March 29, 2015
Cartagena is behind us. Rome is ahead. There is one more day at sea and one last talk for this cruise. And this will be the last blog until we are settled into our Bed & Breakfast in Civitavecchia.
Our first stop this morning (after having coffee and hot chocolate arrive at 7:02, while we were still asleep – “David! There is someone at the door!”) was a Roman Theater. Like Chicken Man, they are everywhere. This one was quite unique – the layout was the basic semi-circular pattern: stage, stairs and seats. But the presentation was most impressive.
We entered the museum, bought our tickets and then worked our way up four flights of stairs (with the help of escalators), stopping along the way to look at various exhibits. At the top, we walked out into a beautiful Spanish sunshine, and were standing near the top of the theater. It is surrounded by houses, churches, shops, and buildings of many kinds, and completely hidden from the outside. Unlike the one in Malaga, you can visit all the parts of the theater – and I did. Very, very nice.
From there we went to an excavated Roman Bath. Some of the panels on the walls still showed the original colors, and in one section, the herringbone pattern of the original floor was still in tact.
The last stop was the home of a Roman nobleman. This was our least favorite place, mainly because there is so little of it excavated, and to my untrained eyes, each room looked like the last one. You could, however, see the name engraved on the threshold, which gives the dwelling it’s name: Porto Fortuna.
Today, as you know, is Palm Sunday, and Cartagena was preparing for a parade at 5 p.m. Sadly, we sailed at 3:30, and we wondered if we sailed early to be out of the way of it. We did get to see one part. A Roman legion marched through the streets. Most impressive.
We saw something tonight on board we have never seen in any cruise we have ever done. This is formal night, and a couple arrived at the dining room dressed in casual clothes. The maitre d’ turned them away, remarking that it was formal night. Like some church people I’ve pastored, they said, “We didn’t know it.” The maitre d’ said, “It is in today’s program.” And the answer: “We don’t read it.” How refreshing to have the rules enforced!
Bonnie went to the Promenade Deck and watched the sail away. I was working in our stateroom. She said it was fun watching the local harbor pilot climb down from our moving cruise ship to his small pilot boat and then sail away.
Well, that’s all until Rome. This has been a fantastic cruise!
TTFN!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
March 28, 2015
Another beautiful day in Spain, Malaga this time. Around midnight we sailed passed the Rock of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, chugging right along at about 12 knots (10ish miles per hour) and came along side this morning about 7:30. We slept passed the Rock. Finally.
We had ordered room service coffee and hot chocolate for 7:30, so we got dressed at a leisurely pace, breakfasted and were ashore around 9. We took a shuttle (4 euros each) about 20 minutes into town. We wandered the streets for a while, then went to the Cathedral of Malaga – which took 300 years to build, then to the Roman Theater, which dates back to the 1st century (and the locals stage several plays a year in the ancient forum). Lastly we climbed the ramps and steps of the Alcazaba, an ancient Moorish citadel dating from the 11th century, that winds up the side of the mountain.
This area is called the Costa del Sol, the Sun Coast, and one street thermometer read 41 Celcius. If it was accurate, that is almost 106 degrees Farenheit. Regardless, it was plenty warm. Bonnie and I remarked, we go to the Caribbean and come back white. This time we are exploring Europe and may get a suntan.
We popped in and out of several food outlets – tavernas, grocrery stores, bars – looking for Mello Yello or Mountain Dew. No luck. The good folks here are sadly deprived. Next trip, I will load a carry on suitcase with the sweet nectar.
We had lunch back on board and then napped. Spain still observes the afternoon siesta, so when almost to Rome ...
An interesting note as we were walking back from the Citadel, a gentleman was offering tours, and we graciously thanked him, but no, and as we walked away, he called after me, “Sir, watch your cellphone.” I had it on my belt as I always do, and am using it to take our pictures, so I took it off and held it the rest of the time. I guess I will do that the rest of the vacation.
We set with a couple from Boston tonight who got there via France and Armenia 30 years ago. His name is Brun, hers is Claude. No, there is no typo there. Claude. They were expecting a baby boy, had that name picked out, and said, “We are using it. You are Claude.” Eight years later they had a boy whom she called “The Prince.”
Fabulous pianist in the Vista Lounge tonight. Played in the styles of several great pianists, and played lots of music we knew. One of our favorites was a medley that started with “Star Wars,” then “Superman,” then “Indiana Jones,” finally “ET.” He did Jerry Lee Lewis (actually did Lady Gaga in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis), Elton John, and finished with Liberace and “The Beer Barrel Polka.” Great show.
A German couple stopped us tonight to talk and said that we helped make this cruise a memorable one for them. They thoroughly enjoyed my talks. I told Bonnie, if all the audiences on all of the Holland America Line Cruises are like the folks on this one, I will never want to sail with anyone else again. Wow!
Well, we push our clocks ahead one hour tonight, because Europe has gone to Daylight Savings Time. So we will be 5 hours ahead of you on Palm Sunday.
See y’uns tomorrow.
TTFN
Another beautiful day in Spain, Malaga this time. Around midnight we sailed passed the Rock of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, chugging right along at about 12 knots (10ish miles per hour) and came along side this morning about 7:30. We slept passed the Rock. Finally.
We had ordered room service coffee and hot chocolate for 7:30, so we got dressed at a leisurely pace, breakfasted and were ashore around 9. We took a shuttle (4 euros each) about 20 minutes into town. We wandered the streets for a while, then went to the Cathedral of Malaga – which took 300 years to build, then to the Roman Theater, which dates back to the 1st century (and the locals stage several plays a year in the ancient forum). Lastly we climbed the ramps and steps of the Alcazaba, an ancient Moorish citadel dating from the 11th century, that winds up the side of the mountain.
This area is called the Costa del Sol, the Sun Coast, and one street thermometer read 41 Celcius. If it was accurate, that is almost 106 degrees Farenheit. Regardless, it was plenty warm. Bonnie and I remarked, we go to the Caribbean and come back white. This time we are exploring Europe and may get a suntan.
We popped in and out of several food outlets – tavernas, grocrery stores, bars – looking for Mello Yello or Mountain Dew. No luck. The good folks here are sadly deprived. Next trip, I will load a carry on suitcase with the sweet nectar.
We had lunch back on board and then napped. Spain still observes the afternoon siesta, so when almost to Rome ...
An interesting note as we were walking back from the Citadel, a gentleman was offering tours, and we graciously thanked him, but no, and as we walked away, he called after me, “Sir, watch your cellphone.” I had it on my belt as I always do, and am using it to take our pictures, so I took it off and held it the rest of the time. I guess I will do that the rest of the vacation.
We set with a couple from Boston tonight who got there via France and Armenia 30 years ago. His name is Brun, hers is Claude. No, there is no typo there. Claude. They were expecting a baby boy, had that name picked out, and said, “We are using it. You are Claude.” Eight years later they had a boy whom she called “The Prince.”
Fabulous pianist in the Vista Lounge tonight. Played in the styles of several great pianists, and played lots of music we knew. One of our favorites was a medley that started with “Star Wars,” then “Superman,” then “Indiana Jones,” finally “ET.” He did Jerry Lee Lewis (actually did Lady Gaga in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis), Elton John, and finished with Liberace and “The Beer Barrel Polka.” Great show.
