Cruise of a Lifetime: Day 4 - Onboard Fun

After two days of being on the go, seeing amazing pieces of history and artwork, it was wonderful to simply sleep-in and eventually wander to the Oceanview Café to have breakfast. Once fortified, the question was what to do with the day…besides eat.

The Celebrity Equinox is an impressive ship. It has a little something for everyone.

Outside at the top of the ship, there was the lawn club where they could put on shows. The current one running was of a glass blowing artist. 

At the other end of the ship on the same deck was a peaceful sundeck. Yes, we made use of this :-)

One deck below was the basketball court.

The deck below that was both the outdoor pool with 4 hot tubs and the indoor pool.

Inside the ship we could choose to play in the casino or go to an art auction.

 

There was of course the shopping available in case we won while gambling ;-)

There was even a ping pong tournament among many other activities.

A stroll outside on the deck was one of our favorite pastimes. 

By the end of this day, we returned to our stateroom to find a friendly towel animal. 

On this ship, from cleanliness to friendliness, the service was top notch, so a day at sea was a real treat.

Just a reminder: The drawing for the Venetian mask is Sunday November 2 at midnight, so be sure to comment on my last post (Day 3) to be in the running :-)

Always, Lexi

www.lexipostbooks.com

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Next: Day 5 – The Greek island of Santorini

Alone by Lisa Gardner

 

Boston’s street thugs don’t stand a chance with Bobby Dodge against them.  Bobby is a State Trooper and a sharp shooter in his spare hours. 

The problem with Bobby is his job prevails over everything else.  Called to stake out a repeated domestic disturbance, Bobby finds his rifle killing the caller’s husband within fifteen minutes of arrival.  Those fifteen minutes changes his life and he needs to confront how it feels to kill.

Catherine Gagnon made the call and mouthed a “thank you” to Bobby for the kill, or maybe for saving her.  What’s the difference?

Beautiful and rich Catherine repeatedly needs Bobby’s help and advice, yet a powerful source wants her dead. 

And the Boston PD accuses her of setting up her husband’s death.

I couldn’t put the book down as Bobby fought the demons of ending a life and being attracted to a woman who might have planned to have her husband killed.  Catherine deals with the loss of her husband, while seducing Bobby, and can’t believe she’s not treated by law enforcement as a victim.

This is one of those novels you don’t want to end!

Happy reading,

Dawn

Halloween Booklovers Contest

2014 Halloween Booklovers Contest 

Enter to Win Amazon Gift Cards!

3 = $100 Amazon Gift Cards

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http://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Pages/Articles/2014-Halloween-Booklovers-Event

 

Check out this fun contest that ends on Halloween. So many prizes! You can enter one of them through the rafflecopter below!

And PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW  is one of the featured books! Whoohoo!

Always, Lexi

www.lexipostbooks.com

 

 

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Cruise of a Lifetime: Day 3 Sorrento and Pompeii – Farm and City

For our next exploration we started early once again on a drive from the port at Salerno to Sorrento Italy. The scenery was spectacular through and between mountains via tall bridges or long tunnels and winding roads along the coast. What a beautiful area.

We arrived at a terraced 4 acre farm in Sorrento that was set upon the mountain side. There they had cows for their milk and they grew olives (olive trees are everywhere in this area), lemons, grapes and more.  Our first treat was to watch Maria make mozzarella by hand with milk she pulled from the cows earlier that morning. It was a fascinating process! When she was finished, we sat down for a snack that was entirely made from what the farm produced and it included: Cheese, salami, olives, bread, wine, limoncello, and cake. Delicious!

 

Then we headed down into the town of Sorrento to walk around and enjoy the sites. I did buy another hat. I just can’t help myself. I also discovered an excellent Gelato shop that made it hard to stick to just two flavors when they had over 50 flavors! With happy palates and full tummies, we then made are way through the countryside to the famed Pompeii. When Mt Vesuvius came into view on the highway, a shiver of anticipation passed through me. 

I remember reading about this doomed city in 6^th grade. The photos of the people frozen in time that my textbook displayed stayed with me all these years and now I was about to see it with my own eyes.

My first surprise was that excavations started over 100 years ago! My second surprise was the size of the city. It was huge and according to our guide had 20,000 citizens back in the 4^th century which he said equaled over 2 million by today’s standards.

Pompeii was a trade center near the sea and it was very prosperous. Its construction was smart with sloping streets that drained the rain water and provided stepping stones so people could cross on foot and not get wet, piping that took sewage out of the city, and multiple luxury facilities.

In addition to the athletic stadium where youth could train and compete, there was also the spa where the rich could relax with a massage or a hot bath. The city even boasted brothels.

Since many of the women were captured from other countries and couldn’t speak the language, the graphic freezes on the walls inside let a patron choose which service he preferred and these “menus” can still be seen today. Plus, along the streets, up on the sides of buildings, were specific phallic emblems to point the way to the brothels for the many sailors that came into town.

Of course, since the people of Pompeii were so advanced, every would-be patron of the brothel had to first enter the medical building to be cleared and given the appropriate protection ;-) I have to admit, since I’m an erotic romance writer who finds her inspiration in the classics, I was buzzing with ideas and just had to buy the Pompeii calendar of erotic artwork on our way out.

By time we boarded the bus, I was tired but thrilled to have seen such amazing places. I admit, I was looking forward to sleeping-in the next morning for our day at sea. With all the walking, steps, and sites, I would be happy to enjoy the sun and sea the ship offered. 

In honor of Italy and its beauty, today I am giving away a hand decorated Venetian mask made there. While I did not get to visit Venice…this trip, I do think it a fitting giveaway. Leave a comment for a chance to win this beautiful mask :-) Winner will be pulled next Sunday, November 2 at midnight. Good luck!

Always, Lexi

www.lexipostbooks.com

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Next: Day 4 – Onboard Fun