When last we left our daring duo, they were off in search of generous libations.
Preferrably containing rum.
Pirates.
Off to Old Port Royale we headed. I was in "let me take my time and soak it all in mode." Fortunately, Tink seems to operate in that mode on vacation in general. It's like an automatic switch with her. Let me just say right now, no matter what happened to us (ha ha ha) on this trip, that my dear Tink is a fantastic travel companion. She's go with the flow, but direct enough to express her own opinion. Quite frankly, we're a match made in heaven.
Now, on our way in search of where the rum had gone, we did end up stopping in OPR for a bit. I checked to make sure an old pass that I had was still valid, and Tink, I believe, had to add a day to hers. Once that was taken care of, the lure of fine Disney merchandising sucked us in.
Basically, we shopped. But only with our eyes.
And all too soon, we spotted it.
Something that screamed out to me. And said, BUY ME BUY ME BUY ME I WASMADEFORYOU!!!!!!!!!!!
I looked at Tink.
I looked at it.
I looked at Tink.
And I said, "Tink...I don't need another $50 hoodie."
And Tink said, "But you have to buy this. It was made for you."
"But I can't buy another $50 hoodie." My resolve was weakening. Crumbling.
But I had other goals in mind. So you'll just have to wait and see how the battle of TK and the hoodie turned out later.
I really loved a lot of the merchandise in the store. Honestly, between the pirate stuff and the variety of girly bags they had going on, I was just thrilled. Quite frankly, I've never seen so many bags that I acutally liked at Disney. Totes, purses, wallets. My, my!
I have some pictures from OPR that were actually taken another day, but since this is the first time we were here, I'll throw them in now.
I felt this sense of peace here. It's weird to say that I felt at peace in a store, but I did. This resort is so much my personality. I knew it when we visited it on my Sept 08 trip and I knew it now, being here with Tink. I was so glad we decided to stay here.
Well, we'd finally had our fill (no purchases yet), and we headed off in search of our ultimate purpose.
A fine drink and a good toast.
But we got distracted along the way by a photo op.
We headed over to the pool bar, and ended up with the nommiest concotion I think I've tasted in many a moon.
The Pina Colava.
Oh, my dear friends. Oh, how good this drink was. It deserves one word. Well, it deserves several, but if it had to be one, it would be NOM.
Nom, nom, nom. It was such a wonderful melding of flavors, the coconut, the bit of raspberry, and the rum. Oh, the rum. It would have made the good captain proud. So proud. Actually, my first taste was a bit potent, because I hadn't mixed it thoroughly and let's just say that our gracious bartender was not only gracious but generous. Bless her.
Tink was kind enough to buy our first drinks, (I know I'm backtracking here), and I had already planned a toast.
See, I was honored that Tink would stay at this particular resort with me. I don't know how many of you have read her trip / pre trip report from her Sept 08 trip, but if you haven't, let me tell you a little something about our dear girl. See, Tink had a grandmother who was very, very special to her. Who took her on trips to the World, and as a matter of fact, CBR was a place that they stayed together. If I remember correctly, it was the last place they stayed together, but I could be mistaken. Tink, correct me if I'm wrong. So, knowing that there could have been some emotions surfacing, I honestly felt honored that Tink would consider a stay here. I know I get a little misty when I walk past things at the World that remind me of my grandfather, never mind whether or not we stayed there together.
So my toast was all planned out.
We'd found a table over by these beautiful flowers,
and just sat looking at out at all that was the CBR courtyard, the pirate pool, the beautiful lake, the gorgeous sky...
...and we toasted.
To her grandmother, and my grandfather. Who I know would both be very proud of us. And who, I entertained the notion, may have even been sharing a few laughs as well, just like we were.
It was a good toast. And a good way to start the trip.