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Total Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Tradewinds Transatlantic crossing 2015

scubacruiserx2

By scubacruiserx2,
in Celebrity Cruises

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upwarduk

upwarduk

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A very ornate church.

I suppose the dutch may have had some influence in parts of the Caribbean and surrounds.

 

Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao are Dutch ( known as ABC islands)

They had both the Dutch holidays and US holidays.

My son worked at the oil refinery, so was paid in gilders, which meant that he could request to pay restaurant meals in gilders. However he was always presented with the pay cheque in $ which was double the price( for the tourists)

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MicCanberra

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Aruba, Bonaire & Curaçao are Dutch ( known as ABC islands)

They had both the Dutch holidays and US holidays.

My son worked at the oil refinery, so was paid in gilders, which meant that he could request to pay restaurant meals in gilders. However he was always presented with the pay cheque in $ which was double the price( for the tourists)

 

Cheers, sounds like he had the best of both worlds.

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Yay ! , hopefully you are up and walking with little pain during PT and that your incisions heal quickly ! :) :D Patty gave me the go ahead for a dive in Cozumel and we will probably snorkel together in Grand Cayman . And of course we will have to try all of the restaurants on the Regal , so we can give it a fair comparison to the Eclipse . ;)

 

Thank you for your well wishes. I have been up and walking, so recovery is going well, just far more slowly than I would like. I do have to say that knee recovery is far more painful than either of my hip recoveries were. Pain meds have been necessary, and they seem to put me to sleep as soon as I start reading, so once again I am catching up.

 

I am glad to hear that Pat is doing so much better! I think your Regal cruise will be the break you both deserve after all you have been through.

 

I am still loving the tour of Russia, the spectacular architecture, and the wonderful, colorful art. Maybe we will visit someday, but I'm still a way away from any trip planning, especially a long trip like Russia would be. Still, youve given me plenty of reasons to consider it.

 

I also loved your peek back at the Grand Floridian. We usually visit there every year during the holidays but since we didn't manage to get there before my surgery I think we will miss this year. It is always so beautiful there all decorated for the holidays, but I'm not quite ready yet for even a short trip like that. Next year!

 

Since I haven't been getting here on a regular basis, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas now. Joe and Pat, I hope the new year brings good health and enjoyable travels to both of you.

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scubacruiserx2

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Thank you for your well wishes. I have been up and walking, so recovery is going well, just far more slowly than I would like. I do have to say that knee recovery is far more painful than either of my hip recoveries were. Pain meds have been necessary, and they seem to put me to sleep as soon as I start reading, so once again I am catching up.

 

I am glad to hear that Pat is doing so much better! I think your Regal cruise will be the break you both deserve after all you have been through.

 

I am still loving the tour of Russia, the spectacular architecture, and the wonderful, colorful art. Maybe we will visit someday, but I'm still a way away from any trip planning, especially a long trip like Russia would be. Still, youve given me plenty of reasons to consider it.

 

I also loved your peek back at the Grand Floridian. We usually visit there every year during the holidays but since we didn't manage to get there before my surgery I think we will miss this year. It is always so beautiful there all decorated for the holidays, but I'm not quite ready yet for even a short trip like that. Next year!

 

Since I haven't been getting here on a regular basis, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas now. Joe and Pat, I hope the new year brings good health and enjoyable travels to both of you.

 

Hi Nancy, Pat here. Thanks for the good wishes and Merry Christmas to you and all who are following Joe's review.

I hear you on the pain meds. PT told me the knee bares the most weight as a joint. It is more difficult to recover. Hang-in there.

Speaking of wishes, maybe 2017 we can do the Princess 5K Run at Disney.

Well, actually more of a fast walk for me. Take care and enjoy the rest of Joe's review. Speedy and complete recovery ! P&J

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MicCanberra

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Hi Nancy, Pat here. Thanks for the good wishes and Merry Christmas to you and all who are following Joe's review.

I hear you on the pain meds. PT told me the knee bares the most weight as a joint. It is more difficult to recover. Hang-in there.

Speaking of wishes, maybe 2017 we can do the Princess 5K Run at Disney.

Well, actually more of a fast walk for me. Take care and enjoy the rest of Joe's review. Speedy and complete recovery ! P&J

 

Thanks Pat, I hope you and Joe and all your family have a wonderful Christmas and New Year as well.

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scubacruiserx2

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In the park behind the church a number of people were out with their prams and children or grand kids .

 

 

IMG_0360_zpsiskfj4r7.jpg

 

 

I find it interesting to see photos through other photographers eyes , by watching them at work , especially with living subjects . Here a mom was coaching her son on how to pose while grandma watched . And that was the subject of my photo .

 

 

IMG_0391-001_zps1hhvbyli.jpg

 

 

But when editing the photo on the computer later , another subject emerged .

 

 

IMG_0391_zpsubtwpfrm.jpg

 

 

While I was photographing her mom and brother , this cutie was balanced on the outside edges of her shoes , clutching an air freshener and watching me work . Perhaps , she thought that I was photographing her ! :)

 

IMG_0391-002_zpsxaqdlx5m.jpg

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Hi Nancy, Pat here. Thanks for the good wishes and Merry Christmas to you and all who are following Joe's review.

I hear you on the pain meds. PT told me the knee bares the most weight as a joint. It is more difficult to recover. Hang-in there.

Speaking of wishes, maybe 2017 we can do the Princess 5K Run at Disney.

