Christmas Cruise - Day 2

Good morning, Ensenada, Mexico! We woke up to thick fog, which burned off some by the time we got up to the buffet for breakfast. The bay at Ensenada was beautiful. My photo, through the restaurant windows on the 11th deck, does not do the sight justice. The fog wasn't cooperating though. As soon as it burned off, it rolled back in. Ahh, but it was late Diciembre! La dia de la noche antes de Natividad! (My spanish is very rusty! Please pardon me if I have this backwards or wrong, I hope I'm close.)

After breakfast we got ready and in line for our excursion to the wineries of Ensenada. There were several excursion options to choose from. All allowed you to see bits of the local culture of this part of Mexico. Some of the choices were to... the City Center for Folk Dancing and getting serenaded by the Mariachi band, seeing Fox Studios Baja which features films like Titanic, Pearl Harbor, Tomorrow Never Dies. Whale watching season had just started when we were there and runs through March...just to name a few.

Our excursion took us by bus to the wineries, over the hill and away from the fog of Ensenada. Our tour guide was "Macy." She was very comical, she had a great sense of humor. As we drove through the town of Ensenada, Macy would tell us about points of interest. The bus ride was a good 40 minutes to the first winery.

Our first stop, L.A. Cetto Winery... They have this huge fiesta patio overlooking the Guadalupe Valley. It's said they have private parties and weddings there. Below the patio is a bullfighting ring. I was glad there were no bulls to fight on the day we toured here, but I found it interesting that bull fighting is still very much alive in Mexico.

Valle de Guadalupe << The Guadalupe Valley was absolutely beautiful, and it was December 24th, winter! As I stood there, overlooking this gorgeous valley, I could imagine the field in full bloom and how beautiful it must be.

Our second stop, Bodega de las Misiones...

Then back to the ship, and the fog... On the way back from the wineries, Macy asked us how we all liked our tour. She then pulled out a bottle of tequila from the L.A. Cetto winery for us to toast to a great day! She passed clear little dixie cups and the bottle, telling us all to take as much as we wanted, as we trucked on down the road. As the bottle was being passed, Macy explained there was three ways to drink tequila. She told of the first two ways to drink tequila, and said the third way was nasty. All she could say was that she had tried this third way, three times, and now has three daughters! lol

Dinner was wonderful, again! Father John ordered escargot for horderves, along with his usual gourmet cheese and fruit selections. He insisted we at least try the escargot... How could I say no to a priest? I tried it, and it wasn't bad. There was an excellent garlic sauce over them. Yep, they were pretty good. I only had one though. Everyone's dinner was perfect.

Father John and Ed joined us after dinner for the Magic Show in the Sound of Music Theatre. They had spent their day preparing for the Midnight Mass which would be in the same theatre later that night. It was Christmas Eve. We got the impression that Father John cruises frequently, doing the Catholic holiday surmons. My guy was even invited to cruise with him this coming spring. I was told I would have to pay for myself if I wanted to go along...?? Hmm... split my share of the cost with my guy! Another cruise with my guy and Father John? Sure! Wouldn't that be great!

After dinner and before everyone left the dining room, the Head Waiter announced they would be having an unplanned Chocolate Bar outside the main dining room, at 11:30pm! (I wonder if they thought we were all tired and needed sugar to make it to Midnight Mass?) It sounded wonderfully delightful! Mmmmm....

We saw the Magic Show and barely made it back to our room. We both were so exhausted from all the excitement. We had every intention of going to the Midnight Mass, but fell asleep before the Chocolate Bar was even put out! We missed them both! Too much fun, too much good food, too much, too much... What a day!