November 4, 2013

It was a dark and stormy night, but dawn dawned. Today started out windy and rainy and stayed rainy

until it stopped. The rain stopped about noon and we went out for about 4 hours – rode the bus to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse (Leroy Jethro was not there – head slap). The climb up 185 stairs was too much for Bonnie. She went up 5, looked up, and said, "I can’t do this," and waited for me to climb. The circular staircase, winding upward for 185 steps is a bit daunting. The sides are open with only the outside wall for support, and the obligatory handrail. Beautiful views, but since I am having such problems posting pictures, you may have to wait till we get home to see them.

After the lighthouse, on the hillside, that over looks the sea, we caught a bus to Hamilton where we ate a sandwich, and guzzled Mountain Dew and Diet Coke and caught the Ferry back. We had 30 minutes to wait before the Ferry came – they are running on winter schedule, so it only comes on the hour instead of every 30 minutes. I took advantage of the time to go back to the Bermuda Book Store and look around. Surprisingly, I bought nothing.

Back onboard there was a greeting card class making, but Bonnie had done the same class in September and had bought the kit. There was another couple who came, but she claimed – rudely – to be a professional scrap book teacher, and this greeting card class was too elementary and she left. Boy some folk are sure impressed with themselves. Since we were the only ones left, we talked to Roberto, the card instructor, for a half hour. He is from Cozumel and was impressed that I knew San Gervaso, a Mayan city on the island. We chatted about Mayan ruins and Mayan culture for a while. And he told us some stories from his 8 years with Royal Caribbean.

Later we played "Who in the world am I?" trivia, scored 10 out of 13 and lost to a perfect score. Did you know Sean Connery’s first name is Thomas?

The entertainment department once again put on a spectacular aerial show in the Centrum. There are four flyers, four dancers, and three singers.

At supper Yolanda and Rainey recounted their day to us. We actually met them, quite by accident at the Lighthouse. They had booked a ship’s tour in a taxi for three hours. I don’t think their driver’s name was Gilligan, but they did smile, and rolled their big brown eyes and got an extra hour and 15 minutes of touring.

The wind kept up most of the day, and only once did a little bit of blue sky peek out. Hopefully it will be a pretty day because I want to go back to St. George’s and get some pictures before we sail. Maybe I can get them posted, because I got some good ones today, too.

November 5, 2013

We headed off this morning into very strong winds blowing directly into our faces. I remarked that I haven’t walked in winds that strong since trying to cross the Quadrangle at Frostburg State College during a winter blizzard many years ago. The waves were crashing up onto the quay and spray was flying like it a summer rain shower. Not unpleasant, but the wind canceled many of the last day’s activities – no kayaking tours or snorkeling tours, and the Ferry to St. George’s, which we wanted to ride, is not going today because of the winds on the western side of the island.

So we wandered around the Dock Yard and went into the Glass Blowing Factory and watched three talented young people making objects from molten glass. There was very little blowing, hardly more than a strong puff to get the shape started – round balls, perhaps Christmas tree ornaments – and then a lot of twirling of the rod to which the glass was attached. There were many precision movements, and all of it was judged exactingly by callipers. Quite interesting.

Then we bought a couple of souvenirs and came back onboard. I will try to post this in a few minutes. Check back, but this may be the last blog for this cruise. I’m not going back out into the wind, and my shipboard account is almost depleted.

Lots of love!
TTFN
Well, TTFN

November 3, 2013

First order of business – Happy Birthday, Carey!

Well, the ship is docking even as I type.  It was neat watching the approach.  The Captain sailed up with the dock on the starboard side and then swung the ship in a circle so that we will be docked with the gangway on the port side.  For all you landlubbers, that’s right, then left.

Docking procedures will be completed in about 30 minutes, then the people who are doing tours will go off first.  We are just going to stay in the area of the Dock Yard today, so it will be 3:30 or 4 until we go off.  Tomorrow we will go exploring, and hopefully get some good pictures to share with y’all.

Strange occurrences in the Bermuda Triangle.  When we sailed in last week, the first night out, the Captain told us to set our clocks ahead one hour so we would be on Bermuda time, then we set them back on the way home.  This time, because of “Fall Back” we did not change our clocks, and the ship is automatically on Bermuda time.  I use my cell phone (on airplane mode) as my alarm clock, and got up this morning at 6:30.  I looked at my watch, which I had not changed, and it was 7:30.  The internal workings of the Droid automatically adjusted for Day Light Savings time, and I was an hour behind schedule.  So, I ate a peanut butter cookie for breakfast, dressed and went to my talk.  I heard a couple other people making a similar comment.  There is a setting on the phone to make it not do that, and I forgot to do it.  But all is well.


Confusion in the scheduling department again, so no protestant service, but there is a Catholic priest onboard – Father John.  I caught the end of his service (it was concluding 30 minutes before my talk was to begin): “The Lord be with you.” “And also with you.”  “Go in peace.”  We chatted for a few minutes.  He serves a church in Bowie, Maryland.  I guess Catholic priests go on vacation on cruises ships and do worship services.  Cool.

Bonnie went to scrap booking class.  They give out free packets at each class and make  interesting

suggestions.  Joyce is the teacher and she is very nice.  She is one of Bonnie’s favorites among the crew.  When we get home my fellow cruiser will produce a masterpiece of this voyage.

I was standing out on Deck 5 watching Bermuda sail by: St. David’s Lighthouse, Fort St. Catherine’s, and other places, when a man walked up to me, expressed appreciation for the talks, and asked, “Have you done talks on other ships?”  We chatted for a while and found out we were on another cruise together when I did my 3-part pirates series.  Another one for the small world department.

