You just thought we were done with this blog ;-)
I have a couple videos to post here now that I have good internet!
The first one is the video I made about our time in London, and then the next one is the one I know y'all have been waiting for... THRILLER DANCE!! Katie and I are at the very front to the left of the main guy in the middle (I guess if you're watching the video, it's to your right haha).
I still haven't made a video about our cruise and all the places we got to see, but I'll get to it :-)
Go to my youtube channel at:
http://www.youtube.com/kaitlinprit
Just click and enjoy! I'll get to work on the next one once the jet lag wears off, promise!
<3
K&K
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Hellogoodbye!
Well, friends… If you’ve stuck with us this far – you deserve congratulations!
We are ending our last night aboard the Independence of the Seas. Tomorrow, we dock in Southampton and meet our taxi driver, Pete, who will take us to Heathrow Airport!
Our last day aboard the Independence was spent relaxing and packing. We ate lunch at our favorite spot, Johnny Rocket’s Diner, and got pedicures. After a lot of hemming and hawing (and room service for dinner) we finally buckled down and began the packing process. I am proud to say that everything we brought over with us WILL make it back home! Plus, our souvenirs appear to fit as well… Whew!
Tomorrow we will walk off of our ship at 6:30am (London time) and we should be landing in DFW around 4ish Texas time. It will definitely be a loooooong day, but we are both very excited to be coming home. This trip has been a once in a lifetime experience, to say the least, and we’re sad to see it end. However, it’s time to come back to reality and ‘face the music’ ;)
So we just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has followed our blog and been excited for us to enjoy ourselves overseas. We have truly loved sharing this experience with you all, and we can’t wait to see you in person and give you hugs and tell you more of our stories!
Wish us safe travels, and we’ll see you back in the states!
<3
K&K
We are ending our last night aboard the Independence of the Seas. Tomorrow, we dock in Southampton and meet our taxi driver, Pete, who will take us to Heathrow Airport!
Our last day aboard the Independence was spent relaxing and packing. We ate lunch at our favorite spot, Johnny Rocket’s Diner, and got pedicures. After a lot of hemming and hawing (and room service for dinner) we finally buckled down and began the packing process. I am proud to say that everything we brought over with us WILL make it back home! Plus, our souvenirs appear to fit as well… Whew!
Tomorrow we will walk off of our ship at 6:30am (London time) and we should be landing in DFW around 4ish Texas time. It will definitely be a loooooong day, but we are both very excited to be coming home. This trip has been a once in a lifetime experience, to say the least, and we’re sad to see it end. However, it’s time to come back to reality and ‘face the music’ ;)
So we just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has followed our blog and been excited for us to enjoy ourselves overseas. We have truly loved sharing this experience with you all, and we can’t wait to see you in person and give you hugs and tell you more of our stories!
Wish us safe travels, and we’ll see you back in the states!
<3
K&K
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
PortofCall - Portugal
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are nearing the end of our journey!
Today, we saw our last new country – Portugal! We arrived in Lisbon this morning, and our excursion bus left the docks a little after 9am. Our excursion today was entitled “Panoramic Lisbon”; which basically meant we would be on a bus that took us to some of the most important monuments in the city so that we could take pictures of them.
We hopped on and listened to our guide tell us a little about the city, but we didn’t get the full, in-depth historical tour that we’ve had in other cities. This tour was just kind of a show-and-tell of some of the important structures in Lisbon. We saw the Belem Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, the Hieronymite Monastery, ‘Christ the King’ (a huge statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched) and downtown Lisbon.
The city was extremely crowded, and the guide told us that the price of a small apartment in the city center of Lisbon would cost about 300 thousand Euro… Yikes! In my opinion, Lisbon wasn’t the prettiest city we’ve seen so far, but the monuments were very impressive, and the weather was beautiful. Standing in front of the 25th April Bridge in the 70 degree weather and sunshine, it felt like California! Especially since the 25th April Bridge is pretty much identical to the Golden Gate Bridge…
I think Kaitlin’s only complaint would be the bus driver. So many twists and turns up to the monuments and down into the city center had our stomachs a bit on edge… I’m also pretty sure we almost ran over 4 or 5 small cars as we when through the roundabouts. It was a tense drive at times, for sure! But we made it back to our ship safe and sound.
