Friday, September 19, 2014

Five Spectacular Sunsets

Every few weeks Trip Advisor posts one of their Best Of lists - “10 Breathtaking Beaches”, “10 Jaw Dropping Hotel Pools”. I always scan the articles just in case they mention a place I’ve been (or would like to visit someday). The most recent list was “12 Spots for Sensational Sunsets”. Here is my own list of favorite sunset spots, which includes two of the places on Trip Advisor plus three others.

1. Mallory Square - Key West, Florida
Sunsets in Key West are a cause for celebration. Every night, hundreds of people gather in Mallory Square to watch the jugglers, magicians, animal performers, and oh yeah, the sunset.

Key West sunset


Sunday, September 14, 2014

Nassau's Fish Fry


If you’re looking for a true taste of the Bahamas when you’re in Nassau, head to the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay. The Fish Fry is a block of restaurants and bars, all serving delicious Bahamian dishes and, of course, lots of Kalik.

Since the Bahamas are made up of over 700 islands and cays, fresh fish, lobster and crab are main ingredients in Bahamian food. But the star of the show is conch, a large mollusk which can be fried (“cracked”) or chopped up into conch salad and conch fritters. Popular side dishes in the Bahamas include rice and peas, fried plantains and baked macaroni and cheese. Tropical fruits are used in drinks and desserts like guava duff, fruit rolled into dough, then boiled and served with a rum sauce.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Carnival Sensation

Sensation was the third of eight Fantasy-class ships, entering service in 1993. Carnival’s ship architect, Joe Farcus, designed each ship with its own theme, and Sensation’s theme was “The Senses”. But other than the Touch of Class piano bar with its giant hands on the walls, I didn’t think the theme was very obvious. Mostly, there was just a lot of purple. :-)

This was our second cruise on Sensation but since the last trip was 14 years ago, it felt like a new ship to me. Especially since the ship underwent a major renovation in 2009 that included replacing the atrium sculpture with a bar, adding the adults-only Serenity area, and creating the Water Works water park at the aft of the ship. The main pool area was also remodeled. I liked the new yellow umbrellas and faux palm trees around the pool. They were cheerful and fun.