Well, Sleeping Beauty has snoozed enough, so it is time to roust her and head out to explore Bermuda.

More later.

TTFN

November 2, 2013

A good crowd for "King’s Wharf: The Gibraltar of the West" this morning. About 75 hearty folk were up early and in the "South Pacific Lounge." The talk went well, and there were a number of questions afterward.

Once again on this cruise there will be no Sunday morning worship led by yours truly. The Catholic chaplain onboard has the 8 a.m. slot, and by the time they asked me about the 7 a.m. time, which would have been fine, the Cruise Compass had gone to press and there was no way to announce the service. So next time.

I told you yesterday that we are once again at Table 206. It is a table for 10, and last night there were ^nd night. That would be tonight, and the first formal night of the cruise.

Yoland and Rainey with Head Waiter Diane

only Bonnie and I and two ladies from Memphis – Yolanda and Rainey (short for Lorraine). We laughed and talked like we had known each other for years instead of for only an hour. They will make for companionable suppers. Typically on the first night of a cruise, the second seating is sparsely attended. With the busy day and the pressures of getting onboard and settled, a lot of people eat in the Windjammer, and show up on the 2

One unpleasantness from supper last night. The ship’s company takes photographs in the dining room twice on the cruise, to induce you to buy memories of the occasion. As he photographed Yolanda and Rainey a drunk came over and asked to pose with them. They graciously allowed it and he performed a David Copperfield. Jerk! For the translation, ask Michael or Matthew to explain it.

Bonnie went to scrap booking class today while I read my newest Bill Bryson: America, Summer of 1927. Good book, featuring Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, Calvin Coolidge and a cast of thousands. We took lunch in the Windjammer where I consumed a hamburger and washed it down with fruit punch. For dessert we went to the Solarium and the Park Café and I asked the server for "a bowl of peanut butter cookies" (I was being silly). He gave me a bowl of peanut butter cookies. When I protested, he said, "You are on vacation! It is okay!" At least they are sugar free cookies. Oh my goodness!

The seas are a little rough today, but Bonnie has on her seasick antidote patch and is doing fine. No problems at all. Actually, she is napping now, and I am writing the blog. It is not possible to nap when Bonnie is napping – unless you get to sleep first – because she SNORES! In fact, when she inhales the ship leans to starboard and when she exhales it leans to port. I repeat – oh my goodness!

We just came back from Movie Love Songs Trivia. It was the same tunes as last week, and we didn’t do any better than last week. We needed a children’s movie expert to help us with Lion King and Shrek .

More tomorrow.

TTFN

One of Bermuda's forts, seen from Snorkel Bay Beach

One of the residents of the aquarium

November 1, 2013

The final sea day on this leg of our cruise was packed with entertainment.  There was an aerial show in the Centrum, with three peformers doing Cirque d’Sole (I know it’s misspeeled) type work.  The ship’s orchestra did 45 minutes of Big Band Music – quite an accomplished group of musicians.  The activities director led about 40 of our fellow cruisers in the “Thriller” dance – doing the old Michael Jackson number, complete with being dressed up and made up as zombies (our friend, Julie Bracket was one of the zombies).  Then there was a farewell performance in the Palladium Theater.  Lots of good stuff.

My talks yesterday and today went well.  Yesterday: The Historic Ships of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  Today: Maryland, My Maryland: Historic firsts and unusual people and practices.

Who is Daisy?

Because of a mixup somewhere, there was no opportunity to conduct a worship service Sunday, but I just had a message from my support person (who I could easily sue for non-support) saying they had scheduled a worship service for the second cruise.

Well, here we are back in Baltimore for a few hours before sailing again to Bermuda.  This really is a great itinerary – it gives cruisers an opportunity to explore a beautiful island and not have to rush back onboard to sail to the next destination.  Of course, island hopping is fun, too.  You really have to work hard to have a bad time on a cruise (we did hear one man complaining about everything – his stateroom, the food, the entertainment – he liked nothing; we speculated at supper that he was wrangling for a refund and therefore, a free cruise).

We are back onboard, having gone off through customs, turned around and came back, and ready to sail again.  We have the same state room, so we didn’t have to pack and move, and when I went to get a table – we have 2nd seating again – the assigned us to the same table.  We had good folks to eat with last week.  Hope we have good companions for supper again.

I did not tell you that your favorite cruisers have trouble keeping up with their stuff.  Bonnie lost her walkie talkie and we reclaimed it from Lost and Found.  I lost my Xoom – I signed a receipt and walked off without it.  A few minutes later I realized my hand was empty and went back and the clerk held it up with a smile.  Oh well.  At least the ship is big and we haven’t lost it.

Stay tuned for more entries – the next one to be posted Sunday evening from Bermuda, with pictures.

TTFN!

Look out Coral!

October 29, 2013

This will be the last blog entry until we dock in Baltimore on Friday.  I am going off ship in a few minutes, purchase a cup of Bermudian coffee and secure 30 minutes of free internet time.  My onboard package is almost gone, and I won’t renew it (at 75 cents a minute), so after today, tune in Friday to catch up before we sail out again.

As Ray Charles sang, or could have sang if he were here instead of there, “When it’s a rainy night in Bermuda, it’s raining all over the world.” Actually, it was a rainy morning, and instead of going to St. George’s to catch some sights we missed in September, we went to Hamilton to the National Aquarium, wanting to stay in out of the rain as much as possible.  Funny thing – the roof of the aquarium leaks.  They had buckets out all over the place.

