Day 1: at sea and Day 2: Malta

This is the chronicle of our Mediterranean cruise.  These days are May 16 and 17, 2010

Our first full day aboard the Disney Magic was spent at sea. I thought it would be boring, but I was so wrong. We were actually busy! There were lectures, parties, bands, movies, seminars, and shows! It was awesome. There was more to do than hours in the day. Indy of course only wanted to go to the play place (or as I came to think of it, the Land of Magic and Wonder, where parents can drop off their kids and not feel guilty) and the pool, so life was great for him. Mr. HH was actually a bit sea sick the first day and we were all walking around like we were on a drinking binge. Sea legs take some time apparently. As I lay in bed that night, rocking with the waves and thinking about all the times I’d fallen into the walls as I went down the hall, I gained a new appreciation for my dad and all those who voluntarily join the Navy. I mean, we were on a luxury cruise line and those in the Navy are doing it on a vessel maintained by the US government. Think about that.

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The first port we pulled into was Valletta, Malta. Of course I knew were Malta was, and knew about the Maltese Cross and the Maltese Falcon, but that’s about the extent of it. It was gorgeous! I fell in love instantly. It was a warm, breezy day with striking blue skies and absolutely perfect for exploring this beautiful island. The buildings were all of local materials so everything was the same color, but the locals used paint to accent doors and windows and give the beige stone character. We took a bus out to the Blue Grotto with Hoosier Mom and Hoosier Dad, who shall now be known as JAG, and several other people from our boat. I knew nothing of the Blue Grotto, but was so glad we went (thanks again Hoosier Mom). You take a small boat around part of the island and into limestone caves and the grotto, which was stunning. You could see all the way to the bottom. There were jellyfish everywhere and our crazy boat captain reached in and picked one up! WHAT? The highlight for Indy was getting to “drive” the boat. Good times.
After a very long bus ride back to Valletta, we left Hoosier Mom and JAG and went to the Archeological Museum. Fascinating stuff there! Indy went crazy. Malta has been inhabited for more than 6000 years. One of the monoliths had carved swirls all over it and Indy and I discussed why they might have chosen that particular pattern. He decided that it probably stood for the wind (Malta was very windy ) and infinity because time never ends. I thought this was as good as anything I could have come up with and congratulated him on his ideas. A little while later we were in the gift shop (isn’t it amazing how all tourist destinations are set up so you have to go through the gift shop to get out?) and Indy spotted a small replica of the monolith. He struck up a conversation with one of the people working there who explained the symbols to him. Guess what the swirls stood for? Go, on, guess. WIND and INFINITY! Shut up. My boy is smart.
The day ended with a walk along the main street and a hike back to the ship where we dined on fabulous food and watched an amazing stage show. Oh, Disney, how you spoil me.

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Further Proof.

After reading The Short Life of Bree Tanner the other day, I decided I had to read Twilight again.  Because it's not like my TBR pile is 20+ books high or anything.  Anyhoo, I like to read in bed before going to sleep and put my books on my bed side table.  I already had 3 books there, so it was a bit crowded and Twilight had to sit in front of my clock.  Now, I have the hardback version, but I was reading the smaller paperback.  This one:                

Cause why would I want a book with an apple on the cover when I can have one with Edward/RPattz?  Back to the point: I've read it a few dozen or so times, so the cover doesn't quite lay flat anymore but sticks up an inch or so from the book.  I woke up at some point in the night and rolled over to see what time it was.  Instead of seeing the time, I saw Edward's face glowing.  At first I thought I was hallucinating and blinked several times before I figured out what was going in.  The cover, which was not laying flat was blocking the clock, but the light behind the clock made Edward's face shimmer in the darkness.  Somehow, miraculously, Bella's face was not glowing.  See, further proof that Edward and I were meant to be together. 

Have you read it yet????

Have you? I have! The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is available to read for free online until July 5!  After that you'll have to buy it (which I will anyway-hello, it goes to my set).  I read it yesterday.  It's only 192 pages, so it's an easy read.  I have to say I really liked it, except that Edward was almost not even in it.  Sheesh.  Of course we all know the outcome (well, those of us who read the series know, and if you haven't, why not?), but it was really interesting to read about the world from the POV of a vampire not involved with the Cullens or Volturi.  While it didn't involve Edward much (seriously?  He's the reason I read those books), I found it surprisingly well written.  You all know I'm not a fan of Stephanie Meyer's writing.  She has a good story, I just don't think she's a very good writer.  This novella however was well written and the characters well fleshed out.  I give it a thumbs up (it would be 2 if it had more Edward).  Now if she would only finish Midnight Sun.  Really, Stephanie, it's been 2 years, get over it and finish the damn book.  Please.

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!

