2023 Grand World Voyage with The Inside Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

SNOW DAY IN SENEGAL

 

We arrived in Dakar around 7 or so, but at 8:15 the Capt announced that due to expected protests in the city, the port was changed to a service call and no guests would be permitted ashore. 

 

 HERE is a story about the protests.

 

The World Stage was filled with guests when the Capt made the announcement.  Our smaller group was staged in the Ocean Bar waiting for the port clearance that never came.   Many people remarked that it felt like a "snow day"  when your expected plans get changed at the last second.

 

I decided to conduct an impromptu "walking tour" of Dakar around the Promenade deck.

 

HAL quickly distributed a revised schedule with as many sea day activities added back to the schedule as possible.

 

Group shot at the end of our "Walking Tour"

[oakridger]

Interesting to read the article and motivation of the protesters.......sound familiar????

 

~Nancy

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We had spotty internet all day yesterday - it's a little after 7 AM here now - seems to be back to normal.   I had to clear all my cookies and then it started working again...don't know it that was a a coincidece....but the internet started working on  my phone first with Safari but not on my laptop....oh well.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

BANJUL, THE GAMBIA (POST #68)

March 29, 2023

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We visit Banjul residents, Sheriff and Kaddy, in their home and help prepare lunch after a trip to the market

ARRIVAL

We glided into our berth before 7 am as the morning twilight waned.  The pier was already busy as vehicles for the many HAL excursions arrived and vendors started to set up for the impromptu craft market.

The pier was busy as we arrived. Some private tours will meet you at the ship end of the bridge while others, like ours, meet you in town outside the gate after you cross over the bridge.

 

GAMBIAN HOME COOKING

Our plan for today was the Gambian Home Cooking tour that we also took in 2018.  This tour is organized by Armstrong (Amadou Jobarteh, proprietor of Black and White Safaris, based in The Gambia).  This tour was one of the highlights of our 2018 cruise and we were looking forward to another great experience today.   HERE is a link to the video from 2018.   I will make another video about today when I get the time.

Tour description from the Black and White Safari website:

“Gambian Home Cooking

This is a unique experience to Black & White Safari, you cannot do this anywhere else!

The day is completely given over to give you the best cooking lesson, enabling you to confidently cook some of our local food when you return home to your own country.  The menu varies from meat and fish dishes like Yassa, to Benachin rice.  We also make local juices like Baobab and Wonjo juice, which is a dark cranberry-coloured juice, made from boiling the dark red flower from the sorrel plant.

We will take you to a local market, dress in a traditional Gambian outfit and help you shop for food items for you to take home.  We will then give you the guidelines on how to cook Gambian cuisine.  You will then do the cooking including all the preparation of meats, vegetables, fish and rice.  Finally, we sit as a family and friends and devour the meal before returning to the hotel.”

 

EXPERIENCE LOCAL CULTURE THROUGH FOOD

We enjoy food tours and cooking classes and they are our first choice in every port.  One of the joys of a World Cruise is to experience different cultures.  Everyone eats and enjoys food and this creates a common background from which you can expand to foods unique to the area visited.  If you are taking a cooking class or simply sampling different restaurants, you will have time to learn more about your hosts, their lives, hopes, and dreams.

STARTING OUT

At 7:45 am, Ian announced the ship was cleared and we were able to go ashore.  This morning was a very speedy immigration process.  Our guide and host would meet us at the port entrance at 8:30.

Some private tours are able to gain access to the pier and will wait at the ship’s end of the bridge while other tours, including ours, will meet you outside the port entrance.  I have found it helpful to email a screenshot of the port area and mark the possible meeting points with letters and ask our tour operator to confirm the location.  Having WhatsApp installed on your phone with a data plan will allow you to easily communicate with your guide on the day of the tour.

NOTE:   The ship arranged for a shuttle bus to Albert Market – location is noted on the map above

Pam and John from Table 89 joined us on today’s tour and we left the ship at 8:15 am.  It was a 5-minute walk to the port entrance and our guide, Sheriff, was waiting there with my name on a sign.  Our van was nearby and we met our driver, also named Sheriff, and off we went.