As luck would have it, her luck at least, we weren’t off the ship 100 yards, and Bonnie’s umbrella turned inside out, making it an interesting walk.  At least it covered her head and shoulders, although not fashionably so, but when it’s raining, dry is a bigger concern.  Yes, I know, we could have stayed on the ship, but why?  What’s a few raindrops among friends.  And it even allowed me the chance to break into song, offering an old standard from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” – “Rain drops keep falling on my head, and just like a guy whose feet are too big for his bed ... dooby dooby do.”

To the person who just said, “Why didn’t he give her his umbrella?” you don’t know my bride very well, do you?  “I’m fine!

After the aquarium, we ate lunch in Hamilton.  And I bought three bottles of full-strength Mountain
Dew.  I don’t think they release Mello Yello outside of Augusta!   Bonnie got a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips, and I made the mistake of sampling the proffered chip.  They should be labeled vinegar and salt, or maybe vinegar and vinegar.  Nasty!

Well, I’m off to post this, then dress for formal night as we sail for Baltimore.  Hopefully I can get the pictures to post properly.  If you click on them, they do enlarge.

More on Friday.

TTFN!

Able-Bodied Seaman

Royal Naval Cemetery

Black Bay Beach

I know it's a rock!

Granny's first cannon pose for the Big Guy

Early weather stone

Instructioins

At the World''s Smallest Drawbridge

Small, really small.

October 28, 2013

Yes, I know the pictures are first, and you'll have to scroll up and down. Local WiFi and my fingers didn't work well.

After a breakfast of a bowl of oatmeal (covered in butter and brown sugar), accompanied by a Chi-wow-wow casedilla (speelling does not count in a blog) for me, and a blue berry muffin and a cup of hot chocolate for Bonnie, we set out.  First stop was the transportation center to buy a two day pass, and then we boarded Old # 7 for Hamilton, with frequent stops along the way.

First stop was the Royal Naval Cemetery.  The first marker was set up in 1819.  The cemetery holds the bodies of naval personnel and their families.  You know that my sense of humor will not stand close inspection, so I was taken in by one tombstone of an “Able Bodied Seaman” erected by his fellows on the occasion of his death by drowning.

Able bodied seaman drowned – never mind! 

But if you are rude, you will get the hub cap joke.  Our table almost got it last night when I was served sliced pork with crab meat covered in hollandaise sauce.  Oh, there’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise!

Next we walked up the road to Black Bay Beach which is “famous” for sea glass.  Bottles, glasses, jars, and what-nots wash overboard or are thrown overboard, break on the rocks and are worn smooth by the action of the waves.  Everyone describes it as a do not miss place.  Well, we didn’t miss it, but if we had, we wouldn’t have missed much.  We’ve heard warnings that if you gather large quantities, security will seize your collection and you’ll return to the ship empty-handed.  Bonnie searched diligently and found 11 worthwhile pieces.  And one seashell.  And one rock (all together now – “I know it’s a rock!  Work with me on this!”).

I wanted to see the Convict Cemetery, but it was off the main road a fair hike, so we did not go.  I thought it was in the area where we were, and I asked a passing postman, but unsure of what time we had dismounted from our last pink chariot, we decided to wait for the next one, and not explore further.  Of the 2,000 convicts buried there, only 12 graves still have markers, and only 4 of those have readable names.  One has the interesting epitaph: “Killed yesterday.  Died today.”

Then we caught the bus to Fort Scaur, erected in the mid-19th century at a time when relations were not good between the United States and Great Britain.  Beautiful views, including one photograph for the Big Guy.

Another photograph this day was of an Early Bermuda Weather Stone.  Read the accompanying photograph.  It’s right more often than the meterologists on Channel 12!

Next it was off to Somerset Draw Bridge, the smallest draw bridge in the world, built in 1620.  The bottom is 18 inches, the top is 21 inches.  It guards a lagoon filled with personal luxury craft.  When we got off the bus I asked the driver where the bridge was.  She said, “We just drove over it.  Walk back to the post office, and there it is.”  Small, indeed.

From there we caught our fourth bus of the day.  This one was driven by a lady who would have been right at home in NASCAR or on the European Grand Prix circuit.  Hold on, this may be a roller coaster and not a bus!  Arriving safely in Hamilton, and there were moments of uncertainty, we took the water taxi back to the Dock Yard and scrambled aboard the Grandeur of the Seas for lunch in the Solarium (if you can call a meal consumed at 3:30 lunch).

And now I am going back off the ship, secure a connection to the local WiFi and post this blog, check emails, and then go to the Pittsburgh Trib Review to see if the Steelers really are 2-5 as one of my shipmates told me.  How long is it until pitchers and catchers report?  Let’s go Bucs!

TTFN!

October 27, 2013

A great crowd this morning for "Flight 19 and the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle"– 150 folks just about filled the South Pacific Lounge.

After naptime we went ashore in Bermuda. The Norwegian Dawn is also docked here in King’s Wharf. The NCL Dawn was the first ship on which we did cruise talks. It was also the ship that had engine trouble one morning as we were at breakfast – we just drifted until Scotty got his wee bairns up and running again.

Last night’s headliner was comedian Gary Mule Deer. Very funny (unlike any production on TBS so advertised). My favorite joke was: Do you put a picture of a run away transvestite on a carton of half and half? He also did a great imitation of Johnny Cash.

