Navigate the World with Bill & Mary Ann on the Zuiderdam's 128 Day 2023 Grand World Voyage

[WCB]

Report  #118  Thursday  April 27, 2023    Day At Sea Enroute To Portree, Scotland Isle Of Skye   Overcast, Rain And Sun  42-50 Degrees  Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures

 

We slept later than usual for a change, but still made it to breakfast before 9:15am.  We were not the last guests to arrive, because Martha and Bob wandered in shortly after us.  It is a matter of fact that after several days of ports, most of us need to have some down time. Our waiters were prepared since we usually have a simple breakfast with the same starters every day.  Greek yogurt was back, but still not the same as what we were getting in the beginning.  The nicest addition was the return of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and black berries.  We added the usual apricots and pineapple.  Better than any dessert one can order, it’s a great way to begin the day.  One slice of Texas French toast and sides of bacon or sausage kept us happy until 2pm. 

 

Today was one of catching up on the internet work, and doing the information gathering for the following countries we will be visiting.  That kept us busy in the room for the morning, then we noticed that the sun was hitting our deck.  Best to take advantage of it and spend some relaxing time outside.  It was still cold, but wearing sweatshirts was enough to keep us comfortable.  Early in the morning, the temperature was 42 degrees, but then it warmed up to 50 degrees by noontime.   Captain Frank came on the speakers for his PM talk and mentioned that the weather would be changing.  Around 4pm, we noticed the sun was gone and the clouds had darkened the skies.  He added that our port in Scotland tomorrow will probably be a wet one.  And cold once again. 

 

At least we were able to take our deck walk before the sun was gone.  During the day, we passed by many islands in the distance and figured they were part of the Shetland Islands.  Very few guests were outside today, but then some different activities were taking place due to the fact that today was officially King’s Day, a Dutch national holiday celebrating King Willem-Alexander’s birthday. 

 

An Orange Elephant Sale at 2 to 4 pm would give the folks a chance to “sell” their items they did not want to take home with them.  There were tables set up around the Lido pool to display the items. Anything not sold could be re-claimed by the sellers, or permanently removed by the ship’s team for company standard recycling.  Not exactly sure what this means.  Perhaps the items could be distributed among the crew members. 

 

Then there was a Dutch lunch in both the dining room and Lido, where some classic Dutch starters and entrees were offered.  Checking the dining room menu, we found they were serving Dutch pea soup, so we ordered two bowls for our room lunch along with chicken fajitas .  All of the food was excellent and hot, even served at 2pm. 

 

Royal  Dutch High Tea was served in the upper dining room, then at dinner, the head waiters, including manager Presty, were wearing silly orange curly hair wigs, reminding us of Bozo the Clown.  We think an orange tie would have been a bit more appropriate, but they seemed to have fun with it.  Many of the guests wore something orange as a symbol of national unity and a sign of pride to represent the Royal House of Orange.  This applied more so to the Dutch guests of which there were about 22 in number. 

 

Anyway, we had a quiet table for two this evening, since four of our tablemates went to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner with some other friends.  We had been invited, but we figured that was too many people, and we would have been at different tables.  So we opted for the romantic table for two for a change.  Dinner included salad, a Dutch croquette, and entrees of beef pot roast with mashed potatoes, carrots, and broccoli.  Even the gravy was good.  Dessert was even better as we both ordered the Bossche Ball, a Dutch version of a chocolate éclair.  We loved the large ones they served in the Grand Dutch Cafe while we were on the N. Statendam last year, but these were even better since they were half the size. 

 

We noticed that several people had left their tables early, probably to get a seat in the Lido Pool area for the 9 to midnight Orange Party.  Guests were invited to have a complimentary sparkling drink, snack on Dutch cheese, bitterballen, and frikandellen (don’t ask what’s in it) and party the night away listening to DJ Nyron and visiting with the crew.  Wonder how crowded that event will be?  Surely we will hear about it tomorrow at breakfast.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[janmcn]

Is Nyron staying on for next voyage?

[WCB]

Report #119  Friday  April 28, 2023   Portree, Scotland  At Anchor  Tender Port  8am-6pm   Cloudy And Overcast 45-50 Degrees Rain Early Morning  Part #1 Of 3......77 Pictures

 

Well here we are in the country of Scotland with a population of 5.3 million people.  The capital is Edinburgh, and the official languages are English and Scottish Gaelic.  It is described as small in size, but crammed with treasures of big skies, lonely landscapes, spectacular wildlife great seafood, and really nice people.   Scotland is home to golden and sea eagles, otters, dolphins, seals, whales, and basking sharks all eating on mackerel.  They boast having the freshest seafood, beef, pen-raised venison,  and single malt whiskey.  A personal favorite for one of us has to be Macallan’s.

 

Scotland has more than 1000 castles which once served as fortified homes for aristocracy in the 12^th to 14^th centuries.  These days, the castles are owned by the rich and famous.  It is also known for the Loch Ness Monster, legendary of course.  Or is it?  The world’s oldest golf course is St. Andrew’s, and Edinburgh is famous for their Festival and Fringe, which occurs in August.  Kilts, bagpipes, and Scottish fold cattle also come to mind. 

 

What do the Scots like to eat?  How about haggis and turnips with potatoes.  In case you have not heard of haggis, it is a type of meat loaf that has everything in it such as offal of any animal.  Seasoned right, it tastes close to liverwurst.  So if you like that, you will love haggis.  Ceremonies in the past were created around this traditional dish. 

 

What do they like to drink?  A dram of single malt whiskey or their local beers are popular. One of the big names is Talisker whisky which is described as brooding, heavily-peated nose balanced by a satisfying sweetness. Worth a try. Just in case one had too much of the whiskey or brew, something called Bari’s Irn-Bru, a bubble-gum scented radioactive orange-colored soft drink is guaranteed to cure a hangover.  Common words you might hear are blootered, hammered, plastered or pished, which all mean “drunk”.  

 

So our first port of call in Scotland was Portree, Isle of Skye.  According to our reading material, the Isle of Skye takes top prize.  Craggy peaks, strange pinnacles, and dramatic sea cliffs present photo ops at every turn.  It also said to watch for the red deer or the golden eagles, but we saw none today.  We did see many gulls, crows or ravens, a few cormorants, and one blue heron. 

 

There were some excursions here like a Dunvegan Castle and scenic Skye for $130 for 3 ½ hours or iconic Eilean Donan Castle and West Highlands for $120 for 4 ¼ hours.  There was a Northern Skye scenic drive for $110 for 3 ½ hours or a tour to the Talisker Distillery and Northwest Skye for $160 for 4 hours.  Finally, there was Torvaig and Ben Chracaig hike for $60 for 2 ¼ hours, where you can see the Clan MacNicel Monument, the Chief of the Clan who led his people to Southern Australia in 1830.  This is what we did on our own in 2019, and will attempt to do today as long as it isn’t too muddy.

 

Upon arrival before 7am, rain was falling.  Not only cloudy, it was foggy and cold with temps in the 40’s.  We did have breakfast a bit late today, since we slept in again.  One of the waiters that we do not know happened to be walking with a box that resembled a pizza take-away box.  Jokingly, we said oh great- pizza for breakfast.  He did laugh, but then took out a Delft platter with the ship’s design on it, something like the plates we get as our final present on a world cruise.  He claimed this plate was designated as a gift from a maiden city for this ship, and he was the one that was going to do the printing on this plate.  He indicated it would be hung with all of the other plaques for maiden voyages.  All of us suggested he place his signature or initials on the back of the plate, and he thought that was a fine idea.  Why not?

 

Bundled up, we left the ship around 10:30am, which must have been about the time open tenders were announced.  The tender boat filled quickly, and we were on our way to the shore.  This is the second time we have been here, so we sort of knew our way around.   You can either take the stairs up to the town, or walk the narrow and steep street to the same spot.  Either way, it made it difficult for folks with walkers or scooters to access the town, and we do think we heard it announced so people knew in advance it would be challenging.  Not only that, with the early morning rain, everything was wet and slippery.

