Possibly not in order, but when have I ever been...

Friday, April 25, 2008 – Just pulling into Cartagena, Colombia.

What happened to Thursday? Never thought there would be a way to pass the time on “sea” days, but boy, so much going on I didn’t even get a nap! (Although R and Mom slept through parts of the Panama Canal lecture…)

Up and out for our walk around the Promenade Deck. Must be a bit later than yesterday, as lots of people up and out … walkers, power walkers, joggers, all going any which way; all very friendly folks. I prefer those who announce “on your right” when they’re going to pass … not that I’d know right from left, but it’s the thought that counts!

Then breakfast and showers and we’re ready for the day! Spent a nice hour or so lounging in the shade on a comfy chaise lounge. Lovely breeze; good book. Then, unfortunately, had to bestir myself as Bruce and Mark’s cooking demonstration was at 11:30. (R headed to the “how to buy emeralds” lecture, which he said was awful – he walked out when they started to talk about the mysterious healing powers…you know these scientists!!) Bruce and Mark were there early, and were introduced to R’s mother-in-law. (Mark liked that so much that he has declared from henceforth, he would refer to his own mom as Bruce’s mother-in-law!) So…really fun cooking demonstration. They made Escabache three different ways. Escabache is both cooked and marinated fish. It was delicious! (And I’m NOT a fish person!) We have recipes; will definitely give it a try when we get home. (Really do miss not cooking; do you think they have apartments at sea?)

After the cooking demonstration we headed to lunch. Sat at a table for 6 at the back of the boat; beautiful outside view; saw dolphins frolicking! Good lunch; Mom had meat loaf and mashed potatoes; I had the “American” hamburger; R had grilled veggies in a phyllo dough pastry followed by lentil soup. (Editor’s note: I find that I can ALWAYS get vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert…my own personal favorite.) However…I pause, which we didn’t do much of yesterday! Went next to the Panama Canal lecture #2; same speaker, a civil engineer. Not an inspiring speaker exactly, but warm and funny and very well versed in the canal – ought to be, this is his 61^st transit!

Today’s lecture was on the actual building of the canal by the Americans, life in the canal zone, as well as the opening of the canal. Two more P.C. lectures to go!

We actually stayed in the Vista Lounge for our next “event”, guitarist Justin Miller, yet again. He is a really fascinating man, and gifted lecturer. Very funny; an amazing amount of stories to tell. Turns out, while we knew he was a “Dr.”, we thought it was in musicology – but seems somewhere along the way he got his M.D. in spite of the fact that he came from a long line of lawyers and judges! Today he talked about American music from Hoagie Carmichael through to The Wizard of OZ; also played the guitar. Wish he would have more performances, although these past two days were more than we expected!

It was now officially collapse time, but while R could fall asleep, (it was almost 5 p.m.) I just wasn’t able to! (Too much fun and activity, do you think??) Ambled down to dinner around 6:15 in the restaurant; Mom (having way too much food at lunch!) decided to go to the Lido for a casual dinner. We were seated at a table for 8 with some fun and interesting people; one couple from FL, one from CT, and two gals traveling together, one from Seattle and her friend from Honolulu. Lots of various adventures discussed; lots of wine consumed. I had the Dutch split pea soup (delicious!) with their turkey dinner – really yummy; I love turkey! Think that R had the mushroom vol au vent in puff pastry for starters, and know that he followed it up with the ships version of Mac and Cheese! (I tried it, and it was wonderful!) Lots of good conversation, and one of the single gals wants to get together to talk about renting places in Paris! So! Listened to the quartet for a bit, then headed up to the Crow’s Nest to check email. Mostly for R … which is good! To bed around 10.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

So…pulling into Cartagena. I woke up around 6, and voila, we were coming into port! Woke R up and we dressed and headed up to the Crow’s Nest. Lovely entry into town – lots of very small, green islands in the channel. Pulled up next to another cruise ship – the Norwegian Sun, from NCL. Hope we don’t overwhelm Cartagena!

