When you think about cruising, you may think about crowds at the buffet, a smokey casino or photographers waiting to grab a photo as you disembark the ship. That is NOT what you will find when you choose Atlas Ocean Voyages. Instead you will find a small ship, small enough to fit inside some of those mega ships and elevated service in an elegant, but relaxed setting. With only 175 passengers, Atlas Ocean Voyages offers something few cruiselines can offer; attention, luxury and a feeling of connectedness to both passengers and crew.
The first thing you notice when you board this ship is its beautiful finishes. The Navigator features rich wood with neutral colors throughout. The other ships in the fleet have similar features with varying color schemes. Next come the cabins. These cabins are fairly standard in size, except for the shower that is spacious and features a rain shower, body jets and a hand held shower. The beds are firm, but that’s the way we like them. Egg crates are available for those who prefer a softer night’s sleep. We selected a Horizon Cabin, the large picture window lowers to allow great breezes and a bar high shelf to lean over. Because the cabin did not have a verandah, we had more seating space with two chairs, a couch and a desk. It was a very comfortable space for our seven night sojourn. We were greeted with gifts including an aluminum water bottle and a roomy backpack for each guest. They are lovely reminders of a wonderful vacation.
Atlas Ocean Voyages’ ships are designed for Antarctica, they are expedition ships. In order to put them to their best use off season, Atlas has created Epicurian Expeditions featuring well known chefs from around the world. On our journey through the south of France, we were joined by Peter Campbell and Bobbie Marcotte, best known for their appearances on Guy’s Grocery Games and Diners, Drive In’s and Dives. Throughout the cruise Peter and Bobbie offered cooking demonstrations, hands on learning opportunities and special tastings during the dinner service. They were accessible throughout the trip, sharing meals, tours and laughs with the guests.
Speaking of dinner service, the food on Atlas is terrific. The chefs are preparing food for 175 passengers instead of several thousand. That gives them the opportunity to create more elegant dishes with finer touches. The ship has two restaurants. The main dining room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has both indoor and outdoor seating. 7Aft, the specialty steak restaurant, is on the pool deck. It can be a little windy, but they have plenty of blankets and it is certainly worth it. Reservations are required for 7Aft.
The ship has two bars, one in the center of the ship and one on the top deck. Both feature full bars and comfortable seating. The Dome on the 7th deck has a piano and vocalist each evening. That is the extent of the entertainment on this ship, but the evenings are lively in the Dome.
Atlas Ocean Voyages offers many different intineraries, including their “flagship” Antarctica expeditions. Our trip began in Barcelona and ended in Nice with stops in Corsica, Sardinia, St. Tropez and Cannes. There is one cultural emmersion activity offered on each voyage and many excursions available for purchase. On this trip, we were docked close enough to walk into town and enjoy the locations on our own when we wanted to.
Atlas Ocean Voyages is one of the newest cruiselines in the world. They are adding two new ships in the next year and will continue to expand their itineraries. If you love the idea of small ships with attentive service, Atlas could be the cruiseline for you.
For more information about Atlas Ocean Voyages and all your travel needs, contact Footloose Travels!
Holland America, one of the oldest cruise lines in the world, continues to evolve and expand both its fleet and its itineraries. The Rotterdam is Holland America’s newest ship, christened in 2021 and she is a beauty! From end to end, this ship is designed for an elegant and fun experience.
We boarded the Rotterdam for our 11 day Southern Carribean cruise in Ft. Lauderdale. It was the easiest onboarding experience we have had on any cruiseline. We took a taxi from the airport after dropping off our rental car, entered the port building and were on the ship in less than one hour. When you plan your trip, be sure to check your boarding time and arrive as close as possible to that time to avoid waiting.
Once aboard, we discovered that our cabin was ready and waiting for us. Our key cards were in the slot next to the door. Our luggage arrived shortly after. It was a quick and efficient process. The cabin is similar to most veranda cabins. We were located on deck seven forward, close to a bank of elevators and a staircase. Great location with easy access to everything. The biggest surprise in our cabin on this brand new ship was the size of the shower. They are often quite small, but this shower was anything but. Great size, great water pressure and a wonderful upgrade from older ships. The bed was comfy, great linens and pillows, but like most standard cabins, it is quite small. The other surprise was that there were enough hangers for both of us.
Dining on the Rotterdam is by far the biggest highlight. The food in every venue was terrific. The Lido Market, the ship’s buffet, was well staffed with mostly served rather than self-serve food options. The food was fresh and plentiful with lots of choices for even picky eaters like Neal. He loved the tacos and the Asian selections. I enjoyed a fresh salad everyday for lunch.
The Dining Room is very pretty with grand light fixtures on both levels. You can choose anytime dining or a fixed time for meals. Be sure to check your dining schedule, we were not the only ones who had some confusion around that. Once it was resolved, we had a permanent table with the same waitstaff each evening and it was delightful. The menu changes daily but there is always something for everyone. Neal mostly enjoyed the beef options, I was excited to try different fish and seafood selections. You can also enjoy breakfast and lunch in the main dining room.
Great dining options throughout the ship
The premium dinner options include the Pinnacle Grille, Tamarind and Rudi’s. There is also a sushi bar located in Tamarind. We tried Pinnacle and Tamarind, and Tamarind was truly one of the best meals we have ever had on a cruise ship. The restaurant is in a secluded part of the ship, it is serene and quiet with great staff and a beautiful view. Everyone we talked to agreed, don’t miss your opportunity to dine at Tamarind. The other dining venue is the Dutch Cafe. Try the pea soup, it’s a must!
The pool area on the Rotterdam can get a bit crowded. Like most cruise ships, there is an issue around reserving pool chairs, especially on sea days. The staff tries to manage it, but it happens all the time. Staff will help you secure a chair if none appear available. Once you settle in around the pool and three hot tubs, you will find ample opportunity to eat and drink throughout the day. There is a bar with lots of tables and chairs, the Dive In serving amazing burgers, dogs and fries and upstairs is the New York Deli. The Deli serves pizza, sandwiches and salads. Don’t miss the pizza, it is surprisingly good.