The rest of the day was spent by the pool harassing the deck workers.
Tomorrow, we make our last stop, then one day of cruising and we’re back in jolly ‘ole England! It’s hard to believe we’re so close to the end. Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with us for the last 22 days!
Also, a shout out to my baby brother who turns 20 years old today!
Happy Birthday, Tanner <3
<3
K&K
Today, we saw our last new country – Portugal! We arrived in Lisbon this morning, and our excursion bus left the docks a little after 9am. Our excursion today was entitled “Panoramic Lisbon”; which basically meant we would be on a bus that took us to some of the most important monuments in the city so that we could take pictures of them.
We hopped on and listened to our guide tell us a little about the city, but we didn’t get the full, in-depth historical tour that we’ve had in other cities. This tour was just kind of a show-and-tell of some of the important structures in Lisbon. We saw the Belem Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, the Hieronymite Monastery, ‘Christ the King’ (a huge statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched) and downtown Lisbon.
The city was extremely crowded, and the guide told us that the price of a small apartment in the city center of Lisbon would cost about 300 thousand Euro… Yikes! In my opinion, Lisbon wasn’t the prettiest city we’ve seen so far, but the monuments were very impressive, and the weather was beautiful. Standing in front of the 25th April Bridge in the 70 degree weather and sunshine, it felt like California! Especially since the 25th April Bridge is pretty much identical to the Golden Gate Bridge…
I think Kaitlin’s only complaint would be the bus driver. So many twists and turns up to the monuments and down into the city center had our stomachs a bit on edge… I’m also pretty sure we almost ran over 4 or 5 small cars as we when through the roundabouts. It was a tense drive at times, for sure! But we made it back to our ship safe and sound.
The rest of the day was spent by the pool harassing the deck workers.
Tomorrow, we make our last stop, then one day of cruising and we’re back in jolly ‘ole England! It’s hard to believe we’re so close to the end. Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with us for the last 22 days!
Also, a shout out to my baby brother who turns 20 years old today!
Happy Birthday, Tanner <3
<3
K&K
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Man, I Wish I Knew Spanish...
Six countries down, one to go! (Yes, I am counting the Vatican because well, it IS a small country. Google it people).
We have officially left the Mediterranean and once again we're sailing in the Atlantic, and today we made our first stop in Spain, docking in the town of Cadiz (pronounced like Cadith… weird, I know). We almost missed our bus this morning because I mistakenly thought our meeting time was at 9:45am, and that time was actually when we were supposed to leave the ship! So Katie and I booked it out of the Windjammer Café after eating breakfast and managed to make it to our bus with minutes to spare.
Once on the bus, we drove off for a quick tour of the city while our guide explained some of the sights we were seeing. Cadiz is actually the oldest city in Western Europe, dating back almost three thousand years! It was also the city where Christopher Columbus set sail on his second and fourth voyages to America. We saw a lot from the bus, including the beautiful beaches, castles, and parks that are literally around every corner of the city. It’s a very small area, so it didn’t take long to drive around and get our bearings before we left the bus. After we got off we walked through the oldest part of the city and made our way to the Cathedral. This Cathedral is not nearly as old as some of the ones we have seen on this trip, but it was still very beautiful. Some of the chapels inside contain special relics, including one that they claim to be a piece of the cross that Jesus was crucified on. We also got to explore the crypt, where we once again saw a dead body of a canonized saint. I didn’t think it could get any creepier after we saw the two bodies of deceased popes in the Vatican, but this one was a woman, and she almost looked like a little child. Gross…
After the Cathedral we made our way the Plaza de las Flores, which is basically this big square with a lot of flower shops. We continued through the narrow streets that were lined with shops until we eventually came to La Cava, which is a small bar and Flamenco tavern. This was probably our favorite part of the day. For an hour we got to sit and watch Flamenco dancing and singing while eating tapas. The three women that danced were so amazing! I could not believe how quickly they could move their feet, and their dresses were so beautiful! They definitely got the crowd shouting, “Ole!” and “Bravo!”
