R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 59

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; Grenadine Favorites

Next week I bring to you to two sites in Panama as Grandeur of the Seas took us to Colón, but we did not stay there. Instead, I’ll be showing you the new locks of the Panama Canal, and then we’re off on a tour of Panama City. Until then, here are today’s Fun Photo favorites of the Grenadines:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Grenadines; Bequia

Port Elizabeth, Bequia, Grenadines

We left Port Elizabeth behind, but we would be back later that day after a beachside lunch. But for now we had places to go and things to do, so we headed west along the Bequia coastline. Along the way we passed some pretty impressive yachts:

Not quite Russian oligarch standards, but…

Our next sight was quite unique. It’s called Moonhole, and it has a fun history. It’s a 30-acre/12-ha site upon which a private rental community was founded in the 1960s...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Welcome to Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

In late February Ursula and I boarded a series of flights that took us from El Paso to Dallas, to Miami, to Barbados. Once in Barbados we headed to the hotel as it was late, and we had a ship to catch the next day. That ship was Royal Caribbean’s ship Grandeur of the Seas, and it would take us on a fourteen-day journey to many destinations that Ursula and I had yet to visit in the Southern Caribbean. Our first stop would be in the Grenadines on the i...

Fun Food Friday — Goldie’s Conch House

Goldie’s Conch House — King of Conch

Both Ursula and I encountered cracked conch on a trip to Grand Cayman Island many years ago. It was at an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) place called, appropriately, The Cracked Conch. There is still a Cracked Conch restaurant on Grand Cayman, but it’s not at the previous location, and it may not be under the same ownership as it’s no longer AYCE. So, since the Bahamas are practically synonymous with cracked conch, Ursula decided we were going to have lunch in Na...

Transatlantic — Nassau at the port and along the Shore

As I indicated on Monday, this stop didn’t provide me with a lot of photographic opportunities. As such this week will have a Fun Food Friday rather than the more usual Fun Photo Friday. And since Friday’s article is a restaurant review, today will operate more like a Fun Photo Friday-style entry. If you’re wondering why I seem to be taking the easy way out this week, it’s because next week a rather labor-intensive series will begin on a recent (just last month) 14-day cruise in the souther...

Transatlantic — Rainy Day in Nassau, Bahamas

T‘was a Dark and Story Night. Oh, wait. Wrong novel. Snoopy wrote that one. This is Nassau Cruise Port, Bahamas, and T’was a Cloudy and Rainy Day. As such there won’t be a lot of photos this week, but I’ve presented the Bahamas to you before. It just wasn’t Nassau, but rather Half Moon Cay (Part 1, Part 2, and Fun Photo Friday).

Nassau Cruise Port

Because of the dearth of photos from this stop, this week will feature a Fun Food Friday restaurant review (hope you like conch) rather tha...

Fun Photo Friday — Málaga and Mijas favorites Part 3

Laundry Day

Today we say goodbye to Mijas, head back to Málaga, and jump aboard Harmony of the Seas for a spectacular farewell sunset at sea. Next week I’ll show you our final Harmony destination before reaching Florida. Until then, enjoy:

Hilly Streets of Mijas Mijas Whitewash and Subtropical Green Mijas Flowerpots La Farola de Málaga (The Lighthouse of Málaga) Málaga Sunset

Will Russia use Chemical Weapons Against Ukraine?

A little friendly competition between Kim Jong-un and Vlad “Tepes” Putin

WILL RUSSIA USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST UKRAINE?
(Why not? Vlad “Tepes” Putin has used them before!)

Back during the previous Cold War I had the honor of serving with NATO forces in our standoff against vastly superior Warsaw Pact forces. We understood that in the event of war we would be overrun. Indeed, we were told that our mission was to merely attempt to hold out for 72 hours to give U.S.-based forces sufficient...

Transatlantic — Mijas Green

While Mijas is awash in whitewash, I’ve also mentioned that it’s walls are adorned with color everywhere you turn. Today we’re going to highlight the color by looking at the lush green spaces all over town. And while I mean for the most part vegetation when I mention green space, that’s not to say there aren’t splashes of manmade green as well. Take, for example, this splash of green at a typical Mijas café scene:

A little manmade green in Mijas

So, for today, let’s enjoy the floral na...

Transatlantic — Mijas Sights

This week I’ll be highlighting views of Mijas, with today concentrating on what you can expect in the way of streets and buildings. Wednesday will focus on green spaces and floral decorations. Friday will be the third and final installment of Mijas Fun Photo Friday favorites. After that we catch Harmony of the Seas and start heading west to Nassau, Bahamas.

Mijas location sign

European Cafés always make for great street scenery. Café Bar Porras on Plaza de la Libertad is directly acros...