Caribbean Cruise to the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos

I haven't been on a cruise in almost 15 years and thought it would be fun to take a cruise around the Caribbean with mom and dad after finishing my contract in Ft. Myers.  I first started planning this trip before most of the other adventures that I am lucky enough to go on during my two months between contracts.  We had to look at several different cruises before settling on this one with dates that fit perfectly into our schedules.  We booked our trip on the Royal Princess with Princess Cruise lines and before long were on the ship saying "Bon voyage!" to the main land and on our way to the Bahamas!

Bon voyage to Ft. Lauderdale!

Party on deck to start the cruise

I had been on a cruise to the Bahamas before but part of the appeal on this trip was going to the island of Eleuthra where I had never been before.  Princess is the only cruise line that stops at this port as it has a privately owned resort area at the tip of the island.  We opted to book an excursion taking us up further onto the island and getting to see a little more of the life and culture that exists here.  Bahamians are a laid back, friendly people who seem proud of their heritage and happy to share it with those who are visiting.  Our stop here was on a Sunday so we didn't get to do the school visit or see the Market like you normally would but we peeked into a church before services started and stopped at other scenic places to take in the view.  We saw the outside of the Parliament building in all of its Bahamian pink splendor and learned about the official flower that makes a popping noise when you pull the petals.  Lunch was typical Bahamian food with a view of the multi colored blues and greens of the water and Junkanoo performance by some of the locals.  Junkanoo is the Bahamian version of Carnival but is performed at anytime there is a celebration and not just at one time of the year. 

 Eleuthra, Bahamas

 Parliament building

 Popper flower

 Fish market

 Lunch time view

Junkanoo celebration

The next day we arrived in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.  They are known for their beautiful water viewed from both above and below the surface line.  I took a boat a short ways out to the "shelf" where there is a significant drop off and the fish gather along the coral for some awesome snorkeling.  An hour breezed by quickly in the underwater world and before I knew it, I was back on the boat and heading to the beach to meet up with mom and dad.  We had booked a day at the beach at the Bohio Dive Resort through my travel agent (Elizabeth Dominguez of Dream Vacations- seriously- she's awesome!) and it included my favorite meal of the entire trip.  An amazing and relaxing view always helps to elevate the meal to the next level but this one would have been incredible if I was sitting in a cardboard box.  Rum punch that went down smoothly but had quite the kick, grilled snapper with some kind of coating that tickled the taste buds, local lobster salad that could have been a meal by itself, and one of my Caribbean favorites- conch fritters!  All very fresh and served with a smile.  We had some time to lie on the beach in our beach chairs until the rain ran us off for a few minutes.  Apparently it rarely rains on the island so we were just lucky.  The great part of being at the resort was we actually had a place to hide from the rain instead of getting drenched and then after the few minutes of rain we were able to return to our chairs before catching the cab back to port.

 Lunch time view

 A great place to escape the rain!

Lots of fish at the shelf

Our final day on the cruise was a day at sea.  I made my way up to the pool after breakfast to get a good seat for the Movie at Sea program they have with a giant screen showing concerts and movies throughout the cruise.  Unfortunately, I had a cold when I first boarded the ship so when I wasn't in port then I spent a significant amount of time taking naps and going to bed early but by the last day I was feeling pretty good.  The movie at sea that I was most looking forward to was Finding Dory.  No, I'm not 5, but it was super cute and how fun to sit in the middle of the ocean and watch a movie about the fish swimming underneath you.  I spent a lot of time on our balcony watching the view between flipping pages of my book in the afternoon. 

All in all it was another great trip and a fun time with mom and dad.  The food was nothing short of delicious and the ship had a fancy, tasteful elegance throughout the décor.  The staff were friendly and attentive and I always find it fascinating to talk to the crew about where they are from.

Asheville, North Carolina

The final stop on my road trip was actually my first stop that was planned.  Cortney and I were looking for a place to meet for a girl's weekend and neither of us had been to Asheville.  I have wanted to see the Biltmore for a while and had heard great things about Asheville in the past so we decided to make that our destination.  The rest of the trip fell into place from there. 