Our destination, Sherriff’s home, was about 12 miles away, and it took 45 minutes.  The roads were crowded and we moved slowly.  After we passed one of the larger markets, we turned off the main road onto some very bumpy dirt roads for the last two miles.

This was a typical road near where Sheriff lived

 

Sheriff and his family live in a small compound where several one-room apartments share a larger common area with a nice shade tree.  We met Sheriff’s wife, Kaddy Dibba, his daughter Aminata along with friends Tidda Jatta and Fatou Jobarteh.  One of the local children, Kumba greeted us with a big smile.

Aminata

Before we headed to the market, we changed into some traditional Gambian clothing provided by our hosts.

SHOPPING IN THE MARKET

The nearest market was two miles away.  Most vendors are inside with some who rented space from the government allowed to sell on the street.  The market is bustling with wall-to-wall people – there aren’t any window shoppers here – everyone is moving quickly with a purpose.

Kaddy, outside the market ready to start shopping

 

In the background, over small speakers, we heard an almost constant stream of chatter in the local language.  We learned later, that these were recordings the various vendors had made calling out their prices.  Nothing was marked with prices and you had to ask or already know based on other information.

Vegetables

Spices

Fish

 

Kaddy Dibba led us through the market holding her plastic shopping basket.  She moved quickly and assembled the ingredients for our meal from various vendors.  Most transactions occurred without any negotiations, but occasional we would watch as Kaddy would go back and forth with a particular vendor.  This usually happened when the vendor, spotting her accompanying tourists, would raise the prices and Kaddy had to work to get them back to their usual pricing.  Everyone dealt in cash.

Market butcher cutting our meat Table 89 in the market – photo by Sheriff

 

We were about a week into Ramadan, and The Gambia is about 97% Muslim.  During Ramadan, Muslims fast between sunrise and sundown.  We learned later that the market was not as crowded as normal in the morning as many shoppers would shop later in the day as to be closer to sundown.

After about an hour we headed back to our van and returned to Sheriff’s home.

FOOD PREPARATION AND COOKING

There isn’t a kitchen and we would prepare and cook our food outside in the common area.   Kaddy used two small charcoal containers to heat water and cook the food.

Our purchases from the market

 

Kaddy took the lead in preparing the food, with assistance from Tidda Jatta and Fatou Jobarteh.  We helped with a few small chores, peeling potatoes, grinding vegetables and spices into a paste, and pulling leaves off stems to use in the stew.

Kumba  supervised as I peeled potatoes John and Pam removed leaves from stems

Pete and John ground up vegetables Pam checked on the fish

 

Fatou and Tida helping Pam with the pounder

 

Kaddy stayed busy stuffing the local fish with spices, before frying it in oil.  The other women prepared the rice and assembled the ingredients for meat stew flavored with peanut butter and other spices.  Soon everything was boiling and frying and looked and smelled delicious.

Once everything was complete, Kaddy transferred the food to the serving dishes.

TIME TO EAT

Sherriff laid out a large mat and we sat down to eat directly from the two large serving trays using large spoons.  Since it was Ramadan, our hosts couldn’t join us enjoying the food as they normally would if we had been here outside of Ramadan.

The food was delicious! Photo by Sheriff

 

The food was fabulous and plentiful, but far more than the four of us could eat.  Bottled water or soft drinks were also available.  Pam and John helped Kaddy set up an assembly line to wash all the dishes and let them dry in the sun.

After we had our fill, we changed back into our normal clothes and said our goodbyes to our wonderful hosts.

BACK ON THE SHIP

It took about an hour to get back to the ship.  Sheriff was able to drive us directly to the pier so we didn’t have to walk back across the bridge as we did in the morning.  We said goodbye to Sherriff, our driver, and Sheriff, our guide, and thanked them for showing us a wonderful time.

Host Sheriff, Judy, and Driver Sheriff

 

The craft market on the pier was still going strong and we picked up some local clothes and a wooden African mask.  The Gambian police band was keeping everyone entertained as we shopped.

Brendon Peel was on the World Stage this evening and performed various magic and mentalist tricks.  He put on an entertaining show.

