Greetings From Omaha

Monday, June 6, 2011

Can’t believe we have been home for over three weeks.  It was wonderful to get home to family and friends.  Family dinner is back on the schedule and everyone enjoys the placemats we brought back from the cruise. 

                          

It seems like the cruise was months ago.  We are getting back in the swing of things and trying to catch up on all the projects that were put on hold for months.  I have been fighting acute bronchitis but am thankful that I didn’t get it while on the cruise.  Barney has had a complete check-up and there are no side effects from the kidney stone episode.  Our doctors here marvel at the care he received. 

Our time in Israel still remains a highlight of the trip.  The daily news stories seem to be more meaningful as we feel we have a better concept of the situation.  We would love to go back for a longer visit but only time will tell. 

Dorothy had arthroscopic knee surgery on May 25th.  She is doing great and we are so happy for her. 

We are going to try and upload two videos to the blog.  We didn’t take many, but thought you might like the welcome we received in Banjul, The Gambia and the sleigh ride in Funchal. 

It Started With the Fire Alarm!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Life has been very quiet as everyone is winding down from all the activities of the past weeks.  We’ve been given back most of the hours that were “taken” from us…and then, the fire alarm sounds at 6:13 am.  They know how to get one’s heart racing.  We have listened to numerous training alarms and Holland America has always been great about the required training.  Of course, at that time of the morning, awoken from a sound sleep you can’t remember a blasted instruction.  Barney looked out and we were still moving so he thought that was a good sign.  Since we are literally half-way across the Atlantic with the nearest land over 700 miles distant my first instinct was to grab warm clothing along with the bright orange life vest.  In anticipation of arrival at Ft. Lauderdale, we had been given back our passports so we were trying to get them out of the safe.  We were just ready to open the cabin door and head to the outside muster station when the all clear sounded and the captain came on.  He sounded as groggy as the rest of us, but we were thrilled to learn that all was under control and there was no fire on board. 

We tried to get more sleep but soon joined most of the ship’s passengers on the Lido for breakfast.  Everyone looked a little shell-shocked, but all were in good moods considering… By 10 am the captain was back on the intercom explaining that the burning smell emanating throughout the aft area of the ship was caused by a blocked funnel in the incineration stack…  too much excitement for any one day, or even any one life.

Prinsendam has the highest rate of repeat guest of any ship in the Holland America fleet and they are very appreciative of their “Mariner” guests.  They held a lovely lunch in the dining room for a large group of Mariners.  The captain was there and we again, experienced his wonderful sense of humor.  The hotel manager gave a toast to the returning guests and it went something like this… here’s to your health and to your wealth and to enough of both to spend it on cruises…

                         

We sat at a table with friends, Nita and Ron that we had previously met and also enjoyed the company of two other couples.  One of the wives was telling how she had hip surgery in November as was afraid she might have to spend some time in a wheelchair while on the ship.  I asked her if she ever feared she wouldn’t be able to make the trip and Mike, her husband said, “Oh she would have come, even if it was in a shoe box.” 

This is the time on the trip when you really spend time with the people that you wished you had met sooner and gotten to know better.  We have many lunches and dinners on the schedule and will look forward to quality time reliving this wonderful journey that we have all been a part of.

Lest you think we are a floating ship of passengers singing “Cumby a” let me burst your bubble.  Someone has had the nerve to ask the captain to add a stop in Bermuda on the way home………..  Husbands and wives are bickering and we sat at a table next to two couples, one was offering the other marriage counseling….great appetite stimulator….the ravages of lack of sleep and long days have taken a toll and many are down with pneumonia, but they aren’t really down…they are all around the ship.   There is a wonderful feud going on between those who think the coffee is too weak, and those who think it is too strong.   Today was the auction for the orphanage and some passengers were upset that they couldn’t auction off the gifts that the ship had given them.  We are all starting to face the reality that after Friday no one will be coming in to our rooms and cleaning up after us or that no one will be cooking a breakfast made to order once we leave the ship.  I suggested to one young man that he might want to come live with us and cook our breakfast like he has every morning of the trip…he didn’t miss a beat when he asked…”would I get to sleep in the middle?”     At today’s luncheon we were given tiles representing this Grand Africa and Mediterranean Cruise – we heard one lady is trying to collect the extras and wants to tile her bathroom… There is a great debate going on regarding the dress code – it is either smart casual, or formal on nine designated nights.  That doesn’t sound too difficult, but to see the interpretations of both is quite hilarious.  Barney and I decided to interpret smart casual by his going smart, and my going casual.  Works for us.  Formal nights have consisted of anything from the powder blue prom tux, to the khaki pants and t-shirt.  There are those who insist that the dress code should be enforced and those who think ‘anything goes”.  Previous cruises have been pretty consistent in “enforcing the code for the entire evening”, but this time no one on staff wants to offend anyone and who should be able to complain about that – oh let me see!