 

We made a quick walk through the small grid of town passing by several small shops, businesses, pubs, and restaurants.  The busiest place had to be the local bakery, and once they sold out their treats, they would be closed for the day.  We headed back to the tourist information center to pick up whatever maps we could find as well as brochures of the local sights to take in.  The info fellow was so friendly and helpful when we asked about the walking trails.  He pulled every map we might need to do the trails. One of these maps was an old one, but had some very amusing comments on it.  In listing the basic services such as emergency room, police station, hospital, or fire station, it said “Things I Needed or was glad I didn’t”.  A location of a senior’s home was printed as Old Folks Home.  We have heard that before, like from Barb?  How about a bay called The Lovely Muck?  Or referring to oil storage containers as “Hell of a place to store oil”……right near the tender boat landing.  Most of the printing on this map was microscopic, and a magnifying glass was needed to read the words.  The most chilling warning was on a high ridge of the mountain range we were soon to hike.  One area was listed as extreme danger of slides, with the top of the cliffs saying “People die hiking this ridge and not in the nicest way”.   Enough said, we will stay on the designated trails.

 

Since we were close to the first trail, we walked through the gate and hiked to The Lump as it is called here.  It s a wooded plateau above The Lovely Muck and sea below.  Buried in the trees is a turret that was once used for a lookout for ships.   It was later used as an apothecary for distributing medicines.  Odd, but true.  A lower trail went around this peninsula, but one of us waited on the top taking in the views.  The field of this Lump is used for the annual Highland Games.  Then we continued on.

 

So armed with the maps, we walked the high road that took us past some hotels and the Money Puzzle Poodle Palm, which is a relative of the bunya-bunya tree.  Since it is the only tree like this here, we figured it was planted for a reason and given a funny name.  It also happened to be planted in a very dangerous turn in the narrow road above the cliffs.  This led to a more residential area with nice homes with lovely gardens.  There was a creek going under the road too.  Built on the hillside was the very nice restaurant at a hotel we dined at back in 2019.  The name was Cuillen Hills Hotel, and we would come back here after our hike. 

 

We came upon a wooden gate on the narrow trail that was the beginning of the Scorrybreac Circuit, a 3 km hike around Ben Chracaig.  It was wet, but not slippery.  This hike led us around the Black Rock , the very tip of this rock can be reached at low tide.  From there we had a good view of the big fish corrals in the bay or fish farms.  Not sure what type of fish is farmed there.  Passing the wishing well, which also served as a fresh source of water for the clan, we continued on towards the end of the designated path to get a spectacular view of our ship.  There were a few convenient benches along the way.  

 

The last time we were here, we continued walking after the trail ended which led us through a pasture full of boulders on the hillside and to a rocked fence and private property.  This solid fence went up the hill to a farmhouse and had a pasture full of grazing sheep. Eventually it led to a road where we hiked back to the Cuillen Hotel.  Today it was way too wet, and one of us was not willing to risk injury attempting it. 

 

So we turned around at this point, and backtracked to the hotel for lunch.  On our way, we came across a local couple that were out walking their dog.  They were quite friendly and asked where we were from.  That led to a conversation about the weather here.  Jokingly, the couple said there were two seasons in Portree.  One was winter, and the other was the month of June.  In other words, everything blooms in the warmth of June, then it is downhill after the month ends when winter returns.  We could tell they were looking forward to the arrival of June.

 

Finally reaching the hotel on the side of the hill, we were seated in their dining room that overlooked the town and bay below.  Our most friendly young waiter told us that one week ago, they had sun for 5 days, then heavy rain for the next two days.  That brought us to today, where it was cloudy and cold, but way better than raining.   There was only one other couple having lunch when we arrived, but within a few minutes, the place about filled up.  Among the guests were Greg, Heo, Ginni and Rich who we spotted outside our window table. Their group was seated in the adjacent dining room.  This was just too funny and made our day running into them as we have in several ports now. 

 

Our lunch consisted of two pints of Tennent’s draft beer and one chicken, lettuce, tomato sandwich and one ham and cheese sandwich with homemade potato chips.  We added one sticky toffee pudding with a scoop of ice cream, which was really a treat.  But the biggest treat was taking in that view while relaxing for an hour.  Heavenly, actually.

 

We strolled back to the town and got on the next tender back to the ship.  All aboard was 5:30pm, but according to Captain Frank, everyone was back by 5pm.   Expecting to leave the bay by 6pm, it appeared they were having difficulty with the anchor, but we’re only guessing.  Perhaps the tender boat loading was presenting problems.  Anyway, we were supposed to have a scenic sail away commentary from Ian, but that did not happen.  We enjoyed our own sail away from the comfort of our veranda as we passed many uninhabited islands, most with sheep grazing the pastures.  The sun actually peeked out briefly at 5pm.  Figures…..

 

We did have one job to do from 4 to 5pm, which was returning our passports to the mid-ship elevator landing for screening in Ireland.  Maybe this will be the final time we have to do this. 

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill where we both enjoyed a wedge salad with the warm and fresh bread.   Do not know why the bread served at dinner is not as fresh as this is here.  As many times as we have all asked, the rolls are like hockey pucks most nights.   Our mains were one filet mignon and lamb chops that were under cooked.  We shared the French fries, which were not the skinny type.  Guess they ran out.  Dessert was a slice of Key lime pie….very sweet but very good. 

 

Tomorrow we shall be anchored off of Oban, a new port for a lot of us.

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

 

 

[happyglobetrotter]

Around noon, we had a knock on our door and an officer handed us two special magnetic pins with the 150 years of Holland America Line as a gift from Gus (Antorcha).  The card said it was a token of gratitude for being a member of our President’s Club.  Nice touch. 

 

I read your comment about the pin. Funny that they waited so long to hand them to you. On the Grand South America, they were in out stateroom on day 1 (Jan, 3rd) and we wore them during the entire voyage. They are not available to anyone else than the crew and the PC members. The one they sell for the general passengers are also gold and dark blue but the colours are inversed. Not the same pin.

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by happyglobetrotter
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[WCB]

Report #120     Saturday  April 29, 2023    Oban, Scotland At Anchor Starboard Side Facing The Town 8am-4pm    Overcast With No Sun 42-48 Degrees  Part #1 Of 3.......77 Pictures

 

Today’s port of call was a new one for us – Oban, Scotland.  We have been to another Oban, but it was on Stewart Island, New Zealand.   We have been finding that many city names that are in this part of the world, were taken by the immigrants when they traveled to other parts of the world….especially New Zealand and Australia.  The Zuiderdam arrived to the bay outside of Oban early this morning under heavily overcast skies.  We were told it had rained earlier, but had stopped.  The temperature was 48 degrees on our veranda, so our heavy jackets will be needed again.

 

During breakfast, we watched as local ferries of all sizes sailed past us.  It appears that this port is much more active than the one in Portree yesterday.   There were a few tours today which included a trip to Inverary Castle for $85 for 4 hours or a stop at Arderaine Gardens for $90 for 3 ½ hours.  For the first time, we noticed that each start time for the tours would have different tender tickets issued.  It was made perfectly clear that each bus group would be stickered in the lounges before being released to the tender boat.  Guess there have been some problems or even accidents with some folks that had to be first in the bus.  Another reason we stopped doing them a long time ago.

 

Doing a little research before we left the ship, we got an idea of the town’s layout as well as possible restaurants.  We left the ship at 11:30am and got seats on the tender boat right away.  It surprised us to see how many people were already coming back to the ship when we left.  One of the first places we saw was the Information Center right near the tender gangway.  Gathering some local maps was easy as well as picking up some other flyers to learn as much as we could about the area. 

 

Considered a busy little ferry port, Oban is a good base for exploring the gardens of Argyll.  We have always associated the word Argyll with socks with a plaid pattern.  Now we have learned that Argyll is a county here.  Many stores have that in their name.  Anyway, this picturesque area has fjords and sea-lochs and so many islands you can’t count them all.  They are all linked by an excellent ferry network, as we have witnessed today. Walking through the town, we saw many travelers arriving by ferry with rolling suitcases to spend a weekend in one of the several hotels here.  Actually Monday is a bank holiday, so it will be a three day weekend. 

 

We took a walk along the waterfront passing all of the old buildings that are now hotels and shops.  Hotel Columba, Royal, and Regent were among the largest hotels.  Across the street was the Oban Distillery and directly above it was McCaig’s Tower, remnants from the past.  A lot of activity was closer to the ferry terminal where a small version of Fisherman’s Wharf was located.  There was a series of seafood restaurants here as well as some take-away cafes.  Since it was noontime by now, the area was getting really crowded. 

 

To get away from the crowded streets, we went uphill and strolled past smaller shops and bakeries.  Even those were busy with people, especially the bakery.  We ended up at the Church of Scotland where an old cemetery was around the back.  Many of the gravestones were so old, the printing was about gone.  Some dated back to the 1800’s.   We followed the back street to the harbor front, and decided it was a good time to look for a lunch venue. 

