ORANGE YOU GLAD

April 26, 2019


We decided that the Alcazaba we had previously visited was indeed the one we visited yesterday in Malaga.  One thing that convinced us is the fact that there is no Alcazaba in Cartagena, as we were thinking.  It may take us a while, but we usually figure things out.  We did some shopping in Cartagena today, but I will let Mom tell it since she bought it all.

One thing about shopping in the Big C today we did not do the last time was spill a coke on the checkout counter at Teddi’s department store.  I don’t know why, but checking out the last time we were here – I guess I was thirsty – I opened it as I was paying and spilled it over their counter.  I took out my hanky and began cleaning and they came with paper towels.  They did not remember us and therefore we were not banned from their store.

Tomorrow is the King of the Netherlands birthday, and as the royal family are members of the House of Orange, and as Holland America Line has its roots there, tonight was not only Gala Night (the tux was out for the last time on this cruise) it was also Orange Night.  There is an Orange Party up on Deck 8 tonight and tomorrow there is a King’s Day Street Market and a King’s Day Afternoon Tea.  I may make the tea.  Not sure about the street market.  As to our orange today, well as I said, Bonnie will tell you.

Tomorrow my talk, “Alexander Selkirk: The Real Robinson Crusoe,” is the opening act for “Ask the Captain.”  Captain Steve will take center stage with a microphone and field questions from the audience.  On a lot of cruises, other officers will join him – hotel, environmental, safety, etc.  But the program for tomorrow just has our Captain.  I met him today in the lunch line at the Lido.  Tall, handsome fellow, about the age of Michael and Matthew – see guys if you’d’ve gone to sea you could be Captain of a cruise ship and we could all sail for free!  Nice fellow Captain Steve (as well as Mike and Matt).

My counterpart in the lecture department, Robin Ross, is a former DJ and a current artist.  As part of his schtick, he hides some of the screen prints he has produced every Friday in a gig called “Free Art Friday.”  He prints fewer than 10 of each of his pieces, and today I found one (didn’t see a thing last Friday).  I hope someday he makes it big because then my piece #2 out of 7 screens may be worth a fortune.  Think Picasso.  But with pieces you can recognize.

Well, I’m wrapping up my part for this evening.  Here’s Bonnie!

TTFN

Well, since we were in the Mediterranean Sea last night, the seas were much calmer. I slept okay but was awake every couple hours. We were to be in port at 7 but after rising at 6:30 and going to breakfast about 7:30 and no announcement we figured because it was so early they just let people off without the announcement. And they had. They don’t make announcements until after 8. That was okay because we were not in a big hurry. Most stores don’t open till 10. However, all aboard was 12:30. At breakfast this morning the mustard dispenser attacked me again. Every time I try to put some in the little cups they put out for it, the mustard sprays everywhere but in the cup. For the second time this week it was all over my hand and in my rings. YUCK! I cleaned up the mess and went on and made my bacon sandwich.

We made it off about 9:30. It is a short walk to the main street which is for pedestrians. We headed up the long line of shops with a lot of little side streets and several churches on the way. We visited a couple of souvenir shops as we walked. I wanted to find something orange to wear to dinner tonight since it was “orange day”.
In the first shop I didn’t find anything but did find a present for a grand kid, not telling which one.  We stopped at a couple of farmacias looking for something we needed, finally found it in the second one. The guy googled what your Dad wanted because he didn’t know what it was. Funny. He didn’t speak hardly any English. Well, the second shop I looked in for something orange I found a nice shirt that is kind of orange, it is coral, close enough. It was only 10.99 euros. Well we had been walking about an hour and if you walk out an hour it takes an hour to get back. So we turned around and stopped at the TEDI shop on the way out. I bought one skein of yarn and a stocking stuffer for a different grand kid. Then, it was on back to the ship. But we spied a news stand and I got a Daily Mail from England that is printed in English in Spain. Yeah!! 2.40 euros and I will have a paper to read on the rest of our trip. It is a big paper and has a lot to read. Plus it has puzzle pages and comics. It may even have stories about the new royal baby that is coming soon, just for you Amy.

Well, when we got to the entrance to the dock, the policia were there and waiting for you ship card and id. Well, I don’t know why but they wanted to put my back pack  through a portable scanner they had set up in their van. They took our ship cards, wrote our names and then put my bag through the machine. They didn’t do it to everybody but they did do it to us. Go figure. Well, when we got on the ship our stuff got scanned again. I didn’t set off the machine but your Dad did. This is the second day in a row and we think it is his belt. Oh well, what can you do.

We went to our room, put our stuff up and headed to the lido. We had a can of coke in the room that your Dad was not going to drink so I took it to pour over a glass of ice and have with my lunch. I got a salad and my glass of ice, actually 2 glasses of ice, and poured my coke over the ice in one of the glasses. We were both reading the ships newspapers while we ate and I was really not listening when one of the nice young ladies walked up and said “would like to have some more tea” and before I knew what she said or was getting ready to do she started to pour tea in on top of my coke. I quickly said no it’s coke but before I could say anything I had some tea in my glass. She is a very sweet waitress and was all upset but we said it was fine I can’t taste anyway. She said she would go get me a coke and we both said no, it was fine. She would have to pay for it to get one. We convinced her it was okay. But about 5 minutes later her she came with a fresh glass of coke. That was so nice. But all the young people in the lido are super nice. 

It was 12:30 by the time we finished lunch. He wanted to go to the computer class but I had already been to this class earlier in the week. So I went to the room and got my bag and went out on deck 6 to watch sail away. We should have already been getting ready but there was a guest who was late. He finally showed about 15 minutes late. At 12:50 pm they announced for a member of the housekeeping service to call the supervisor. OOPS! That means he is not on board. And he was not. At about 1:10 we haul up the ropes and back away from the pier. We get about a couple of hundred feet out and here comes the crew member. His boss is standing just down the deck from me and holds up his hands as if saving “where have you been?” The ship is moving away from the dock, looks like he is left or will have to swim for it. But the ship stops moving. It just sits. It seems it is up to port authority and the captain if they go back in to dock and let him on. After about 10 minutes I guess everybody agreed because we went back and put the ship next to the dock, put out a little gangway and he got on. Oh I bet he is in serious trouble. All his friends had come up on deck and passengers were watching all this and we all applauded when the ship went back and let him get on.

Well, I watched us leave the port and pass the end of the shore and then headed to the room for a nap. I didn’t get much but he got about an hour. We then dressed in our best duds, he in his tux and me in my new “orange shirt” and headed off for filet mignon and lobster tails. I ate the filet and gave him my lobster. Nice table in the side window tonight with one couple from a couple of nights before and a new couple. Very enjoyable evening except for the table of 8 very LOUD people right beside us!!. They didn’t know what an inside voice is. I think a couple of them had a few before they got there. There talk was a little coarse besides loud.

The show was the singers and dancers. It was okay tonight but way to loud. 
Well, I have said enough so I will say good night. Mac I hope you are doing better.
Tate, or should I say Amy and Jack, hang in there this too shall pass.
Congratulations Maggie all your hard work at tumbling has paid off!!!
Love you all Mom, Granny and Bonnie