tennisbeforewine

Valentine’s Day - Continued I forgot to mention that, since last night was formal, we had an officer who hosted our table. He was Darren, the Security Chief, and we learned lots and lots about the rules and regulations about security on board. Darren’s background includes 30 years as a police officer in England, so he labels his HAL job as his “retirement job.” It was great to have him - and he provided the wine. It was a win-win situation.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023 - Day 39 At Sea en route to Adelaide, Australia HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! On board the Zuiderdam, everything was red and white and flowers and love. Even the various venues around the ship were renamed in honor of the day. The Rolling Stone Lounge was the “Love Lounge,” and the Crow’s Nest was “The Love Nest.” Well, some people found it amusing. Since the evening was formal, there were a lot of red dresses, sequins and red bow ties to be seen. The day began with our room stewards bringing us a long-stemmed rose and a box of Jacques Torres chocolates. We’ve been very good and haven’t opened them yet, although the temptation is strong. After our evening turn-down, we found a tiny box with just two of the JT chocolates, and those are still in the box. I’m sure when we begin they won’t last long, and they’re so pretty that we just want to admire them for a bit longer. The day’s activities were also keyed toward Valentine’s Day. A morning activity was making Valentine’s paper flowers, an afternoon activity was Valentine’s painting and wine, and the 7:00 World Stage show was “The Couples Game Show.” Late in the evening we jumped into the activities with an after-dinner visit to the Rolling Stone (whoops - Love) Lounge for some good old rock and roll dancing. Indigo does a great job with “Proud Mary.” The dance floor was full, the Zuiderdam singers and dancers joining us on the dance floor made us all look like amateurs, and I think everyone had a good time. I danced so much that the sole of one of my silver slippers separated and I’m going to have to find some shoe glue for it! It really is nice to be able to set our clocks back an hour about every four days, but I really don’t like the half hour changes, and we had one last night. At least with the full hour I don’t have to mess with the minutes, but with last night’s change, I had to get to the correct hour and then the minutes. I don’t remember this many half hour changes in the past. The main one I DO remember is for India, which is exactly 12-1/2 hours ahead of California. Tomorrow is a 2:00 arrival in Adelaide, one of the prettiest cities in Australia. We love the zoo and will probably go again. There are a lot of choices, including beautiful parks and since we will actually have a day and a half here, we’ll try to do as much as possible. If you get a chance, and you’re “down under,” Adelaide is a great destination.

Monday, February 13, 2023 - Day 38 Hobart, Tasmania I love the word “serendipity.” Especially when traveling, it’s great fun to find things or events that are unexpected (in a good way). That’s what happened on our visit to Hobart. For three days each year, Hobart hosts the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, and this year it happened to be on February 10-13, so we were just lucky enough to happen across the tail end of the festival. There were dozens and dozens of wooden boats of all ages and sizes, as well as two and three masted schooners sailing across the bay. If you love seeing boats sailing across the water, you would have loved this. We wandered through the displays, seeing early steam engines started up and running as well as some very old boats. One, in fact, had a placard that said it was built in the 1600’s, but I’m rather skeptical about that. There was also entertainment everywhere, our favorite being the group of men who get together to sing sea shanties. We stayed for a couple of the shanties and even got some video of one which I posted on Facebook. Whenever there’s a festival, there’s always food, so our next stop was for a mid-morning snack. John loves scallops, and there was a stand with scallop and sweet potato skewers, and we shared one of those. One of my favorites is lemon crepes, so that was “dessert” on our snack tour. Since we wanted to see downtown Hobart, we headed up the hill, enjoying the local sights, including some historic buildings. We found our postcard and then the post office, so are now up to date on that one. Our goal was Woolworths (here known as “Woolies”), and found that it’s primarily a grocery store. Some 45 minutes later with everything from chips to chocolate to toothpaste for one of our favorite waiters (he’s almost out), we checked out and headed back down the hill to the festival. The groceries were heavy, however, so it was back to the ship for us. After a light lunch and a short nap, John played some pickle ball until it began raining. I spent time trying to get further along in my latest book. It’s called Tombland and is C. J. Sansom’s latest Shardlake novel. It’s 800 pages, and I’m finally past page 500, so I think I may finish it before we leave Australia. Last evening we had the pleasure of joining our friends Dee and Wells Wescott in celebrating their 42nd anniversary in The Pinnacle. There were 12 of us altogether, and we had a great time, with lots of chat and laughter. We knew almost everyone there but were fortunate to meet two new friends, Ross and Jean from Canada. It’s always a happy occasion to help friends celebrate a milestone. As we were leaving The Pinnacle, we noticed our friend (and Cellar Master) Jacques across the hall in the Pinnacle Bar, along with a couple of our other friends. Jacques was trying out some new red wines that had been brought aboard in Sydney and are intended for The Sommelier Suite, or list of wines that can be ordered onboard. Naturally, as such good friends, we were more than happy to help him with the tasting and promised to come back on Tuesday at 5:00 to try out the whites. What good friends we are! It was a great day, and even the rocking and rolling as we left the harbor didn’t discourage us. Tomorrow’s a sea day, Valentine’s Day and a formal night, so it should be a good one.

Monday, February 12, 2023 - Day 36 Port Arthur, Tasmania As we approached Port Arthur, we saw the lush green countryside - so much like England. We even saw a beautiful brick country house. When we went ashore, however, we found out that the “country house” was actually the Port Arthur Penitentiary for English convicts. I think when most people consider English prisoner ships (if they ever do), they only think about Sydney, then called Botany Bay. However, there were convict settlements in both Tasmania (then called Van Diemen’s Land) and Perth, beginning in 1787 and continuing until 1868, with one in seven prisoners being female. English citizens could be sentenced to transportation for 19 different crimes, including theft, larceny, or even “impersonating an Egyptian.” Grand theft was for stealing anything worth one shilling or more (the equivalent of a day’s wages). Larceny was theft of less than a shilling. Often, the poor would be transported for stealing bread, and if the convict was a mother, she usually took her children with her. After sentencing, both male and female convicts would be imprisoned in Newgate for about six months before the prison ships were ready for them. The crossing itself, taking more than 100 days, was incredibly dangerous, with almost 25% of prisoners dying en route. Those who arrived were immediately put to work for whatever period of time they had been sentenced. Seven years was usually the minimum, but time periods could be up to a lifetime. Of the 164,000 prisoners sent to Australia, about 25,000 were women, half in Sydney and half in Tasmania. In Hobart, it’s still possible to visit the Cascades Female Factory, a World Heritage Site. When their sentences were served, most chose to remain in Australia and make a good life of it. Today’s statistics show that about 22% of modern Australians are descended from at least one convict, something that was considered shameful for most of the 20th Century but has now become a matter of pride. In fact, although the Tasmanian convict records are very complete, those in Sydney have been almost all destroyed. The original reason given for this was that no one thought they were important, but a more modern explanation is that many people in the early 20th Century did not want any evidence that they may have convict ancestors. After our tour of the Port Arthur historical sites, we simply wandered the lovely gardens and through the ruins of buildings that were destroyed in the 1895 bushfire, a dangerous fact of life in Australia to this day. The all-aboard was 3:30, and at 4:00 the tenders had been pulled up along with the anchor, and we began our four-hour sail to Hobart. En route, we sailed past Cape Raoul which has the tallest sea cliffs in Australia. They appear like hundreds of stone shafts jutting up from the Tasman Sea. It really was a spectacular sight. We arrived in Hobart, the largest city and capital of Tasmania, at about 8:00. We hurried to finish dinner by 9:30, because fireworks were scheduled for that time. Some of our friends with port-side cabins went ashore to watch, but we’re lucky enough to be starboard, so we just sat on our balcony watching the whole show. Then, if that weren’t enough, there was a local band playing by the Lido pool, and we sat and enjoyed the music, which we thought would have been familiar in an Irish pub. It was great fun, but then it was time for bed. Tomorrow will be a full day in Hobart and we’re really looking forward to it.

