StLouisCruisers

We arrived in Paamiut, Greenland on Aug. 11, 2018 on our Seabourn Quest Route of the Vikings II cruise. We would be seeing half a dozen Greenland communities along with Prince Christian Sound. I was enchanted by the scenery in my first glimpse of Paamiut. We tendered to shore and ended up at this tiny dock. Good enough for me! My first sight was this home with these huge antlers adorning it. Caribou or reindeer, I’m not sure, but they’re some of the largest I’ve ever seen. More dwelling units overlooking the small marina area We set off to walk around the town and see as much as we could. The brightly colored buildings help keep spirits up during the dreary winter months No idea what this building is but it’s very different! The mural on this building represents the fishing industry This is a very neat grocery store with no customers to mess it up. With a population of only 1308 in 2020 this is the 10th largest town or populated area in Greenland. The population has dropped every year the past several decades. The Paamiut Museum The “famous” Paamiut Church The green building in the distance is the school A view just on the edge of town Back on the ship I saw the kayaks getting ready to go out again A nearby iceberg the kayakers might want to check out As we left the Paamiut area we saw several whales And that evening after dinner in the distance we could see what looked like a glacier or perhaps part of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We were heading north to Nuuk. I really enjoy these smaller, unusual ports of call and hope you can explore more of Greenland someday. I hope we can go back to some of them again.

Good morning friends! I woke up 10 minutes late today and have been hurrying to catch up ever since. The weather here is 38F and we expect to rise to possibly 68 with sunny skies today. Excellent weather for Groundhog Day! Expect 6 more weeks of winter, I always say, no matter what the groundhogs prognosticate. Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily plus the fleet maps. I can appreciate Ayn Rand, Bonza Bottler day and bubblegum. Someone is always making up a new day and why not Bonza Bottler, though why that name I'm not sure! Funny quote! The beef stew sounds nice and if gold came with the Gold Rush, I'd try it. I'll also try the prosecco. Good days in history though a sad one for Queen Victoria. I'm glad I got to tour and see St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle because now when something big happens there I can picture where it is and what it looked like. Thanks to Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard for the food and beverage reporting. I'm sad to hear some of our cruisers on the Koningsdam are feeling unwell due to seas. This has been a particularly rough ride on the Pineapple Express this week. Feel better! Prayers were said for my family and friends with extra ones for Scott. His wife says he had a mini TIA yesterday and she is very concerned for him. The doctors said since he could smile and raise his arms afterwards that he is doing okay. I think I'd want further examination after it but that's just me! So he was first on my prayer list. I also prayed for everyone here on the Daily and hope that there is improvement in each of your situations. Then I included the people in Israel and Ukraine at war and for the hostages still not home. We can't forget the military members who have already lost their lives and the remainder of them still dodging missiles, rockets and drones every day. Frightening! 🙏🙏 Annie @marshhawk I was sorry to hear it is time for Bubbles to be free from pain but know you are making the right decision. I also hope you are feeling better and hope you are using your oxygen. For all those celebrating happy events and cruising I wish you congratulations, smooth seas and following winds. Especially the Koningsdam cruisers! 🚢🥂🎂 The port this morning is a brand new one which is exciting. Paamiut, Frederikshab, Greenland! Therefore there will be no link posted. I won't have any photos for Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser so if she has any on her tablet she can post them today. I have been there once in 2018 on Seabourn Quest so will have to start at the beginning and that may take a little time. But I'll get it posted as soon as possible. I was kept pretty busy yesterday and didn't get to come back to post later in the evening but will try to keep up today with you. We will get groceries and DH might wash my SUV. I won't let the dealer wash it since they don't use a brushless automated car wash. Then we should prune the crape myrtle tree and cut back the ornamental grasses perched at the top of the slope this month and today is surely a nice enough day to do it. We shall see! Meanwhile, have a great day today everyone and please try to stay safe and keep well.

Terry, I'm really sorry to hear of so much sickness in the house, especially that Tana has such a bad cough and congestion. That's an awful thing to have on top of her pulmonary fibrosis! I don't blame the aide for wanting to suit up when she comes in. 😷 You stay well, and we're praying for relief from the sickness gripping your household.🙏 What a sad day in history for our country, the families and the space program. Thank you for the reminder.😢

Edi, hugs 🤗 to you today as you remember your DD DH on what would have been his birthday. I hope the memories of your travels together accompany you on your future journeys.