My hunny bunny, Johnny Depp (like I even had to type his name) turns 47 today! He looks pretty good for 47, huh?  Happy Birthday Johnny!!!! Much love and many kisses. Call me.

Also, my first TV crush, Alex P. Keaton, better known IRL as Michael J. Fox turns 49 today.  Happy Birthday Michael!

Normandy: A walk through history

Sixty-six years ago today a group of young men performed and act of extreme bravery and changed the course of history. That of course was the D-Day landings at the beaches of Normandy. Growing up a Navy brat with a father who is a walking WWII dictionary, I've seen probably every movie ever made about the D-Day landings (it was sort of a Sunday afternoon ritual for my dad to watch as many black and white WWII movies as he could find on TV), and being an Army spouse I've seen Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers more than a few times. Personally I think every high school child in America should be required to see both, bad language and all. Having seen all these movies I thought I was fairly familiar with the beaches at Normandy. I was so wrong.
When my dad came to visit us back in December for the Bastogne Memorial Walk we drove to Reims and then on to Bayeux in the Normandy region of France. For those of you who may not not, Normandy is not the name of a town or city, but a region (kind of like a state in the US). We headed to Sainte-Mère-Église, Dead Man's Corner and Utah Beach.

Replicated Soldier who got stuck on the church after parachuting in

Memorabilia from Lt. Winters at Dead Man's Corner

Dead Man's Corner

 

Utah Beach

We were overwhelmed by all that we had seen, but did not know what was to come.  The next morning donned bitterly cold and we dressed warmly before heading back to the beaches.  Our first stop was Pointe Du Hoc, which was just in the news yesterday.  I knew little about Pointe Du Hoc, but the walking WWII dictionary (my dad) filled us in on the drive there.  The cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc held German concrete bunkers armed with 155mm guns (captured from the French) and would be devastating to the landing parties at Utah and Omaha beaches.  The Rangers were to scale the 100+ feet cliffs and take out the Germans.  A few days prior to the assault the guns were moved inland.  Apparently the "brass" knew this, but did not inform the Rangers as the casemates and bunkers were still a threat to the landings.  There's some debate about all of this, but really, it doesn't play into what happened.
On the morning of June 6, 1944, approximately 230 Rangers scaled the cliffs and fought the Germans at the top.  They went in search of the missing guns and destroyed them.  At the end of almost 2 days of fighting, of the 230 Rangers, only 90 were still in fighting condition; the rest either dead or wounded.  Think about that as you look at the photos below.  Think about these young men scaling these cliffs knowing that they faced the enemy when they reached the top.  Look at the rows and rows of barbed wire.  These were incredibly brave men.

Craters from the bombing raids

Indy and Mr. HH in a crater

After Pointe Du Hoc we headed towards the Mecca of all WWII historical buffs: Omaha Beach.    The landings at Omaha Beach are chronicled in the opening scenes of  Saving Private Ryan which is touted as being one of the most realistic representations of this event ever filmed.  Like I said, I'd seen it several times and thought I had a pretty good idea of what we would be seeing.  What we actually saw took my breath away.  I could not in my wildest dreams comprehend the scale of this beach.  It's not a small beach.  It is huge and deep. I had no idea how far these men had to go once they hit the beach.  Remember that they came in at low tide to avoid obstacles in the water (we visited at low tide too).  As we stood at the head of the beach looking out over the water, my breath was taken away.  The wind was whipping around us, but we walked down to the waters edge, which took us  a good 20-30 minutes and we weren't weighed down with gear, waterlogged or being fired at.

From the top of the beach

This is my favorite photo of my dad at the beach. 

I took this about a quarter of the way up the beach (from the water).  Look how far they had to go.

We were relatively solemn on the beach.  Indy asked a few questions about the battle but was mostly interested in picking up sea shells.   After wandering around we headed to the cemetery that overlooks the beach.  It was more than overwhelming.  I have to say I was so proud of Indy.  He's been to enough military cemeteries to know how to act, and he was incredibly respectful on this day.  As we looked out over row after row of white crosses he looked up at me and said quietly "Mom, there's a real hero under every one of those crosses."  The tears that had been hovering at the edges of my eyes flowed freely after that.  I told him he was absolutely right.  There is so much I could say about this cemetery, but nothing I could say would properly express the emotions we felt.

This cross really brought out the tears.  The letter reads: To the dad I never knew.  A true American hero.

My dad as they were taking down the flags.  I didn't get a photo of Mr. HH and Indy, but they both saluted as well, Indy with the Cub Scout salute.

Sixty-six years ago today the men under many of these crosses stormed a beach at unbelievable odds because the had a job to do.  A job that many of them knew they wouldn't return from.  These men were truly part of the Greatest Generation.  Remember them today and appreciate their sacrifice for our freedom every day.

The Rain in Spain....