Brendon Peel

 

VISA COST

There were some disgruntled passengers onboard about the cost of the Gambian Visa – $155.  This is more than we are typically charged and at first, I was surprised until I researched the reason.  This is the same price that the US charges Gambian citizens for a tourist visa, so it’s not surprising that The Gambia may charge us the same amount.

Edited April 1, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[boone2]

Love to read of the interesting things you do ashore getting immersed in the cultures. Thank you 

[dchip]

The photo of you peeling potatoes with Kumba supervising is absolutely priceless!! ❤️❤️❤️

Denise

[CruisingGrandmaW]

Oh WHAT A GAME - PETE !!!!!

 

Our SD Aztec team pulled it off tonight.  We're in the Final Top 2

Nail biting down to last 5 seconds to get off a shot!

 

Lamont Butler hit a jumper as time expired to give the Aztecs a 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday night. The shot capped a massive second-half comeback for SDSU as the Aztecs were down by 14 at one point.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

4 hours ago, CruisingGrandmaW said:

Oh WHAT A GAME - PETE !!!!!

 

Our SD Aztec team pulled it off tonight.  We're in the Final Top 2

Nail biting down to last 5 seconds to get off a shot!

 

Lamont Butler hit a jumper as time expired to give the Aztecs a 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday night. The shot capped a massive second-half comeback for SDSU as the Aztecs were down by 14 at one point.

The game starts at 2:20 AM here -   Great News.   I saw the replay!!!    We arrive in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in about an hour.....

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We had another party in the Retreat the other night.    Here are a few pics - nice time

 

 

Executive Chef Neil

 

Pete with Captain in their African shirts

 

Table 89 with dinner guests - Tom and Mary

Venue overview looking Port 

Looking starboard

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We are off on our food tour.  Perfect weather today in Santa Cruz.  
 

https://www.glomatravel.com/tour-enogastronomico-6-horas/

 

ITINERARY

The route will begin at La Casa del Vino, where you can taste three different wines (red, white and rosé) paired with an assortment of Canarian cheeses. You will learn about the extraordinary history of our wines and you will taste some of the best wines on the island.

 Next, you will visit the Guachinche “Casa Lito”, in Santa Úrsula, where you will have prepared some starters of grilled cheese with mojo, gofio escaldón, wrinkled potatoes with mojo, stamped eggs and old clothes.

 Once we have finished, we will go to the Guachinche "Don Trino", where you will try grilled meat dishes: churrasco, chops, goat meat, fiesta meat or rabbit.

 The last stop will be at Bodegas Monje, where you will enjoy a guided tour and drink coffee while enjoying the wonderful views of the north coast of Tenerife.

 This route lasts approximately 6 hours and takes place from Monday to Sunday. You will have 1 or 2 guides, depending on the size of the group, who will accompany you throughout the route.

 

•  You will enjoy a gastronomic excursion called “La Ruta del Guachinche”.
• You will get to know the gastronomic and wine culture of Tenerife.
• You will follow one of the best-known routes on the island.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[oakridger]

Food tour looks interesting.  I'll be watching for your pictures!

 

~Nancy

[IslandThyme]

That amazing Gambian excursion looks like just my thing. I envy you that one!

[Oceansaway17]

On 3/28/2023 at 6:04 PM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

We found this note on our bed tonight.   Apparently, the ship is going to try and crack down on people racing to the pier to get the front seats on shore excursions buses prior to their tour being called.

 

 

 

 

You know I have noticed this more and more how folks run to the buses.   And I notice more and more it is the over 50 crowd too.  I find younger folks go with the flow and know that a sit will be there for them.

I have seen a few times a married couple each try to grab a window.  One time I notice this and let the tour guide know that it is not fair if a solo person has to sit in aisle and not be able to get photos.

That and really if one person is really really overweight, do not make a stranger butt up next to them.

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

APRILS FOOLS’ DAY AT SEA

APRIL 1, 2023

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A fun day at sea with two parties

April Fools’ Day on Zuiderdam started the night before with the distribution of the Daily Program.  As you can see below, the top paragraph was printed upside down.  Our location is listed as “Lost at Sea”.  

