Both: Hey everyone!
Jen: This is Jen and Greg with an update on our travels.
Greg: This time we're finally beginning to cover our experiences while we travel. Hooray!
Jen: Yay! Yeah, I know you guys have been waiting on pictures and stories so here we go!
Greg: A little bit of an update before we begin. Firstly, Jennifer and I are both congested right now, especially me. I'm just coming down from some kind of like cold. So I promise I'm not actually really sad. I’m very much enjoying this but sometimes my voice may sound like I'm being sarcastic. Well…maybe sometimes I am but most of the time I won’t be.
Jen: And I learned that you can't escape allergies. (laughs)
Greg: Yeah. Besides that, this may be a little bit of a longer update because we're trying to cover a little more than we probably should to keep it in that 10-minute mark because we want to do Tampa. We also want to do boarding the cruise ship, our initial impressions of the ship and visiting Bermuda all in one update.
Jen: Yeah, but before we get into that I just wanted to share a funny little story about something that happened to us on the way to Tampa. So, as we've talked about before, we bought a fancy filtered water bottle. This water bottle is definitely allowed through security. We can bring it on the plane. What they don't tell you - and it now seems quite obvious to us - is that there is a pretty large pressure differential between the “on the ground” water bottle and the one in the air. So about halfway through the flight to Tampa, I got a sip of water and it was like a water feature had been added to our seats. I mean, the water bubbled up like a fountain and my first reaction was something like you used to see on the cartoons. I just wanted to drink all the water and hopefully it would stop. But what felt like forever, and a pair of wet jeans later, I finally came to my senses and just closed the top. And we both died laughing in our seat!
Greg: Yeah, it was funny. I wonder if anybody else saw that and laughed at us.
Jen: I hope not.
Greg: Back to Tampa.
Jen: Yeah, so back to Tampa. Technically our world tour started in Tampa, Florida. So my friend, Dannielle, wasn't able to say goodbye in Austin so she flew out to Tampa and kind of saw us off there. We went to dinner at Columbia Restaurant, which happens to be the oldest continually operating restaurant in Florida. And not only did we get a bit of history…the meal was exquisite!
Greg: Yes, it was. I was a fan of this place! Just to let you guys know, we didn't really get pictures, did we?
Jen: Yeah. Sorry, guys.
Greg: Sorry. We’re working on that. But we ate stuffed piquillo peppers and we ordered empanadas and they were both delicious. We also had entrees. Mine was manchego chicken, which is like a katsu-style, if you prefer Japanese, or Milanese-style. But they top it with manchego cheese and I enjoyed it! Dannielle ordered their signature 1905 Salad and she let us try her salad, which was also very tasty. But you'll have to look up, they make their own special dressing and, and how they make the salad. You can find it online. Jennifer's entree, I think was the most delightful though. She got a roast pork a la Cubana I think was the name…
Jen: Yep.
Greg: …but the pork was prepared wonderfully and the gravy was so terrific.
Jen: Yeah. So if a dish says it's gonna come with plantains, the odds are I'm gonna order it. And this time, it really paid off. Because, like Greg said, it was delightful. We also, of course, ordered dessert but neither one of us can really remember the specifics of what it was - it was some kind of cake. So I guess that means it wasn't that great. After dinner, we just went back to the hotel and just kind of hung out a little bit with Danielle before she had to leave the next day. And she and I found some boozy - not boujee - ice cream. It was a tiny little thing of Bailey's Irish cream. It was a pretty good night if I do say so myself!
Greg: For those that may not know, Jennifer and I really enjoy walking tours that are geared towards history or region-specific food. For Tampa, we found one that actually is both. So it covers the four main communities - the Jewish community, Cuban community, Italian community and German community - that were in the early- to mid-19th century in the Tampa region that revolved around the cigar industry. And we ate dishes that highlighted some of the things that we learned about each community.
Jen: Yeah. So our tour guide, Cindy, was absolutely masterful at what she did. She was a sweet lady in her 70s and she was, like, a third generation Tampan…Tampian…she was from Tampa.
Greg: (laughs)
Jen: (laughing) She was a third generation from Tampa. And her… you know, she was born and raised there, so she definitely knew her stuff. And a couple of things that I found interesting. The cigar rollers were considered artisans and were very respected in their community. So, at one point, the factories in Ybor City were producing over a million hand-rolled cigars a year. Another one of the things that I found pretty cool was that each of these cigar factories would have a lector that would read books and tell stories during the day to help the time pass for the cigar rollers. They were paid by the rollers themselves and sometimes even the wives and kids would join the men for lunch so they could sit outside and listen once lunch was over. And you're probably wondering what kind of food could possibly be on a food tour in Tampa. We had the German version of shepherd's pie at a little brewery. And we had a Cuban sandwich, with rice and beans, which was really tasty. Lastly, we had a calzone and for dessert cannolis which I have to say that calzone was probably one of the best I've ever had. We had so much food, we were so full. We didn't even have to worry about finding dinner.