Does not stay on the plain. After a tumultuous check in where we had to pay a small fortune for baggage weight overage (it was actually more than our plane tickets), we boarded our flight in Frankfurt amid a chilly drizzle. Typical German weather. We were headed to Spain though, where we would find sun and warmth. Oh, MIHH, how the universe would soon mock you. The flight was pleasant and when we were over the coast of Spain we were low enough that we could see it as the sun was coming up. It was beautiful. We saw a large sailboat anchored out near some large rocky islands. It was very Pirates of the Caribbean, except, you know in the Mediterranean. Pirates of the Mediterranean? Maybe Johnny Depp should look into that. I’d be more than happy to be his wench. I’m just sayin.

 Leaving Germany

By the time we got into Barcelona, it was pouring. Mr. HH was in a grumpy mood (mostly because of having to pay for the luggage overage) and instead of walking around the city and taking it in (who cares if it’s raining, right?) to get to the metro, he decided we’d go by taxi to our hotel. He’s no fun! Our hotel was kind enough to let us check in early and we all crashed for a few hours. It was only 11am but we’d already been up for 8 and a half hours (and had had precious little sleep the night before). Indy woke up around 2:30 complaining that (what else?) he was starving. Mr. HH was still grumpy and didn’t want to get out of bed so Indy and I took off in search of food. The sun had come out! It was beautiful. There were cafes aplenty and we chose one at random. Our waiter’s name was Luis and his English was really good. He said he loved talking to Americans so he could practice. Hurrah! Indy ordered the 4 cheese pizza and it was…unexpected. One of the cheeses was blue cheese and it was weird. He ate it happily though. Weird kid.

Sitting at a cafe in Barcelona

After that we (on Luis’s recommendation) headed down the street to a super market to pick up some supplies for dinner, since I didn’t think we’d want to eat out again. Grocery stores here are funny. From the outside they looked like tiny little mom and pop shops. Once you get in though they stretch way back and even have basements with aisles in them. I picked up 2 baguettes, a package of gouda, some salami, a liter of water, a liter of Pepsi, come chocolate digestive cookies (yummy), 4 yoghurts, 3 apples, a bag of some sort of chips (Europeans eat weird flavored chips) and a large (meaning not as big as an American medium) package of the Spanish version of Whoppers (not as good though) for Euro 13 (about $17).
That night we sat in our hotel (Mr. HH was still crabby and tired) so we hung out in the hotel and watched Star Wars (the real one, not those 3 awful prequels) and feasted. Indy said this was the best Friday night of his life. It doesn’t take much to make him happy, does it? Mom, dad, some bread, cheese, chips and soda and a good movie. Who cares that a fantastic international city is just outside the window?
Around 9pm Mr. HH decided he wanted to go out. Umm…okay. We were on vacation, let’s go out walking. It was lovely! I really like cities at night. This cathedral was beautiful at night, though the clerk at our hotel said it was one of those weird modern Spanish ones and is really ugly. Further proof that it’s all about the lighting.
 

Here’s something that made us laugh. Indy went to the bathroom and when he came out, I told him I didn’t hear a flush (this is very unusual for him). He commented that the toilet didn’t have a way to flush. Mr. HH and I cracked up. He’d peed in the bidet. When I explained to him what it was for, he was totally grossed out. Why would anyone want to wash their bums in it when they make wet wipes? He turned the water on to flush the pee out and said this had better not end up on my blog. Oops.

Look for more cruise updates soon.

RTT: Back in the saddle

Oh, RTT! I have missed you so! Yes, yes, last Tuesday I was on a boat during an "at sea" day, munching on fabulous food while someone else watched Indy and sitting in a hot tub and the Tuesday before I was in Africa, exploring the ruins of Carthage, but really I missed you. I've got a lot of randomness. Well, not a lot, but some. You ready?

*If they send a werewolf to the moon, would he just be always a werewolf?

*Gastrointestinal viruses are great for weight loss.

*Tunisia is cool, but also a little scary. I like it.

*It's sad that yogurt is the closest some kids ever get to culture.

*I wonder if Chinese people think it's cool to get English tattoos.

*Indy experienced his first topless beach in France. That was something to explain. Fortunately he took it in stride. Mostly because he wanted to swim in the water. Kids are awesome.

*I realized the other day that I've never thrown a drink in someone's face. I feel as though I've missed out.

*Why are they called Interstates in Hawaii?

*Only 29 days until Eclipse! OMG! Edward!!!!

*Oh, and Saturday I'm going to go see SATC2 with friends. Hurrah!!!

*When we were in Villefranche, I was less than 100 miles from where Johnny Depp lives. Don't think it didn't cross my mind to hop on a train and make a run for it. Vanessa Paradis be dammed!

*So, what is it then?

Have a lovely day all!  Hit the weird button up there and go check out all the other randomness.