Have Sister...Will Travel: November 2018

After four nights in our tiny Copenhagen hotel room, we were anxious to board the NCL Breakaway as early as possible.

Day 1 - On board NCL Breakaway.......

Embarkation was easy since we had arrived early on Octoober 2nd, breezed through Security, received expert and friendly check-in from Ncl Claudia and Senia ,and spent just a little bit of time waiting to board.

We were surprised to find our cabin on the 5th deck ready and easy to find -- right around the corner from the elevators, mid-ship. Perfect! Loved the location (thanks, Rafael at Norwegian Cruise Line for helping us choose the "right" cabin). We opened the door and both of us gave a huge sigh of relief at the large size and plenty of storage space.

Even the bathroom has double sinks and a large tub with shower. Perish the thought of a squeegee for clean-up. Hurrah!

After dropping off our carry-on bags, we headed up to the Garden Cafe buffet for lunch which was beautifully displayed and delicious.

The buffet on this ship is a little confusing because there are several sections/stations and some are closed at various times. You just have to scout around a little. During our cruise, we liked the days on which the crepe station was open...a special treat to order a crepe to your specifications! "Strawberries and pineapple, please."

Our next step was to begin exploring the beautiful ship which would be our home for 14 days.

No first day of ship exploration is complete without our "Welcome Aboard" pina colada!

A visit to the Spa ...

And a delicious dinner in the Savor, one of the many complimentary restaurants! This ship has an abundance of restaurant choices.....more complimentary than almost any other ship we've been on.

Just before turning in, we had to spend a little time in the casino.

DAY 2 ........

PORT #1 - GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

Our first port of call was the town of Gothenburg. We were stuck in the "boonies" when the ship docked so we opted to pay for the NCL shuttle into town.

It was a gray day but the town seemed even grayer. The bus dropped us off at a large town square and we began our walk.

Searching for a gift shop was tough but we finally found Gotts which appeared to be a candy store with some Swedish souvenirs in the back. Yes, we always have two items we "must" buy....a Christmas ornament and a coffee mug (both of our kitchens "runneth over" with mugs).

After a few more blocks of walking, we found an indoor mall which was a "ho-hum" shopping mall.

Out of boredom, we sat on a downtown bench and took a picture of ourselves

in the bus window. This was not our favorite city to visit.

The prettiest part of Gothenburg was the bridge and river next to the large square.

After a couple of hours, we were ready to get back on the shuttle bus for our

short trip back to the ship. Peggy had to take the last seat in the back of the

in the middle....many thanks to those gentlemen who stopped me from

tumbling down the aisle when the bus stopped quickly several times.

And Mary K had to sit next to the driver in the rumble seat.

Another moment of boredom.

Adjo, Gothenburg, Sweden!

The seas got a bit rocky, after we sailed away from Gothenburg.

Another delicious meal at the Garden Cafe. So many choices!

After dinner entertainment....beautiful music by Sabor Latino, in the Atrium.

DAY 3.....At Sea

It's always a pleasure to have an "at sea" day between ports.

Starting our day of leisure, delicious crepes!

Followed up with relaxing on the deck before our obligatory martini event! Not all ships have these "sampling" parties, but when they do, we always find it worth the small cost to join in! And this Martini Event was a whopper!! Check out the size of those "sample" martinis...in the most unusual and tasty flavors!

Dinner this evening in The Manhattan Dining Room. Excellent food and service!

DAY 4 ........

PORT #2 - SOUTHAMPTON/LONDON, ENGLAND

We always try to view our port entrances from the deck.

We signed up for an excursion to London "by land and sea" through the cruise line and we're glad we did. Southampton (where the ship docked) is about a

2 1/2 hour drive from London and we definitely wanted to get to London.

We boarded a large bus at the dock and met our guide who was friendly and full of information. Lots of sightseeing along the way to London.

When we arrived in London, our first stop was Westminster Abbey and, of course, it's gift shop.

Then back to the bus for more sightseeing....

And lunch at an English pub called Coaches and Horses in Covent Gardens.

Lunch was delicious...we each had a beer and a roast beef sandwich ($17.00 U.S. - I used my credit card and didn't have to change to pounds) and we loved the gal who made our sandwiches and the other who was our waitress.

After lunch it was off to the boat on the Thames

for a short but sweet ride past the "Eye" ferris wheel up to the London Bridge.

