Florence and Pisa Italy

We docked at Livorno at 8am to partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 50’s. From here through Malta, we are on private tours with two other couples that we met through Cruise Critic.

Today we were off to Florence and Pisa for most of the day as the ship isn’t sailing until 8pm. We went down the gangway and our tour guide Sabrina was waiting at the bottom. After greeting us, she took us to her van and we were off. As the ship tours were going to Pisa first, we decided to go up to Florence first and do Pisa on the way back.

It took a little over an hour to get to Florence, and she took us there via some back roads going through some of the country side. She made a stop overlooking a vineyard so that we could get some pictures of the beautiful country.

Being in a van, we were able to go down quite a few of the very small roads in Florence and were able to see things that the tour buses would not be able to see. Just some of the things we saw included Santa Croce Church and square, The Ponte Vecchio (or Old Bridge), and several of the Churches around the city including the Jewish Synagogue.

Around 12:30 Sabrina called ahead to Marione Trattoria (a local café type of place) and made table reservations for our lunch. It was a very small local establishment but the food was excellent and the Chianti outstanding.

We walked out around 1:30 to an overcast sky and light rain (BOOOOOO!). We made a couple more stops in Florence and decided to head back towards the ship and Pisa.

Arriving in Pisa we went directly to the Piazza dei Miracoli where the leaning Tower is located. By our arrival there the rain had let up enough that we could get a few pictures of the tower and the Piazza surrounding it. Shortly however the rain got harder and we decided to call it a day and go back to the ship.

Even with the rain the day was fabulous. Florence is a very interesting city and well worth visiting, especially on a private tour so that you can get down some of the narrower streets and see the little shops there. Our guide was fantastic and was very good about pointing out things to us and answering our questions.

Tomorrow we dock at Civitavecchia at 7am, and we meet our guide to Rome at 7:30. Until tomorrow night, Cheers!

Monte Carlo

We arrived at Monte Carlo shortly after 7am, and anchored just outside the harbor as the Oosterdam was due in also and for what ever reason had the dock. The day was not looking very good with temperatures in the low 50’s and a light rain falling. Sharon and I decided that, since we were going to be in port until 11pm, we would wait until after lunch before we made the decision to go ashore or not.

As the morning progressed, we could see the clouds starting to dissipate and the sun trying to break through. The day progressively got better and by the time we finished lunch the sun was out, the temperature had climbed into the high 50’s with a partly cloudy sky.

After arriving at the dock, we followed directions and went off to the left side and found the elevator to the next level, which put us outside the Oceanographic Museum. Walking away from there we found the Cathedral where Princess Grace was married and is buried. After touring that, we were off to find the post office to buy some stamps for our grandchildren’s collection.

We then walked through some of the small alleyways with their quaint little shops and found ourselves at the Princes Palace. From there we decided to take the Petite Train that Monte Carlo has for a tour of the city. That was really nice, lasting about an hour and going through some of the old parts of town, and up to the Casino and then returning to the Oceanographic Museum.

We then decided to get ambitious and walk back around the harbor area to the Casino. While it’s not really that far of a walk, trying to figure out where we were at was at times difficult, as was trying to find the elevators to get up to the higher levels. But we did finally make it and got some really great up close shots of it.

All in all we managed to stay in town almost six hours and really got to see a lot of the city. I highly recommend however to forget about the map the ship gives you, and as soon as you get ashore look for the tourist information booth and get a more detailed map from them. The city is very pedestrian friendly, however there are a lot of stairs and hills so beware of that.

The picture I have chosen shows some of the yachts of the rich and famous in the harbor along with the Prinsendam and Oosterdam.

Tomorrow we are in Livorno Italy and are on a tour to Pisa and Florence. Until then, Cheers!!

Marseille, France

Bonjour from cold and wet Marseille. We docked shortly after 7am this morning to temperatures around 49 degrees and rain. As we were going to be in port until 8pm, we decided to take our time and not go into town until after lunch, and hoping that by then the rain may have stopped.

Unfortunately it didn’t stop, but was not raining hard so off we went to catch the bus shuttle into the city. Upon arrival there, we noticed that the Petite Train was operating. This really surprised us as they advertised that they didn’t start until after
Easter. However, we had really wanted to take their tour (they were only 6 euro) so were very happy to see them. They run two different tours of about a hour long, one through the city and one out and up to the Basilica of Notre
in Marseille. Even if you took both, the total cost per person is only 12 euro which is a cheap tour.

Tomorrow is Monte Carlo, and as we are there until 11pm and the weather is predicted to be similar to what we had today, we will probably stay aboard until the afternoon to see if it clears out.