Holland America does a great job with music! There is the BB King Lounge, the BillBoard and the Rolling Stone venues, all providing amazing live music every night. You can dance til dawn on the Rotterdam. Blues, pop and rock fill the hallways and there is even a classical Lincoln Center Live performance most evenings. There is music for everyone throughout the ship. The main stage is a beautiful venue as well. HAL doesn’t have the big Broadway style productions that other lines offer, but there are comedians, magicians and dancers to entertain those people who prefer that.
Cocktails at the Ocean Bar
Holland America’s Have it All package is a great deal. It includes premium dining, a drink package and an internet package. The scope of the package depends on your cabin and Mariner level. Since this was our first HAL cruise and we stayed in a standard veranda cabin, we had one premium dining experience, the drink package and a one device internet plan. We chose to pay for two additional dining experiences, very affordable and certainly worth the money. The drink package covers up to fifteen drinks per day up to $11/drink. If the cost of the drink is over $11, you only pay the difference. That’s new for Holland America. We found that most drinks and wine were $11 or less. The package also includes sodas, canned water and specialty coffees. The internet worked well for our needs. You can only use one device at a time. The trick is to be sure you log off of that device so, if you have another device, you can access the service.
Sun, sand and water, the trifecta!
On this 11 day cruise to the southern Carribean, we visited St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Martinique, Barbados, St Kitts, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay, HAL’s private island. We were seeking sunshine, warm temperatures and warm water and we found it all and more. If you love the peaceful island vibe, or if you have never experienced it, this is a grand way to see it all. Choose the beach breakaway excursions if sand and sunshine are your goal. The panaramic tours are often bus trips around the island. We focused on beach time this trip. One of the best excursions we experienced was a dolphin encounter. We were in the water with the dolphins, working with a trainer to interact with them. Amazing!
Overall, Holland America Rotterdam is a great way to travel. It provide everything you could possibly need for a wonderful vacation. Great itineraries, wonderful food, terrific music, lots of space to relax and rejuvenate, and most of all, great people to share your journey with.
For more information about this and any other vacation, contact us at Footloose Travels. Be Footloose and Fancy Free!
Crete is the largest island in Greece and the second largest in the Mediterranean. It’s history is rich and full of invasions and conflict. It now remains as a lovely island with about a one third of its population living in Iraklion, or Heraklion, the capital of the island. This is where our cruise ship docked.
We purchased a “Hop-on, Hop-off” bus tour experience through the cruise company (Norwegian Cruise Line,) since they had provided a $50 shore excursion credit which essentially gave one of us a free tour. Our excursion included an hour walking tour and provided bus reserved for just the tour passengers, that we were bussed directly to. This made the experience much nicer.
The walking tour was interesting and led through the main shopping area and the town square. The shops were plentiful and varied. There were plenty of cafes where one could stop for a coffee or snack. They all offered outdoor seating with a great chance to people-watch and enjoy the Greek experience. We were introduced to several historical buildings that contained interesting history. We abandoned the tour at the locals’ shopping street, went into a few shops and made a few purchases. The bus tour itself drove us through the city where the sights were of buildings and apartments. Other than seeing the what the city looks like, that part was not really interesting. The stop at the Minoan Palace offered, for an additional price, a walk through the site with a look into the archeological reconstruction, and part of the area was closed due to Covid. I think that if you were a real archeological buff then you would spend a lot of time walking through the site. We however, are not. So we spent about 45 minutes walking through the area reading some of the signs and then headed back to the bus. It wasn’t worth the price of admission, other than to say that we came and we saw. The area across the street did provide some shopping entertainment while the husbands waited in line to purchase the tickets. Turned out that the area provided some of the cheaper souvenirs of the islands. So, shopping there was more economical if you are looking for Greece items, not specific to the islands. The area is a more modern city type of environment, the charm of the Greek islands you are expecting isn’t found in Crete’s capital.
Several years ago, we visited Istanbul for two partial days on a cruise ship. We found it to be fascinating place with really friendly people. We enjoyed our time there so much that returning was definitely on the list, so when faced with five days between cruises in and out of Athens we looked at our options. It turned out that there was a quick non-stop flight to Istanbul, and we decided to spend the time there. We were very glad we did.
The most amazing thing about Istanbul is the variety. Being the only city that is in Asia and Europe, the diversity is wonderful. As you walk down the streets you see all kinds of people from all different places. The languages spoken here come from every corner of the world. We met a man that spoke five languages besides his native and uses them all for business. That certainly made me feel inadequate as a world traveler and very under-educated and reminded me how lucky I am that the one language I can speak is English.
Walking down any street in Istanbul can be an adventure. The city has lots of hills with winding streets and alleys, and you may find anything from a 300BCE ruin to a modern hotel. We went in search of a historical marker and discovered that the entire area had been fenced off. When talking with a local about it we learned that in the process of updating the area to be more tourist friendly they found the ruins of a Turkish bath believed to be from 600CE. You just never know what you will see as you walk through the city areas.
The Sultanahmet Square was originally a chariot race area. They have a few markers to explain how that happened and there are several obelisks from those ancient times as well. At one end is the Blue Mosque, and at the other end is the Hagia Sophia. We stayed very close to that area and found it incredibly convenient as we were within walking distance of anything we needed, including the tram and public transportation. Even if you are not staying in the neighborhood, plan a day in the area. The Blue Mosque is a must see as is Hagia Sophia.
In that area you will also find the Basilica Cisterns, be sure to look for the head of medusa, and the Topkapi Palace which has many rooms buildings to explore that will illustrate what life was like for the royalty of the 16th century. The Istanbul Archaeological Museum offers a collection of mummies and sarcophagi that is unrivaled, and for the science geeks, be sure to stop at Istanbul Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam to learn about early inventions and that will amaze. You will also find several other mosques, shopping, and food well worth the stop. If you are a fan of Dan Brown and have read The Inferno, you will recognize several of the locations from his book.
On another day, venture to the European area on the other side of the river where you will find the shopping district of the city. If you are looking for the latest from Louie Vuitton or H&M, you will find it here. You will also find the Galata Tower, where you can ride to the top and see the city view that is unforgettable. You will again find mosques to visit, museums to spend time wandering, and food to enjoy.
