LIVE from the 2018 HAL Grand World Voyage!

Continuing to enjoy your posts.

Keith

If the weather wasn't so nice here, I'd be jealous. But the warm weather has kept me from being really grumpy about not being able to go on this cruise.

 

I always thought I was pretty good with trivia - it's deflating to find out I'm not even average [:rolleyes:].

 

Do the forward-facing slanted windows give you too much sun during the day, or are you never there? [as in too busy]

It hasn't been too bad but I may need to revise that after we get back to the really hot weather in a few days.

At Sea – February 19, 2018

Woke up to a rainy, cool day (high was only in the mid-60s) so I did not go to water aerobics.

About seven of us at Sit and Stitch. Judy (one of the three Judys in our group) found the knitting needle I had lost almost a week ago.

All present for morning trivia and we again came in one off of the winner who had 12.

1)What “p” word describes a group of parrots?

2)Who was Jane Porter’s significant other?

3)Who wrote “Roll Over Beethoven”?

4)The swan is native to which country?

5)What is the name of the drive-in in Happy Days?

I had a burger from the Dive-In for lunch.

We made an owl pincushion in arts and crafts. Afterwards I sat and read and knitted until time for afternoon trivia.

Only five of us for trivia. The theme was numbers and it was hard. We ended up with 9 out of 21 with the winners having 15. The six bonus points were based on how close each team came to the actual total of adding all of the answers (we got one).

1)How many bones in the hand?

2)How many elements on the periodic chart?

3)How many time zones in Canada?

4)How many eyelids (per eye) on a camel?

5)How many watts in one horsepower of energy?

Once again we stayed and talked after trivia.

Listened to Jamm for about a half hour before dinner. There were only four of us so we sat at a smaller table to make it easier to talk. I had a ham croquette, Korean boneless beef ribs, and an apple sundae for dessert.

The show tonight was a documentary by the BBC. HAL and the BBC partnered up recently. This presentation was called “Frozen Planet Live”. The band along with the Adagio duo played the music for the scenes about life in the Arctic and the Antarctic. Absolutely amazing photography.

We gain another hour tonight. Albany tomorrow.

Morning trivia…

1)pandemonium

2)Tarzan

3)Chuck Berry

4)Australia

5)Arnold’s

Evening trivia…

1)27

2)118

3)6

4)3

5)746 (rounded)

Have there been any more incidents at the Arts and Craft activity?

Love those trivia question.

Great report Kathi (as always).

enjoy Albany. Hope the winds stay fair and the seas smooth for you.

Judy (one of the three Judys in our group) found the knitting needle I had lost almost a week ago.

Knowing nothing about knitting, let alone knitting needles, I got the foloowing from my daughter:

"or a fine lace yarn, sharp tips are easier to insert into a tiny loop. However, sharp tips can split a fluffy, bulky yarn. There are also some tradeoffs in how sticky or slick a needle is--when there are complicated or awkward stitches, like knitting three stitches together, it's better to have wood or plastic needles that hold the yarn and keep loops from slipping off the points too easily. If you're knitting simple knit and purls stitches and going for speed, slippery needles of polished metal or glass are better.

And if you're going for serious speed, some knitting techniques are better than others. The "English" method used by most English and American knitters, in which loops are "thrown" over the needle, is the slowest--it dates back to approximately the 18th century, and allows gentlewomen to show off their lovely hands while indicating to all observers that they do not need to knit to make clothes or make money. Fastest method (in the hands of an expert), sometimes called Shetland knitting, involves a stationary left needle held in a special sheathe or pad attached to the belt and allows for a maximum amount of knitting with a minimum of hand motion, which is why it's so fast. FWIW, I knit with the "continental" method" .

All you wanted to know, and more than what I needed!

Have there been any more incidents at the Arts and Craft activity?

Love those trivia question.

Since things really did not change much except for not being able to start until the published time of 2:30, all seems to be well. Those of us who really want to make something still arrive early and those who arrive later take their chances.

Knowing nothing about knitting, let alone knitting needles, I got the foloowing from my daughter:

 

"or a fine lace yarn, sharp tips are easier to insert into a tiny loop. However, sharp tips can split a fluffy, bulky yarn. There are also some tradeoffs in how sticky or slick a needle is--when there are complicated or awkward stitches, like knitting three stitches together, it's better to have wood or plastic needles that hold the yarn and keep loops from slipping off the points too easily. If you're knitting simple knit and purls stitches and going for speed, slippery needles of polished metal or glass are better.

 

And if you're going for serious speed, some knitting techniques are better than others. The "English" method used by most English and American knitters, in which loops are "thrown" over the needle, is the slowest--it dates back to approximately the 18th century, and allows gentlewomen to show off their lovely hands while indicating to all observers that they do not need to knit to make clothes or make money. Fastest method (in the hands of an expert), sometimes called Shetland knitting, involves a stationary left needle held in a special sheathe or pad attached to the belt and allows for a maximum amount of knitting with a minimum of hand motion, which is why it's so fast. FWIW, I knit with the "continental" method" .

 

All you wanted to know, and more than what I needed!