During Ian’s morning announcement, he listed events that might have taken place on a cruise ship 100 years ago.  

There were two big events today – the Block Party and the Aprils Fools Costume Party.  

BLOCK PARTY

This was the third block party of the cruise and they continue to be a lot of fun.  Most folks tend to say in the hallway near their rooms while others venture to the nearby elevator lobbies which have become natural gathering spots as they have much more room to meet and mingle.  

Plenty of complimentary wine Christel and Henk stopped by the elevator lobby on the 7th Deck  

Waiters roamed the halls with trays of Hors d’oeuvres Food and Drink staging area

 

Judy and I took a lap around the entire Seventh Deck and enjoyed meeting people in the various hallways and lobbies and not just the people in our immediate area.

APRIL FOOLS’ DINNER

Tonight’s Dinner Menu is shown below and offered three set menus, but you could mix and match between them.  Surf and Turf were featured, something normally reserved for dressy night.  We had fun with the cornbread, dyed green on one edge, to make it look a little moldy.  

“Moldy” April Fools Bread

Special Menu!

 

 

APRIL FOOLS’ COSTUME PARTY

The big party was the costume party at 9 pm in the Crow’s Nest.  DJ Nyron does a fantastic job keeping the crowd energized and on the dance floor.  There were probably 150-200 people having a good time.  

Tacky tourists, Love Child, and Steven Tyler with Pam at the Costume Party Hollywood starlet and her manager

 

The highlight of the evening was the Costume Contest with three categories.  The judges were Ian,  Bienelisa, and Spencer.  

As they announced each category, the contestants paraded on the dance floor to the cheers of the happy crowd.  

Best homemade costume Best couples costume – Annie and Daddy Warbucks Best overall costume – Rosie the Riveter

 

The party wrapped up around 11 pm and the crowd moved down to the Rolling Stone Lounge to party on!  

Edited April 3, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We left Arrecife 4 hours late due to gale-force winds holding us against the pier.   Even an extra tug wouldn't be enough to pull us off and then safely maneuver in the narrow channel.

This tug arrived around 4:30 PM - The wind was too strong for us to get off the jetty

 

After the wind was down to about 25 mph, the tug and pilot arrived around 8:30pm and we headed out to sea at 9:00pm.   The waves were around 10 feet and we were going over 20 mph to try and make up time.   We will still be several hours late arriving in Agadir, Morocco.  

 

This shows where we moored and the location of the shuttle bus stop.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

SANTA CRUZ, TENERIFE

APRIL 5, 2023

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We enjoy local food, wine, and great weather on Palm Sunday

Arriving while the sun was rising, we moored at a long narrow quay, across from the large city of Santa Cruz.  There are many different cruise ship berths here, so where you moor may be different, but they are all relatively close to the city.

In our case, we were about 500 yards from the port entrance and then another quarter mile, across a pedestrian bridge into the center of town.  There are signs, in Spanish and English, directing you to follow the blue line to the town center.

Locations for some of the places we visited on our tour There is a blue line from your ship to the city center. There are many possible locations for your ship

The quay was filled with the HAL tour buses, but the private tours and taxis were outside the port gate, about 1/4 mile away.

On the other side of the quay from the ship is a concrete structure that runs the length of the quay.  About every 100 yards there was a small gift shop.

There were several shops like this as you walked along the blue line toward the city center

After about 1/4 mile you will find a small terminal building and a taxi stand.  The taxis use meters and take credit cards.  We spoke to a guest later and she said they hired a taxi here to take 4 of them to Mt Tiede for €160.

This building is about 1/4 mile from the ship and where you will find taxis and a few gift shops

 

Continuing on, we approached the CICAR Car Rental Center which is where the three of us met our tour guide.

NOTE:  During the sail away we spoke with some guests who rented a car here for the day for $90 USD.  It was an easy process to rent and return the car.  They remarked there were many one-way streets which made driving a little tricky.

The blue line continues as we approached the car rental center and our tour meeting point

Our driver and guide, Johnny used WhatsApp to send us a map with his exact location and updates as to when he would arrive.  Today we would be accompanied by Diego, who was in training to be a guide in the future.