The ocean has been picture perfect today.  The sky is filled with billowing cumulus clouds that allow you to draw a distinction between the blue of the water and the blue of the sky.  We’ve been told to expect storms tomorrow and the next day, but as long as we aren’t floating adrift in lifeboats, we can take whatever the sea gives us.

                            

Tonight we are meeting NanSea for dinner.  NanSea hosts groups traveling on different cruises and she is so much fun.  We got to know her through Dorothy and she was a great help in making arrangements for Dorothy’s trip home.  By the way, Dorothy has a torn meniscus and will have surgery in late May.  We look forward to seeing her after her recovery – Barney expects a dance. 

Another hour given back tonight…we are beginning to wake up before we go to sleep.

And yes, Doug…we did feel the bump as we crossed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Rolling Right Along!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Yesterday was the big “Black and Gold Ball” celebration.  Since we have resigned from the dining room we decided to meet our Israel travel pals in our cabin for cocktails followed by dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. The evening was filled with good laughs, good food and good friends.  The entertainment that followed was a group from New York that sang a tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  It wasn’t the Jersey Boys, but we did enjoy it.

  

Most of the day was once again spent relaxing.  Barney was deep in a book and I attended two more of Chris’ classes on movie making.  Now I just need to figure out how to attach the action of the sleigh ride down to the blog.  Don’t worry, we won’t inundate you.  In fact, any additions to the blog now will probably be other pictures that you might enjoy.  It has been fun “stitching” pictures together and playing around with the pictures.  You should be able to hover over them on the blog and they should enlarge automatically. 

Holland America gave us two more large wheeled duffel bags to help us “off-load” all the things that everyone has purchased.  We don’t need them so we will no doubt offer them to crew as they always have to ship items home.    

It has been a fairly smooth ride so far.  There have been larger swells than expected but we can deal with them.  The sun is shining and we are enjoying the verandah.  Good weather is expected for the rest of the journey, but the captain likes to joke that weather forecasts are just as often wrong as they are right. 

                            

We hope that you have enjoyed following our journey.  We have loved your emails and comments.  Check back a bit later to see if there are more photos.  We look forward to being able to be in better personal contact with you once we return to Omaha.  As they say in Hawaii – Mahalo and Aloha.  Patty and Barney

Farewell to the Old World

May 5, 2011

     

Funchal, Madeira is our last port before a seven day cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Ft. Lauderdale.  And what a beautiful location for our last port!  We were here in 2006 and took a full day island-wide tour then, so we decided this time to walk from the ship and see the city of Funchal.  That 2006 tour left from the harbor and returned us to the harbor so we had not had a good taste of the city.  Today we took a shuttle bus for the 10 minute ride to the center of Funchal.  From there our tourist maps made it very easy to navigate around the city.  Funchal was preparing for its Flower Festival beginning May 11th.  The island enjoys a perfect climate for the growth of virtually every tropical and sub- tropical plant and this was evident from the profusion of flowers which covered the wide promenades and sidewalks throughout the central business district of Funchal.  We walked among the vender’s stalls and ground level displays and took many photos of the flowers.  When we first got off the shuttle bus we saw groups of locals laying down frames and patterns for the designs that would soon appear on the sidewalks.  By mid –day we walked the sidewalks admiring the completed floral arrangements. 

                           

         

  

  

Later we poked our noses into the gigantic Se^’ Cathedral in downtown Funchal.  The Cathedral was completed in 1514 and the relatively simple gothic exterior hid a very beautiful and ornate structure inside.  The fact that May is the month of Mary was evident in this church and every church we have been in since May 1st. 

