Bahamas 2005:
Day 3 - Nassau

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Bahamas 2005: [Day 1 - Miami] [Day 2 - Coco Cay] [Day 3 - Nassau] [Day 4 - Miami]

	Sunday, December 11, 2005: We slept in this morning and awoke to a giant boat docked next to us. Prior to this, we had declared our ship superior to all other ships we had seen, but it was time to face reality.
	This ship kicked our ship's butt ...
	... and to make matters worse, she was one of our own -- a Royal Caribbean ship, Voyager of the Seas! We hung our heads in shame and went ashore to take a walking tour of Nassau.
	First order of business? Addressing Parliament! Debbie faced the Nassau Parliament building and voiced her concerns, including the price of Diet Cokes in the ship's minibar. Her constituents, Gina and Brent, added their grievances as well.
	Another couple of blocks into our walking tour, Tom and Brent received some good health advice from the Bahamas government.
	We don't know what these are, but there sure were a lot of little green things on these trees.
	We headed up the hill to Fort Fincastle. You can read all about the fascinating history if you click on the photo to see the larger version.
	The top level of the fort affords a great view of the harbor.
	Turn in the other direction, and you'll see the water tower and the vendor stands that line the road to the Queen's Staircase.
	We walked down the Queen's Staircase and remarked that it was much more pleasant to walk down than it would have been to walk up instead. It was a pretty little area carved out of the hillside.
	We continued down hills and up staircases, making a large circle of the main Nassau shopping area.
	At this point, we paused our photography for a visit to Nassau's straw market. Next, we headed down Bay Street, stopping in jewelry stores, perfume stores, and liquor stores, but mostly just window shopping. The men were compelled to stop at every display of watches.
	With shopping bags full of Goombay Punch, light-activated shirts from Del Sol, and straw market bargains, we headed back to the ship for lunch.
	Back onboard, we got a shot of the straw market and Señor Frog's.
	Facing the other direction, we could see the resort Atlantis.
	Here's a closer view.
	Once fed, we had the strength to endure the intense pain of airbrushed tattoos. Alina from Romania did her best to make the experience as painless as possible.
	Tom selected the Eye of Ra.
	Five temporary tattoos call for a group shot, don't you agree?
	Next, the boys decided it was time to conquer the rock-climbing wall. Brent went first and made it all the way to the top.
	He was so happy with the experience that he talked Tom into trying it.
	The instructor got Tom belted up ...
	... and he, too, made it to the top.
	Next, we had fifteen spare minutes before heading to our next adventure, so we played a quick round of ping pong.
	Gina and Brent struck their best ping pong champion pose ...
	... while Tom and Audrey did the same.
	In the end, both teams were evenly matched ...
	... and a good time was had by all.
	Our next stop was the Schooner Bar, where cruise staff member Martin hosted a general trivia game. With only one team as opponents, we knew we had a good shot, but we obliterated the competition and came away with Royal Caribbean keychains and water wallets as prizes.
	Once again, it was time to dress for dinner. Gina managed to combine trashy with classy by showing off her new sun ankle tattoo.
	We gathered in the Viking Crown Lounge at the very top of the boat for a pre-dinner cocktail during sunset and sail out. Here is the view of the ship from our seats in the lounge ...
	... and the view of Nassau's harbor slipping away as we headed north.
	It was possible to look straight down from the lounge as well. What a lovely view of the hot tub. This photo was taken by one of the gentlemen squires in our group.
	It was Mojito Madness hour in the lounge, so most of us tried one in various flavors such as mango and strawberry. They tasted a lot like very strong margaritas with mint leaves mixed in.
	As the sun went down, the view on deck got sparklier.
	Before we knew it, Mojito Madness was over and we were off to our final dinner in the Maytime dining room. Headwaitress Vilma joined us for a photo ...
	... as did our assistant waiter Matka from Croatia and waiter Adan from the Philippines.
	We ordered a couple more bottles of champagne to celebrate our last night on board. Cheers!
	Vilma led the wait staff in another song and introduced the chef's staff.
	After dinner, we ran into Martin again. Like all of the staff on the ship, he was very nice and didn't seem to mind posing for a photo with the ladies. This must happen to him all the time.
	After dinner, it was time for salsa music in the Paint Your Wagon nightclub.
	First, Brent and Audrey took Debbie and Tom onto the dance floor. A nice young man spotted Gina sitting alone and got her out on the floor as well. The second dance featured Audrey and the nice young man, and Brent leading Gina.
	Next, it was Tom and Audrey, while Gina continued dancing with Brent. Clearly, Gina had gotten her groove back.
	The nightclub was nearly empty, except for our party, the nice young man, a group of young women with some great dance moves, and these two little tots with their families.
	Digital cameras are fun! We took many, many photos, most of which are not published here.
	Back at the ladies' suite, it was time for a last-minute birthday celebration. A towel-based lobster awaited us with chocolates and our schedule for the next day.
	We opened our birthday crackers, read our birthday cards, and donned our birthday crowns and tiaras before enjoying the night air on the balcony and then saying good night. Day 4 >