Lenda's fourth post on April 15, 2021 was mainly about boats seen in the Canal. As you know when you transit the Panama Canal, you will see all types of ships. However, in 1997 on the Horizon, before we discovered HAL, in the Gatun Locks, we were beside some unusual boat(s). I'll post the pictures, which are a combination of scanned hard copies and screen shots from DH's video; then I'll finish the story. The first boat approaching the locks, and your eyes aren't deceiving you. The escort boats and the boat in the locks. Notice the lawn chair to the right (in the picture) or port side of the wheel house. The leader of the escort party used it as he enjoyed the locks And some stood on the conning tower. It looks like the guys in the white shirts sitting down may be the canal pilots. We were told when submarines transit the canal, they must remain on the surface, which leaves them venerable to attack, thus the escort boats. I'm not sure if we were told the name of the sub, but we were told the class, but neither of us can remember the class after 20+ years. As you can see, the captain let the sub's company stand on deck. They were having as much fun watching the cruise ship as we were watching them. For those who had to remain in the conning tower, they used the periscope to check us out. With the zoom on the camera or with binoculars, we could see the periscope slowly panning back and forth. Once we left the locks, the sub and escorts moved ahead and that was the last we saw of the sub. However, after leaving the Miraflores Locks, the small gun boats came out from the Navy base circling the ship as a goodbye gesture. My final picture of the day was taken in 1996 before the major widening of the cut began. It is the monument honoring the construction workers who built the canal. It was on Contractor's Hill, but has since been removed as the hill was cut down and cut back.

Lenda's third post on April 15, 2021 Even though we are focusing on Gatun Lake, I thought I'd veer slightly from the canal with some pictures of Panama. In 2009, the Statendam made a stop in Panama before the next day's transit of the canal. due to an itinerary change. The ship had to miss our Good Friday call in Guatemala as the tour operators said they would not be able to get the buses to and from the port due to crowds in town. We were lucky enough to book a tour on the train to Colon and to get seats in the observation car. Unfortunately, we were not close to the canal most of the trip, and the few pictures of the canal from the train are not very good. The train and the observation car. A couple of pictures of Colon after boarding the bus back to Amador. It was not a place we wanted to walk around. On the way back to Amado, we stopped at the Visitor Center at the Pedro Miguel locks. There is a small museum on the lower levels which was interesting. From the observation deck, we had a good overview of the locks. Unfortunately, thee were no ships in the locks the entire time we were there. Once we got back to Amador, we found a taxi to take us on a tour of Panama City. It is a city of contrasts, with slums and high-rise buildings next to each other along with ruins of old forts and some remaining colonial buildings. We have said since then, that Panama City looks better from the ship, but we are glad we had the opportunity to see the city. I'm just going to post a picture of one house, and I think the sign outside the gate tells all you need to know about the house and its condition. The grounds were very much lacking @kazuJacqui's touch or any gardener's touch. I don't remember if he was in jail in Panama or the US at that time. Lenda

Lenda's second post on April 15, 2021. It always amazes me, that with all the technology available, using rowboats to get the forward lines to the mules is still the best method. Last year, one of the line throwers kept missing his mark and had to try several times. Gatun Lake Dam In 2014 on the Veendam, the gates for the new locks were lined up on shore. Construction of the new lock Agua Clara lock as seen from the Veendam. The completed entrance to the Agua Clara lock from Lake Gatun. Finally, a ship transiting the Agua Clara lock in 2020 as seen from the Rotterdam. Lenda

Here is Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser's first post on April 15, 2021 regarding Gatun Lake and the Panama Canal. Our 2020 roundtrip canal cruise marked the 14th and 15th times we have made a full transit. We've never done a partial transit. When we are in Arizona it is an easy drive to San Diego for either a Hawaii cruise or a canal cruise, and taking the ship back from FLL is a lot easier and more fun than flying. Since this post is getting long, I'll break the pictures up into two posts. The first group is more about other parts of the canal than Lake Gatun. A view of the remnants of Ferdinand de Lesseps attempt to build a canal through Panama. The control building at the Gatun Locks with a banner celebrating the 100th anniversary of the canal. The work area at Gamboa. The sad condition of Titan in 2020, showing a lot of rust and needing a new paint job. These are the original gears and motors used to open the lock gates before the hydraulic motors were installed. These are on display at the Gatun Locks. Lenda