Someone asked about Goudi’s Church in Barcelona. We did not get the chance to go there unfortunately because of the rain, so I can’t tell you anything about cost. I will try and find someone onboard that did go and get the information from them.

Until tomorrow, Cheers!

Barcelona, Day 2

Our run of fabulous days has finally come to an end. We woke up this morning to an overcast sky, and on and off rain with the temperature around 60 degrees. It wasn't a total washout but we didn't get to see a couple of things we really wanted. But that's the way things go sometime. It certainly didn't spoil our day.

Last night our entertainment was a local Spanish Flamenco dance group. They were absolutely terrific. So today we decided to just walk around on our own. We strolled down the La Rambla which is a main shopping area very near the dock. Found a fantastic Market place where they were selling fresh fruit, vegatables, meats etc. I also found a great little wine shop and picked up four bottles of local Spanish wine.

So it was back to the ship early, and we went up to the Lido and got some cheese, crackers, and sliced meats, went back to our stateroom and popped the cork on a bottle of wine. A great way to end the day.

I can tell you however that two days isn't even enough to really see the city. Hopefully someday we can return and spend a week or so here.

Enjoy the pictures!

Barcelona, Day 1

What a fantastic day. The sun was shinning, clear skies, with temperatures in the mid 60's. We decided to do the Hop-on Hop-off bus here, and caught the first one from the dock area at 9am. There are three routes available in Barcelona, the Blue, Red, and Green. The Blue one is the one that comes by the dock where we are so that's the one we took first. It takes about 2 hours to go completely around, and it hit's most of the major tourist things. We opted to get off by the Olympic Stadium area because nearby was the Botanical Gardens.

Very interesting to see the stadium and other facilities in the area that were used for the 1992 Olympics. We could even go inside the track and field stadium, and ate lunch there.

After looking around there, we went behind the stadium to the Botanical Gardens. That was quite interesting for us, and they had plant life from several different area's of the world, including the Canary Islands, South Africa, Australia, and even California.

Tomorrow we will head out to see the Goudi Familia and will most likely spend most of the day there until the ship leaves at 5pm.

I haven't downloaded our pictures yet so I don't have one for tonight, but will get one (maybe even two) up tomorrow when I finish out Barcelona.

More to come tomorrow, Cheers!!

March 26, Cartagena Spain

When is Rome, do as the Roman’s do, and when in Cartagena, go visit Roman ruins!! Who would have thought that in the middle of a Spanish town, they would find the remains of a Roman Theater. But, I get ahead of myself.

In 219BC, Hannibal brought his armies to Iberia. This was during the Second Punic War and even though Hannibal was initially victorious, the war ended with his defeat in 202BC. Hasdrubal (his brother-in-law) was commander in Spain from 228 to 221, and established several colonies, most importantly the coastal port of Carthago Nova, now Cartagena.

Dramatically encircled by mountains, Cartagena is now a principal naval base of Spain. The city contains the remains of old walls, a castle constructed in Carthaginian times, and a church that was formerly a 13th Century cathedral.

Our goal was to visit the Roman Theater, the Castillo de la Concepcion, and the Parque de Torres (the original bull fighting ring). On paper, they all were less than a half mile or so away from the dock area. So off we went, across the main avenue, and up two flights of stairs to get up to the level of the main part of town. We turned left so that we would go past the Roman Theater on our way to the Church. While it was obvious that everything was above us, we didn’t realize the number of stairs that we would have to climb in order to get to where we wanted to go. But we trudged on and finally got to the Theater, which is picture that you see above.

Then it was uphill some more where we finally reached the Church, which was at the highest point of the city. We were able to get an even better view of the theater on one side, and on the other the original bull fighting ring. It seemed like no matter where we looked, there were signs of areas being restored from ancient times. It was so nice to see that the city was willing to invest the funds and time to restore the history there.

If you have never been to Cartagena, I highly recommend spending some time in the city, and wearing a good pair of walking shoes, go see the Castillo de la Concepcion, and from the top find the Roman Theater and Parque de Torres. The walk up to the Castillo is beautiful, and surrounded by gardens, trees, and numerous Peacocks walking wild around it. All in all it was a very good day, albeit quite tiring.

Tomorrow we dock in Barcelona and will be there for two days. From our research even that will not be enough days to see everything that Barcelona has to offer. We will most likely do the Hop-on Hop-off bus the first day and try to make our decision as to what major things we want to see the second day.

Until then, Cheers!!