After the Flamenco dancing we walked back towards the ship, but made one last stop at the Plaza de España. This plaza is surrounded by beautiful trees and had a large monument dedicated to the Constitution of 1812. This is where our tour ended, and after making a quick attempt to find some sort of souvenir shop, Katie and I headed back to the boat. We had another relaxing evening, and even ordered room service. We figure we might as well take advantage of it while we can!
So now we’re sailing full speed ahead to Lisbon, Portugal. We’re still making one more stop in Spain on Thursday, but knowing that Portugal is our last new country to visit really makes us realize that this trip is quickly coming to an end. We better make the most of the next three days!
So for now, Adiós
<3
K&K
We have officially left the Mediterranean and once again we're sailing in the Atlantic, and today we made our first stop in Spain, docking in the town of Cadiz (pronounced like Cadith… weird, I know). We almost missed our bus this morning because I mistakenly thought our meeting time was at 9:45am, and that time was actually when we were supposed to leave the ship! So Katie and I booked it out of the Windjammer Café after eating breakfast and managed to make it to our bus with minutes to spare.
Once on the bus, we drove off for a quick tour of the city while our guide explained some of the sights we were seeing. Cadiz is actually the oldest city in Western Europe, dating back almost three thousand years! It was also the city where Christopher Columbus set sail on his second and fourth voyages to America. We saw a lot from the bus, including the beautiful beaches, castles, and parks that are literally around every corner of the city. It’s a very small area, so it didn’t take long to drive around and get our bearings before we left the bus. After we got off we walked through the oldest part of the city and made our way to the Cathedral. This Cathedral is not nearly as old as some of the ones we have seen on this trip, but it was still very beautiful. Some of the chapels inside contain special relics, including one that they claim to be a piece of the cross that Jesus was crucified on. We also got to explore the crypt, where we once again saw a dead body of a canonized saint. I didn’t think it could get any creepier after we saw the two bodies of deceased popes in the Vatican, but this one was a woman, and she almost looked like a little child. Gross…
After the Cathedral we made our way the Plaza de las Flores, which is basically this big square with a lot of flower shops. We continued through the narrow streets that were lined with shops until we eventually came to La Cava, which is a small bar and Flamenco tavern. This was probably our favorite part of the day. For an hour we got to sit and watch Flamenco dancing and singing while eating tapas. The three women that danced were so amazing! I could not believe how quickly they could move their feet, and their dresses were so beautiful! They definitely got the crowd shouting, “Ole!” and “Bravo!”
After the Flamenco dancing we walked back towards the ship, but made one last stop at the Plaza de España. This plaza is surrounded by beautiful trees and had a large monument dedicated to the Constitution of 1812. This is where our tour ended, and after making a quick attempt to find some sort of souvenir shop, Katie and I headed back to the boat. We had another relaxing evening, and even ordered room service. We figure we might as well take advantage of it while we can!
So now we’re sailing full speed ahead to Lisbon, Portugal. We’re still making one more stop in Spain on Thursday, but knowing that Portugal is our last new country to visit really makes us realize that this trip is quickly coming to an end. We better make the most of the next three days!
So for now, Adiós
<3
K&K
Monday, June 20, 2011
It's Close to Miiiiiiidnight...
Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially Royal Caribbean entertainers!
Tonight was our final performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance! I have to say, this has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Kaitlin and I were both excited to just learn the dance, but the opportunity to perform it made it an unforgettable experience!
We had our last class this afternoon, and a rehearsal in the performance space at about 9pm. Our instructor planned the dance as a surprise opening for another onboard event that was scheduled for this evening. The entire 25 member zombie horde met at the back of Studio B to wait for our dramatic entrance. Kaitlin ran and planted her video camera with a nice young lady in the crowd so we could have a visual memory of the event. We were spaced out at the top of the four staircases that led down to the dance floor, and when the lights went down and the music started, we did our best zombie-walks down to the floor.