A German couple stopped us tonight to talk and said that we helped make this cruise a memorable one for them. They thoroughly enjoyed my talks. I told Bonnie, if all the audiences on all of the Holland America Line Cruises are like the folks on this one, I will never want to sail with anyone else again. Wow!
Well, we push our clocks ahead one hour tonight, because Europe has gone to Daylight Savings Time. So we will be 5 hours ahead of you on Palm Sunday.
See y’uns tomorrow.
TTFN
Friday, March 27, 2015
March 27, 2015
Looking out the window as we approach our berth in Cadiz, Spain.
Captain, she’ll be fully automated by the time we dock.
Congratulations, Mr. Scott. You’ve closed the barn door after the horse has come home.
We had breakfast delivered to our stateroom at 6:30, and we are now preparing to join the throng in the Vista Lounge in 30 minutes to board the bus and toodle off to Seville.
As Arnold said: “I’ll be back!”
And here we are!
Wonderful time in Seville today. We rode a bus for 90 minutes with a lovely Spanish girl giving us the lowdown on what we were seeing, history and such. She is a very accomplished tour guide, studying to get greater certification. Very nice. She took us to Plaza de Jerez and turned us loose, telling us to be back at 2:30. Bonnie and I went first to Starbucks because there is no public potty in Seville, other than at the Guatemalan Embassy. I got a Caramel Machiatto and we took care of business and then headed out.
We went to the Cathedral of Seville where we paid 4 euros each to get in. The 4 euros is the discounted price for pensioners. We showed the ticket lady our drivers licenses and saved 5 euros each. It is a beautiful church, dedicated on December 23, 1248. It started out as a mosque, but when the Christians took the city, they took the church as well and remodeled it. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and the third largest church in Christendom, behind St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s. Many of the rooms are barred by, well, bars, but you can stick your nose and or your camera through, and I got a lot of beautiful pictures. The church is the headquarters for the Seville Archdiocese and the Archbishop frequently conducts Mass there. It would be wonderful to hear their pipe organ – it is enormous.
We saw the coffin of Christopher Columbus. Actually, it is the coffin of part of Christopher Columbus. Emma, our guide, told us that Columbus is buried in a half dozen Spanish cities. Someone at the cathedral explained that they had done DNA tests and determined it is part of old Chris.
We also saw the place where the 18 survivors of Magellan’s round the world cruise (Magellan was not one of the survivors) came for repentance and confession when they got back three years after they left home. We posed for a picture there, but our volunteer camera person jiggled the phone. Oh well.
After a couple hours we found a sidewalk café – the Bodequita – where we had lunch. Two very cold Coca Colas served in glass bottles, the way Coke should be served, and something we think was a pizza. It had ham and mozzarella cheese and a fantastic crust that was more like bread. Delicioso!
Then it was back to Starbucks for free WiFi and we wandered up and down the main street, Constitution Avenue, for an hour or so before meet the group, boarding the bus and napping back to the ship.
Oh, at Starbucks a couple were ordering and the man was obviously confused by the sizes. Starbucks has invented their own – it’s not small, medium, and large. It’s tall, grande, and venti. She explained to her gentleman friend, “Bolshoi.” Well, I chatted with her a few minutes. She is from Moscow and knew where Samara was when I called it by its communist name, Kuibychev. Pretty neat.
A great day.
Tomorrow’s stop is Malaga, Spain where we will go out on our own and look for some nude beaches (ask Luke).
Tonight’s entertainment was a comedy magician and it was a great show. He pointed to the balcony on the third deck and said, “Hey, it’s the muppets!” A guest with long hair stood up and did a perfect “Animal” imitation. Hilarious.
And now we are back in Stateroom 1115 sipping ginger ale and contemplating bedtime.
TTFN
Looking out the window as we approach our berth in Cadiz, Spain.
Captain, she’ll be fully automated by the time we dock.
Congratulations, Mr. Scott. You’ve closed the barn door after the horse has come home.
We had breakfast delivered to our stateroom at 6:30, and we are now preparing to join the throng in the Vista Lounge in 30 minutes to board the bus and toodle off to Seville.
As Arnold said: “I’ll be back!”
And here we are!
Wonderful time in Seville today. We rode a bus for 90 minutes with a lovely Spanish girl giving us the lowdown on what we were seeing, history and such. She is a very accomplished tour guide, studying to get greater certification. Very nice. She took us to Plaza de Jerez and turned us loose, telling us to be back at 2:30. Bonnie and I went first to Starbucks because there is no public potty in Seville, other than at the Guatemalan Embassy. I got a Caramel Machiatto and we took care of business and then headed out.
We went to the Cathedral of Seville where we paid 4 euros each to get in. The 4 euros is the discounted price for pensioners. We showed the ticket lady our drivers licenses and saved 5 euros each. It is a beautiful church, dedicated on December 23, 1248. It started out as a mosque, but when the Christians took the city, they took the church as well and remodeled it. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and the third largest church in Christendom, behind St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s. Many of the rooms are barred by, well, bars, but you can stick your nose and or your camera through, and I got a lot of beautiful pictures. The church is the headquarters for the Seville Archdiocese and the Archbishop frequently conducts Mass there. It would be wonderful to hear their pipe organ – it is enormous.
We saw the coffin of Christopher Columbus. Actually, it is the coffin of part of Christopher Columbus. Emma, our guide, told us that Columbus is buried in a half dozen Spanish cities. Someone at the cathedral explained that they had done DNA tests and determined it is part of old Chris.
We also saw the place where the 18 survivors of Magellan’s round the world cruise (Magellan was not one of the survivors) came for repentance and confession when they got back three years after they left home. We posed for a picture there, but our volunteer camera person jiggled the phone. Oh well.
After a couple hours we found a sidewalk café – the Bodequita – where we had lunch. Two very cold Coca Colas served in glass bottles, the way Coke should be served, and something we think was a pizza. It had ham and mozzarella cheese and a fantastic crust that was more like bread. Delicioso!
Then it was back to Starbucks for free WiFi and we wandered up and down the main street, Constitution Avenue, for an hour or so before meet the group, boarding the bus and napping back to the ship.
Oh, at Starbucks a couple were ordering and the man was obviously confused by the sizes. Starbucks has invented their own – it’s not small, medium, and large. It’s tall, grande, and venti. She explained to her gentleman friend, “Bolshoi.” Well, I chatted with her a few minutes. She is from Moscow and knew where Samara was when I called it by its communist name, Kuibychev. Pretty neat.
A great day.
Tomorrow’s stop is Malaga, Spain where we will go out on our own and look for some nude beaches (ask Luke).
Tonight’s entertainment was a comedy magician and it was a great show. He pointed to the balcony on the third deck and said, “Hey, it’s the muppets!” A guest with long hair stood up and did a perfect “Animal” imitation. Hilarious.
And now we are back in Stateroom 1115 sipping ginger ale and contemplating bedtime.
TTFN
Thursday, March 26, 2015
March 26, 2015
Tomorrow is Cadiz, Spain. We have booked a bus tour out to Seville where we will spend 5 hours exploring. The ship docks at 8 and our tour leaves at 8, so it is breakfast in the room and an early start.