The ship was ready to disembark passengers by 7:40, and I think we were among the first off. Walked through the port station – just beautiful location. Lots and lots of tropical flowers and plants, through a lovely shop (never miss an opportunity!) and out onto the street. Found a taxi driver who agreed to take us around for several hours for $15/each; seems good to us!

While Cartagena is really a HUGE modern city, full of high-rises, (really surprised us; I think I was thinking more of the St. Augustine route…) we really wanted to see the historic old part of the city. So there we went! Walked through the walls and up on top for the view. Whew – REALLY heating up; reminds me of Singapore! Cartagena – at least the historic part – is really, truly lovely; would love to come back here! Old houses and buildings with lots of balconies, painted in great colors! There were street vendors of course, and they were persistent, but certainly not rude. And no, thank you, I don’t need any cigars today! Wandered through and around. A bit difficult, as Mom’s hip was hurting her and she couldn’t walk very fast. (She says it’s easier to walk than stand…hmmm….) Saw the beautiful cathedral, major squares and historic statues. Really enjoyable – although the later it got, the hotter it got! And of course we had to stop at a jewelry store…

Well…esmeraldas (emeralds, for those who don’t speak Spanish) have always been my favorite stone … how fortunate! Was absolutely determined to resist all – but then spotted a really unusual ring – it’s reversible! Seven small emeralds on one side, ring turns around (have to see it to believe it…) to seven white sapphires! Well…what chance did I have? It looks lovely; excellent price, so yes, of course R bought it for me! NO MORE, I promise!!!

After that, we were all hot and tired, so returned to the ship. This time, the port shop was PACKED with people! I really think it’s possible that some folks get no farther than the shop! What a shame, because as I say, could absolutely see us coming back here one day (not on a ship; for a land trip).

We all had our plans for the return: I wanted to swim; R wanted a G&T and Mom wanted wine. So…have all gone our separate ways (although I think the two drinkers are upstairs in a/c comfort…) I swam – REALLY refreshing! Came back to the room, and am now showered and dressed … but what I am really wanting is H₂0 or Coca cola!!!

So, that’s it for now!!
Take care!

m

Monday, April 28, 2008

Hello, again!

To be honest, we’ve had so much good food that I can’t even remember it all, so will skip forward from coming back to the ship, hot and exhausted in Cartagena, to our transit of the Panama Canal.

One word: WOW! Really an amazing achievement – who would ever even THINK of these things? We set the alarm for 5 a.m. yesterday, and were up at the Crow’s Nest by 5:15. Already people there, but we were able to get good front-row seats for the transit. We cruised into the harbor, and slowly, headed toward the canal, Colon on our left, what looks like rugged jungle on our right. We took lots of pictures, but apparently there is some glitch with downloading them into blogspot.com. So, instead, we will do all words first (sorry) and then as soon as we get home, we’ll post the pictures.

First had to wait for a fleet of Caribbean-heading vessels to clear. Then it was our turn. Having never before transited the canal, not at all sure if they use all locks all the time, but a cargo ship from Port Everglades FL entered on the left, then we entered the right-hand canal of the first Gatun lock, of which there are three.

Very, very interesting day. So glad to have had the lectures, as it does give one a real appreciation of the magnitude of the accomplishment. Also thought about all the lives that were lost, both with the French and the US efforts; approximately 27,000 in all; just mind-boggling. After the third Gatun lock, we sailed away onto Lake Gatun, which was a huge area flooded for the canal project. Dozens of boats in Lake Gatun. Not sure if they were coming or going, but all seemed at least to be waiting. Would find it interesting to know how they keep track of everyone. We do know that Holland America makes an advance reservation to ensure a specific date through the canal, and pays quite a bit extra for a daylight transit. I did hear the figure $67,000 bandied about, which sounds like an awful lot – but obviously the canal is a profitable business, as the Panamanians have started digging yet another, larger canal, parallel to the current canal. This new canal is supposed to be able to accommodate the larger ships that are now on the seas.