Our tour was designed for people staying in hotels and our start time was a little earlier than normal.  Since the wineries didn’t open until 10 am, we made a side trip to a the very popular beach, Playa de Las Teresitas , which has sand imported from the Sahara desert.

Playa de Las Teresitas

 

The beach is beautiful and if you wanted to spend your day on the beach, this would be a nice choice.  You could get here using public transportation.

We spent about 15 minutes here before heading out toward our first winery, Casa del Vino.  The winery was established in the mid-17th century and is in outstanding condition.  A self-guided tour is available to download and there are some nice exhibits in the main building.  We spent about 35 minutes touring the winery and museum.

There is a giant grape press in the courtyard of Casa del Vino

 

Our next stop was Bodegas Monje or Monks’ Winery and was only 5 minutes away.  We started off on a tour of the winery which lasted 45 minutes as we explored 3 different levels.  We saw where they stored wine in wood casks as well as steel containers.

Wine barrels at Bodegas Monje

 

After the tour, we sampled four different wines.  We were sitting outside where we were sheltered from the wind.

• Drago Blanco Seco – Listan Blanco
• Tradicional Tinto  – Listan Negro
• Hollera Tinto – Listan Negro Monje
• Vino Padre – Miguel Monte

Enjoying our wine sheltered from the wind. We also enjoyed some small pieces of bread with a tasty cheese spread. Views of the Mt Teide and vineyards from the Bodegas Monje patio

 

Our final stop was at Guachinche Como En Casa a few minutes away.

Note:  A guachinche is a type of restaurant, found on the Canary  Islands, where they serve locally produced wine along with homemade traditional food.

Today was Palm Sunday and the restaurant was busy, but we were seated after about a ten-minute wait.  The line kept getting longer and longer and by the time we left, the wait was probably close to an hour.

Our guide, Johnny, and trainee, Diego, joined us at a table for 5 and ordered a variety of local dishes.

Diego explained some of the available toppings

 

Escaldón de Gofio; is a Tenerife traditional recipe made by boiling meat or fish stock which is then poured over the gofio, kneaded to a thick consistency, and then served in an earthenware bowl.  Gofio is a flour-based paste similar to fine grits or cream of wheat.  Johnny said we would either love it or hate it – we all loved it.

Champinones rellenos almogrote:  Mushrooms stuffed with almogrote – a cheese paste.

Champinones rellenos almogrote and Escaldón de Gofio

 

Carne Cabra –  goat meat served like a beef pot roast, only smaller with each piece having more bone.

Carne Cabra

 

These dishes were accompanied by chickpeas and some wonderful bread along with some of their delicious house wine.

Queso Tricolor

This was not a tourist spot and we didn’t hear anyone else speaking English.  The menus were all in Spanish.

We were here for about 90 minutes, enjoying the food and learning more about our hosts, Johnny and Diego.  This is why we enjoy food tours as we have a chance to explore some places not on the normal tourist track with local hosts.

We headed back to the ship and said goodbye to our wonderful hosts.

Pete, Johnny, Judy, and Diego

Judy and Susan headed back to the ship, but I ran into Pam and John, who were also returning from a tour.  We wanted to check out the large market nearby, so we turned around and walked back into the central city.

We followed the blue line which ends at the new pedestrian bridge that would take us across the busy highway.

This is a screenshot from Google Street view showing the pedestrian bridge

 

By the time we got to the market, most of the shops were closed.  Many were closed today anyway since it was Palm Sunday.

The streets were still fairly busy and many cafes and restaurants were open but time was running out for us and we headed back to the ship.

The Santa Cruz sign is near the city side of the pedestrian bridge

For future travelers,  I would spend some time “walking” the town with Google Street View in advance and discover areas you may want to explore in person.  This is a great port to walk the town, but having a plan in advance will help get you started in the right direction.

Comedian Paul Adams was on the World Stage this evening.  He put on a wonderful show.

Paul Adams Paul Adams talking about his childhood

Edited April 5, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[vinonme2]

Your food and wine tour in Santa Cruz sounds so nice. What is the name of the tour company?

 

Thank you!

