CLUB MAEVA MIRAMAR, TAMPICO

We arrived, checked into this all inclusive resort, found our room s.  We have a living room with 2 couches, an eating space, a "kitchen" which will never be used, very large king size bedroom with TV (all Spanish but we may get to see the Super Bowl) and, of course, a bathroom.  All meals are provided, snacks, drinks, anything, all tips are paid and there seems to be maid service everyday.  Just ask and we can have.  This is like owning a palace with many rooms and many staff.

Now I will confess that it is low season and this huge hotel and resort with 4 or 5 swimming pools and private access to the beach, has VERY FEW guests so of course we get attention.  There are many Federal Police staying here.  We were told that they gather here for some reason (strategy) and they go to that town in Guerrero where those students were kidnapped and murdered.  The people here don't know if it is to make a statement because local elections are soon to be held or if by chance they might do some good.  In any event, if they are there regularly, then the cartels might pick up and leave.  The problem is where will they land this time.  Anyway, the Mexican people go about their business but even they are cautious in the night time.  They are praying that this will pass........

So yesterday we had travelled a long time and I was tired.  We ate our lunch at about 3 and went for a walk around the property, then I was done in.  Had a great rest and woke up this morning refreshed.

The food here so far has been very good indeed.  After desayuno this morning (we were the only guests in a huge room), we went for a long walk on the beautiful beach.  It was warm but not hot - just right.  Then we sat by the pool (all alone) after we had discovered the "adult only pool area".  I took many photos which I still cannot insert.  Can't figure out what went wrong from one blog to another.

Oh yes, we have 2 balconies.  We can sit and watch the beach and all of the people who are working and playing in the square across the street.  Pete is happy with the security of the car since it is parked smack dab in the middle of about 20 police vehicals.

We are surprised that there aren't many guests here but we really don't care.  We are happy to get lots of smiles and attention. 

Tomorrow we will take a tour of the city of Tampico so I may have more to tell you about this area.

ON THE SHIP

On the ship now. Yesterday we saw the Pantheon and St. Mary’s on Minerva where Galileo was sentenced to death. They didn’t kill him and he lived to be 77. He wasn’t supposed to spread the word about the world being round. The amazing thing about all of Rome is, as I have said before, that there is so much left from almost 2000 years ago. The people are beautiful and there are a lot of them. Also many, many tourists just like us. We stopped for lunch at a nice little street trattoria and made our way back to the hotel. For dinner we were recommended a restaurant “Taverena Flauvia”. It was quite a walk and a bit pricey but we enjoyed great service and excellent food. This morning (Sat.) we had a 1 and ½ hour drive to the port. Beautiful countryside scenery. Which reminds me of another incident, something happened to Pete’s camera and we don’t think we are going to bother trying to fix it and rely for now on my small camera. We are in our very large stateroom, because we were mistakenly assigned a handicapped room. Norwegian called twice we told them we didn’t need it just change us but they couldn’t seem to do that and finally we ended up with this large room. Our luggage hasn’t arrived yet. Hope that doesn’t go wrong. Nope here it is. Tomorrow we visit Livorno. I’ll give you a report. Livorno - it must be Sunday! We took a trip to Frattoria (farm) in Tuscany. The bus ride through the countryside was very nice. The scenery is worthwhile coming back to see again. At the farm, we met the winemaker farmer whose family has lived on the land and in the house for many many years. The house was built in the 1600’s (I could be wrong but that’s what I remember). He shared with us 5 wines that he makes. One white, 3 reds and 1 sweet. They were all very good. They also make olive oil so I bought a sample. Pete bought two bottles of wine which we took back to the ship and Norwegean charged a corking fee of 15 Euros EACH! This drove Joe up the wall but we drank one of his bottles with dinner. Yes, they charge for a lot of stuff that used to be a lot more affordable. Internet connection is 15 cents per MINUTE and sometimes you can’t really get on. Such is life. Monte Carlo - Monday. Had to tender in today. Our tour only touched the surface of Monte Carlo and Monaco I guess because they really don’t want tourists to actually see anything except the outside of buildings. Learned a lot about how the very rich live here. We were allowed in the cathedral. The casino wouldn’t let us in until 2 and all of the tours were over by then. This place is very clean and police presence is everywhere. Throw a piece of paper on the street and get caught - you pay 30 E right then. The police are all from France and are meant to be very strict. Only walk in crosswalks. Of course, you take your life in your hands walking on streets that are race tracks even before the stands are all set up. We did enjoy our day and came back to lunch on the ship in the sun.