Out of Africa, live from the Europa 2 Capetown-Capetown

DH and I will be boarding the Hapag-Lloyd ( HL) line's Europa 2 ( E2) in about an hour for a 15-night journey Capetown-Capetown, Dec. 19-January 3. E2 is rated six stars in the Berlitz cruise book, so we are excited. This is our first E2 journey, and indeed our first on HL. Subject to potential on-board internet caprice, I hope to post impressions as we travel. For comparison, I have previously done 4 Silver Sea cruises, one Regent, one SB (two more scheduled) one AMA Waterways, and two Holland America ( not counting multiple "ocean liner" basic transportation trips across the North Atlantic when I was a child and young adult).

If the on-board internet does not cooperate, everything will show up all at once after we disembark.

Pre-cruise we stayed two nights at the lovely Cape Grace hotel my Virtuoso TA recommended where some others on the cruise ( mostly Germans, as HL is a German line) were also staying. The official cruise languages will be German and English. We will be in a PH suite ( surprisingly upgraded from an Ocean Suite two weeks ago).

Yesterday we did a private day tour of the area, including a gondola up Table Top Mountain with glorious views, a tour of the Kirstenbosch gardens, and then a tasting menu with wine pairings dinner at the Cape Grace.

More to follow.

Thank you, Catlover54, for starting this thread, and I look forward to your future installments. Enjoy your cruise!

I am also looking forward to our comments. We have booked a b2b on the Europa2 in from NZ via OZ to Hongkong for 2017.

We arrived at 16:00 to board, as instructed in our pre-departure paperwork, for a 22:00 departure ( no early boarding allowed, though you could board later if you chose). People (as expected, mostly Germans, some with well-behaved children of varying ages, also expected as it is holidays) had already lined up. Around 16:10-15 or so, people started to slowly be processed. First, there was a perfunctory Ebola risk exposure questionnaire in one line. Then there was a line with crew asking us to write down our occupations, for unclear reasons, and of course a passport check. Then came Xrays of hand luggage. Things moved along slower than the boarding I remember on SS, Regent, and SB, for unclear reasons. An impatient little boy asked his father what people were doing at the front of the long line and Papa told him they were checking if boys' hair is trimmed, noses are wiped, and everything is clean behind the ears :).

Finally we passed a line of officers and crew welcoming us and were on board around 4:45, greeted by someone in a large bear costume with whom pax could pose for a picture ( presumably this was for kids though I saw more adults than kids posing). Champagne and welcoming snacks were everywhere, served off trays in the bright, modern entry hall. We were then ushered to our PH suite by our Filipina-descent cabin attendant who spoke some German and more English, and we were introduced to our busy and eager to please bilingual Berlin origin butler Mario whose German was perfect and whose English was good enough for pax ( like DH) who speak absolutely no German at all. Our minibar already had our pre-cruise selections in it, plus beer, water, and soda, plus many extra hard liquors as part of the PH benefits (quality whiskey, vodka, rum, cognac, etc., there is no way we could get through even a fraction of all of that).The comfortable sofa area had an array of welcoming canapes including caviar trim, and champagne, fruit, and chocolate-covered strawberries. The suite is 450 sq ft with a spacious balcony, bathroom with jacuzzi tub and separate shower, above-counter modern sinks ( stylish, but not my favorite), and lots of storage space. Lighting options are sophisticated, and there is a very welcome Nespresso machine for this coffee addict, with a variety of coffee capsule options. The bed, equipped with fine linens, and an aromatic pillow spray, has adjustment options for the head, feet, and middle (though there is no softness adjustment, it is so far soft enough for me with my muscle and bone problems, and I did not have to pull out the Thermarest pad like I did at the Cape Grace or struggle with an egg crate as I did on SB). The bed is German-style, split in the middle ( but easily navigable for vital purposes) with separate bedding on each side.