By the time we were in position and the lights came on, the audience was cheering with excitement! The room was completely packed (standing room only) so we were extremely pumped. The dance went amazingly well, and we had SO much fun doing it! The audience had fun too, because all 300+ of them gave us a standing ovation!!
It was amazing. And the video is amazing too!! Unfortunately, our WiFi is still super weak, so you’ll have to wait until we get home to see it – but we promise it’s worth it!
The rest of our day was spent up by the pool chatting and drinking fruity drinks…
So, I think I’d call that a win!
Tomorrow, we dock in Spain!
Thanks for reading!!
<3
K&K
Tonight was our final performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance! I have to say, this has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Kaitlin and I were both excited to just learn the dance, but the opportunity to perform it made it an unforgettable experience!
We had our last class this afternoon, and a rehearsal in the performance space at about 9pm. Our instructor planned the dance as a surprise opening for another onboard event that was scheduled for this evening. The entire 25 member zombie horde met at the back of Studio B to wait for our dramatic entrance. Kaitlin ran and planted her video camera with a nice young lady in the crowd so we could have a visual memory of the event. We were spaced out at the top of the four staircases that led down to the dance floor, and when the lights went down and the music started, we did our best zombie-walks down to the floor.
By the time we were in position and the lights came on, the audience was cheering with excitement! The room was completely packed (standing room only) so we were extremely pumped. The dance went amazingly well, and we had SO much fun doing it! The audience had fun too, because all 300+ of them gave us a standing ovation!!
It was amazing. And the video is amazing too!! Unfortunately, our WiFi is still super weak, so you’ll have to wait until we get home to see it – but we promise it’s worth it!
The rest of our day was spent up by the pool chatting and drinking fruity drinks…
So, I think I’d call that a win!
Tomorrow, we dock in Spain!
Thanks for reading!!
<3
K&K
Sunday, June 19, 2011
In Memory of CC - R.I.P.
Happy Father’s Day, devoted readers!
When I was 16, my dad gave me my first car. Not an uncommon tradition, but nevertheless, I was very excited and grateful to have one! My first car was a character… As a family, we affectionately named her CC, and she became somewhat of a joke amongst all of us because she always had interesting ‘health problems’. My favorite one was the time her left blinker wouldn’t blink and would just stay on continually when I signaled… So, I had to blink it by hand.
But what does this have to do with our trip? I’m so glad you asked.
You see, the car my father gave me was ‘CC’ – Crappy Corsica. And today, we visited the beautiful island that she shared a name with: Corsica!
I think I can speak for both Kaitlin and myself when I say that this has been the most “Mediterranean” location we have visited so far. The weather today was GORGEOUS – clear skies, a nice breeze and a high of 73. Our ship docked in Corsica early this morning, so our first sight this morning was our beautiful port, full of sailboats and bright blue water.
We didn’t have any excursions planned today, mainly because Ajaccio (the capital of Corsica) is a small city. The city’s claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. When we got off the boat to wander around, we found the statue of Napoleon in the city center, and the house that he was born and raised in. We spent the rest of the time wandering through souvenir shops and the local farmer’s market.
The city was just so picturesque and quaint. There were lots of small side streets full of little restaurants and shops, and the weather was perfect! It finally felt like we were truly in the Mediterranean.
After a nice stroll back to the ship, we got back onboard and said goodbye beautiful Corsica! We began sailing again, and we are officially en route to Spain! We spent the rest of our day relaxing. The sea was pretty choppy today due to the strong winds, but that didn’t stop us from going up to the top deck. We took our books and went up to watch the sea go by while we read. It was relaxing, and entertaining… The rocking of the boat was so severe, that the pools and hot tubs were turned into wave pools! People were screaming and laughing as they got sloshed around by the waves. One pool even had to be drained because it was splashing so much water onto the deck!
In short, it was a very peaceful and relaxing day! We even came home with some Corsican souvenirs – locally handmade soap! Vanilla, of course.
Tomorrow, we sail all day!
As always, thanks for reading!