 

We happened upon a place called Piazza, an Italian eatery.  There were many people dining in there, so we suspected it was probably good food.   Going inside, we were asked if we had reservations, which we did not.  No problem, we were seated at a table for two by the window.  Perfect.  We ordered two Isle of Skye Gold beers and one Hawaiian pizza to share.  We added some breaded and fried cheese sticks which were really good.  The pizza was not as large as Peppe’s in Norway, but this way we had room for a dessert.  Our waitress brought the menu and we saw something different called Mama Jama.  Wondering what it was, our nice waitress explained with such a heavy Scottish accent that neither of us understood what she had said.   But we did not let on, so we ordered it to find out.  Has anyone ever heard of a Knickerbocker Glory?  That was the real name of this dessert which came in a large tall glass with diced fruit on the bottom, drizzled with a red syrup ,then  filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry.  Two long spoons came with the dessert.  Now the story goes that this “parfait” was developed in honor of the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City after the icon closed in the early 1900’s.  The actual hotel was painted pink and cream so the drink was fashioned after those colors.  By the way, it was very good.  We also learned that this treat is a favorite of folks in Great Britain and Ireland as well.   See….you can learn something new just about every day.

 

It was close to 3pm, so we thought it was best to head back to the ship as the all aboard time was 3:30pm.  Since a bus had just returned from a tour,  the tender boat filled quickly and we were off in a jiffy.  Most of the guests were packing shopping bags of all sizes.  And many of them were filled with treats like shortbread cookies in special tins.  Everything plaid may have been in those shopping bags as well.

 

There was supposed to be a scenic sail away commentary by Ian in the Crow’s Nest, but we could not find it on the bow TV camera.   We were so involved with processing photos and reading the local brochures, we forgot we had been invited to a cocktail party in the Rolling Stone Lounge at 6:30pm.  Not only that, there had been a 3:30pm serving of Scottish peel and eat shrimp and steamed mussels at the Lido poolside.  Not that we would have gone to that event, but we didn’t even know it had occurred until Heo and Greg told us about it at dinnertime.  Something else we missed was the “dressy” suggested attire at dinner tonight.  We were already dressed in compliance, but we did not expect that dress code on a port day.  Guess we need to read the Daily Program in the morning.  Or not…… there are just a few more days left now.

 

The menu tonight had a Scottish favorite – haggis.  It was served as an appetizer.  Both Heo and Barb tried it, but judging by their first reaction, we knew it wasn’t what they had expected.  Three of us had the pot roast, which has always been consistently good.  Tonight, it had not been cooked long enough, and was tough.  The fellows had more seafood with shellfish, and I ordered a pasta dish with slices of chicken breast.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t.  Simple desserts of sherbet and frozen yogurt were fine as always.

 

Surprise….we had gifts tonight – two vintage-style anniversary canvas tote bags, like the kind we always got in the beginning of a grand voyage.  Or any cruise for that matter.   These totes are the strongest bags, which were stopped being gifted many years ago.   The message that came with these gifts said:  This Grand Voyage is an adventure like no other, and we are thankful to share this experience with you.  It was signed by the Captain, officers, and crew.  Yes, we agree, this has been like no other for sure.

 

And another surprise -  there were two pillow chocolates wrapped differently than the HAL ones, but definitely the same idea.  Had someone bought these on shore somewhere?  Sometimes it takes the little things to make us smile.

 

Tomorrow will be an interesting day as we will be tendering to a port we have never visited before.   It is called Dun Laoghaire for the city of Dublin.  Somewhere along the line, we must have been bumped from docking in Dublin, and now we will have to make our own way to Dublin on a train we heard.  According to one of the tour descriptions selling a transfer to the city, the ride will take 45 minutes each way.  With the all aboard time after 5:30pm, that might be tight spending a day in Dublin.  If tendering wasn’t involved, it might have been easier.  So we intend to explore Dun Laoghaire instead.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[WCB]

Report  #121  Sunday  April 30, 2023    Dun Laoghaire, Ireland   At Anchor Starboard Side  Faces The Town     Partly Cloudy With Rain Showers And Some Sun 48-56 Degrees    Part #1 Of 3.........77 Pictures

 

The Emerald Island of Ireland is a small country with a big reputation.  The capital is Dublin and the population is 4,833,000 people that speak English and Irish Gaelic.  It is an ancient landscape with the friendliest and most welcoming people.  As well as being the capital, Dublin is the largest city and home to Guinness beer.   Most times, it will be served room temperature.  You can find world-class museums, entertainment, excellent hotels, and fine dining and most of all – Celtic music and dance.  Many pubs advertise that Guinness is good for you. 

 

What do the Irish like to eat?  Hearty bacon (it has to be better than what we are getting onboard), cabbage, seafood chowder, smoked salmon, and soda bread.  The special ingredients are baking soda and buttermilk. 

 

What do they like to drink?  Guinness is the number one brew, chased down with a smoky whisky, commonly called a Boiler Maker where we come from.  Ireland is also known for shamrocks, harps, potatoes, leprechauns, the band U2, and everything “green”, the Irish jig and Riverdance. 

 

A random fact:  Until the 19^th century, Ireland’s flag was blue, where the flag of St. Patrick featured a gold harp on blue back round.   And that’s Ireland in a nutshell.

 

Everything was wet on our veranda when we woke up this morning.  But the rain had stopped, and the clouds appeared to be breaking up.  For a change, the temperature was in the 50’s and the extreme chill was gone out of the wind.   Actually, there was hardly any wind at all. 

 

Originally, we were to be docked near Dublin, but that was changed well before the cruise began.  We were now dropping anchor in the bay outside of Dun Laoghaire, a vibrant seaside town that offered seaside views, marine activities, and some fine seafood dining.  So instead of having a shuttle to downtown Dublin, we would have to take a train to access the big city.  We opted to stay in town since we have been to Dublin several times on past trips. 

 

Tendering the tour groups to shore was delayed around 9am, as Ian announced to the folks to please not block the hallways and stairs to deck A.  Normally the shore excursion groups seldom listen to that information.  Things must have improved because close to 10am, open tenders were available. 

 

As we have been doing, we stayed onboard until 11am before going down to the boat.  By then, we actually had sun on our veranda, and the temperature had heated up nicely.  It would not last long, but it reminded us of how much we have missed the warmer weather.  Anyway, we reached the tender landing onshore within 15 or 20 minutes, and were off to explore a new area.  But first, we needed a lesson on how to pronounce this town.  Spelled strangely, it is pronounced “Dun Leery”.  Simple, and it was written on a sign board on our way out to the parking lot.  And the population here is 26,525 people.   At the end of the lot was a convenient Information Booth with a lot of helpful maps and brochures.  This was where the folks who wanted to take the train to Dublin would get instructions of where to catch the train.  It was basically around the corner, where a station agent was helping people pay for their transfer using the kiosk.  Greg and Heo went to Dublin by train and said there was a special price today which was 5 Euros for a round trip.  Really reasonable they thought. 

 

Just as we were walking uphill to the main street, we ran into Rich and Peg, who were already on their way back to the ship.  They always like to get off early, but today was Sunday, and too early meant not much was opened.  They suggested walking the two main streets in town, then go to People’s Park at the beginning of George’s Street Upper.   And that’s about what we did.  The main street going uphill brought us past County Hall, the Pavilion Theater, past a church with a very tall steeple, and one of the nicer hotels, the Royal Marine Hotel.  On George Street, we turned right and walked past numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, and pubs.  Small stores and businesses were located there as well.  Except for coffee shops, none of the restaurants or most of the pubs were not opened for business until later, like 3pm. 

 

We got as far as St. Michael’s Hospital, then turned back to go the other way.  We passed by the local shopping center, which looked like a mall.  Going inside, we found three levels of some shops, cafes, and services like beauty parlors and a barber.  Little was open since it was Sunday.  And just like yesterday, tomorrow will be a Bank Holiday with most everything closed.  We were told it was like May Day as well as a memorial day, like Veteran’s Day at home. 

 

Continuing up this street, we ended up at People’s Park, which opened in 1890.  Every Sunday, there is a busy market with tent vendors selling hot food, bakery goods, souvenirs, fresh produce, and locally made arts and crafts.  And busy it was.  There is a children’s park, and lawn areas where the kids could play soccer.   Many families were out with their young children, enjoying the day regardless of the cool weather.  Any day without a lot of rain is a good day here.   We did have a few sprinkles but not enough to take shelter.

