Au Chocolat! Its divine flavor has been savored for centuries and centuries. It was referred to as "money growing on trees." Truth! Mayan culture used cacao beans as currency, which was valued higher than gold. The growth of these trees was restricted to keep the value up. Regardless of the value or the restrictions, chocolate has remained a family favorite. I maintain a healthy relationship with it.

It is all about the chocolaterie, they make and sell the chocolate right there on the shop. It is no wonder my day began and ended with them. It even had a cafe attached to it, just for people like me. A little coffee and chocolat... go a long way to making me happy.

As many of you know, I have been sailing the high seas for over a month. I left in the dead of winter Sadly, it is almost time to return to the home of record. I say sadly, but, I have missed my life, even though it has been the epitome of peace, I miss the people that I left behind, it being time to go back to reality, being so far and away from it.

I have never been on a ship that had its own chocolatier and I must say, I may not be prepared to go without again. Of course, I am kidding, each vessel has its own special something about it. Sometimes, it is the Broadway shows that they have, other times, it might be the huge waterslides they have, or perhaps the food. The atmosphere is important too. Sometimes nothing special is exactly what makes it so special. I do not need to be entertained. Just feed me and we will call it a day. Perhaps a couple of times a day. One of them could be chocolate.

Jean-Philippe Chocolate & Cafe. The French master chocolatier gets some prime real estate on the Galleria Meraviglia -- the main promenade -- with this showcase to his and his sous-chefs' talents. The cafe is part open kitchen, part display, part cafe and part chocolate shop, with a few seats by the porthole windows to relax over a cup. The emphasis is really on the extraordinary creations that the chocolate team make onboard (turtles, octopuses, reefs), which are displayed in glass cases, like expensive watches or jewelry, in front of the open kitchen. You can't buy these, but you can buy an exquisite chocolate shoe for a reasonable 29 euros (for one, not a pair), and which are apparently the best-selling chocolate item for sale onboard. The coffee's not too bad, either. Opens early in the morning and closes late at night. source

Jean-Philippe Chocolate is located on Deck 6, in the middle of the ship, termed: midship. There is always something going on at the chocolatier, which opens to the ship at 7 am and closes at midnight. Long before they open, they are working towards presenting fine chocolate confections for the day. Everything is first class with them.

Below is a picture that I took of a display at the entrance of the cafe. Each one of the pieces is made of chocolate, by the Master himself. It moves like the inside of a clock, always in motion. It has been running for years and years, ever since the christening of the ship, the theMereviglia, an Italian ship owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. The beautiful piece of chocolate artwork has stopped running with a few of the pieces cracking and one breaking off. I imagine it will be redone or another piece will be made soon. It is still a showstopper and I love it as much this time as I did when I was first introduced to it four years ago. The youtube video at the bottom shows it being made and working if you care to take a peek.

The kitchen or prep area is full of all the ingredients needed to make the day a success! I was on board for Valentine's Day and I must say that the entire ship was sweet, all day long! :) Perhaps even a few days before that. I had many challenges posting, which is why I didn't do very much, or truly only a few this month. The ship has been beautiful, the food amazing, and the travels, from port to port intriguing, and interesting, and certainly a few places I want to go back to for an extended time.

The talent to create this "Little Shop of Horrors" character. They are displayed all over the cafe, not for sale, but, for all to enjoy. It brought a smile to my face every time I saw a new one.

Take a moment of peace, quiet your soul, then, open wide and let the sunshine in. This melody of life brings joy to my heart, now and again. Now and again. It doesn't take vacations or dining out to make a beautiful day. Each and every day is special because I am upright and breathing. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

And in keeping with the beauty...Inhale the magic of it all. Flowers. Always. To color my world. #alwaysaflower.

Thank you for visiting my post 💖 Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people. Some days, it is not as easy to see, just how wonderful it really is. Me, I try to do my part. Kindness counts. Wherever you go, whatever you do.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Shakespeare