<3
K&K
When I was 16, my dad gave me my first car. Not an uncommon tradition, but nevertheless, I was very excited and grateful to have one! My first car was a character… As a family, we affectionately named her CC, and she became somewhat of a joke amongst all of us because she always had interesting ‘health problems’. My favorite one was the time her left blinker wouldn’t blink and would just stay on continually when I signaled… So, I had to blink it by hand.
But what does this have to do with our trip? I’m so glad you asked.
You see, the car my father gave me was ‘CC’ – Crappy Corsica. And today, we visited the beautiful island that she shared a name with: Corsica!
I think I can speak for both Kaitlin and myself when I say that this has been the most “Mediterranean” location we have visited so far. The weather today was GORGEOUS – clear skies, a nice breeze and a high of 73. Our ship docked in Corsica early this morning, so our first sight this morning was our beautiful port, full of sailboats and bright blue water.
We didn’t have any excursions planned today, mainly because Ajaccio (the capital of Corsica) is a small city. The city’s claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. When we got off the boat to wander around, we found the statue of Napoleon in the city center, and the house that he was born and raised in. We spent the rest of the time wandering through souvenir shops and the local farmer’s market.
The city was just so picturesque and quaint. There were lots of small side streets full of little restaurants and shops, and the weather was perfect! It finally felt like we were truly in the Mediterranean.
After a nice stroll back to the ship, we got back onboard and said goodbye beautiful Corsica! We began sailing again, and we are officially en route to Spain! We spent the rest of our day relaxing. The sea was pretty choppy today due to the strong winds, but that didn’t stop us from going up to the top deck. We took our books and went up to watch the sea go by while we read. It was relaxing, and entertaining… The rocking of the boat was so severe, that the pools and hot tubs were turned into wave pools! People were screaming and laughing as they got sloshed around by the waves. One pool even had to be drained because it was splashing so much water onto the deck!
In short, it was a very peaceful and relaxing day! We even came home with some Corsican souvenirs – locally handmade soap! Vanilla, of course.
Tomorrow, we sail all day!
As always, thanks for reading!
<3
K&K
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Rome, If We Want To!
Hey Bloggies!
Cross another TWO countries off of our list today! We’ve officially stepped foot in Italy for the last time on this trip, and we also visited the smallest country in the world – Vatican City. That’s right, our stop today was in the beautiful city of Rome.
We had to get our butts out of bed at 6:15 this morning, which we accomplished with minimal grumbling. Our bus left the port after 7, and we had about an hour and a half long ride into the city center of Rome. We picked up our guide and headed to toss coins into the Trevi Fountain. Legend has it, that by doing this, we are destined to come back to Rome someday! The fountain was absolutely beautiful, albeit crowded (just like everywhere else we went today).
We took a lovely walk from the Trevi Fountain to the famous Colosseum of Rome. Our guide was very informative, and pointed out every interesting thing we passed on our walk. We had a few minutes to walk around the Colosseum on our own, so we checked out he vendors and made fun of the guys dressed like gladiators.
After the Colosseum, we walked back to our bus to drive to lunch! We ate at the Hotel de Michelangelo with our entire tour group. The pasta they served us was wonderful, and Kaitlin and I were very satisfied after finishing our portions. Little did we know, we still had chicken, carrots, potatoes, dessert and coffee left to go! I don’t know how they expected anyone to eat all of that food (although members of our table definitely showed us it could be done).
After lunch, we were dropped off at Vatican City! Inside Vatican City, we visited the Vatican Museum which led us into the Sistine Chapel. The chapel was absolutely breathtaking. We were happy to comply with the ‘no video or photography’ rules, but unfortunately, others visiting the chapel were not. Kaitlin and I discussed this as we were standing under all of this gorgeous artwork. It’s really a shame that people would choose to be disrespectful like that in such a holy and beautiful place. They were so desperate to snap a picture, that they weren’t taking the time to stop and just take in the famous paintings all around them. It was a great learning experience for me, and I made sure to stop and really focus on what I was seeing without trying to capture it on film. It was a very special part of the day.