Well, actually more of a fast walk for me. Take care and enjoy the rest of Joe's review. Speedy and complete recovery ! P&J

 

Hi Pat! Thanks for your reply. Great to see you here in person.

 

Pain meds seem to be a necessary evil in knee surgery. While they scare me half to death, I really wouldn't want to have to go through this rehab process without them. I knew recovery would be painful, but I don't think I could have imagined how hard it would be to get my kmees to bend again - and that is before taking the weight bearing factor into consideration. Still, I can't wait until I am able to get off them!

 

I like your idea of doing the Princess 5K at Disney. You do realize, though, that I am the Bionic Woman now. :D Well, I will be once I manage to get all my new parts working together properly! :eek: Today was my first time outdoors since I came home from the hospital, and based on the speed I was moving at, it would probably take me about 2 days to complete a 5K! It does sound like a good, fun goal for 2017, so I'll get walking as soon as I can. Hopefully, I will be able to build up to something that resembles a fast walk. ;) We will have to stay in touch and keep each other motivated.

 

Joe, I loved the second subject who emerged in your last set of photos. It is always fun to find things in photos you didn't know were there when you took the photo. :cool:

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scubacruiserx2

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I don't always take the photos but people watching can be very interesting.

 

I try to be careful when photographing people , especially children , where there may be a language or cultural barrier . Usually in Russia I ask permission ( Mozhna ? ) and hold up the camera . But children tend to be spontaneous and energetic and thus make good candid photos . If you ask them to pose you may risk losing the moment or action . With our 3 children was was hard just to get all them posed at once , even if they choose their own pose .

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MicCanberra

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I try to be careful when photographing people , especially children , where there may be a language or cultural barrier . Usually in Russia I ask permission ( Mozhna ? ) and hold up the camera . But children tend to be spontaneous and energetic and thus make good candid photos . If you ask them to pose you may risk losing the moment or action . With our 3 children was was hard just to get all them posed at once , even if they choose their own pose .

 

Yes, it can be very difficult. I saw this classic recently.

http://www.jamiliajean.com/?p=1584

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scubacruiserx2

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Before we leave St. Petersburg , we would like to share 2 other options available for future visitors to SPB . The first is Catherine's Palace which was built for Catherine I , Peter's second wife . Together they had 12 children and she became the 1st woman to rule imperial Russia after Peter's death . The funny thing is - she wasn't even Russian !

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_I_of_Russia

 

 

Nor was Catherine II (i.e. The Great ) . Catherines's Palace is in Tsarskoe Selo ( The Tsar's village ) , which is also called Pushkin , after the poet of the same name , and it's about an hour's drive from St. Petersburg .

 

 

Europe200920Pat20209_zpsfxzy0o71.jpg

 

 

The designer is Rastrelli who also designed the Winter Palace ( Hermitage ) and the design is very similar . Over 100 kg of gold was used to decorate the exterior :

 

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/pushkin/catherine-palace/

 

 

Europe200920Pat20208_zpsy2ioseoc.jpg

 

 

We were escorted past a very long line of cruise ship passengers to the front where a brass band was playing a rather cheesy version of New York , New York .

 

 

36a41a01-0af1-49a0-967d-922670186fa7_zpsu8vhahfl.jpg

 

The last , and next photos are from 2006 and are from a film camera's prints , scanned into the computer . Thus the quality is diminished , but useful for the narrative . This photo is of the Great Hall also called the Hall of Light , and is almost 1,000 square meters . As you can see , you will be issued booties to cover your shoes .

 

 

28cf0b41-7706-4de1-9c5f-a7d861a07f58_zpsreftauas.jpg

 

 

After passing the large group , we were led through room after room , both large

 

 

Europe200920217_zpsbejp8r6b.jpg

 

 

and small .

 

Europe200920Pat20228_zpsoef0bgfo.jpg

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The use of Gold throughout the palace both inside and out was amazing. Is it any wonder the peasant folk revolted when they had nothing and such opulence abounded for the Elite.

 

Yes , it was no surprise that a revolution came well before our time . However , I was surprised at the other Russian revolution and the breakup of Soviet Russia in August of 1991 . I read a book about it , and this half hour documentary chronicles the details of the breakup which was so shrouded from the world as it was occurring :

 

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Most of the places and things that visitors to SPB see are from the Imperial era , and Catherine's Palace is no exception as it was built during the Romanov dynasty .

 

 

Just another dining room

 

6030360f-ee21-4412-9c2e-2fb6d4846572_zpsiz37ta0z.jpg

 

 

We really like these ceramic tile heaters

 

 

ea890e6b-f1af-457f-8b23-f7d00e9f3918_zps9hesk6qy.jpg

 

 

Of course there are beautiful paintings . The last Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra .

 

 

Europe200920229_zpsrkblcizf.jpg

 

 

Catherine the Great and my great princess , Patty .

 

 

9fb0b24d-dca2-4362-840b-77de0ee733f5_zpslha6c8j5.jpg

 

 

The grounds behind the Palace

 

 

006e6584-b8ff-4aa7-9f44-5b6a5d41efb3_zpswhlp8yft.jpg

 

 

And a video clip

 

 

 

 

 

And for many , the high point of Catherine's Palace is the Amber Room .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Room

 

 

Photography is not permitted there but I found this photo from insider tours

 

 

tour-places-to-see-catherine-palace-in-pushkin-1_zpsjkdmoxkw.jpg

 

 

Can I say that we were experiencing a gold overload ?

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