Muster drill was at 18:00. We had to put on our stiff and sticky neck-squeezing life vests and gather at the pool. I was uncomfortable but cannot complain, as we just saw the Titanic artifacts exhibit in Cape Town ( running through March) complete with sound effects of the breaking hull. After some preliminaries, there was then a separate muster orientation for non-German language pax, in English, by an officer and the international hostess who also translates the daily programs into English.There were about 20 in our group, and if anyone was American, we could not tell. All questions were answered.

I took pictures of many features to show on CC but so far Tapatalk is not cooperating for live picture posting, plus internet is 19 cents ( Eurocents) per minute, so pix will have to wait. There is no unlimited internet access option like I had on SB recently (flawed though it was).

We had dinner outside in the casual and surprisingly very busy and crowded Yacht Club, buffet style, where there was a dizzying array of many cold and hot flavorful choices and excellent Italian ice cream which you can get with real whipping cream on top, as is popular in Germany. All restaurants serve dinner 7-9:30. Tomorrow we have reservations at Tarragon, the very highest rated French restaurant at sea ( one seating per evening only, starting anytime after 19:00 you like). No reservations are needed in the indoor/outdoor Yacht Club and the MDR Weltmeere, others require reservations.

All announcements and daily brochures are in German and English. The elaborate and interesting wine list in the Yacht Club was only in German. Wine in the dining rooms is offered for an extra charge, but reasonably priced, you just report your suite number, no need to present a card.

So far, so good, but definitely different.

Sooo envious! We are booked for next year's Christmas cruise but obviously that is still one year to go. :mad:

Catlover54,

So excited to read your posts. Thank you for sharing your time.

A few thoughts -

The bear = Captain Knopf. He is the mascot of the children's program. However much like Mickey Mouse at Walt Disney World he seems as popular if not more so with adults for a boarding photo opportunity.

Asking about occupations - in my experience the purpose seemed to be to invite one to a social gathering with similar professionals. I was invited to a coffee / cocktail hour with the ship's doctor and other physicians and surgeons.

Regarding Tarragon - I must echo a prior post recommending you try the beef tartar (as spelled on the menu). It was delicious.

Regarding wine - I found the value to be quite good and enjoyed the opportunity to try some German red wines which don't seem to make it to the US. Our sommelier in Weltmere was especially helpful and seemed genuinely excited we were interested in trying the German reds.

Glad you are thus far satisfied with the bed. Hope you slept well.

Thanks again for posting!

thank you for the comments

i wish i already was on board - my problem is since i cruised on Europa 2 and and also on ms Europa since 2007 - i cannot appreciate the other five starred anymore - too many details in F and B operations

i give you just one : continental breakfast on the two Hapags : choice of breads cold cuts ( cold roasbeef , or veal or pork everyday ) and cheeses is outstanding

now i will compare with Crystal - still superior to SS or SB : the same 2 cold cuts and the same 2 or 3 cheeses everyday ...

Our first night on the E2 was very quiet and relaxing. I left the adjustable head of the bed partially up. The adjustability option is nice for neck comfort, and would also be good for people with congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, or reflux problems. So far I have not needed to pull out the Thermarest though I would, if there were a choice, prefer a moderately softer bed. There is no illuminated clock in the room, so tonight we will instead set up the mini-iPAD in clock display mode and place it on the opposite dresser. There is also a nice built-in recessed night illumination option at foot level on the way from the suite’s living area to the bathroom, to minimize fall risk.

I checked out the jacuzzi bubble bath for the first time, which had options for illuminated lighting in the water (you can set the lights to go into a color mode,red purple,green, yellow etc), which is very nice, but the jets were too strong for muscle comfort so I just soaked. There is a small TV in the bathroom mirror, and a telephone off the tub for emergencies, and you can also set the PA to play in the bathroom. The above-counter double sinks take up more of the counter space than I would prefer, so I am thinking of converting one of the sinks to just a storage bucket, though there are many drawers. The spacious separate shower has a built-in bench.

I know we have neighbors, an older German couple, because I saw them enter their suite after Muster, but I have not heard them through the walls at all. Hopefully this is because the walls are well-insulated, rather than because the couple has been married too long to still speak with each other.