Lake Gatun was lovely; very wooded and rugged; didn’t see much in the way of settlement, although the town of Gamboa is situated near the start of the Gaillard cut. This cut was the most hazardous part of building the canal. Because it is so tropical here, the ground was very wet – making excavating very hazardous, and there was always the ongoing battle of landslides covering up prior digging. Most of the terraces that were built almost 100 years are still intact, although you could see where slides had since taken place.

Traveled through the Gaillard cut to the Pedro Miguel locks, and under one of the few bridges that actually cross the canal (there is one other one at the Panama City end and the Pan-American Highway). This bridge looked like a miniature of the bridge at Millau, France; when we have web access again (and not those darn ever vanishing minutes) will check and see; wouldn’t be surprised if all the work of one architect.

Pedro Miguel is just one lock; very small and compact, but took us down something like 27 feet. And all this time, we were being followed by the Norwegian Sun, the boat from Cartagena! Wasn’t sure if it was a race or not, but we did get through first … so there!

The Pedro Miguel lock put us into Lake Mira Flores; much smaller, and looks to be the flooded valley of a local river. Followed the lake across (you can see from one lock to the other) for the two-step Mira Flores locks. Have to admit, MUCH easier going down than coming up; made quick progress through Mira Flores – had to laugh though – Mira Flores is where they have a huge 4 story observation tower, and I think that on Sunday, everyone in Panama City must come down to watch the boats past through! Lots and lots of people there, everyone happy and waving; what fun!!

After Mira Flores, we were technically out of the Panama Canal but still in the channel – this time on the Pacific side. Passed a submarine, a U.S. Coast Guard 3-masted schooner, under the Pan-American bridge, and voila, out once again into open water! (Notwithstanding the dozens of ships which were anchored around this side of the canal! Wonder when/if they all get through?!)

By this time it was past 5:30, so we all reassembled in the room to get ready for a fairly early dinner. Lovely table for four by the window. We all started with an amazing lobster bisque. Mom followed that with perch; R with a sirloin steak and me with short ribs and horseradish mashed potatoes. To be honest, I can’t even remember dessert – SO much good food – but mine probably had something to do vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

So, that takes us to today, Monday; a day “at sea” including cruising the Golfo Dulce. VERY leisurely day … AFTER our customary morning walk! Showered, changed and speaking only for myself, spent a quiet three hours or so stretched out on a chaise lounge in the shade of the promenade deck. Then, lunch. GREAT view next to the windows, and we were able to watch jumping dolphins all around! Wonderful! Also good food…R and I had matching starters – bay shrimp cocktails followed by crab cakes (yes, I know…we had two starters…) Then R had a tempura fish served on soba noodles, and I had a sirloin steak with chipotole aioli wap; both excellent. Mom had a fruit compote followed by the crab cakes. We both had a mousse duo – white chocolate and dark chocolate, for dessert.

So, that takes us up to now, so I will close!
Take care, all!
Love,
m

Our Panama Canal Adventure!

Panama Canal cruise – April/May 2008

Monday – April 21, 2008

Am starting this narrative at the point where Mom and I picked Robert up at Orlando airport. Southwest brought him in on time, and surprise! His luggage wasn’t absolutely the last off the plane! YEA! (Actually, the fact that his luggage arrived at all is a really good thing, as we get on the boat tomorrow!) Drove down the coast a couple of hours to Fort Pierce. Not sure why I picked it, but figured that it was about mid-way between Orlando and the port of Fort Lauderdale. However, as we got off the freeway and headed toward the water, did realize that things were looking fair to partly bleak – by the time we got to the beach highway, I was wondering if McDonald’s would be all that would be available for dinner! Fortunately, once we turned onto the island off Fort Pierce, things started to improve. Our motel, The Royal Inn, got great reviews from Tripadvisor.com, and it was a nice, clean place to stay – with all comforts! Large fridge, microwave, extra sink – and we were on the 3^rd floor (top) with a lovely view of the water a block away. As it was already almost 8 (and we have found that Florida closes up early!) we headed out to Mangrove Mattie’s, which we had passed coming in. Think we were the last folks in that evening, but fortunately, we did get in. R ordered mussels for a starter, and I shared my crab-stuffed Portobello mushrooms with the table. Then R had pompano, I had Florida lobster, and Mom ordered King Crab. Well…watching Mom work through all those crab legs was more than enough entertainment for the evening! And, we didn’t think she’d EVER get done! Whew! Lots of work, but she really enjoyed them and we enjoyed watching her! Back to the hotel for the night…although at one time, we did think that we’d be picking Mom up for breakfast!