The Asian side of the city offers a beautiful view and some towers and bridges that are worth the visit. Take the public ferry across for quick, cheap transportation. From the landing you can walk down the river side or hop on a bus to anywhere. If you walk along the river, you will find another beautiful old mosque. At one point, we had six mosques all within view. It was so cool, during the prayer call, to hear the prayers coming from each of the mosques sequentially. Very neat experience. A 10-minute bus ride will drop you at the Beylerbeyi Palace. Walking through the buildings and gardens is delightful and you will want to be sure to get there before about 4pm, since everything closes at 6. Walking the streets, we found many local places that offered a glimpse of life in the area. We enjoyed an amazing lunch for less than $10. The people were kind and helpful and a few enjoyed practicing their English on us.
Another “can’t miss” is the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. The Grand Bazaar is picturesque and enormous. The Spice Market is also a huge, covered bazaar containing countless little shops and stalls that sell Turkish Delights, teas, and spices. If you like to cook and enjoy trying new recipes, bring home some spices. They have some of the very best seasonings for meat and vegetables I have ever used. The fish spice is a must for me, I am not a huge fish eater, and this spice will make any fish taste wonderful. I also enjoyed the tea shops immensely. They have types of tea you’ve never heard of, and the fruit teas are not like anything you have ever tasted before. The fruit flavors are not overwhelmed by tea and the way they get the flavor to come through is amazing. The apple and pomegranate are my favorite, but the others are nice as well. If you like tea at all, you will come away a fan. Be sure to purchase some, since the prices are really cheap compared to western prices, and the tea is much better than anything we get here in the States. At the Grand Bazaar, you can find any tourist item you could possibly want and a lot of others you won’t. It is a shopper’s delight so plan on leaving with lots of bags even if you are not big on shopping.
I thought that upon my return to Istanbul I would get it off my list and feel no need to go back, but I was sorely mistaken. This city has been added to the list of “always a good idea” along with London, New York, Puerto Vallarta, Budapest, and Munich. Istanbul offers ancient and modern, museums and shopping, food and friendly people. It’s definitely a must see for anyone.
For most of my life I had no real interest in seeing to Nashville. I’m not sure what changed my mind, but at some point I realized that it was a part of the country I need to visit, if for no other reason than just to say I did. My husband’s family planned a reunion at an estate in Franklin, TN, and it facilitated a week in the area. What a wonderful surprise. When I left after a week, I wanted to go back. This time with some of my country music loving friends. Not to say that the city is only for country music lovers, because it is so much more than that, but it is definitely the home of country music and a place where all fans should spend some time.
The Grand Ole Opry
Turns out that I was wrong all these years, the Opry isn’t a place, it is a radio show. Apparently, it has had several homes and can be produced from anywhere. The current home of the Opry is a building that is known as the Opry House. Prior to this Opry House, the Ryman Theater was home to the Grand Ole Opry. The true essence of the Grand Ole Opry is the feeling that you get glimpsing into the family of musicians that has been created from the show. Artists are invited to join the Opry family, and most say that it turns out to be a highlight of their lives. The tour of the Opry House is led by an energetic storyteller with a passion for the Opry. It will take you to the studio that was the filming venue for many shows, including the long running Hee Haw. You will wander through the dressing rooms and the backstage area while the guide shares stories of the members and show experiences. As you walk across the stage you will get an opportunity to stand in “the circle” and have your picture taken. A true country artist might want to wait until they have a guitar in hand and a mic at the ready, although that opportunity will never happen for me since I can’t carry a tune in a bucket and only play air guitar. Still, it was a cool feeling. A “must see” stop on your Nashville tour.
a night at the Opry
….lots of seats
The Country Music Hall of Fame
This museum is dedicated to the history of Country Music. Starting at the humble beginning and going all the way to today’s industry. One of the things that is very clear going through this museum is that country music has adapted and changed over the years. Starting with its roots in gospel and changing into something much more mainstream that we listen to today. If you were a country music fan at any time, you will find that era of music represented. You will walk through the various adaptions of the music, including movements by artists. Many chose to depart the Nashville scene to discover a different inspiration for their personal style of music. Interestingly, most return to Nashville to continue their careers in the home of country music. The museum has interactive exhibits, videos, and displays of everything used in music. You will find information on CMA members, including a hall of inductees. Be sure to plan several hours if you have any interest in country music. If you don’t, a couple hours will be enough.
The RCA studio B tour is an add on to the museum. You are shuttled by van to music row where the studio is located. During the drive your tour guide will share the history of the studio and the area surrounding it to help the time go quickly. You will see the studio where many of our favorite country music records were recorded. You will hear stories and see the instruments that were used in the recording. I would recommend adding this on to the museum. It is well worth the 90 minutes and additional cost. Although it is not considered to be a working studio, it is still rented to artists who desire the ambiance of days gone by for inspiration during their recordings.
printing press in the printshop
As long as there have been products to sell there has been a way to advertise those products. The music business is no exception to that rule. Although the product is more often an event than an item, the concept is the same. So, before everyone had a computer in their hands or a television on their walls, what would someone do to advertise? Print media of course. Thus, the birth of Hatch Show Prints, which is set up in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Since 1879 they have printed the advertising for every kind of show imaginable, and they still use the same letterpress method of printing today. During the tour you will hear about the company itself and how the printing process works. They even provide an opportunity to create a portion of a poster that you can keep as a souvenir. If you are just interested in seeing some of their famous prints, the store is available to shop and there is a viewing area to see the printing process without a tour. If you want all the information, take the tour. I can’t confidently say that I am glad we took the tour, I found it to drag on a bit and didn’t find the participation in the printing process to be very exciting. Next time I would skip the tour and use the money to buy a cool poster to take home.
Broadway
everybody has a honky tonk
The center of all the Nashville music scene is Broadway. The street is full of restaurants, museums, and bars. All rich and famous people need someplace to invest their money and Broadway is a great place to do that if you are a country music star. You will find many recognizable names in lights on the neon signs outside of the bars that line the street of Broadway. Each with a unique personality, they offer live music, drinks and food to the patrons that choose to stop and partake. The people on the street are plentiful and the music streams out of every bar providing an opportunity to dance on the sidewalk if you choose. I even had a moment of singing into my invisible mic as I walked past one of my favorite Trisha Yearwood songs coming out of the open doors and windows of The Bootleg. The energy is vibrant and contagious. Plan on spending your first evening there and you will be back every night to hang out and enjoy the ambiance and bask in the glow. And if you go, “give my regards to Broadway” because I can’t wait to see it again.