Gatun Lake is an interesting "port" and it's hard to take a tour there unless a ship's tour. When we went through the Canal in 2016 on Westerdam we saw the Coral Princess ahead of us. When it arrived in Gatun Lake they anchored and let down their tender boats, so it seems they were going to do some ship's tours there. I don't know for sure since we were transiting straight through and didn't hang around. Here we are leaving the locks and preparing to enter Gatun Lake Coral Princess with tenders down and loading passengers. I was standing at the bow and this was the view behind me. And the real reason we book Panama Canal cruises - the Panama rolls!

Rabbit, Rabbit, White Rabbit! 🐇 Good morning friends! It's 31F and clear this first day of February. High should be about 60 with mostly sunny skies. Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet maps for us today. It's always nice to see the locations and plan for the future, or reminisce about past cruises. I don't have plans to make candy today or any day - I'll leave that to the experts. Car insurance is important and ours is paid up. I hope I don't have to change any passwords right now. That is a never ending worry! Someone was just mentioning black bean soup so here is another recipe in case anyone wants one. A drink I have at least heard of but never tried. No idea what the wine is but Ann will tell us what it's all about. Hurrah for the first Oxford dictionary, movie studio and oldest insurance company! Thank you Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports! Prayers said for my DB and other family and friends, and my friends here in need of them especially those on the Care list. Special prayers for Vanessa @JazzyV who has been in pain so long, and Tana who never seems to get a break. 🙏 Extra prayers for the people in Israel and Ukraine experiencing war and loss, the hostages still held, and our military in danger from attack constantly. 🙏 A salute to everyone celebrating happy events, all on the Celebration list, and our cruisers. There are a lot of you! 🚢🎂🥂 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for taking care of the lists for us! We know for a fact it's a lot of work. The port this morning is Gatun Lake, Panama. This was the port very early into the Port of the Day series back on April 15, 2021 and again on July 25, 2021. I'll post the links then go get the photos posted. I put a few up. Lots of us had photos to post that day. Lenda had quite a few and I hope to get them all posted for her and not miss any. The second link included cruising Panama Canal so go for it! Many of us have done that cruise so show us what you enjoyed the most. Hoping you all have a great day! Stay safe and keep well!

Brenda, very sorry to hear the sad news of your friend's passing. Your photo is beautiful--they always are.

That is sad news, for any home or business. I hope the restaurant can rebuild and reopen in the future.

Lenda's 2nd post Almost a year later, on August 12, 2017, the Prinsendam again docked in Belfast. This time, we'd reserved a rental car and picked it up at the dock. Our plan that day was to head to Bushmills and tour the Old Bushmills Distillery. Before the tour began, we gathered in their pub. Evidently, I didn't take any pictures in the distillery. The Antrim Coast Historic Castlecomer New Road The Peace Wall between Protestant and Chalonic Belfast Lenda

And now here are Lenda's photos which will be in two separate posts as well. We have been to Belfast twice, and I'll divide my pictures into two posts. On August 20, 2016, the Prinsendam docked in Belfast. First on our list of places to see was the Titanic Experience, so we got a black cab from the port to the museum. I'd always wanted to ride in a London black cab, and I finally got to, just not in London. The cab ride allowed us to beat the tour buses to the museum. The Titanic Museum, which has taken a page out of Disney attractions, as you go through the museum in a moving "car". The museum is interesting, but the pictures are not the best because of the lighting. The view of the slipway that was used in building the ships, and the Prinsendam in the background. One of the buildings of the old Harland and Wolff shipyard and the two giant cranes used in shipbuilding. Across the street from the Titanic Experience is the Nomadic, the last remaining ship from the White Star Line. It was used as a tender in Cherbourg for the Titanic Passengers. We returned later in the day to walk through the Nomadic. Ahead of the Nomadic is a Caisson used to close off the entrance to the dock. From the Titanic Experience, we took the Ho-Ho for a tour of Belfast. Just a few scenes from the Ho-Ho. This is the Parliament of Northern Ireland. When the bus stopped at City Hall, we walked to a taxi stand and hired a taxi to take us to the Giants Causeway. We took the mini bus from the visitor center down to the entrance. Since it was getting late, we just saw the Giants Causeway from the bus. Lenda