Gibraltar

Probably the most famous “rock” in the world, the Rock of Gibraltar rises abruptly from the sea on the east side, and a bit more gradually on the west. Its maximum elevation is 1396 feet and honeycombed with caves. The major tourist things to see are the Moorish Castle, the Barbary Apes, St. Michael’s Gallery, and the Siege Tunnels.

We felt the ships tours were a bit expensive, and decided to take our chances with one of the “taxi tours” found right outside the cruise terminal. The cheapest ships tour was $61 per person, and none of the ships tours went to all of the major sites. We paid 35 euro’s (or $52.50 per person at the rate I bought euro’s for) for a 3 hour tour that went to all of the major sites including the lighthouse, and on the way back they dropped us off at the botanical gardens so that we could see them and then stroll back towards the ship on the pedestrian mall area.

Personally, we felt the tour we got was much better than any the ship had offered, and was cheaper and more personal as there were only eight of us instead of 20-30 people. Our guide Peter was very knowledgeable and was very good about pointing out various things along the way.

We had originally thought we would walk into “town” and then to the cable car and take that up to the top of the mountain. It costs 22.5 euro’s per person which includes admission to the apes den, the Moorish Castle, and the St Michaels Gallery. The bad news is once you are at the top of the rock and get off the cable car, you have to walk. The other bad news is nothing is close to the other sites, and it is quite hilly. The taxi tour we went with took us right up to the entrance of each area and dropped us off. Even driving we were at the top of the rock for about 1.5 hours. I would think that to try and walk it would take a minimum of 4 hours if not longer. Also the walk into town will take you a good 30 minutes or more, then you have to walk through town to the South side to get the cable car which is about a 20-30 minute walk depending on how much window shopping you do.

The weather was cool, around 65 degrees and we did get a light shower around 2pm but it didn’t last long. Tomorrow we will be in Cartagena Spain and the weather right now is predicted to be around 59 degrees and partly cloudy.

And yes, you can get very close to the apes. They typically pretty much ignore you. We got some great pictures of them and the one attached to this blog we felt was one of the better ones.

Until tomorrow, cheers!

We can certainly tell we are headed North, and the high temperatures are slowly dropping. Today was another good day at sea, with waves less than two feet and plenty of sunshine. But, the wind was up and the temperature hovered around 64 degrees, and tomorrow in Gibraltar the temperature is predicted to be in the low 60’s with a chance of rain. I hope that the rain does hold off so that we can get some good pictures there.

We had another time change today (actually turned the clocks forward at 2am) and Sharon and I slept in this morning. We didn’t even get room service. We decided to go up to the Lido for breakfast instead (see, we are not totally spoiled, YET).

We had a second Cruise Critics get together in the crows nest and that was nice to re-connect with folks that we hadn’t seen much of so far.

Today is another formal night, and around 3pm our room steward came around with another HAL gift, this time umbrellas. We may need them tomorrow.

Oh, by the way, for all of you Cruise Critic folks, the Prinsendam still has trays in the Lido, and the self serve laundries are still free although we have heard rumors that may go away at some point.. We have also been somewhat disappointed that there are no alternatives offered for the evening meals. On the Volendam and Maasdam you could select one of the offered entrees or they also listed a steak and chicken dish as an alternative. There have been a couple of meals when I may have gotten either the steak or chicken instead of the offerings.

Today was a lazy day as we prepare for Gibraltar. The government does not allow the ship to provide shuttle service between the pier and the town in order to preserve work for the local taxi drivers I guess. The good news is it can be walked (15-20 supposedly). It appears that to get from the docks to the cable car to the top of the mountain is about a mile and slightly over so we will see what we can handle. Not so concerned about walking there but by the time the days over the walk back may be too much for Sharon. We will see and will have lots to say tomorrow about Gibraltar I’m sure.

We had a Spanish BBQ last night on the Lido deck complete with homemade Sangria. It was a lot of fun and the food great. So was the Sangria.

Until tomorrow, cheers!

Named for a series of coral islets and crags that appear and vanish with the changing tides, the fishing community of Arrecife was established around 1400AD. The port was originally used to supply the fortress at Gadifer, but pirates soon prompted the population to build a castle nearer to the sea. Lanzarote’s fire mountains arose in 1730 and much of the island was covered in volcanic ash. Preserved as Parque Nacional de Timanfaya, the volcanoes are still hot and visitors tour the site on camelback.

We docked at 8am and were in port until 11pm. The dock area is NOT within easy walking distance of the town center. HAL provided shuttle busses and it was a 15 minute ride into the town where the let us off. From there, it was a 15 minute walk to get into the actual center of town where the tourist center was located. Directly across the street is the post office.