Seas are relatively calm, just gentle rocking though we are near the front of the ship, and the E2 is handling it well. We have mild, pleasant temperatures, and a light breeze, perfect for sitting outside on our spacious balcony on the adjustable, cushioned lounge chairs with see-through barriers. The service personnel routinely bring the balcony cushions in with the evening service, then put them out again in the AM. Many pax relaxed on the sun loungers which are in many different locations on multiple levels, and some were in the relatively big (for a cruise ship), heated pool, (including some children who also had an option for designated play areas) but there were plenty of seats for everyone who wanted one (most pax did not reserve chairs, though one group reserved loungers with bikini tops). We had a few unique service requests for the suite, all of which were quickly and accurately filled. Service has been excellent in all venues. The hallways were a little warmer than I would like, and warmer than on SS, SB and Regent, (i.e., I would have had the AC on more strongly in public areas) probably because Germans traditionally worry a lot about catching cold if ambient temperature is chilly or drafty (“es zieht”).

We had breakfast around 9:30 in the uncrowded and calm MDR, Weltmeere (open 8-10), which is a beautiful, light, airy room, with big windows to the sea, comfortable chairs, and Chihully-style glass fixtures. There was a breakfast buffet as well as an option to order off the menu. I had nicely plated beef tatar off the menu (very good — photo taken and posting pending) and partook of the excellent and varied fresh bread and pastry selection, tasty breakfast cold cuts (the best I have had on all the luxury lines I have tried, as others have reported), fruits, yoghurts, cheeses, and jams. At the buffet there was a helper who assisted with things like pre-cutting our crispy German style“Broetchen" rolls and making sure we were finding everything we wanted. Good buffet hygiene was evident as well. Coffee was strong and very good (this was after my in-room morning Nespresso). We then checked out the rest of the ship — the lovely though small Sansibar offers indoor/outdoor late breakfast 10:30-14:00, with more limited and less formal offerings, but which would be perfect on sleep-in days for a very late brunch. Earlier risers could get coffee, tea and pastries at the pool 6-7, or dine in the buffet-style indoor/outdoor Yacht Club 7-10:30. So basically, you can eat something significant somewhere, not counting room service (Wienerschnitzel and pate available), all day long. We also ferreted out an English language wine list for DH to study, which exists after all, notwithstanding misinformation by the waitress last night.

Lunch was available without reservation required 12:30-14:00 in the Yacht Club (buffet) or 3 specialty restaurants (Serenissima — Italian), Elements (assorted Asian) and Tarragon (French), and then 12:30-17:00 pax could eat casual fare at the Yacht Club Terrace grill, have mango waffles or pastries at the pool, or Advent treats in the Belvedere. Then, after feasting all day, to ironically contrast, came a very interesting English language talk called “Namibia — land of great emptiness?” (not), to which DH, myself, and one other guy (Dutch-born but living in Spain) who’d missed the German talk showed up. This was followed by a cocktail and canapés reception for English speaking pax with the international hostess, where only DH and myself and a pleasant American couple and their little girl, who love HL, appeared, and that was it on outgoing English speakers. The international hostess told us there are just 10 people from non-German language countries on board, not counting performers. Our butler kept bringing us treats throughout the day (pretty fruit pieces, meat canapés), presumably to help prevent body fat breakdown. Famished from all the eating, I changed into a new pair of elastic waist exapndo-pants, and DH and I then had a fantastic meal at the French Tarragon specialty restaurant (by reservation, but no upcharge other than on the amazing wine) where every bite was delectable, as was the service. Half the men wore jackets, no one wore a tie, but everyone looked nicely dressed and relaxed. There are no official formal nights on E2 though I assume on New Years Even someone will wear some glitz. We will be going back to Tarragon in a few days and I will have their tatar, which is supposed to be even better than the one at Weltmeere.

