Sue Williams Reports on European Cruise

Ed. note:  Don't know why this did not get published before now -- my apologies!

In mid-February, Fieg cousins Ed and Sue Williams, and Steven and Eleanor Fieg went on a cruise to Canary Islands with five other couples from Sue’s travel agency, Good Buy Travel & Cruises. Since this was Steven’s first trip to Europe it was a special one.

The group flew to London on Feb. 10 where they spent two nights at the Renaissance Hotel near Heathrow airport. That gave them the opportunity to do a little sight-seeing on Sunday in London.

Steven and Eleanor met Eleanor’s niece and her daughter and the whole group walked around London looking at the major attractions:  Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge and so on.

Since this was not the first time in London for Ed and Sue they wanted to see something different, so they went to the Churchill War Museum, a great place to learn about one of WWII’s most prominent leaders. As with most museums, there was not enough time to see and read everything in one visit.

By mid-afternoon they had cruised the River Thames to Greenwich to see the official “clock of the world.” Unfortunately they had only about an hour before the last boat departed back to London. It would probably take two days to see everything there - maybe three. Next visit!

On Feb. 13 all 14 happy cruisers were off to  Southampton to board Royal Caribbean’s “Independence of the Seas.”  This ship is huge! Her gross tonnage is 160,000 pounds, she is 1,112 ft. in length, 183.4 ft. maximum beam, draft of 28 ft., cruising speed of 21.6 knots and 1,360 crew members to serve the passengers.

There are many different restaurants, bars and lounges, and activities such as a surf simulator, rock-climbing wall, ice skating rink, mini-golf, full-sized basketball court and boxing ring, spa, fitness room with top-notch equipment, a casino, fantastic shows in the evening and bingo and other games during the day to fill the hours at sea.  A promenade offers all different kinds of specialty shops including a cigar store, barber shop, clothing boutique, snack/gourmet coffee spots and duty-free shopping.  Age-appropriate activities and special lounge areas and a disco occupy the children on the ship.  There is no way to get bored on this floating city!



Steve and Eleanor Fieg, Sue and Ed Williams aboard the
Independence of the Seas

 This was the first time the Fieg cousins have been to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands so the ports of call were very interesting.  In Vigo, Spain they chose the shore excursion to a winery to taste some really great wines and fantastic cheeses. At Lisbon, Portugal a trip to the medieval village of Obidos was selected.  The 17th century Parish Church of Santa Maria was the highlight of this trip.

Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Canary Islands were beautiful islands with hills and stunning panoramic views. In Madeira, Portugal they took a scenic tour to Camara de Lobos, a well-known fishing village with more wine tasting at the end of the tour. LaCoruna, Spain was the last port-of-call where the couples had a leisurely tour viewing some of the highlights of the area: Maria Pita Square, San Anton Castle and Maritime Promenade, Hercules Tower, Domus, Orzan and Riazor beaches.

Unfortunately the cruise had to come to an end on Feb. 24.  Ed, Sue, Steven and Eleanor decided to take a tour of Windsor Castle before flying out of Heathrow. Now this is the way to live! The rooms that are open to the public are beautiful and filled with centuries of history. (The Queen was not at home when we were there!)  The town of Windsor also merits more time than we had to roam the streets and enjoy the culture of the area.

The return flight was uneventful, which is always good!

The highlights of the trip depended on the point of view of each traveler.  For Sue it was that all of the plans fell into place without any problems while Ed’s highlight was the Medieval village.  Steven really enjoyed his time touring the foreign countries and seeing the different life-styles of our neighbors across the pond and Eleanor thought touring the historic sights in London with her niece was the best.

Next trip we will have to have more Fiegs on the ship. Maybe the next reunion can be on a ship! We’ll see!