Up and out around 7:30 a.m. Breakfast of sorts was provided by the hotel, but actually would have done better at McDonald’s! The drive to Fort Lauderdale was uneventful, except for one stop at a CVS along the way for Mom to pick up yet more Dramamine. R also bought scissors so that I could cut his hair somewhere along the way!

Made it to the boat by about 11 a.m. Dropped off Mom and the luggage, and then headed to the airport (only a couple of miles away) to turn in the rental car. Dropped everything off with no problem, and then caught a cab back to the pier. By this time (11:30-ish) folks were starting to arrive, so we joined them and headed on-board. Processed through in no time at all, and soon found ourselves at the Lido Grill where they were serving lunch. Mom went head-first into the pate; I had ebi (shrimp) sushi with fried rice and Singapore noodles; R also had sushi with a different plate of noodles; yummy! From there, we went up to the top deck to find comfy places to sit until our rooms were ready. Found that the computer room and Explorer’s Lounge had been moved upstairs; lovely location, great leather chairs! Mom settled down in one for a quick nap; R purchased computer time, and I read in a wonderful recliner overlooking the water. Didn’t have long to wait, though, before our rooms were ready!

Headed downstairs and found our cabin; 5067 (fortunately, a number easy to remember!) Just like our cabin on the Zuiderdam (surprise!) except turned around! Very confusing! Lovely verandah, with plenty of room and comfy chairs. We had one on the Zuiderdam, but the weather there wasn’t all that conducive to sitting outside and lounging! Started unpacking our carry-on bags, and then, WOW! Our checked luggage! Plenty of room for everything; just have to stay organized! (and remember where I put everything!)

Once we’d gotten everything settled, headed back upstairs to the Crow’s Nest, which is at the top of the ship. This time found wonderful leather recliners at the very front of the ship, so settled down to await departure, read and drink! What a life!! R starting out with his “G’s & T” (helps prevent malaria, we’re told…) and me having a bit of the bubbly to celebrate the start of another wonderful adventure! I delivered Mom to the Beauty Salon to get her hair washed and set – long overdue, according to her! Hope she can find her way back home! (The good thing about a ship is that she can’t get too far away, and always someone around to ask!)

Met the two guys sitting next to us – Mark and Bruce – and surprise! They’re the celebrity chefs on the cruise! They’re cookbook authors; have written a series of books called “The Ultimate…” – we don’t know the books, but they sound fun and interesting! Bruce is the chef, and Mark is the food scientist. Really interesting folks; enjoyed getting to know them – and will be taking one of their classes sometime in the coming weeks!

Ship sailed a few minutes late (waited for one last passenger who was a bit late on his airplane.) Weather perfect; in the high 70’s and some fluffy white clouds in the blue sky. Let’s hope it holds!

We signed up for the “as you wish” dining program, which is new with Holland America. Supposedly you can either make a reservation for a particular time, or you can just saunter in. We decided to saunter when we got hungry; tonight about 6:30-ish. Were seated promptly; no wait, at a nice table for four. Great service; amazing food! I ordered a crab timbale topped with baby shrimp for starters (as did Mom) and we both followed that up with wonderfully tender chicken and beef satay with peanut sauce. I also had a baby spinach salad with a great blue cheese dressing. R started with the salad – he chose the hot bacon dressing, which I may also try on a future occasion – and a roast chicken for his entrée. Deserts (of course!) included mango sundae for Mom, chocolate cake for me, and black cherry ice cream for R – all great!

Found the classical quartet right outside the dining room, so sat down to listen for a bit. Two violins, a viola and a cello – playing a combination of classical and contemporary music; very enjoyable! R starting to work his way through the cognac list … hmmm…

Early evening though; must be the breezes!

