Setting sail

Following our days in Chicago, we joined mom, dad, Tim, Kathi, Samantha, and Tyson on a Miami-bound flight. Once again, Nicholas entertained, free of charge. As this was a smaller plane (an Embraer), he was able to keep everyone on the flight busy holding their ears as he alternated between screaching and screaming.

We spent Friday night at the Days Inn Miami Airport North. My only comment on that subject is don't go there unless you get a really good price (like $22). A good clue to the type of the hotel is the website's indication that the hotel is located close to the dog track. The kids enjoyed playing in the pool, though, and I didn't mind the close proximity to an IHOP when it came to breakfast the next morning. By that time, Steen and Matthew had flown in from Stockholm and our family was complete -- and ready for our cruise.

The cruise was an amazing gift from mom and dad to all of us. It was a 7-night trip, with stops at Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and Labadee, Haiti.

We boarded Royal Carribbean's Liberty of the Seas at 1 on Saturday afternoon (the Liberty is to the left in the 2nd photo below -- I think it's amazing how she towers over the other ship).

From that point on, I lost all track of time. We relaxed, enjoyed the lack of dishes to wash or beds to make, pampered ourselves, and ate (and ate and ate -- you can eat 24 hours a day on an RCCL ship). We took time to talk and catch up with each other without the everyday stresses of work and home life. It was a wonderful, unforgettable trip.

Among the highlights (in no particular order):

- Hanging out in the stateroom with mom (after putting Nicholas to bed), sharing our thoughts and laughing together

- Vegging on a floating mat at the beach in Labadee, Haiti (as you can see, mom had ensured floating mats for all of us) and watching the kids -- old and young -- have a ball on the giant water slide

- Shopping with dad at A Touch of Gold in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, where he helped me get an excellent price on a beautiful ring commemorating my three boys. We always make a pretty good team. (By the way, he also managed to pick up something that glitters in the sun for mom while we were there!)

- Watching Matthew and Lucas conquer the Flowrider (and their own initial fear) in bodyboarding

- Treating myself to the Ladies' Night special, which included a facial, back and shoulder massage, foot and ankle massage and scalp massage. Heavenly!

- Watching the sunrise from our balcony

- Having the most amazing photos taken of our little ones

- Dinner at Chop's Grille -- definitely one of the best I've had in ages

- Congratulating mom, and then dad, on their respective Blackjack Tournament wins... and congraulating Tim on blowing the competition away at the Slots Tournament

- Yelling BINGO and winning over $200 (yes, we are one happy gambling family)

- Seeing the excitement on Samantha, Lucas and Steen's faces when they returned from their treetop adventure on St. Maarten

- Watching Samantha and Tyson take excellent care of their newest cousin, as well as seeing all five of the cousins grow closer to each other as the days passed

- Wandering around Puerto Rico and buying myself the most expensive purse I've ever owned (far beyond my usual JCPenney extravagances)

I'm sure there were plenty more. Times like these are precious to me, especially as we get so little time together with mom and dad or with Tim and Kathi and their kids. I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves.

Here are some random pictures. Let me know if any of you need an explanation.

Doo-Buy

All quiet here for too long, I admit. But (there's always a but!) we've been away on a week-long trip to the UAE... "we" being Steen, Nicholas and I. A quick overview of our week of sun and relaxation:


Day 1
Scratch the relaxation part! Our trip started on a very frustrating note when trying to check in with Qatar Airways in Stockholm. The credit card we had used to book the tickets was stolen in December. At that point, I called the airline to ask what we needed to get on the plane and was told that we just needed a note from the bank stating that the card had been stolen and had been replaced. Done -- letter acquired.

Ha ha!!! The letter was not good enough for checking in. "Sorry", the lady behind the desk says, "this letter is useless. I need the original credit card number." I ask her if she's telling me that we will not be allowed to travel to Dubai, and she just shrugs her shoulders. She can see our reservation but refuses to print boarding passes without the original number. If I had known that, I would have brought it! For the next 45 minutes, Steen tries to talk some sense into her, while I try to get the number. I call the lost-card phone number when I realize that it is 9 p.m. and the bank's customer service is closed. The person on the other end of the line (in sharp contrast to the check-in counter lady) is sweet and helpful and, at last, we have the number and are allowed to check in. Just in time, as they are getting ready to close the gate.

