Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, July 27, 2015

2001 Honeymoon Cruise

Dear Blog Friends,   I am going down 'memory lane' today to share some pictures of our honeymoon in September of 2001.  As most of you know,  we were married on June 23 that year and took our cruise that September.  We flew to San Juan,  Puerto Rico---and caught the "Monarch of the Seas" (Royal Caribbean) there.  That week we visited St. Thomas,  St.  Maarten,  Antiqua,   St. Lucia,  and Barbados.  It was an awesome cruise and we loved every minute of it.

BUT--while on that Honeymoon,  something terrible happened in our dear USA...  September 11, 2001 happened.... GADS...  We got bits and pieces about the tragedy while on ship ---but didn't get the magnitude of what had happened until we headed back home on September 16.   When we got to the Atlanta Airport,  it was almost vacant.. That was the weirdest feeling I have ever had.... Needless to say,  we were glad to be home,  but so sad for our country and all of the lives that were lost.

Here are a few pictures I chose from that cruise ---and all of the side trips we were able to take that week.   Hope you enjoy the pictures!





We loved our seaplane ride over the Virgin Islands.  Look at the color of that water!



St. Lucia was BY FAR our favorite island... We loved the catamaran ride --and also the tour of the banana plantation and an active volcano.



The tour of this plantation was SO interesting at St. Lucia.



My idea of paradise!!!!!!  This picture was taken from our catamaran.



It was neat taking a ride in a submersible....  I love seeing what is deep down in the ocean... Gorgeous!



We also enjoyed this tour.  It was a beautiful church --and plantation at Barbados.



The beautiful coastline is what I remember the most about Antiqua.



See why we love St. Lucia?  SO many pictures ---and so much beauty all around!!!



We enjoyed gorgeous sunsets every evening (and sunrises every morning) from our ship.
Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the MANY pictures from our Honeymoon Cruise in 2001...  I enjoyed taking you down "memory lane" today!!!

George and I both are doing fine.  We both are working hard on healthy eating and lots of exercise these days!!!! The biggest joy is our 2.5 mile walks each evening at sunset (and in darkness) around nine holes of our golf course on the cart path (AFTER the golfers leave).   One of these days I'll share some of our pictures with you from some of these nightly walks.

Hugs,

45 comments:

Jo said...

Wow, that was some tour. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos of your honeymoon tour. You and George are so healthy and fit these days - even more so than in 2001. Yes, 9/11 was even a great shock to us here miles away from the US. Blessings. Jo

Anonymous said...

What a great trip - with so many beautiful sights!

Ms. A said...

And you were already wearing matching shirts, even back then! How many of those do you think you've collected over the years?

Small Kucing said...

I still recall 911. on the 12th when i got into the car to go to work, saw the newspaper reported about World War. Whole front page the image of the Towers.



Lovely trip you have there. glad you have all those lovely photos

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Lovely a post from you again and such a special post at that. This was crtainly a trip of a lifetime. Such gorgeous places you visited.I am glad tht you and George are continuing your healthy regime. Keep it up and tell George I miss his Rose photos!

Ann said...

Thanks for the tour. The islands are beautiful. I would love to go on a cruise some day and that would be my destination

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a lovely honeymoon! Those pictures are wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

Margie's Musings said...

It looks like a lovely trip. Air flight is such a hassle anymore that it took all the fun out of travel for me.

diane b said...

What a wonderful way to spend a honeymoon. You look very happy and the photos and scenery are beautiful. My nephew lives on St Lucia, I would love to visit him one day but it is sooooo far away from here.

Marcia said...

Wondered where you were. Keeping busy with other things I guess. Great tour of the islands! Lovely sights!

linda m said...

What a beautiful cruise. Thanks for sharing it with us. Glad you are both well and doing fine. Walking the cart path on the golf course after hours is a fantastic idea. Can't wait to see the pictures.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Betsy, I love these images of your honeymoon trip! What a great cruise. I am happy to hear your and George and doing so well and keeping up with your exercise. Have a happy week ahead!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Isn't it fun to look back on memories like this? Thanks for letting us share them with you. It looks like it was a wonderful trip at a wonderful time in your lives.

Linda G. said...

Isn't it great to be able to walk down memory lane. I have never been on a cruise, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Your photographs are beautiful from that cruise. Wonderful memories!

Jeevan said...

Wow! You both share great enthusiasm on the visit and perhaps being a honeymoon trip... the islands look quite paradise. Love all the views captured from the land, sea and sky.
Glad you able to enjoy the trip despite the Sep 11.

David said...

Betsy, Your honeymoon was a bit more luxurious than ours! We spent 2 nights at an upscale hotel in Kansas City. Your honeymoon adventure looks like it was a lot of fun... 2.5 miles per night! I'm impressed... We try for 3 visits to our wellness center per week and we've cut out a lot of carbs. Ya'll are working harder at health than we are. I hope your efforts pay off big time! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Sylvia K said...

Thanks for sharing the fun and the memories, Betsy!! I do love all your captures!! What a great trip!! Hope you have a great new week!! Enjoy!!

George said...

