We're Alive!!

After 6 countries, 15 days, 7 hr time change, and many memories later, we made it back to Alabama.  To say our trip was amazing and to try to write down all the crazy stuff we did, just wouldn’t give it justice.  I’ve decided to make this vacay a 2 part blog post.  The 1st part will be about the boat and the people we met, and then 2nd will be each port we went to and what we did. 

This post is going to be a bit long- I have a reading comprehension limit of 20 minutes so I am particularly sorry for this long post.  Along with all 150 lbs of luggage, we headed off to Barcelona and then on to the cruise boat, Celebrity Solstice, for a 12 day cruise.

The boat was great!  It has all your regular cruise boat stuff, 3 pools, plenty of hot tubs, spa, gym, beautiful foyer, huge dining room, entertainment…ect. The Solstice also has a real grass putting green, another large grass area to play other games, along with a glass blowing studio.  How nifty is that? 

Good lookin' guy enjoying our balcony

Besides from stuffing our face 24 hrs a day, we also enjoyed the A Capella group, The Neptunes.  We didn’t miss a show (I might have dragged Scott to all of them)!  It’s a group of 4 guys about our age from Oregon who performs about twice a day.  Not only were they good at singing, but their body language and synchronized arm movements were hilarious!  On my Birthday, Scott got them to dedicate a song to me, My Girl.  How cute!

The Neptunes

We lucked out and ate dinner next to two very fun tables.  On one side, we had a table of 4 Norwegians.  I made friends with them and soon figured out we might be related.  They were your typical Norwegians- ordered fish most nights, had light color hair with blue eyes, and a slight tint of red in their cheeks.  They all could have been twins with my grandmother.

On the other side of us, we had the Canadians!  It was a table of 4 made up of Alex and Jill (his wife), Jill’s mother, and her aunt, Bonny.  We had a blast getting to know them.  Alex was a news broadcaster (when he had hair), then he went bald and is now on radio.  He is hilarious!  And Jill works at a university with the college of engineering.  They taught us all about Canada, Jill’s talent for funneling beer, and their dislike for Air Canada.  Jill’s mother is precious and we wouldn’t mind if she adopted us as her grandkids.  And Bonny is only ½ Canadian because she moved to California - she is a hoot!  Its going to be a bit sad sitting down to dinner tonight and not having them to talk to and hearing their funny stories.

The Canadians

Scott and I also participated in tons of activities on the boat.  In true Farris fashion, Scott and I won 3 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze Celebrity metals doing random sporting events on the boat.  We also participated in the Newly-Wed game.  Technically,we won, but one of the Jersey Shore couples we were up against got 3 questions in a row correct and we only got 2.  Whatever-we still won.  The questions were quite hilarious and I’m glad I didn’t know anyone on the ship!! Hahaha.

We also got to know a few members of the crew.  At night we hung out with some of the singers and dancers-which was tons of fun.  Nester, our favorite bartender, poured a mean rum drink that could knock a dead man awake.  And our waiter, Shubert, and hisassistant, Olhxandar were great.  Olhxandar dreams of coming to America – actually, I was surprised how many people dreamed of coming to America.  Whether it’s to see New York City or get a job, many workers on the ship said that the opportunities in America are like none other.  Really made me feel proud and humbled to be an American-despite our economy.

We also learned a few things on the vacation:
Scott over packs.
People in Europe smell.  [probably because they don’t use AC]
Somehow, we ate 2 bread baskets for dinner every night.  Slightly embarrassing.
Do not get in the way of a Chinese tour group.
Food in Barcelona is nasty.
The most interesting man in the world lives in England and is named Doug.
Most people speak English- that you may or may not understand with their accent.
We didn’t really see anyone related to Jersey Shore in Italy.  Which was quite a disappointment and I now think the Jersey Shore people are Spaniards.


Overall, the vacation was unforgettable.  Between the people we met, enjoying the boat, deadly rum drinks, meeting people from all over the world (even if they were smelly), and each others company, we had the time of our life.

My Birthday Cake