Tomorrow we must all present to Namibian authorities at 8AM, called by deck, whether or not pax are going ashore. We were requested not to appear in bathrobes, "to show respect". We have booked a private tour of a ghost town (former diamond mining hub) near Luderitz, settled originally by Germans, which is supposed to be a photographer’s paradise. DH is working on getting some photos from this trip available for uploading to CC through a venue other than Tapatalk, such as Photobucket, and hopefully internet will start cooperating.

So far, smoking has not been an issue for us (but I admit I am not picky). There is the Herrenzimmer for indoor smoking (just one guy was in there today), and there are a few outdoor smoking venues (including room verandas) for the rare smokers on board who are easily bypassed.

My impression after 24 hours: English language pax do not know what they are missing in quality food, beautiful decor, and service, by not cruising Europa 2. However, I can imagine how veterans with frequent cruise miles and status on the big 4 English language luxury lines might feel intimidated and out of place, at least to start (no free laundry, their language and culture is not dominant and some things require a little more effort to clarify if they speak no German at all, their friends are not on board (though they could be), and where they were once kings and queens on SS, SB, Regent, and Crystal, at least to start, they would be just another group of pax — well-treated and respected, in English or German.

More to follow. Gute Nacht!

Hapag Lloyd is always demanding that guests are not going to local authorities with bathrobes

and yes to book your first cruise on a non english speaking ship ( as a first language i want to say ) you need some courage - i do speak german - i am lucky

i met a couple from the UK who immediately did like the E2 and Belgians who disliked her very much ( mostly caused because they were past SB and wanted free drinks )

thanks again for the comments and enjoy the cruise

and try the pasta with seafood in Serenissima :D

Catlover54,

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts and impressions which make great reading.

It is gratifying to read that the Europa 2, which as far as I am concerned is an undiscovered gem in the wider English speaking cruise sector, is more than meeting your expectations.

Incidentally, the steak tartare is a signature dish in the Tarragon Restaurant, and is prepared table side.

Everything sounds delicious!

taken mostly by DH

http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/randomguy60/slideshow/South%20Africa?sort=9

Thank you for posting photographs.

Some questions if I may.

Have they decorated yet the ship for Christmas and the New Year?

If so, how does it look?

Have you had the opportunity to attend any evening entertainment?

If so, who, and how, was it?

Do you know who else is due to appear?

Who is the International Hostess for your cruise.

Thank you for posting photographs.

 

Some questions if I may.

 

Have they decorated yet the ship for Christmas and the New Year?

If so, how does it look?

 

 

Have you had the opportunity to attend any evening entertainment?

 

If so, who, and how, was it?

 

Do you know who else is due to appear?

 

Who is the International Hostess for your cruise.

The ship has a variety of what I call secular Christmas decorations up, meaning Xmas trees with colorful ornaments, gingerbread houses, and xmas-food related events but without a hint of reference to Christ or Jesus and not a manger in site, presumably so as not offend atheists or Christmas-dislikers or other religions on board ( i.e., just like in the U.S. in public areas). I posted a piccie of one of the exhibits above, I will find more, there is one big tree with bilingual love and peace commentary. We also found 200gm Xmas Stollen on each of our pillows last night. There was, however, an announcement placed into the room regarding an option to attend Xmas Eve services in town.

International hostess is Susanne Cheung.

Tonight is the first major entertainment number, Spanish dancers, we are going ( the first two nights there was just piano and jazz, and then Captains welcome at the pool).

seems you have a wonderful time

mrs Suzanne Cheung is very friendly - i met her several times however i am usually listed as "german speaking "

enjoy the - real and only real French - champagne on the upcoming parties

Catlover54,

Thank you so much for your posts. I am enjoying them immensely.

The ship has a variety of what I call secular Christmas decorations up, meaning Xmas trees with colorful ornaments, gingerbread houses, and xmas-food related events but without a hint of reference to Christ or Jesus and not a manger in site, presumably so as not offend atheists or Christmas-dislikers or other religions on board ( i.e., just like in the U.S. in public areas). I posted a piccie of one of the exhibits above, I will find more, there is one big tree with bilingual love and peace commentary. We also found 200gm Xmas Stollen on each of our pillows last night. There was, however, an announcement placed into the room regarding an option to attend Xmas Eve services in town.