While waiting for the bus, we did a little more sightseeing...

and then we headed back to the ship for another 2 1/2 hour ride. London is definitely a city we want to spend more time in.

DAY 5.....At Sea

Our second....much appreciated leisure day at sea! Complimentary room service continental breakfast....our first opportunity to try O'Sheehan's Restaurant (Wonderful! Open 24 hours; complete meals, if desired; and, complimentary!). We opted for the fish and chips. Our leisure day between London and Cork, Ireland, it seemed appropriate! It was excellent...as was hot apple pie a la mode, for dessert!

Next on our agenda.....a discussion about our anxiously anticipated visit to Cobh/Cork...

Just enough time to get ready for an evening event we booked early with NCL, on line......Cirque Dreams and Dinner - Jungle Fantasy!

DAY 6.....

Many thanks to our cousins, Kay and Katie for helping us connect with our Irish cousins, Nora and Terese in Ireland! This is so important to us. We are very eager to meet these lovely ladies and hear all about our Irish family. Can't wait 'til we get to Cork!

PORT #3 - COBH/CORK, IRELAND

We were both excited to arrive at this port -- we had plans to meet our Irish cousins for the first time! Our Grandmother Katherine Quirk moved from Cork to the U.S.A. when we was 18 and we couldn't wait to get acquainted with our Irish heritage.

We woke up early to take a few pictures of the ship coming into Cobh...

We were both delighted to see "Ambassadors", Denise, Catherine, Mary and Peter, from Cobh onboard the Breakaway prior to our debarkation. What a nice group of people with maps and informational brochures and ready to answer any questions we had.

The Ambassadors explained we could catch the train right across from the cruise dock. It's about a 30 minute ride to Cork and the train runs every 30 minutes.

The train was comfy with some beautiful countryside along the way.

We arrived at the train station in Cork and started heading toward the Imperial Hotel where we were to meet our cousins for lunch. It took our breath away when we realized that we were walking on the same streets our Grandmother Kate and all of our Irish family, for decades and longer, walked and lived and played.

Our first stop along the way was Green's Restaurant (couldn't resist checking this out) which was connected to Hotel Isaac.

No sooner had we left Green's, we met a smiling, friendly lady on the street and wanted to ask directions to the Imperial hotel (just to make sure we were heading the right way). She invited us into her church to meet the pastor who was wonderful, spent some time explaining the area's history to us and invited us back to Cork. We definitely plan to visit Cork again!

As we were walking, we came across a great gift shop, Carroll's, and bought -- yes, our mugs and Christmas ornaments -- along with lots of other Irish goodies.

Here are a few of the souvenirs we bought in Cork :

Time for a cup of coffee, people watching and simply taking in our heritage before heading out again.

We found the Hotel Imperial and our cousins were waiting for us, Terese and

Nora. We had never met each other before but it felt like we were seeing old friends again.

We are so very grateful to finally meet our Irish cousins! Absolutely lovely ladies. We will all get together again. Terese is early planning a possible 2019 reunion of family from the USA, Canada and Ireland! We will definitely be there! Thank you, Terese and Nora, for the wonderful and delicious lunch and wine! Thank you, Dolores, for the thoughtful Irish journals and lovely napkins! We want to particularly thank you, Terese, Nora and Dolores, for opening your arms to us, in the warmest of welcomes! Thank you for all of our family history information, and for your delightful conversation! We are blessed to have finally met you and to have you in our lives

Cousin Dolores, Nora's sister, joined us! What a delight!

What a great day we had meeting our family!

We grab a quick dinner in our new favorite ship restaurant....O'Sheehan's...and turn in early.

DAY 7 and 8...... Much Needed ... Two Days at Sea

Room Service, Relaxing, Roaming the ship and, one of the best things about cruises, meeting some really nice people from all over the world! We wrapped up the first at sea day with a rollicking performance of Rock of Ages!

Our second day at sea, we joined in the energetic dance moves in the Atrium.

We also met two of the nicest, knowledgeable and helpful employees on board.....Hubert and Cindy at the Guest Services Desk.

DAY 9.......

PORT #4 - PONTA DELGADA, AZORES, PORTUGAL

We docked at Ponta Delgada early in the morning and were excited to get our day started. This is the largest city in the islands and it's located on San Miguel Island which is about a 4 hour flight from Boston.

We prearranged an excursion in the Azores through Darlene King and Cruise Critic and what a wonderful full day trip it was! Darlene did a wonderful job of pulling it together for several small groups. Our group consisted of 13 people who rode very comfortably in a smaller bus.

