Ok, so one of the bedrocks of Cody and my relationship is travel. We have always gone and done and perused new things. It was almost a year since we had taken a short trip though, and I could tell it was wearing on both of us. We do have another cruise planned for May which will be our 7th, but this weekend we took a jaunt to Eureka Springs, AR. It's about 2 and a half hours away and we spent a couple of cheap days there enjoying Eureka's community. It's a fascinating little place in the middle of the Arkansas mountains and a lot of the people share our common interests and attitudes.
While at Eureka, we stayed at Candlewick Inn and Suites which was a cozy little motel just modernized for our convenience. This picture may have been our actual room and my only complaint is the bed was firm, but that didn't matter because on both nights that we stayed Cody and I were so tired that a blitzkrieg could not have woken us. This motel texted us before the stay, during the stay, and after the stay, which decreased the need for interaction with staff and simplified the entire process. I absolutely recommend Candlewick Inn and Suites at Eureka!
On our first night, we went to a little place called Eureka Live and caught the first drag show of our relationship. It was spectacular!!! The ladies were funny, beautiful, and energetic making the audience laugh and bringing us into the show. Cody got motorboated and the Queens got tipped well. It was fabulous fun for all and there wasn't a single child in sight. The only downfall of the night was that Cody had so many $1 jello shots I had to carry him up the stairs and to the car. (Just kidding!) It was such a fun night!
The above image belongs to Eureka Live and was borrowed from their Facebook page. These are the girls that took us to another world for three hours last Friday night. Even if I end up with Alzheimer's I doubt I will forget this.
On Saturday, Cody and I spent the entire day walking Mainstreet Eureka Springs. We explored all the shops, ate some fantastic Amigo's Mexican food, and rode the Trolly after we couldn't go anymore because there was still so much to see! Downtown Eureka Springs has it all and I absolutely recommend taking the family for an experience that you won't forget. We will definitely be returning to Eureka soon because there is so much more to see including the famous Crescent Hotel!
I am also getting super excited thinking about our next trip to the Caribbean because it's still cold for spring, and I love the sun and the fun that follows! It will be our 7th trip on Carnival Cruise Lines and our 3rd trip on the mighty Vista. The Vista is one of the larger ships of the Carnival fleet so its ride is smoother, but you have to wait longer in the buffet line. Everything has its pros and cons though! This trip is 7 days and we are making stops in Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. It will be our first time seeing Montego Bay and while I dream of it, I hear the following song playing on repeat in my head.
We are fortunate to be able to make these trips a couple of times a year and this next trip will have been one year since our last Carnival cruise. I can taste the burritos from the BlueIguana Cantina while I'm writing. I generally eat one a day and found out they do street tacos as well on our last trip. Another one of Cody and I's enjoyments is food. These cruises fancy our taste buds every trip and we definitely overindulge while we sail away. We also pound down a few Guy's Burgers with delicious fries and visit the Lido Buffet several times throughout our tips. My favorite dish is the lobster rolls at the Seafood Shack which I enjoy a couple of times each trip. Cody gets mad because you actually have to pay to eat there unlike most options on the ship.
Besides eating we will spend a few dollars in the Casino, and take a nap. watch an IMAX movie or a movie on deck, take a nap, ride the Sky bikes over the ocean, take a nap, maneuver the ropes course and hit the water slide before dipping in a hot tub, and then take another nap before going to see a live show like Flick or America Rocks! There are so many onboard activities that it's impossible to fit them in on one trip and that's before we even hit the ports! Since we have never been to Montego Bay, Cody and I will just explore the area and enjoy the sights there. While at Cozumel, we will lay on a beach and Cody will drink something fruity with an umbrella while I people watch, point, and laugh. We may swim with the dolphins at Grand Cayman or snorkel around a sunken ship and coral reef. Who knows? There are so many options that its endless FUN!
So that will be our next cruise, but we also plan on cruising to Alaska and whale watching whenever the Aurora Borealis is most prevalent. I don't like cold weather but will put up with it to see something new. The Alaska trip is honestly something I will have to make Cody do. He's not as excited about it as I am, but he definitely shares a dream cruise with me. Our dream cruise? A 15-day cruise around the Mediterranean Sea. I'd like to hit as many ports and countries as possible with the hopes of one day returning to Nice, France. Nice is the greatest place I've ever seen! The beaches were rock and the people were naked. It was quite an eye-opener for a 16-year-old boy. Nice is also the first place I have ever seen a homeless guy smoking crack out of a glass pipe. I did not realize it at the time, but as a recovered addict that is something I will never forget.
One day I will have to write about that Summer of 1996 trip across Europe, it was definitely something else and probably the reason I dream of cruising the Mediterranean. I also dream of cruising the Mediterranean because it's always been my dream to visit Greece and hopefully that will happen then. I honestly need to look at a map first just to make sure, lol.
"To travel is to live." – Hans Christian Andersen
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