Oh my goodness, we took so many pictures in Cadiz. So much so, that I've decided to break up my Cadiz trip report into three separate posts. In Cadiz, Dan's parents treated the whole family to a bus excursion, taking us to the Bodegas Tio Pepe ( famous Sherry manufacturer) and to see the world famous Jarez De La Frontera horse show. It was a busy day!

Exiting the ship, we took this picture with a "sailor". These Royal Caribbean pictures crack me up. I love the cheesy costumed characters that make the experience a tad awkward.

Cadiz was our last port and by the time we got here, we had become pros at the excursion process. We checked-in, got our stickers and caught our bus without a hitch.

I took a bunch of pictures out of the window as our bus drove to the Bodegas Tio Pepe.

The clouds created some stunning views. I love how these shots turned out, but they pale in comparison to the real deal. You had to be there.

As many of my readers may already know, I spent several years volunteering for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Research Department. I spent a majority of that time on a multi-year flamingo research project. Subsequently, I have a love-hate relationship with the birds. However, one of the coolest moments of the trip came on this bus ride. We drove through a nature reserve and saw a flock of wild flamingos. Although it was a brief glimpse (too quick for a photo), it was really thrilling to see these magnificent birds that I've studied in captivity, flying free.

We found a large bull sign in a field. Our tour guide told us that these signs used to be all over the area, but they are disappearing.

When we reached the Bodegas Tio Pepe, we had a pretty walk to the entrance.

I enjoy taking signage and advertisement pictures. I don't know who this guy is, but I love his snazzy bow tie and colorful poster. Doesn't that make you want to buy tickets?

Next post we will head inside the Bodegas Tio Pepe; celebrity signed sherry barrels and drunk rats!

On a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon during our March trip to Las Vegas, we headed to Margaritaville for lunch. Nothing says vacation quite like umbrella drinks and cheeseburgers in paradise! After parking behind the Flamingo, we became distracted by a large, shiny object. The enormous High Roller Observation Wheel is a new-ish attraction in Las Vegas and one that we had not yet experienced.

The big question...night or day? I love the twinkling lights of nighttime in Vegas, but we decided to just go for it then and there, opting for a daytime ride. At twenty-six dollars a ticket, the daytime rides are ten dollars less than nighttime. The ride lasts for thirty minutes and we had the option of paying thirty-seven dollars for a ride in a cabin with an all-you-can-drink bar. We held out for Margaritas. It was the right choice too, because the cabins with a bar had a long queue. It seemed that it was the option that everyone was choosing. Not only did we not have to wait, but we ended up with an entire cabin to ourselves. Score!

Dan took some panoramas to show off all of our space. It was huge!

At 550 feet, The High Roller is the tallest observation wheel in the world. During the ride, there was a video presentation ( with a mega annoying host) giving facts about Vegas and the wheel. They showed a cool time lapse video of the construction of the wheel.

The view was good, but far from the best in Vegas. The wheel is located mid-strip, behind the Linq and Flamingo hotels, so it's off center. There are much better views to be had from many of the hotels actually on the strip. Still though, we had fun taking pictures.

When we exited, they had several bars ready to go. Drinking is popular in Vegas, who knew?

We also saw some pretty rock decor under the wheel.

Was the wheel worth the price? Meh.

Let me qualify my reaction by letting you know that I'm not a "view" person. Sure, I can appreciate a pretty view, but I get bored with it quickly. Thirty minutes is a lot of time to spend looking at a subpar Vegas view. However, the wheel itself is a bit of a marvel. I've done the London Eye, which was a similar experience. If you've never done anything like it, then absolutely add the High Roller to your Vegas itinerary.

Finally, here is a picture of me with a giant Flamingo that we found on our way to Margaritaville. Many years ago, I spent over two thousand hours gathering observation research on Greater Flamingos at the zoo.