Behind the tourist office is one of the Castillo de San Gabriel which was built in the 17th century. Walking along the Parque Islas Canarias which hugs the water are playgrounds for children, a couple of kiosks to get a snack and something to drink. Just before the tourist office is the Avda de Leon y Castillo, a pedestrian only shopping area. About five blocks long there are numerous shops to explore, and several places to sit, get a beer and watch the people stroll by. Two half liter mugs of cold, local beer was 6 Euro’s.

The temperature today was in the 60’s with a brisk wind, but the sun was shining and all in all not a bad day at all. We spent about four hours there and then went back to the ship.

Tomorrow is a sea day as we transit north to Gibraltar. I hope that everyone is enjoying our trip and perhaps it will encourage you to take the same cruise one day.

Until tomorrow, Cheers.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The largest of the Canary Islands, it takes its name from the Guanche word meaning snow-capped mountain. The dominant feature of the island is an enormous gigantic volcanic cone 12,950 feet high named the Pico del Teide. The southern tip of the island is arid, unlike the north which is lush with banana trees.

We docked around 8am and left at 5:30pm. When we arrived the weather was overcast and in the mid 60’s. We had done some research on the area and knew we wanted to see a couple of the parks within the city. Being Sunday, there were not many stores open nor were there many people walking around initially which made it nice taking pictures of the city.

From the ship it was about a half mile walk to get into the city center and the Plaza de Espana. From there, we walked up the Bethencourt Alfonso, a pedestrian only area, passing the Plaza Alderez, a small but beautiful park with many trees and flowered bushes. It was here that we saw our first wild parrots flying around. We had never seen wild parrots before and managed to get some really great shots of them.

From there is was up Calle Pilar to the Parque Garcia Sanabria which we had heard was supposed to be the largest park in the city. It was absolutely gorgeous. A lot of flowers were in bloom, and there was quite a large variety of plants and flowers in the park. If you ever come here we highly recommend taking the time to visit this park.

The city overall is a mixture of old and new, and is a very clean city with a lot of pedestrian only areas lined with shops, and kiosks to get something to eat and drink. Pricing didn’t seem to be too bad, I purchased a 16 oz bottle of water for 40 cents (Euro) or about 55 cents US. Walking by the local McDonalds (yes, and we even saw a Burger King), they had a dollar menu out similar to what you would see in the US only it was one euro. Pricing in some of the shop windows seemed reasonable as well.

All in all we enjoyed our visit here and are looking forward to tomorrow and our visit to Arrecife, Canary Islands.

Cheers!

March 21, At Sea

Once again Poseidon tried to throw his trident at us, but in the end, the sun gods prevailed and while the seas stayed at 4-7 feet, the clouds went away and all in all it was a good day. It was a bit cool while I did my mile this morning, and the wind was up along with a dark and foreboding sky. But by 9ish the sun came out and all was right with the world.

Today was the last of the decathlon and while neither Sharon nor I made the top three, we had fun and that’s really what it’s all about. Everyone who participated received an additional two “Dam” dollars so we are over 100 now and there are many more days to collect them.

Tomorrow we arrive at Santa Cruz de Tenerife and most everyone is looking forward to having solid ground under their feet.

The clocks were set forward once again so now we are four hours ahead of the US, so I need to remember that when posting back and when checking my email. I have gone back and redone some of my pictures and should be able to get them posted tomorrow while in port.

Tomorrow the blog should be much better as I attempt to describe our time ashore. Until then,

TTFN!

March 20, At Sea

Well, Poseidon must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The beautiful, smooth seas we have been experiencing have reverted back to normal mid-Atlantic seas of 4-7 feet, and the temperature has dropped into the high 60’s. Put a 14-15 knot wind on top of the 18 knots the ship is making and it’s quite cool on deck.

But not to be deterred, I still did my mile this morning and the 30 minute aerobics class. After all, I have to make sure I am in shape to do the several port days in a row that are coming up. Most of the tours we have set up are all day and are very intensive and we expect to be pretty tired by the time it all ends.

The Decathlon continues with number 7 and 8 today and the final two tomorrow. Neither Sharon nor I are doing well enough gathering points to be in the top three but we are having fun and that’s the whole idea anyway.

Around noon or so (right around the time change, yes we went ahead another hour) the weather did start to get better. The clouds started to go away and the wind abated a little while the temperature managed to get into the low 70’s.

We pretty much vegetated today as Sharon had a slight headache and was quite tired. So when we were not playing the games we sat in the sun reading and just chilling out. But that’s what a vacation is all about, isn’t it??

That’s about it for today, so until tomorrow everyone have a great day!

Cheers!