As you can see from the photographs, your intrepid cruisers went to the beach – the first beach we have ever walked on during any cruise, and the first ocean water we have stepped into since the beach at Waikiki in 2002. We stayed long enough for a photograph – the water was brrrr cold (the pool at 233 was warmer the day we opened it in May than the Atlantic Ocean in October). Okay. Check that one off the list. Been there. Done that.

Next door to Snorkel Beach is Bermuda Fun Golf. We qualified for senior rate and played 18 holes on a very unusual, and very enjoyable course (it’s uniqueness put us in mind of the course in Pittsburgh that we have played along with the Bro, CJ, and Michael). The course is divided into three sections, Bermuda, the United States, and Scotland, with holes mimicking famous holes in each location. Number 12 is #12 at the Augusta National. I shot par or under on every hole (it is a par 65) except for #12 where I carded a 7 and ended up 2 shots over par (my score was less than my companion’s – Bonnie vows revenge). We may play it again before we leave. We will definitely attack the course next week.

Tomorrow we are going to buy a transportation pass and go exploring.

TTFN.

October 26, 2013

Getting on board the Grandeur of the Seas was the easiest ever. We went to the Pier Coordinator, showed our boarding letter, she scanned our credit card, took our photos and gave us our Sea Passes. Five minutes later we were on Deck 4, and walking up to Deck 9 and the Windjammer Marketplace for lunch – hamburgers and fries. With temperatures a wee bit brisk, the sailaway party was not well attended, at least there weren’t a lot of folks out by the pool. We stayed under cover until we had sailed under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and then went below decks for warmer quarters.

This cruise has more folk on than our sailing in September. We knew that when we boarded because instead of being assigned to first seating as then, we are at the second seating – 8:00 p.m. After having such a great table last time, we were wondering what kind of folk we would break bread with, but Table 206 – also by a window – is filled with companionable cruisers. Three couples are from Boone, NC, and the men, and one woman, are all policemen. Freeze Dirtbag! The other couple is from NC and MD – he is a construction worker assigned to a job in Maryland and she flew up to join him (and boy are her arms tired!). Once again your humble scribe sampled the Bay Scallops Appetizer, and sopped up the juice with several hard rolls. Yum! My entre was a Mojo porkchop, almost 2 inches thick and very good indeed. Creme Brulee for dessert and several cups of good coffee topped off the meal and a good evening.

My first talk, "King’s Wharf: the Gibraltar of the Atlantic" was once again in the South Pacific Lounge, Deck 6, aft, at 9 a.m. It was actually 8 a.m., because the Captain directed us all to set our clocks ahead one hour so we would be on Bermuda time. 60-some brave souls gathered, and only 2 went to sleep. I introduced the Crew at 2042, the Matt Family (told them there was more there than meets the eye), the Herringbones (told them to watch Wheel on February 17) and the East People, and the smiling faces were met with appropriate responses of appreciation.

At lunch today I introduced myself as the Destination Lecturer for this cruise, and two ladies started asking me questions about King’s Wharf. I showed them a bunch of pictures, gave some directions, and they thanked me kindly. Chatting with them, we were late for the first scrap booking class of the cruise, but got there in time for Bonnie to pick up a couple of good ideas – no freebies were passed out as opposed to several on our last cruise.

The folks who frequently hang out at 233 will be interested to know the name of one of our fellow cruisers. I was walking up the stairs from Deck 4, having spoken to Chris, the activities director, when a woman followed me half way up, hollered, "Sir!" and when I turned around said, "You don’t recognize me, I’ll bet." I studied her face for several seconds and agreed with her. From our days at Maranatha – Julie Bracket. One for the small world department.

We have seen a number of the crew that we recognized from last time, and who also recognized us. Sandeep, our stateroom attendant was glad to see us back, as were several of the folks who served us in the dining room. The people in the cruise director’s office with whom I am working are all new this time, no old faces there, except for the cruise director himself.

Tonight is the first formal night of the cruise, and we will be dressing soon in our best bib and tucker, and I will try tonight, not to spill my supper on myself as I did the time I wore my tuxedo. The Slobo-Bobo award for this trip, so far, goes to my bride and traveling companion who poured breakfast down the front of her front.

As you can tell from the accompanying photograph, I once again wore the colors on board, and

engaged in several conversations about the great season the Buccos had. We all agreed, 9 more wins next year! One woman asked me where my Red Sox shirt was, and I told her – with a smile – she should wash her mouth out. Her name is Cindy, and her husband’s name – true story – is Ted Williams. Not "the" Ted Williams (he’s dead, Jim) but Ted Williams none the less. I guess we know who they are rooting for. I did see one man on board sporting dreds, but it was not Cutch, nor was his name even Andrew.

One last note before posting this entry. This is the only cruise we’ve ever been on, including the Atlantic Crossing, that we’ve had to turn the heat on in our stateroom, and heat is on throughout the ship. Hopefully, the weather will warm up tomorrow. The Captain said the six hour forecast was for a high of 75. He said the weather there is changing frequently this time a year, and six hours is all they will broadcast. And we brought our swimming suits!

Well, TTFN!

Last Day :-(

But home on Friday :-)

It takes so long to get here and then it’s over so quickly.

First of all, correction, and apologies to Matthew, who took a degree in web design and also knew the answer to HTML. Sorry, son! And good on ya mate!

We ate lunch in the Solarium today, and I had the second best egg salad sandwich. The best is served
at the Augusta National. But this one was yummy. Actually, I had one yesterday, too.

