Nassau, Grand Bahamas

On the second morning of our cruise to the Bahamas, aboard the Norwegian Sky, we stepped out onto our balcony to see this:

The Royal Caribbean ship Oasis of the Seas was docked right next to us and a Carnival ship was on it's way into port.

With limited time in Nassau, we chose a shore excursion to Fort Charlotte, Fort Fincastle and the Junkanoo Museum.  First stop:  Fort Charlotte.

From the walls of the Fort we could just make out the FIVE cruise ships that were now in port - two Norwegian ships, two Royal Caribbean ships, and a Carnival ship.

Fort Charlotte was built to protect the island but never saw any action.

Life at the Fort was rather harsh.

All too soon, we loaded back into our blue van with our fellow tourists to the next adventure.

Our next stop was the Junkanoo Museum.  Junkanoo is the Bahamian version of Mardi Gras and takes place at midnight on Christmas Day.

The costumes are actually made of paper but can weigh as much as 70 pounds.  Junkanoo was a celebration that masters allowed their slaves to participate in and it continues today.  Since slaves were not allowed to read or write, the paper used in their costumes was a symbol of their rebellion.

Our next stop was Fort Fincastle, a smaller, earlier fort built in the shape of a ship.

This fort never saw any action either!

From there, we took a short walk over to the Queen's Staircase and carefully descended the 65 narrow steps carved from solid limestone by slaves in the late 18th century.

The staircase, and the carved out area around it, is one of the most visited sites in Nassau.  It was named in honor of the 65 years of Queen Victoria's reign.

By this time I was ready for something else - shopping!

We headed back to the city to join the thousands of other cruisers looking for bargains.  Surprisingly, I didn't buy too much.  I can't show them yet since most of them are gifts!

We didn't have much time for shopping anyway.  We had to be aboard ship by 4:30 p.m. so back to the dock we went, passing some of the other ships before we came to the Sky.

In the distance we could see the famous Atlantis Resort.  Many ship passengers opted to spend their day there.

Evidently, the Oasis of the Seas passengers had to be on board earlier than we did, because we watched as their ship backed out of it's slip.  Soon we, too, headed out to sea and back to Miami.

Last weekend we took a much different cruise - aboard a WWII Victory Ship.  Pictures to follow next week!

The Norweigian Sky - at Great Stirrup Cay

The second day of our Bahama adventure found us at Norwegian Cruise Line's own private island - Great Stirrup Cay. 

The cruise line has brought in a lot of extra sand, trees and rocks so there's still of lot of construction going on. But it didn't stop over a 1,000 people from exiting the ship to have a beach day!

After a hearty breakfast of eggs Benedict (this is for Ceekay's benefit!) we joined the throngs of passengers headed for white sandy beaches.

Two-story launches traveled continuously to and from the island all day.

We gladly joined the herd.

Photo op!

There were plenty of chairs around a clear bay for snorkeling.

A Royal Caribbean ship was anchored at their own private island nearby.

There was even a small straw market on the island so, naturally, I had to do a little shopping for the grand kids.

Shopping done, we waited for the next launch back to the ship.  Hubby found a comfortable chair in which to wait.

"Good-bye" Great Stirrup Cay!

Both ships were in view as we headed back to the Sky for the remainder of a very relaxing day.

The next morning found us docked in Nassau, capital of the 700 Bahama islands.  But I'll have to blog about that next week.  Right now I'm packing for a trip to Tampa, where we will step back in time to World War II when we board The American Victory Ship for a six hour cruise around Tampa Bay.  Another adventure awaits!



The Norwegian Sky - Our Cruise to the Bahamas

I'm so behind in my blogging!  We've been back at Juno Beach and unpacked for a week now.  Where does the time go?  I had a wonderful birthday on board the Norwegian Sky.  We boarded the ship in Miami on a Friday afternoon and returned Monday morning.

A Carnival ship was docked in front of us.

Even the cars have a wonderful view of the Port of Miami.

Hubby upgraded us to a balcony cabin and I loved it!

This was our bathroom for the next couple of days.

It was kind of hard to get a good picture of the balcony.

Once settled into our cabin we set out to explore the ship.  This is just one of the dining rooms.

This is the atrium, in the center of the ship.

You can walk or jog around one of the decks.

The pool area was very popular.

One of the many lounges.  This one is at the front of the ship.

Soon, we were setting sail for the Bahamas.

From our balcony we watched as other boats passed by......

........and said "good-bye" to Miami.

The dining room had lobster to celebrate our first night at sea.

A full moon was the perfect ending to the day.

The next day found us anchored at Norwegian Cruise Line's private island. 

But more about that later......

Our Church Here in Florida

Hubby and I are busy preparing to leave on a cruise to the Bahamas this weekend (for my birthday!) so I thought I'd just do a quick post about the wonderful church we found to attend while we are here in Florida.   We've really missed our church family at Church on the Green in Sun City West (www.churchonthegreen.com)  but we've found another church family here in Florida at New Life Community Church in Palm Beach Gardens (www.newlifeccag.org).

They are an active bunch!  The pastor's 70th birthday party was held at a church member's house out in the country.  We got to ride on this swamp buggy in addition to eating lots of delicious food.

We're leasing this store front right now, but praying for our own church building.

A lack of kitchen facilities didn't stop the ladies at New Life from giving a brunch for all the new ladies at church.

They presented us with corsages and gift bags.

One lady had even made necklaces for us.  I put mine on immediately since it matched my blouse.

I have attended countless brunches, lunches and dinners when I was a member of a ladies quartet called 4Grace, singing at churches all over Arizona.  However, I have to say, this was one of the most delicious I've ever had!

Pastor Scrivner Damon and his wife, Dolores, have made us feel right at home away from home.  We are enjoying getting to know our Florida church family!

Now, back to packing!  I'm looking forward to another adventure this weekend!