 

International hostess is Susanne Cheung.

 

Tonight is the first major entertainment number, Spanish dancers, we are going ( the first two nights there was just piano and jazz, and then Captains welcome at the pool).

Thank you for replying so quickly.

I am surprised that there is no Christian theme in the decorations, as our experience of Christmas holidays in Germany has been one of very well attended church services.

Also, on my cruise in September one of the guest speakers was a Vicar who held a daily themed discussion, and an interdenominational service each Sunday.

Susanne Cheung was the International Hostess on my September cruise, and I found her to be absolutely charming and extremely hard working in producing , amongst other things,the English language Daily Programme of events.

Here are a few more pictures of the Europa 2, and a few pictures from today’s port, Luederitz, discussion of which is in the text.

http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/randomguy60/slideshow/

We set our iPad alarms early to be ready for the 8am PA sequential deck suite calls to present ourselves (without bathrobes) to the Namibian authorities. However, the calls did not start until 8:30 and things moved along VERY sloooowly, it was frustrating, such that no one was allowed to get off the ship onto the first tender (rough seas, so no piertside docking) until close to 11AM, when ALL pax had cleared. The authorities had apparently decided to face-check each pax passport individually (they reportedly do this periodically and it was beyond HL’s control). They studied and fussed with my many passport pages and stamped it but after all that security, did not even glance at my face.

Room service breakfast had previously arrived on time on a separate wheeled table, and was excellent and accurate, with sweet freshly squeezed OJ, crispy breads and pastries, sausage, coffee brought hot, etc., the best overall I’ve had on a luxury cruise line.

Fortunately our private guide had waited for us for over two hours to get off the ship (caution about this potential delay for anyone booking private tours porting here) and then gave us an interesting tour of Luederitz, a remote frontier town of 20,000 originally founded by German settlers in 1883 (though the Portuguese were here 400 years earlier) and previously a hub for the diamond industry. It has a lot of interesting remaining German style 19th century architecture (e.g., the mansion Goerke Haus, and the hillside church, or Felsenkirche, which also has a remembrance plaque to settlers and children killed or missing from WW2). There are about 300-400 remaining German-speaking descendants of the original settlers, including our third generation crusty and matter-of-fact guide Heinz, who also speaks English and Afrikans. We went to the nearby fascinating ghost town of Kolmanskop, where there is wreckage of a sophisticated small city that had been built over a hundred years ago around the booming diamond mining industry, right in the middle of the desert, complete with a bowling alley (“Kegelbahn”), modern hospital (our guide’s father had been born there), concert hall, and period German-style modern living accommodations. The winds were blowing very heavily (per the guide, it was unusual to be this bad) and sand was everywhere, painfully pelting my arms and face, so eye protection was essential outdoors. We were also told to watch out for snakes in the sand (none seen on this tour). There were MANY PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES here, inside and out, so photographer DH was busy, but unfortunately lost his lens in the wind.

Near Luederitz, we also drove into the eye-opening shantytown “suburbs” of Benguela, where there is a hodgepodge of very small tidy modest houses with satellite dishes, but which are very close to horrible looking shacks without running water (picture on link), a Jehovahs Witness Kingdom Hall, some bars, and a couple other little churches, and which was quite the contrast to the main town. It is always good to be reminded how fortunate CC readers are.

We heard an earful about Namibian politics and points of view from Heinz, local history, uprisings and battles stories, etc. and then saw the town’s monuments at the peninsula “Shark Island” (great view spot at this historical site, from where I photographed the ship). Our guide also took us for a casual lunch at the somewhat funky (but clean and safe) Latino-sounding Diaz Cafe (named for the Portuguese discoverer, but per Heinz, run by a long-haired German right now), where we ordered German Bratwurst (Weisswurst, Bockwurst, and hamburgers were other options), served by a pleasant black Namibian waitress, serenaded by an American pop music station playing a 30+-year song, “I Will Survive” . There were two 1-foot synthetic silver-metal style Xmas trees set up, with little balls and ornaments, and affordable paintings of local landscapes adorned the walls and completed the decor. This was a fun place for a local lunch or rest off the beaten path in Luederitz, walkable from the port, and exemplified many of the contrasting themes in this area.