One of our table couples tonight was from Batesburg, SC. The other from Minnesota via Arizona. The Arizona folk booked their cruise on the 15th and we sailed on the 16th. I guess they got a great rate for waiting till the last minute, or else they couldn’t make up their minds.
I had English Roast Beef tonight with Yorkshire pudding. Very good, but the ERB looked a lot like last night’s prime rib, just sliced thinner. It was tasty. Bonnie had Schezhuan vegetables and rice (getting adventerous in her old age). Cheese cake for both desserts.
Tonight’s show was billed as “It Takes Two” with duets from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Great stuff, but most of it was from the 70s and 80s.
Short report tonight. Some good travel stuff tomorrow.
TTFN
Tomorrow is Cadiz, Spain. We have booked a bus tour out to Seville where we will spend 5 hours exploring. The ship docks at 8 and our tour leaves at 8, so it is breakfast in the room and an early start.
One of our table couples tonight was from Batesburg, SC. The other from Minnesota via Arizona. The Arizona folk booked their cruise on the 15th and we sailed on the 16th. I guess they got a great rate for waiting till the last minute, or else they couldn’t make up their minds.
I had English Roast Beef tonight with Yorkshire pudding. Very good, but the ERB looked a lot like last night’s prime rib, just sliced thinner. It was tasty. Bonnie had Schezhuan vegetables and rice (getting adventerous in her old age). Cheese cake for both desserts.
Tonight’s show was billed as “It Takes Two” with duets from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Great stuff, but most of it was from the 70s and 80s.
Short report tonight. Some good travel stuff tomorrow.
TTFN
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
March 25, 2015
Your favorite cruisers are taking the night off. We are not going to BB King or the Love and Marriage Game. Madeira was a full day and we are tired. Plus I am going to rehearse for “Captain Kidd” – I’m up first tomorrow.
We started the day off with omelets in the Lido and then walked off ship and took a shuttle into town and wandered around for a while. Beautiful city. The whole place is built up the side of mountains – I have some good pictures, but I won’t try posting them until we get to Rome.
Anticipating that the weather would be kind of chilly, Bonnie crocheted a cap for herself. I have photos. I wore one of my Pirate hats and two different people asked, “Are you from Pittsburgh?”
We went into a 16th century Catholic Church. It was incredible. So beautiful. Paintings, statutes, gold leaf. One section where I did not take pictures was of the lighted candles. Folks light them as a prayer. Michael, Matthew, and I did that for Skinny Granny when we were in Russia one time (I think it was Vilekie Novgorod, but no matter). The aroma of burning candles is a powerful. The scent of them reminds you that as folks lit the candles they prayed for loved ones or for themselves. You New Testament scholars remember Revelation 8:3 – “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”
After that we walked a half mile to a cable car that goes up to the top of one of the mountains. The line was long when we got there, and based on how many folks were getting into the cable cars and going up, we didn’t figure we’d have a long time at the top to look around, since we had booked a tour and needed to be back at the ship by 12:50. Plus it was 15 Euros each for the round trip (close to $35 total) and we decided that was too much for a short time and headed back to the Zuiderdam (we’ll plan differently the next time we are here).
We walked along the ocean coming back. There was a big German ship docked beside of us “Mein Shippe.” It is larger than ours. We saw that ship, or one of its sisters when we were in Canada last October.
Our tour was a sight-seeing tour around the island. One of us would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had not been up mountains and down mountains and up steeper mountains and down steeper mountains. Here we are in this big bus with a road barely twice as wide as the bus and no guard rails. And the roads are all two way. The views were quite spectacular, but Bonnie didn’t enjoy getting there (in this case, it was not half the fun).
Our tour bus was either the last one or the next to the last one back in. All aboard was 4:30 and we didn’t get on board until 4:35 and we did not sail until 5 o’clock. But we were with a ship’s tour, so they waited for us.
Supper tonight was prime rib, and our table mates have all been to my talks, one couple said they’ve been to all of them. That was pretty neat.
Well that’s it for tonight. See y’uns tomorrow.
TTFN
Your favorite cruisers are taking the night off. We are not going to BB King or the Love and Marriage Game. Madeira was a full day and we are tired. Plus I am going to rehearse for “Captain Kidd” – I’m up first tomorrow.
We started the day off with omelets in the Lido and then walked off ship and took a shuttle into town and wandered around for a while. Beautiful city. The whole place is built up the side of mountains – I have some good pictures, but I won’t try posting them until we get to Rome.
Anticipating that the weather would be kind of chilly, Bonnie crocheted a cap for herself. I have photos. I wore one of my Pirate hats and two different people asked, “Are you from Pittsburgh?”
We went into a 16th century Catholic Church. It was incredible. So beautiful. Paintings, statutes, gold leaf. One section where I did not take pictures was of the lighted candles. Folks light them as a prayer. Michael, Matthew, and I did that for Skinny Granny when we were in Russia one time (I think it was Vilekie Novgorod, but no matter). The aroma of burning candles is a powerful. The scent of them reminds you that as folks lit the candles they prayed for loved ones or for themselves. You New Testament scholars remember Revelation 8:3 – “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”
After that we walked a half mile to a cable car that goes up to the top of one of the mountains. The line was long when we got there, and based on how many folks were getting into the cable cars and going up, we didn’t figure we’d have a long time at the top to look around, since we had booked a tour and needed to be back at the ship by 12:50. Plus it was 15 Euros each for the round trip (close to $35 total) and we decided that was too much for a short time and headed back to the Zuiderdam (we’ll plan differently the next time we are here).
We walked along the ocean coming back. There was a big German ship docked beside of us “Mein Shippe.” It is larger than ours. We saw that ship, or one of its sisters when we were in Canada last October.
Our tour was a sight-seeing tour around the island. One of us would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had not been up mountains and down mountains and up steeper mountains and down steeper mountains. Here we are in this big bus with a road barely twice as wide as the bus and no guard rails. And the roads are all two way. The views were quite spectacular, but Bonnie didn’t enjoy getting there (in this case, it was not half the fun).
Our tour bus was either the last one or the next to the last one back in. All aboard was 4:30 and we didn’t get on board until 4:35 and we did not sail until 5 o’clock. But we were with a ship’s tour, so they waited for us.
Supper tonight was prime rib, and our table mates have all been to my talks, one couple said they’ve been to all of them. That was pretty neat.
Well that’s it for tonight. See y’uns tomorrow.
TTFN
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
March 24, 2015
For the first time on this voyage, the ship’s Internet connection was not working properly – well, actually, it wasn’t working last night, so scratch that first part. Today it was email that was frustrating me. Gmail wouldn’t connect, and I have my account configured for security – I get a 6 digit code on my cell phone to enter, and of course, the cell phone is on airplane mode while I am on board the MS Zuiderdam. Confusing ain’t it – airplane mode, ship mode, commode. Good grief!
So I put the phone on wandering mode and told Gmail to send the code. Who knows how much those 6 numbers will cost. My beloved wife will probably not be pleased with our Verizon bill. Again. Actually, it is Comcast that regularly makes her Wheaties soggy, but you know.