We played a game of trivia this afternoon with four folks we’ve played with before. We came in second in this one, and if I would have trusted myself, we would have tied for the win: What can you not be to own a cow in Scotland? We went with the answer "commoner" – it’s only for royalty, but the answer was, and I knew it – drunk. I was not drunk. The answer was "drunk."

Not much more happening. We will pack up our luggage after supper and set it out for the porters to

move it for disembarkation. We go off at 8:35 in the morning.

It has been a great trip. Looking forward to returning in October (and I saw another crew member today who remembered me from the Enchantment of the Seas last year).

TTFN and Raise the Jolly Roger!

Anchors Aweigh

All aboard was 11:30 a.m. We sailed at noon with one passenger absent. The captain said he wouldn’t wait, because to go over time with the tug they had contracted was $200 a minute, and everyone knew what time all aboard was. So about 15 minutes after we sailed, the ship drifted to a stop, and a tug appeared with our wayward passenger. It took him about 30 minutes altogether to get onboard, so his little dalliance on shore, whatever it was, cost him over $6,000. I hope it was worth it. He could have bought a first class plane ticket to Baltimore cheaper. Oh well.

Bonnie and I split up on shore today. She went shopping and I went to a museum. We did not arrange a place to meet when we came back, so I came back earlier, after my new camera batteries ran out (and the spare pair we took ashore was with Bonnie on her shopping trip – neither of us thought about it). I did get a couple of pictures of Snorkel Beach – it’s less than 10 minutes from the ship, so folks wanting a last minute swim in Bermuda’s waters were taking advantage. And a nice shot of the Atlantic Ocean from on top of the fort.

When I got on, I asked the officer of the deck, "Did my wife come back on?" She said, "What does 
she look like?" I made a wide gesture with my hands and said, "Her arms will be spread out like this, carrying about 20 packages." The officer replied, "Nope, she’s not on board."

Bon got back about 15 minutes later, waited outside for a few minutes, then boarded the ship, gave security my name and they told her I had returned.

We played trivia this afternoon with Gary and Alice from Somewhere, Maryland, and our team scored 3 points. Out of 20. The correct answers were Morocco, 14, and Hyper Text Markup Language (thank you, Michael for the last one).

I visited for a while with Jack and Debbie from Pittsburgh’s Northside. They have been to all of my talks and the worship service. He is the music leader at his church and invited me to come preach the next time we are in the Burgh. I told him the boys and I would be up for playoff baseball. He said they’d meet us at City Oven Pizza on Banksville Road (the best pizza known to human kind).

Supper on our last formal night was prime rib and Baked Alaska. The show was the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers doing "Rhythm and Rhyme," songs from Broadway shows. After selections from West Side Story, Chicago, and Cats, I took a nap. Mr. Excitement.

My final talk for this cruise is "Baltimore’s Harbor: Defending Freedom," at 9 a.m. in the South Pacific Lounge. Then we pack up to meet the Bro and C.J. Thursday morning. Check back tomorrow. I think I will have enough Internet minutes left for one more posting.

TTFN and Raise the Jolly Roger!

Exploring St. George’s.


Using our one day transportation pass, we boarded the Ferry for St. George’s at 9:30 a.m., and sailed to the former capital of Bermuda and the place where the survivors of the shipwrecked "Sea Venture"– all 153 of them, came ashore on July 29, 1609 (Happy Birthday, Bro).

In St. George’s we met the Town Crier who told us a trial was under way for a wench accused of gossiping. If she was found guilty, she would be sentenced to be dunked in the harbor. She is always found guilty, he confided. It is a daily performance for we tourists.

Inasmuch as we arrived 90 minutes before the verdict came in, we struck out to explore other sites, first visiting St. Peter’s Church, the oldest on the island. They are the only church to have a separate cemetery for blacks and former slaves.

 One dweller in the cemetery was alive and enjoying the shade.

St. Peter’s has been designated Her Majesty’s Church on Bermuda. Charles and Diana once attended there and left their autographs. They evidently didn’t pay close attention to the service (Charles, especially – the part about thou shalt not commit adultery).

Not far from there is the Unfinished Church. It did not start out to be unfinished, in fact, the good folk at St. Peter’s decided they would build another building, but ran out of money (seemingly forgetting about what Jesus say about counting the cost). When they got more money, they couldn’t decide what denomination they wanted to belong to, so they went back to the original building, and the Unfinished Church is unfinished – and will remain so, having been purchased by the Bermuda Historical Trust.

From there, we completed our walk to Fort St. Catherine’s and Gate’s Bay, a total walk of over 3 miles, most of it uphill. Gate’s Bay, a very small strip of pink sandy beach is where the "Sea Venture" folk came ashore, having been blown off course four days earlier by a hurricane. They stayed on the island almost 10 months, and with lumber salvaged from their ship (which miraculously stayed upright after grounding on a reef) and cutting native cedar trees, they constructed two smaller ships, sailed to Jamestown, VA, with a load of dried ham, fish, and vegetables, and literally saved the Jamestown colony.

A model of the "Deliverance," one of the two ships (the other was the "Patience") has been recreated. It is incredibly small, only 40 feet long. When I commented to the ticket taker about the wonder of such a small craft, completely hand-built without sophisticated equipment, surviving a 600 mile journey, he pointed to my shirt, and said, "No, there’s the real wonder. The success of your Pittsburgh Pirates this year." Even in Bermuda they are raising the Jolly Roger!