 

Intending on finding a place for lunch,  we changed our minds when we saw the one and only possible pizza shop overflowing with guests.  If we had more time, we could have walked to Sandycove Beach where the author James Joyce did much of his writing.  A tower originally built to counter the threat of an attack by Napoleon has been turned into a museum in James Joyce memory along with artifacts and documents.  Admission is free by the way.   Reportedly there were a lot more cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops up this way. 

 

We made our way back to the pier, and got back to the ship by 2pm just in time to order a nice lunch from room service.  Forgot to mention the ship’s tours offered today.   The longest one went to the Dublin coast and Irish traditions for $210 for 7 ¾  hours.   Easy Dublin was $60 for 3 ½ hours, while a walk through Dublin was $90 for 4 ½ hours.  Three tours that were $100 were a river cruise and city sights for 4 ½ hours, a Guinness Experience for 4 ½ hours, or the Teeling Distillery and panoramic Dublin for 4 ½ hours.  The Irish immigration story was $110 for 4 ½ hours.

 

Showers came and went in the distance, presenting some very nice rainbows right outside our veranda.  We also watch intently as two of the tender boats were lifted back to their position….not always an easy task for the crew.  This should be the final port we will need to use them.  

 

Dinner time came quickly, and all of us were present.  Greg and Heo shared their day in Dublin with us, and we informed them of what they missed in Dun Laoghaire today.  Barb had stayed onboard as had Woody.  Tendering ashore is not the easiest thing for either of them to do.  For dinner we had one cheese and beer soup, and one shrimp appetizer with a Caesar salad.  Mains for us were the chef’s alternate cheeseburgers with French fries.  Our dinners arrived late because they had waited to cook the fries last, keeping them piping hot.  Our meals looked way better than the cod fish entrees.  Chocolate frozen yogurt  and strawberry sherbet finished our meal. 

 

Tonight there was a traditional Irish show featuring dancers and musicians from town.   They had two performances this evening so they must be staying overnight and going off tomorrow.  Not a bad deal for them. 

 

The last port in Ireland will be Cobh for Cork .  We shall stay in Cohh having been to Cork several times.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[WCB]

Report #122  Monday  May 1, 2023    Cobh, Ireland Docked Port Side To The Pier 8am-6pm    Overcast With Afternoon Sun 55-65 Degrees  Part #1 Of 5........66 Pictures

 

The Zuiderdam arrived around 8am to the second and last port in Ireland…….Cobh or Cork.  We actually docked in the port of Cobh, but the intended destination was Cork, a short distance away on a 30 minute train ride.  Back in 2019, this port was also on our itinerary, but we had to bypass the dock and head for nearby Ringaskiddy (funny name huh?) due to the fact that a Royal Caribbean ship had taken our dock in Cobh.   The entire area of this town looked mostly deserted except for a few dock workers.  Boy, would that change later. 

 

As we have mentioned today is a Bank Holiday, so we did not expect much to be opened.  Some of our buddies booked tours, while some opted for the train ride to Cork.   Cobh (pronounced COVE) has a population of 13,000 people and is situated in the Cork Harbor, which happens to be the second largest natural harbor in the world.  Who knew?  We suspect the first largest natural harbor has to be Sydney, Australia. This town is most famous for being the last port that the HMS Titanic left for its fatal voyage Trans-Atlantic on April 11, 1912.  Certainly we all know that story.  In addition to that tragedy, the Cunard liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U Boat 10 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale a short distance from here.  Many rescue workers of Cobh (original name Queenstown) were fishermen from here.  The Old Church Cemetery located high above the town contains three mass graves with 169 victims of that disaster as well as a number of individual plots.  The Lusitania Peace Memorial sits in the center of town. 

 

Shortly after we were docked, several coaches arrived for the tour folks.  Discover Spike Island was $50 for 3 ¼ hours, while Cork’s Countryside and Kinsale was $80 for 4 hours.  Panoramic Cork and Jameson Whisky was $100 for 4 hours and Kiss the Barney Stone on County Cork was $110 for 4 hours.  These days, we wonder if the stone is sanitized in between kisses?  Anyway, other tours included were the Cork Cultural Show for $140 and 2 ¼ hours or Waterford City, County and Crystal for $160 for 8 hours.  The last one was exploring Tipperary for $200 and 8 hours.  Or take the train at your own expense to Cork, and do-it-yourself.

 

Or do like us and stay here.  The weather was feeling and looking better today.  It was cool, but not freezing, and although it was overcast, eventually some sun did appear.  Sure made a difference with the photos.  Remember what we said about the town looking deserted?  Well, by 11 am, there were people everywhere.  We happened to be docked portside with a full view of the train station.  We watched as train after train of people came here.  It must be a destination for locals to come here on a holiday like today.   Checking online, we realized there were many cafes, restaurants, and pubs in the immediate area.  Some were closed, but most were not. 

 

We were able to locate the Information Center in town, so that was our first stop.  Spotting us looking for brochures, the nice info ladies asked if they could help us.  Yes, we did need help finding a Cobh map, which was right on the desk.  Opening it up, the docent pointed out the main attractions, and suggested we go uphill and turn right at the main intersection.  She pointed out St. Benedict’s Priory, which happened to be used during WW I housing the USA Naval Corps that came here to help.   These days this old historic building is a retreat area for a group of nuns from the Benedictine Order.   There is a lovely garden terraced off of the hillsides named the Bible Garden.  The gardens were opened, but the building was closed for the holiday.  They also serve tea up here on another patio, which was also closed today.

 

Getting up to the Benedict’s Priory was quite a trip.  The street we took was as steep as a street gets without having stairs and is lined with a long row of houses called “The Deck of Cards”.  Each ornate house is painted in pastel colors, reminding us of the Victorian “Painted Ladies” of San Francisco.  Directly across from these houses is a fabulous French neo- Gothic cathedral by the name of St. Colman’s Cathedral, started in 1868 taking 50 years to complete.  The main spire is 300 feet tall with a 49 bell carillon. The bells rang every 15 minutes on the dot.  The interior has stained glass windows, marble carvings, and stonework.  It has to be one of Ireland’s most scenic churches.   And the congregation just happened to be conducting a funeral as we entered the side doors.  Several of us quietly stood in the back taking in the interior decorations until we saw the priest  begin the procession down the aisle heading right towards us.   We quietly left by the side doors. 

 

From there, we zigzagged down the narrow streets until we reached the waterfront.  Turning left, we did see the Old Customs House and an old tall stack, now abandoned, that was used for burning coal for power in the old days.  We went past a tiny strip of what they call a beach, and a few restaurants like the Wan Fu, with Chinese cuisine located in the Old Town Hall.  By now, these venues had filled up with people eating lunch or drinking many types of beer.  We even saw signs posted outside the entrances that they were at full capacity.  For that reason, we never did have lunch in town…not even a beer. 

 

We went past the Spike Island booking and ferry departure, where you could go see the isolated island with 1300 years of history.  It began as a 6^th century monastery, and 18^th century fortress, then the world’s largest Victorian prison.  It has been recently renovated and now includes a nice tearoom.  The consumption of tea is also huge here.

 

The Titanic Experience shows what life was like on board that vessel and learn the facts that surrounded the tragic sinking of the ship.  Also there is the Titanic Trail where plaques have been placed around town giving the history of the tragedy.  You can do it on your own, or pay for a guided and narrated tour.  

 

There is a Promenade Park also named John F. Kennedy Park which houses a bandstand, two cannons, and a grassy field for the kids to play.   Today there were tents of souvenirs and a spot with two small ponies where the kids can pose for a photo.  Many young families were there enjoying some take-away food and listening to the guitar player, who was very entertaining.  To say this area was crowded is an understatement. 

 

The Commodore Hotel, the largest in town, was directly across the street from this park.  Getting closer to the harbor, we went past the Cobh Heritage Center and the entrance to the Cobh Railway Station.  The Heritage Center told the story of Irish immigration, the famine, and also gave you a chance to trace your ancestors, and hear about the sinking of the two ships.  The Railway Station provides a link to Cork and has been operating since 1862. 

 

The cruise berth here handles up to 50 cruise liners a year bringing in an estimated 100,000 passengers and crew to the region.  It felt that there were that many people in town today.  We got back to the ship after 2pm, and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  We had a great view of the activity on the pier as well as the train arrivals and departures.  Nearby the pier, a bridge crossed over from the hillside used as a shortcut to access the train.  A young and crazy fellow was putting on a show by jumping into the ice cold water from the top of the bastion.  He drew a crowd as he hesitated to jump over and over.  Sort of expected to see law enforcement come along and stop him, but it did not happen. 

