Our afternoon in Paris

From Toronto I flew to Zurich where I connected to Paris. Dan met me and off we went  to our hotel in Montmartre.  After dropping off my things, we took the Metro to Notre Dame and walked  over one of the Paris lock bridges. Thousands of locks line the bridge...yes romance is very alive in Paris! 

The story goes that the couple writes their names on the padlock then toss the key into the Seine to demonstrate their true love.  The only way the love can be broken is to find they key to unlock the lock.  Good luck!  There are thousands of keys at the bottom of the Seine... Dan and I bought a lock today!

There's always interesting performances by musicians, buskers, mimes etc when walking around Paris. A great jazz little quartet had  our attention for a while.

Dinner  in Montmartre...and a early night.  Tomorrow we take the train to Avignon, rent a car and head over to Forcalquier where we will spend a week.

À demain
Penny

oooh la la – Croissants, Lavender, the Eiffel tower, Wine Cheese... Love is in the air !!!

Dan and his daughter Meredith left for Paris on Sunday.  I am plugging away at work and finishing off things that neeeeed to get done before I leave - you know how it is.  They chatted yesterday with me from their hotel in Paris and are having a great time.  They went to the top of the Eiffel Tower Monday night and walked a gazillion miles around Paris yesterday.  Meredith convinced her dad that an evening bicycle tour around Paris was a good idea, but I'm not sure Dan agreed. Still off they went - fun but a little hectic!

They also have a small private evening tour booked for the Louvre to see some of the highlights there.

I leave tomorrow and unfortunately will cross paths with Meredith in the air.  She leaves at 9:00 AM Friday and I arrive at 10:00.  There is something very romantic about my handsome husband greeting me at the airport in Paris!  Maybe I should run to the washroom and change into something before I see him...what shall I wear?

À bientôt ...

Penny

Likuliku, Our Favourite Place in Fiji

 



 

What impressed us most at Likuliku was the staff and the service.  We have been to great hotels around the world, but this was different.  It wasn't "taught" customer service...it was sincere. It was from the heart.  I believe it was and that is what  is important.  They wanted to help or accomodate us all the time.  Even when they were unable to do something, they made every effort they could...and that makes LikuLiku  unforgettable.

 

 

 

I spoke above to Tulia, the Hotel Manager about what makes LikuLiku so special.

 

 

I loved it here...

 

 

Yes they sold snorkelling excursions, but Tom recommended that we check out the snorkelling from the pier first. It really was spectacular.  Dan could have stayed in the water all day.

 

One excursion we did purchase was the Sunset Cruise.  We highly recommend it!  It was Coolie, the guitar player , Sam- our pilot , Dan and me.  They served champagne and a beautiful antpasti platter...it was soooo romantic- an amazing sunset, floating in a stunning lagoon, music and the love of my life.

Pinch me...is this a dream?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

And Sam...you promised me the next clam you brought over to the lagoon, you would name Penny...We will be back someday...Thank you - Vinaka to all the staff at LikuLiku.

Two more nights on the mainland before our journey back to Canada.


 

Likuliku, Absolutely Stunning!

Our transfers were on South Sea Cruises.

Once upon a time across the bluest of oceans, an island was born of lava and sand - an untouched paradise whose heart was a turquoise lagoon of unimaginable beauty and tranquility.  The first visitors came and explored.  To honour the magic of the place, they named it "Likiliku", meaning "calm waters"

(taken from www.LikulikuLagoon.com)

Our beautiful room at Likuliku. The bed faced huge picture windows facing the lagoon.

A plunge pool and day bed outside of the room with a view of the lagoon-simply paradise...

We found this in our room upon arrival and took it to dinner the first night.

Below the Executive Chef, Ihaka Peri and his team present exquisite dishes...

We loved it here...and the service levels here were simply outstanding.

 

Dan took this picture when we were snorkelling off the pier of Likuliku.  There were a gazillion fish - it was almost overwhelming....

 

The torches were lit each night.  The resort is so romantic....
More on Likuliku to follow.

Mana Island Resort and Spa in Fiji

Mana Island Resort - a chat with Sami

Always serenaded on arrival...

Captain's Lounge on our South Sea cruise transfer was air conditioned and had drinks and snacks!  It was a very pleasant trip.

Now which snorkel should we choose?

A conversation with John, the dive master ...do sharks bite?!!!!

A beautiful deserted beach....

Dan is enjoying a morning snorkel

The water was so clear...and warm

Sunset Beach on the other side of the island was a little bit of a walk to get to but well worth it.

Look, in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane....no....it's a bat!

They were plentiful!

Our bure was far from the main building so we were given a cart - without brakes.  Yes the brakes were supposed to be fixed by the repair man but they were not  looked at the entire time we were there. 

 We had to cross an airfield to get to our bure so it was a challenge to stop at this stop sign.  We didn't bump into any planes so it was fine:)

Our honeymoon bure was very nice and looked out over the blue waters of the lagoon.

and another spectacular sunset...
On to Likuliku!

Intercontinental Hotel in Fiji

After our Captain Cook Cruise, we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel for the night. InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa is located on the beautiful and picturesque Natadola Beach on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. A very contemporary hotel, it has every amenity, five restaurants and bars, a world class spa, four swimming pools  great design and facilities but lacked some of the warmth that we had experienced so far.

Here is a little video Camera Guy made....watch the right corner of the frame...I need to find another descriptive word!

The verandah was spectacular! We had a huge bathtub outside with an abundance of candles for a very romantic touch.

It was very spacious...took the picture before we messed it up!

We had a drink at the Cannibal bar - nooooo it is not what you are thinking!  They do not practice cannibalism any longer in Fiji!  

Camera Guy likes the Vonu Lager!

There was a fabulous pool!

Horseback riding at the beach.

Beautiful Natadola Beach

This is a picture I took of Camera Guy by the 'beautiful' infinity pool. 

And an even more fabulous sunset - accompanied with a fire lighting ceremony!

We had a lovely dinner at the hotel but it is important to note that this hotel is a family hotel.  And there were a lot of children running around!  It is unfortunate that some parents just let their children run wild around restaurants.  We experienced that at this hotel - a beautiful setting, good food and kids playing tag around our tables...

Tomorrow off to Mana Island...