The third visit to Belfast was on June 9, 2017 on Prinsendam. We caught a peek at Captain Ane Jan Smit on the exterior bridge wing guiding us into the dock We did the usual shuttle bus ride to downtown, always dropped off near City Hall. We wandered by the Merchant Hotel again, the tilting clock tower, and saw an interesting building the Bittles Bar. How’s that for squeezing a narrow building onto a narrow plot of land? Here are a few of the interesting sights seen as we walked in the vicinity of Victoria Square shopping mall. Fourth visit was on Sept. 9, 2018 again on Prinsendam. Again they had the double decker shuttle bus to downtown, though if you needed a taxi there were British style taxis parked next to the buses. Once again I checked on the tree planted as a memorial to those lost on 9/11 in the U.S. Looking strong! It had been planted 6 years earlier on 9/11/2002. It was a Sunday and we saw a vintage motorcycle club had the old bikes on display for all to see on City Hall grounds. Some were from the 1930’s. Then since no stores opened until 1 pm we wandered down to St. George’s Market, sort of a farmer’s market. It seems everybody in Belfast was there because it was packed! Lots going on! In addition to what I show you here, there were fish vendors, butchers and produce sellers. We couldn’t have sat down to have a snack or refreshment if we wanted to because all seats were taken. And it was pretty loud in there, too. After taking a close look at all the displays we headed back to the ship on the bus. Thanks for hanging in there with me on all these photos, but I hope I showed you there's a variety of sights to see in Belfast.

It’s nice to see the port of Belfast, Northern Ireland because I’m sure a lot of you have great memories from there. Or perhaps you’ve never been there before and would like a quick look at it. We enjoy the British Isles cruises so have seen it 4 times and enjoyed all the visits. Our first time there was in 2011 on Emerald Princess after a Baltic cruise followed by a transatlantic back to the States. We were traveling with friends Susan and Scott. The ship’s shuttle to downtown dropped us off across the street from City Hall. We walked around City Hall grounds and noticed a stone commemorating September 11, 2001 with a tree planted just next to it. There were some flowers laid there and some small American flags placed next to the stone. Each time we’ve gone to Belfast we walk around the City Hall grounds and stop to see the stone and how big the tree is getting. A little sparse on the leaves here After that we walked to a famous bar called the Crown Saloon (nowadays known as one of the Nicholsons Pubs). It is practically across the street from the Grand Opera House on Great Victoria Street not far from City Hall. It seems everybody was there so since it was so crowded we went to a different bar nearby. There is a Robinson’s Bar and a Brennan’s Bar one on each side of Crown Saloon. Robinson's Bar We went in Brennan’s because Robinson’s had people waiting to get in too. Everyone but me enjoyed a Guinness (I don’t drink beer) and we enjoyed conversing with a group of ladies celebrating birthdays. Sorry this one is blurry. The second time we were in Belfast was in May 2015 on Royal Princess with friends Sandy and Bob. Due to high winds the ship had to wait all day to dock there. It was 6:30 pm before we were cleared to leave the ship. We took the first double decker shuttle bus to downtown. Again we saw City Hall, the memorial stone and the tree which appeared larger than four years earlier. That’s a good thing! You can read this one! Across the road from City Hall, Belfast Metropolitan College. This time we walked another direction, passing Victoria Square shopping mall. We saw St. Anne’s Cathedral and Albert Memorial Clock which is tilting. Then on the route back we came upon the Merchant Hotel. Some gentlemen standing on the verandah saw us stopped to take photos of the building and talking about it. They invited us inside to see some of the beautiful renovations done recently. It used to be a bank but is now a 5 star hotel. One of them said his name was Conor Houston (man in middle of photo on the verandah) and he said his father had headed the renovations from the Ulster Bank building to the Merchant Hotel. He even took us to the vault in the basement. There were many amenities available. He said he had gone to school and spent a lot of time in Boston and since Bob and Sandy are originally from that area they enjoyed chatting a bit. Conor also told us Belfast holds the U.S. in a special place in their hearts due to all that we have done for that city. That was nice of him to say. After visiting the Merchant Hotel, we walked back to the double decker bus and rode back to the ship. We were late to dinner (late seating) but no one was there so the waiters were happy to see us and hear about our jaunt around town. I'll continue with visits 3 and 4 in the second post. There's lots to see in Belfast.