March 18, At Sea

Having sailed the Atlantic ocean for many years in the Navy (even though underwater) I am amazed at the weather we are having during our crossing. Another day of perfectly clear sky and deep blue seas was our treat for today. The air temperature is dropping slightly, as it only got up to around 73 degrees today.

After walking my mile this morning, I decided to join Sharon in her aerobics class. I knew I was in trouble when this teenaged looking young lady bounced into the room carrying a portable player. Looking at all of the white hair around me, and looking at her I’m wondering what ever possessed HAL to send in a bouncing teenager to run an aerobics class for her grandparents!

All kidding aside, she actually was quite good and I was amazed at the level of commitment of those in attendance. The exercises were relatively easy but once she started it was non-stop for the next 30 minutes. I consider myself to be in relatively good physical condition but I have to admit that by the end of the class I was ready to stop. All in all a very good choice and I think I will do it again tomorrow.

Today was pretty much more of the same as yesterday, although we did have another time change today, with another tomorrow as well.

We received our gift “jackets” tonight and boy were we quite surprised. We were expecting something similar to a wind breaker perhaps. Instead, we received a heavyweight microfiber jacket with sleeves that zip off creating a really nice vest. I have seen similar jackets in ski shops running $75 and up so we are delighted with them.

That’s about it for now as I wait for a port where I can upload some pictures for you. The internet connection in the middle of the ocean just isn’t good enough. Every time I do try it times out on me before the picture completes uploading. But I will get some up just as soon as possible.

TTFN!

I surely don’t know what to do, I truly don’t. So many things to do and so little time to do them in. HAL really needs to add a couple of hours to every day for us to fit everything in. And then, to top everything off, don’cha know today was an even better day than yesterday? That’s right, today the sea was running 1-3 feet, with the clearest blue sky and not a cloud in sight anywhere. I just don’t know how we can stand it. And tomorrow is predicted to be even better, UGH!

The morning started off as usual with room service, followed by my mile walk. Sharon woke up with a headache so she skipped aerobics today. This morning sport of call was crazy golf, where we had to hit a golf ball down a flight of stairs and hope it stopped within taped off areas worth 1, 2, or 3 points. We all had two tries, and I somehow lucked out and got one in the 1 and the 2 area for 3 extra dam dollars. YEA!

There are other things going on as well throughout the day. There are yoga classes, bridge classes, various speakers, the culinary arts center has something different every day, team trivia, dance classes, lectures by the spa staff, arts and crafts, and so on. Today was also a special day as we marked the half way point across the Atlantic. In celebration they held a Swim the Atlantic event, where everyone jumped into the pool at 2:30 when we reached the mid point. That was quite funny and everyone who participated got five dam dollars!

The next three days we turn our clocks forward one hour each day, so we will be totally confused by the time we get to Santa Crus in the Canary Islands. The only good thing is we do it at noon which really makes it easy on adjusting to it.

The movies being shown are first run, we have seen Dark Knight and W, The Changling and others.

The crew of the Prinsendam is outstanding. They always have a smile and if you pass one they always greet you and ask how you are doing. Surprisingly the ship is not full, there is less than 700 passengers onboard, although there may be some boarding in Barcelona. With almost 500 crew onboard the service is beyond reproach.

That’s about it for now, so until tomorrow, Cheers!

March 17, At Sea

You have to love sea days. You can sleep in as late as you want because you don’t have to be on the pier for an early morning shore excursion departure. However, I neglected to completely close our curtains last night, so the bright sun streaming in our window woke us up at 6am. Which, as it turns out, was a good thing as our breakfast was delivered at 6:20. So far the nasty weather is holding to the West of us, and we are blessed with 4-7 foot seas which for mid-ocean isn’t bad at all. The Prinsendam does pitch a bit but it certainly is livable.

So it was on deck at 7:30 for my early morning mile while Sharon got ready for her 8am aerobics class. At 8:30 we both joined the Tai Chi and Qigong, followed at 9:30 by the add them up ring toss on the sport deck.

At 10 it was a shore excursions talk on Marseille, Monte Carlo, Livorno, Civitavecchia, and Naples. Today also started the five day Prinsendam Decathelon Event. Two different sport events each day for the next five days. We earn points for each event and at the end the top three men and women get special prizes.

There is also team trivia every day at 11:30. We tried it the first day and quickly found out that we had forgotten more stuff than we could remember so we haven’t been back. Besides, it interferes with lunch.

At noon the clocks were set forward one hour which actually was a pretty good time to change instead of at night. The little people were busy last night as most areas of the ship are decorated in greens and white, and shamrocks abound throughout. As I mentioned it’s another formal night tonight followed by the Green and White ball hosted by the Captain starting at 10pm.