Looking through some of the literature in our stateroom, Bonnie discovered a book with our choice of 1131 movies we can rent – not that we will rent even one, but we could. However, on the last page of “Ship Flicks” is something we will take advantage of after the show one evening. Maybe tonight. For $10 we can get the “Ship Flicks Package.” 4 sodas of our choice. 3 snacks of our choice. 2 bowls of mixed nuts. A bucket of ice. Plus – and this is the best part – 2 free packs of popcorn! Sodas on board are $1.95 per can, so quite a bargain. And free popcorn! Ah, the simple pleasures!
Bonnie bought a Nine West pocket book today. They were on sale. Hers is red. They also had black and yellow. I would have bought that one – Pirates and Steelers colors!
Tonight’s entertainment is a “Dancing with the Stars” competition. The dancers on board have been teaching new dances and they have picked a couple from each type of dance they’ve done. Four or five new dances, maybe more (we haven’t gone – they’ve typically been after my afternoon talks). But tonight each of the dancers will be in a competition, so we will go. It should be fun. All of the entertainment has been good. We get to our first port tomorrow, so I wonder if the ones who have sailed from Florida will get off and some new ones will get on for the last 5 nights.
And in mundane news, we are going to do laundry tonight or tomorrow night. Well, we will not actually “do” the laundry, but we will put it in a bag and send it out. One of our spiffs on this cruise is complimentary laundry service. Otherwise it’s $2.00 for one pair of unmentionables! And we have a week and a half of unmentionables – times two! $2.00 per pair of socks. T-shirts $3.00. Dress shirts $4.50. Complimentary is a great spiff!
Well, the next entry should contain news from Portugal.
TTFN
For the first time on this voyage, the ship’s Internet connection was not working properly – well, actually, it wasn’t working last night, so scratch that first part. Today it was email that was frustrating me. Gmail wouldn’t connect, and I have my account configured for security – I get a 6 digit code on my cell phone to enter, and of course, the cell phone is on airplane mode while I am on board the MS Zuiderdam. Confusing ain’t it – airplane mode, ship mode, commode. Good grief!
So I put the phone on wandering mode and told Gmail to send the code. Who knows how much those 6 numbers will cost. My beloved wife will probably not be pleased with our Verizon bill. Again. Actually, it is Comcast that regularly makes her Wheaties soggy, but you know.
Looking through some of the literature in our stateroom, Bonnie discovered a book with our choice of 1131 movies we can rent – not that we will rent even one, but we could. However, on the last page of “Ship Flicks” is something we will take advantage of after the show one evening. Maybe tonight. For $10 we can get the “Ship Flicks Package.” 4 sodas of our choice. 3 snacks of our choice. 2 bowls of mixed nuts. A bucket of ice. Plus – and this is the best part – 2 free packs of popcorn! Sodas on board are $1.95 per can, so quite a bargain. And free popcorn! Ah, the simple pleasures!
Bonnie bought a Nine West pocket book today. They were on sale. Hers is red. They also had black and yellow. I would have bought that one – Pirates and Steelers colors!
Tonight’s entertainment is a “Dancing with the Stars” competition. The dancers on board have been teaching new dances and they have picked a couple from each type of dance they’ve done. Four or five new dances, maybe more (we haven’t gone – they’ve typically been after my afternoon talks). But tonight each of the dancers will be in a competition, so we will go. It should be fun. All of the entertainment has been good. We get to our first port tomorrow, so I wonder if the ones who have sailed from Florida will get off and some new ones will get on for the last 5 nights.
And in mundane news, we are going to do laundry tonight or tomorrow night. Well, we will not actually “do” the laundry, but we will put it in a bag and send it out. One of our spiffs on this cruise is complimentary laundry service. Otherwise it’s $2.00 for one pair of unmentionables! And we have a week and a half of unmentionables – times two! $2.00 per pair of socks. T-shirts $3.00. Dress shirts $4.50. Complimentary is a great spiff!
Well, the next entry should contain news from Portugal.
TTFN
March 23, 2015
Well, last night, walking beside the same bed, past the same wall that I’ve been walking beside and past for a week, I hit my bossy toe (ask Stacey Amerson if you don’t know) into the wall. This morning it is a lovely shade of blue and hurts. Clumsy! It’s one of the three toes on my left foot that are just along for the ride anyway – they help give balance to that side, but they do nothing else. That is thanks to my Granddad Bittinger’s hatchet and my failure to listen more than 60 years ago. Put your hand down if you’ve heard that story!
I had quite a nice compliment from a lady today who is from Germany. She said, “You can tell that English is not my native language. The way you speak, it is so easy for me to understand.” Quite nice of her, I thought.
After my talk this morning (“The Spanish Main and the Search for El Dorado”) I went to the “On Location” desk to talk to the ship’s resident expert on the ports where we are stopping to get some tips for our upcoming destinations. We have secured a tour in Madeira, Portugal that will toodle us around for about 3.5 hours, but it doesn’t leave until 1 p.m., and we are alongside at 8 a.m. KK, the destination expert, told me about a shuttle for $6 that runs into town and so we will take advantage of that before we go on our tour.
In Cadiz, Spain, we are taking a bus that takes us into Seville (it is a 90 minute ride with a guide on board) to explore the old city on our own.
We did not book tours in our last two stops: Malaga and Cartagena.
In Malaga, Spain there is a shuttle for 4 euros that goes into town.
And in Cartagena, Spain, the ship docks right at the downtown, so it’s off to explore there as well. Hopefully we’ll get some good pictures that we can post from Civitavecchia at our B&B. And KK also told me of some side trips we could take, riding the train. She suggested for those side trips I might rent a car, but when I mentioned that to my cruise buddy, there was a loud and firm “NO!” Yes, dear!
Really good supper companions tonight. We’ve had some enjoyable tables. Really, I can’t think of any that were bad. Delicious beef tenderloin was my choice for dinner – and it was tender enough to cut with the butter knife. Chocolate cake and butter pecan ice cream for dessert. Bonnie had lasagne (not as good as hers) and vanilla ice cream and orange sorbet for dessert.
The show tonight was the final appearance of the Divas 3. They did a Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, and an ABBA, among others. Pretty girls. Great voices.
And now we are back in our stateroom, fixing our night time drinks of Diet Coke and Mountain Dew (smuggled on board at Fort Lauderdale) and then off to bed. We set the clocks up an hour at noon tomorrow, which will make us 4 hours ahead of y’all.
Well, TTFN
Well, last night, walking beside the same bed, past the same wall that I’ve been walking beside and past for a week, I hit my bossy toe (ask Stacey Amerson if you don’t know) into the wall. This morning it is a lovely shade of blue and hurts. Clumsy! It’s one of the three toes on my left foot that are just along for the ride anyway – they help give balance to that side, but they do nothing else. That is thanks to my Granddad Bittinger’s hatchet and my failure to listen more than 60 years ago. Put your hand down if you’ve heard that story!
I had quite a nice compliment from a lady today who is from Germany. She said, “You can tell that English is not my native language. The way you speak, it is so easy for me to understand.” Quite nice of her, I thought.