           

       

It seems like everywhere we go we stumble across a fish market.  In Funchal, it was the Mercado dos Lavradores, or market of the workers.  These markets fascinate us, probably because they are so foreign to anything we see in our part of the world.  It is fun to see the intense interaction between the housewives and the fish venders.  The exact cut and freshness of a piece of fish is obviously very important to the cook.

 

Our next stop was at the cable car station for a ride up to the little mountain town of Monte.  The ride is four miles long and climbs 2,000 feet.  It is a beautiful ascent with clear views in all directions and the photo opportunities are obviously continuous.  We shared our car with four very nice people from Finland. Their English was good and we had a nice, though brief conversation.  It was obvious from our time at the flower display and from listening to others on the streets that Funchal is a very popular tourist destination for people from throughout Europe. 

                

                         

In Monte we walked a bit in the cool alpine climate with its very lush growth of trees and flowers.  Because of its climate Monte is the home of two very well known botanical gardens.  We were short on time so we were only able to have a brief peek into one of the gardens.  Our walk next took us to the Nossa Senhora do Monte church.  This church is at the highest point in the national park and is the burial place of the Austrian Emperor Carlos I, the last of the Hapsburg rulers.  His family sought refuge here after abdicating during WW I.  He was obviously a local hero. His statue stands in the little plaza in front of the church.

       

      

We could have descended the mountain by way of the cable car, but we opted to ride down in one of the little wicker basket sleds for which Funchal is famous.  All the tourist information suggests riding down the hill in this fashion.  The baskets have a padded seat for two and the runners are wooden strips.  Two men stand on the back of the sled and hold onto ropes attached to the side of the sled.  Of course this makes the occupant ponder what might happen if even one of these guys lets the rope slip from his grasp.  They also spend much of their time running along behind the basket pushing, although it is evident that the steep slope would be sufficient to move the basket much faster than a rational rider would choose.  Fortunately the pushers also have special shoes which allow them to slow the basket at will and the ride is not as terrifying as we expected.  It  took us about halfway back to downtown Funchal and we took a taxi the rest of the way.

 

 

We enjoyed a late lunch at a little sidewalk café and spent about two more hours in the city, shopping, photographing flowers, people watching and taking in the sights and sounds of this beautiful port. 

 

      

  

  

  

Then back to the ship for a little rest before we went down to the aft deck on level 9 to watch the island of Funchal fade behind us while we have our last glimpse of the Old World. 

     

The captain had asked permission to extend our time in Funchal and he was granted an additional three hours.  The entire ship, passengers and crew were so appreciative and it was a wonderful extension to our last port.  Of course, the captain informed us at sail-out that we all would have to help him make up for the extra fuel needed to make the trip to Fr. Lauderdale in three fewer hours – he suggested that those passengers on decks 5, 6, and 7 would be provided oars and those passengers with verandahs would be expected to hang out blankets in an attempt to “catch the wind”.   You have to love his sense of humor.

We have seven sea days ahead of us…days to enjoy our new friends and take part in shipboard activities and reminisce about the wonderful experiences of the past seven weeks.  And also time to contemplate our return to family and friends at home and the spring and summer activities of Omaha. 

Everyone we meet on the cruise has one question – “Have you signed up for your next cruise?”  Our answer is “NO, but that can change on a whim?”

The Pause That Refreshes!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

We gained an hour last night and we still slept in.  This cruising business is exhausting.  We are currently six hours earlier than Omaha so we have a few more hours to gain before we reach Ft. Lauderdale.

The mood on the ship is starting to change as people realize that tomorrow is our last port and then we are headed home – except those who are “piggy-backing” this with another cruise.  They gave us luggage straps to make sure we can smash our items into our suitcases and still get them closed.  The Fed Ex tags were delivered to the cabin and we will be shipping four bags back to Omaha.  We don’t know the status of our carry-on situation yet.  I’d say all in all we brought the right clothes and the right number of personal items to get us through a 62 day cruise.  We are happy to report that all the extra medicine for those “just in case” moments have not been touched.  Maybe it is like carrying an umbrella – if you have it, you don’t need it. 

