FC2Video

Thornbury Castle, England. We should have taken more pictures of our excellent rooms, named "The Duke's Robe Chamber" and "The Tudor Room", in addition to the little monks having fun. Copyleft music by Rogg Maddeford Duo. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Thornbury Castle is part of the von Essen Group of hotels, "a private collection of individual country house hotels in the UK, each with a distinctive style and character of its own" according to www.vonessenhotels.co.uk, but we think of it as Real People having Real Fun!

Thornbury Castle, England. Just walking around our rooms, getting a guided tour by 'the monks'. The kids found the excellent robes offered by Thornbury Castle to be lots of fun. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Thornbury Castle is part of the von Essen Group of hotels, "a private collection of individual country house hotels in the UK, each with a distinctive style and character of its own" according to www.vonessenhotels.co.uk, but we think of it as Real People having Real Fun!

Thornbury Castle, England arrival. A quick pan around the grounds. Very impressive first impression! Another guest arrives by helicopter. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Thornbury Castle is part of the von Essen Group of hotels, "a private collection of individual country house hotels in the UK, each with a distinctive style and character of its own" according to www.vonessenhotels.co.uk, but we think of it as Real People having Real Fun!

"Oh, crappen." Driving to Thornbury Castle, England, on the other side of the road, using the other side of the car, having had no sleep on the plane. Very amusing. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Thornbury Castle is part of the von Essen Group of hotels, "a private collection of individual country house hotels in the UK, each with a distinctive style and character of its own" according to www.vonessenhotels.co.uk, but we think of it as Real People having Real Fun!

Really "Day 8" if the first Saturday counts as "Day 1" but we didn't do any of the day trips offered in the Miami area. Back in the Port of Miami, we listen to our trip's theme song one last time. Time to go waste a few more hours on a Customs and Immigration line. If you ever do go on a cruise, make sure you are first in line for Customs so as to waste the least amount of time. There were 8 stations open to process more than 3,000 people upon our return. Absurd. jpmeyer.com

Back in the Royal Suite again, we see "our closest neighbor" on the high seas. It is also unfortunately time to start packing, but not before a geography quiz. Apparently, we need some work with an atlas. Sure was a great homeschooling field trip! jpmeyer.com

Deck 11 and 12 pools and views, at dusk. Here it is, the last day, and I'm trying to find time to video the ship! One of the many bands, the kid's pools, the "adult only" pool area designed to look like a Roman Bath, and the "peek-a-boo" deck for a quick look at the bridge. jpmeyer.com

The sea at night and a mostly full moon. A peek at the midnight buffet being set up. Very calm and atmospheric, like a movie set prepared for the next scene to be shot. jpmeyer.com

Royal Suite again, this time getting ready for formal night, including a tour of Sebastian's clay army. It took him 3 days to set up this battle! This is more of a "Daddy's so proud" moment more so than a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines "Voyager of the Seas" moment, but it did take place in our stateroom. jpmeyer.com

There are five levels of planned defense to this walled city. If one level is breached, the attackers are stymied at the next. Even the nice green lawn in the front is with a purpose: there's no cover for an attacking army! Voyager of the Seas stands tall over the entire city. The end of this segment shows a stark contrast between old and new fort. jpmeyer.com

Feels like a movie set, except these galleons are for real. Dank tunnels and passageways alternating with intense sunlight and canons. This fort was not going to be taken! And yet, it is now handicap accessible. jpmeyer.com

Driving tour of St. Thomas. Some breath taking views of the Island, including a view of the Voyager. Magan's Bay Beach is consistently rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. A brief view of neighboring Islands, including Hans Lollick (which for whatever reason remains undeveloped), Little and Great Tobago, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and St. John from the aptly named "Mountain Top" viewing point on St. Thomas. A final view of Charlot Amalie at dusk, from the Voyager of the Seas. jpmeyer.com

