Cruising around Europe on The World

Imagine seeing the world from a ship and docking in different ports of call around the globe.  Can you see yourself popping off the ship in ever chic Monaco? Or even packing up your scuba gear and heading out for a day of diving along the Great Barrier reef in Australia?  I think that would be an awesome way to live and see the world.  It’s hard to comprehend how that would actually work in my present day life.  My 8-year-old would be the victim of home (ship) schooling and my husband would most likely wanna throw himself overboard after a months of not physically being in his office!  But, one day I would love to do that.

How do I know this about myself you might be wondering?  We spent seven days on The World along the coast of Portugal and Spain recently. The World is a luxurious residential cruise ship that travels the entire world over a two year time span.  Think of it as a mega high end floating neighborhood.  The “guests” on board are actually residents who own the apartments.  For many, this home is most like not their one and only.  There are residents from places like Texas and the Congo or Britain and Utah.  Some, like myself, are Exclusive Resort’s members who enjoy a trip on board when we can get a highly sought after place during the leg of a journey that we want to be a part of!

We boarded The World in Lisbon, Portugal.  I’ve traveled to many destinations in Europe but this was my first visit to Lisbon!

The World docked in Lisbon

The World docked in Lisbon

The World was docked near the Ponte de 25 Abril suspension bridge.  And yes, it looks very similar to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.  FYI -The Ponte de 25 Abril bridge is the longest of its type in Europe.

Ponte de 25 Abril bridge

Ponte de 25 Abril bridge

Our time was short in Lisbon so I do what I like to do best, first!  We found some food and beverages!

Sangria, anyone?

Sangria, anyone?

Maybe it was the jet lag and over load of sangria, but I was not overly impressed with Lisbon.  The one thing that stood out in my mind were the beautiful tiled buildings. They are stunning. As are the hand painted tile murals that can be found all over this city.

Blue tile Blue sky

Blue tile Blue sky

We set sail late one night and I knew immediatley that we were heading into some rough water.  Needless to say, I was ill and horizontal for over 24 hours.  The only thing worse than sea sickness is morning sickness! When the seas calmed down and we cruised closer to Ferol, Spain, I drug myself up onto the top deck of The World and took in this amazing sunset from the Bali beds.

Sunnies at sunset on The World

Sunnies at sunset on The World

Profoundly hung over from being sea sick, I finally got off The World in Ferol, Spain on Sunday afternoon. Just in time for the weekly market and octopus boil.  The market sounded fantastic.  The octopus?  Not so much.  I was still on a diet of crackers and water!  But I’m journalist who loves a photo op and couldn’t let this pass me by.  Although the thought of the moment when I actually took this photo still makes my stomach flip!

Yummy....not so much!

Yummy….not so much!

If you travel enough, there will come a time when you get sick.  Really sick. And can’t take in all that there is to do where ever you are.  This happened to me in Ferol.  I wish I had an amazing bit of advice to offer to you about Ferol, but I do not.  I can tell you this though.  Everything in Ferol on Sunday is closed with the exception of a few restaurants.

Ferol, Spain from The World

Ferol, Spain from The World

I was more than ready to head to Bordeax.  The captain navigated The World down the Garonne River to Bordeaux.

You are here...blue dot!

You are here…blue dot!

With a ship full of oenophiles, there were lots of people on deck sipping wine checking out the vineyards as we made our way down the river.  We learned all about the regional wines from the chateaus that were lined up along the river.

Chateaus along the Garonne River

Chateaus along the Garonne River

The World garnered a rather large group of on-lookers as we docked along the river in the heart of Bordeaux.

Docking in Bordeaux

Docking in Bordeaux

With my land legs back under me and an appetite for some real food, we set out for dinner.  The World’s concierge Pierre highly recommended Le Garbrielle which was a short walk away from our new floating home. Dinner was well, you can see for yourself…

First and last time with sea urchin

First and last time with sea urchin

When you have to rely on your waiter to translate the menu for you, sometimes you end up with things like fancy pants sea urchin for dinner.  I speak a little Spanish and but no French other than joie de vivre, y’all!  I could only eat one of them, much less all three.  When the waiter returned to the table, he asked me if this was my first time eating sea urchin.  I told him it was my first time eating this version of the fishy dish. And he says in his smug, French accent, “and I’lll assume your last time?” “Indeed, sir,” I replied. “But I’ll take another glass of that Chateau Brown white wine!”

The wine and dessert were the winner of the evening.  Shocker, right?  I even had some of the Chateau Brown shipped back home.

The best part of the meal

The best part of the meal

Bordeaux was such a beautiful city.  We had a great time just walking around the city. We didn’t have a huge agenda which is not normally the way I ltravel.  I did have one small agenda.  I came across a list of sought after European beauty products and picked up a few along the way.  I typically scout out all of the best places to shop and dine. But for many reasons on this trip, I just decided to wing it.  I found some great food wine. I also found some great shops shoes!

