WCB

Report # 130 Tuesday May 9, 2023 Day #4 Of 6 Enroute To Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mostly Sunny With Some Clouds Some Wind And Calmer Seas 65 Degrees And Warmer Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures The weather had improved quite a lot as the ship continues to head southwest towards Florida. Doing at least 20 knots, it feels like a thundering herd of horses heading back to the stables. We figured that as long as the movement on the ship was fairly stable, it was a good time to fill some suitcases. We use a nifty hand-held scale that works rather accurately weighing the bags. If the ship is moving up and down too much, the weight may fluctuate. This morning it was working OK as the sea swells were not that bad. And for those folks who do not have the hand-held device, there was a digital scale set up near the front desk. We managed to complete six of our eight pieces of luggage, keeping them a bit underweight just in case. Now we wondered how soon we could put them outside in the hall to be picked up. And had the decision been made whether or not we would have to gather and drag the Luggage Forward bags through customs? A quick phone call to the front desk folks answered those questions. We would be able to put the luggage outside by 8am tomorrow morning, with the final pieces out by 11pm Thursday evening. And the greatest news of the day was that the shipped luggage would not have to be gathered and pulled through customs. Now if we had any pieces of luggage we were bringing home with us on the airplane, we would have to go through customs with those. We chose to go luggage-free and not haul anything on the plane except hand-carrys. Instead of flying home the day we disembark we had decided to stay one night in Ft. Lauderdale and fly out the next morning. Really alleviates the stress of getting off early to catch a flight. That way we will not be in the middle of horrible traffic when we land in San Francisco. We booked the hotel stay with transfers with HAL, so our disembark time will be 10:15am, among the last ones to get off. The disembarkation package was promised to be delivered either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. It was in our mail slot within an hour after calling. We took a nice long walk on the promenade deck around 5:15pm, mostly to see how the folks were dressed for the final formal evening in the dining room. It appeared that the majority of guests followed the dress suggestion, while a few did not. If HAL had not changed the description of formal to gala, then gala to dressy, and the usual country club casual, perhaps more people would stick to the suggested code for the various evenings. We understand the trend is changing to almost 100% casual, but many folks like to dress up and we hope this tradition does not go by the wayside. Doesn’t take much to make us happy as we saw some flying fish this afternoon while on our walk. We began seeing those chunks of green algae floating by, followed by some tiny flying fish. Patiently we watched for more, and they did get larger…. evidence that the water is warming up the closer we get to Florida. Hoping for dolphin sightings would have been the frosting on the cake. Did not see any of those……at least not yet. A couple of interesting events occurred today with a Q&A session with Captain Frank. Greg attended and said the questions were very good, and his answers on some subjects were acceptable. A very sensitive question was asked regarding the situation we were in while stopping in Senegal in West Africa. As you may recall, none of us were allowed off of the ship that day. Apparently there was some confrontation with the locals and the Captain, who refused to deal with them. That is probably one reason the containers meant for us were not released. Not all of it was food, but supplies and furniture etc. Non-perishables. The Captain suggested that other HAL ships were due to stop there, and they may be able to take possession of some of the items. That is, if they are still there and not pilfered. That area was not our favorite part of the world cruise for sure. The other event was the Guest Talent Show. Hoping it would be televised at 2pm, we could not find it on the room TV. Since we were in the middle of packing, we did not want to quit to go to the show lounge. We did hear that there were a few good singers among the passengers. And as we have already said, it was formal for dinner tonight – the final one. This afternoon, two Delft plates for the 150th year of Celebrating Holland America Line were left on our bed. Printed on them were the words, 2023 Grand World Voyage. Unfortunately, there was no itinerary printed on the plates this time. Since there had been so many changes with ports deleted and some added, they never would have gotten them correct. Funny story…..one year not too long ago, the plate-makers in the Netherlands got the wrong year and itinerary completely. That summer, they mailed us corrected plates. Guess the incorrect ones may become a collector item someday. Our table was hosted by our friend Rene, the spa manager, but we were missing Woody. Apparently, he had miscalculated the time, and was so late, he must have decided not to come. Our waiter Nik tried calling him but got no answer. Barb got worried that something was wrong and went right to his room. Oscar, our head waiter followed. Afraid that Woody may have had an accident, Oscar got the room steward to open the door. He was OK, but definitely not dressed for dinner. As it turned out, he must have decided it was too late to join us, and never did come. Oscar said he would see to it that he had room service for his dinner. You’ll never find crew members like we have here, and all of us appreciate it. So the starters were fishy, like bay shrimp cocktails, fish chowder, and a mixed croquette. The usual formal entrees included surf and turf and a type of shrimp ball with Dover sole. Expecting the Dover sole that needed to be de-boned, this dish was far from that. It looked like two eyeballs on the plate with sides of veggies. The sole had been wrapped around a shrimp ball. Creative and tasty we suppose, it did give us all a chuckle. One of us had the” formal” cheeseburger and savored every bite along with the hot French fries. Fancy desserts were available, but we had one jello and a frozen chocolate yogurt. Pavlova and a fruit plate for the rest ended the meal nicely. There were two choices of entertainment after dinner., as well as the venues in the Music Walk. One was a Grand Masquerade party in the Crow’s Nest at 9pm, while the other was a performance by the singers and dancers with Simply Broadway. We would wager a bet that the show in the World Stage might have drawn the bigger crowd. As expected, the clocks went back one more hour tonight. Now we have one more to go to be on Florida time or Eastern Standard Time. And waiting for us on the bed was a letter from Gus Antorcha, President of HAL saying that he was grateful for the fact we chose to sail with them. He thanked everyone that provided feedback, including praise and critique while he was on the ship recently. He added that they are already working on ways for the next Grand Voyages to be even more special. And he said that they will be finalizing changes for the future cruises based on our feedback. He added that he was proud of the genuine connection the guests had with the crew and officers. We strongly agree. This was good news to read, since it does make a difference speaking up and questioning changes. If not, nothing would ever have a chance of improving. Some may consider this whining; however, we see the comments (good, bad, and ugly) as constructive criticism. A large group of our friends that have up to 20 Grand World Voyages under their belts like us, are on the same page as we are. We will not be seeing everything through rose-colored glasses or accept these cutbacks and deletions quietly. Two more sea days left now, and we hope the Atlantic Ocean will be smoother as the swells and winds did pick up later in the day. Bill & Mary Ann

