Cruisin'  

So we are BACK! It was WONDERFUL. I don't know how many of you have cruised before, but I'm honestly not sure I've ever had a vacation compare so favorably to this one! First, the port: We went out of Charleston-- partly because of price, partly because of the variety of cruising options, and mainly because of convenience. Not only do I have cousins in the city who were able to drop us off (and save us $102 in parking fees, woo hoo!), but it was only a 4 hour drive (ok, we might have sped a liiiiiiittle bit!!!) from home! You can't beat that!

We left the dock last Sunday afternoon around 4pm, and we were at sea until early Tuesday morning, when we arrived at Nassau in the Bahamas. I really enjoyed the days at sea; it was the perfect excuse to do NOTHING at all, and I don't know about you, but I actually need an excuse to truly, utterly, completely relax on a vacation. We spent a lot of time on the back deck (aka, the "Adult Only" zone) just watching the water flow by and listening to the roar of the ocean. Absolutely, amazingly peaceful. Nassau-- our first port-- was anything BUT peaceful. It was a relatively "thriving" island metropolis, and VERY dirty. Fortunately, we spent most of our day on a catamaran (sp?) snorkeling about 45-60 minutes away from Nassau. I was very nervous about snorkeling, but it actually was a very calming experience (except for the ear infection it gave me in my right ear; apparently, I spent too much time with my head underwater!).

Our next port was Freeport, on Grand Bahama Island. It was FABULOUS. We didn't have any planned excursions that day (Wednesday), and we just planned to meander our way about the island. We were invited by a group of 22-year-olds who needed another couple to complete their cheap taxi ride to go to a "resort" on the north side of the island. I was unusually spontaneous and leapt at the chance, and off we went. When we first got to this "resort", I thought surely our driver had taken a wrong turn. This "resort" was two houses, a bar, and a beachwear rental shack. But it was the most gorgeous 3-mile stretch of sand I've ever set my eyes on, and entirely private. At the peak of the day, there were no more than 30 of us on this massive beach. The water was crystal clear blue, tons of coral on the bottom, and it was just a day from heaven. And the little bar at this "resort" turned out to sell some of the best conch fritters I've ever had-- well, ok, they ONLY conch fritters I've ever had, but they were great.

Our last stop was in Key West (where, by the way, the ONLY thing the locals were talking about was the oil spill; I spent a good portion of that evening crying on the boat, watching CNN, and thinking about what those stupid BP execs and their lack of planning were going to cost that community-- it STILL is ripping me up inside, the travesty and tragedy of it all). We had another excursion planned-- this one for an HGTV Historic Home and Garden tour. It was nice to see some of the oldest houses on the island and get a walking tour of the city at the same time, but it was HOT. I mean, utterly, miserably hot. The temperatures were bad enough, but the humidity... I just wasn't prepared for it. I felt like a wilted flower in the sun. But we continued on, and went to a great little local restaurant for lunch (We tried fervently to avoid the "touristy" restaurants on all our day trips, and were for the most part successful). After that, we rented bikes and spent the rest of the day touring the island on two wheels. We saw some beaches (beautiful, but tiny compared to the sprawling expanses of Freeport), drank coconut milk straight from the coconut, had authentic Key Lime pie (after touring the kitchen where it was first created!), and did some shopping (all of it for G-- we didn't come home with a single souvenir for us!).

Friday was another full day at sea, and once again, we did nothing but sit pool side and watch the waves go by. DH really enjoyed watching the people go by-- I think "people watching" was one of his favorite on-boat activities! We also went to two different shows on the ship (I think I missed my calling!!!!). And we ate... a LOT! So much food, so much variety, I'm terrified to step on the scale at the gym (although we did workout 3 days on the ship, plus the day of biking all over Key West, so hopefully that evens it out at least a little bit!).

As much fun as we had, it was wonderful to get home to G. We'd spoken to her on the phone a few times over the course of the week, but nothing compared to seeing her smile as we pulled into the driveway. She saw us turn in, and she just had the biggest smile on her little face-- she literally lit up the moment she saw us! I got out of the car, and she ran up to me and I picked her up and she just hugged me as tight as could be for minutes on end. It was HEAVEN, I tell you! I'm relieved to know she had a great week at home with my mom, but it was nice to be missed and welcomed home with so much love.