Sights from Bordeaux

Sights from Bordeaux

The most impressive part of this European adventure was our apartment on The World.

The best way to see The World

The best way to see The World

Here is small peak into what it looked like.  We had a lot of space in the two bedrooms and the living and dining rooms.  This is not your typical “cruise ship” experience.  The only similarities between a cruise ship and The World is that they both float and carry a lot of people.  That is really where it ends! I’ll have more about the details on The World in another post.

A look inside The World

A look inside The World

And I leave you with a few of my favorite Instagram photos and selfie’s of me and my traveling partner in crime!

Selfie with my traveling partner

Selfie with my traveling partner

Bubbles and giggles in Bordeaux

Bubbles and giggles in Bordeaux

Traveling has been a huge part of my life for the last 10 years.  But there is truly no. place. like. home!  Or even JFK International.  Instagram’s filters a.k.a. ‘smoke and mirrors’ makes everyone look photo ready after the longest of trans Atlantic flights!

Kiss the ground....okay maybe not!

Kiss the ground….okay maybe not!

Travel.  It is part of my joie de vivre, y’all.

Instagram Travel Thursday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to “The Southerner and the City”


butterflysquare1I celebrated my birthday on Tuesday in the Caribbean aboard The World.  It was a perfectly fabulous day as far as birthdays go. I woke up without the aid of an alarm, worked out, enjoyed a massage at the spa, had some fabulous lunch and read a book poolside as I sipped on a margarita.  The day was stellar on just about every level.

On the eve of my birthday it came to my attention that I’m a rule follower for the most part.  I always have been for whatever reason.  Probably because my older brother Wally was always NOT following the rules and creating all kinds of problems for everyone when we were growing up in Carlisle.  Even today, I’m usually the one following the rules, listening and doing as I’m told.

Birthday with RayIn what I can only describe as one of the best gifts I have ever received, I gave myself this.  Permission to not be such a stickler for rules any more.  Of course, I’m not talking about the big ones but rather some of the smaller things.  Basically I’ve decided to cut myself some slack and make my own rules and stop living by someone else’s rules.  You following me?

On Monday, I dove right into my new gift of ‘breaking some rules’ as I swam with the sting rays in the North Sound of Grand Cayman.  There isn’t any official rule stating you cannot swim with sting rays that I am aware of.  It is, however, advisable not to do such a stupid thing!  After all, they are wild animals.  I’ve been to Cayman twice before and wouldn’t even entertain the thought of jumping in the water.  This time around, I decided, “What the heck?”  But, only after Mark got in the shallow water and fed the sting rays himself.  I may have decided to break a few rules, but I didn’t say I’d also given up being smart about the timing of breaking them!

I tapped into my yoga breathing, tried to relax and just hang with the rays.  It was a fabulous experience.  Our guide, Paul, rounded up a ray for me and explained how to keep her in my arms. It worked!  I have included the photo to prove it.

These floating creatures are nothing more than graceful moving pieces of cartilage that feel a bit like a Portabello mushroom.  We even found some small babies in the mix as we indulged them with squid.  Which begged the question from the ever curious journalist in my brain, “If these are babies, how can we be sure they are tame enough to play this game with us?”  The answer – we weren’t sure and luckily we enjoyed the experience without ending up in the headlines.  Can’t you see it? New York City Tourist Killed By Ray – What A Dumb A** She Was!

Mission accomplished.  I broke a rule or maybe just decided to freaking live a little and stop being so concerned about all of the details.  I decided to be open minded and not attached to my preconceived ideas about the situation I was in at the moment.  There is a saying … have a mind that is open and attached to nothing.  Sounds easy enough, right?  It is not! Keep this in mind when you argue with your spouse, when you are trying to calm down a child and even attempting to listen to someone with different political views than yours.  My mind is already in a retreat mode just contemplating a discussion with a Sarah Palin!

As I start another year on this planet, I’m going to work on keeping an open mind and a couple of other things:

1.   Cut my self some slack.  Break some rules, discard the ones that no longer serve me, make my own and at times break those, too.

2.   Let go of ideas, things, people and situations that no longer serve me.

3.    Spend more time with my friends both old and new, especially those who allow me to be who I am and love me regardless of what I might say or do.  They know I am only sharing with them what I’d like to receive in return – a simplistic human connection.  Pure and simple.

4.    Be present.  Love more.  It really is the best way to live, isn’t it?

You can keep up with DJ’s adventures in the Big Apple by following her on Twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook.  Find more atwww.djduckworthyoga.com/blog. DJ is a contributing writer for New York Family.  She lives in New York City with her three boys – Mark, Corbin and Leo – woof, woof!