Sailed all night, and up fairly early for our walk … R not too pleased, but nice breeze; blue skies. Walked 7,000 steps and then headed up to the Lido for breakfast. Were joined by a very nice older gentleman named Horst; born in Germany but now Canadian. I think he is a fairly recent widower, traveling alone. Very nice man; hope to see him again!

Back to the cabin for showers (well deserved!) and by this time, the ship was approaching Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private cay, where we are to spend the day. Lots of activities planned, but we’ve scheduled absolutely nothing at all! Tenders to the island, but rather than being life boats pressed into service, there are three large double-decker boats going back and forth, almost continuously! So, no wait to board, and a nice 10 minute run to the island. Absolutely beautiful, pristine place. Beautiful beach – and for anyone who has already been down that way, no surprise to say that the water was an amazing array of turquoise – but for we who haven’t been here before – WOW would be a good word to use! Have only seen colors like that in movies or photographs!

Walked for miles along the beach. Folks being very active or not; horseback riding, parasailing, snorkeling, swimming – whatever. We (being the lazy sort) walked – and walked – enjoyed the water, then went back to the ship for our books. Found Mom somewhere along the way (she didn’t want to go to the island), and had lunch on the Lido Deck by the pool. Mom and grilled hot dog, R had grilled Italian sausage sandwich, and I had a wonderful beef fajita with chips and guacamole. (Why do all our adventures involve FOOD?? More steps…) Oh! Mom did try her first Pina Colada … wasn’t too impressed; said she’d stick to wine – but she is a good sport!

Spent the afternoon alternatively napping and reading on the promenade deck; what a life! Oh! Did find out that the Pinnacle Grill chef is Philip, the same chef we had on the Zuiderdam to Alaska! He’s the “kick it up a notch” “take it to the next level” “lots of love in the kitchen” chef who is hilarious. Looking forward to seeing more of him!

Sauntered down to dinner fairly early, as Mom wanted to see the guitarist performing this evening. Lovely table next to the windows – no wait, which was great. This time, R had vodka-cured gravlax (sp?) for starters, I had a fabulous roasted beet and corn quesadilla, and Mom had a salad. For mains, R had a black-pepper encrusted steak with twice baked potato, I had a grilled chicken breast with mole and a twice baked potato, and Mom had Italian Wedding Soup. All excellent! From there we headed to the Vista Lounge and got seats in the front row. FREE CHAMPAGNE for all!! YEA!

First came the introduction of Captain and heads of the various departments. Then came Justin Miller, to play the guitar. He is a Ph.D., R figures in musicology; just an amazing guitar player. He has interviewed many of the greats over the years, from Cole Porter to Richard Rogers, and he is a great performer and story teller. GREAT show! In fact, as a special request, he is performing for an hour today, but it will be just him (no back-up orchestra) and he will play as well as tell stories. Will definitely be there!

Wandered back through the classical quartet, and finally ended up upstairs to check email. Good to hear from folks, although as we’re paying for time, I won’t be doing too much corresponding! (And will have to see what pictures we have to include!)

To bed about 10; nice evening! (Now, a note here about ESPN…I know everyone knows that that is my channel of choice – well, Holland America has ESPN (as well as CNN and a few other channels) on LIVE – which means I WON’T miss the NFL draft for the second year in a row! How amazing! So nice of them to think of me…

Today (Thursday) is our first of two consecutive days at sea. Our schedule (between meals, that is) looks like this: 11:30 – Chef Philip doing a cooking demonstration in the culinary arts center; 1:30 p.m. speaker on the Panama Canal; 3:30 guitar performance. So…that’s about it for now!

Have no idea how often I will write. I know it won’t be every day; probably every couple of days – and to be honest, had NOT planned to blog – it’s just that we’re having such a wonderful time, and the food is SO great, that I want to remember it! And blogging is by far the best way! So – for those friends who inquired, would I be blogging? I guess I will – just not every day!

For now, then, take care all!
M