 

All aboard was 5:30pm, but leaving the port did not happen until well after 6pm.   A local brass band had set up their group directly across from the ship and began playing music at 5:30pm.  A crowd of locals had gathered, but as far as we know, Ian never announced this send-off was in progress.  With every song they played, the crowd cheered.  Even a few of the dock workers were dancing on the green pontoons floating in the water.  The crowd loved it.  We heard “Anchors Away” as we exited the harbor.  In our opinion, this would have been the time to have a scenic sail away, and not at 6am this morning.   With the sun shining, leaving this spacious bay area was wonderful.  People had come out on the hillsides and watersides to bid us goodbye, leaving us with the impression that we were a big event today.  Today’s decision to stay in Cobh was a wise one….we truly enjoyed our visit.  We were relieved that the band did not play the theme from the movie, Titanic.  That may have been too creepy.

 

Now we have two full days at sea and will arrive to the Azores by May 4^th.  We have over 1100 nautical miles to sail and it will take a speed of 19 knots to get there on time.  Keeping our fingers crossed that the temperature will be higher and we see more of that warming sun.

 

At dinner, we learned that Greg and Heo never left town, but stayed right in Cobh like we did.  Barb had changed her mind, and did not leave the ship with them.  Woody had gotten brave, and ventured out on his own since the gangway was easy.  He did not navigate the steep hillsides because he did not trust his motorized wheelchair to maintain the battery charge.  The local residents were very helpful with him when it came to curbs as not all of the streets had wheelchair access ramping.  Our meals left a little to be desired.  Barb had ordered three appetizers that were very good, but the shrimp entrée fell flat on its face so to speak.  Not the least bit shy, she let our waiter know who brought Oscar over to see if they could replace her main dish.  The biggest problem was that the food was ice cold.  Nothing worse than cold rice with spinach and broccoli even colder.  From now on, she has promised to order only appetizers and forget the mains.  Then when the dessert arrived, and the frozen ice cream, yogurts and sherbet were half melted.  At least Oscar was there when we were served the melted desserts.  We knew the problem stemmed back to the fact that the frozen desserts had been brought to the counter on the heels of our main entrees.  Of course, they were going to melt.  From now on, we shall choose our desserts after we finish our meal and not before that.  We do not relish complaining, but we feel as if we are getting rushed out of the dining room only due to the fact we have chosen the later fixed seating time of 7:30pm.   In time they will get it right, but it should not have taken over 120 days to do so. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann  

 

 

 

[klsd]

Can you post a picture of the magnet and dowel setup you refer to?  Thank you

[WCB]

Report  #123   Tuesday  May 2, 2023    Day At Sea Enroute To Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores   Overcast With Rain Showers  And Strong Wind   Sea State Rough  Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures

 

Everyone was late coming to the Breakfast Club this morning, because sleeping in a bit later was required.  We all needed it at this point of almost steady port after port days.  The weather sure wasn’t the best however.  We woke up to very cloudy skies, rough seas, deep swells and temperature in the 50’s.  It was not raining yet, but later on this afternoon, it did….a lot.

 

It was a good time to work on photos and reports, hoping the day would improve.  Later in the morning, we did venture outside for a walk on the promenade deck, and realized why people were not outside today.  The portside was dry, but the starboard was getting soaked with the sea spray from the high waves.  If the winds increase, as Captain Frank had suggested, they may have to close these decks off to walkers.  The signs warning of “slippery when wet” scares one of us.

 

This was also a good time to check out the shops for some purchases to use our shipboard credit that is non-refundable.  It’s “use it or lose it”, and we have no intentions of giving it back to HAL.  There was a time not long ago when we could use this shipboard credit to cover the charges for shipping extra pieces of luggage back home.  That doesn’t work anymore because this service is charged to our credit cards if we recall correctly.  We could haul the extra two pieces we have home with us, but if it saves our backs not lugging it to and from the hotel and the airport, then it will be worth sending them with the six ones that are already covered and paid for.   The only other thing we need to keep in mind is making sure each piece of luggage does not weigh over 50 pounds.  Filling them to the brim was a luxury we never expected to lose.  We have four days before we are back to Ft. Lauderdale to make an appointment with “Brian” who is here representing the luggage delivery company.  He will be able to issue two more tags that we will attach to these suitcases.  In a large envelope, we received the 6 tags for the rest of the bags that we stashed under the bed and the small window desk.  We plan to begin packing a little every day and not wait until the last minute.  Today there was even time to start “cleaning house” and throwing all useless papers away that have been saved for we don’t know what.

 

The one job of the morning was to pick up the passports between 9 and 10am in the mid elevator lobby.  There was no line at all, and only few passports remained to be picked up.  This is the final time we have to do this as we have already been cleared for Portugal.  The upcoming ports in the Azores belong to Portugal so we are good to go.

 

We had a phone message from Greg that they had been invited to dine with friends Ginni and Rich, so it will be a table for four this evening.  Sometimes this is good, because at least three of us have trouble hearing, and this way, we can sit close together and not be spread at opposite ends of the table.  The menu tonight happened to be the Culinary Council picks.  Barb stuck to her guns and ordered appetizers for starters and her main meal.   That worked out well, as the shrimp appetizer was her main dish.  Nik added her favorite sweet and sour sauce to dip the shrimp.  Oscar came along and cut the tails off, doing everything he could to make her smile.  It worked…..

 

We ordered the tempura shrimp with the salad, then had prime rib.  One was a small end cut, while the other looked like a side of beef it was so large.  I could only eat half of it.  Some one in the kitchen has a liking for cardamom and seasons the most unlikely items with it.  That happened with the mixed veggies, and it was not to our liking.  That same flavor has turned up in other appetizers as well as soups.  The deep- fried mashed potato was good though.  None of us ordered dessert when we placed our orders, but in anticipation, Nik brought several samples of everything.  He knew Bill liked the puffy chocolate pudding-filled crunchy donut dessert and Barb liked the ricotta cheesecake.  Both Woody and I had the red cactus ice cream, which was NOT melted.  How about that?  Now as to the flavor of this unusual ice cream, neither of us could make a guess.  But Woody was most careful to avoid any thorns in it….ha-ha. 

 

Tonight there was a most odd activity happening beginning at 9pm in the Lido Poolside, which had been turned into a bedroom.  Yes, a bedroom….no kidding.  Sort of like a slumber party, but for grown-ups.  And the scariest part was the suggestion of wearing pajamas while enjoying popcorn, cookies, and adult hot drinks, or something stronger if you wish to pay for it.  Three stages would be set up for story-telling.  No, we are not making this up as we go.   They were set for 20 minutes each and were titled once upon woodland, a letter, or a love story.    This sounds more and more like a “Carnival” thing and not an HAL activity.  We can’t wait until tomorrow to hear all about it. 

 

The better activity of the evening was turning the clocks back one hour.  Don’t you all agree?

 

Another day at sea, and we will be to the Azores, an archipelago 1000 miles west of Portugal.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[oakridger]

Story telling?  Interesting!  I have wanted to go to the Azores for a few years and was hoping to have a stop there on the Florida to Amsterdam TA on the Zuiderdam in May 2024.  But, alas, it's not stopping there this time.  First Europe landfall will be Cobh (Cork) Ireland.  Thanks for informing us of the correct pronunciation....."Cove".  I would have never guessed that!

 

~Nancy

[Florida_gal_50]

I remember that cactus ice cream being very good.  

[sandiego1]

We paid for our luggage shipment for the WC. We saved money by shipping 2  75-lb bags instead of 3  50-lb bags. Same total weight (150 lbs of “stuff”) but lower cost. Of course we ensured that our large bags can support the 75lb weight without falling apart! Just a suggestion for you and possibly others.

[alibabacruisers]

Do you guys keep all of the maps you get along the way?

[WCB]

Report  #124   Wednesday  May 3, 2023    Day At Sea Enroute To Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores    Sun With Broken Clouds 65 Degrees  And Strong Wind     Sea State Rough  Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures

 

Day two at sea should have been a relaxing one for us, but it sure was not.  After breakfast, we thought it might be a good idea to haul out the luggage from under the bed and under the small desk.  When we had unpacked four months ago, everything was stuffed willy-nilly in each one, such as the shoes bags, large and small zip locks, and the bigger bags we use for the dressy clothes.  We have come to the conclusion that it is the little stuff that takes time to re-pack.  Not the clothing.  It took time to sort through the camera stuff as well as the jewelry pouch.  That job got done, followed by removal of some magnets and the command hooks.  The world map was folded and stored for the next time.  We still have over a week to complete the rest, so doing a little every day is much better than all at once. 

