The Seven Day Weekend: February 2007

Travel season, 2007

Travel season is beginning soon. We have plans for a trip to Paris and a cruise during the summer. The cruise is all set, but Paris is still in the works. We have never been to Europe so we hope to be traveling with our travel agent, who just happens to be our daughter. www.altotravel.com

Scooter meet season is beginning soon. For more on that, go to http://www.scooterplace.blogspot.com where I have listed some scooter meet links. Our favorite meet is the one at Cochran Georgia in March. Spring comes early in southern Georgia, and it gives us a preview of what we expect in East Tennessee a few weeks later. Cochran will be in full bloom, and hundreds of colorful Cushman scooters will add to the show.

Another attraction in Cochran is southern cooking. Those folks know how to do grits and eggs. Green beans are cooked southern style with a little ham. Even the Mexican restaurant near the meet site seems to cook like our amigos in southern Mexico.

We also have, on the back burner, a number of trips like the Natchez Trace (north to south this time) and the motorcycle museum at Birmingham. We would also go back to the Outer Banks of North Carolina at the drop of a hat, but experience shows that only about half of those back burner trips will materialize in a given season.

Today, we are visiting in Lascassas, Tennessee and our quest for the day is to find the monument that marks the geographic center of Tennessee. If I find it, I'll take pictures.

Su pasaporta por favor.

"Your passport, please." If you travel, you may have heard that. It might sound like "Su pasaporta por favor, " or maybe some other language. It's no problem if you have one, but if you don't, it could spoil your whole day. Or worse.

If you have any thoughts of traveling out of the country (I'm assuming that most of the folks who will read this live in the USA.), even if it's just Canada or Mexico or the Bahamas, you need to get a passport now. Sometimes the process takes weeks or even months, so plan ahead. If you need information about how to get a passport, call your Post Office. You will need a passport photo and a birth certificate. Prices of passports are going up. Last I heard was $50, but I'm sure it has gone up by now. Most passports are good for ten years.

A passport is a valuable thing to have. Airlines accept it as photo ID. If you get on board a cruise ship, you will need one. Yes, there are cruises that take you to US posessions, and territories, and if a few cases, a birth certificate and a driver's license might get you through, but the passport is quicker and and more reliable. Recently on a cruise to Hawaii and back, we needed passports. Fortunately we never travel very far without them. But isn't going from California to Hawaii and back just passing from one state to another? We made a very brief stop in Mexico. There is a rule that requires cruise lines to do that. I can't always explain rules.

Passing between the US to Canada used to be about as complicated as going between Kentucky and Tennessee, then they started looking for a driver's license or voter registration. Then they decided that a birth certificate and photo ID were needed. In a few months, a passport will be required.

Be ready.

Some things never change.

After cruising 16 times on 14 ships and 5 cruise lines, I've learned that some things are always going to be the same. Your room steward will always make animals out of towels, you will hear the same jokes, there will be a midnignt buffet, there will be an ice carving demo, and Baked Alaska will be served on the last formal night.

One joke you can count on is the one about how you get on as passengers, but eat so much you get off as cargo. There will be jokes about the sound of those little vacuum fired toilets, and someone will mention that a gallon of fuel is good for about 17 inches of forward motion.

There will be a ship's orchestra that plays mid-20 century music, and a pool deck band that plays everything else. There will be a comedian who jokes about how small his room is. The casino will be filled with smoke, and the ship will always sail past the best scenery at night. One hot tub will be too hot for anything except potatoes, and another one will be a luke-warm tub. There will be at least one day rough enough to slosh water out of the swimming pool.

And I've never been on a cruise where nobody got sunburned and nobody over ate.

But I have to admit that I never want to get off, and can't wait for the next cruise. I especially miss those little critters made out of towels.

On Board Norwegian Majesty

We took our 16th cruise on Norwegian Majesty.

The Conch Republic

Cruising into Key West, the Majesty flew the flag of the Conch Republic, aka the Florida Keys.

Typical Tourist Meets Conch

That's me with a Conch. Pronounce that "conk." People who live in the Conch Republic are called Conchs, but the guy on the bike isn't real.

Photo ops

Crusing into Key West, there were plenty of scenes just waiting to be photographed. These pictures were taken from deck 11.

Phone Home

When cruise ships reach a US port, cell phones come out. "Hello. How are you. I'm in Key West. The weather is beautiful here."