After my talk this morning (“The Spanish Main and the Search for El Dorado”) I went to the “On Location” desk to talk to the ship’s resident expert on the ports where we are stopping to get some tips for our upcoming destinations. We have secured a tour in Madeira, Portugal that will toodle us around for about 3.5 hours, but it doesn’t leave until 1 p.m., and we are alongside at 8 a.m. KK, the destination expert, told me about a shuttle for $6 that runs into town and so we will take advantage of that before we go on our tour.
In Cadiz, Spain, we are taking a bus that takes us into Seville (it is a 90 minute ride with a guide on board) to explore the old city on our own.
We did not book tours in our last two stops: Malaga and Cartagena.
In Malaga, Spain there is a shuttle for 4 euros that goes into town.
And in Cartagena, Spain, the ship docks right at the downtown, so it’s off to explore there as well. Hopefully we’ll get some good pictures that we can post from Civitavecchia at our B&B. And KK also told me of some side trips we could take, riding the train. She suggested for those side trips I might rent a car, but when I mentioned that to my cruise buddy, there was a loud and firm “NO!” Yes, dear!
Really good supper companions tonight. We’ve had some enjoyable tables. Really, I can’t think of any that were bad. Delicious beef tenderloin was my choice for dinner – and it was tender enough to cut with the butter knife. Chocolate cake and butter pecan ice cream for dessert. Bonnie had lasagne (not as good as hers) and vanilla ice cream and orange sorbet for dessert.
The show tonight was the final appearance of the Divas 3. They did a Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, and an ABBA, among others. Pretty girls. Great voices.
And now we are back in our stateroom, fixing our night time drinks of Diet Coke and Mountain Dew (smuggled on board at Fort Lauderdale) and then off to bed. We set the clocks up an hour at noon tomorrow, which will make us 4 hours ahead of y’all.
Well, TTFN
Monday, March 23, 2015
March 22, 2015
The internet on board was down Sunday night, so this is late.
My talk today, if the original rotation had been followed, would have been at 10 o’clock, but for whatever reason, I was at 2 p.m. today with “Alexander Selkirk: The Real Robinson Crusoe.” Since I had the second talk, we had breakfast at the Lido Buffet instead of ordering room service. I did order a pot of coffee for me and a glass of tomato juice for Bonnie. I am getting very spoiled – don’t even have to make my own coffee.
We went to church today. It was led by an Assemblies of God minister and his wife. At least I am guessing they are A/G because he went to an A/G seminary (of course I went to a Presbyterian seminary, and I am not a Presbyterian). He told us we were like Octopuses. An octopus can get a tentacle cut off and it will grow back – we should be like that because failure cannot defeat us.
The technicians on board and I have given up trying to get my computer to talk to their projector. The lead guy told me he thought it was because I was running Windows 8.1 and they are using something very old (I have no idea what). But they’ve copied my flash drive and have all of my talks on their computer, so it works okay. Today for the first time I used my fancy clicker. It has a timer on it, so I can better keep up with the time while I do my talk. And instead of a red laser beam, it has a green one. I like the green one – it is easier seen. I am easily impressed!
The seas are calm this afternoon. We’ve had 8 to 10 foot swells, but today not so much. It wasn’t enough to cause any problems, but definitely smoother today. And it’s an Irving Berlin afternoon – nothing but blue skies.
Last night’s entertainment was four of the crew – two guys and two gals as a singing group doing a program called “Unforgettable.” They did a lot of stuff from the 40s and 50s. Stuff us old folks on board know. They were very good. Tonight is a violinist from Royal Albert Hall. I got to hear a bit of his program because he was rehearsing right before my talk. Looking forward to the rest of it tonight.
Afternoon tea was good. The usual sandwiches. Scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam. But the best part was a really great table today. Lots of fun talk and good fellowship.
My beloved wife has just aroused herself from a long winter’s nap. We set the clocks up an hour again at noon today. That’s the third time since leaving Fort Lauderdale. I guess she was making up for the lost time – literally. We will do it two more times, because Rome is 5 hours ahead of the East Coast of the U. S. of A.
Well, that’s about all for today. See y’uns tomorrow!
TTFN
The internet on board was down Sunday night, so this is late.
My talk today, if the original rotation had been followed, would have been at 10 o’clock, but for whatever reason, I was at 2 p.m. today with “Alexander Selkirk: The Real Robinson Crusoe.” Since I had the second talk, we had breakfast at the Lido Buffet instead of ordering room service. I did order a pot of coffee for me and a glass of tomato juice for Bonnie. I am getting very spoiled – don’t even have to make my own coffee.
We went to church today. It was led by an Assemblies of God minister and his wife. At least I am guessing they are A/G because he went to an A/G seminary (of course I went to a Presbyterian seminary, and I am not a Presbyterian). He told us we were like Octopuses. An octopus can get a tentacle cut off and it will grow back – we should be like that because failure cannot defeat us.
The technicians on board and I have given up trying to get my computer to talk to their projector. The lead guy told me he thought it was because I was running Windows 8.1 and they are using something very old (I have no idea what). But they’ve copied my flash drive and have all of my talks on their computer, so it works okay. Today for the first time I used my fancy clicker. It has a timer on it, so I can better keep up with the time while I do my talk. And instead of a red laser beam, it has a green one. I like the green one – it is easier seen. I am easily impressed!
The seas are calm this afternoon. We’ve had 8 to 10 foot swells, but today not so much. It wasn’t enough to cause any problems, but definitely smoother today. And it’s an Irving Berlin afternoon – nothing but blue skies.
Last night’s entertainment was four of the crew – two guys and two gals as a singing group doing a program called “Unforgettable.” They did a lot of stuff from the 40s and 50s. Stuff us old folks on board know. They were very good. Tonight is a violinist from Royal Albert Hall. I got to hear a bit of his program because he was rehearsing right before my talk. Looking forward to the rest of it tonight.
Afternoon tea was good. The usual sandwiches. Scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam. But the best part was a really great table today. Lots of fun talk and good fellowship.
My beloved wife has just aroused herself from a long winter’s nap. We set the clocks up an hour again at noon today. That’s the third time since leaving Fort Lauderdale. I guess she was making up for the lost time – literally. We will do it two more times, because Rome is 5 hours ahead of the East Coast of the U. S. of A.
Well, that’s about all for today. See y’uns tomorrow!
TTFN
Saturday, March 21, 2015
March 21, 2015
I don’t know if they still do it, but the New York Times used to brag on the front page, above the logo, “all the news that’s fit to print.” We have a NYT Digest on board, and if they are still running that, they need to change it to – “all the left-wing commie pinko commentary that’s fit to print.”
Running up to the election of Benjamin Netanyahu there was nothing but critical reporting and critical commentary from the Lame Duck Administration in the White House. Since the convincing re-election of Mr. Netanyahu the whiners have been louder than before and LDA spokespersons who comment anonymously only with the cowardly excuse that they’ve not been authorized to speak are positively apoplectic! They have indeed flittered in their drawers!
Maybe someone could suggest to Holland America Lines – a fine cruise line that we are increasingly pleased with – that an opposing point of view could be offered by say, the Washington Post, or the Wall Street Journal. I’m sure those two papers would like to get their name in front of 1700 who have no other outlet for daily news and commentary.
Oh, to be fair, the NYT did report that Butt-ler won in the NCAA doings.