We certainly appreciate the nice comments regarding the blog. Nice to know it is being read. We agree about the type of ship used for a world cruise. The Zaandam would have been a better choice, but the money for HAL is tied to selling the verandas, which there are more of on the Zuiderdam. Speaking of problems, our tablemates have had only scalding water in their suite for two days now. We had the same problem last November while on the Tales of the South Pacific. We are booked on the 2024 as well as the 2025 (not the pole to pole), but are still considering other options at this point. Hi Monty and Margaret! We sure have nice memories of the back-to-back cruises we did. Things have sure changed since then. Don't blame you for taking a break. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 129 Monday May 8, 2023 Day #3 Of 6 Enroute To Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mostly Sunny With Some Clouds Some Wind And Calmer Seas 65 Degrees And Warmer Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures We actually woke up to mostly blue skies this morning. The seas have calmed down quite a bit, which is so much better for packing. Walking was pleasant on the promenade deck, which we managed to do twice today. We could count the walkers each time on one hand, so we are certain people are beginning to pack. Last night we got a notice regarding wheelchair service for disembarkation day. A last- minute request for mobility service, unless it is due to a recent accident perhaps, cannot be accommodated. Only guests who have been noted and confirmed to use utility devices throughout the Grand World Voyage will be honored. On our morning hike, we stopped briefly to look over the side, and discovered dolphins swimming under the ship. They never did jump out of the water but stayed under the surface. They are so fast, if we had looked a few seconds later, we would have missed them. Then there were none. Funny how we sensed they were even there. The water is still too cold for flying fish, which was what we had hoped to see. There are two speakers on board – one lecturing on how folklore can save the world. His name is Dr. John Bodner. The afternoon speaker dealt with libraries and librarians. Her name is Crystal Rose. A movie was shown in the Rolling Stone Lounge called The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu. We never did attend a show in there, so we missed out on the popcorn. Darn. There were a couple of casino poker events, but from what we have gathered, the casino has not been the busiest spot on the ship. One thing we have not seen on this trip are art auctions. There is an art cubbyhole, but it’s seldom manned. Two more Mariner Brunches took place in the lower dining room today – one at 11am, and the second at 1pm. There was no regular lunch served in the dining room, so we could not order something different from room service for lunch. It was soup and a shared club sandwich for us. Dinner time found all six of us present, sharing news of the day. We think we were correct that there will not be a crew show, but there will be a passenger talent show tomorrow afternoon. Dinner selections were better with appetizers of chicken tenders with a grainy mustard dip. Every one of us ordered it, which has to be a first. And it did not disappoint. Mains were the Club Orange chicken, and one Chef Neil’s cheeseburger, one of the best of the cruise so far. Oscar even brought a plate of piping hot French fries for Bill, knowing how much we prefer hot food. It was a generous pile, so he shared. Oscar saw this and brought another large plate full of fries. Then his cheeseburger came with the basket of skinny fries. So much for limiting the carbs….. Desserts were jello and passionfruit sorbet, quite different from the other flavors, it takes some getting used to. We noticed that the sun was just going down on the horizon as we left the dinner table. It was close to 9:30pm, indicating the reason we will need to set the clocks back one hour tonight. Now we have two more hours back to be correct for Florida. During the afternoon, we compiled a list of changes we have noticed with the 2023 Grand World Voyage. We will be posting the full list towards the end of this cruise. Looking at the ship’s location, it appears we are about even with Bermuda, but still far out at sea. Currently, the ship is doing 21 knots, which is quite fast. Could it be that we will be arriving earlier than expected in Florida, or will we be slowing down the closer we get? Time will tell. And so goes the third day at sea. Bill & Mary Ann

