A CRUISE TO THE PITONS

St. Lucia. Third port stop on our Carnival Liberty cruise. Famous for those mountain spires rising high above the Caribbean Sea, the Petit and Gros Pitons. I was really looking forward to our cruise down the western coast of the island which would culminate with this spectacular view of the Pitons.

Our cruise vessel was Tango Two...

Cruising out of Castries harbor we saw colorful houses perched on the seaside cliff in front of the Sandals resort.

All along the coast there are caves in the cliffside...

We cruised down the coast of the island into picturesque Marigot Bay...

Colorful water taxis shuttle tourists across Marigot Bay...

Majestic palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze as we exit Marigot Bay. This strip of sand is part of the Marigot Beach Club and Dive resort.

We stopped at Anse Cochon beach where we swam in the warm Caribbean water. The water was the perfect temperature; slightly cool as you stepped off the boat, but heavenly just a few minutes later. The salinity in this part of the Caribbean is so high it is easy to just float in the water.

Locals in canoes continuously hawked their wares while we were moored at the beach. It became a bit annoying but this man made for a great photo opportunity.

We sailed past fishing villages such as Canaries...

and colorful houses beachside and hillside...

Finally we reached our destination and were rewarded with a front row view of the Pitons...

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by my husband and me during our visit to St. Lucia in April, 2015.

WATERLOGUE WISTFULNESS

This week's Waterlogue wistfulness is from my trip to Paris in 2006 which was my first European trip since I was a teenager. This was one of the first photographs I took in Paris and it is one of my favorites.

Everyone takes the required photo of the Eiffel Tower, but the park area surrounding the Eiffel Tower also makes for enchanting photographs.

If you are interested in purchasing variations of this print, please visit my Travels in Watercolor blog by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

Photo taken by me during my visit to Paris in May, 2006.
Waterlogue image created by me.

WATERLOGUE WISTFULNESS

For this post of Waterlogue Wistfulness I show one of my favorite photos taken during my visit to the Keukenhof Gardens in 2010.

For 8 weeks every Spring, from mid-March to mid-May, an area known as the Bollenstreek, a triangle-shaped area stretching between Haarlem, The Hague and Leiden, is aglow with glorious colors. Everyone knows the Netherlands is famous for growing tulips. We've all seen pictures of the fields in brilliant color--rows and rows of brilliant reds, pinks and yellows. The fertile sandy soil plus the climate in this area make a perfect for the flowering bulbs to thrive.

In the middle of the Bollenstreek sits the Keukenhof Gardens. Every year over 7,000,000 flower bulbs (yes, SEVEN MILLION!) are planted each year. Every year the gardens are designed differently from the previous year; it takes 30 gardeners to plant the millions of bulbs each year. But seeing these fields yourself is a memorable experience.

If you are interested in purchasing variations of this print, please visit my Travels in Watercolor blog by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

Photo taken by me during my visit to Delft in May, 2010.
Waterlogue image created by me. 

 

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (PART 2)

After boarding the Atlantis Submarine we and our fellow submariners settled into our seats.

Our undersea journey began with the pilot diving over 140 feet to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea to view the shipwreck of the Lord Willoughby...

The submarine then slowly glided up the 2-mile coral reef which offered us marvelous views of myriad types of coral...

Hundreds of tropical fishes including these horse-eyed jacks...

Barracuda...

and Hawksbill turtles

NOTE: The tint on the windows of the submarine really hampered the quality of our photos. These photos don't even compare to the actual views you see during the ride.

Click here for more information on Atlantis Submarine.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by my husband and me during our visit to Barbados in April, 2015.

WATERLOGUE WISTFULNESS

In a previous post I introduced you to the Waterlogue app. I am fascinated with its ability to take a photograph and turn it in a beautiful watercolor painting.

Although it has been several years since I've traveled to Europe, I still have wonderful (and wistful) memories of the places I visited. Therefore, I'm going to start a series of Waterlogue Wistfulness posts. I'll take a favorite photo from my travels and post it as a Waterlogue watercolor.

I visited the city of Delft during a trip to the Netherlands in 2010. Although the weather was awful that day with a cold, windy, drizzly rain, I thought Delft was such a charming city with its small canals and the beautiful Oudekerk and Nieuwekerk churches. I love this scene. It shows the architecture of the narrow buildings fronting the small canal, the wet, brick street next to the canal, the small bridges over the canal and bicycles which are so quintessentially Dutch.

If you are interested in purchasing variations of this print, please visit my Travels in Watercolor blog by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

Photo taken by me during my visit to Delft in May, 2010.
Waterlogue image created by me. 