Country Music Greats
You will find museums dedicated to some of the greatest country music legends of all times in Nashville. Each of them costs about $20 and will provide background, memorabilia, and music history of the legend you seek. The highest rated of them is the Johnny Cash Museum. We had intended to get there, but never made it due to the extra time we spent at the other museums. We did make the Glen Campbell Museum though, through a back channel. It turns out that the museum offers performances on their Crystal Stage, and looking for entertainment, we happened to stumble into a concert by blues guitarist, Stacy Mitchhart. The show was fabulous and if you ever get a chance to see him perform, go. The tickets to the show provided access to the museum and you get an hour to go through the museum prior to the concert. Since only the concert goers are in the museum, it is very easy to walk around and see everything in that hour. The price of the performance is less than the ticket price to the museum, which made it the best value of our trip. I would highly recommend checking out some of the shows the Glenn Campbell museum offers. Not only do you get a wonderful performance, but you also get into someplace you wouldn’t normally pay the price of admission to see.
Civil War History
When I find myself looking at war history, the Civil War is not the one that I found interesting. That is until this trip. Civil War history is plentiful in the area. Somehow, I always felt more attached to WWII or Vietnam, knowing people that lived through those times and participated in events. Having looked at the history of the Civil War, now I realize that it really isn’t that far removed from my generation. In the south, where the battles happened, the war is still very close to home, literally and figuratively. Franklin TN, just a little south of Nashville, is the area that one of the bloodiest battles of the war took place. You can see the battlefield, along with the houses that stood in the middle of that battle. The Lotz house and the Carter House both offer guided tours of the property. The home that was commandeered as a military hospital for the injured soldiers, Carnton Plantation, also offers an interesting tour. On the edge of that plantation is the confederate cemetery to which the Carntons assumed management after the war, offering the slain soldiers a final resting place. To see the effects of it so up-close it changes your perception of the war that forever changed our country. The history of slavery will always be a regrettable time in our history. For a “northern” girl, my awareness of the atrocities that happened during those times will be greater and more shameful. Perhaps the most inexcusable part of my understanding is how the oppression continues to live on in some areas of the country. At least I am less ignorant of the circumstances of the times and lives of the people in the South.
Plantation Life
Not all the preserved plantations are civil war associated. Hermitage is the former home of President Andrew Jackson. The home is well preserved and offers a good insight into the living situation of the former President and his family. The grounds are lovely to walk around, especially the garden. They have preserved many cottages, including the original home of the Jacksons prior to the construction of the large home. We took a horse drawn wagon ride through the plantation and it was a very good choice. We got to see all the grounds that way. It would have been too hot to make the walk and less interesting without the animated story telling by the wagon master. Be sure to stop in the museum and look through the exhibits there. If you move right to the mansion tour and finish with wine tasting, it is easy to overlook the museum, so make a point to do that first if possible.
Belle Meade is another great historical site. This plantation was made famous for assisting in the history of horse racing in the south. Bonnie Scotland was the plantation’s first stud horse, and he is the ancestor of 11 of the 13 triple crown winners. The plantation was famous for not only breeding but racing horses. The grounds are beautiful to walk, and the stables and carriage house offers some original equipment to view. The home itself is a nice tour with good stories of the family and the history of the plantation. At the time of the Emancipation Proclamation signing Belle Meade had more enslaved people than any other planation in Tennessee. After that time, many stayed on to tend to the grounds and the horses. Be sure to stop by the ice cream store and the restaurant on the upper level of the entrance. The food was good and reasonably priced.
Lane Car Museum
All the car lovers out there would not forgive me for failing to mention this museum. It is two stories of unusual and classic cars from many parts of the world, focusing primarily on European cars but offering others as well. You will wander through the cars and be amazed by the variety. They have all kinds of videos to show information about many of the cars, which are interesting and informative. This is a must stop for any car lover. Be sure to get there early so you can see the basement, otherwise, you will only get to tour the top floor.
wooden, pedal powered car
little red three wheeler
Laurel found her favorite!
Guitars
My husband’s favorite stops were the guitar shops. Gibson Garage offers everything Gibson including a custom shop. Although I don’t play, or know anything about guitars for that matter, I enjoyed sitting on a comfortable couch in a cool place while he looked around and played various instruments. We also spent an hour at Carter’s Vintage Guitars, which is set up so you can play any one of the over a hundred guitars in the shop. He enjoyed getting his hands on instruments that he’s never had an opportunity to play, and it was great to see him like a kid in a candy store. If you are traveling with someone that plays, be sure the set aside some time to just go and strum away.
And So…
Nashville has something to offer everyone, music, history, art, food, excitement. It has been relocated from my “why would I go there” list to the “want to go again” list. We spent a week in the area, and I was left wanting more. I’m sure you will find it to be entertaining and energetic with a wide variety of activities to meet everyone’s taste.
What You Will Find There:
Music, museums, dancing, shopping, and entertainment.
When I think of Memphis, I think of music. It is known for great musicians and genres that got their start there. Would we know of the Blues and Elvis without Memphis? However, the city of Memphis is so much more than its music.
Must See Museums
Science, music, art, history, culture, historical sites, and the Mississippi river are all highlighted in museums around the city. There are enough to make every museum-goer happy. With only two and a half days we hit the ground running when we arrived in the city.
this place gave me chills!
National Civil Rights Museum
As I walked down Main Street on my way to the National Civil Rights Museum, I had no idea where I was going and what I was going to see. We turned down the walkway and the Lorraine Motel came into view. I can only imagine what the view looked like to an African American in the 1960s, when that was a rare refuge for them, a motel that would accept patrons of their skin color. Well until April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on the balcony outside of his room. He was in the city to help fight for the rights of sanitation workers. He spoke at the Mason Temple the night before and spoke of how he had been to the mountain “And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man.” Across the street from his motel stood a boarding house that housed a gunman that day, James Earl Ray, who would end the life of the Reverend. Thankfully, he did not end the movement for civil rights.
The balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, as seen from the shooter’s window at the boarding house.
The museum is dedicated not only to America’s Civil Rights Movement, but also to the events that lead to its necessity. The museum masterfully takes you on the journey through some of the greatest injustices in history. Thinking it was only a small museum due to its outside appearance, I was pleased to be wrong. The front of museum maintains the Lorraine Motel appearance, however, the inside provides hours of enlightenment. As someone who thought they were educated about the Civil Rights Era, I realized how very little I really knew. I have revered Martin Luther King Jr. through his writings and speeches, and to stand only a few feet from the place he spent his last day and took his last breath was very sobering. The final steps of our self-guided museum tour were to the boarding house where Ray took aim and fired the fatal shot. Upon leaving the museum I was moved even more by the presentation. I continued to ponder how I would have behaved if I had lived in Memphis in the 1960. I want to believe that I would have been an agent for change in the world. I want to believe that King is right, someday the “promise land” will be seen by all.
BBQ Museum?
Ok, there isn’t really a BBQ museum. Just feel like we need some good food after that somber paragraph. When you finish at the museum, head around the corner to Central BBQ, one of Memphis’ hot spots for its famed BBQ. Try the pulled pork, it was amazing…and the sweet tea, don’t forget the sweet tea, oh, and the peanut butter pie. Have that first, you might not have room after the BBQ. If it is anytime close to a meal hour, plan on waiting a long time to order. I was again reminded that everything moves slower in the South, and efficiency is not a popular innovation. This is really the only food advice I will provide for the city. Well except, try the fried green tomatoes. So good!
The Cotton Exchange
Current cotton prices
Cotton was a very plentiful crop in the South. Planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, and cleaning cotton took an enormous amount of labor, all provided by slaves before 1865. After the end of the Civil War, the labor was provided as a crop share with former slaves and landowners. By the turn of the century, Memphis had become the trading capital of cotton, with 70% of the crop being grown within 200 miles of the city. That trading took place at the Cotton Exchange. The exchange closed to floor trading in 1978 with the conversion to computerized trading. The exchange now houses a cotton museum dedicated to the history of the crop and its importance in creating the South. It is well worth the hour or two that we spent there. They have several interactive exhibits that provide information without all the reading, just in case that is appealing to you.
Slave Haven and Underground Railroad Museum
We were quite excited to go to this museum which is in a house that was owned by a German immigrant named Jacob Burke. He assisted runaway slaves in heading North towards freedom. The tour requires reservations and takes you though a series of rooms in the small home. Each room is focused on one aspect of the history, starting with the enslaved people being brought from Africa and ending in the small space under the house where the runaways would hide. I wish that our tour guide had been a little more experienced in giving tours, she talked very fast and seemed to get off on tangents that felt a lot more like propaganda than historical facts. One of them was about how the slaves ate watermelon because it was a “superfood”, and how the pictures of African Americans eating watermelon is a way to oppress them today. I think that the museum was interesting. It would have been much more so if the docent had been more about the presentation of the house’s use and less about her personal agenda. I did learn a lot and the hour that I spent going through the house was worth the time and price of admission.
Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum
Michael Keaton’s Batmobile
In a little city about an hour east of Memphis called Jackson, TN you will find a small museum that houses some of your favorite vehicles from TV and the movies. If you grew up watching the shows of the 70’s and 80’s, many of those cars will bring back wonderful memories of your younger years. When I heard that they had the Starsky and Hutch car used in the TV show, I knew I had to go. Every Thursday evening, I would get special permission to stay up late and watch the show with the cutest guy on TV since David Cassidy. The collection includes cars from favorite shows such as Knight Rider, The A-Team, Scooby Doo, Breaking Bad, Beverly Hillbillies, Munsters, and Batman. Movies are equally represented including Ghostbusters, The Blues Brothers, Back to the Future (with the flux capacitor), Fast and the Furious, Wayne’s World, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Jurassic Park, and Transformers. Be sure to take lots of pictures to make your friends at home jealous.
Fun Stops
Memphis Pyramid
Giant Sturgeon at Bass Pro Shop
looking up
When you look up the top things to do in Memphis you will see the Bass Pro Shop mentioned over and over. Not because the store itself is so wonderful, but because it is housed in the city’s pyramid. They have a glass pyramid built on the side of the river, next to Mud Island. It is indeed very nice inside. They have a large aquarium and a large pond filled with huge sturgeon and catfish that you watch from bridges built over the water. There is even a small area with baby crocodiles. An elevator to the top of the structure for viewing or to dine at the restaurant, is available for a fee. They also have a hotel in the structure, The Big Cypress Lodge, a themed hotel that looks like an interesting place to stay, if you are so inclined.
Trippin’ on the Mighty Mississip
Rockin’ with Elvis
on the Mississippi
Put on your deck shoes and take a boat trip down the Mississippi River. This was one of the most enjoyable things we did in Memphis. Mississippi River Boats offers a 90-minute tour and a dinner cruise on certain days. The boat is large and comfortable. They offer an entertaining guide that shares stories of the river and the area around. He was funny and engaging and made the trip something more than a boring boat ride. They also had music from the area playing when the guide wasn’t talking. It added a little more entertainment than just cruising down the river, plus an opportunity to do a little river dancing. If you ever wanted to take a ride on a paddle boat, you should put this on your list. Although don’t expect to get stuck if the paddle stops working, since it is just for show. It was worth the price and a good way to spend part of your afternoon.
Samuel T. Bryant Distillery
While you are visiting the fun cars in Jackson, make a quick stop at this distillery for some amazing moonshines. Conveniently located right off the interstate, you will find this creative distiller of spirits. The moonshine products are unlike any I have seen and are so varied that anyone inclined to partake will find something they want to take home with them. There is a tasting fee that will be waived with a minimum purchase. We enjoyed it so much we walked out with a case to last us for the trip and then some. The cream moonshines are amazing and are perfect over ice or in coffee.