Saturday, February 11, 2023 - Day 36 At Sea en route to Port Arthur, Tasmania After the meteorological excitement of our first day in Sydney with thunder, lightning, rain, and cold temperatures, our second day was absolutely perfect. The sky was blue, the high temperature was 82, and everyone headed out with short sleeves and no umbrellas. Our goal was a wander through Chinatown, a haircut, and then to meet with friends at Darling Harbour. It was a lovely walk toward town, and after only a few questions from shopkeepers about directions, we found ourselves surrounded by Chinese writing and ads for products which we didn’t recognize. As we walked along we saw delicious looking food in windows and, if we hadn’t had lunch plans, we would have sampled along the way. I always think that the perfect way to experience a city is to go on a tasting tour, and Sydney’s Chinatown would be the perfect way to start. We thought we’d take a tram to Circular Quay, but we just couldn’t seem to find a place to buy tickets, so we just walked even more. Finally we were in sight of the water and the ferries, so we knew we were close to that haircut. On our first day, as we walked through the food court, we noticed an old-fashioned looking barber shop with two chairs and a couple of very young and trendy barbers. Since John was in need of a trim, we returned there and he had his trim, making him good for another four or five weeks. We had decided that the best way to return to Darling Harbour was by ferry, and since we were getting close to our 12:30 lunch date, it seemed more efficient for me to head across the street, buy tickets, and find out which pier was ours. As soon as John was done, we took our tickets and ran to Pier 5, where the sign told us we had 14 minutes to wait for the ferry to Barangaroo. By the way, I found out by some more reading that Barangaroo was not the name of a tribe, but of the female chief of the aboriginal group in that area. She was so important in the history of the aboriginal people that she is still revered as a great leader. We were only five minutes late for our lunch date at Tequila Daisy, which, luckily, was right across from our ferry stop. We met our friends the Mitchells, whom we’ve known for ages. At one time John and I were the leaders of our church’s college ministry, but since we had planned our 2008 world cruise, we needed someone to take over that responsibility. Just then, Dave and Kristyn moved from Seattle to San Luis Obispo for Dave’s job teaching physics and astronomy at Cal Poly, and, having recently been members of their Methodist church’s college group there, were happy to take over for us. A couple of years later Irene was born, and it was a delight to meet up with all three of them during Dave’s sabbatical. Some tacos and margaritas later, Kristyn led us to an outstanding gelato shop before sharing hugs and kisses and agreeing to meet back in San Luis in May. By then it was time to hop on the shuttle back to the ship and John decided that a nap was called for (while I did my Duolingo French lessons). Afterward, however, one of the highlights of our visit was the sailaway from Sydney. The Zuiderdam made its way under Sydney Harbour Bridge, past the opera house, and then we were surrounded by dozens of sailboats as we said goodbye to this wonderful city. We were soooo lucky to have our balcony on the starboard side so that we could watch everything as we left. As the sun was going down and dusk was falling, John took a spectacular photo of Sydney with sailboats. If you’d like to take a look, it’s on our Facebook page at JohnandDiane St John (spaces after Diane and St) John’s photos just get better and better. As usual, we met our friends in the Ocean Bar at 7:00 and then to dinner at 7:30. If we’d been less tired we would have gone afterward to see Hyperion Knight, a pianist whom we’ve enjoyed several times before. Instead we just took a lap around the deck and had an early night. What a wonderful two days in Sydney. There are so many more things we’d like to do, so maybe sometime we’ll just fly down under and enjoy even more of Australia. Babsjo - Thank you for the great photo. We couldn't have had a better sailaway.

Thursday, February 9, 2023 - Day 34 Sydney, Australia Sydney has one of the most wonderful sail-ins in the world. The ship comes into the harbor, sails past the iconic opera house and then under Harbour Bridge, finally coming to dock somewhere beyond, in this case, White Bay. Unfortunately, our sail-in, narrated by Cruise Director Ian, began at 5:00 AM, so we slept right through it. In the past, we’ve docked at Circular Quay, the classic place for seeing many of Sydney’s sights. Then, for one trip, we were at Darling Harbour (don’t you just love that name?), but for the last several trips it’s been White Bay. The bad part is that there’s really nothing around it; the good part is that we are shuttled to Darling Harbour, site of the aquarium, many of the ferries, and dozens upon dozens of restaurants. We had filled out our visitor cards and were scheduled for Group 8. Australia has always required a face to passport inspection, which means that we must meet with an immigration official and have him or her look at our passport to make sure that we do, indeed, look like our photo. While this inspection used to take place on board, it’s now off the ship. Also required is a “zero count” which means that all passengers on board must exit the ship and then not return until every passenger has had his or her inspection. We had two options: stay in the terminal or take the shuttle to Darling Harbour - not much of a choice, and we were on the bus in a split second. Darling Harbour is really a lovely place to visit. It has no historical or cultural attractions, but if you want to shop or eat, this is the place. We wandered past the aquarium, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, and a “wild animal” exhibit which promises Australia’s Big 5, including a kangaroo, a koala, and a crocodile. We were on the hunt for Tequila Daisy, the restaurant where we’re meeting our friends tomorrow, and it took us forever. The newest extension of the harbor is Barangaroo, a strip of dozens of restaurants. The only problem is that their names are not prominently displayed, so we walked and walked and walked until someone on an adjoining street was kind enough to point it out. Barangaroo, an Aboriginal word for the indigenous community which occupied this point, is somewhat controversial. A few years ago, the 75-story Crown Tower was built right on the waterfront, displacing the proposed foreshore open space. The building is all glass and mirrors and reaches into the sky somewhat like a vertical cucumber. Now there are even more massive skyscrapers being built nearby. The nicest thing is the walking trail from Barangaroo to The Rocks and Circular Quay. It’s beautifully landscaped with huge stones leading down to the water and a botanic garden of native plants. We walked and walked (6.7 miles today), under the Harbour Bridge, through The Rocks, and to Circular Quay with its gorgeous view of the Sydney Opera House. It’s really difficult to imagine what this area was like from 1788 to 1868, during which time 160,000 convicts were transported from England, some just to be removed from the home country and others required to be indentured workers. The Rocks was a living area inhabited by many of these prisoners as well as Aboriginal people who had lived there for thousands of years. After finding an ATM, a postcard, and a post office, we were off for some lunch. Tucked into a large building was a food court which tempted visitors with everything from sandwiches to fruit plates to Asian delights to Mexican food. The place was jammed and seating was at a premium, so we settled for Mad Mex (which offered seating), a place that operated like Chipotle, where customers chose what they wanted and moved along, choosing ingredients. We opted for small (!?) burritos which were almost more than we could eat. The combo of beans, rice, pork, salsa and guacamole made for a delicious mid-day meal. Then it was time to head back to Darling Harbour for the shuttle back to the ship. We had managed all of our errands, walked our little feet off, and were ready for a nap. Just as we descended from the bus, a bright flash of lightning went off above us, followed almost immediately by a deafening clap of thunder. I ran the rest of the way into the terminal, where we watched more of the electrical storm. The rain pounded down, so I finally had to open the umbrella and race to the ship. It was a dramatic ending to a great day.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023 - Day 33 Final Day at sea en route to Sydney Thankfully, for al those affected by rough seas, the crossing between New Zealand and Australia has smoothed out, with some rolling but not nearly what it was before. The weather has also improved, and there are blue skies with a few clouds on the horizon. The captain commented on Mother Nature’s improvements in his noontime announcement today, but warned us that tomorrow in Sydney has rain forecast for at least part of the day. At least our second day there has only sunshine predicted, so we’re looking forward to that. Today was one of those days that make us feel good. It was “On Deck for the Cause”, in which I imagine some of you have participated. This is a fundraising event for various causes. At first, it was for breast cancer research, and then for cancer research in general. However, for the last eight months, all monies raised ($400,000 so far) are going to medical supplies for Ukranian refuges. As usual, we were happy to join in, both the fund-raising and the walk on deck. Each passenger is asked if they will contribute $25.00 toward this event. That amount entitles one to a (really nice looking) tee shirt with the “On Deck” logo. Then those who wish to further participate meet up at 9:00 AM for the pep talk about the cause, followed by a 5K walk around the deck. Since three laps around the Zuiderdam’s deck is a mile walked, our assignment was to walk 9-1/2 laps. This part, of course, was optional, but about fifty passengers began it. Many people did one lap or even a mile, but when John and I finished our nine and a half laps, there was only a handful of us left. Regardless, however, it felt good not only to have achieved our 5K goal, but to have contributed to such a good cause. * * * * * Tonight’s Mainstge show is a return visit of the singing (and occasionally dancing) group Cantare. We’ve seen them on previous cruises and have always been extremely impressed. The group is made up of four young men who sing, harmonize, and share some funny stories with the audience. When they introduced themselves at the first show, we found that there were two Americans, one Brit, and a young man from Ukraine, who was given a very loud round of applause. * * * * * Today was the third Seaday Brunch, but we took a pass on this one. As I’ve mentioned before, the servings are really small, but there are so many of them that the overall effect is a really, really filling lunch. After our last brunch, we even decided to skip dinner because we were still full from our mid-day meal. * * * * * We always look forward to Sydney, and an added benefit of this visit is that we’re spending time with hometown church friends. Dave is a physics professor at Cal Poly and is currently on sabbatical in New Zealand, and he, his wife Kristyn and their daughter Irene have all been friends for many years. We’re going to start with lunch tomorrow and then decide what we want to do thereafter. I don’t understand why, even though we see people at home all the time, it’s so much more satisfying to see them halfway around the world. Regardless, we’re still looking forward to it.

Monday, February 6, 2023 - Day 32 At Sea en route to Sydney, Australia Boy, is it rocking and rolling! We’re between New Zealand and Australia in the Tasman Sea, which has a reputation for rough water and it is certainly living up to its reputation. Although we woke up to sunny blue skies, the ship was pitching and rolling and the wind was high. In fact, during the captain’s noontime announcements, he mentioned that we were at near gale-force winds with ten-foot swells. If you have any hints of seasickness, this weather would not be for you. This afternoon the skies have clouded over and the wind has gone down a bit, but the seas have become a bit rougher than earlier. It was great for a nap, though, since it was like being rocked to sleep. The afternoon’s main excitement was “Let Them Eat Cake,” a dessert extravaganza in the Lido. There were “luxury cakes, gateaux, croquembouche, eclairs, and other patisserie delights,” according to today’s program. It was a tea-time treat for everyone, and it was incredibly well-attended. We took a round trip to look at the treats and saw almost every seat in the Lido occupied by passengers and their treats. Some had chosen one thing and others had plates overflowing with the bounty. You’ll be shocked to know that we passed by all the choices, but we loved the classical trio playing during the afternoon event. We’re trying to avoid eating between meals; sometimes we’re successful and sometimes we aren’t. One of the recurrent comments about Holland America Lines is the quality of the staff and crew. That is absolutely one of our favorite things about HAL, especially on the world cruise, since this length of time allows us to get to know so many more people. We have two wonderful room stewards, Ronnie and Gilah (pronounced “Golly”), and they can’t do enough for us. They knew we’re up early and off to the gym and then the Lido for breakfast, so our cabin is the first one they tend to. They keep our frig full of Diet Coke and Sprite and fresh bath towels appear almost every day. They’re both always smiling, and are happy to be back at work after the pandemic. Our dining room stewards are really quite wonderful too. We’ve known Tomo, our main waiter, since 2015 when he was at a friend’s table where we would eat on formal nights. He has a sharp sense of humor and he seems to know what everyone wants even before he’s told. We’ve told him that in our final evaluation we will recommend that he be moved up to either the Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto, the next steps toward becoming an assistant maitre d’. He’d be great in that position. His assistant waiter is Sinar, who is quietly efficient and who hopes to move up to Tomo’s job as the main waiter at a dining room table. John has over a hundred tee shirts at home, but he enjoys wearing two on the ship. One is a red shirt advertising San Miguel beer, the most popular beer in the Philippines. Whenever he wears it, it gets a great response from the Filipino crew and they always end up having a chat about their homes and other favorite beers. The other shirt, a blue one, was purchased on an outing we took to Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia. This one always begins conversations with Indonesian crew members, some of whom have told us they live very near the temple and ask us if we climbed it and touched Buddha’s finger to make a wish. The answers to both are “yes,” but they’ve told us that climbing is prohibited now because the stone was beginning to wear away. It’s amazing how much we learn about the crew members and their home countries. This is the first of three sea days before Sydney and, as always, we’re looking forward to them. Unfortunately today was just too windy and rocky for pickle ball or paddle tennis, but there’s always hope for tomorrow. P. S. I just looked and found that some dark chocolate/orange bars we bought were Whittakers. Delicious!

Sunday, February 5, 2023 - Day 32 Wellington, New Zealand Welcome to “Windy Wellington,” the southernmost capital city in the world (for trivia buffs). It’s a pretty city of just over 200,000 which reaches from the sea up to the mountains above. We’ve been here before and very much enjoyed a visit to Te Papa, their world famous Museum of New Zealand. I remember the enormous statues of Hobbits in the entryway as well as Peter Jackson’s creation of a display remembering Gallipoli, a crucial and deadly battle during World War I which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers. The battle is remember each year on ANZAC Day, April 25, a national day of remembrance when everything shuts down in the morning. Often drivers will even pull over for the two minutes of silence, and alcohol cannot be sold before 1:00 PM. They take it very seriously. Today, however, our adventures took us via the cable car up to the top of the beautiful botanical gardens. We wandered through the rose garden as well as the begonia house, home to all kinds of tropical flowers including anthuriums and orchids. The begonias were huge and came in every imaginable color. From there we headed down the mountain through the redwoods (imported from California) and Japanese cedar. Near the bottom of the trail we passed through a peaceful cemetery which contained remains of New Zealanders who were buried between 1840 and 1921. It was especially moving because it brought to mind how brief many lives were in those days. I was almost in tears at the monument to a husband and wife and their six (!) children, aged from six months to ten years. Life was hard then. After a chat with our daughter in California, we passed government buildings, including the appropriately shaped “Beehive,” or capital, and ended up at the edge of the harbor. Besides the Te Papa museum, there is a really interesting Museum of Wellington. One thing I really appreciate about New Zealand is that all the museums are free to encourage visitors to learn about their heritage. We wandered along the water trying to choose a restaurant for lunch. We had hoped and planned to have another lunch with John’s cousin, but their ship changed the itinerary putting us a day apart. We passed on Rosie’s Mexican Cantina and ended up at a crowded brew pub for fish and chips (John) and seafood chowder (me). When we were done, I went to the bar to pay for our lunch, hoping that, since we had $75 NZ left, we could use that cash and pay for the balance with a card. However, when the bill came up to $79, the waitress just said, “It’s on me” and sent me on my way. It took us a while, but with the help of the Rolling Stone band members, we found our shuttle stop, ran into our friend Heo, and headed back to the ship. It’s going to be a quiet evening, and we’ll probably just get dinner in the Lido followed by a stop in the Rolling Stone Lounge. The “show” tonight is Julian Lennon’s film Whaledreamers, We’re still deciding about whether we’ll go or not. Tomorrow is the first of our three days sailing through the Tasman Sea (which can be rough) to Sydney. We’re hoping to get together with some church friends there, since they’re on sabbatical from Cal Poly with their daughter. Now we’ll have to review our “G’day” greetings and get ready for the Aussies.

Saturday, February 4, 2023 - Day 31 Gisborne, New Zealand Originally the itinerary called for us to stop at Napier, but for some reason it was changed to Gisborne. We’d been to Napier and loved it, but had never even heard of Gisborne. Again, we loved it. It’s a small town built on the shortest river in New Zealand - at about 3/4 of a mile. Unlike Napier, this was a “most of the day” port, but still with tenders. After we arrived, we walked over the bridge and, looking down at the river with extensive grassy banks up both sides, we both agreed that it looked a lot like the English countryside. We walked up one side of the main street and down the other, poking our heads into a few shops and finding and mailing “the postcard,” and then we headed for the Saturday open-air markets. On the left side of the park was the fruit and veggie market, and then we crossed over the street dividing it to find the arts and crafts market. Again, the people were absolutely lovely, and our entire time there passed without seeing one piece of litter - even a cigarette butt. The stand which called to us in the produce market was one that made absolutely delicious little Dutch fritters, with apples, raisins, and currents fried into them (right before our eyes) and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. We did have to wait until they cooled to enjoy them, but it was well worth it. I do love these delightful little New Zealand towns. Of all the places we’ve visited here, now and in the past, they have several things in common: the residents are friendly and helpful, everything is spic and span clean, and the public areas are wonderfully kept. I think New Zealand wins the “most popular place to emigrate” of almost any country in the world. * * * * * Last evening was our second Chef and Sommelier Dinner in The Pinnacle, and it certainly lived up to expectations. Again there were six courses, each with an accompanying wine - and it was just too much for me. Too much food, too much wine, and too expensive (at $95 each). But . . . enjoy it we did at our table on the window watching the beautiful ocean go by. The first course, which surprisingly was my favorite, was smoked duck breast. The fact that it was accompanied by Domaine Chandon sparkling white wine might have had something to do with it. Next was a porcini mushroom and artichoke soup (yum!), of which I managed to eat about half. Its wine was Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The fish course was warm lobster salad, and since it was accompanied by a chardonnay (I’m an ABC wine drinker - anything but chardonnay), I had a second glass of the sauvignon blanc. A roasted beef tenderloin was the main course, with a Beringer cabernet sauvignon. It was tasty (especially the madeira-dijon sauce), but I just couldn’t finish it. Dessert was a chocolate pot au creme, and, unsurprisingly, I did manage to finish that. By then we were both just too full to continue, so we turned down the artisan cheese plate and the accompanying port. Overall the dinner was delicious and we enjoyed (most of) the paired wines, but again - a lot of food and wine. * * * * * This evening we have a captain’s reception for some of the passengers, and we’re certainly looking forward to it. Tomorrow is Wellington, and we’re hoping to meet up with John’s cousins again for a late lunch.

Friday, February 3, 2023 - Day 30 Tauranga, New Zealand As I mentioned yesterday, every time we’ve been to Tauranga it was just a place to begin a tour. Today, however, convinced me of something new: I want to live here! We were told that because of its climate and cost of living, Tauranga is a popular retirement location for Kiwis all around New Zealand. The city sits on the water between a calm and lovely beach area and a spectacular side with crashing waves and beautiful rock formations, reminiscent of the Big Sur area in Northern California. We set out on and found that the downtown is extremely walkable, with lots of small shops, coffee bars and restaurants. We did see one Burger King on a side street, but we tried not to look. We wandered into stores (I almost bought that lovely $200 US rain jacket), and went on a hunt for a local taqueria called Roxie’s Red Hot Cantina & Taco Joint. We loved the name, but the menu didn’t speak to us, so we just kept walking. We did end up having a chicken club sandwich at a cute little coffee shop, but kept thinking about those tacos. We walked to the end of town, the location of Mount Maunganui or Mauao, a sacred Maori site which overlooks the city and is called “The Mount” by locals. It’s a dormant volcanic cone and juts up over the harbor. Anyone who’s interested has a choice of two walks: around the Mount at 1.77 miles on a fairly easy trail, or up the mountain at 1.3 miles on a challenging trek. We chose the first, and just loved it. We began on the side with the rough water and waves splashing against the rocks and finished on the other side where the calm waters of the bay made us want to jump in. It took about an hour, partly because John kept stopping to take pictures - and he got some great ones. We agreed that this was probably the highlight of the cruise so far. Besides its beauty, Tauranga has very friendly locals. We ran into a group of “blokes” who were preparing for a 37-kilometer kayak race tomorrow and talked about the area in general. We mentioned that there were a couple of signs nearby, one prohibiting dogs on the beach trail and another forbidding alcohol on the beach on New Year’s. When we commented on everyone obeying these rules, the fellows shrugged their shoulders as if to say “of course.” We never saw a piece of litter but found trash and recycle bins along the way. Many of the residents seem pretty sporty, with swimmers, kayakers, and runners seemingly everywhere. Shorts and tee-shirts seemed to be the usual outfits, even among those around our age. It’s just a great place, and if it weren’t virtually impossible for seniors to immigrate, we’d be tempted. Tomorrow, our next port, Gisborne, will have a hard time living up to today’s experience, but we have high hopes. According to our itinerary, it’s a half-day visit in the afternoon and it’s also a tender port, both disappointing parts of a visit. It’s a brand new port for us, however, so we’re looking forward to it. P. S. We'll look for that chocolate.

Thursday, February 2, 20223 - Day 29 Auckland, New Zealand There are so many reasons to like the city of Auckland that make us so happy to return whenever possible. We’ve been here numerous times, almost all on cruises, and it never ceases to please us. The sail-in in the pre-dawn hours is beautiful. The sky is usually clear and the lights surrounding the harbor create a lovely backdrop. John was out on the balcony getting a perfect shot early this morning and then posted it on Facebook with the caption “Good Morning, Auckland.” Thanks to our captain’s speedy transit from Tonga at 20 knots, we arrived quite early and did, indeed, dock before the ferries began their daily transits. Even though some people couldn’t wait to disembark, we had a leisurely morning with the gym, breakfast on the Lido, and making plans for the day. I’m a list maker, so as we discussed what needed to be done I jotted things down. Finally, at about 9:00, we headed out to cross things off the list. One thing I love about downtown Auckland is that they have traffic signals that allow cars to go one way and then the other, and then the pedestrian light goes on and walkers can cross any which way. So practical. John wears Asics court shoes for pickle ball, but his pair had been getting slippery underneath, causing some almost falls. A replacement pair was first on the list, but when we arrived at the Asics store, we found out that it didn’t open until 10:00, so we headed down Quay Street to the grocery store about a half mile away. We both just love browsing in any size market tin almost any city, and this one provided us with all we needed. We had promised a package of laundry pods to one of our favorite crew members (since they have washers and dryers but have to supply their own detergent), and we found just the thing. John decided that just laundry soap wasn’t enough, so we bought Erick some Cadbury chocolate bars, too. I found some Sensodyne and John spent some time looking through the wonderful New Zealand wines. When we got back to the middle of town, the shoe store was open and John was able to find a new pair of court shoes. After hauling everything back to the ship, it was time to think about lunch. The best thing about lunch was that we were meeting up with John’s cousin Michael and his wife Sharon. They live in Southern California and are enjoying their world cruise on the Viking Neptune which, coincidentally, is currently docked right next to us. We met at one of our favorite pub/restaurants next to the yacht harbor, but found it had changed hands and was in the process of being refurbished. Since that pub wasn’t available, we found another one called The Fox, since all anyone wanted was fish and chips. We ate and talked for more than two hours, catching up on all the family gossip. It seems ironic that we seldom get together in California but find each other almost 7,000 miles from home. Tomorrow is Tauranga, a base for some really interesting shore excursions. We’ve gone from Tauranga to Hobbiton, the outdoor movie set for The Hobbit, as well as Rotorua, home of geothermal geysers, and a realistic Maori village. Tomorrow, however, we’re going to do what we haven’t done before: stay in town and see what we can.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023 - Day 27 At Sea en route to Auckland It seems that on each cruise, John finds a group of friends whom I call his “Pickle ball friends.” This cruise, of course, is no different, but due to the length of it, I’ve gotten to know them, some better than others. There’s Peter, Marina, Mike 1, Mike 2, and a few others. Even our friend Stephen, the ship’s restaurant manager, and his partner Sascha (that’s how she spells it) have become part of the group. Several days ago, Peter googled, “Tonga Pickle Ball” and found a club. Upon contacting them, the response couldn’t have been friendlier. They told him that they would have their best players ready for matches and they would even provide transportation to the club. That transport was limited, however, so John didn’t get to go. It was just Peter, Mike 1 and his wife Cheri, and Marina (the best of the bunch). We had a partial report last night during dinner and then Marina filled us in this morning. The Tongan group not only provided transportation, but they had a full complement of refreshments and all their best players. Our players were not only extremely impressed but they were outplayed! The point of all this is two-fold: wonderful people can be found wherever we look (but we have to look), and Google can find whatever you’re looking for. I have a feeling that this event will be repeated several times around the world. * * * * * One of the things we’ve noticed on this cruise is that the average age of passengers seems to be much lower than usual. As seen on the pickle ball court, there are dozens and dozens of young and active cruisers. In the morning the gym is packed and I often have to wait for a treadmill. At 7:00 there are so many people out for an hour of “Morning Stretch” that it had to be moved outside next to the Lido pool, and even there it’s pretty crowded. There are lots and lots of people in the Rolling Stone Lounge each evening ready to dance, and when I run the Promenade Deck in the morning (when the gym is too full), it’s pretty darned crowded. It’s a nice change, as the younger passengers bring a great deal of energy to this world cruise. Speaking of the Rolling Stone Lounge, the cast seems to be a rotating group of musicians. When we went in last evening after dinner, we were surprised that the female singer now had blonde hair, but I assured John it was just a wig. Then we noticed a few other differences, and when we went out onto the dance floor and got a good look, it was obviously a new singer. At the beginning, there were three singers, but then one of them disappeared because his contract was up. Last night, another new singer appeared and he was great. They’re as good as ever, and even at our age, we enjoy getting out there and dancing, often to the music of our younger years. * * * * * As we head toward New Zealand, we’ve noticed that the seas are getting a bit rougher, and we think it’s lots of fun, but I notice a few green faces around the ship from time to time. We’re sailing at about 20 knots (really fast) to assure our arrival very early on February 2. The rule is that we have to be docked before the ferries begin, so we should be tied up around 6:00. We’re looking forward to it, and we have a long list of errands to accomplish during our one-day stay. Can’t wait!

Monday, January 30, 2023 - Day 26 Nuku’Alofa, Tonga Good day from The Kingdom of Tonga. Yes, it’s Monday, even though it’s no doubt Sunday for you. We did have that International Date Line thing, so my dates won’t be the same as yours for quite some time. It’s a hot, sunny day in a port that we really enjoy visiting. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any time with the King, but maybe next visit. Rain was forecast for about 1:00, but right now it’s 2:30 and the sky is a gorgeous blue and ringed with puffy white clouds. Looks like we missed a bullet. The down side is that it’s about 90 degrees. The night before last at dinner, the six of us looked at the next night’s dinner menu and decided that there wasn’t much that spoke to us, so why not go to Canaletto for some darned good Italian food. Dinner really lived up to expectations. Since we were pretending we were in Italy, John had to begin with an Aperol Spritz, a pretty orange drink he had learned to love in Sienna, Italy. It’s a bit bitter for me, so I opted for a Bellini, with prosecco and peach puree, another Italian favorite. The starters for the six of us ranged from their excellent minestrone to the Canaletto Salad with candied pecans, blue cheese, beets, and tomatoes. Those plates were taken away clean! Our main courses included lasagne, spaghetti vongole (with clams), and the Sunday special, Chicken Parmesan. Everyone loved their dinners, and I can speak for the lasagne which was excellent. Of course dessert was a necessity, and Canaletto makes a delicious tiramisu, but by the time I’d had my minestrone, a couple of pieces of bread and lasagne, I just wanted to share. John agreed, so we asked for one tiramisu to share, The nice part is that they brought two tiny little glass teacups, one for each of us, with a teeny, tiny serving. It was so cute - and so delicious. * * * * * Today began with a beautiful sail-in at just about sunrise, and we found ourselves docked and cleared by 7:00 when passengers began heading out. We were slowpokes about getting ready, so we stayed on board until about 8:30, figuring that if it was going to rain, we’d better get started early. One of our favorite activities when visiting Tonga is just walking along the beach and chatting up local folks. The people are really friendly, so its an easy thing to do. The only exception was when we ran into a group of small boys about nine or ten years old, and our means of communication were limited. We don’t speak Tongan and they didn’t speak English, so we just stood there smiling at one another for awhile. Many people here wear traditional Tongan attire, which for men is a tupenu (which looks like a long skirt) and a kiekie, or woven mat worn around the waist. For women, it’s a long tupelo, or sarong, also with the kiekie. Women generally cover their knees. These items are always worn at church and are required to be worn by anyone who works for the government. One of the things about Tonga that interested me is that it’s so flat. On many South Pacific islands one will see signs indicating the uphill evacuation directions for a tsunami. Here, however, the island is virtually flat, so the only thing possible is to go inland to get beyond any rising water. * * * * * As with any port day, the activities on board are limited with only such choices as exercise classes, bridge, mah jongg, and such. The sail away party, as with almost every port, is on the aft Lido deck at the same time as all aboard, which is today at 4:30. In fact, today’s activities are so limited that the Mainstage event is a movie, Joyride. We’re now looking forward to two sea days and then Auckland, New Zealand, followed by lots and lots of Kiwi and Aussie ports. We’re looking forward to some of our favorite places. P. S. Sad about the 49ers. I guess it just showed how valuable Purdy is.

Friday, January 27, 2023 - Day 24 At Sea en route to Tonga Tomorrow is a magic day. Why, you may ask? Because it will disappear. We are approaching the International Date Line, at which point all 24 time zones come together and, instead of tomorrow being January 28, it will be January 29. Confusing? It used to be, but now we’re pretty much used to it. However, it does make it a bit of a challenge to set up telephone times with our daughter, since it won’t be until we change days that I’ll have it totally figured out. I mentioned earlier that the MainStage is “dark” once a week, with a ship wide activity planned. Yesterday was The Derby (pronounced in England as “darby”). Apparently this week the Derby horserace is run in England, so Ian, our English cruise director, decided that we needed to celebrate the occasion. Ladies were urged to create big, flowery, floppy hats and there was an actual race. There were six “jockeys” who rode hobby horses around the Lido pool several times. It was jam packed and it seemed like a good time was had by all. Unfortunately, we had to just hear about the event because it was scheduled at exactly the same time as our travel agent’s cocktail party. So . . . here was our choice: jump in among hundreds of people crowded around “the racetrack” and be exposed to whatever, or attend a cocktail party with wonderful drinks and lovely hot hors d’oeuvres. It wasn’t too difficult to decide. I talked to several people who attended and the results were split; some said it was the best event of the cruise and some others said it was just too crowded to really see anything. Our party, however, was excellent! These four sea days are perfect! The sea is calm, the skies are clear with only some puffy clouds in the distance, and it’s pleasantly warm. We’re using our balcony more than ever, but even out there it gets a little too hot sometimes, sending me inside. It just sends John around the corner of our balcony into the shade. I’ve been trying to talk myself into getting into a swimsuit and heading up one deck to the aft pool, but then today I realized that I only have to go as far as the balcony to work on my tan (and anger my dermatologist). We’re looking forward to Tonga, since we’ve been there several times and are familiar with it. In fact, our ship was the last one allowed to dock in 2020 when the pandemic was beginning. A couple of years before that, we had been here on a Sunday, and since there was a Methodist church, we attended. Even if you’re not a churchgoer, if you’re on a South Pacific island on a Sunday, go to church. You will never hear more beautiful music than the choirs and the rest of the congregation. The real plus on that Sunday was that we attended church with the King of Tonga. It turns out he’s a Methodist. After Tonga, we have two more sea days before Auckland, and then the ports begin, visiting several in New Zealand and even more in Australia. I think I’ll just relax and enjoy the sea days that we still have. P. S. I had a could of questions, so here go some answers. 1. Duolingo is the online language instruction we use, and it teaches dozens of languages, including Spanish. 2. No, Cheri, I can’t remember the title or author either. It might be the one mentioned, but I’m not sure.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023 - Day 22 At Sea en route to Tonga One welcome new addition on this world cruise is an “Entertainment Guide” which gives us two weeks of upcoming entertainment information in a single triple-fold handout. It includes everything being performed at The Rolling Stone Lounge, Billboard Onboard (the “dueling pianos”), The MainStage (formerly the Queen’s Lounge), and any special events. It tells us which venues are closed on which nights and who or what is happening on The MainStage. It’s a very handy reference for those of us who enjoy going to various programs. Last night, the MainStage entertainer was Stephen Barry who was described as a vocalist. We went, not quite knowing what type of music or the level of talent to expect. Boy, were we blown away by the show. Mr. Barry is a charming young Irishman who sings like Pavarotti and tells stories that had the theatre roaring with laughter. His accent was just enough to be charming and the standing ovation he received at the end of his performance reflected what the audience thought of his abilities. He’ll be back next Monday and I’m sure we’ll be there. Tonight’s performer is Barry Seacroft, who is described as an instrumentalist. Now I’d really like more information than that. Does that mean he plays several instruments? I don’t know, so I have to check out The Daily Program (yes, that’s its official name) to find out that he is a “Remarkable saxophonist and celebrated composer” who “presents a stunning evening of well-known music spanning two centuries.” It sounds promising, but if you’re not a saxophone fan, it may not be for you. * * * * * Today was our second brunch. On the last (partial) cruise in 2020, there was a brunch on every Sunday that was also a sea day. This year, the powers that be have decided that we should have that brunch only limited to sea days, but not necessarily Sundays, hence this one occurring on a Wednesday. The brunches have the same set-up, with a fixed menu consisting of three sampler plates. Today’s Cold Sampler included a fruit skewer, a granola parfait, smoked salmon, a deviled egg (always my favorite), prosciutto and melon, and a wedge of Beecher’s cheese with an apricot compote. The first course is always my favorite, and I was a fan of every teeny tiny selection. The Hot Sampler had a vegetable frittata, a sautéed jumbo shrimp, a breaded fried chicken tender, a tenderloin medallion, and biscuit with gravy. For some reason, this is my least favorite course, and because I didn’t want to get too full, I just skipped it completely. I also wasn’t a fan of most of the components, with the possible exception of the sautéed shrimp. I did, of course, have the dessert sampler, which included a chocolate creme caramel, a nut tart, and a tiny little slice of pear strudel. That last one was my favorite, with the creme caramel coming in second. Rich was looking longingly at the nut tart on my plate, so I gave it to him, in exchange for the deviled egg he gave me on Round #1. The brunch is incredibly popular, with every table downstairs in the dining room full. Reservations are required - no reservation, no brunch. Our friend Stephen, the Dining Room Manager, said that it’s also popular with the cooks and the servers because there’s no ordering and every plate (with very few exceptions) is the same. Our friend Ginni was served the regular dessert plate but because she’s deathly (really) allergic to chocolate (can you imagine?!), she had to send it back so that everything chocolate could be changed out. The other popular item on the menu is the mimosas. They’re $8.25, but they’re also two for one, so a couple can each have one for a total of $8.25. I didn’t want to nap this afternoon, so I skipped it. I found out why I thought we had three sea days before Tonga. There have been several changes in the itinerary, and we’re now arriving in Tonga on the 30th. Considering that we will not have a January 28th, that gives us four sea days. I am certainly not complaining about that. I can catch up on my Duolingo French lessons and get in an extra afternoon session in the gym. Life is good! P. S. No book club this cruise, but any bibliophiles met to recommend "good ones" Just this morning I received the printout of those books along with summaries and reviews. I'll try to post titles and authors tomorrow. Nice to see you're back!

January 24, 20223 - Day 21 Raiatea, French Polynesia What a sailaway! We’re on our aft deck, sailing away from Raiatea, and we can also see Tahaa and Bora Bora. Not only that, but the three are joined by a beautiful rainbow. Talk about gorgeous. We are lucky ducks! If you’re looking for a little bit of heaven on earth, Raiatea would certainly qualify. It’s green and lush, sparsely populated with kind and friendly people, and surrounded by blue and turquoise water. When I was in the marche this afternoon, I met a lovely French woman who, at 44 years old, has lived here for 24 years. She described the island as relaxing and friendly, and I can’t help but agree. John’s been fighting a cough and cold (which he got from me), so today was his “take it easy and take naps” day. After lunch I insisted that he take a covid test, and fortunately he tested negative. A gentleman I met near the tourist office said that there was a lot of flu on the island, but I think we began suffering from cold symptoms long before Raiatea. Since he wanted to relax today, I volunteered to go ashore to the U market to buy additional supplies for a picnic on the deck. I just love buying baguettes in French countries, since they are made fresh every morning and have the price set by the government. The price of a beautiful long baguette here was 60 centimes, about 50 cents in American currency. Such a bargain - and so delicious. We made a mistake about money in Papeete; we took too much out of the ATM and had about 10,000 French Polynesian francs (about $85 US) left today. Since we probably won’t be back here for quite awhile, I needed to change it. Three banks later, I still had the local currency, so I went to the tourist office and was directed to the motu snorkeling desk, where they deal with Americans who want to pay in dollars. Fortunately, I was able to exchange our money, and even though they offered a bad exchange rate, it was better than going home with money we couldn’t use. The all-aboard today was at 3:30, when the sailaway party on the aft deck began. It had been a beautiful day with warm weather and mostly clear skies. The deck was crowded, and it’s always a good chance to catch up with friends we don’t see every day. I sat with Susie and Woody, our first cruise friends from 2008, and we caught up with each others’ lives and kids. Then I want up to the top deck to watch John (remember the one who was too sick to go ashore?) play paddle tennis. Rich had called him at about 3:00 to borrow one of his rackets, and since he couldn’t stand to have others play without him, up he went. Ninety minutes later, he was sweaty and exhausted, but he insisted that the exercise had done him good! Go figure. Now we have either three or four sea days. I’m not sure because it’s the part of the cruise when we cross the International Date Line and, in this direction, we lose a day. The day we’re losing is January 28, so anyone whose birthday is that day is just out of luck. I think the people who say we have four sea days are counting the 28th, but it will disappear, so it probably will be just three days. Of course after four port days in a row, I’m ready for a couple of sea days.

Monday, January 23, 2023 - Day 20 Raiatea, French Polynesia Many people spend time in Papeete, Moorea, and Bora Bora, but Raiatea is a beautiful little island with friendly people (just like the rest of French Polynesia) and beautiful scenery, but far fewer tourists. It has a cute little downtown with two excellent French supermarkets, Champion and U, as well as lots of little shops that provide a great deal of retail therapy. The two-story marche is very much like the one in Papeete, but on a smaller scale. Downstairs offers fruit, fresh fish, and absolutely gorgeous tropical flowers, while upstairs there is jewelry, clothing, fabric, and local crafts. One of the nicest parts of the docking area is a thatched-roof “village” which houses small shops next to the tourist office. A cute little souvenir shop provided our postcard, and the post office upstairs enabled us to mail it. On the far side of the tourist office building is a delectable little patisserie to which we’ve been looking forward, but unfortunately, the sign on its door said Fermature Annuelle, or annual closing, from January 21 to 29. Oh well. After walking through both floors of the marche, we headed away from town, turning left toward a part of the island we hadn’t previously visited. We walked and walked and walked, and all we saw were nice houses, lots of fruit trees, and a few local residents. The only problem was that the forecast rain began as sprinkles, but by the time we’d turned around and headed back to the ship, it had turned into a full-blown rainstorm. The problem wasn’t the rain but the wind. We each had an umbrella, but the wind was blowing with such force that the goal now was to point it in the right direction, keep off the rain, and avoid having it turned inside out. I was successful with that until we approached the ship and then my big orange umbrella turned into a long, narrow walking stick. Fortunately, the young man at the bottom of the gangway was able to put it back in shape, and then we were almost blown back onto the ship. Since it has now cleared, we’re ready to strike out again, this time turning right. We’re hoping for drier weather tomorrow, and have already picked up information on a $25 round trip ferry to one of the nearby motus, or small islands, for sunning and snorkeling. It will, of course, depend on the weather, so I’ll let you know what happens. Last night we really enjoyed the MainStage show featuring The Biddys, three Irish women “of a certain age” who sing and converse with each other and make everyone laugh uproariously. They’ll be back on January 27, and we’re really looking forward to seeing and laughing with them again.

It's funny that the Zuiderdam was allowed to anchor at Bora Bora in November with more passengers, but not in January. with fewer. I guess life is full of such mysteries.

Saturday, January 21 - Day 18 Sunday, January 22 - Day 19I Papeete and Moorea The last time we were in French Polynesia, on the October 3 Hawaii/South Pacific cruise, all it did was rain. It rained and rained and rained. In fact, after sailing from one of the smaller islands, the captain came on and said that in his years of sailing, he’d never seen rain like that. Now, three months later, we found Papeete to be warm (or hot) and sunny and it was an absolutely beautiful day. We began the day with a visit to the souvenir store for postcards, and we were very happy to find out that they also sold stamps. Not only that, but after choosing our Tahiti stamp, we found one for Moorea as well as for Huahine - where our neighbor’s brother lives. The cards are now on their way, and all we need for awhile is a card from Raiatea, where we dock tomorrow. After our successful postcard stop, we were off to Champion, one of our favorite French supermarkets. When we headed for the checkout, we had some of our favorites: La Vache Qui Rit, a beautiful (still warm) baguette, and a few others for a nice French picnique on our balcony. Since our shopping bag was heavy, we headed back to the ship to drop off the booty we scored. We do have favorite places to go on many of our former ports of call and, after Champion, we love to go to Trois Brasseurs, or Three Brewers, a great place for lunch almost across the street from the ship. We had agreed to meet Rich and Ginni there for lunch, and when we arrived they’d already found a table with our friend Jacques, the Cellar Master, who was enjoying a well-made mai tai. Since it’s a brewery, we opted for beer (or in my case a Panache, sometimes known as a Shandy. ) They make great flatbreads, and for us it was the Savoyarde, with ham, potatoes, and Swiss cheese. An hour and a half flew by, and then the heat drove us back to the ship for the rest of the afternoon and a nap. The evening cooled off a bit, and instead of the dining room, we walked out to the roulades, or French food trucks. They arrive every evening, and last night there were about a half dozen of them. Most had Chinese food, but one had steak frites and another served crepes. We have always learned to follow the crew for good food, and we took the recommendation of several of them at the next table to eat at Chez Marie and order both fried rice and “Special” chow mien. The four of us ordered two plates of “special” and one of fried rice, and enjoyed both. I had intended to have a lemon crepe after dinner, but I was just too full. That was the end of a wonderful day in paradise, and since the heat had done us in, it was an early bedtime. * * * * * Today was Moorea, often called the world’s most beautiful island. If Papeete is modern and charming, Moorea gives the visitor an idea of what the South Pacific Islands were like before the coming of the Europeans. Of course they have scooters and a lot of modern inventions, but instead of having one large town, the island is a series of small villages. We love to walk here, and decided that we’d turn right after the tender port instead of left, since we’d gone left in October. We set our goal as a mile and a half each way, walking past beautiful lagoons, a few small beaches, some rather nice homes as well as a few that were assembled out of corrugated iron. The fruit trees were everywhere, and Captain Bligh would have been happy with the plethora (I love that word) of breadfruit trees, since the Bounty had been sent here to collect it as food for the Caribbean slaves. It was warm and beautiful for our walk, just perfect for a tropical island. The weather forecast for today was for 40% rain, and I guess that’s what we had. Before we left this morning, there was an absolute downpour, which strong winds blew onto our covered deck and washed our windows. Then, after returning to the ship this afternoon, while cheering on the 49ers, we had another one, this one driving John inside. Fortunately, it was just at the end of the game, so we both could watch the satisfying conclusion. * * * * * Tomorrow is Raiatea. Our original port was to be Bora Bora, but it was cancelled and replaced by an additional day in Raiatea. I don’t know why. We’re looking forward to it, since even though some rain is forecast for tomorrow, Tuesday is only forecast to be cloudy. We certainly understand why the South Pacific is covered with lush greenery, but we’d suggest that you time your visit for the dry season, since we’re still in the rainy season. Regardless, it’s a privilege to visit this gorgeous area.

Thursday, January 19, 2023 - Day 16 At Sea (again!) en route to Papeete I commented earlier that once a week the MainStage is “dark,” but when it is, there is a major event elsewhere. Last night was no exception, and the activity was “Glamping” around the Lido pool. What is that? you might ask. I believe that on land, glamping is an upscale version of camping, perhaps with luxurious tents or extremely well-equipped RV’s. On the Zuiderdam, it was hundreds of people gathered around small tables by the mid-ships pool, some of which had (imitation) campfires. There were a couple of bars and a snack table selling Pringles for $6.95 (ouch!). John and I headed up at 7:00, when it began, and we were amazed to see the crowds of people gathered around “campfires.” At one end of the Lido The Band (that’s its name) was playing. Even though I really don’t care for the music they play in the Ocean Bar, they were rocking and rolling most of the evening. The first camp snacks served were 1/3 size hot dogs, topped with sauerkraut and mustard. Even though we were headed to dinner shortly, we tried one, and for someone like me who doesn’t even like hot dogs, it was pretty darned tasty. We sat with Greg and Heo and watched Henk, the Hotel Director, and another crew member paddle a canoe around the pool. The problem was that the canoe was about 2/3 the size of the pool, so it took them about two strokes to get to the other end and then several minutes to use their paddles to turn the canoe around. It was great fun to watch them. As we were getting ready to head to dinner at 7:30, the snack trays contained cute, bite-sized S’mores, one of my favorite treats. Since dinner was upon us, we (sadly) skipped that one. Later, after skipping dessert at dinner, we headed back up to the Lido, hoping that there would be some leftover S’mores, but, sadly, they had run out. The offering this time was cups of hot chocolate, but even though that would usually appeal, I just wasn’t interested. Because of the large number of people who were “glamping,” they had opened the roof part way to keep the area cool and allow our visiting astronomer, Andy Fletcher, to direct some star-watching. Unfortunately, while we were at dinner, the sky opened up, sending down sheets of rain, sending people running for cover. By the time we returned, the floor must have had a half inch of rainwater. We found a dry table and just sat and listened to the music. There have been several new activities on this WC, and most passengers are giving “thumbs up” to them. I had my doubts about “glamping” but it was a huge success.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 - Day 15 Nuka Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia After eight days at sea, most passengers were more than happy to see dry land, and in this case, some absolutely beautiful dry land. We were greeted by a heavy rain shower at about 7:00, but since it only lasted for about 30 minutes and the first tenders weren’t scheduled to begin until 8:00, all was well. The rain was replaced by bright sun, and by the time John and I went ashore at about 9:00, it was a beautiful day. The Marquesa Islands are a bit far-flung from the rest of French Polynesia, evidenced by the fact that we’ll have two sea days before reaching Papeete. They are a group of volcanic islands and the beautiful rocks jutting up from the sea are leftovers from ancient volcanos. This entire island group only has a population of less than 9,000 in about 400 square miles. The people are friendly and relaxed and speak French, Marquesan, and occasionally English. Tribal tattoos are very common on men and women. Upon disembarking the tender, there are two choices: left or right. There’s one main road in Nuka Hiva, and as our friend Pete (The Inside Cabin) says: “Each visit here I alternate directions.” To start with, we chose left, and it brought back memories of former visits, the most recent in November as the final port of the Hawaii/South Pacific Cruise. We passed a couple of small markets, a junior high school, and the road leading up to the beautiful arched entry to a well-known church. The ocean was on our left and the roads leading inland were on our right and we just kept walking until we ran out of road. There are some cute little B & B’s, and we saw a sign for a resort up the hill which is listed with Relais et Chateau, which only represents really luxurious properties. After returning to the center of town, we changed directions and walked to the right, since that’s the way to La Poste, or the post office. We still hadn’t mailed Jessica’s Costa Rica postcard, and we picked up a beautiful scene of the island on another post card. After that task was completed, we headed back to the tendering area, and decided to eat on shore. John had noticed a (very) small local cafe, so we headed there. There were actually several choices, from a hamburger and fries to lemon fried chicken to Poisson Cru. Since this is a French island, however, we decided to order the steak frites, one order to share. It was delicious, and since everything here is really relaxed, we didn’t mind waiting about 20 minutes to order and then another 10 to eat. We were among the few locals at the cafe, which always tells us that the food will be good. The steak was perfect, and the fries were excellent. We washed it down with a real Coca Cola, and I don’t know the last time I had a Coke that wasn’t diet. Then it was time to tender back to the ship, and after four hours in the sun, we were ready for a lovely nap. Part of the reason we were tired was that we’ve been out “past our bedtime” for the last two nights. On Monday, eight of us enjoyed the “pop-up” Sel de Mer dinner in the Pinnacle. Even though most had the Dover sole, I ordered lamb chops and then finished up sharing profiteroles with John. If you’ve never had them, you’re in for a treat if you ever see them on a menu. They’re tiny little cream puffs filled with ice cream or frozen custard and then topped by pouring over some warm dark chocolate. Yummm! Last night, as though that wasn’t enough, we went back to the Pinnacle for the Italian Cellar Master Dinner. It was five delicious courses, from a lobster salad to a wonderful stuffed pasta to grilled branzino to a roasted beef tenderloin to a dessert of grilled figs and mascarpone cream. We shared that one. Each course was matched to an Italian wine, and I was so stuffed by the end of the meal I just wanted to walk the deck ten times to try to work it off. Instead, we finished the evening at the Rolling Stone Lounge and danced a bit. Now we have two more sea days and then Papeete. If you’ve traveled to France and enjoyed the grocery stores, you’d love the supermarche which we always visit there. Can’t wait to pick up some baguettes, french cheeses, and some of our favorite French cookies. I’m salivating already!