I took the Blue Ridge Parkway from the southern entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park over to Asheville.  It was definitely the longer route with so many winding roads and gorgeous vistas to stop and gaze at but it was a more fun route than taking the highway.  At this time of year, a lot of the rest stops were closed so make sure you know your way and stop to use the restroom when you get the chance because you don't know when the next chance will be and cell phone/GPS through the cell phone service were spotty.  I picked up a sandwich from Publix in the morning and pulled into one of the pull offs to enjoy my lunch with an incredible view of the mountains with pops of fall color everywhere and a little bit of smoke off in the distance from the fires the southeast has been experiencing.  I stayed there for at least 20 minutes and never saw another soul in that entire time, it was so peaceful to get to have a little piece of paradise to myself for a time.  I took a little too long enjoying my peaceful lunch and had to boogey it to get to the Asheville airport to pick Cortney up but it was worth it.

 It was a little smoky from nearby forest fires but beautiful.

Love the fall colors

Our first event was to visit the Biltmore and see it all dressed up for its Christmas celebration.  When you arrive at the Biltmore, it was designed that you enter from the side through the gate so that you could see how magnificent it is with one awe-inspiring view instead of slowly seeing bits of the castle and the design was very effective.  Gasps could be heard as the full little bus bringing us from the parking lot pulled through the gates.  A giant tree in front of the home was covered in Christmas lights from top to bottom and the house itself was lit with up with giant lamps around the house.  We got there early (which is highly encouraged as it takes a little while to pick up tickets, park your car, and make your way to the house) and our entrance time was not for another hour so we wandered through the little shops adjacent to the house and bought a few little trinkets. 

 The Biltmore

 The impressive sight when you come around the corner!

Upon entering the home, there was a chorus singing Christmas carols in the atrium in the center of the house and a grand Christmas trip decorated to the nines.  Every room in the house had Christmas decorations and it is a truly magical experience to walk through each room and see the attention to detail in both the construction and craftsmanship of the home and in the decorations provided for Christmas.  There was a massive fireplace that went from the floor to the ceiling with beautiful carvings that was so big it was three fireplaces in one!  My other favorite room was the library with shelves upon shelves of books and a cozy fireplace that I could probably spend hours upon hours sitting and reading or writing.  The Biltmore was everything I had hoped it would be.  It was grand and tasteful but decadently decorated and completely magical with the Christmas touches in every room of the house.

 The grand tree in the entryway

 Quite possibly my favorite fireplace ever.  Amazing.

 I could sit and read in this library all day.

Now that's a Christmas list

Because we arrived for the candlelight showing of the Biltmore home, we were given access with our tickets to come back another day to view the gardens and grounds and to check out the Biltmore Winery and shops on the property.  We didn't plan far enough ahead to get reservations for one of their nicer restaurants which looked amazing but did snack at the Creamery before going for a wine tasting.  The wine tasting room has rows upon rows of counters that you can go to for the tasting although someone leads you to an open space so it is not overwhelming where a very friendly employee explains the wines and lets you taste as many as you want.  I left with a few bottles to try with our Christmas dinner this year.

 Sitting in the greenhouse

The family seal on the gate in the winery.

We started our next morning at the Early Girl for breakfast in downtown Asheville.  The french toast special was perfect for my very sweet tooth and I had to add in some banana bread that was big thick cut pieces of yumminess.  It was good fuel to get us ready for our drive to Pisgah National Forest and up to Roaring Fork falls.  The hike was an easy 1/2 mile gradual incline of a hike and the reward was worth it.  The falls were a gentle cascading kind with the soothing sound of rushing water and nature playing as a soundtrack while sitting and soaking it in.  We had planned to see one of the other falls in the area but my GPS wouldn't work due to lack of signal and after spending some time searching we decided to give up and head back to the city as we had plans for the evening.

For our final evening in Asheville we headed to the North Carolina Arboretum for their Winter Lights celebration.  All the trees were decked out in lights, some with fancy chandeliers hanging from them.  There was a light show set to Christmas music to get you in the holiday spirit and a hot cocoa stand with homemade marshmallows.  I choose the peppermint marshmallow in mine and it was a perfect choice to warm me up and get me in the spirit.