Snuba in St Thomas! OK, the video is just of us snorkeling, but the adventure was to snuba. Someday I'll invest in a submersible video camera. Snuba is a combination of SNorkle and scUBA. You wear a weight belt, and learn how to breathe using a scuba-style regulator before you submerge 20 feet below the surface. Your air tank is in a small raft on the surface, and you are connected by a truly unobtrusive hose. Very exhilarating, if you've never done more than snorkel before. My favorite part was swimming above and thru someone else's bubbles. jpmeyer.com

Approaching St. Thomas, I explore like Columbus this heretofore uncharted land with my hi tech spy glass. In the beginning, the fantasy of discovery can be maintained, but alas: this Island is inhabited. Not too shabbily, either! jpmeyer.com

On the Rock Climbing Wall. The crew was very helpful in getting us ready to "ring the bell." It took more time to read and sign the release form than anything else. From our vantage point on the observation deck of the rock climbing wall, you can see the inline skating track behind the full-sized basketball court. Next to that is the miniature golf course, which is particularly challenging on a rolling ship. It was very windy that day on the high seas. Personally speaking, there's an exhilarating sense of accomplishment at ringing that silly bell. Sebastian's assessment: "It gave me a wedgie." Priceless. jpmeyer.com

Morning at sea from the Suite. Beautiful ocean view, and it seems I am still enamored with the many moods of the stateroom. Our stateroom attendant Rudy was exemplary. He has had experiences on other Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ships, and he believes that ours is not the most elegant Royal Suite stateroom. I can't imagine what else they could add (other than maybe another half bath), but I'm looking forward to finding out! jpmeyer.com

Seriously, people wanted to wander in to our stateroom upon hearing the wonderful music. They assumed it was a public lounge! Nope, sorry. This video is a shameless "Daddy is so proud" video, and has little to do with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines other than it takes place in the Royal Suite on the "Voyager of the Seas." jpmeyer.com

Royal Suite player piano; lunch buffet and views of Miami. Gorgeous ice sculptures, food sculptures, and edibles stretching as long as a football field! This was the norm for this week. The Port of Miami at sunset was industrial yet still beautiful. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Kathy's slideshow of South Plaza Island jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Katharine's slideshow of South Plaza Island jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, John's slideshow of South Plaza Island jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Panga ride to, and views of, the Mary Ann Most of our group shows in this video. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Sally Lightfoot crabs video. And back on the panga. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, What a group of marine iguanas! Could they have posed any nicer? jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Bull Sea Lion makes his way up the cliff. And you had better not stand in his way! Lots of vocalizations. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Iguana skeleton. Female lava lizard. Great dried-up skeleton. Female lava lizard is pregnant, as evidenced by the red head. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Female iguana greeting male. Klaus explains the head-bobbing activity. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Iguanas You want video of iguanas? We got iguana videos! Cacti. Iguana skeleton. Surreal landscapes. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, Baby sea lion nursing; vocalizations. You can actually hear the nursing! Also a bunch of other "unique" noises. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, South Plaza, First Panga ride. Panga is a Swahili word meaning 'machete'. In the Galapagos, it's an amphibious craft, like a Zodiac boat, capable of transferring people and supplies to wet or dry landings on shore. It's also tons of fun! Most of the group, and Mary Ann in the background. Our first landing with sea lions. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Sombrero, Kathy's slideshow of Sombrero Island jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Sombrero, John's slideshow of Sombrero Island jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Sombrero, Baby sea lion waiting for mama, and tide pools. We hope mama gets home in time. Beautiful tide pools at sunset. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Sombrero, Disconnected from former realities. If someone said "let's put cactus, penguins, lava, big red crabs and a bunch of other stuff together" you would think him crazy. Well, here we walked it. Starting with baby sea lions and the panga in the background, on to a surreal cactus landscape, to "so cool" little lava tubes and a skeleton, our group walks over the most sublime environments. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Sombrero, Galapagos Penguins. Our first exposure to the most northern penguins on Earth. Another of Klaus's marketing shots, with the Mary Ann in the background. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Kathy's slideshow of Santiago (James) Puerto Egas. jpmeyer,com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, A great handful of shells; 3 iguanas bathing OK, we couldn't take the shells with us, but here's some great footage. Plus, 3 iguanas taking a bath. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Our group traverses the terrain. Beautiful path. Thanks to all in our group for providing some size perspective. Thanks to the iguana looking for a shady spot. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Lava sea shore. Fur seals. Sleeping fur seals, and a little territoriality display by two fur seals. Holes in the lava allow for some amazing water works. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Our seashore path. Not exactly a sand beach sea shore! Handsome iguanas. Part of a sea urchin. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Potential blowholes. Fur seal swimming hole. The waves come crashing in! Plus a brief glimpse of a green turtle. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos islands, Santiago, Volcanic 'beach.' Pa-hoi-hoi lava 'beach' with fur seals, oh-boy-oh-boy lava bridge. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Goat skulls. Cacti. Lava lizard on post. Scorpion on Klaus's finger Klaus doesn't believe Gilligan's Island was accurate. "No, really?" jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Sea lion and her baby; Deirdre shoots roots But first, another look at that magnificent pirate ship. Then, extra large roots! Ends with another look at that magnificent pirate ship. jpmeyer.com