Our tender ride back to the E2 was exciting, bumpy and windy, water splashing high above the sides of the tender and onto the roof. Getting off was challenging but handled well by firm-gripped E2 staff. There were yet more snacks waiting for us in our immaculately maintained PH suite when we returned.

Winds were still blowing at 45 knots per the captain, as the E2 exited the harbor heading north to Walvis Bay, where we will be doing a mini-safari tomorrow.

Really enjoying your posts. As you know, we finished the Cape Town to Cape Town itinerary on December 9th.

In terms of Luderitz, apparently it is almost always windy there. When we got to the Ghost Town, the people waiting to board the bus were pelted with sand so we decided to stay on the bus and take the lovely ride back to the ship. The Captain cancelled afternoon excursions because of the wind.

Your experience on board is so interesting! I'm sure that English speaking passengers are missing a lot, but to be 100% honest, we would not be happy on a ship that is too warm (on the Mariner it is people from Florida that think that 78 degrees is a good indoor temperature:confused:). Also, we avoid cruises with children (meaning the summer, Christmas and New Year's). However, I am enjoying your experiences and look forward to more!

We're headed home tomorrow so will check up on thread when we get home. Continue to enjoy your cruise.

Discouraged by continual cheapening of the cruise experience, this report has already got me studying Europa Itineraries.

Catlover: Please know that your time and effort is much appreciated by many. Very, very interesting. Have a terrific time!

Discouraged by continual cheapening of the cruise experience, this report has already got me studying Europa Itineraries.

i did it after Crystal moved to all inclusive with all the changes involved

Hapag Lloyd : first choice :)

Link to photos regarding this day is at the end.

After our windy sailaway from Luederitz, we headed to the MDR aft Weltmeere for dinner, though neither of us really “needed” more food. We had another fine meal with good service (I had a very beety "beet terrine” appetizer, flavorful red snapper and something creamy and heavenly for dessert). We had no room left to sample any of the 12 offered cheeses. Plated portions are not large, similar to SS and SB, so you can sample more things, but there is no risk of not getting enough food and of course you can ask for double portions if you like.

We also attended a performance by a Spanish dance group, Ispazion, “Let’s dance!” Six athletic and easy on the eyes dancers in varied beautiful costumes skillfully performed a series of very suggestive, mostly tango numbers (not counting their interpretation of the old English language song “Fever” and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons) interspersed with periodic old videos of tango dancers, which allowed the performers costume change and breathing breaks. “Tango, a vertical expression of a horizontal desire” flashed in English on the screen. Announcements were in both German and English. The performance was marred only by an out-of-place Santa-outfit number at the end.

In the afternoon on day 4, we headed off on an afternoon drive in a 4x4 van towards the Namibian desert “Moonscape”, an E2 organized excursion into a national park with a local contract tour company. To get there, we passed a colony of pink flamingoes, then “Long Beach” , a strip of beautiful white beach with middle class vacation houses, 'lower class' but tidy and colorful cottages, and simple churches (Baptist, Lutheran). We drove by signs advertising varied opportunities adrenaline junkies and the adventurous would enjoy, such as dune buggy riding, sky jumping, camel riding, horseback riding, off-road motorcycle dirt-biking, target shooting, and organized small homesteads built and managed in German style, with German or Afrikans names on the mailboxes (see some pix in the link).

Then the main fun began when we went bouncing off-road into the sand in air-conditioned splendour, an odd caravan of identical white modern vehicles with excellent suspension and cushioned seats carrying mostly fair-skinned, blonde and white-haired or bald pax wearing designer leisure wear through a desolate Moonscape that reminded me a lot of some areas in the southwestern US (see link to some photos below).