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA...

Well, we didn't descend that far under water, but after completing our Atlantis submarine excursion, we did receive dive certificates confirming we had submerged 143 feet below the Caribbean Sea's surface.

We were really excited about the Atlantis submarine excursion. It was recommended to us by a relative, and it did not disappoint. We were picked up at the Barbados cruise port and driven to the Atlantis headquarters to board the boat which would take us out to meet the submarine. A very Caribbean-colored building...

We boarded the Ocean Quest and sailed out to meet Atlantis...

I wasn't sure what to expect. The boat stopped only about a half-mile from the shore. Everyone moved toward the front of the boat and waited...suddenly something started to emerge from the sea looking like a large beluga whale...

Periscope up!

Finally, we could see the entire submarine surface...

Our boat tendered alongside the submarine so the passengers currently on the submarine could board our boat, and we could descend into the submarine.

So we turned in our boarding passes...

And descended down the ladder to begin our excursion. In my next post I will share photos of our journey under the sea.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by my husband and me during our visit to Barbados in April, 2015.

THE CAREENAGE (IN PHOTOS)

The second port stop on our cruise was Barbados, an island we have always wanted to visit. After our submarine excursion (more on that in another post) we took a taxi into Bridgetown. Taxis from the port to town are even cheaper here than in St. Thomas ($5.00 one way). During my research for the Barbados port stop I saw photos of the wharf and promenade along the Constitution River or Careenage as the locals call it: where smaller vessels would careen (or tilt) for repairs) which runs through the center of town, and I knew I really wanted to see it.

Here are my favorite views of the Careenage area of Bridgetown...the photos this time.

The pedestrian-only, swing bridge over the Constitution River...

The boats docked in the lower part of the river.

The promenade along the river.

The view from the Bridge House restaurant.

 
Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by me during our visit to Barbados in April, 2015.

THE CAREENAGE (IN WATERCOLOR)

Thanks to reading Julia Willard's fantastic travel and photography blog, Falling Off Bicycles, I recently discovered the coolest app: Waterlogue. The app allows you to take a photo and create a beautiful watercolor painting out of it. This app allows me to combine two of my favorites things, travel and photography with the third: art.

The second port stop on our cruise was Barbados, an island we have always wanted to visit. After our submarine excursion (more on that in another post) we took a taxi into the town of Bridgetown. Taxis from the port to town are even cheaper here than in St. Thomas ($5.00 one way). During my research for the Barbados port stop I saw photos of the wharf and promenade along the Constitution River (or Careenage as the locals call it) which runs through the center of town, and I knew I really wanted to see it.

Using the Waterlogue app, here are my favorite views of the Careenage area of Bridgetown...

The pedestrian-only, swing bridge over the Constitution River.

The boats docked in the lower part of the river.

The view from the Bridge House restaurant.

The promenade along the river.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by me during our visit to Barbados in April, 2015.
Waterlogue images created by me.

WHAT I LOVED IN ST. THOMAS, U.S.V.I.

The first port stop on our recent cruise was St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We were excited because it was our first visit to the Virgin Islands. The ship departed San Juan at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night, and since the Virgin Islands are just a hop, skip and a jump from Puerto Rico, by 8:00 a.m the next morning we were docked in St. Thomas.

We did not to book a shore excursion; for our first visit we took advantage of the inexpensive taxis/trolleys ($4/person) that travel between the cruise ship terminal to visit the town of Charlotte Amalie. Having never been to St. Thomas, I didn't know what to expect, but here are four of my memories of our visit...

First: the view from our cabin balcony...this is one of the reasons a balcony cabin on a cruise is a must. We just opened the door and saw this gorgeous scene...look at that water filled with sailboats and the green hills dotted with houses!

Second: The picturesque, cobblestone alleys between the old pirate warehouses that sit between Dronnigens Gade, the main shopping street, and the waterfront.

These buildings are made from ship ballast, stone and molasses. You can see that in the texture of the walls of the buildings in the photo below.

Instead of pirate booty, these warehouses now contain duty-free stores and outdoor restaurants.

Third: The colors: I just love the brilliant colors you see everywhere in the Caribbean. Even on dilapidated buildings, the colors present so many photo opportunities.

Fourth: The white and dark chocolate from the Belgian Chocolate Factory. I am a dark chocolate fanatic! When I researched St. Thomas for the upcoming trip and read about the Belgian Chocolate Factory, it became the #1 shopping destination in this port stop. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. P.S. the white chocolate was for husband.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by me during our visit to St. Thomas in April, 2015.