The countryside is fascinating and beautiful!

We had the best guide in the Azores -- Eduardo Miranda -- and it was evident that he loves his part of the world. He was not only knowledgeable about the Azores but was very friendly and personable and spoke excellent English. This is the guide you should contact if you ever decide to visit the Azores. He's the very best guide we've ever had on any of our trips. Eduardo is devoted to his company and will direct you to his employer's website to make arrangements. Just make sure your guide is Eduardo!

The Archipelago of the Azores is situated between Europe and America and consists of 9 islands. San Miguel is a secluded green paradise that takes your breath away. The islands have a volcanic origin and the archipelago is formed from the upper sections of volcanoes. The soil is extremely fertile and there's lush vegetation and flowers across the peaks and valleys. We especially enjoyed the beautiful hydrangeas along the roadsides.

On this all-day tour we visited:

Pisao Viewpoint
Ville Franda de Campo
Senhora da Paz Viewpoint
Furnas Lake and Hot Springs
Furnas Village
Terra Nostra Botanical Garden
Hot Springs and Mineral Water
Pico do Ferro Viewpoint
Gorreana Tea Plantation and Factory
Santa Iria Viewpoint

After a beautiful drive through the countryside, we stopped at Marina Da Vila.

As we left the marina, we looked high up on the hillside at a small grotto...

And then we were on our way to the village of Furnas. You can see all the fertile land and also take a look at the cows in the road. These cows aren't stabled...they're allowed to roam the hillsides and they aren't milked inside of a barn...the milk wagon follows them and they are milked in the fields. Our guide explained that the milk from this area is very delicious and the cheese is wonderful. The cheese is probably the best known local product and in Portugal -- 50% of the cheese comes from the Azores.

A box of delicious cheese purchased at the bakery.

And we caught our first glimpse of the lake

We soon came to the the quaint village of Furnas with its hot springs due to old volcanic activity.

Naturally, we found a wonderful little shop....Celeiroda Terra....with added attraction, Fabio, the proprietor, serving samples of their marvelous local liqueurs. Of course, we bought!

Our guide pointed out some bushes along the side of the road and let us try some of the berries which were delicious.

We even bought some of the jelly made from these berries.

One of the things we noticed in Furnas were the bags of sweet bread hanging on some of the doors. It's actually a flatbread called bolo levedo

and the breadman fills his orders in the morning so the home occupant can just reach out the front door for their breakfast.

Had get a photo of Banksy's Shredded Girl with Balloon painted on the side of a local building.

Furnas is a beautiful village and we definitely want to go back for a longer visit.

Our next stop on the bus was the gorgeous Terra Nostra Botanical Gardens with its pools of warm mineral water (thus the brownish color), lush flowers and bushes and a lovely koi pond.

Then it was time for lunch and Eduardo took us to a small bakery/restaurant, Cafe Christina, with wonderful coffee, sandwiches and luscious desserts. We ordered 2 sandwiches, 2 coffees and 2 desserts and our total bill was under $10! We especially appreciated the "eye candy" at the bakery!

We also stopped at Gorreana Tea Plantation and Factory where Eduardo, our guide, explained the tea processing machines to us and joined all of us for a delicious cup of tea.

Our final stop at the end of the day was a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the water.

The bus took us back to the dock and the NCL Breakaway where we were serenaded with local music before boarding our ship. We both loved visting the Azores and intend to visit again for a longer amount of time. It's not to be missed on your bucket list!

We didn't imagine the beauty of the Azores until we arrived and experienced this breathtaking part of the world! We will return!

DAY 10 - 16 ...... 5 days at sea before we dock in New York.

As we've noted before, we enjoy transatlantic cruises because, after the whirlwind of visiting new and exciting ports, we have 5 days to relax, meet and greet fellow passengers, partake of a variety of cuisine and take part in great entertainment!

Here, we'll give a synopsis of the highlights of our next five days on board!

Breakfast in the Garden Cafe - So much to choose....Our favorites were Omelets and Crepes.

Dinner at Moderno's ........

Mary K. celebrated her birthday on board!

Thoughtful birthday card AND our London tour from Peggy; wonderful Azores tour from brother-in-law, Dick...and birthday cupcake and wine from Vak, ship's hotel director and wine and chocolate covered strawberries from Guest Services! Nice!