After the Sistine Chapel, we walked through St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world! It was INCREDIBLE and ENORMOUS. It was truly spectacular; full of incredible sculptures and mosaics. We walked around the entire Basilica and learned a lot about the history and the different pieces of artwork in the chapels around the church. We saw the altar that St. Peter is buried beneath, and the tomb of the recently deceased Pope John Paul II. We also saw some fairly creepy canonized Popes whose bodies were on display in clear glass coffins… Weird.
After the Basilica, we had a little time to do some souvenir shopping and grab some (more) gelato before jumping back on the bus.
Even though it was hot in Rome, it was still a really great place to visit! The architecture and the history are unparalleled, and I feel like we crammed the most important sights into our short amount of time. It was a lot of walking and a lot of information, but I know that I saw things that I never believed I’d have the privilege to see.
So, it was a long but great last day in Italy! We only have one week left on our trip, which is pretty unbelievable! I know we’re both getting a little homesick, but we are also determined to make this last week away from ‘real life’ count!
As always, thanks for reading!
Ciao!
<3
K&K
Cross another TWO countries off of our list today! We’ve officially stepped foot in Italy for the last time on this trip, and we also visited the smallest country in the world – Vatican City. That’s right, our stop today was in the beautiful city of Rome.
We had to get our butts out of bed at 6:15 this morning, which we accomplished with minimal grumbling. Our bus left the port after 7, and we had about an hour and a half long ride into the city center of Rome. We picked up our guide and headed to toss coins into the Trevi Fountain. Legend has it, that by doing this, we are destined to come back to Rome someday! The fountain was absolutely beautiful, albeit crowded (just like everywhere else we went today).
We took a lovely walk from the Trevi Fountain to the famous Colosseum of Rome. Our guide was very informative, and pointed out every interesting thing we passed on our walk. We had a few minutes to walk around the Colosseum on our own, so we checked out he vendors and made fun of the guys dressed like gladiators.
After the Colosseum, we walked back to our bus to drive to lunch! We ate at the Hotel de Michelangelo with our entire tour group. The pasta they served us was wonderful, and Kaitlin and I were very satisfied after finishing our portions. Little did we know, we still had chicken, carrots, potatoes, dessert and coffee left to go! I don’t know how they expected anyone to eat all of that food (although members of our table definitely showed us it could be done).
After lunch, we were dropped off at Vatican City! Inside Vatican City, we visited the Vatican Museum which led us into the Sistine Chapel. The chapel was absolutely breathtaking. We were happy to comply with the ‘no video or photography’ rules, but unfortunately, others visiting the chapel were not. Kaitlin and I discussed this as we were standing under all of this gorgeous artwork. It’s really a shame that people would choose to be disrespectful like that in such a holy and beautiful place. They were so desperate to snap a picture, that they weren’t taking the time to stop and just take in the famous paintings all around them. It was a great learning experience for me, and I made sure to stop and really focus on what I was seeing without trying to capture it on film. It was a very special part of the day.
After the Sistine Chapel, we walked through St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world! It was INCREDIBLE and ENORMOUS. It was truly spectacular; full of incredible sculptures and mosaics. We walked around the entire Basilica and learned a lot about the history and the different pieces of artwork in the chapels around the church. We saw the altar that St. Peter is buried beneath, and the tomb of the recently deceased Pope John Paul II. We also saw some fairly creepy canonized Popes whose bodies were on display in clear glass coffins… Weird.
After the Basilica, we had a little time to do some souvenir shopping and grab some (more) gelato before jumping back on the bus.
Even though it was hot in Rome, it was still a really great place to visit! The architecture and the history are unparalleled, and I feel like we crammed the most important sights into our short amount of time. It was a lot of walking and a lot of information, but I know that I saw things that I never believed I’d have the privilege to see.
So, it was a long but great last day in Italy! We only have one week left on our trip, which is pretty unbelievable! I know we’re both getting a little homesick, but we are also determined to make this last week away from ‘real life’ count!
As always, thanks for reading!
Ciao!
<3
K&K
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