"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 4 First Day in Ft. Lauderdale January 3, 2016 Sunday Cloudy, in the 70's, and rain 54 Pictures

Sent: Monday, January 4, 2016 4:50:48 AM
Subject: FW: Report # 4 First Day in Ft. Lauderdale January 3, 2016 Sunday Cloudy, in the 70's, and rain 54 Pictures

Report # 4 First Day in Ft. Lauderdale January 3, 2016 Sunday Cloudy, in the 70's, and rain 54 Pictures

It was a little bit difficult to fall asleep last night, mostly due to the time change for us. With the three hour difference from Pacific to Eastern time, one of us was still wide awake, watching Law and Order at 2am. We used to get TNT years ago, and found that series was addictive. Still do.

Trying to get with the correct time, we got up around 7am, and were happy to see that it was going to be a nice day. Or at least this morning was nice. The news people kept saying that a good rain storm was coming. But, living in California, we don't believe the forecasts that much anymore. We would be wrong.

There is a small café up the road, under the freeway overpass, and located in a small strip mall near the hotel. We found it last year quite by accident. So we were happy to find that they were still in business, and crowded as usual. Of course, it was Sunday, and many young families were dining out. There was a row of folding chairs outside this café, but this morning they were empty. We must have hit it just right, because when we left, the chairs were all occupied. Their breakfast entrees were very good, and so were the bottomless cups of coffee. We will definitely go back tomorrow.

Our waitress guessed that we were from out of town (the camera was the give-away). She suggested that we visit a nursery, a drive up the freeway from here. She said they had caged birds and an extensive hall of flowers and plants. More of a destination, instead of a typical nursery. Would have been nice, but since we do not have a car, we knew we couldn't walk that far. We really did need to get in a good walk today, especially after flying all day yesterday.

After breakfast, we stopped at the grocery store, Publix, and picked up a few essential dips and chips for our room on the ship. Once we leave here, we won't be able to buy recognizable brands of food like that. Normally, we stop in Manta, Ecuador, but we are skipping it on this trip. They have very similar products like we buy in the states. We dropped our things off at the hotel, then went for our walk. Or started to, until we ran into friends we recognized from previous trips. It was fun catching up on innocent gossip for an hour. Then as the crowd got bigger, we slipped out the front door. We will see everyone in our group tomorrow evening at the cocktail reception and dinner.

There is a large canal that follows the freeway. It is always full of large fish, many types of birds, and reptiles. Almost as good as going to a zoo. We saw egrets, cranes, geese, ducks, cormorants, and one huge iguana. Sneaking up on him, we got some good photos. That is, until he decided we may be a threat, and scampered up a very tall palm tree. Never thought he could haul himself up that tree so quickly. Once he got past the dried palm leaves, he literally disappeared. A master of disguise.

The sky was starting to get very dark, and it sure felt like it could rain. When the wind picked up, we knew the forecast had been correct. Back at the hotel, we had planned on spending some time at the pool. But it was not warm enough to do that. We did pull up a few stools at a side table to watch some interesting lizards scurry across the pool decking. There were a few folks sacked out on the lounges, probably sleeping off their jetlag.

This was a good time to download photos before heading out for lunch. By now, it was 3pm, and a Caesar salad sounded really appealing at the sports bar. Of course, it is prime football season, and the place was packed. We were lucky to get a booth with a TV across from us. In fact, there must have been at least 20 screens inside this place, and that's not counting the ones outside at their patio dining. With every touchdown scored, the roof was raised by the noise from the crowd. It was really fun, for a change.

It wasn't long after we got back to the room, that the sky opened up and the rain pounded down hard for a couple of hours. When it rains here, you know it. Then, it cleared up as fast as it came. By 8pm, we walked back to the restaurant for an appetizer dinner. This time, the place was almost empty. Makes sense, since most of the games were over, and tomorrow is a workday. Probably back to school day as well.

We have to mention the extreme speed of the free internet at this hotel. For us, it is like heaven, because we have dial-up service at home. Someday we will have to look into satellite internet service, but not when we are traveling as often as we do now. Slow internet teaches us patience, like it or not.

Sure hope tomorrow's weather is not a wet one. If it is, we shall hunt down umbrellas, and walk in the rain we guess. In the afternoon, our travel agency is providing a complimentary shuttle to Broward Mall, a 15 minute drive from here. It has some major department stores, and some restaurants. So at least, it is something to do before the evening's special event.

Will try not to stay up past midnight!

Bill & Mary Ann

Renaissance Hotel