Greg: And at the end of the tour, it finishes at a cafe/coffee shop, which because I don't do well with coffee as most people are aware I chose to stay outside rather than be inside. And there was an older man there wearing a hat, sunglasses. And I don't mean like a baseball cap or anything. He was dressed…
Jen: He looked like a guy who could have been sitting out of a cigar shop in Cuba.
Greg: Yeah. And he introduced himself as Vic Sheeran, the Romantic Mustache.
Jen: (laughs)
Greg: It was very funny. He was quite the character and, uh, we just chatted for a while outside the coffee shop while the tour finished up. We took a picture you'll see him on there. And it was it was a pretty fun time, the whole tour really.
Jen: Yeah, so that ended that day. That's pretty much the only thing we did that day. And the next day, we boarded our ship - the Celebrity Constellation. It was raining a little bit when we got to the port so we didn't get to get our picture in front of the ship, but the embarkation process was really smooth. There were tons of people and they kind of made those people go through. It was so quick. And…it was the first time we got to show our passports! So that was exciting. Uh, as soon as we got on the ship, we dropped our bags off at our room and started to explore our home at sea.
Greg: Yeah, and we actually walked the entirety of multiple decks, didn't we?
Jen: Yes. When I checked my Apple Health app on my phone, we had walked over six miles.
Greg: But I'm glad that we did because we learned so much about where to go, what amenities there were. I just kind of regret that we missed our special exclusive embarkation lunch, which sounded like it was kind of nice.
Jen: Yeah, but that was probably the last meal we missed on that ship…
Greg: (scoffs) Yes…
Jen: So it was probably good that we did not go to that lunch! (laughs)
Greg: Yes. Now we'll get more into the food aspect in just a minute, but…first impressions. For a ship that's over 20 years old, I was surprised at the overall condition of the ship. It was kept in pretty good shape. And we learned that they dry dock and update their ship every few years. However this one because of, I think, the pandemic or shipping delays, it had been postponed its update for like a year or two. So this cruise that we took was the last one before they were going in a dry dock, which is why I think we got the deal that we did on that cruise. So the interior was a little dated, but overall the state of the ship repairs were pretty good, I'd say.
Jen: Yeah. And I mean, I guess my first impression was… I've always heard people talk about going on cruises and how huge the cruise ships are. But it's really hard to believe until you see it for yourself. And this is actually considered one of the “smaller” ships. So, to give you an idea, it was fully booked with about 2000 people and then, like, 900 crew and staff. But really other than mealtimes, it didn't seem that crowded at all.
Greg: Speaking of mealtime, I feel the need to mention negative impressions. The food was, by and large, very bland and completely lacked seasoning. And it wasn't just me either. Because several couples that visited with us when we were on the ship made the same comments. I mean, I get it. Given the overwhelming audience of the ship, you really can't produce heavily seasoned food or strong flavors or exotic flavors.
Jen: Yeah, I guess kind of what he's saying is that almost everybody on the ship was very, um, age…ed. And the chefs were kind of cooking for the nursing home crowd. But hey… like, respect to them because they're out there traveling and enjoying themselves. And as they would often chant along with our cruise director, Sue, “we're going to rock it till we dock it!” (laughs)
Greg: Rock it till we dock it, yeah. After boarding, there was a few sea days that are not really worth mentioning because it was just us getting a feel of the process and eating and sleeping. After a few days, we docked in our first port-of-call, Bermuda. Due to limited time from weather, though, we really didn't get a chance to spend much time in the various places, like the pink sand beaches or the Crystal Caves, which all seemed like they would be pretty cool. However, we were able to see almost the entire island on a small group tour. Our guide, Anthony, had a magnetic personality, I think, and it made the ride fun. He was also really knowledgeable about a range of topics in Bermuda - botany, history, architecture, climatology even.
Jen: Yeah. So we had a good time on Bermuda, but unfortunately, our time there was cut a little bit short because the captain wanted to get ahead of the weather. And we ended up being delayed after all. So let me tell you a couple of stories. A couple of the crew members, who had shore leave, were late getting back to the boat. And Greg and I had a front row seat from our balcony watching one of the officers yell at them as they ran back.
Greg: Yeah.
Jen: And I would be lying if I didn't slightly hope that the boat would have pulled away without them like you see in the videos online. So there was a medical emergency at that port and one of the guests had to be disembarked and taken to the hospital via ambulance. We found out later, in the cruise Facebook group, that they were okay, but they had fallen on the ship and hit their head and also cracked a couple of ribs. They were on blood thinners, so the cruise doctors were really worried that something might happen while we were at sea. So they disembarked them as just a precaution. But we also learned that day that even the ambulances are on island time and they didn't really seem in a hurry to come and get them. So we were about two hours late in leaving the port, which put us in the middle of some pretty rocky seas.
Greg: Yeaaaaah….
Jen: (laughing) Yeah. So let's just say the person I was fully expecting to get seasick was not the one that wound up dry heaving in the shower. We were sitting in this podium talk. That's like a speaker series, that's apparently something that the older cruisers really love and get upset if they're canceled. Anyway, this podium talk was about Broadway musicals. Greg looks over at me and he goes, “I gotta go.” So I'm sitting there by myself because I am not leaving my Broadway musical talk…
Greg: (laughs) Right?
Jen: …And I get a text from him later that says, “I’m not at the nauseous stage yet, but I'm going to take some Dramamine. As I was leaving the theater, about 15 minutes later, I got another text that said, and I quote, “I am at the nauseous phase now.” By the time I got back to the room, he was sitting there on the couch white as a ghost. And then told me about his adventure with seasickness.
Greg: It was unpleasant to say the least. Fortunately, it only lasted for the one day. I was fine after that. But I know that my father-in-law, Mr. Emmett, has some sympathy for me on this one. Because he has his own, more humorous seasickness story, that if you do catch him…ask him about it. Because I think it's a very funny story. And I know that we can relate. We bonded over seasickness, I think.
Jen: (laughs) On to the next stop. We were really looking forward to the next scheduled port, which was Ponta Delgada in the Azores because we were going to visit the Sete Cidades and a pineapple farm. But Mother Nature had other plans…
Greg: Yeah.
Jen: …Because we would have been facing like 15 to 20 foot swells, and a high likelihood that we wouldn't have been allowed to dock, that stop was canceled. And honestly, after hearing about the size of the waves, I can't say that I was too sad about that. But instead, we wound up visiting Cádiz, Spain, which we'll tell you about later on the next installment.
Greg: Hang on. We are not wrapping up without revisiting the “train song” topic because there's a lot of people out there that seem to be very sensitive about this.
Jen: There was. I was surprised.
Greg: Yes. But here's my problem. All of the messages and emails, nobody answered the question. What constitutes a train song?
Jen: Hold on. Hold on. First, let me tell you how this whole thing started. I said the “City of New Orleans” was a train song. Greg has never heard the “City of New Orleans” and that's what spurred this whole thing. That part was edited out. So it makes me look like the bad guy.
Greg: And I'm going to edit that part out so you look like the bad guy! (laughs)
Jen: (laughing)
Greg: Now, my own perspective, a train song should invoke the spirit of traveling on a train or the railroad industry. If it has train in the title, that's a bonus.
Jen: Bonus points for that?
Greg: Yes. And, metaphor of the train is a good bonus point…
Jen: Yeah.
Greg: …criteria. My own example of a train song, the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin’.” Look it up if you don't know it. If you DO know it, you know it's a train song.
Jen: Of course you would throw down with a Doobie Brothers’ song…
Greg: Heck yes. Now…here's the thing. We had some people give suggestions that even I had to admit, yes, that's a train song. Like, Ami in Austin said, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” That's a train song - might seem simple, but it's a train song.
Jen: Ami also had some questionable suggestions that we won't mention here. (laughs)
Greg: Yeah. No, no, we should mention one for people of a certain age that, that remember this song was, “C’mon N Ride It.”
Jen: Yeah.
Greg: Look it up. We don't want to worry about copyright so we won't play a clip but…
Jen: You know the song.
Greg: Some people might say it should be a train song because there's so much of the “choo-choo” and whatever else in it. But I don't know if that should count. Jason, from Alaska, actually suggested “Folsom Prison Blues”. I will reluctantly agree.
Jen: Jason, I told him not to go up against you on this one because you're a pretty big guy and you can stand your ground. (laughs)
Greg: Right? Look, hope it doesn't come to fisticuffs, but “Folsom Prison Blues”, to me, is more about what he's missing out on life because he made a mistake and went to prison and then his development of comfort with being in the prison. Listen to the lyrics, right? It's a prison song, but I will give you…the rhythm of the song intentionally invokes that familiar click-clack of train travel. Right? Plus, he does use the train metaphor, which I said, “bonus points” if there was metaphor. So I will reluctantly agree on “Folsom Prison Blues”.
Jen: It is mentioned in the first lines of the song.
Greg: Yes. And bonus point to Ami because she did also mention Johnny Cash, though she did not specifically reference “Folsom Prison Blues”. Now, I think revisiting this topic, we're going to get even more messages. Wouldn't you say?
Jen: Probably so. (laughs)
Greg: Okay, so maybe we should do this. If you need to email us, it's connect@jenandgreg.travel. Okay? You go ahead and send us your list of train songs so that I can laugh at you.
Jen: (laughs)
Greg: …But if you don't want to be laughed at, include what you think are the criteria for being a quote/unquote “train song” right? And we'll I don’t… give a shout out to whoever. I don't have prizes.
Jen: I feel a Spotify playlist coming. (laughs)
Greg: Oh, yeah. Who knows? Anyway, now that we've revisited this topic, we can wrap up. So, thanks for checking in…
Jen: And we'll see you at the next stop!