We rode the shuttle back to St. George’s (named for the dragon slayer), and standing by a pink bus pole, caught Old # 11 to Hamilton. The pink bus poles are for buses going into Hamilton, the blue poles are for buses going out of Hamilton. Hamilton is the shopping capital of Bermuda. Pink is for
girls. Blue for boys. It’s easy to figure out.

In Hamilton we purchased a chicken salad sandwich which we shared, and two 20 ounce, frosty cold bottles of Mountain Dew. After four days of having only Coke to drink, nothing ever tasted better. I planned to bring one back to the ship, but with lunch concluded, I drank the second one for dessert.

After naptime, supper, and an enjoyable show by Bobby Brooks Wilson, son of the late Jackie Wilson, we walked back over to the Dock Yard for a performance by the Bermuda regiment’s marching band and bagpipe corps. It was a re-enactment of a retreat ceremony – not necessarily retreating from battle, but announcing the cessation of fighting for the evening and curfew (when there was no fighting going on it was the signal to local pubs to announce "last call"). Precision marching and good music.

We will go back to the Dock Yard for a brief visit in the morning. All aboard is 11:30 a.m.

TTFN and Raise the Jolly Roger!

Finally in Bermuda

September 14 and 15, 2013

　

Boarding the Grandeur of the Seas was the easiest embarkation ever! We walked up to the Pier

Coordinator’s desk, showed them our boarding letter, they issued our Sea Passes and we went on board.

Getting to the ship was not as easy. The night before we left Kyle and Cathy’s, I asked Google for the direction to the Baltimore Cruise Dock. Instead it gave me the address to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We saw some ships – U.S. Constellation for one, but not Lady G. Re-enter. Quiet the women in the car. Arrive at Cruise Dock. Hugs and kisses. Get on board. Re-read Paragraph 1.

Among many pleasant surprises, we have been assigned to Early Seating for supper, which means we eat at 5:30 instead of 8 p.m. Much better for the digestion, and if we choose, we can go to the evening show and then go to bed.

Good group of folk at Table 416. Everyone has cruised before and no one was trying to impress anyone on how many cruises they’ve taken, how many times they’ve eaten at the Captain’s Table, blah blah blah. And I told them the Hub Cap Joke. They still love me, and all but two of them came to my talk this morning: "King’s Wharf: The Gibraltar of the Pacific" (guess they didn’t like the HCJ).

During the talk I told the story – because of the abundance of fish in Bermudian waters – about the Russian fisherman. "His eye was THIS big!

My coordinator with the Cruise Director is Darryl, and he was my activities director on the Enchantment of the Seas last August. Fun guy. I’ll try to get a picture of him.

Walking down the hall to our stateroom after lunch today, a lady stopped me – her name is Liliana – she was our stateroom attendant on the Enchantment. I hope we tipped her good! Since she remembered me, it’s a 50-50 proposition.

We met our stateroom attendant for this cruise – Sandeep – and he said our cabin is the one typically assigned to the destination lecturers, of which I are one. He asked how my talk went this morning and when I told him there were about 120 people in the South Pacific Lounge he was surprised. He said the crowd is usually about 75. So I hope tomorrow is good – we’ll see what kind of a job I did today!

This was formal night, so we put on our best big and tucker (what’s a tucker?) and headed for The
Great Gatsby Restaurant. F. Scott would have approved I think.

Fantastic show after dinner with James Stevens III, a singer and impersonator who has been picked to play Bill Cosby in an upcoming movie. Cos was one of his bits and he looks and sounds like him. Plus Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, and some people of whom I have never heard before (nor probably will again). But a great show.

There was an interesting aerial show in the Centrum – the center of the ship, and an area that is open from Deck 4 up to Deck 7. Two men were doing "Cirque" type acrobatics in what appeared to be simply decorative chandeliers. They will perform again Monday night.

And now to bed with "Flight 19 and the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle" scheduled for 9 a.m., and non-denominational worship at 11:45 (word from Macedonia must have preceeded me, because they have something else scheduled at 12:30 – church will be out in 45 minutes, and we will beat the Baptists to the Windjammer).

We dock at 3 p.m., so I’ll try to post some pictures of Bermuda tomorrow night.

Well, it’s tomorrow and I still haven’t gotten anything posted. Hopefully in a few minutes.

We set our clocks up one hour last night, and there were still 100 hearty souls out for "Flight 19." There were 200 for morning worship. Conducting the service was interesting. We started out with a backdrop of paintings for the art auction, and disco music – leftovers from last night, I guess – but by 11:45 everything was in place and we had a good time. We open with "Blessed Assurance,"and the sound track I used was definitely a faster tempo than we sing it at Macedonia. I like the slower pace better.

We ate in the Great Gatsby for lunch, and shared the table with six Marylanders. To my immediate right was Elaine. She was looking for her husband, and baring find him, another husband, preferably she said, one who was rich. Bonnie volunteered me, but when Elaine found out that Bonnie had spent all of my money, my application was taken off of the table. It turns out that her husband had misunderstood the directions she had given him – don’t we all – and went to the buffet instead of the dining room. At supper tonight, she pointed us out to him and he thanked us for taking care of his wife during his unexcused absence.

We docked at 3 p.m. and went out just a little ways as it was sprinkling and/or all-out raining most of

the afternoon. We walked over to the Clock Tower Mall and bought one candy bar. We also bought a bus/ferry pass and tomorrow will ride the ferry up to St. George, the historic capital of Bermuda where we will do some exploring, and hopefully have something exciting to report tomorrow.