Galapagos Islands, Santiago, Black sand beach! Daily briefing summary. Black sand beach! Beautiful rock shore architecture, complete with Sally Lightfoot crabs. jpmeyer.com

Italy travel: Rome, almost back to our hotel. The video shows the Italian High Court, and a view of St. Peter's Basilica from a bridge. We're practically back to our Perillo Tours hotel, so you can see we were very nicely located. However, Rome is not a walking town. Too big. We circle around the courthouse, which is only about 95 years old. Our 48 passenger bus navigated these streets very well! (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Italy travel tours with Perillo Tours, www.PerilloTours.com Real People having Real Fun!

Italy travel: Rome, our last dinner together as a Perillo Tours Familia. Complete with live music, about which we couldn't do a thing. In fairness, the video shows that she should have been on stage at La Scala Opera House instead of in our restaurant. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Italy travel tours with Perillo Tours, www.PerilloTours.com Real People having Real Fun!

Italy travel: Rome, video of more catacombs, and the most elaborately decorated crypt of our tour. All of the Apostles are drawn on the inside of the arch, such that the occupant(s) would 'see' the drawing. The person who was laid to rest here must have been very important to warrant such a tomb with a view. On our Perillo Tours of Rome we have gone from the Sistine Chapel to this painted arch in the Catacombs. Both artists worked on their backs for a long time to perform their tasks, but the artist in the catacombs did it by candlelight amongst the stench of 10,000 decaying corpses. Probably rats and flies, too. (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com). Italy travel tours with Perillo Tours, www.PerilloTours.com Real People having Real Fun!

Italy travel: Rome, St. John's, also known as the Basilica of St. John Lateran. This is video of the 'official' home of the Pope, even though he spends more time in the Vatican. Our Perillo Tours Familia enjoys the incredible details on the church walls, where every picture tells a story. This Basilica is " Officially named Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ("Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior"), it is the oldest and ranks first (being the cathedral of Rome) among the four major basilicas of Rome, and holds the title of ecumenical mother church (mother church of the whole inhabited world) among Catholics." Thank you, Wikipedia: "As the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, containing the papal throne (Cathedra Romana), it ranks above all other churches in the Catholic Church, even above St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican." (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com).

Italy travel: Rome. According to tradition, the Scala Santa steps were walked by Christ. St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, brought these 28 steps from Jerusalem. Pope Sixtus V had them placed in their present position. Not all of our Perillo Tours Familia had a chance to see these steps. The steps are covered in wood so that no foot can touch them, and this is the reason why the faithful climb up them on their knees; the video shows them saying prayers on each step. There's a statue of Pontius Pilate holding a bag of 30 coins, his compensation for his betrayal. Then a view of the outside of St. John's, the "official" home of the Pope, even if he does spend most of his time in the Vatican. St. John's is Vatican property again, so our Perillo Tours Familia is no longer officially in Italy! (You can view this video, and other travel videos in full-size and near-DVD quality, travel stills and more at www.jpmeyer.com).