 

Bamboo needles are my favorite. I use the English method because that is how I was taught not because I have lovely hands to show off.:D:D

One of my dinner mates is going to teach me the Continental.

Glad that nothing bad has happened like on the Carnival Legend -- people can get nasty over the simplest thing.

Albany, Australia – February 20, 2018

Albany (pronounced “Al-bany” unlike the New York city which is pronounced “All-bany”) dates back to 1826 when it became the first settlement in Western Australia. It was a whaling station for many years and I had signed up for a tour of the last station in Australia which closed in 1978. In January I received a note that my tour was cancelled. Instead of booking something else, I decided to just wander around town. It has a fairly small and walkable downtown area and it is one of the last ports when I have nothing booked and would feel comfortable walking around on my own.

No rush to get off and I wasn’t sure when I would get back so I had a little breakfast before leaving the ship about 10:15. There was a free shuttle bus provided by the city that took you to the center of town.

I walked around, looked at the small craft fair set up next to the shuttle stop, visited two shops like Dollar General (with a little of everything), bought a pair of ear plugs (for swimming) at K-Mart, and ended up at McDonald’s. Great free wi-fi! I spent a lovely hour catching up on e-mails and even surfing the web. For some reason e-mail on the ship is very slow to load – even more so than web sites.

Walked up and down the main street before coming back to the ship around 3:30. Had my afternoon ice cream and finished off my book before trivia. We had 16 and the winning team had a perfect 17.

1)Which two U.S. capital cities have rhyming names?

2)With a population of about 35 million, what is the most populous city in the world?

3)What is North America’s largest rodent?

4)What is the chemical symbol for table salt?

5)What is the name for a mammal that lays eggs?

Due to tonight’s schedule I had decided not to eat in the MDR but in the Lido. I had fruit, Tri-Tip beef, and cookies for dessert.

Listened to Jamm from 7 to 8 pm and then worked on my knitting. Glenn Michael had another Aussie sing-along at 8:45 which lasted until 10:15. He gets off tomorrow and heads home to Sydney for a short time before going to Seattle. He is going to be an EXC guide on the Nieuw Amsterdam and might be the EXC guide on the Amsterdam for the 2019 GWV (Barbara is retiring in the fall).

We arrive in Fremantle tomorrow about 4 pm. Not sure if I will get off the ship tomorrow but have plans for the following day.

Trivia…

1)Austin and Boston

2)Tokyo (the team did not believe me)

3)beaver

4)NaCl

5)monotreme

Sorry that your tour was cancelled but glad that the town is small enough to walk around and there were shuttle buses.

It's a pleasant walk from the ship into the Albany town area, and back again.

Was there piper playing while the ship berthed?

Do you know if anything special is planned for Barbara?

Roy

Continue to have a great time.

Keith

It's a pleasant walk from the ship into the Albany town area, and back again.

Was there piper playing while the ship berthed?

Might have been but I wasn’t up yet.:o

Do you know if anything special is planned for Barbara?

 

Roy

Haven’t heard of anything.

Keep those reports coming.

Fremantle, Australia – February 21, 2018

I hadn’t planned on going to water aerobics but when I woke at 8:30 and it was a beautiful sunny day with a bright blue sky, I changed my mind. Unfortunately, the sun had not warmed up the pool and I felt like one of those people who do the “Polar Bear Plunge”.

Picked up a blueberry muffin (good but nothing like Ukrop’s muffins) and orange juice before heading to Sit and Stitch. 7 of us present.

Morning trivia found us with 12 correct which tied five other teams for first place (no tie-breakers since there are no prizes but we did get vouchers since we don’t dock until 4 pm).

1)What is the northernmost landlocked country in Europe?

2)Name the three countries that border Chile.

3)How many letters in the Hebrew alphabet?

4)How many tusks does a warthog have?

5)Who created the Garfield comic strip?

Had pasta for lunch before making cloisonne earrings in arts and crafts.

Afternoon trivia was at 3 pm because of docking at 4. We got 12 out of 19 and two teams had 18.

1)What drink is made with ginger ale, grenadine, and a cherry?

2)What is the dent in the bottom of a wine bottle called?

3)In which Bond film did Pierce Brosnan make his debut?

4)How many vertebrae in the human spinal column?

5)What does “pixel” stand for?

Watched the last of our docking from my deck and watched the people streaming off the ship. About 5 I got off to pick up information about Fremantle and use the free wi-fi which was very slow. It’s nice the port offers it but the wi-fi on the ship is faster. I did manage to delete junk e-mail and check a couple of things on Cruise Critic.

The terminal building has numerous photos of the port dating back to the Boer War. I even found three pictures of the ship that took me to Europe for the first time in 1962 – the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt.

Worked on the blog before dinner because I have an early tour tomorrow.

Cyndi and Ed went to an Aboriginal show so there were only 6 of us for dinner. I had French onion soup, steak, and pavlova for dessert.

No show tonight since we are in port. There is a movie (Surburbicon) that I have no desire to see so I will make it an early night.