Now, I will see if I can get this posted. We have wi-fi in our cabin, but the ship’s internet service demands the use of Internet Explorer (the internet’s version of iPhone – another ghetto product). Oh well. When in Rome. Or in Bermuda.

TTFN, and Raise the Jolly Roger!

The Voyage Home

January 23, 2013


This will be the last blog entry for the Voyage Home on the “Vision of the Seas.” My internet package will expire with this posting, and as long as I stay on, they will let me have the extra minutes at the discounted price.

So a couple of pictures, I don’t think you’ve seen.  And if I posted them earlier, it was only because they were good, and are deserving of a second look.

We entered our cabin one night to find an elephant on our bed.

The guy in the post card reminded me of a Big Guy back home.

A view of our favorite spot in this itinerary – Bathsheba, Barbados.

And looking down from “Good Luck Hill” in St. Lucia.

“They say the sea is cold, but the sea has the hottest blood of all” – D.H. Lawrence, Whales Weep Not

And so do you.

See you at 233 or 7257.

TTFN!

Aruba

January 22, 2013

We went ashore in Aruba for about an hour.  The old people were tired, but we got the Bro a T-shirt.

On this cruise we visited the A and the B of the ABCs – Aruba and Bonaire.  We were in Curacao last year – our second and almost third visits (regular readers of this blog will remember we were on a plague ship, full of folks infested with the norovirus, that got within an hour of Willemstad and turned around, sailing back to Fort Lauderdale).

We were last in Aruba in October, 2010.  There is a T-Rex on top of one of the souvenir stands, but the poor fellow doesn't look like he's had a fresh coat of paint in the last 27 months, baked thin by the Caribbean sun.  This time we photographed a relative of Rex’s, a lizard named “Lizza” – she looks like a sickly relative of Godzilla, and has been reduced to selling fruit drinks.

I did stop and talk to Ludmilla, a tour guide from the Rodina who was waiting with a sign printed in Cyrillic, offering to guide others from Russia, through her new homeland.  After we walked out past a couple dozen souvenir stands, I said if she’s still there when we get back we will hire her for a tour, but she was gavarooing to a couple from back home and leading them to her vehicle and a trip around the island.  Oh well.

The “Vision of the Seas” is going next to the Western Caribbean, to Cozumel, Belize and ports around Central America.  Cozumel is one of our favorite places, and Belize is a stop on our list to visit.  Maybe another time.  And “Vision” is doing a repositioning cruise in April, going to the Baltic Sea, via France and England, eventually reaching St. Petersburg.  That would be a fun sailing, indeed.  Then she’ll go into dry dock for a refit, and when she sails again, she will go through the Panama Canal.  Another itinerary for our bucket list!

Well, this may be the last blog for this cruise.  Check back tomorrow just in case.  For now – TTFN!

Bonaire

January 21, 2013


In case you have not heard, the Super Bowl will be banned from 233 this year.  With the Falcons eliminated there is no one to root for.  And with the Dirty Birds from Baltimore, led by Killer Lewis, representing the AFC, we sure won’t watch it.  I’ll get the commercials via the Internet.

Our day started off with a bang.  Literally!

We did not dock until noon, so I slept till 7:30, did my morning ablutions, then woke Bonnie, and we went to breakfast.  I selected my usual – scrambled eggs, one biscuit and gravy, 6 tater tots, a small spoonful of hash, and a cup of coffee.  While enjoyable every other day, it did nothing to satisfy my breakfast needs, so after eating only about 4 bites total, I went to the egg station and had a fresh omelet cooked – JAMM Kids do your best Pappy Carter – deeeeelicious.  I went for a second cup of coffee as we headed for our spot on Deck 6 to read and wait for the call to go ashore.  Using the same cup I had earlier, I poured a fresh cup, took two steps, and the cup exploded!  The cup split down the side from top to bottom, and circled around the inside of the bottom.  Coffee went everywhere (except on me).  A most interesting start.  I got another cup and resumed my course with no more explosions.

I watched as the Pilot Boat came alongside and the Pilot – the man in the white shirt – climbed up a rope ladder to direct us to the dock.  Pretty interesting.

This island is home to 16,000 proud inhabitants. Our tour guide showed us a number of donkeys whose ancestors were released to the wild when human slaves were released, and they cannot be owned by anyone, or forced to do anywork.  They wander wherever they wish, causing 30-40 traffic accidents a year, he said.

The biggest building on the island, our guide said, is our cruise ship.  And it has the island’s only movie theater.  When we sail away, the theater goes with us.  And the biggest building.

We saw a number of pink flamingos, the island’s bird.  Pink is one of the major colors on Bonaire.  Even the international airport is painted flamingo pink.  Flamingos, you will be pleased to learn, are not born pink, but a dull grey.  They eat only shrimp and after five years of this steady diet, they turn pink – who wouldn’t?  And flamingos mate for life – if a bird’s spouse dies, he or she pines away, never remarrying.

Speaking of death, when you die on Bonaire, you are buried in a small mausoleum.  They do above ground, not in ground.  After 5 years, your body is removed, whatever remains of your remains is returned to your family for cremation or burial, and your old spot is rented out to someone else.

We toured, literally, around the island, from the southwest side from the capital city Kralendijk, to the northeast side where the winds blow hard off of the Atlantic and nothing lives there but cactus, donkeys, and Divi Divi trees bent over by the wind.  There are a few iguanas there as well.  Our guide said that chicken tastes like iguana.

The spectacular white pyramids in today’s edition are mounds of sea salt processed on a 9,000 acre salt mine, and run by an American company. The salt is variously processed to serve from your table to making roads safe in winter.

