Category Archives: travel

December 27, 2017 · 5:35 am

Touring the Norwegian Epic

The massive Norwegian Epic

After three days in Madrid, Dolores and Earl Daniels with Ursula and I took the Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) high-speed train to Barcelona. Along the way we frequently hit speeds in excess of 300 kph/186 mph. Impressive. At these speed it takes only 2 ½ hours to cover the 621 kilometers/386 miles. Very impressive. The next morning we headed out to the port to catch our transatlantic ride — the massive Norwegian Epic, which when built was the third largest cruise ship ever.

Epic theater

The Epic displaces up to 155,873 tons, measures 1,081 feet/329 meters in length, has 1,724 crew, and houses 4,100 passengers (double occupancy). Aboard ship are countless lounges, restaurants, shopping venues, a casino, a comedy club, an entertainment theater, a fitness/well-being center, and a huge multi-story LED chandelier.

Gigantic LED chandelier

But the one venue that kept drawing us back was the recreation of the Beatles-era Cavern Club and the almost nightly Beatles tribute band that played there. If you closed your eyes and just listened, you’d swear you were listening to the real thing. These musicians were that good, and especially note worthy this voyage as the John Lennon impersonator.

Recreation of the Beatles-era Cavern Club

Below are some more photos of Norwegian Epic venues. Click on any image to enlarge and to activate a slide presentation:

: Epic pool and slide area

: Epic fitness center

: Epic lounge

: Epic jewelry store

: Epic shopping

: Epic teappanyaki grill

: Shaker’s Martini Bar

: Epic mall area

: Epic casino

: Epic water slide

: Epic Headliners Comedy Club

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Tagged as cruise lines, cruise ship, cruise vacation, Norwegain Epic, R. Doug Wicker

December 15, 2017 · 5:35 am

Fun Photo Friday — Almudena Cathedral and Royal Palace Favorites

The Lamppost

I hate selfies. Nobody knows how to take them, especially when incorporating the portrait in a tourist shot. Additionally, nothing gets my goat faster than some idiot with a selfie stick ruining my composition because they insist upon standing in front of the best view while holding that stick high above his head. If you must take a shot of others in your group, compose the shot while remembering the rule-of-thirds, snap the picture quickly, and get the heck out of everyone else’s way. Remember, the people in our group are secondary to the scenery:

Dolores and Earl Daniels posing with Ursula

That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, though:

Ursula standing guard

Here is today’s gallery/slide show:

Royal Palace of Madrid

Almudena Cathedral

Dolores and Earl Daniels posing with Ursula

Royal Palace of Madrid

Almudena Cathedral

So concluded our tour of Madrid. Next up is a tour of the Norwegian Epic as we board the first of two cruise ships on our back-to-back voyages. But next week I’m going to take a break from this trip and rerun some holiday articles on Christmas lights and how to photograph them, as well as present my annual Christmas poem written in the style of Edgar Allan Poe and a Christmas detective short story written in the style of Mickey Spillane. If you enjoy those, you might want to check out some of my murder mysteries for that new Kindle or Nook eReader you got under the Christmas tree.

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Filed under Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Tagged as Almudena Cathedral, Fun Photo Friday, Madrid, Palacio Real de Madrid, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain, travel, travel photography, vacation

December 13, 2017 · 5:35 am

Madrid — Day 3; the Royal Palace of Madrid

Royal Palace of Madrid

A short stroll across the Plaza de la Armeria takes you from the Almundena Cathedral to the Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid). Looking back toward the cathedral from southeast corner of the palace grounds, just outside the gates to the courtyard, will give you this view of the cathedral:

Almundera Cathedral as viewed from the Royal Palace

The Royal Palace is an incredible complex that has been a work in progress for around 1,000 years. The site began as a fortress. Following various military battles and changing of hands, the palace really began to take shape in 1735 after the original structures were destroyed by fire. Today it looks like this:

Royal Palace of Madrid

You can spend quite a while photographing the exterior details:

Royal Palace of Madrid

But you’ll also want to step inside. Above the grand staircase is a magnificent fresco created by Italian Rococo painter Corrado Giaquinto: