Mtn2Sea

We visited Antalya, our port of the day, ten years ago while aboard the Ryndam. We chose a ship’s excursion that took us to some remains from the Roman times and then a stop at the Antalya Archeological Museum. We thoroughly enjoyed both stops, particularly the museum. Can’t go to Turkey without taking a cat picture. One of the residents of the museum.

In March of this year while aboard the Zaandam, we had a short stop in Roseau, Dominica, our port of the day. We took a tour that was just an overview of the island since we’d never been to this island.

They were told the area they were in was an area that was not safe for walking.

We visited Port of Spain, Trinidad, in March of this year and took a tour that included driving around the city as well as a visit to the Mount St. Benedict Monastery. We also made a stop at the city’s botanical gardens, which are adjacent to the President’s home. Port of Spain has several modern high rise buildings as well as numerous really nice older buildings and homes. Unfortunately, I was always on the wrong side of the minibus when the driver paused for picture taking. After we returned to the ship, some friends told us they had chosen to just walk around the city. After a while, they noticed a police car following them. Eventually the police car pulled up to them whereupon they were advised to get into the car. They were then taken back to the ship. Later that evening we were talking to the MDR hostess and she was also brought back to the ship by a policeman. The monastery Overview of the city. Approach to the President’s home.

Bob Voyage! Hope you have a great time on the Westerdam. I’m looking forward to reading about your experiences on this exciting itinerary.

Our last visit to today’s port, Tauranga, New Zealand, was in 2023 while aboard the Zuiderdam. We chose to just walk around some and have lunch. New Zealand is one of our favorite countries to visit. We spent some time relaxing in this small park near the ship. We ate lunch at a small bistro in this shopping area.

If they would allow me five minutes in the Lido before letting anyone else in the door, I would opt for self serve, but since HAL won’t accommodate me that way, I vote for the crew serving the food due to numerous OMG I can’t believe they (passengers) did that moments.

On our last visit to St. Lucia, which was this past February, we got off the Zaandam and caught a taxi to the Coal Pot Restaurant for lunch. As the crow flies, the distance to the restaurant, which has been in business for 50 years, was short, but by land it took us about twenty minutes to get there. Our meal was the best lunch we had during our 28 day cruise. I used my phone to take photos and unfortunately the battery died before our food arrived. The view from our table included the Zaandam in the distance. A photo as we were leaving St. Lucia on our way to our next port.

Bon Voyage - hope you have a GREAT cruise! Looking forward to hearing about your time aboard.

We've been to today’s port, Road Town, Tortola, twice. Our first visit was in 2005 while aboard the Westerdam and then this past March while on the Zaandam. On our first visit, we took a fast boat to The Baths, where we spent several hours exploring the boulders and swimming. In March we just walked around the port area and had lunch while overlooking the water.

We visited today’s port, Castro, Chile, in 2018 while on the Zaandam. Although it normally rains here almost every day, we experienced great weather. Our excursion involved visiting four UNESCO recognized churches. The oldest was built in 1730 and is the oldest wooden church in Chile. The newest was built in the early 1900’s and its beautiful internal woodwork was constructed by boatbuilders. We also stopped at a seaside cafe for a light snack and listened to a local band playing traditional Chilean music while some people danced.

We visited today’s port, Samana, DR, ten years ago while on the Noordam. Unless it’s changed, this is a tender port. On our return tender ride, a female officer piloted the tender, which is the only time we’ve seen an officer drive a tender. She did a great job for her first time. Our view from the tender. Dancers welcomed us when we arrived on shore. We took a ship’s excursion that had a couple of stops (but note there’s not a lot to see in Samana). The bus stopped briefly in front of a church, which is the oldest in the area. It has survived several fires that destroyed large portions of Samana. The building actually came to the island from Philadelphia (I believe in the 1800’s). Our next stop was at a very small museum highlighting the humpback whales in the area. I had thought about a whale viewing excursion, but the reviews weren’t that great, primarily due to rough seas. As it turned out, the waters were pretty calm most of the day. That evening while eating in the dining room we fortunate enough to see a whale. Here’s the whale museum. Our next stop was Taino Park, which showed the history of the Indians in the area. The museum is pretty basic, but does a good job of demonstrating their life and eventual demise. Our last stop was at a very nice hotel/resort. We sat on a covered porch while we ate pizza. Because it was so late, the pizza tasted good. Our view from the hotel.

We stopped at today’s port, Warnemunde, Germany, this past May while aboard the Zuiderdam. Rather than taking the very long excursion to Berlin, we took an afternoon excursion that first stopped at Bad Doberan’s gothic cathedral, which was built between 1294 and 1368. Unlike most cathedrals, this church is in a country setting instead of being in the center of town. The structure currently is undergoing extensive restoration. We next rode the Molli, a historic narrow-gauge steam train that gave us views of small towns as well as the countryside. After our 30 minute ride on the train, we then went to Kühlungsborn, a popular seaside resort town. The cathedral at Bad Doberman. The Molli train ride. The seaside resort town of Kühlungsborn.

We visited these two villages this past March while on the Zaandam. Not much to do in either place other than walking around. The day we were in Boca da Valeria was HOT. Shortly after leaving the tender dock, kids are asking for your hand so they can give you a tour of the village for a dollar. I crossed my arms to keep anyone from grabbing my hand because I wanted to get my bearings before getting committed to a “tour”. When I looked around, I saw DW holding hands with a kid on each side, so we proceeded with our tour. I initially gave a few bucks out when I took some photos. I had a portable printer with me and it quickly became obvious that the kids wanted a photo to keep rather than a dollar. I took and gave out about 50 photos before I gave out of supplies. Other than the “tours” by the kids, the only other local “excursion” available was a 30 minute boat ride for $5 to see the large Lily pads. A few days later, we stopped at Alter do Chao. This area, which has very few foreign visitors, is a popular tourist spot for Brazilians. On our cruise, two tours were offered. One took people back to Santarem, which we had just visited a day or two earlier. I don’t remember what the other tour did, but it wasn’t appealing to us, so we just walked around the town, which is 1/4 to 1/2 miles away from the tender dock. The day was warm, but not as bad as Boca da Valeria. Photos from Boca da Valeria. Tender approaching the tender dock. A tender at the dock. The small boat in front of the larger boat is an example of the boats used for the $5/per person tours. The village is definitely small. The school. Inside the school. Inside the church. Some of the girls wore costumes. Boys posing for their photo. The following photos are from Alter do Chao. Entertainment at the tender dock. Alter Do Chao.mov First/Last shopping opportunity, which is near the tender dock. A few feet past this, there was an area which people had set up a few tables with various items to purchase. The main streets in town. . Unlike most of the Amazon, several beaches are available for swimming.

We did this excursion in August 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are some photos from that day. Our helicopter that took us to the glacier. Views on the way to the glacier. Mendenhall Glacier Approaching our landing at the camp. Getting the dogs ready for our ride. On our way. After our rides, the dogs returns to their houses. We then catch the helicopter for our return trip.

We visited today’s port of Nanortalik in August 2022 while on the Nieuw Amsterdam. The first thing we saw was an iceberg near the ship. After tendering to shore, we began walking around town. An area of the original township has been turned into a museum consisting of about six old buildings.

We were on the Zuiderdam last year when we stopped in A Coruña, our port for today. We took an excursion that took us to Lugo, the only city in the world to be surrounded by completely intact Roman walls, which are now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We took a short walk on top of the walls, which are 33 to 49 feet high, and then wandered around the town before having lunch and our return to the ship.

We were in Arhus, today’s port of the day, last month while on the Zuiderdam. We choose a tour outside the city that took us to Gammel Estrup Manor house, the oldest parts of which originated around 1490. The Skeel family owned the house for over 600 years until it was sold in 1926. Today the house is a museum. As part of the tour, we had coffee/tea and a piece of cake that was made from a recipe written down by a housemaid in the early 1900’s. We then went to Rosenholm Castle, which originated as a manor house. A section of the house still serves as a part time residence for the owners.

On our last visit to Oslo, our port of the day, was on the Zuiderdam in 2023. We visited three museums that were conveniently located next to each other. The first was the Norwegian Maritime Museum, which has a dugout canoe that’s estimated to be 1200 years old. Other smaller boats were also on display. The next museum was the Fram Museum, which showcases the Norwegians polar explorers. We were able to board the Fram, which is a three masted schooner. This 128’ boat, which was used from 1893 to 1912 in the exploration of both the north and south poles, was most notably used by Roald Amundsen in his quest to be the first man to reach the South Pole. The next museum was the Kon Tiki Museum that honors Thor Heyerdahl, who led the expedition in 1947 where they sailed the Kon Tiki, a balsa wood raft, 5000 miles from South America to French Polynesia.

It’s been quite a day. We originally had a 2:52 flight. Talked to several people regarding whether we could make that flight and got conflicting advice. After talking with a shore excursions person, we decided to reschedule to a 5:30 flight. We had a Cunard bus transfer and would most likely have been too late for the flight, unless it was running late. The bus driver stopped a couple of times to ask security personnel for directions! When we started self check in, we immediately got a notice that our flight was delayed. Since we only had a 45 minute layover, we chose to check in with an agent. After first saying we would have a connection problem, she then said we had lucked out because the second leg of our flight was also 30 minutes late. We’re sitting at the gate hoping everything works out!

We’ve been to Zeebrugge three times and have enjoyed each visit. On our first visit we took a tour to Ghent and on the second visit we toured Bruge. Our last visit was three weeks ago. We took a half day tour that first took us to the small village of Damme, which is within the province of West Flanders. We walked down the Main Street to the Church of Our Lady, where construction began in 1225. The tower, which once had a spire, was finished during the 14th century. During the 16th century the church had financial troubles and part of the building was demolished. We next traveled to the Castle of Loppem, which was constructed between 1859 and 1862, and is considered a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. Of course our last stop was at a chocolate shop, where samples were readily available.

Unfortunately no. We leave Saturday and fly to Southampton where we’ll board Cunard on Sunday for our return to the states

Tonight’s sunset from the Zuiderdam.

Tonight’s sunset from the Zuiderdam.

Zuiderdam leaving Aarhus, Denmark this afternoon. Aarhus-compressed.mov