Did you miss me?
Could I have been any luckier....?
The Lenster and I decided to spend New Years Eve
with 2,000+ strangers
on board The Norwegian Gem (I loved this picture I took one early evening from the dock)
sailing out of NYC and going to the eastern Caribbean. It was a fantastic WOW experience !
for one thing...we met some of the most wonderful people...
Our week was made after meeting Arnie & Wendy Yudell from Toronto...we hung with them almost the entire cruise.
Now I have no actual idea who this guy is...but obviously a sports fella (from Europe I was told) who I'm sure plays basketball !!!
7 foot 6 inches next to my 5 feet...hilarious ! I look like his pet !!!
Thought I'd show some amazing highlights, like the Holocaust Memorial built in 2012 in San Juan. Puerto Rico has one of the largest and most important Jewish communities in the Caribbean.
When we got to St. Thomas we were delighted to go to Shabbat services at the oldest synagogue on the island.
and...an even bigger honor to meet the Rabbi and to be able to sing with him
the floor of the synagogue is made of sand. There are two theories behind this unusual occurrence. One is to represent the Israelite journey through the desert. Another theory is that it represents the Conversos who were forced to convert to Catholicism. Many continued to observe Judaism, so they usually met in their cellars and would use sand to muffle their prayers.
************
The ship was delicious !!
I'm not particularly a sun worshiper but I did soak in some rays each day we were at sea.
I also got to sing with their FABULOUS entertainer Laurie Anne Gardner. Take 5 minutes and watch one of her super enjoyable videos on YouTube.
In the pix below we are singing "Time to Say Goodbye"...only Laurie is singing in Italian and I am faking it !! It was a damn good laugh! I fell in love with her...as I'm sure everyone who meets her does.
THEN....we come to find out the funniest thing EVER....the 6 degrees of separation theory...
In the course of completely casual conversation we find out that Lennys sister Jane was also Lauries doctor when she lived for many years in Nashville.
GO FIGURE !!!
the ship had wonderful shows and terrific talent
************
Now...here's some island life photos that I hope will take you on the journey we made
Coffee beans
that concludes todays tour....I have to unpack and repack tomorrow cause on Friday I head out to California for CHA....so..I'll share more of our trip tomorrow
stay tuned...
Fantastic! Thanks as always for sharing your fabulous adventure! Yes! We missed you! Looking forward to seeing what's up at CHA. Happy New Year!
Posted by: Monica Lore | January 11, 2013 at 03:18 PM
fantastic! your photos are so great and so tempting! enjoy cha!
Posted by: lyle baxter | January 11, 2013 at 07:01 AM
Wow Suze, what an amazing trip, looks like you and Lenny had an absolute blast. The thing that really made me laugh was the little and large photo of you and the giant sports guy....hilarious!!!
Lin xxx
Posted by: Lin Brown | January 10, 2013 at 03:17 PM
Thanks for sharing your travels, I get to vicariously be there! Have fun at CHA!
Posted by: Susan Kopp | January 10, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Living life to the Fullest. :) You go Girl!
Posted by: Mer | January 10, 2013 at 09:32 AM
I have missed you and your lovely photos. This trip looks amazing, glad you had a good time. x
Posted by: Kathy Gledsdale | January 10, 2013 at 08:21 AM
It's not too late to wish you Happy New Year and I hope it's a great one! What a wonderful way to bring in 2013 and I really, as ever, really enjoyed my free tour of the Caribbean through your artistic eyes.
Look forward to lots of CHA photos, have fun there! Doesn't seem like 2 years when I was there at your "retirement" party on the Ranger Booth... you've never stood still for more than 5 mins since!
Love JoZarty
Posted by: JoZarty | January 10, 2013 at 05:51 AM
It looks like it was a fantastic trip. How grand to go somewhere warm in the winter. Enjoy CHA. Can't wait to see what you share.
Last week I went to Tinsel Trading in NYC after you mentioned it in one post. What an amazing store. I will have to go agin often.
Posted by: Nancy G. | January 10, 2013 at 05:27 AM
What a great trip, Suze! Thanks as always for sharing it with us too. Can't wait for your take on CHA, it's always brilliant!
Posted by: Helen | January 10, 2013 at 02:23 AM
Ablsolutely GORGEOUS pictures! So glad you had a wonderful time! Have a great new Year.
~Linda
Posted by: Linda Cain | January 09, 2013 at 09:29 PM
you guys had an amazing time! I have been to services at the synogogue in St Thomas, as well as to the Holocaust memorial. It was amazing to see so many people from all over the world there! So glad you had an amazing time, and happy that you shared some of your photos with us!
Posted by: Roz Wolfe | January 09, 2013 at 08:39 PM