[Ellencruise]

5 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

SANTA CRUZ, TENERIFE

APRIL 5, 2023

Click "Show More Posts" to show all the links to the other posts for the 2023 World Cruise

Show More Posts

 

We enjoy local food, wine, and great weather on Palm Sunday

Arriving while the sun was rising, we moored at a long narrow quay, across from the large city of Santa Cruz.  There are many different cruise ship berths here, so where you moor may be different, but they are all relatively close to the city.

In our case, we were about 500 yards from the port entrance and then another quarter mile, across a pedestrian bridge into the center of town.  There are signs, in Spanish and English, directing you to follow the blue line to the town center.

Locations for some of the places we visited on our tour There is a blue line from your ship to the city center. There are many possible locations for your ship

The quay was filled with the HAL tour buses, but the private tours and taxis were outside the port gate, about 1/4 mile away.

On the other side of the quay from the ship is a concrete structure that runs the length of the quay.  About every 100 yards there was a small gift shop.

There were several shops like this as you walked along the blue line toward the city center

After about 1/4 mile you will find a small terminal building and a taxi stand.  The taxis use meters and take credit cards.  We spoke to a guest later and she said they hired a taxi here to take 4 of them to Mt Tiede for €160.

This building is about 1/4 mile from the ship and where you will find taxis and a few gift shops

 

Continuing on, we approached the CICAR Car Rental Center which is where the three of us met our tour guide.

NOTE:  During the sail away we spoke with some guests who rented a car here for the day for $90 USD.  It was an easy process to rent and return the car.  They remarked there were many one-way streets which made driving a little tricky.

The blue line continues as we approached the car rental center and our tour meeting point

Our driver and guide, Johnny used WhatsApp to send us a map with his exact location and updates as to when he would arrive.  Today we would be accompanied by Diego, who was in training to be a guide in the future.

Our tour was designed for people staying in hotels and our start time was a little earlier than normal.  Since the wineries didn’t open until 10 am, we made a side trip to a the very popular beach, Playa de Las Teresitas , which has sand imported from the Sahara desert.

Playa de Las Teresitas

 

The beach is beautiful and if you wanted to spend your day on the beach, this would be a nice choice.  You could get here using public transportation.

We spent about 15 minutes here before heading out toward our first winery, Casa del Vino.  The winery was established in the mid-17th century and is in outstanding condition.  A self-guided tour is available to download and there are some nice exhibits in the main building.  We spent about 35 minutes touring the winery and museum.

There is a giant grape press in the courtyard of Casa del Vino

 

Our next stop was Bodegas Monje or Monks’ Winery and was only 5 minutes away.  We started off on a tour of the winery which lasted 45 minutes as we explored 3 different levels.  We saw where they stored wine in wood casks as well as steel containers.

Wine barrels at Bodegas Monje

 

After the tour, we sampled four different wines.  We were sitting outside where we were sheltered from the wind.

• Drago Blanco Seco – Listan Blanco
• Tradicional Tinto  – Listan Negro
• Hollera Tinto – Listan Negro Monje
• Vino Padre – Miguel Monte

Enjoying our wine sheltered from the wind. We also enjoyed some small pieces of bread with a tasty cheese spread. Views of the Mt Teide and vineyards from the Bodegas Monje patio

 

Our final stop was at Guachinche Como En Casa a few minutes away.

Note:  A guachinche is a type of restaurant, found on the Canary  Islands, where they serve locally produced wine along with homemade traditional food.

Today was Palm Sunday and the restaurant was busy, but we were seated after about a ten-minute wait.  The line kept getting longer and longer and by the time we left, the wait was probably close to an hour.

Our guide, Johnny, and trainee, Diego, joined us at a table for 5 and ordered a variety of local dishes.

Diego explained some of the available toppings

 

Escaldón de Gofio; is a Tenerife traditional recipe made by boiling meat or fish stock which is then poured over the gofio, kneaded to a thick consistency, and then served in an earthenware bowl.  Gofio is a flour-based paste similar to fine grits or cream of wheat.  Johnny said we would either love it or hate it – we all loved it.

Champinones rellenos almogrote:  Mushrooms stuffed with almogrote – a cheese paste.