Excursion booking warnings had included caution that the trip would not be suitable for people with back, fitness or balance problems but unfortunately there were no warnings that you had to have a bladder the size of a volleyball to make it the 3.5 hours to the “oasis” (which turned into over 4) where the next available WC was going to be (and with all the bouncing, preferably also a bladder or prostate without stress issues). Our van also broke down not long after the guide had pointed out the memorial cross of where a visiting German dirt-biker had crashed, reportedly due to a mirage. We had apparently overheated — see pix on the link of the sites— but the others drove on, so as we waited for the guide to climb up onto a hill to get rescue cell reception and speculated how long we would have to sit out there, while mechanically inclined DH had a look under the hood with the guide to amuse himself and also took photos, I had to initiate a mini-excursion of my own to try and find a reasonably concealed shrub (which BTW simply did not exist) to best possible simulate a luxury E2 public area bathroom, though minus the little terry single-serving hand towels. Others soon followed my trailblazing, as the guide cautioned to watch for snakes (none seen).

Finally a rescue van was sent back to pick us up and take us to the restless waiting bigger group. The guides tried to figure out how to redistribute the six of us but we were a seat short, so two unrelated but fortunately thin male Germans who had not yet eaten too much on the E2 amiably offered to sit together almost on top of each other in one front seat plus the recessed space between the two front seats, I suspect in closer contact than they would have preferred. However, they were rewarded, as they got the best view of the wild monkeys we saw shortly before the Oasis rest stop came into view (pix on the link). DH had been put into a different van.

After a short break at the Oasis, where champagne and juice were served, and where we also saw fenced in wild baby pigs, goats, and a llama compete for tourist attention (delighting the well-behaved German children on the tour), we headed off to our final stop, Dune 7, a huge dune and tourist site (see pix), before hitting the highway back to the E2 at sunset (as a precaution, to avoid another breakdown, we left the AC off, two windows down). Our driver was trying to make up time on the very straight, uncrowded highway through the sand, e.g., by overtaking three 18-wheeler big-rigs transporting copper from Angola all in one swoop, with limited forward visibility due to blowing sand. When another big-rig suddenly appeared on the horizon coming head-on, our driver calmly and effortlessly hit the brakes and tucked in behind the lead Angola truck, and I decided that might be a good time to put my uncomfortable seatbelt back on (I had taken it off when one of the women had told the driver to put up the window in the now unairconditioned hot van, complaining, in true German style, “es zieht” (there is a draft). When we arrived back at the ship, as we filed in in the dark, a crew lady greeted me with juice and asked if I wanted a shot of rum in the juice. I advised I absolutely wanted the shot, or two, and she replied, “You’re not the first person to say that tonight.”

Overall, we did have an interesting and enjoyable day, despite the hiccups, but in hindsight we should probably have booked a private tour to have more flexibility. Tonight we head back into the desert, for an African dinner under the stars (I checked, and yes, there will be chemical toilet facilities) :)

http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/randomguy60/slideshow/South%20Africa/South%20Africa%203

What an entertaining, wonderful report! You produced so vivid images, that I imagined myself accompanying you through the adventure... in fact, I almost felt my bladder giggle. I'm so very glad that you've taken valuable time to keep us informed. Continue enjoying your cruise and Merry Xmas to you both.

On Day 5 (yesterday, 12/23) DH and I bounced back into the desert shortly before sunset in an assigned van with much worse suspension than the previous day (we each had our own seat, though without detectable seatbelts). It took 1.25 hours to get to the the complimentary signature E2 event, “Dinner in the desert”, mostly over bumpy roads and then off-road. Around the 45 minutes mark the elderly dressed-for-dinner-out Germans in my van started getting upset about all the dust blowing in through the vents (which we closed, though dust still blew) and also about the bumpy stress of the ride. DH, sitting in the front seat near the driver with about 4 camera lenses on his lap just in case, tried to get the driver to slow down, so less dust would come at us from the van ahead (he was not successful). One very old lady well-coifed lady placed her leaping-cheetah themed elegant silk scarf to her mouth and nose to provide a filter for the dust, but the driver did not slow, so the dust continued, and I definitely heard more than one German swear expression uttered as people started wondering what the heck we were getting ourselves into. However, everyone suddenly calmed down and started relaxing and smiling (and drinking) when we arrived at the beautiful dinner site in the desert, a big flat space where a full moon surreally lit the towering granite and basalt cliffs, which had extensive candle-in-paperbag illumination, and portable tables with comfortable soft chairs and proper place settings, though we were in the middle of nowhere. DH and I sat next to the safety officer and captain (at least when DH was not photographing something), and locals served us champagne and tasty South African wines. Vocal camels were also lined up ready to squat down to use their naturally rough knee and elbow pads for the benefit of little ones and not so little ones to hop on board their humps for rides. To my great relief and delight, there were also abundant and immaculately maintained chemical toilets that had been transported in.