 

Speaking of luggage, Barb had told us last night at dinner that she went to make an appointment with the representative from Luggage Forward, and was told all of his appointments were taken.  What???  So this morning, we went to the front desk to ask the same question.  Guess what?  We were told that exact same thing…..he was booked.  So now what?  It was suggested that we wait to see him in between his 15 minute appointments.  That could go on all day waiting for a break in customers.   This has never happened on past world cruises, especially when HAL had their own rep who had an assistant to help out.  We were never turned away without an appointment.  Too bad that HAL decided to end this service. 

 

By the time we got back to the room, grumbling all of the way, we happened to have a phone call from our personal President’s Club manager, who suggested that she could send us the paper work we needed to add two pieces of luggage to our order.   Why didn’t they tell us that at the front desk?  Yep, this world cruise has been like no other…….

 

The weather did not stop the “On Deck for a Cause” 5K fundraising walk this morning.   The waves were hitting the ship broadside and causing very wet decks and very wet people if you stayed outside long enough.  As we were still eating our breakfast, we watched as some folks braved it out as they passed by the windows.  There were far fewer people participating today, but that does not mean that many others donated anyway.  No need for the walk.

 

The seas remained rather rough through the night, but at times, we saw clouds and sun off and on all day.  We also had passing showers, and expect much of the same tomorrow while in the Azores.  The temperatures have remained cool, but we do hope to have warmer days ahead.  Wishful thinking.

 

After an invigorating walk outside, we strolled through the Shops to see what was available to purchase.  We still have some credit to spend.  There were so few passengers in there that the sales people were all over us.  We despise that as we are just looking.  It got worse when we walked into the high end jewelry section, mainly because we were the only customers in there.   Whispering a comment between the two of us about a specific collection of jewelry, it was overheard and before we knew it, jewelry cases were being unlocked, and items were presented without asking.  As long as some of the pieces were outside the case, we inquired as to the price.  Their list price was dropped immediately.  Then it was suggested that if we were interested, we could make an offer.  Really?   One would have to know your diamonds and tanzanite in order to make offers like that.  Maybe we will stick to the watches.

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, where we had requested a table for two by the window like we always do.  The manager told us that the table she reserved for us was still occupied by two folks that were slow in eating.  Just beginning their dessert, she asked if we wanted to wait.  That could be a long time if they were savoring the wine.  We said no, we would take another table.   We chose one that overlooked the atrium for a change and really liked the location.   We could watch the traffic go by on two decks as well as listen to the Ocean Bar music.  As it turned out, the slow-dining couple left the window table 45 minutes after we had arrived.  We had made the right decision not to wait. 

 

We ordered the wedge salads, but were disappointed that the salad dressing was not the same as usual.  It was not the one made with buttermilk, but a substitute sweet ranch dressing.  When our waiter stopped to ask how we liked our salads, we questioned him on the dressing which he admitted was not the same.  He did bring some oil and balsamic vinegar as a substitute, which was really good.  Our mains were one halibut, a ribeye steak, and a shared baked potato.  The steak was every bit as good as the small filet mignon, but perhaps a bit tastier and way bigger for sure.  We only had room for vanilla ice cream and orange sorbet.  And one tray of the chocolate candies they always bring. 

 

Tomorrow we shall be in the Azores, on the island of Sao Miguel and the city of Ponta Delgada. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

 

 

[WCB]

 Greetings!

 

The magnet and dowel set up was in the early January photos.

 

Thanks for the information about the luggage shipping.  If we had known that back in December, we would have increased the weight to 75 pounds instead of 50.  Don't recall that was an option that the company suggested.  

 

As for the local maps and keeping them, they are usually trashed by the time we are finished with them and do not save them.  But we can print some before we go next time.  

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report  #125  Thursday  May 4, 2023   Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores…. Portugal 8am-10pm   Port Side To Pier And Town   Rain Showers On And Off All Day  62 Degrees No Wind    Part #1 Of 4.......72 Pictures

 

Well, we happen to be back in Portuguese territory with our visit to Ponta Delgada, Azores.  Located on the 40 mile long and 9 mile wide island of Sao Miguel, Ponta Delgada is the capital of this autonomous region of Portugal.  According to a 2014 census, there are about 246,772 people that speak Portuguese as well as some English.  What you will find in this part of the world are islands that have granite peaks, lush valleys, old wine estates, and gorgeous blue and green lakes created by the calderas of ancient volcanoes.  Dormant, we hope.  Located 1000 miles off of the coast of Portugal, these islands have endured earthquakes and volcanic eruptions over the centuries.  Originally built on the fishing industry, these days you can find exports of oranges, tea, wine, cereals, veggies and dairy products.  Pineapples, also called ananas here, are a major export.  In addition, there are the sugar refineries as well as liquor distilling.  And during a certain time of the year, it is a great place for whale-watching.  

 

The ship’s tours included the best of the Azores – valleys and hot springs for $190 for 8 hours.  Two excursions that were 3 ¾ hours in duration were Lire Lake and Ribiera Grande for $70, and a taste of the Azores was $90.  Two other tours that were 3 ½  hours were off the beaten track for $120 and Sete Cidades Crater Lake for $70.  We have been to this island more than a few times, but it has been many years ago.  We did take this crater lake tour and it was most impressive.  We got lucky and the fog and rain stopped long enough to see the deep color of the water.

 

This is probably a good time to mention the weather which was not the best today.   We docked by 8am with passing showers, and they continued through most of the day.  It was one of those days that the umbrellas went up and down, but we were glad that we had them.   It was not cold with temperatures in the 60’s.  And for the first time in weeks, it was slightly humid. 

 

Just as we were tied up, the Seadream II docked right next to us.  Size-wise, she is a baby compared to us.  Part of the Seadream Yacht Club, this vessel is 4333 gross tons and used to be the Seabourn Goddess II and also the Sea Goddess II.  It was bought by Seadream in 2002.  She holds up to 112 passengers with a crew of 95.  We did notice there were no balcony cabins, but have no doubt, their product is luxury experience. 

 

We went off of the ship by 11am, and headed through the terminal building.  That brought us out into the Portas do Mar along the waterfront marina with shopping, restaurants, bars, sea activities, and entertainment.  Turning left, we followed the marina until we were able to walk up a series of stairs to the main street locating the Information Center.  Although we had gotten a couple of small city maps in the terminal, we were handed a much nicer one here in the main office. 

 

We passed by the Square of Vasco da Gama just as we heard horse hooves hitting the cobblestone streets as they were pulling a fancy carriage with tourists.  Didn’t expect to see that, although we recall seeing a tourist train in this area.  We headed towards Fort Sao Bras, which is a military museum these days.  The better photos were outside with the cannons and steep fort walls.  Across the street, we saw St. Joseph’s Church as well as hearing the noon church bells ringing.  The churches were all locked up today.  Passing a big square called S.  Francisco, we spotted the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Hope.  A narrow shopping and dining street began here so we continued walking it….carefully as cars were also using this tight street. 

 

Turning uphill, we headed towards a small but pretty park (jardins)  recently planted with summer-blooming flowers.  Across from this garden was the Colegio Church and museum as well as the library and archives.  There seemed to be a group of students milling around here too.  We sort of remembered that the Palace and gardens was up here, so we tried to find the correct streets to access it.  The street names seemed to change with every block, so it was difficult to get our bearings.  By chance we ran into Parque Atlantico, a major and modern shopping mall with three levels of shopping and a food court.  We had been here before and actually had pizza in a Pizza Hut in this same food court.  Back then, it was a full service restaurant, not just take away.   Now there is every recognizable fast food restaurant we have at home in the USA.  

 

It had begun to drizzle outside again, so we wandered into the mall, and walked each level.  We read somewhere that this is the largest and perhaps the only mall in all of the Azore Islands.  From here we did find the Palace Sant’Ana and Jardins Jose do Canto but they were closed.  Just as well, it would be a long walk back downhill.  We have to mention that the pavement and the sidewalks are all created with either cobblestones and small rocks placed on edge.  They create designs with dark and white stones which are really pretty to see.  No two streets are alike, even the narrowest of the side streets have these designs.  The large squares are stunning with these designs.