Music Scene
Let me start a post on Memphis music by saying that I am not an Elvis fan. It isn’t that I don’t like Elvis. My parents weren’t really into his music so whenever I heard an Elvis song it was always because someone else was playing it. I’m sure that makes the music scene in Memphis a little different for me. Just between you and me, we didn’t even go to Graceland. We all decided that we didn’t want to spend $75 per head. The things we spent our time on in the short three days we had were more than enough to make me feel like I made the right choice.
It’s all about the Blues
Beale Street at night
Having only seen the blues played in the movies, my exposure was limited to small screen clips. Truthfully, the one impressionable blues scene that I remember was from Adventures in Babysitting where she sang the “Babysitting Blues” to get passage. I just assumed that blues lyrics were all impromptu. Silly, I know. In Memphis, you will find blues coming from bars all over Beale Street, as well as from a few other areas. We met a guitarist who was in from Chicago to play at Rum Boogie Cafe’. He had made the trip to play with his brothers at this dive bar with guitars hanging everywhere. It had too much character to not find myself giddy as I was wandering around checking out the atmosphere. It was indeed a very cool place that drew a crowd as soon as the music filled the corner of Beale Street and B.B. King Blvd. I discovered what people came from all around to see and experience. A dark bar with an eclectic mix of memorabilia (and furniture) and a small group of musicians playing the blues with all the heart and soul they have in their bodies. We all found ourselves dancing in the walkway, struggling to make ourselves stop. Knowing nothing about the blues, I found myself wanting more. Something that had I found disinteresting in the movies now came alive for me to enjoy and experience, and that is the heart of the music scene in Memphis, falling in love with Blues, for the first time or the millionth time.
guitars everywhere!
Carlos, Barbara, and Ron
the stage at Rum Boogie
Inside the Rum Boogie Cafe….it’s guitar Heaven!
There is so much more to see and do, however, than dancing in the dimly lit dive bars on Beale Street.
Stax Studio
Isaac Hayes’ gold Cadillac
historic Fenders
There are two famous studios that are a must see when you are in Memphis. The first is Stax Studio. Stax was started as a studio behind a record shop by a brother sister team. They created an easy friendly atmosphere that cultivated some of the greatest musicians of the time. The museum takes you through an amazing journey of how they began and how the music and its musicians transformed through the years. You find yourself taking an emotional ride as you walk through the ups and downs of the studio, and it’s struggles. The museum is focused more on the history of the Memphis music scene than on the studio itself. I found it to be informative and interesting. It took us a lot longer than expected and we started cutting out information by the end just to make a prescheduled tour. Plan a couple hours at least and expect to be very surprised at the information and the journey it takes you through.
Sun Studio
THE microphone that the greats used!
The second studio is Sun Studios. That experience could not be more different from Stax. Sun offers a 40-minute tour led by an energetic story telling docent. There are only two rooms besides the entry area. The first part of the tour goes up the stairs to a memorabilia room. It is full of equipment and pictures, and you are regaled with stories of the studio’s beginnings. Then you head down into the recording studio itself. Again, the stories are entertaining, however hearing them in the actual place that they happened somehow seems more extraordinary poignant. Standing in the place where Elvis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, among many others, stood to record some of the most important recordings in music, is worth the price of admission.
Sun’s first tape recorder
the recording booth
dancing in the footsteps of Jerry Lee Lewis
And so…..
Whether you are an Elvis fan or not, Memphis is a stop you want to add to your list of adventures the next time you are in the South. So put on your blue suede shoe, and start “Walking in Memphis”, you too will find your “feet ten feet off of Beale.”
College towns always have a very special charm. The feeling of comradery that melds all the residents in a common purpose. Oxford is one of those cities. Home to the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss as it likes to be known, keeps this college town full of enthusiasm. Its charm is the old southern feeling that you get when you walk the streets, eat in the restaurants and shop in the stores.
Ole Miss
The Ole Miss campus is the center of the spirit of the city. It is a beautiful, stately campus with original buildings from the 1800’s. There are memorial plaques identifying the buildings that are original. The buildings were constructed by enslaved men and women who had been loaned and rented to the college for the construction; for me, a reminder of the struggles of the southern people not that long ago. Ole Miss was the location of a riot in 1962 to prevent a black man from attending school. He was allowed to register and attend classes after 3,000 federal soldiers broke up the protests. It seems that it continues to get a bad grade on its racial inclusivity. The campus is large and worth a drive through just to explore the area. The locals will regale you with stories of the epic tailgating parties in The Grove if you give them a chance.
The Square
“rest your bones”
The town square is the center of the city charm. It is several blocks on each side with the Lafayette Country courthouse in the center. Built in 1872, this regal building even houses a clock tower for that old town feel. The square is full of all kinds of shops, restaurants, and bars. We ate lunch at the Ajax Café, which offered a great variety of southern favorites. There was so much to choose from that we all ordered something different and shared. Later we found a bar that would normally have been filled with college students. Fortunately, we arrived just as the students were moving in, so it wasn’t as crowded as one would expect. Their $3 tequila sunrise was amazing, and we walked away down $20 and feeling good about the hour we sat there people watching with cocktails in our hands.
The shopping on the square consisted of boutique stores with higher priced clothing, shoes, and accessories. I would have needed to find the perfect thing to want to spend the money they required. My perfect thing turned out to be signed hard cover books at Square Books. There are three of these bookstores around the square and each one offered different types of books. We spent awhile shopping in two of the three stores, and I walked out with four autographed hard copies. There was no additional charge for the autograph and the number they had on the shelves was very impressive. They also had first edition signed copies that were more expensive. Two of my books were by John Grisham, a former local resident who often writes about the small cities of the south, including Oxford.
Writers
William Faulkner
Oxford is located about an hour southeast of Memphis and four hours southwest of Nashville. One of the big draws to the area is a literary tour they offer. Oxford is or was home to many authors. The tour would include a visit to Rowan Oaks, the home of William Faulkner. Regrettably, it was closed when we were there so we missed touring the estate. I would recommend checking the calendar for open dates and times. We found in the south that things tend to be closed on Mondays.