A group of mesomorphic white Namibian fire dancing girls wearing fireproof glittery outfits, who looked like they could have been American drill team members, alternated entertaining us with a serious but joyful black Namibian singing group. The 14 person singing group, and conductor, performed a series of well-rehearsed songs and move-to-the-music pieces before, during and after a delicious buffet dinner of asparagus, line fish, Springbok, chicken, lamb, and pumpkin (all in secret sauces). The music was a haunting, harmonious mixture of what reminded me of Russian Orthodox choral music, calypso, and gospel, and was so well done I am trying to find out if they have made a CD. I did not understand what topics they were singing about at first, until I made out the word “Jerusalem”, and the next song clarified the topics of the evening when a mezzo launched into a Namibian version of The Lord’s Prayer . So for the first time on this E2 German-run Christmas cruise I heard a reference to God, and it was by Namibians.

On the 24th, on board, there were many more organized explicit references to the subject of Xmas, starting with an available 7AM morning mass excursion to the Lutheran church in a local town (I was asleep, recovering from the desert dinner, and did not go), and ending with a Christmas music concert by a female quartet singing group called NINIWE, 19-yr-old violin prodigy Jacob Meining, and piano player Camilio Radicke. A soprano named Ute Selbig sang “Oh Holy Night” in English so beautifully it made some people cry (but unfortunately, it did not move the model-like exotic and dark-haired and very un-German appearing teenage girl in the front row in a glittering mini-dress who looked bored and checked her nails and iPhone during the performance, and declined to applaud). Someone also read the story of Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (but in German only, though general well wishes for Xmas were in both languages), and the on-board chaplain talked about the interesting history of Christmas tree ball ornaments.

After the Xmas concert, where everyone looked festive, with 80% of the men in suits, 1/4 in ties, and where many red dresses or outfits were seen, (but no tuxedos as there is no formal night) we headed off to our special Xmas dinner of sturgeon caviar (very tasty, with onion, chives, sour cream, lime, egg white and egg yolk, served with blini or toastettes), cream of pumpkin soup, and outstanding delicate beef, ending with cherry parfait in chocolate. The “suggested red wine” of the evening on the menu was a 2004 Masseto, Tenuta dell Omelliaia, for a mere 677 Euro, but I doubt too many people ordered that, (we settled on a lovely Montapulciano for less than a tenth of the price). We had our first service snafu on the HL, e.g., the waitresses were so busy that our wine was not timely refilled, so when the waiter finally came over to refill, I asked him to leave the bottle on the table to avoid taking so long. He was reluctant to allow this (said it would make things look bad) but I insisted on relieving him of wine monitoring duties — and then promptly spilled several ounces on myself by knocking over my glass, possibly forever destroying the reputation of Americans on the E2.

DH is still editing pictures from the Moonscape Dinner in the Desert, which in sum was a terrific experience despite the bumpy ride, hopefully to be posted soon (if internet cooperates). Xmas eve events were handled well by the E2, and there are many more Xmas activities planned for 12/25 (a sea day) including a lecture about the history of local ports, and a classical music concert.

Along with some truffles, our butler had left us a “gift” of a wooden placard that says “Hakuma Matata,” which in South Africa means “no worries.” Sounds very descriptive so far to me on this cruise.