Despite this minor speedbump, we make our flight. Nicholas proves himself to be a dream to travel with (anything, mom, as long as I don't have to sit in that horrible carseat!).

Day 2
We arrive in Doha, Qatar early in the morning and have around two hours to grab something to eat before our next plan departs. The flight to Dubai takes only an hour.

When we land in Dubai, I don't yet know what hotel we'll be staying at, as Steen has kept it a secret. However, I was soooo happy when he told the cab driver to take us to the Ras Al Khaimah Hilton Resort and Spa. It is a beautiful set of buildings with four rooms each set along a mile of sandy, quiet beaches. Flowers everywhere, despite the fact that this is the desert. On our way there we passed camels wandering around near the highway. I couldn't imagine such a paradise in the middle of the desert.

We checked in and had our first experience with the Resort's amazing staff. This experience included the magical information that we had been upgraded to a suite, which the manager took us over to see. Full view of the beach and the water. Beautiful...


We spent the afternoon unpacking and scoping out the place.

Day 3
Beach beach beach. Nicholas took his first dip in the ocean, which he didn't like, and later in the day his first swim in the pool, which he found more agreeable. I got a pedicure. Steen had a massage to work out the kinks from the Vasa race. He came back looking dreamy and relaxed. Relaxed! Remember, this is Steen we're talking about!


Day 4
Repeat of Day 3 without the spa services. We took a shuttle into town in the evening to do a bit of shopping. At dinner, Nicholas kissed his first gilfriend, a blond-haired, 20-something Italian tour guide who fell in love with him. A nice wet sloppy kiss on her cheek. Later in the week, she asked if she could marry him. He has good taste.

Day 5
This was our "see Dubai" day, but since it was Friday, all of the sights we really wanted to see were closed until late afternoon, i.e. until 30 minutes before the only shuttle back to our hotel. Poor planning on our part. We spent the day on a double-decker tour bus, where we learned that in Dubai we should "Do-buy!".

Day 6
Despite my pessimism ("Seriously, I don't think it's going to be a good idea to take a 4-month old on a tiny boat for a day), Steen booked us on a trip to Oman, where we spent the day lounging around on cushions on a traditional boat... and sailing around the fjords. We saw dolphins. We ate rice, curry and fruit. Nicholas had his first banana and he slept under a little tent a local man who worked on the boat made for him.
It was just as relaxing as the resort.

Getting into and out of Oman took 3 hours out of our day, but Steen offset that potentially boring situation by entertaining our little tour group. At the checkpoint, he took Nicholas to change his diaper. He walked into the first bathroom he could find, which was a women's bathroom. A women's bathroom in a very conservative country where there are very strict rules about how men and women should interact. A women's bathroom at a border crossing where there were hundreds of army and policemen milling around. Yes, he did. And then he proceeded to lay Nicholas right up on the counter and change his dirty diaper in the presence of I don't know how many women. Well, maybe you had to be there, but it was hilarious. He was lucky he didn't get arrested. Or maybe I would have been arrested. That kind of stuff is women's work, you know.

Day 7
Repeat of day 3, except I had a massage. The most relaxing, perfect massage I've ever had. Can you believe Steen actually managed to lay relatively still on a beach for three of our six days there?
Day 8
6 o'clock pickup. Fog everywhere. Nicholas screaming from his carseat the whole way to the airport (around 2 hours). I'm sure we made that driver's day!!! Then the plane ride back to reality.... and here we are.

Throughout our stay in the UAE, I was surprised by the warm reception we all received. Everyone we met wanted to talk with Nicholas. The service was impeccable across the board. The culture that we did get to experience was interesting and exciting.

Matthew and Lucas spent the week tiring out their thumbs (playing Nintendo DS) and walking Frida the dog at their grandparents' in Denmark. (They did manage to put down the DS and do some other things during the week, like see a movie, visit Susanne and go swimming!). For taking on the boys for the entire week, I send out my thanks to Steen's parents... Thank you!!!