Champinones rellenos almogrote and Escaldón de Gofio

 

Carne Cabra –  goat meat served like a beef pot roast, only smaller with each piece having more bone.

Carne Cabra

 

These dishes were accompanied by chickpeas and some wonderful bread along with some of their delicious house wine.

Queso Tricolor

This was not a tourist spot and we didn’t hear anyone else speaking English.  The menus were all in Spanish.

We were here for about 90 minutes, enjoying the food and learning more about our hosts, Johnny and Diego.  This is why we enjoy food tours as we have a chance to explore some places not on the normal tourist track with local hosts.

We headed back to the ship and said goodbye to our wonderful hosts.

Pete, Johnny, Judy, and Diego

Judy and Susan headed back to the ship, but I ran into Pam and John, who were also returning from a tour.  We wanted to check out the large market nearby, so we turned around and walked back into the central city.

We followed the blue line which ends at the new pedestrian bridge that would take us across the busy highway.

This is a screenshot from Google Street view showing the pedestrian bridge

 

By the time we got to the market, most of the shops were closed.  Many were closed today anyway since it was Palm Sunday.

The streets were still fairly busy and many cafes and restaurants were open but time was running out for us and we headed back to the ship.

The Santa Cruz sign is near the city side of the pedestrian bridge

For future travelers,  I would spend some time “walking” the town with Google Street View in advance and discover areas you may want to explore in person.  This is a great port to walk the town, but having a plan in advance will help get you started in the right direction.

Comedian Paul Adams was on the World Stage this evening.  He put on a wonderful show.

Paul Adams Paul Adams talking about his childhood

 

he was on the Oosterdam 3 weeks ago, very funny!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 hours ago, vinonme2 said:

Your food and wine tour in Santa Cruz sounds so nice. What is the name of the tour company?

 

Thank you!

Gloma - more HERE

 

HERE is the tour information

 

"Gloma  offers you food and wine excursions so that you get to know the traditional cuisine of Tenerife by visiting some of its wineries and enjoying its Guachinches, establishments where homemade food and home-grown wine are sold.

You will enjoy a gastronomic excursion called “La Ruta del Guachinche”.

You will get to know the gastronomic and ecological culture of Tenerife.

You will follow one of the best-known routes on the island.

There you will find the best dishes made with the best raw materials in the area and with all the love of its people."

Edited April 5, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[vinonme2]

Thank you! 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Ice cream Social

 

Today was a sea day en route to Casablanca.  

 

The big event was the Ice Cream Social at 3 pm.  

 

Two tables were set up on the Lido deck across from the Dive-Inn.   Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, and Raspberry ice cream was available along with various toppings.    The lines were probably 15 minutes long when the event started. 

They had two lines leading up to these tables

 

Spencer and Bienelisa helped host the social

 

Special Drinks were available - of course!

 

Alcoholic Ice Cream floats?!?!

 

 

 

[julia]

Pete....  despite a disappointing loss by the San Diego Aztecs on Monday, your thread has been a real joy to follow!  Your group certainly knows how to have fun onboard, and your tours are so interesting!  Thanks again for sharing the GWV with us!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

4 hours ago, julia said:

Pete....  despite a disappointing loss by the San Diego Aztecs on Monday, your thread has been a real joy to follow!  Your group certainly knows how to have fun onboard, and your tours are so interesting!  Thanks again for sharing the GWV with us!

Thanks'.  Good season for the Aztecs nevertheless.    
 

We are heading to Marrakesh with Across Africa Tour.  So far so good.   Very nice 17 passenger van      3 hour drive each way. 
 

8 am local time as I write this.  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

ARRECIFE, LANZAROTE, CANARIAS

APRIL 6, 2023

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A lazy day in a nice seaside resort

We arrived in Arrecife before the sun and moored alongside a long quay.   It was quite windy early and we didn’t realize how significant this would become until later.

Our plan for today was to take it easy and leave the ship later around midday and walk around the small town of Arrecife.  Sometimes when you visit a port and immediately go on an excursion some distance away, you never get a feel for the port town.

