I Wear Pantyhose Everyday. Does that Mean I'm an Adult Now?

I'm writing this on Leigh's birthday (to be posted at a later date). I hope she has a great 23rd!! I miss her.

So Paris was almost two full weeks ago! Two weeks on a ship can feel like a year. I suppose I should pick up where I left off.

After boat drill the next day I rushed to throw on a swimsuit and meet up with Val and Anna. We were in La Coruna, Spain and I heard there was a beach. Being a beach girl born and raised I'm instantly drawn to the waves and the sand. The minute I got off the ship in Spain I felt like I was at home. The palm trees and Spanish architecture reminded me so much of Florida. So much of the area looks like St. Augustine. We took photos in front of a fountain and the memorial statue of John Lennon and went to the beach. The beach was small and the snad was rough, but the sun was perfect. It wasn't as strong as it is in Florida. God it was great. Then when I got back onboard I got to do something I've missed more than I ever realized. The after-beach-nap is like no other nap. It sounds horrible, but I love crawling into bed in my swimsuit still smelling of sunscreen and passing out. The after-beach-nap is ridiculously amazing.

My next port was Lisbon, Portugal. Valerie and I spent the day touring with our DJ, Jeremy, and our violinist, Nicole. It was nice - we were sterotypically American and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a beautiful little city full of churches and castles. The whole area reminds me of St. Augustine.

Cadiz, Spain proved to be too cloudly to allow me to properly enjoy the beach. I simply walked along it, having some much needed "me" time. The pigeon prints in the sand made me laugh. Oh Europe.

The next day was Gibraltar. I was on a tour for work, so the video camera accompanied me everywhere. Sometimes the camera is a blessing, and sometimes I want to chuck it overboard. Gibraltar gave me a slight Key West feeling. It is in no way a party city, but it's a small city centered on the water. Where Key West has cats, Gibraltar has monkeys. I have to admit, the monkeys are way cooler. They were cute. My amazing tour guide, a sweet old Scottish man named Ian, got a few of the to come to the window of the van. It was fun.

Palma de Mallorca looked beautiful ffrom the ship. Unfortunately I could only walk around for an hour since I had safety training in the middle of the day. It was really nice to just walk along the harbor. The plus side is our new safety officer is actually a decent guy. I'm no longer afraid of safety training.

That night was Valerie's last night before going home so a group of us girls had dinner at the specialty restaurant onboard - the Murano. I am such a small town girl at heart. I felt slightly out of place in a restaurant where the waiter places the napkin on your lap. I was a little like Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman." The food was absolutely amazing. We started with delicious lemon pepper bread and then feta cheese on bruschetta. It was intended to cleanse our pallettes. I was excited for the rest of the meal. I ordered the wild mushroom cappucino soup. It came out in a saucer with cappucino foam on top, and underneath was the thickest, best mushroom soup of my life. I've never tasted anything like it. Next was a small goat cheese souffle trapped under a breadstick cage. It was essentially a mound of parmesan cheese sitting in tomoato sauce. It, too, was amazing. Then they brought out the main course. Val and I ordered the filet mignon which they flambe with cognac right next to the table. The whole meal was a performance. Oh, this filet mignon was delectable. I never really knew what they meant by it melts in your mouth - until now! It was complimented by perfectly flavored mashed potatoes, mushrooms and the most crisp sticks of asparagus. It couldn't possible get any better, right? Right... until they brought out the dark chocolate souffle for dessert. It was a little treat and I was a little put off when I saw the waiter come along to puncture the perfectly risen souffle. I forgave him when I saw what was coming next. A delicious mocha, vanilla sauce was drizzled all over my dessert. I didn't eat again until lunch the next day. It was wonderful.

Catalina, Val and I finished her bottle of pinot grigio and went out to the staff bar to celebrate Val's last night onboard. It was so fun. I had a rough time saying bye to my friend. I'll admit, things are different here without her. I now have Catalina, but I miss Val. We did everything together. I have plenty of other friends, but no one quite like Val. Everyone keeps making jokes like, "What are you going to do now?" and "Did they have to surgically remove you two?" Ha. Ha.

The next day was our embarkation day in Barcelona. I really could fall for Spain. I got up at the butt crack of dawn to go with Anna and Katie to Gaudi Park. I'm glad I did. It was a beautiful park full of palm trees and mosaic style benches. I'd never seen anything like it. The clear sky made for a perfect day to tour. I stumbled upon a harpists in one of the little caves of the park. Harps always make my day.

Oh and if I thought there was no way to fall anymore in love with France, I was wrong. Cannes is the most beautiful beach city in the south of the country. Catalina, Julien and I found a beach and made ourselves very comfortable. With our ship visible on the horizon and the clouds creating the perfect overcast comfort, I put on my headphones and enjoyed my latest novel. I couldn't help but smile at the way we looked - an American girl reading in her own little world, and a big hairy Argentinian laying with his arm tucked under the neck of a sweet little Romanian girl. What a trio we made. They went for a walk and I began to people watch. There was a sweet French family next to me with thier toddler little boy. I laughed when I realized he and I probably speak French along the same proficiency. He was cute, throwing sand and testing his parents by pushing the boundaries of his play space. As they got up to leave, the mom approached me and, in French, asked if I would watch their things while she went to wash her feet at the shower. I agreed and felt so good about myself having just completely understood her! When Catalina and Julien returned Julien left us girls to have some bonding time walking along the streets of Cannes. We gawked at all the shops and dreamed of the day we'd be rich enough to dress so chic. We found a little sidewalk cafe and I had another opportunity to feel completely accomplished. I ordered Catalina and myself two galsses of wine in perfect French. It's the little things, really. Great conversation while sipping wine at a sidewalk cafe in the south of France... as Papa C would say, "I just have to shake my head."

That feels like a proper place to stop. :)