And so…
This charming old city is worth a stop or even worth the trip from Memphis. Some of the best parts of this diversion is the journey. Seeing the cotton fields, talking with the people, stopping for BBQ in a little roadside restaurant, those things were a lot of the magic of our two-day trip. Rent a car and take a slow drive to Oxford, take the back roads when you can. Robert Frost was right, take the road less traveled, it will make all the difference.
I didn’t know what to expect when we were headed to Clarksdale. Yes, it’s the birthplace of the blues, yes, it’s the location of the legendary crossroads, where bluesman Robert Johnson was reported to have sold his soul to the Devil, but other than that I had no idea. When you drive into town and get out of the car, it hits you. This is the gritty reality, the real deal, you can almost feel the blues oozing out of this place!
view from our window above Ground Zero Blues Club
Clarksdale claims Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, Howlin’ Wolf, and Ike Turner among many other bluesmen and women, as native progeny. It attracts such superstars as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and ZZ Top, who come to learn, and to honor the blues traditions. Actor Morgan Freeman, a local himself, co-owns a blues club here called Ground Zero, which is as gritty and real as they come. We stayed in the Ground Zero Blues Club Apartments but there seems to be a LOT of choice as to lodgings. (I was particularly intrigued by the Shack Up Inn, about three miles out of town, which is an eclectic collection of cabins renovated from old sharecroppers cabins and grain silos, and has their own juke joint and bar.) The Ground Zero Apartments are located perfectly in the center of the action. Besides sitting right on top of one of the premier juke joints in town, most places that you’re going to want to visit are just a short walk away.
THE crossroads
fabulous shoes can be bought on the street!
Carnegie Library
The Blues Museum is definitely a must-see. Wow! What an education. You can follow the evolution of the blues from it’s African origins to present day, and learn about all the musicians who have taken a part. Their highlight is the cabin where Muddy Waters was born, reconstructed inside the museum, and the guitar that Billy Gibbons (from ZZ Top) had made from a board of the cabin.
the first juke box?
Jessie Mae Hemphill’s boots
Charlie Musselwhite’s shoes
So yeah, the town looks like it’s at least 50% abandoned, but there are a lot of new businesses moving in, ready for the revival! Walking around, we stumbled upon Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art, a music store with it’s finger on the pulse of the local scene, and Hambone Art and Music Gallery, where Stan Street hosts music and events, besides offering local delta inspired art. The proprietors were all SUPER friendly and took time to talk to us about their town, what it has to offer, and to tell a few stories. And there are plenty of places to sample local style food, too. Notably Our Grandma’s House of Pancakes served up a breakfast feast of pancakes, eggs, grits, and all the trimmings, and Hooker Grocer and Eatery served up a slightly elevated, but still down-home dining experience, with lovely outdoor dining.
inside the Bad Apple
is that a freezer?
Live music abounds in this small town, with most evenings offering at least a few choices of venues. Sean Apple, of the Bad Apple Blues Club, performs most days at 3pm, giving an intimate and entertaining lesson on on blues culture and the different styles of blues, and later we saw Lucious Spiller play at Ground Zero for a thoroughly danceable evening of bluesy rock. (We also marveled at the decor. Almost every inch of that place has been signed by guests with sharpies!) There are many music festivals in Clarksdale throughout the year, besides the internationally acclaimed three day Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival in August and the Juke Joint Festival in April. This is definitely THE place to go to immerse yourself in an authentic blues experience! And I have to say, as gritty as Clarksdale was, the streets were tidy and the people were warm and welcoming.
Red’s Blues Club
this place has HISTORY
signing the bar at Ground Zero
Check out the website www.clarksdale.com for a really good list of places to stay, eat, and hear music.
our own little stretch of beach at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, Point Lucea
So here it was, the end of tax season, an insanely busy time for the DH and his sis, and it was time for a little bit of well deserved rest and relaxation at an all inclusive resort. Jamaica called. Debbie and her honey had a week booked at Sandals Resort in Ocho Rios, and we were to join them afterward for a week at the Riu Palace in Montego Bay. We decided to take a few days on our own and booked some time at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, on Point Lucea, before meeting up with them. And I’m sure glad we did!
The location and setting of the Grand Palladium is somewhat rural. As you can see from the pictures, trees and natural coastline abound. From our balcony, we could see Sunset Cove, where you can book a scuba dive, snorkeling trip, or other watery adventures, or just relax on the beach with a cold beverage and yummy Jamaican food. The resort has an abbreviated bar and jerk chicken shack down there, where the vegetarian fare included bammy, a local specialty pancake of fried cassava, and “peas” with rice. Along with a Red Stripe beer, it’s the perfect snack after a dive! It’s a bit of a hike to get around the property, and the rooms are organized in separate villas which are spread out along the water’s edge. There are covered walk-ways and guys driving these little golf carts around who will give you rides, which definitely came in handy when we were transporting our scuba gear and luggage! And walking around the property is a great way to observe some of the local flora and fauna. We were happy to spot a pair of Jamaican Yellow-billed Amazon parrots, Jamaican Mango hummingbirds, and we got an introduction to the Jamaican tree frogs. These little critters made a HUGH chorus every night!
the view from our balcony
watching the daily storm roll in
our last day …. it was hard to leave
We really enjoyed staying at the Grand Palladium near Lucea, Jamaica.
As far as food and atmosphere at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, we were very happy. Despite some closures and changes due to the pandemic, there were a number of really good restaurants to try, including Jamaican food, sushi, and Mexican. The seafood place and the buffet had lovely open air seating. There were also a number of bars, besides the swim-up bar, well equipped to serve up whatever beverage you can dream of…. be sure to try the “Bob Marley,” a fun frozen mango and rum concoction with layers of red, gold, and green, and from the coffee bar, Jamaican coffee with rum cream! As for entertainment, there were some good live bands that mostly played reggae and reggae style covers, and the usual troop of dancers who, while they were very good and put on a different show every night, became repetitive and predictable. On the bright side, we enjoyed dancing ourselves in the aisle! The last night we were there, the resort made the questionable decision to hold a dance where everyone got a headset and danced to their individual choice of soundtracks, the silent disco….well,I guess I’m just too old for that sort of thing! Other pluses at this resort included clean accommodations with good housekeeping and down at the pool, we could generally find a couple of shaded lounge chairs, some overlooking the water’s edge, and little semi-private stretches of beach could be found around the property.
aerial view of the Grand Palladium… look at that water!