Morning trivia…

1)Belarus

2)Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia

3)22

4)4

5)Jim Davis

Afternoon trivia…

1)Shirley Temple

2)punt

3)Goldeneye

4)24

5)picture element

Loving your reports! Are you from the Richmond area? I used to live there (now live in Waynesboro), and I still miss Ukrops even though I know it's no longer in existence. Their mac and cheese was the best and I loved those little rolls - white house or Parker house - something like that. Hope you continue to have a wonderful trip! I'll be on my first WC next year, and I can't wait! I thought I would be pretty good at trivia, but when I see the questions I realize I'm not so good after all.

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Kathi, I am so enjoying your blog. I was particularly interested in the BBC-HAL partnership. I hope they show the The Frozen Planets during our September Grand Asia cruise. That sounded so interesting.

Question: Was there a weight limit on the luggage that HAL shipped through FedEx? We seem to be getting conflicting responses from various sources. Thanks for any info.

Virginia

Loving your reports! Are you from the Richmond area? I used to live there (now live in Waynesboro), and I still miss Ukrops even though I know it's no longer in existence. Their mac and cheese was the best and I loved those little rolls - white house or Parker house - something like that. Hope you continue to have a wonderful trip! I'll be on my first WC next year, and I can't wait! I thought I would be pretty good at trivia, but when I see the questions I realize I'm not so good after all.

 

 

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Yes, I am. Food Lion is now carrying some of the Ukrops products like the muffins, white house rolls and some prepared foods:D but not their wonderful pound cake birthday cakes:(.

Kathi, I am so enjoying your blog. I was particularly interested in the BBC-HAL partnership. I hope they show the The Frozen Planets during our September Grand Asia cruise. That sounded so interesting.

 

Question: Was there a weight limit on the luggage that HAL shipped through FedEx? We seem to be getting conflicting responses from various sources. Thanks for any info.

 

Virginia

No weight limit.:D

I would expect that Frozen Planet will be shown.

Fremantle, Australia – February 22, 2018

My tour this morning was called “Fremantle and Perth Highlights”. We left just after 8:30. Renata was the tour guide but was not among the better ones I have had. There were a number of things that she did not know and had to have the bus driver explain.

Fremantle was founded in 1829 and is the main port of Western Australia where the Swan River empties into the Indian Ocean. The oldest building is the Round House, which is not round (it is 12-sided) and not a house (it was a jail), and was one of the sights we saw before heading towards Perth.

We drove through some beautiful upscale neighborhoods before a stop at Kings Park and Botanic Gardens. It has a view of downtown Perth across the Swan River. Then a ride through the city before heading back with a stop at Cottesloe Beach, one of the most famous Perth beaches. It was a very warm day and the beach looked inviting.

When we returned to Fremantle (known as Freo by the locals), the driver let a number of us off at the train station. That saved the time of going back to the ship and taking the free shuttle provided by Fremantle or walking into town.

My main goal was to go to Yarns on Collie for round needles for my next pair of socks. One of the Judys in Sit and Stitch is going to teach me how to knit socks from the toe up and I needed different needles. OK, I didn’t get just needles – a couple of balls of yarn called out to me as well as a pattern book for scarves.

I walked around for about 45 minutes before getting the shuttle back to the ship. Since I hadn’t had any lunch, I had a burger and fries from the Dive-In before 3:30 trivia. None of my team was present so I played with Dorothy, Rosalie, and Candy. We had 11 correct while the winning team had 15.

1)Who was the “King of Swing”?

2)What brand of car was seen for the first time in 1901?

3)Annie May Bullock became famous under what name?

4)What was the first charge card?

5)What does “TBH” mean in social media?

After trivia I read while having my afternoon ice cream.

All team members were present for 5:00 trivia (we sailed during trivia). We were one off of the winning score of 14 (out of 17).

1)What is the sequel to “Little Women”?

2)Which saint’s keys appear on the personal coat of arms of the Pope?

3)How many gigabytes was the first iPod?

4)What is the fourth planet from the sun?

5)Which two classic Monopoly tokens can be worn?

Jeanette, Tom, Rodney, Marilyn, and I watched as we sailed away and passed where Rodney and Marilyn live just outside of Perth. We talked for over an hour until there was no land left in sight.

Worked on my photos before dinner. All were present and I had fruit, beef brisket and a cherries jubilee sundae for dessert. Liz brought the different kinds of yarn she purchased in Australia and taught me how to knit in the Continental style. I have a lot of practicing to do to get proficient at it!

I skipped the show although I could hear the performer who played different instruments. I believe I have mentioned that my cabin is right over the Queens Lounge. It would not be good for someone who goes to bed early!

Three sea days coming up.

3:30 trivia…

1)King of Swing

2)Mercedes

3)Tina Turner

4)Diner’s Card

5)to be honest

5:00 trivia…

1)Good Wives

2)Saint Peter

3)5

4)Mars

5)top hat and shoe

Your tour sounded wonderful -- too bad you got a lousy guide.

Wasn't the King of Swing Benny Goodman?

Your tour sounded wonderful -- too bad you got a lousy guide.

Wasn't the King of Swing Benny Goodman?

I think you're right, KK!

And.... TBH, I don't know anyone who can wear that hat or shoe! ;) :D