But enough of that.
How’s by you?
We went to breakfast at the Lido Buffet today and each of your favorite cruisers had omelets. Mine washed down with lots of black coffee. Bonnie’s by copious amounts of chocolate milk. Very tasty all.
Today’s talk, “The Pirates of the Caribbean.” was well received, I think. They groaned at my jokes, applauded at the picture of Roberto Clemente – one of the most famous Pirates in history, who hailed from Puerto Rico – and clapped roundly at my last Pirate story – an Irish Pirate captain backed up by a Polish stalwart who sent the invading Yankees from New York home in defeat (and yes, my brother, it did happen – Bucs win! Bucs win! Bucs win!).
I just finished rehearsing “Alexander Selkirk: The Real Robinson Crusoe,” while Bonnie naps. She said she couldn’t get comfortable, but judging from the sounds coming from across our stateroom, I’d say she did. I’ll do it one more time tonight – tomorrow is Sunday and there is a worship service, but as of yet I don’t know where or when, so I’m working now. That way we can go to church (there is a protestant chaplain on board who will lead the service).
Tonight’s show features the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers in “Unforgettable.” I will report back on it, and tonight’s supper in the next installment of “Travels and Tribulations.”
Until tomorrow ... TTFN!
I don’t know if they still do it, but the New York Times used to brag on the front page, above the logo, “all the news that’s fit to print.” We have a NYT Digest on board, and if they are still running that, they need to change it to – “all the left-wing commie pinko commentary that’s fit to print.”
Running up to the election of Benjamin Netanyahu there was nothing but critical reporting and critical commentary from the Lame Duck Administration in the White House. Since the convincing re-election of Mr. Netanyahu the whiners have been louder than before and LDA spokespersons who comment anonymously only with the cowardly excuse that they’ve not been authorized to speak are positively apoplectic! They have indeed flittered in their drawers!
Maybe someone could suggest to Holland America Lines – a fine cruise line that we are increasingly pleased with – that an opposing point of view could be offered by say, the Washington Post, or the Wall Street Journal. I’m sure those two papers would like to get their name in front of 1700 who have no other outlet for daily news and commentary.
Oh, to be fair, the NYT did report that Butt-ler won in the NCAA doings.
But enough of that.
How’s by you?
We went to breakfast at the Lido Buffet today and each of your favorite cruisers had omelets. Mine washed down with lots of black coffee. Bonnie’s by copious amounts of chocolate milk. Very tasty all.
Today’s talk, “The Pirates of the Caribbean.” was well received, I think. They groaned at my jokes, applauded at the picture of Roberto Clemente – one of the most famous Pirates in history, who hailed from Puerto Rico – and clapped roundly at my last Pirate story – an Irish Pirate captain backed up by a Polish stalwart who sent the invading Yankees from New York home in defeat (and yes, my brother, it did happen – Bucs win! Bucs win! Bucs win!).
I just finished rehearsing “Alexander Selkirk: The Real Robinson Crusoe,” while Bonnie naps. She said she couldn’t get comfortable, but judging from the sounds coming from across our stateroom, I’d say she did. I’ll do it one more time tonight – tomorrow is Sunday and there is a worship service, but as of yet I don’t know where or when, so I’m working now. That way we can go to church (there is a protestant chaplain on board who will lead the service).
Tonight’s show features the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers in “Unforgettable.” I will report back on it, and tonight’s supper in the next installment of “Travels and Tribulations.”
Until tomorrow ... TTFN!
Friday, March 20, 2015
March 20, 2015
I did my “Flight 19 and the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle” talk today. It went well, but had a couple of “interesting” bumps in it.
First off, my Citizen watch, eco-drive, has not been getting enough light. At 233 it sits under a light which is on from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I was rehearsing this morning, looked at said watch, said to myself, “Self, it’s about 45 minutes until show time, go ahead to the theater.” When I got there Bonnie said, “Where have you been? Your talk starts in 10 minutes!” Now I am a slow walker, but not that slow. Said watch was more than 40 minutes slow. So it’s been in the window all day, and I’m telling time with my cell phone (which is 2 hours faster than your time, dear reader – and will be 5 hours faster by the time we get to Rome).
The second disturbance was a fire alarm mid-way through the talk. It was a drill, as a voice from the bridge indicated, but that is one Bermuda Triangle talk that may be talked about with smiles and laughter in the future.
I skipped lunch today so I go could go to tea and consume scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam, washing the whole thing down with tea – Earl Gray, hot.
We had our least enjoyable table grouping for supper tonight. Three people bragging on themselves, and three people (your friendly neighborhood blogger and traveling companion and a guy from Toronto via the UK who looks like Vin Scully – all you Los Angeles Dodgers fans will know who he is) who nodded at all of their accomplishments. The time share in Madeira. The 70 plays starred in. The yearly Atlantic crossings. Etc., etc., etc. Oh my goodness!
But the food was very good. We had shrimp that were straight and about 4 inches long. Never seen the like, but they were crusted and spicy and very good. And for dessert Bonnie had pineapple crisp with vanilla ice cream and I had chocolate cheesecake with coffee ice cream.
Tomorrow is “The Pirates of the Caribbean” talk. I’ll report back later.
TTFN!
I did my “Flight 19 and the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle” talk today. It went well, but had a couple of “interesting” bumps in it.
First off, my Citizen watch, eco-drive, has not been getting enough light. At 233 it sits under a light which is on from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I was rehearsing this morning, looked at said watch, said to myself, “Self, it’s about 45 minutes until show time, go ahead to the theater.” When I got there Bonnie said, “Where have you been? Your talk starts in 10 minutes!” Now I am a slow walker, but not that slow. Said watch was more than 40 minutes slow. So it’s been in the window all day, and I’m telling time with my cell phone (which is 2 hours faster than your time, dear reader – and will be 5 hours faster by the time we get to Rome).
The second disturbance was a fire alarm mid-way through the talk. It was a drill, as a voice from the bridge indicated, but that is one Bermuda Triangle talk that may be talked about with smiles and laughter in the future.
I skipped lunch today so I go could go to tea and consume scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam, washing the whole thing down with tea – Earl Gray, hot.
We had our least enjoyable table grouping for supper tonight. Three people bragging on themselves, and three people (your friendly neighborhood blogger and traveling companion and a guy from Toronto via the UK who looks like Vin Scully – all you Los Angeles Dodgers fans will know who he is) who nodded at all of their accomplishments. The time share in Madeira. The 70 plays starred in. The yearly Atlantic crossings. Etc., etc., etc. Oh my goodness!
But the food was very good. We had shrimp that were straight and about 4 inches long. Never seen the like, but they were crusted and spicy and very good. And for dessert Bonnie had pineapple crisp with vanilla ice cream and I had chocolate cheesecake with coffee ice cream.
Tomorrow is “The Pirates of the Caribbean” talk. I’ll report back later.
TTFN!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
March 19, 2015
This morning I went to hear the first talk by the other speaker on board, John Nixon. He talked about the salvage of the Russian submarine Kirsk. At the time he worked for the company that did the salvage. Quite interesting. He is also doing history talks. Tomorrow he is doing the War of 1812. I’ll take notes because I can use it in my Baltimore talk, next time we cruise back that way.