So How’s the Diving?
It was okay. If there had been more of us, I think they would’ve taken us out on the bigger boat. As it was, we went out in a tiny boat, and not very far out. The nice thing about that was that our surface interval was spent in a lounge chair on the beach while our guide loaded some fresh tanks. The water was warm, the visibility good, and we saw various corals, eels, and reef swimmers, notably Lion fish, which are growing in number there. The crew were pleasant, helpful, and very much on “island time.”
Montego Bay
When it came time to meet our peeps at our next all inclusive stay, we called again upon the good folks at Best Jamaica Transfers, to give us a lift to Montego Bay. (By the way, I highly recommend Best Jamaica. They were extremely friendly and accommodating, and very responsive whenever we contacted them, even when we called from the States to pre-arrange an airport pick-up. It’s definitely worth the price!) Our driver had to take us by the airport to pick up Debbie and Ron (since their bus from Sandals would ONLY take them to the airport,) and then on to the Riu Palace, which turns out to be only a couple miles from said airport. Unfortunately, the resort is in the flight path of the departing planes. You can’t really hear them from inside the building, but the planes get pretty noisy when you’re out on your balcony!
Oh yeah, our balcony? We had a great view of the service entrance at the neighboring resort, including the big cement drainage ditch and the chain link and barbed wire fence that kept the local population out.
view from our balcony!
off to the right, a decent view of the city
some rooms have better views
The setting of the Riu Palace is urban.
Okay, I’m done whining. The accommodations were nice and clean, with a modern vibe. (Some rooms located by the pool had swim up lanais!) And the staff was amazing. The food at the Riu was generally good, sometimes great, sometimes too spicy for some of our party. The Italian restaurant there served up some to-die-for vegetarian lasagna, but my crew, who don’t do a lot of spice, struggled with the curried goat in the Jamaican restaurant. My personal Jamaican food discoveries (found at both resorts) were callaloo, a leafy green vegetable, ackee, a very mild tasting fruit which when cooked and combined with salt fish on the plate resembles scrambled eggs, bammy, a flatbread made of cassava, and Jamaican fruit cake, a dark, dense, fruity, spicy treat.
The Riu is actually three resorts in a row, and when you stay in one you get to visit the others for entertainment, some dining, etc. We visited the neighboring Riu Reggae for a couple of evening shows, including a mind blowing performance by Silver Birds, a local, world famous steel drum band. Not only was their music incredible, but their dancing and acrobatics rivaled the dance show we saw the following evening. These performances were held in a spacious outdoor venue, with plenty of room to get up and boogie in the aisles and/or retreat to the back if it was too loud.
the fabulous Silver Birds
vendors aren’t allowed on the beach, so they stay on their canoes!
So I have to say, our experience in Jamaica, this time, wasn’t all that we had hoped. The island was pretty buttoned up due to the pandemic. Besides the curfew, tourists just weren’t allowed to roam free. We had originally planned to rent a car and drive ourselves around to get a taste of the local history and culture, as we had done on a previous visit, but ended up just staying on property except for a walk across the street to a shopping mall.
And the diving?
As in Lucea, the diving was fine. I mean, how can you argue with warm, calm water and good visibility? We booked a two tank dive with the dive shop on the beach of the neighboring resort, just a few sandy steps away. The crew were friendly and helpful. We encountered the expected array of corals and reef fish along with something I didn’t expect, LOTS of lobsters. Well, to be honest, they were mostly caught in traps. These weren’t ordinary traps, they were handmade with what looked like found wooden poles and chicken wire, and so large you could park a (very) small car in them! The traps were baited with breadfruit and coconuts, and teemed with giant spiny lobsters along with a few sad looking puffer fish and lion fish. Hmm…and from what I understand, lobster season was closed at that time…
Stunning panoramic view from the rooftop of Hotel Blue. With a restaurant and bar, there’s no need to go anywhere else!
Swimming with the whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez has been on my bucket list for a very long time, so when the fam was planning a get-away over Dia de los Muertos, the time of year when they are there, I piped up. We’d never been in that part of Mexico before, so it was decided, we would rent a car and stay in La Paz for four days before driving back over the peninsula to a resort we had booked in Cabo San Lucas. I’m so glad we did. It turned out that despite the various covid restrictions and closures, which we hadn’t fully anticipated, it was a great experience for all.
The Blue is an artsy little boutique hotel a few blocks from the beach. One of the tallest buildings in La Paz, the capital city of Baja California Sur, it has a commanding view of the surrounding area. We spent a lot of time up there on the roof…. eating breakfast while watching and listening to the city wake up, watching the sunset with drinks, gazing at the stars and city lights…. ahh, the good life! And did I mention the reasonable prices?
And despite the beach closure due to covid, there were plenty of shops, restaurants, and food stalls to visit, so just wandering around town was still good…. the Malecon at the waters edge is a good place to stroll, dotted with cool sculptures on one side, shopping and eating on the other.
the only whale shark I saw
I found my people, the Laurels!
So How’s the Scuba Diving?
In a word, the diving was fantastic. We were disappointed to learn that the whale shark sanctuary was closed for tourists due to covid (which did strike me as somewhat strange,) but we were allowed to book other dives. We went with Dive In La Paz, the staff was friendly and helpful, the short boat ride was beautifully calm, the water warm and clear. The first tank took us to play with the sea lions at Los Islotes. Wow! It was so cool to be in the midst of these wild animals as they frolicked in our bubbles and playfully nipped at our fingers, fins, and hoses. These puppy-like youngsters even tossed around a starfish for a while! The second dive was to swim through the wreck of the Ming Fang, a 54 meter, multi-storied ship. It was sunk in 1999 and now teems with marine life, including some giant turtles that hang out on deck.
I went to La Paz to swim with the whale sharks, what I got instead was a truly amazing experience with these adorable sea lion pups!
So, a few weeks after we left La Paz, the Mexican government opened up the whale shark sanctuary again, ARGH! Well, I will definitely be going back!