I can see why Asheville is becoming more and more popular.  It has a little bit of a quirky vibe like Austin but without feeling as crowded or as horrible of traffic.  The people are friendly and the area is beautiful.  We didn't try the many breweries or wineries in the area since my friend is pregnant (yay!!) but will definitely have to sample a few if I make it back to the area one day.  And I hope I do.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

When I first booked this trip, I was really excited to check out the most visited National Park in the U.S. and to hopefully see a little fall color change of the trees.  A few days before I was to leave for the trip, I started to wonder if I should change my plans as there have been wildfires in the area and I did not know how much that would affect the air quality, plus voluntarily being in the path of a fire is never a good idea.  It turns out I had nothing to worry about as the skies have been clear blue and beautiful during my time here. 

I arrived at the southern entrance through Cherokee territory and weaved my way through the park up to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee where I would make my home for a couple of nights.  There were lots of winding roads with S turns and beautiful tree canopies raining falling leaves onto my car.  There are lots of areas to pull off the road and take in the view safely while giving other cars a chance to pass by and I took advantage of many of them.  I am not exactly sure how many photos I took over the last two days but it was a lot as it seemed every new vista was even more scenic than the last.  Part of the reason I always take so many pictures when trying to capture the beauty of an area is that no matter how beautiful the picture of the area is, it can never compare to seeing the view in person.

On my way up to Pigeon Forge, I decided to stop at Clingmans Dome for a short .5 mile hike to the highest point in Smoky Mountain National Park.  At 6,643 feet you get a beautiful 360 degree view of the area and I was lucky to have a clear day for a full view all around me.  The hike is paved the entire way but it is a steep climb and the high altitude had me winded while going up but they have several benches along the way to rest and let your heart stop pounding from the effort for a few minutes.  Bring your water and take your time enjoying the view at the top.  It was worth the effort.

I woke up early on Wednesday morning to get to the park before dawn and make the loop through Cades Cove to look for animals while the sun was still making its way up.  The early call time made it a success!  I saw lots of dear grazing in the open areas and walking along the side of the road.  There was an early morning fog that created a haze over the mountains and cleared as the minutes marched on.  Cades Cove has an 11 mile loop that you drive through with multiple pull offs at scenic vistas and areas you can pull off to view the wildlife including some wild turkeys I saw but had to walk a little off the path to get a better view.  Cades Cove also has several buildings including old homes and churches that show off some of the history of the area and paint a picture of the life of someone who lived in the area in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

 Beautiful Autumn morning in the Smokys

 Young buck

 This doe was hanging out right alongside the road.

 In love with the bursts of color

 Wild turkey

 Primitive Baptist Church and Cemetery in Cades Cove

 The view was so pretty that I had to pull over and take a picture.

After my two tours of the Cades Cove loop (to catch anything I missed the first go around), I made my way back towards the Sugarland Visitor's Center near Gatlinburg, stopping at Laurel Falls for an "easy" 1.3 mile hike to the falls.  I quote easy because I'm not sure that I agree with that assessment.  Easy to me would be barely breaking a sweat if you are in shape and moderately difficult if you are out of shape.  Maybe I'm in the last category and am in denial at this point.  The hike was worth it though.  Fall is such a magical time, especially for someone from Florida who rarely sees trees changing colors or gets to hear the crunch of leaves under her feet.  The falls themselves were pretty but not overly special however the journey through the trees and overlooking the mountains with bright bursts of colors was definitely worth the hike.

 The first level of the waterfall.

The view on the hike to the waterfall

When I started planning this road trip, my stop in the Smoky Mountains was really just a plan to kill a few days before meeting my friend in Asheville but I am so happy I decided to make this place a part of my destination.  I can understand why it is the most visited National Park in the U.S., it's easily accessible, entrance to the park is free, and it's beauty reasserts itself at every turn of the road. My only disappointment was that I only saw one bear (which the Smokys are famous for) and it was from far away.  Fall is probably not the best time of year to spot the bears so I guess that means I'll just have to make a return trip.

The only bear I saw.  That small black spot in the middle of the frame.

So I bought this bear ear warmer so I could see a bear every time I look in the mirror.  😄