The shows that we have seen so far have been good, and tonight was a pretty decent comedian, Mike Goddard. If you ever run into him on a cruise he is worth going to see.

As is a tradition on Grand Cruises (as I understand it), we have received a couple of gifts so far from HAL. At the first formal night we received very nice journal books, and tonight we received a folding ID holder. Both are a light tan in color with a map of the Med imprinted on them. They are quite nice actually. We also received a “order” form to indicate our jacket size for a cruise jacket that we will get Thursday night. Who knows what other goodies may come our way as the cruise progresses.

Photo's are not loading right now, so I am going to wait until we get into Barcelona. We are overnighting there and I can go back and upload the photo's then for each day.

March 16, At Sea

Sailing, sailing, over the ocean blue! Although we did run into a rain squall today that blocked out the sun for all of 20 minutes. What to do, what to do! So just what is a typical day at sea like you ask? Well, here is what we did today:

We woke up around 6am to a gentle rocking of the boat. Our breakfast arrived at 6:30 on the dot as we had requested (yes, we do room service, it’s FREE, why not?). After eating and getting dressed, I met up with some folks for the 7:30am morning walk-a-mile club. This is held on Deck 7 the Lower Promenade. I actually did 1.5 but what can I say, I was energized. Sharon went to the 8am Aerobics class on Deck 8.

At 8:30 we met up for the morning Tai Chi and Qigong class on Deck 8. That lasted an hour and from there we went to the Sport of Call Activity, 5 pin bowling. The Sport of Call Activity happens several times a day, and each time you participate you get a “Dam” dollar. At the end of the cruise you can use your “Dam” dollars to purchase “Dam” stuff.

At 10:30 it was Strike Zone Pitch on Deck 12, the Sport Deck. Time for lunch on Deck 11, then back to our room for a few minutes on Deck 6. At 1:30 we were back on Deck 12 for the bean bag toss, then at 2:30 it was the putting green for closest to the pin on Deck 12.

At 3:30 Sharon went to a watercolor class on Deck 11 while I personally goofed off for a while. At 4:30 it was back to Deck 7 for the Shufflequoits (tossing rings onto a shuffleboard scoring diagram). When that was over it was back down to Deck 6 to get ready for dinner, back on Deck 7. Then it was up to Deck 8 for the Battle of the Sexes game followed by the evenings entertainment.

Have you been counting? Remember when I said we were not using any elevators onboard but walking stairs?

Tomorrow is a big day, we turn our clocks ahead one hour (at NOON for heavens sake), but I guess that is when we enter the new time zone. Then tomorrow night is our second formal night and the “Green and White” ball in celebration of St Patricks day.

So little time and so much to do. Just what is a person supposed to do???

Until tomorrow, Cheers and happy St Patricks day!!

St Lucia

Blue skies, blue sea, sunny day . . . . oh, I have already used that opening. Welcome to St. Lucia, one of the Southern most islands of the Caribbean. According to the tourist guides, it’s very popular as both a family holiday destination and a romantic paradise for honeymooners.

I am here to tell you that that may be true if you are staying at Sandals, or one of the other major resort areas on the island. But, you don’t really get to see what the island is really like there. You need to do what we did, and that’s walk into Castries from the ships dock.

We were there on a Sunday so naturally everything was closed. It’s about a 30-40 minute walk around the harbor from the ship to get into city center. I will say that the people of the island we extremely friendly. Virtually everyone we passed on our walk greeted us very politely and asked if we were enjoying the day. To be honest that was somewhat surprising as we had never encountered people quite so friendly before on the islands.

The town itself while not really dirty per se, felt grungy and rundown. Even the government buildings were not in the best of shape. It was quite obvious that while the tourist dollar is very important to the island, it’s not getting down to the local people. We both felt quite sad and while we are not shoppers, almost wished that the stores were open as we probably would have bought something just to put a few dollars into the economy where it was actually needed.

Right at the dock where the cruise ship docks is a duty free zone with several shops. These are primarily the usual gang of diamond dealers, watch dealers, and general jewelry that even at duty free shops is well above anything that I am willing to pay for. But, hidden around in several locations there are little kiosks selling the local Piton lager for $3 US for two bottles. At 5% alcohol content it was a pretty decent tasting beer. So we put our money into the local economy there by sitting under an umbrella and quaffing a couple.

We are now on the NE heading sailing towards the Canary Islands. The next few days are at sea so my posts will try and provide a little more detail into the life aboard the Prinsendam.

Until tomorrow, Cheers!