Tuesday, January 17, 2023 - Day 14 Last day at sea en route to Nuka Hiva We have finally arrived at the last of our eight days at sea, and now begin several days of ports, some docked and some using tenders. Later in the cruise we’ll have seven sea days between Fremantle, Australia and Port Louis on the island of Mauritius. Even later, we’ll have seven more sea days as we cross the Atlantic on our way home. It’s too early to think of that, however. There have been so many ways to spend time during this idyllic interval, and everyone has selected their favorites. There are exercise and tai chi classes around the Lido pool in the morning, Ian’s coffee chats with both officers and entertainers, painting classes, and more. If those don’t do anything for you, there are sit and knit groups (for Project Linus), pickle ball (which we know well), dancing classes, trivia, Bible study, and, of course, the lectures that take place in the MainStage (I think I’ll always call it the Queen’s Lounge). Both of our current lecture series draw many, many passengers. One of the speakers is Andy Fletcher, and his science-based lectures appeal to many people interested in the sciences. Today’s lecture is “Complexity Theory” and I figure that if I don’t even understand the title, it’s really not for me. The other speaker is Mike West, whose talks center on the history of transportation. In the evening after dinner, there’s always the entertainment in the MainStage. So far we’ve had singers, comedians, the Zuiderdam singers and dancers, and Elliot Finkel, a truly amazing pianist. The one main difference on this cruise is that about one night a week, the MainStage is “dark,” with no performance. On those nights, however, there seem to be alternative activities, including a “Glamp Out” which will be “glamorous camping fun” on the Lido deck. Occasionally there’s also a movie, but only when we sail quite late. As you can see, there’s always something to do, even if it’s John’s favorite - sitting out on our deck watching the ocean go by and looking for flying fish. We’ve both done a lot of reading; he was smart enough to download a 10-part novel series about World War II and the ***. He’s on book 5 right now, I think. I have my Kindle fully loaded, and I can even go to the new library to pick up a couple of books. If you avoid long cruises because you think you’ll be bored, think again. There is always something for everyone, and I’ve really only scratched the surface on the possibilities. If a world cruise is on your bucket list, sign up now!

Sunday, January 15, 2023 - Day 12 At Sea (still) en route to Nuka Hiva It’s Sunday on a sea day, and for a lot of passengers on the world cruise, that means just one thing: The Sunday Brunch Sampler. What, you might ask, is that? Everyone knows about Sunday brunch, but this is an inventive take on that idea. It’s fun, tasty, and really easy on the kitchen and the servers. The Sunday Brunch Sampler is served as a three-course set menu, but instead of three large courses, each course has several small samples of tasty items. Each of the three represents the three main courses of a meal. To begin, we had the cold sampler, much like a meal’s starter. It included a fresh fruit and granola parfait, smoked salmon on a slice of brioche, a deviled egg, a small bit of prosciutto on a slice of baguette, and two little wedges of cheese, one cheddar and one brie. Before you picture a plate overrun with “all” of this food, remember that each one is no bigger than about an inch wide. For the main course, we had the hot sampler. There was a tiny veggie frittata, one sautéed shrimp, a mini (and delicious) beef Wellington, a little bitty biscuit with a tiny glass of gravy, and a stack of three one-inch pancakes with syrup. Of course there was dessert, with three little treats: creme caramel, pecan pie, and baked apple strudel. Again, each one was no more than about an inch in size, and all three were really a perfect way to finish a meal. As we worked our way through the courses, several of our crew friends came and visited and we learned that no only would the Brunch Sampler be on Sunday sea days this year,, but it would also occur on various other days of the week when we’re at sea. We’re really looking forward to enjoying them. * * * * * As I write, John’s off playing pickle ball, or in some cases, paddle tennis. As you can imagine, it can be quite windy at sea, especially when the sports courts are at the top of the ship. Since pickle tennis is played with a type of whiffle ball, hollow with holes in it, the wind can play havoc with the game. However, paddle tennis, a very popular game in Europe and gaining popularity in the United States, uses a ball very like a tennis ball, and the paddle has holes in it, allowing the players to really put some power behind the ball. Most of John’s sports group have both types of paddles, and they play whichever one the wind calls for. * * * * * One of the nice things about the world cruise is that HAL takes into account that many people who are away from home for four months will wish to continue their religious practices while on board. With that in mind, we have a minister, a priest, and a rabbi who conduct regular services. In addition, the Protestant minister, a retired Presbyterian cleric, has regular Bible study on sea days, the rabbi has something similar which he calls “Rappin’ With the Rabbi”, and the priest celebrates mass daily. The Protestant clergyman was supposed to be the same one we had in 2000, but his wife had some medical issues just before sailing, so Rev. Dale Williams, who had been scheduled to be a passenger, took over until probably Sydney, depending on the other pastor’s situation. We began our church service last week in a small room, because the young lady who schedules such things decided that there wouldn’t be very many people. Boy, was she wrong. Fortunately, our room is adjacent to a much larger one, and when the wall was collapsed, there was enough room for everyone. For today’s service, we had use of the larger adjoining room, and we filled that area. The big decision for us now, as soon as pickle ball is over, is whether to go to our regular dinner or just grab a salad in the Lido. Those “samples” at lunch may have been very small, but there were a lot of them, and we’re still full. Oh well, we’ll have to wait and see. P. S. Regarding the Cellar Master dinners, yes, they will adjust the menu to fit eating requirements. We had a vegan friend who would have dishes which looked exactly like those the rest of us would have, but they were entirely plant based. Clever chef!

Saturday, January 14, 2023 - Day 11 At Sea en route to Nuka Hiva Last night was our first Formal Night, even though most people dressed formally for the previous “Dressy” night. Almost everyone was dressed to the teeth, and if I had a dollar for every sequin, I’d be able to pay off the 2024 world cruise. It was great fun to see the tuxedos, the white dinner jackets, the sparkly dresses and shoes, and I think everyone enjoyed it. We began, as usual, in the Ocean Bar, where Yancy, our favorite OB waiter, set up one end of the seating area for our large pre-dinner group. At dinner, we had been given a different table so that we would have sufficient seating for our table host, Staff Captain Folkert Visser. He is second in command to Captain Friso, and we had a great dinner chatting and learning about his job and his life in The Netherlands. One of the advantages of having an officer host the table is that he or she provides the wine, but last night was The Captain’s Dinner, so wine was provided for everyone, a choice between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The menu was very special too. We began with an amuse bouche of feta cheese blended with anchovies. I know, I know, it sounds disgusting, but actually it was pretty good (I could barely taste the anchovies). The starters all looked good. The most popular one at our table was escargot, but mine was a delicious seafood bisque. The main courses all looked wonderful. The most popular throughout the ship was Surf and Turf, but at our table some of us had lamb chops and they were excellent Folkert opted for the puff pastry covered salmon. There were three dessert choices, and mine (to share with John) was a creme brûlée tart in a pretty little pastry shell. Over all, it was an outstanding dinner. When we first received a list of special activities for the cruise, last night’s was listed as “Captain’s Ball” in the Crow’s Nest. However, there was a change of plans, and I think it was a good one. Instead of having everyone crowded together in the Crow’s Nest, the regular bands and musicians were playing all along The Music Walk. The most crowded one was The Rolling Stone Lounge, where the band was rockin’ out and the dance floor was jammed - including us! We had a wonderful time, as did lots of other people, both on the dance floor and at the adjoining bar. We spent time with our friend Stephen, the Restaurant Operations Manager, and met his partner Sascha. It was a great evening, and the only thing that made it better was that we turned the clocks back an hour before we hit the sack. We’ve noticed, as in last night’s example, that there are many new ideas for the world cruise. Some are brand new and others are just twists on the way things have been done in the past. Of course there are those passengers who want things to always remain the same, but a lot of these changes are really welcome to many of us. Another sea day - ahhhh! The single best thing about this cabin is sitting at the desk looking out at the turquoise wake behind us as I write or read. Of course it looks pretty good from the balcony, too, but I could just look at it forever. John’s off to pickle ball shortly, and I’ll try to finish another book. I think that tomorrow’s post will cover the books that I’ve finished. See you then.