being crazy...
We pulled into Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port on December 15, and my mom and Mia and I caught a flight back to Charlotte, NC. I was sad to leave the cruise ship--after seventeen days, we'd built relationships with many of the staff and guests--but as several of our friends reminded us, "It's not goodbye, it's just until next time." This trip was unforgettable, and I'm so grateful I get to travel and share my experiences with all of you who read my blog. It's truly my joy to share our adventures with you. Now I'd like to leave you all with a quote that our captain told all of us on the last day of our cruise: "We travel, not to escape life, but so that life doesn't escape us." Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year!
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