More scenes of our arrival in Key West

Coconut Palms

One of the most common trees in Key West is the coconut palm. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you can see the coconuts a little better.

Labels: coconut palm

Old government building in Key West

The US government built this building using the same plans as buildings in New England. The steep roof is intended to let the snow slide off. It has served as a post office and other uses.

We were looking for Duval Street. It's right down there at the next corner. Duval is the heart and soul of Key West. It runs across the Island ending at Mallory Square. You can read the whole history of Key West just strolling Duval Street.

Scroll and stroll with me.

Motorcycles

Two bearded locals inspect motorcycles on Duval Street. For a better look at the beards, click the picture to enlarge.

Ernest Hemingway Sipped Here

Sloppy Joe's Bar is a landmark on Duval. It is said to have been Hemingway's favorite bar, but he may have visited some others from time to time. You might run into Hemingway a few times as you wander around the Conch Republic. There are a lot of impersonators.

Cheeseburger

Is that the name of this place or is it the menu? Native Conchs know.

Spelled B-E-A-R

The Bear Bottom Beach Club on Duval in Key West.

The Hyatt

The Hyatt Beach Club has a tropical look.

The Grand Cafe on Duval Street

It's behind the flowers.

The photo at the top is a detail from the one at the bottom.

Key West Womens' Club

I've been going to Key West for almost 40 years and this place never changes.

A Church

This gleaming white church graces a corner on Duval Street.

Scooter Parking

Scooters parked on a side street just off Duval. There are scooters all over town.

The Oldest House

They say this is the oldest house in Key West. Here in the hurricane belt, they have to be built to last.

What's a Whistle Bar?

The Bull. All you gotta do is whistle.

I've seen sprouts in the rain gutter before, but this is rediculous.

Fountains and Flowers

Near the end of Duval street, you will see some large flower pots. Look closely at the big pot in the front. It is a fountain that spills into the smaller one beside it.

A very fast ride in a speed boat.

If you go to Key West, go to the end of Duval Street. There is a walkway at the end of the street that angles off to the left toward Mallory Square. The first thing you see will be some jet skis for rent, and next to those a speedboat named "Sea Rock-It." That's it in the top picure. It has two powerful engines for a claimed speed of 65 mph. Talk to the gentleman under the unbrella. He will sell you a 30 minute ride that shows you all of Key West with no time wasted. I don't think the ride is cheap, but he might haggle. We sat for a while listening to his pitch. It was very entertaining.

Key West is known for good food.

This brick building is a restaurant at Mallory Square. Also in the area, you can see a play, go to an aquarium, tour a museum, or just sit and watch the sunset. (Tip: Take a folding chair to watch the sunset.)

Street Performers in Mallory Square

These siblings from England are among the street performers who show up at Mallory Square late in the afternoon. Artist, craftsmen, and other venders set up to sell their wares.

Performers appreciate tips.

Contorsionist and George Bush

First you twist yourself into a knot. Then, walking on your hands, you go up and down stairs. Why? Who knows? Is that George Bush in the background? The guy in the white shirt. Where are the Secret Service people?

Surpressed Smile

This attractive performer hardly smiled at all, and even when she did, she kept her mouth tightly closed. My guess is that she has braces on her teeth. I saw that same surpressed smile many times when I was teaching eighth graders and it was almost always because of braces. But when they come off, they are replaced by a beautiful smile.

Are the pictures backwards?

Well, the pictures are not really backwards, they just seem to be posted in reverse. Blogs work that way. Each new post is placed at the top. This cruise started in Charleston and ended in Key West, so if you want it in natural order, scroll to the bottom and work your way up. But does it really matter?

Key West Sunset

There is a tradition in the Conch Republic. You must watch the sun set. If you are in Key West, you probably will be somewhere on Duval Street late in the afternoon. You will notice that most of the people are wandering toward the west end of the street where it runs into Mallory Square. The square is down on the waterfront. You find a good vantage point facing west and sit back to watch the show. The sun sinks toward the sea, while "sunset cruises" drift about in the distance. Birds begin looking for a place to roost.

Then it happens. The sky gets a burst of color as the sun's orb drops toward the sea. As the last speck of the sun disappears, a cheer goes up. Some claim to have seen the green flash. But you don't leave, because the party goes on well into the night.