The talks are scheduled at 10 and 2 and we rotate. Did I tell you that already?
My first talk, “Space: The Final Frontier” was today. All talks are in the main theater and the main floor was almost completely full. Well, what else they going to do? Usually we have a regular seating for supper, but on this cruise we have any time dining and we’ve met a lot more people and invited them to the talks. I think it helps attendance. Tomorrow is the Bermuda Triangle talk. Fortunately, we are through it so the boogers and the haints can’t get us. Although ... the tech staff did something funky with my computer and couldn’t get it to talk to their projector (I think I know what they did and I will try to solve it tomorrow). I always carry my talks on a flash drive and they just loaded it into their computer and we were off and running.
Things are a little rocky tonight. Bonnie’s knee is loosening up, but she sure wobbles going down the hall with the ship rolling a little bit. She walked two miles, crochetted, and hung out up on the Lido Deck. We had Nathan’s hot dogs at the Drive Inn on the Lido Deck for lunch. I refined talks, rehearsed, did a talk, worked on another talk, and took a nap. Mr. Excitement!
We ate supper tonight with a nice couple who are missionaries in Germany – Kim and Jenny. They are Americans, but they organize or direct small group mission teams. They’ve been home visiting their three adult kids, and now they are going back. They are history buffs and we talked about some of the things that will be in future talks of mine and they gave me a couple of ideas to incorporate. Quite a fun supper with them tonight. I had a French dessert that I can’t pronounce: Mille Fillouette (or something like that – it means 1,000 layers and had a great cream sauce with pears on the side).
We are having breakfast in our room tomorrow since my talk is at 10 a.m. That will give me more time to get ready and rehearse. This is our first room service on this cruise, so I will try to remember to tell you about it tomorrow.
Tonight’s show was “Divas Three” – three girl singers doing girl singer songs. They were quite good, and they were practicing right before my first talk so I got to witness a little of the preparation.
Well, that’s it for now.
TTFN
This morning I went to hear the first talk by the other speaker on board, John Nixon. He talked about the salvage of the Russian submarine Kirsk. At the time he worked for the company that did the salvage. Quite interesting. He is also doing history talks. Tomorrow he is doing the War of 1812. I’ll take notes because I can use it in my Baltimore talk, next time we cruise back that way.
The talks are scheduled at 10 and 2 and we rotate. Did I tell you that already?
My first talk, “Space: The Final Frontier” was today. All talks are in the main theater and the main floor was almost completely full. Well, what else they going to do? Usually we have a regular seating for supper, but on this cruise we have any time dining and we’ve met a lot more people and invited them to the talks. I think it helps attendance. Tomorrow is the Bermuda Triangle talk. Fortunately, we are through it so the boogers and the haints can’t get us. Although ... the tech staff did something funky with my computer and couldn’t get it to talk to their projector (I think I know what they did and I will try to solve it tomorrow). I always carry my talks on a flash drive and they just loaded it into their computer and we were off and running.
Things are a little rocky tonight. Bonnie’s knee is loosening up, but she sure wobbles going down the hall with the ship rolling a little bit. She walked two miles, crochetted, and hung out up on the Lido Deck. We had Nathan’s hot dogs at the Drive Inn on the Lido Deck for lunch. I refined talks, rehearsed, did a talk, worked on another talk, and took a nap. Mr. Excitement!
We ate supper tonight with a nice couple who are missionaries in Germany – Kim and Jenny. They are Americans, but they organize or direct small group mission teams. They’ve been home visiting their three adult kids, and now they are going back. They are history buffs and we talked about some of the things that will be in future talks of mine and they gave me a couple of ideas to incorporate. Quite a fun supper with them tonight. I had a French dessert that I can’t pronounce: Mille Fillouette (or something like that – it means 1,000 layers and had a great cream sauce with pears on the side).
We are having breakfast in our room tomorrow since my talk is at 10 a.m. That will give me more time to get ready and rehearse. This is our first room service on this cruise, so I will try to remember to tell you about it tomorrow.
Tonight’s show was “Divas Three” – three girl singers doing girl singer songs. They were quite good, and they were practicing right before my first talk so I got to witness a little of the preparation.
Well, that’s it for now.
TTFN
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
March 18, 2015
We booked some shore excursions today. The first for Madeira, Portugal, next Wednesday. It is a bus tour of “Panoramic Island Landscapes.” Mostly riding around, looking at the sites, but several chances to get out and take some pictures. And for Friday, a week from now, a bus ride into Seville, Spain where we will explore on our own for 5 hours, or until we are worn out, whichever comes first. The other two stops, we will walk into town and do our own things.
This is the first of three formal nights of this cruise, and a chance to meet the Captain.
We did a tour of the Galley today. Saw the places where they prepare 12,000 meals a day (yes, 12K – lots of groceries). Most impressive.
We ate lunch late today, because we set our clocks ahead at noon one hour (a whole lot better than setting it ahead at bed time – this way we have the rest of the day and when we go to bed we won’t think we are being cheated). There is a restaurant on board which makes hot dogs and hamburgers to order. I had a hamburger covered in fried onion, lettuce, tomato and a special sauce (no pickles or a sesame seed bun). Very good. Because it was so late eating, with the time change, I did not go to High Tea today. No scones. No Earl Gray. But tomorrow, Scarlet, is another day. Bonnie
had tacos and cheese dip and a waffle ice cream cone.
We did not get our March Madness picks entered before we sailed. Would the director of the contest please email to advise if it is too late to do so, and to send the address again, if it is not too late?
There is a daily newspaper on board. It is reprinted (8 pages, tabloid size – think old Macedonia Church Bulletin) from the New York Times. All the left-wing commie pinko news that’s fit to print. They were snorting today about how bad it was that Benjamin Netyenyahoo (or however he speels it) had won the Israeli elections.
Two of our table mates for breakfast were Carlos and Pauline, natives of Rome, who are on their way back to visit with children. They’ve been in America for decades, calling Williamsburg, VA home now, but they make a crossing every so often to visit family. They were quite engaging. The other pair was Donna and Herb from New Orleans. They lost 9 rental houses in Katrina, but were heavily insured, so they made out quite nice, thank you very much.
Well, that’s it for today. I’ll report on the Captain’s Toast and the evening Show tomorrow.
TTFN!
We booked some shore excursions today. The first for Madeira, Portugal, next Wednesday. It is a bus tour of “Panoramic Island Landscapes.” Mostly riding around, looking at the sites, but several chances to get out and take some pictures. And for Friday, a week from now, a bus ride into Seville, Spain where we will explore on our own for 5 hours, or until we are worn out, whichever comes first. The other two stops, we will walk into town and do our own things.
This is the first of three formal nights of this cruise, and a chance to meet the Captain.
We did a tour of the Galley today. Saw the places where they prepare 12,000 meals a day (yes, 12K – lots of groceries). Most impressive.