 

Back down at the main square and St. Sebastian Parish Church, we walked the car-free area taking in the Town Gates and the statue of Velho Cabral.  Aiming for the tall baby blue and white high- rise building, we knew we would locate the Italian restaurant we had “googled” before we left the room.  It was close to 2pm and many of the cafes along the way were over-flowing with diners.  We considered sitting outside in the covered patio, but changed our minds when we saw another series of showers headed this way.   We got a table for two, which our waiter combined with another small table to make more room for us.   Ordering two large Sagres draft beers , we ordered a medium pizza with the base of red sauce and cheese.  We had the option of adding five toppings from a list of 12 items.  That would be pepperoni, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and extra cheese.  Glad we stuck to the medium size this time, because the pizza was heaping with the toppings.  And so good.  We had to chuckle when the outside diners either came inside or sat against the outside front windows to stay dry.   In the meantime, we shared a slice of pineapple cake, the closest we have come to having upside down pineapple cake, a real old- fashioned dessert we may add.  Next to this restaurant was a mini-mall where we used the small amount of euros we had left to buy some little biscotti-like cookies.  

 

The showers let up long enough for us to get back to the ship without getting wet. It had been a fun day of hiking the hills and we were happy to get back to our room by 3:30pm.   Originally, our time to leave here was after 5pm, but that was changed yesterday to 9:30pm.  Dinner had only four us there, as the guys went to the Canaletto with another couple.    We kept dinner light with pea soup, which had sausage and ham diced up in it.  Sure was good, especially on a cool rainy day.  One of us had a Caesar salad with sliced chicken and the other had the pot roast.   We were happy to see rocky road ice cream on the menu, and ordered it.  However when it arrived it looked more like marble fudge.   Still good, it had been mis-marked. 

 

The ship pulled away from the dock by 10pm, leaving behind a very pretty city all lit up in the dark.  And still in the rain.

 

Tomorrow will be our final port for the entire world cruise…..Praia Di Vitoria, Terceira Island, Azores.   Not sure if we have been there before…..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

 

[WCB]

Report  #126     Friday  May 5, 2023  Praia Di Vitoria, Portugal 7am-5pm    Docked Starboard Side To Pier  And Town    Morning Showers Clearing In The Afternoon  65 Degrees   Part #1 Of  5........77 Pictures

 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

 

The ship arrived at about 7am to the port of Praia di Vitoria, the capital city of Terceira, Azores.  Once again, there were early morning showers blanketing the hillsides, coming down to the water’s edge where we were docked.  At one point, we even saw a rainbow.  Thinking that today was going to be a repeat of yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised when the clouds broke up and the sun came out.  The breeze was warm and welcoming.  We guessed the temperature was in the high 60’s.

 

We cannot recall being here before, but there is no guarantee that we haven’t.  Usually when in a new port, we always took a tour.  So it is possible that we went up high, and missed seeing the city.  When we get home, we can dig in the archives to see if we have stopped here on past cruises. 

 

Since the Zuiderdam was docked in a container port, a free shuttle was provided for a 20 minute ride to the old town.  Getting off by 11am, we boarded the shuttle which filled with mostly crew members by this time.  The tour groups had left much earlier.  There were six excursions in total beginning with Terceira Island & City of the Lords for $110 and 7 hours.  Terceira Island highlights with a lunch was 6 ¾ hours for $120, while a 4 x 4 ride over the island was $120 for 3 ¾ hours.  Island highlights was $90 for 4 ½ hours and panoramic Praia was $70 for 3 hours.   There was a tour called Terceira audio-guided siteseeing for $500 for 5 ½  hours, but we think that price must have been a mistake.  

 

We had done a little research before leaving, but only got a few facts.  The city was built in the mid 15^th century and there were two main churches.  The population in 2011 was 21,035 people and many summertime travelers come here to surf.  It was also recommended to drink only bottled water.  And that is the extent of all we know.

 

The bus followed the rural coastline passing numerous fields with cows in them.  The grassy weeds were so plush, the cattle were being used as lawn mowers.  Closer to town, the bus began going uphill towards the higher end of town.  Not familiar with the area, and not having any luck finding a map, we began our walk downhill, but towards the hillsides on the left.  This led us past some schools and a gentle walk down towards the water.  We passed by an iconic building that we had seen on the TV port talk.  Not sure what it represented , we took photos in hopes that we could put a name to it later on if we found a map.   Never did find one by the way.

 

Further down the street, we came across a wetlands park full of ducks and other water birds.  Blue flowers dotted the banks of the fresh waterway, and at a closer look, we discovered they were deep violet/blue morning glories.  We can grow these at home during the summer if we can keep the plants away from the grazing deer.   Following this park until it ended, we came upon a carved-out hillside where a huge monument sat on top of the bluff.  Running into some ladies from the ship, we were told that the statue was of Santa Maria or Mother Mary.  One of the ladies said someone they knew tried to hike up the switch-back trail, but came back within minutes saying that the steps were uneven and steep.  And with the lack of a hand railing, he decided not to try it.  There was a road that went up there, so they took that instead.   We had no desire to climb to the top and were perfectly happy to take pictures from down below.  And besides, the all aboard time was 4:30pm today, so time was limited. 

 

This area happened to be the start of the marina where many sailboats were moored.   An additional area had been created with sand to make some beachfront.  It was lined with a spacious plaza that would fill up with folks in the summertime we suspect.  Along this waterfront were several cafes and restaurants.  In hindsight, we should have looked at the menus and stayed down here, because there were no crowds of people.  Most of the passengers would not walk down this far.

 

The church steeples were in view from here, so we began going uphill to see them.  Another friendly couple suggested we see the one painted white with blue trim, since a service was in progress there.  We did go inside this one to discover two separate altars, but the service was completed.  At least this church was opened to the public unlike many other we have recently seen from the outside only.  Close by was the second church, but it was closed.

 

We had located a pizza restaurant online somewhere in this vicinity, but failed to write down the street name.  We happened upon the main pedestrian cobbled street where many small shops and cafes were opened for all of the cruise ship people.   Looking up and down every narrow side street, we never did find the restaurant or anything suitable for lunch.  Heading back up this main street, we ended up close to the bus drop-off.  Running into Bob and Martha, we pointed out the direction they needed to go to see most of the sights.  Actually the better part of the walk was where we had begun at the wetlands.

 

The bus was ready to leave, so we jumped on and went back to the ship by 2pm.  It was room service lunch for us, which was good as always.  Perfect time to work on photos, we took a break when the sun came around to our side of the ship.  It was nice to be able to get warmed up on the veranda again. 

 

The ship left the port around 5pm and headed out to sea and on the way back towards the good old USA.  We were so involved with looking for birds and possibly dolphins that we missed the sail away wine and cheese party in the Lido poolside.  Knowing it would be really crowded with the “free” wine offered, we were happy not to attend.  We saw birds, probably shearwaters,  by the thousands flying low over the water.  This usually means there are small fish on the surface, and larger things feeding on the fish deeper under the water.  And that’s when we saw them…..dolphins.  They were swimming towards the ship and diving under it.  They were fast as could be, but we did manage to snap some shots of them jumping.  As quickly as they appeared, they were gone just as fast.  Having patience paid off this time. 

 

Dinner for us was in the Canaletto, which we have been meaning to do for months now.  The menu was not so appealing to us in the dining room, so early in the day, we booked reservations in the Italian restaurant.  We began with the Canaletto salads, along with a shared bowl of delicious veal meatballs in a very hot tomato sauce.   Our mains were the lamb chops cooked to perfection.  They came on a bed of fried cornmeal polenta and went well with the reduction of lamb gravy.  Saving a little bit of room for dessert, we had the Nutella tarts with a chocolate mousse on the top.  For a change, it was a nice treat.  And the restaurant was not crowded at all.

 

The best gift was putting the clocks back one hour tonight.  We will have three more time changes before we arrive to Ft. Lauderdale.  Then three more when we fly to California.  Not looking forward to that.

 

Tomorrow will begin the six day journey across “The Pond” as it is often called.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

That chocolate tart is my favorite at Canaletto.  I never think to much about getting room service for lunch but I did it on my recent cruise thanks to you mentioning it.  It was a nice break from the lido which I don’t enjoy.

[Dr.Dobro]

4 hours ago, WCB said:

>>>we took photos in hopes that we could put a name to it later on if we found a map.   Never did find one by the way.<<<<

 

Maybe this will help. We will be there on the Zuiderdam's return trans-Atlantic in a few weeks.