Good morning friends! It's 40F and will be 54 and sunny today so not bad weather for the last day of January. My shoulder is doing better and back to about a 3 out of 10 so I'll continue to be careful with it. Vanessa @JazzyV you can take me off the Care list because there are so many out there who are in far worse shape than I am. Thank you! Thanks also to Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet maps for us. I always appreciate my Social Security check as does DH. I'm not much of a cocktail drinker so would probably not order a Brandy Alexander and would certainly not like wearing a gorilla suit! It's pretty sad that someone thinks concrete cloverleafs are our national flower. From the sounds of it I think today is not a day I'd like the stew, Dickelade or Chardonnay. Interesting days in history regarding Mandela, the first soap opera (before I was even born), and the 17 year old golfer. Thanks to our F&B department reporters, Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard. Good job everyone! Heartfelt prayers said today for my family and friends in need of them, the people of Israel and Ukraine and the hostages still held, our military members overseas especially the 5 lost so far and the many dozens seriously injured. And I would never forget my friends here on the Daily with heart conditions, fighting cancer, Alzheimer's and severe eye problems. 🙏 Prayers for Vanessa @JazzyV for pain relief and for Terri @Cruzin Terri that her problems have eased and she can enjoy boarding her ship with Jim in Miami. I'd also like to celebrate with the many cruisers we know and for all enjoying birthday and anniversary celebrations.🎂🥂 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for updating the lists for us each day! The port this morning is Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. This was the port once before on Oct. 30, 2023. Here is the link to that date. I'll post photos for myself and Lenda shortly. Hoping everyone has a great Wednesday. Please keep safe and stay well!

Great photo, Tina! Have a wonderful cruise!

I've learned something today so won't be surprised if the luggage arrives before I do next domestic flight. Speaking of flights, my DDIL went to Ann Arbor for a few days to have a girls weekend up in snowy northern Michigan. They celebrated all the girlfriends' January birthdays and it looked like a great time. But when she tried flying back to Dallas Sunday night her flight kept getting delayed, bit by bit. It eventually left at 12:30 am Monday instead of 5:30 pm Sunday, but she gave up halfway through the delays and rebooked for 5 am. Monday. Went home to sleep and turned up for her flight at 5 am next morning. But the thing that made my mouth drop is she said it took 3 tries to land in Dallas due to other planes on the runway. She said the air traffic controllers were having a tough time, which to me is an understatement! Yikes! So I went to flightaware.com to search for Monday's early morning flight from Detroit to Dallas, AA #1108. That was pretty scary. You can see where they turned around twice and went back to try again. But look at the altitude down to ground level and then the sharp rise in speed as they shot back up to 5000 feet! I'd need a stiff drink after that! So glad everyone made it to Dallas safely. 😥 Ray, next time we have Airlie Beach as port of the day you be sure and post your photos here for us! We'd like to see it too!

That was quite a bonfire wasn't it? Thanks to @1ANGELCAT for clueing us in.🔥

I went to BBC on my laptop and linked to this live shot from there. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-scotland-68085215?src_origin=BBCS_BBC hope that works!

Great news, Paul. Hope it heals quickly. Thanks Bruce @aliaschief and your fellow passenger for the photos! Looks great! Debbie @dfish after all this talk of chocolate croissants, I'm suddenly craving one. Time for lunch!

Terri @Cruzin Terri it sounds like you have a sensitive GI tract and traveling can upset that condition easily. I recommend you get some fluids with electrolytes in you and hopefully you carry Immodium when you travel. Some people use Gatorade but check out some Pedialyte at the pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist if you should try that or an adult version. As for food, watch what you eat today. The recommendation is the BRAT diet, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Rice is good too I think. Baked or boiled potatoes, plain pasta, low-fat yogurt, soft cooked eggs, and clear broths. Hope you can find something like that to eat. You need to gain your strength back. Once I was up all night like you and the next morning fainted in the bathroom while alone. I could have hurt myself badly but only had a small bruise by my eye where my glasses hit the floor. Good luck!!

Got it!

Wow! I thought the rules were that your luggage had to be on the plane with you? Unless of course the baggage handlers mess up and it follows you on a later flight. I've never heard of sending the luggage on ahead!!