USA - Riding in Red Rock
Taking a daytrip from Las Vegas, we headed out to Red Rock at the edge of the desert, for a sunset ride with barbecue. What a fantastic experience it was too - mounting up for a trek through the scruff land as day turned to night. It ended with perhaps the best food of the whole trip – absolutely scrummy steak, potato and salad with beans etc – and huge portions too – this plate is after Shanhong had already stolen half!. This was probably my favourite trip from Las Vegas.
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USA - Los Angeles
Our first day trip while based in Las Vegas was to Los Angeles, stopping at Malibu Beach and in Hollywood before driving through Beverly Hills on the way back. A five hour drive each way – it is hard to say if it was worth it – especially when the van broke down on the way home and we had to wait three hours for a replacement! But, I did get to walk on Hollywood Boulevard, and I did get to play ‘Baywatch’ (anyone still remember that show?)
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USA - Las Vegas
Knowing we would have a week after the cruise, we looked at multi-centre holidays in the Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas area. After much deliberation, we decided that could be too rushed and, copying my nephew, plumped for Las Vegas. Staying in the Trump Tower (who knew he would be elected president?), we used Vegas as a base for multiple full day trips, but also had time to walk up and down the strip and take in some shows. We settled for a single 1 dollar gamble (each) on the 1c machines! I lost almost everything, but Shanhong left $6 in profit – she’s obviously a better gambler than me! We also took in a few shows! The following pics are all in and around Vegas.
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USA - Sunbathing in Haiti
Day 5 of the cruise was our last chance for a shore excursion - this time on the island of Haiti, but at a private RCI resort just for the cruise liner. It gave us the chance to try one of the longest ziplines in the world over water, and then a lazy sunbathe. Food was incredible, the local artisan market was interesting, and all said, it was a really nice lazy day on a perfect beach!
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USA - Puerto Rico
One of the port cruise days was in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico. We spent the day exploring the forts and ambling through the town. It's a picturesque place and was much enjoyed!
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USA - St Martin/Sint Marten
Our first carribbean shore stop was the picturesque island of Saint Martin (to the French) or Sint Marten (to the Dutch). Yes, this island is split, with approximately two-thirds being French and one-third being Dutch (although the Dutch side has the greater population). Interestingly, although France and The Netherlands are both EU member states, only the French part of the island is part of the EU! Politics, hey? Anyway, we had a lovely day exploring both parts of the island!
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USA - Oasis of the Seas
The main part of the holiday was always intended to be the cruise, and so July 2nd saw us boarding 'Oasis of the Seas', our home for the week. Oasis of the Seas is one of the world's largest cruise liners, operated by Royal Caribbean International, and the first set of pics simply gives an idea of the ship's facilities. Apart from rooms for approximately 6000 passengers and over 2000 crew, the ship offers seven 'neighbourhoods' for guest enjoyment. These are: Central Park, with boutique shops and restaurants, a bar that can be raised or lowered over three decks, and a living park with over 12,000 plants and 56 trees; Pool and Sports Zone, with sloped-entry pools, hot-tubs, surf simulators, a mini-golf course, zip line, and table tennis facilities; Vitality at Sea, with a large spa and gym with over 150 cardio and resistance machines, as well as a jogging track around the full ship; Boardwalk, with a carousel, bars and restaurants, rock-climbing walls and a 750 outdoor AquaTheatre for diving shows; Royal Promenade, featuring shops and restaurants, bingo hall, and even a branch of Starbucks; Youth Zone providing science lab and computer gaming plus events and activities for youths of all ages; and Entertainment Place, featuring the main cinema, an ice-skating rink, nightclubs, casino and smaller venues for jazz and comedy performances.
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Shanhong took the following video just walking along ONE of the many decks, but it gives an idea of the size of the ship. Enjoy!
USA - Belle Meade Plantation
Today was to be a 'historic' day - meaning, we were immersed in History! We started at Belle Meade Plantation, a farm established in 1807 using a labor force of 136 enslaved workers. Now operated as a museum and attraction, the plantation both tells the stories of old, both before and after emancipation.
From there it was just a short drive to the home of Andrew Jackson, 7th president of the United States.
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USA - Nashville
So, the main holiday for 2016 was to be Summer in the US, mainly to attend a cruise with Michael W Smith that I had fancied for years. Given a few days each side of the cruise, there was opportunity to explore new places, and so we started in Nashville, Tennessee - home of Country Music! You can read more in the USA 2016 reports elsewhere on the website - but the pics below show us out and about in Nashville, including a night at the Grand Ole Opry!
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UK - Welshpool
Having enjoyed our day out in Stratford, it was time for another day out. It was only at this point I realised that although I had taken Shanhong all the way up to Scotland, we had never crossed the much nearer border into Wales! So, knowing Shanhong loves castles, it was off to Welshpool for the day!
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