First Port

Clear blue skies, temperature in the mid 70’s, a deep blue ocean, yachts anchored nearby some of which are big even when seen from the Prinsendam, we must be in the land of the rich and famous, Gustavia, St. Barthelemy.

Gustavia is one of the most chic, civilized, and least known parts of France. It is known as the twentieth-century playground of the rich, with its Lilliputian harbor and red-foof bungalows. Nothing is cheap here. A cheeseburger was 15 Euros in one restaurant, about $22.50 in US dollars. The harbor area can be walked in less than an hour end to end. All the famous named shops of Paris are here with prices to match.

After tendering ashore, we walked around the harbor to the Post Office and purchased a few stamps for our grandson who loves to collect them. Then back around in a slow walk just taking in the scenery. I was looking for a wine shop that I had read about, Le Cellier Du Gouverneur. It was supposed to be the place to buy wine here, and with reasonable prices.

What a delightful find. While rather small, the selection was primo. Yes, they had wine priced well above anything I would consider paying for a bottle, but after talking with the clerk and discussing my likes in wine, he pointed me to a bottle of Cote Sud, which is a combination of Syrah, Grenache Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon for only 5.40 Euros, or just over $7. I will try it later in the voyage and give you my opinion of it then.

We left Gustavia around 3pm and are headed South toward Castries, St. Lucia. You know, St. Lucia, that island that has been advertising around DC for the last month or so. We again have no tours planned and will wander around on our own and see what we will see. We have hopes that we can scare up some stamps from someplace. As it’s Sunday it’s doubtful that the post office will be open.

Until tomorrow, Cheers!!

Day 2 at Sea

Well here we are near the end of our second day at sea, and all is well with the world. sort of. The good news is that the Prinsendam is wonderful, the crew terrific, and the food excellent. And we have made a pack with each other that we will not use an elevator the entire cruise. Which means we are using the "STAIRS".

We are on deck 6, the main dining room is on deck 7, and the Lido (buffet line) is on deck 11. As we eat breakfast and lunch at the Lido, that means a climb of 100 steps to get there. Coming down is not so bad, but the climb up is interesting to say the least. But, we are determined and by the time these 50 days are past we should be able to run up them (well, maybe not run, but walk up without stopping anyway).

The toilet in or room is giving us and the poor plumbers a major problem. It seems it likes to fill up all on its own and then overflow onto the floor. But only at night. After midnight. We are on first name basis with the plumber. And the young lady at the front desk.

Sharon and I have pretty much decided that if it does it again, we are going to ask if there are any other rooms available.

Tonight was the first formal night. We didn't go as the tux I had pre-ordered and paid for never made it to the ship. And I didn't bring any thing that I could wear in it's place. But that's not really a big deal as the same meals are served in the Lido. just very disappointing.

I still haven't been able to get a picture to upload, and am going to try a couple of other things tomorrow while we are in Gustavia our first port of call.

The seas are still moderate, running 4-7 feet, the temperature is in the low 80's, the sun is shining, and all is good.

Cheers!

My friend Murphy seems to be cruising with me. I had every good intention of posting last night, but Murf insisted that my luggage not get delivered to our room until after dinner. By the time we got everything unpacked and put away, we were quite exhausted.

Yesterday went well. We left the hotel around 11:00 and found a delightful little restaurant for lunch. Then it was off to total beverage to pickup some wine for our stateroom. After dropping the car off and taking their shuttle to the pier, we were happily aboard and in our room by 1:30. We spent the afternoon walking around getting to know the ship. It’s much smaller than the other HAL ships we have sailed on, so that takes a little getting used to.

Today it is bright and sunny with smooth seas, with waves running 5-6 feet. For the open ocean it’s not bad at all. I'm afraid there are no pictures today as the internet connection is not great and it keeps cutting out of me when I try to upload. Maybe tomorrow I can get something loaded.

Tomorrow is another sea day and then Saturday we get to our first port.Hopefully I will have a couple of great pictures to share.

Until tomorrow, Cheers!

Everglades Eco-Tour

So today was an all day eco-tour of the Everglades. Let me say up front that if you are ever in Southern Florida and want to take a tour through the Everglades, look up ecosafari.com. While it seems a little pricey at $145 per person, it's an all day tour that includes an airboat ride, a nature walk, a pontoon boat ride through the 10,000 island area, and a wonderful lunch. Also, while you are riding in the van after pickup, they will stop along the way and point out various birds, gaters, and other interesting points. We highly recommend them.