There was a shuttle bus to the Marina which was also about 1/2 mile from the town.  It wasn’t clear to me where the shuttle bus would drop us off in relation to the town and we weren’t sure what was at the Marina.  I will answer both of those questions in this post.

As we stood on the pier waiting for the shuttle bus a gust of wind blew off my ball cap.  Fortunately, it was stopped by a nearby pole or it may have skipped further down the quay.

The shuttle ride to the Marina was about 10 minutes.  You weren’t allowed to walk out of the port.  A taxi may or not be available when you get off the ship.

The shuttle stop is located at the Lanzarote Marina, which is very modern, and less than 10 years old.  There are numerous shops, restaurants, and a grocery store and it is a little over 1/4 mile from one end to the other.  Many people went no further than here as it is adjacent to the shuttle stop.  Also near the shuttle stop is a small Tourist Information Kiosk.  It was closed for lunch when we arrived and was closed for the day when we returned after 2 pm.  We peered into the windows and it looks like they had some nice local maps.  There is a taxi stand nearby.

The shuttle stop is at one end of the Lanzarote Marina, where you will find retail shops, restaurants (including a Burger King) and a grocery store. The yellow highlighted area shows the main tourist areas. We walked in a large clockwise loop

We spotted a sign that directed us across a pedestrian bridge to get to the city center and that’s where we headed.

Once across the bridge, we enjoyed the sculpture, “The Fisherman with Marlin” by Jorge Isaac Medina.  This represents a scene from The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel of a duel between a fisherman and a huge marlin.

“The Fisherman with Marlin” by Jorge Isaac Medina

At this point, we could go left or right around a small lagoon.  We saw numerous outdoor restaurants off to the right and decided to walk along the water to the left and then loop back around towards the restaurants.

You can see umbrellas for the restaurants along the pedestrian street north of the lagoon. The tallest peak in Lanzarote, Penas del Chache, is in the background.

 

Arrecife has numerous sculptures throughout the town and we spent some time studying “Caesar’s Gaze” by Manolo González which shows the artist sitting in the center of an eye-shaped window, a metaphor for “his clear gaze, his visionary spirit, and his innovative character”

“Caesar’s Gaze” by Manolo González

 

The Castle of San Gabriel was a couple of hundred yards offshore at the end of a causeway.  We decided not to go out and visit, but if you like old forts, you may find it interesting.

Castle of San Gabriel

 

We crossed over the street and headed down Calle Leon y Castillo, a nice pedestrian-only street that runs from the water to the street that faces the lagoon.  There were many nice shops, a grocery store, more sculptures, and outdoor cafes.

We stopped in the SuperDino grocery store and picked up some peanut butter.  Alas, Tim Tams are long gone since we left Oceania.

SuperDino grocery store and Rocasa (a cross between a Target and Michaels) Looking down Calle Leon y Castillo toward the water

 

Continuing down Calle Leon y Castillo we turned right onto Avenida César Manrique, which is a pedestrian street that runs along the lagoon and is lined by numerous restaurants with covered outdoor seating.  The restaurants were all busy with guests from the Zuiderdam and the other tourists but they all had table space available.  The menus were all similar and there wasn’t any of them that stood out.

Restaurants along Avenida César Manrique across from the lagoon

 

Off in the distance, we spotted the shuttle bus back to the ship, over 1/2 mile away.  We figured it would be long gone by the time we arrived in twenty minutes.  But to our amazement, it was still there when we arrived and our timing was good as it left within a few minutes of our boarding the bus.

We left Arrecife 4 hours late due to gale-force winds pushing us against the pier.  Even an extra tug wouldn’t be enough to pull us off and then safely maneuver in the narrow channel.

After the wind was down to about 25 mph, the tug and pilot arrived around 8:30 pm and we headed out to sea at 9:00 pm.  The waves were around 10 feet and we were going over 20 mph to try and make up time.  We will still be several hours late arriving in Agadir, Morocco.

Edited April 6, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We arrived in Tangier a few minutes ago.   Off soon on another all-day tour.  

 

This is the second of five consecutive port days - 

 

Casablanca,

Tangier

Malaga

Cadiz

Lisbon

 

I will be posting quick hits here during the day and more detailed information as time permits.