I will close with reference to Fort Oranje, in downtown area.  Built by the Dutch in 1639, it has never been attacked.  With thanks to all of those who are serving or have served in the Armed Forces, may all forts be so fortunate.

See you tomorrow from Aruba.

Oh, my brother, the Harley shop here on Bonaire was only a repair shop – no shirts for sale.  Maybe on Aruba.

TTFN!

Grenada

January 20, 2013


And as Grenada fades into the east, we set sail for Bonaire and Aruba.

Fortified by a hearty cup of black coffee and an English muffin covered with peanut butter, I led about 40 folk in the morning worship service and served communion.  I’ve never done intintion with wafers and wine, but there was a good Spirit in the “Some Enchanted Evening Lounge.”

Then Bonnie and I went exploring.  We walked off the ship, passed all the jewelry stores and started the climb up to Fort Toad (actually, it has another name, but there you go).  Someone should count the number of steps, but if they posted them before heading out, most folk would say, “Uh, I don’t think so!”  There’s a long, long trail a winding to the top of the Fort, but the view from up there is spectacular – all four pictures for this posting are from that vantage point.

Going back down was no easier because the treads were not the same height, but we did it without calamity.  Bonnie and her cane will not be slowed down!  Next we walked through Sendall Tunnel which was dug through the mountain in 1894.  Our destination was the Grenada Museum.  The sign out front said “Closed Sunday,” but with two cruise ships in port, it was open.  A small and rather dusty museum, but a couple good ideas gained for future cruise talks.

Back through the tunnel we went – which is barely wide enough for one motor vehicle, let alone a motor vehicle and pedestrians.  Kind of scarey, actually, because the drivers enjoy zooming down the road scaring the bejeebers out of walkers.  Since my bejeebers were scared out of me one night in Samara, Russia, I was okay – raise your hand if you’ve heard the story.  They did terrorize Bonnie.  But it was either do it, or stay over there and miss the ship.  We chose the danger.

Great show last night.  There were two acts.  The first was Florescent Art, done with black screen and black light.  Very inventive.  Very clever.  The second act was two Argentine guys with long hair and pants with ruffles around the bottom, dancing with whips and boleros – it was quite hilarious and very good also.  Matt, they probably would have been good with birch branches, too.

Well, let me get to the internet and post this edition.  More tomorrow from Bonaire, then Aruba, then it’s pumpkin time.

TTFN!

Barbados

January 19, 2013

   
From where I am sitting on Deck 6, looking across to the starboard side of the “Vision of the Seas” I am watching the sun set in the Caribbean.  What a beautiful sight!  I snapped a picture, but it does not do it justice. That's not the sunset pix.

We were supposed to sail almost an hour ago, but there is quite a traffic jam in Bridgetown harbor this evening.  There were six cruise ships in port today, two of them sailing vessels, each with five masts.  Bonnie called one of them a Pirate ship.  I hope they have a winning season!

We waited for a Celebrity ship to sail and a cargo ship to dock.  The tug is alongside now and we will be heading to Grenada in a few minutes, docking there at 7 a.m. tomorrow.  I will be leading the Protestant worship service at 8 o’clock and then Bonnie and I will go exploring for a while.  I want to be back onboard early to prepare for my 2:30 talk on “The ABCs: Basic Paradise” – about Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.

Today we met Sarah Taylor about 9 o’clock and spent the morning and early afternoon exploring my favorite island in the West Indies (the Bajans do not like it if you say they are in the Caribbean – they are in fact in the Atlantic).

Sarah has a tour company called “Glory Tours” and writes a blog about Barbados.  A very knowledgeable young lady, and justly proud of her homeland.  She toodled us around when we were here in October 2010.

She told us that she sat up late last night listening to a political debate.  They are to have elections every five years, but their prime minister will not fulfill his constitutional duties and call for an election – instead he is asking for a budget from each of the departments (must be related to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue).  I told her that’s not bad, because our president, in violation of our Constitution, has not put forth a budget in four years.

And that’s the report just in from FoxNews!

I asked her to take us to see the only intact windmill on Barbados, one of only two intact still in the West Indies.  There used to be hundreds doing the work of processing sugar cane, but now they are all but gone.  This one, Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, is only used twice a year, once a day at the opening and then again at the closing of the sugar season.  It was actually rebuild a few years ago after a devastating lightening strike.

From there she took us to the most beautiful part of Barbados, Bathsheba.  Barbados is not a volcanic island like most of the Caribbean islands.  Instead if is a coral island and in Bathsheba you can see coral formations that have been carved out by the sea throwing grains of sand against huge coral boulders.

We then went on to St. John Parish where we visited St. John Church.  There is an interesting grave in the cemetery belonging to the late Ferdinando Paleolocus.  Rumor had it that Mr. P. was buried backwards.  Greek Orthodox folk, and he was one, are to buried with their feet pointing east and their heads pointing west, so that when Jesus returns from the east, they will be looking at him.  About 200 years later, the local priest, tired of the rumor dug him up, found he had been buried properly, and reburied him – properly.

And we found more cannons!

After sightseeing for several hours we went in search of a restaurant where I could sample the national dish – Flying Fish.  Sarah found a great spot and she and I had a club type sandwich of delicious FF and Bonnie had a tuna salad sandwich which she pronounced as excellent.

The next time you are in Barbados, contact Sarah to be your tour guide.  We had a great time.

Next blog tomorrow from Granada.

TTFN!