Thanks for bringing back these happy memories through your beautiful pictures. It was a wonderful cruise.

Beth said...

Beautiful. Wonderful memories.
How did you get on this fitness plan? How did you start?
:>) Beth

Fun60 said...

How wonderful to enjoy the memories. It looked a great tour.

Chatty Crone said...

I loved your honeymoon cruise! Betsy you look as happy then as you do now or you look as happy now as you did back then. I think you are a lucky gal and George a lucky man.

Connie said...

Lovely photos from your honeymoon, Betsy! Thank you for sharing this trip down memory lane.

Betsy said...

Beautiful memories and pictures Betsy. Thank you for sharing with us. You can see the love in both yours and George's eyes. I'm so glad you found each other. I love cruising, but my Hubby doesn't so we find other things to do together. After all, it's being together that we love. :-)
Blessings,
Betsy

Arkansas Patti said...

How awful that 9-11 happened while you were basically out of touch. Perhaps it was good you didn't get all the details till you got back.
I always wanted to go to the Virgin Islands. Your pictures paint the same picture I imagined.
Congrats to a favorite couple for your upcoming anniversary. Time to go back to the islands maybe??

Busy Bee Suz said...

Your cruise with all the excursions looks lovely; that water is breathtaking. I think you were better off being away that week; it was tough on us all. Jeff and I went to St. Marrten in 1994. We enjoyed it a lot.
You and George are so inspiring; all your good eating and getting daily exercise. Good stuff!
XOXO

Terri D said...

What a wonderful honeymoon! We didn't have a honeymoon, but that's okay.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Thanks,Betsy,for sharing a peek into your honeymoon. Something tells me that this honeymoon has not ended yet.:) That is so refreshing to see.Love you lots and miss you.

Susie Swanson said...

Oh Wow, thank you for sharing these gorgeous pics with us.. The honeymoon is still on and ya'll are so inspiring. Hugs and much love, xo

The Furry Gnome said...

George has changed a little (like I have!). Beautiful new header picture.

Jazzmin said...

Enjoyed this so much!! Your photos are amazing, I can only imagine the memories that are with you both of how it felt to see these incredible sights in person. What a wonderful honeymoon, and you both look so, so happy... smiles that do not look like they have faded from 2001 to 2015 :)

Blessings and hugs,
Jazzmin

LV said...

So happy TO See YOU BACK. I HAVE MISSED YOU BOTH. I ENJOYED GOING DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH YOU. I HAVE BEEN ON A CRUISE TO THOSE SAME PLACES And loved it. My favorite was St. Thomas. You both take care and continue your daily works out. I must get back into it.

Linda said...

Good to hear from you again! Sorry your cruise was marred by a national tragedy.

Sharon said...

Oh Betsy, how much fun to read this and something else for us to talk about next time we are together. We took many cruises early on and did sail on the Monarch. I'll have to try and remember when. Not your exact itinerary because I've never been to St. Lucia, but have been to all the others. Hope to see you soon!

BB said...

These pictures are simply stunning and you guys looked so happy. I know you still are! Yes, that week was one we cannot forget ever. It was a horrific time for our country. Be glad that you were busy having fun. Hugs XX

Lux G. said...

That is so awesome. How I'd love to travel and cruise. Thanks for sharing your experience. Now I know I need to add this place on my must see places. :)

Lux G. said...

That is so awesome. How I'd love to travel and cruise. Thanks for sharing your experience. Now I know I need to add this place on my must see places. :)

Marie said...

so beautiful! thanks for sharing with us. :) hope all is well with you!
hugs,
Marie

Rose said...

It's good to see a post from you...I enjoyed seeing these pics.

Beatriz said...

Dizzying journey that you had, huh! Travel by ship in the Caribbean is a luxury that you certainly deserve! I hope that you still make many of these trips around the world ....
Have nice days Betsy!!!

Bia <º)))<

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, So glad you shared your fabulous pictures of that cruise. I have never been to St. Lucia. Looks very tropical and lovely. Perhaps some day my hubby and I can go there. I hope so. I have been to the U.S. Virgin Islands and yes, they (St. John especially) are gorgeous, too. Have a wonderful Friday tomorrow. It is really rainy here in my neck of the woods this month, by the way.

Sally Wessely said...

What wonderful memories for you. The photos are great.

Manzanita said...

Pictures make such wonderful memories. When you look at them, you are "there," doing it all over again.
Such happy faces you both have and that must have been 14 years ago. In my still crazy purging of a
lifetime of hoarding (close to it) I ran across our wedding photo book. I had to sit down and do the whole day over in memory.

Diary of Dido said...

One word: Beautiful!
I love your blog Betsy!

Kay said...

I'm so glad you're both doing well and exercising. That sounds like a fabulous honeymoon cruise. My daughter and her husband went on it also and had a fabulous time! I love seeing your photos.

A Colorful World said...

Oh Betsy! I loved seeing some of the photos of your honeymoon trip! What an awesome trip it looks like. A beautiful beginning for a special couple!

I am WAY behind with everyone and am trying to get caught up. Sorry...I know I have missed some of your posts.