Weddingbee

We didn’t go overboard with shopping because there was always so much to do! However, here are the highlights of our purchases…

1. Cuban Cigars
I’m not a cigar smoker but Mr. Peony appreciates good cigars (his roommate in high school was a cigar aficionado).

On the night we arrived on the islands, there was a mini-festival/fair right by the ship. Of course, the boys made a beeline for the cigar stand.

2. Gombey Pepper Jam
If you are a spicy-food-lover like me, you HAVE to try these pepper jams from the Bermuda Jam Factory.

There are six levels of spiciness, and you can eat it with crackers, chips, bread, pretzels….anything! I bought two jars, and I’ll probably be making more purchases online when I run out.

3. Bermuda Rum Cakes

Apparently, Bermuda is famous for its rum cakes. We visited the Bermuda Rum Cake Company, where we saw the bakers in action:

This sign was hanging by the sampling stations:

We bought several rum cakes, including a sampler package of the different flavors. Everyone loves them (although my mom admitted to becoming a bit drunk after eating half a mini-cake )! Neither Mr. Peony nor I like sweets much, but these are just so moist and so yummy.

4. Leica D-LUX 3
I had written about possibly getting the Canon G9 when it is released. Although I had been saving and anticipating the release date, I still had a nagging feeling at the back of my mind, because I have a love/hate relationship with Canon digital cameras. I love them for the great images they produce…by other photographers. I have owned several Canons (including the SD700, which I have now), but they just never did it for me. I still think back wistfully to the trusty Casios and Nikons I once owned.

As mentioned previously, the cruise ship had everything, including numerous shops. One of these shops was a photography store, where you can purchase prints of photos of yourself that had been taken by the ship’s many photographers, print photos from your own digital camera, and buy cameras and camera accessories.

One of the cameras they had in stock was the Leica D-LUX 3. I had read about this beauty last year when it was announced, but I couldn’t get over the hefty price tag. But after playing with it on the ship (and probably annoying many salespeople along the way), I fell in love with it.

I went online and compared Royal Caribbean’s price for the camera with other vendors - Royal Caribbean’s price was equal to the lowest I could find online. In addition, it was duty-free and tax-free!

So after some careful deliberation over the period of a few days, I decided to go for it. My justification for such a big purchase was that because I keep buying cameras I like but don’t love, I end up getting a new model every year anyway. I love this one and I plan on keeping it for at least a few years.

I got the sexy brown leather case for it as well:

After having played with it for a couple of weeks now, I can honestly say that this is the best digital camera I’ve owned (and I’ve had about 10 ). I can see why the Leica brand has a cult following, and I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants the features of a DSLR in a compact body.

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