So as our pickup time was 7:30 we were up and about around 5:45. Grabbing a quick breakfast and gathering our gear off we went. Our guide for the day was a young lady named Michelle who was very knowledgeable not only of the critters to be seen, but also of the history of the indian population that is found there. She was great at being able to spot animals along the side of the road as we moved along and pointing them out to us.

It was amazing to us the number of alligators found in the canals along the road. Various species of birds abounded including egrets, ibis, vultures, red-shoulder hawks, ospreys, and others.

Tomorrow is a slow day or repacking everything, making a stop by the local total wine shop for our onboard provisions, and then boarding the ship sometime in the early afternoon. We sail at 8pm and are very eagar to get going.

I hope that you enjoy the picture of just one of the many creatures that inhabit this delightful area of Florida.

Cheers!

Butterfly World and Flamingo Gardens

After crashing early last night, we found ourselves up and about around 6am so down to the fitness room and road bikes for 30 minutes. After that, we took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel. We picked up ou rental car around 10am and headed off to Butterfly World. The azaelas are starting to bloom in the area, so the entranceway was really looking nice. One thing we hadn't anticipated was the bus loads of school children. Not that they were bad or anything, just a lot of them. We didn't see many new butterflies that we hadn't seen before so we primarily concentrated on the many variety of birds there. One of my favorites is the parrot above.

After spending a couple of hours there, we were off for Flamingo Gardens. They are a non-profit organization that takes in injured animals and raises them if they cannot be returned to the wild. While there certainly are flamingo's there, they also have several species fo hawks, a pair of bald eagles, a pair of golden eagles, several owls, and numerous other birds and creatures found around southern Florida.

Tomorrow is our all day eco-tour to the Everglades, and we have to be at the pickup point by 7:30am. It should be a very interesting day and we are really looking forward to it.

That's about it for now so until timorrow, Cheers!

Arrival

It's expensive to hire a service to take you from where we live into DC. The cheapest I could find was $140 one way. Way more than my poor pocketbook can afford. So we rented a car for each end of our trip. Total cost is under $100. So I saved myself about $180. Being a Saturday, the drive into DC was not bad, and we arrived at Union Station around 1pm and checked in. Because we purchased a roomette on the train, we were considered "first class" and had access to Club Accela there which we took full advantage of. It's much nicer and a lot more comfortable there.

When it was time to board, we were escorted out to the track and our train and to our room. Now, we knew it was going to be small, as I had researched them prior to booking. Lets just say that they are "cozy". Not bad mind you, but . . . .

They are very quiet however with the door closed, which was a plus, and all meals were provided free as part of the fare which after seeing the menu was a major plus. The two facing chairs were very comfortable and at night made into the lower bed, while a second bed is pulled down from the ceiling. It should be noted that at least one person riding in these MUST be fairly agile in order to get up into the upper bed. When the beds are made, there isn't much room at all between the bed and door, perhaps 24".

We are staying at the La Quinta Inn near the airport and today will be going to Butterfly World and Flamingo Gardens, then meeting some friends of ours for dinner. Will get a couple of pictures posted tonight.

Until then, cheers!

The Bags are Packed!

And ready to go! Two rolling 28" suitcases, two rolling 30" duffel bags, two camera cases, and a 20" carry-on. Thank God for porters. I will go out to Dulles airport tomorrow morning and pick up our rental car (cheapest way to get into Union Station), drive home, load it up, and leave around noon for Union Station in DC. Our train leaves at 3pm (or there abouts), and we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale around 5:15pm Sunday. I will let you know Sunday night what we thought about the train ride.

We wish everyone well, and hope that you enjoy traveling along with us. Until Sunday night, AU REVOIR!

Bill and Sharon

Packing with 8 Days to go

Do you know how hard it is to pack for an extended cruise? Of course you do. Do you know how frustrating it is trying to keep luggage down to three pieces? Of course you do.

Much to our chagrin, we have decided that it can't be done. We have three bags packed and all weigh 47 - 48 pounds each. Then there is a fourth smaller bag that will become a carry-on for the train, plus two camera bags. We have pared our clothing down to absolute minimum and will have to use the self serve laundry weekly to get by. I have rented a tux from Cruiselineformals.com to save carrying formal clothing, and Sharon has kept hers down to two long skirts and a couple of blouses. Fortunately there is only 7 formal nights for the 50 days, and we may opt to skip a couple which we have done in the past.

We will be watching very closely this cruise to see if there is anything we brought that wasn't used, as our next cruise is out of Los Angeles and we will be flying there. Given the high cost of excess luggage (or weight) when flying we really need to see if we can keep that trip down to three bags.

But, the excitement is building and we are so looking forward to getting away for a while and seeing all of the sights throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Cheers!