                                

Barney went to hear the new lecturer on board.  He is a lawyer and seems to have a good sense of humor.  I didn’t do a thing but read and it was great. 

                                

We took advantage of the Italian night at the Lido and enjoyed ourselves.  The Indonesian staff really treats us well because Deden is a family name from their country.  They have taken to calling us Ipu and Baba which seems to be a sign of respect.  Beats the heck out of some things we have been called. 

We are looking forward to tomorrow’s port of Funchal, Madiera, Portugal.  We loved it last time and are planning on getting the most out of our short time there.  We understand that they are in financial trouble so we will try to help their economy while spending our remaining Euros.

Sail out is scheduled for 2 pm and will be celebrated with a big party on the Lido deck.  From then on, it is sea day after sea day until we reach Ft. Lauderdale on the 13th.  

A Glimpse of Cadiz!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

                         

What a surprise!  This was our second visit to the port of Cadiz.  Last time we didn’t spend any time in the city because we had a full day tour to Seville.  We were docked before sunset on Monday evening and it was great fun to sit on the verandah and experience the sights and sounds of this bustling city.  Cadiz is the oldest city in Europe.  It was founded in 1100 BC by the Phoenicians.

                            

Our research into the best way to experience Cadiz showed us that there were four walking tours that took you to all parts of the city.  The maps were color coded and the sidewalks had a painted stripe to follow.  We started out on the one that followed the San Carlos Walls around the exterior of Cadiz and found it very interesting.  City life is quiet and unassuming.  We walked by fishermen, dog walkers, lovers and groups of young and old men just gathered for the day.  Spring is in full bloom and the gardens were neatly manicured and smelled terrific. Mosaics dotted every aspect of statues, monuments, buildings and signage.  The walk wound through the Alameda Apocada, filled with tiled fountains and lush foliage.  Intermixed with the Bastions and Forts was Genoves Park.  The park is noted for its trees and is one of the city’s most beautiful botanical settings.

  

  

The old city of Cadiz is surrounded on three sides by water.  When we reached the Playa de la Caleta we were overwhelmed with the colorful views of water, beach and boats.  The tide was out and fishermen were walking to their boats, children were beachcombing, locals were sunbathing, and tourists were strolling on the paseo to visit San Sebastian Castle.  The former La Palma Spa is in the center of the beach, looking out to sea.  This building in an eclectic style was built in the early 1900’s and is currently the Andalusian Underwater Archaeological Center.  It was not open to tourists and we were very disappointed. 

  

 

Markets are an important part of Cadiz’s city life.  There were many little ones tucked away in amongst living quarters.  There were transient ones set up on street corners and there were many housed under the roof of the old Central Market.  People were animated as they perused the stalls and chatted at every opportunity.  We were constantly being enticed to buy the wonderful local treats but ended up in a tiny café (no tourists) to enjoy a drink and fresh crepes…the proprietor left the café to go across to the market to purchase a fresh banana for our crepe – how great is that!

  

  

As always, we were drawn to the churches.  So many of them are now closed that we could only read about and imagine what the interior must be like.  We did get into the Cathedral Nueva… construction started in 1722.  The Cathedral was built on top of a Moorish mosque.  It is a Gothic building that has both Baroque and Neoclassic elements.  The dome of the church is covered with glazed tiles and its gilt surface reflects the sun with intensity.  The church has a crypt that we were able to visit.  When you made any sound, the echo created a mind-boggling effect.  There is no way to describe this massive structure.  It is a shame that it is in a state of disrepair and it is fortunate that work has begun to restore this majestic Cathedral.  Some of the Roman and Moorish ruins have been discovered during this restoration project and there is talk of a museum being built on the site.  We visited other churches and were enthralled with the religious mosaics built into every type of building in every kind of setting. 

  

 

        

We strolled on the plazas, exhausted our batteries (both the camera and ours) and headed back for the ship.  We planned to recharge the batteries and head back out in hopes of dinner in Cadiz.

  

        

                                      

Needless to say – it didn’t happen and we enjoyed a wonderful Spanish Paella and Chorizo BBQ on the lido deck.  We were marinated and serenaded into the night. 

We had read that Cadiz has great architecture, great beaches and great streets…we couldn’t agree more!