 

By the way, thanks for all of your posts over the years. I am continually amazed at the depth of detail you provide, which has helped us plan many port visits.

 

[WCB]

Thanks for the nice map of Praia da Vitoria.  Now we can put names to the sights.  

 

So happy to hear you appreciated the details of the reports over the years!

 

Bill & Mary Ann  

[Dr.Dobro]

Bill & Mary Ann,

Is there a book exchange on the Zuiderdam? Planning how many books to bring (we board Friday). I miss the libraries!

Roger

 

[WCB]

Report # 127      Saturday  May 6, 2023     Day #1 Of 6 Sea Days Enroute To Fort Lauderdale, Florida   Heavy Overcast With Afternoon Rain Showers And High Winds 60 degrees........Part#1 Of 1.....0 Pictures

 

Today was one of invites and packing.  It was breakfast as usual for us, but we have been going a little later, but well before closing time.  As far as the weather was concerned, it was a dismal day with overcast skies and temperatures in the 60’s.  It was far from warm due to the high winds blowing across the decks.  As we recall, this is expected during this time of year as we venture further west crossing the Atlantic Ocean.  

 

We were not able to walk the promenade during the day because we found every exit roped off.   We have had much more severe winds on previous cruises, but they must be using extreme precautions with this group pf passengers. Later in the day, it began to rain, and did not let up.  Depressing.

 

But there were invites to brighten the day.  The first was a combined President’s Club Members and Pinnacle and Neptune Suite Guests invitation to an Indonesian “Rijsttafel” lunch at 11am in the upper dining room.  During breakfast, we spotted the table decorations of specially-folded napkins resembling birds.  The word Rijsttafel itself is really Dutch and means “rice table”.  The meal includes many side dishes in little portions, but including rice of some sort.  We have been to a special private occasion on a cruise years ago that included over 26 side dishes.  The wait staff dressed in Indonesian garb, really making it special.   However, we did not attend today due to the fact one of us is sensitive to the slightest shellfish ingredient that is often used in the cooking of this dish.  Even alerting them to this problem, one of us is not certain the message always gets to the right cook.  Better to be safe than sorry. 

 

The other invitation was a farewell reception for President’s Club members in the Gallery Bar at 6:30pm.  It was attended by the Captain and some of the officers and staff.   And we heard they served some nice canapies and beverages of your choice.   Guess we shall say our goodbyes sometime during the last few days we have onboard.  And we don’t need a drink to do it.

 

We had a phone call from the front desk folks reminding us we have money to spend.  Hopefully we are not alone with non-refundable credit, and more folks are in the Shops looking to spend it.  That way the salespeople will not be on our heels so much as they have been recently.  If we need help, we will gladly ask for it. 

 

Dinner found most of us there.  The only one missing was Barb, who is always…we mean always there first.  It was nearing 8pm when she came into the dining room after attending the party in the Gallery Bar.  And she was really upset with us because we did not go.  She did not accept the excuse that one of us had to re-arrange the sock drawer.  She did have friends she knew there, including Woody who has been doing everything on his own since Susie went home on a medical debark.  He will certainly be busy packing for the next week as they come prepared for the world cruise with everything except the kitchen sink. 

 

Anyway, it has been two days since we saw our tablemates and we discussed the two islands of the Azores we saw and enjoyed.  Apparently, none of us have been to the last port before this trip.  Sometimes smaller in size can be more rewarding.

 

The entertainer this evening was Lisa Harman, a vocalist and pianist performing some of the music from the greatest vocalists and pianists worldwide. 

 

So much for day one at sea.  Five more to go, and as this is being written, it is getting rougher outside. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Yes, there is a book exchange on the Zuiderdam.  Not necessarily an exchange as there is no librarian.  The limit on the library books is two at a time.

 

Bon voyage.....

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[islander47]

On 5/1/2023 at 5:38 AM, WCB said:

I have so enjoyed reading your posts here and have now discovered your blog and photos. Thank you so much for letting me travel virtually with you. My friends Leigh and Ken Parrot are sailing with you and were also with you on the ill fated 2020 voyage. Leigh introduced me to travel back in our college days, spending a summer touring Europe with a Eurorail Pass and Frommer's Europe on $5 a day. Please tell them Paula said hello if you meet them, and enjoy the remainder of your wonderful trip!

 

[WCB]

Report # 128     Sunday  May 7, 2023     Day #2 Of 6  Sea Days  Enroute To Fort Lauderdale, Florida   Overcast Skies With Strong Winds 8 Foot Swells   Temps 60-65 Degrees  Part #1 Of 1 ......0 Pictures

 

The days are flying by now as the end of this voyage approaches rapidly.  It was very rough last night, setting off those inside elevator weights banging during the wee hours of the night.  We suppose not everyone hears this noise, so it must depend on where your room is located.   The 8- foot swells remained with us through the night, and we woke up to overcast skies.  The rain had stopped and stayed away for the rest of the day.  This seems to be typical weather here as we recall.

 

It was another day of “final time to use this service,” referring to the last morning (today) to turn in your laundry in hopes of getting it back before we leave.  The laundry team expected voluminous requests in order for the guests to take most everything home clean and folded.   In addition to that, there were numerous promotional sales in the Shops and spa.  Only certain brands if watches were being promoted, but not the really high-end ones.   We find it odd that the jewelry shop salespeople for Effy offer deals hand over fist if you show the slightest interest in any one of their items.   But not the watch salesman.  As is the case with any significant purchase, it is wise to do some internet searching prior to buying anything.  And we always have to remember there is no tax here….duty free up to a certain amount.

 

At 11am, there was a Mariner’s Brunch in the main dining room for the high day Mariners.  We had received an invitation marked President’s Club leading us to think a special area of the dining room was set for this group.  At least that is how it worked on past grand voyages.  Prior to this brunch, we traditionally attended a metal awarding ceremony , where all of the new metal awardees were honored, then we were led to an assigned table hosted by a member of the staff or an officer.  Now that is gone.   Those who were invited simplylined up outside the doors and sat wherever they wished.  From talking to friends, a married couple, one of whom received a 500 day medallion, was invited to an awards ceremony in the Crow’s Nest a few days ago with only others who were getting the same award.  His wife, who is already in President’s Club, was not invited.  Go figure…..

 

Do any of you remember the Farewell Cocktail Reception where the medallion awardees were called to the stage and had their photos taken with the Captain and Hotel Manager?   At that time drinks and canapies were served in the Queen’s Lounge, and it was a memorable affair.  Now that is gone too.  We are well aware that not everyone wants to hear about these changes, but they are what they are.  And speaking for ourselves, we hate to see these traditions die by the wayside.  And from what we hear from other friends, we all agree once these events are gone, they will never come back.

 

This is just a rumor at this point, but we heard that there will not be a Filipino or Indonesian Crew Show.  The reason is that the crew members are a mix of many more nationalities these days and just doing those two shows would be considered discrimination.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it……  If the rumor is untrue, we will let you all know.

 

Our day was filled with more packing, which is good not trying to do it all at the last minute.  Most of the small stuff is done, and now we just have to distribute everything among the eight suitcases.  One thing for sure is that we won’t have to stress over the weight of the gifts we received this trip.  They were fewer than ever, and the heaviest items had to be the duffel bags.  Today we got the limited- edition Delft tile celebrating the 150 years of Holland America Line.    Barb nicely donated hers to us because she always does.  There should be one more gift coming on the final formal night.  Our wild guess is that is will be a Delft plate….or not, who knows?

 

We got to take two long walks on the promenade deck today since the ropes were down finally.  We were almost alone out there except for the deck workers picking up a few lounge pads that they had put out in the morning.  Guess everyone is packing.

 

Dinner was fun tonight because we had company.  It is nice sometimes to have a full table of eight as it makes the conversation go around better.  Dinner choices were not that great, but the starters were better.  We had the arancini with marinara sauce, a Caesar salad with the dressing on the side now (less soggy), and mains of meat tortellini and lamb loin.  The best part of the lamb dinner was the scalloped potatoes.  Desserts were frozen chocolate yogurt and strawberry sherbet.  Heo mentioned that he is already cutting back on the carbs, but everyone else decided they would think about meal cutbacks when we get home. 

 

The entertainer tonight was Jim David, an outrageous comedian who has been seen on Comedy Central Presents.   It was either that or a barn or line dance in the Rolling Stone Lounge.

 

Day two at sea – over.  But there are four more to go.

 

Bill & Mary Ann