We ate lunch late today, because we set our clocks ahead at noon one hour (a whole lot better than setting it ahead at bed time – this way we have the rest of the day and when we go to bed we won’t think we are being cheated). There is a restaurant on board which makes hot dogs and hamburgers to order. I had a hamburger covered in fried onion, lettuce, tomato and a special sauce (no pickles or a sesame seed bun). Very good. Because it was so late eating, with the time change, I did not go to High Tea today. No scones. No Earl Gray. But tomorrow, Scarlet, is another day. Bonnie
had tacos and cheese dip and a waffle ice cream cone.
We did not get our March Madness picks entered before we sailed. Would the director of the contest please email to advise if it is too late to do so, and to send the address again, if it is not too late?
There is a daily newspaper on board. It is reprinted (8 pages, tabloid size – think old Macedonia Church Bulletin) from the New York Times. All the left-wing commie pinko news that’s fit to print. They were snorting today about how bad it was that Benjamin Netyenyahoo (or however he speels it) had won the Israeli elections.
Two of our table mates for breakfast were Carlos and Pauline, natives of Rome, who are on their way back to visit with children. They’ve been in America for decades, calling Williamsburg, VA home now, but they make a crossing every so often to visit family. They were quite engaging. The other pair was Donna and Herb from New Orleans. They lost 9 rental houses in Katrina, but were heavily insured, so they made out quite nice, thank you very much.
Well, that’s it for today. I’ll report on the Captain’s Toast and the evening Show tomorrow.
TTFN!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
March 17, 2015
Well, this cruise has sure had its “interesting” moments in the beginning. Your favorite scribe hopes that they are all over!
Least, but not last, you notice that you are receiving this before we get to Madeira, so you know that there was an internet package less than $224.99! Yipee!
We stayed with Linda and Tony in Vero Beach on Sunday, the 15th, before sailing yesterday. Well, my original letter to them – no idea how I did it (senior moment) – I told them we would be arriving on Saturday the 14th. I got an email from Linda Saturday night saying, “Where are you?” Boy was my face red. But all was well and we just got there a day late (I did check every other date in this itinerary to be sure I hadn’t messed something else up).
We decided to park at Ft. Lauderdale airport’s economy lot for $7.50 a night instead of $15 at the regular lot. Got there, the lot isn’t. It’s not at the airport, it’s 3 miles away. A kind attendant gave us the address and Elena got us there with no problem. Well, there was a problem. There is no transport to the dock, only to the airport. So Google got us to Gold Coast parking for $6.00 per night, and we left Frank there (my car – Frank Sonota) to be retrieved in three weeks by a driver who will pick us up at the airport.
We got on board around 1:30 – we came in through the crew area, no lines, no waiting, and were in our room by 2 o’clock. Very nice stateroom with a large window and a great view of blue water and blue sky. When I woke this morning, I said, “What’s that bright light?” We typically have an inside cabin.
The next interesting thing occurred today when I turned the Xoom on to begin rehearsing (I bought 11 talks on board, at my agent’s direction, but the ship is only going to use 8, so I’ll play for a few extra days, and more time to rehearse). Imagine my horror when the Xoom wouldn’t turn on! I have hard copies of my talks – belt and suspenders, but still! I took it to Clinton in the Cruise Director’s office, he took it to the on board tech staff who fixed it – needed reset – no idea how they did it, but in my gratitude, I offered cash, their favorite beverage, a change in my unborn grandson’s name. You can’t imagine! I could do the talks from paper, but the Xoom makes it so much easier. We typically travel with two computers, I may have to start traveling with two tablets. And no, my brother, an Apple wouldn’t have helped.
Well, that’s all of the interesting stuff! Lord, hear our prayer!
Instead of a set table seating, we have any time dining, which means we go any time. We have had interesting table mates at each evening meal. Last night was a couple from Ireland who are living in Scotland, and a couple from the Netherlands who are living in the Netherlands. Tonight we sat at a table for two couples. Our table mates were from Canada, living in Canada.
And I went to high tea this afternoon and sat with a retired programmer who developed Sabre (all you travel agents know that it was the original program to do computer reservations – the airlines and others used it) and a retired FCC director and a retired IT guy. Interesting folks and great cucumber sandwiches followed by scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam. All washed down with tea. Earl Grey. Hot. Marvelous.
Great show tonight. A comedian/juggler from Germany.
And now it’s off to a WiFi hot spot to see if I can post this. Don’t expect any pictures until we do a shore day, and maybe not until Rome on the 31st.
TTFN!
Well, this cruise has sure had its “interesting” moments in the beginning. Your favorite scribe hopes that they are all over!
Least, but not last, you notice that you are receiving this before we get to Madeira, so you know that there was an internet package less than $224.99! Yipee!
We stayed with Linda and Tony in Vero Beach on Sunday, the 15th, before sailing yesterday. Well, my original letter to them – no idea how I did it (senior moment) – I told them we would be arriving on Saturday the 14th. I got an email from Linda Saturday night saying, “Where are you?” Boy was my face red. But all was well and we just got there a day late (I did check every other date in this itinerary to be sure I hadn’t messed something else up).
We decided to park at Ft. Lauderdale airport’s economy lot for $7.50 a night instead of $15 at the regular lot. Got there, the lot isn’t. It’s not at the airport, it’s 3 miles away. A kind attendant gave us the address and Elena got us there with no problem. Well, there was a problem. There is no transport to the dock, only to the airport. So Google got us to Gold Coast parking for $6.00 per night, and we left Frank there (my car – Frank Sonota) to be retrieved in three weeks by a driver who will pick us up at the airport.
We got on board around 1:30 – we came in through the crew area, no lines, no waiting, and were in our room by 2 o’clock. Very nice stateroom with a large window and a great view of blue water and blue sky. When I woke this morning, I said, “What’s that bright light?” We typically have an inside cabin.
The next interesting thing occurred today when I turned the Xoom on to begin rehearsing (I bought 11 talks on board, at my agent’s direction, but the ship is only going to use 8, so I’ll play for a few extra days, and more time to rehearse). Imagine my horror when the Xoom wouldn’t turn on! I have hard copies of my talks – belt and suspenders, but still! I took it to Clinton in the Cruise Director’s office, he took it to the on board tech staff who fixed it – needed reset – no idea how they did it, but in my gratitude, I offered cash, their favorite beverage, a change in my unborn grandson’s name. You can’t imagine! I could do the talks from paper, but the Xoom makes it so much easier. We typically travel with two computers, I may have to start traveling with two tablets. And no, my brother, an Apple wouldn’t have helped.
Well, that’s all of the interesting stuff! Lord, hear our prayer!
Instead of a set table seating, we have any time dining, which means we go any time. We have had interesting table mates at each evening meal. Last night was a couple from Ireland who are living in Scotland, and a couple from the Netherlands who are living in the Netherlands. Tonight we sat at a table for two couples. Our table mates were from Canada, living in Canada.
And I went to high tea this afternoon and sat with a retired programmer who developed Sabre (all you travel agents know that it was the original program to do computer reservations – the airlines and others used it) and a retired FCC director and a retired IT guy. Interesting folks and great cucumber sandwiches followed by scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam. All washed down with tea. Earl Grey. Hot. Marvelous.
Great show tonight. A comedian/juggler from Germany.
And now it’s off to a WiFi hot spot to see if I can post this. Don’t expect any pictures until we do a shore day, and maybe not until Rome on the 31st.
TTFN!
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