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

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

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

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

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 15th 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

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

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

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

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

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 6th century monastery, and 18th 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 4th. 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

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 19th 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

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

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 12th to 14th 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

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

Report #117 Wednesday April 26, 2023 Bergen, Norway Docked Port Side To Pier 9am-6pm 39-42 Degrees Snow Showers Off And On All Day With Some Sun Part #1 Of 4........68 Pictures Well today was our final port in the beautiful country of Norway. Or should we say the coldest day in Bergen with some rain, sleet, and snow. Yes….snow. With the temperatures in the 40’s it was no surprise to see passing snow showers during the day, along with some clearing and a bit of sun as well. A mixed bag. Bergen happens to be the rainiest city in Norway and the second largest one next to Oslo. The Zuiderdam arrived to the port before 9am, and was docked shortly afterwards. The skies were partly cloudy, but it was cold. For some reason, we did not recognize this dock at all. Obviously we were in a different place than we used to dock. Once secured, we watched as truckloads of deliveries come and were off-loaded. We can say for a fact there were tons of fresh produce, in particular, many flats of berries came out of the trucks and onto the ship. The snow showers did not stop the workers at all. Set in a coastal landscape, Bergen has to be one of the prettiest cities in Europe. An ancient seafaring trade had elevated the city to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The most photographed part of this city has to be the waterfront district of Bryggen with a row of old wooden buildings used as warehouses at one time. Today these wooden warehouses are home to artisan boutiques, restaurants, and even hotels. And as always seems to happen when we visit, some of the buildings were covered up for restoration. Of course there were some tours here such as Bergen on foot & Mt. Floien by funicular and the Fish Market for $110 for 3 hours. A walk through Bergen and a visit to an ice bar was $75 for 3 hours, while Easy Bergen with a panoramic ride was $80 for 2 hours. A longer tour for 7 ½ hours was Hardangerfjord & Highlands for $200 with a lunch. Mt. Floien hiking was $85 for 4 hours, while a fjord and glacier seaplane flight was $700 for 1 ¼ hours. Flight time was actually 40 minutes. There were some participants since we saw the meeting time on the TV. Thinking Bergen would be milder weather compared to yesterday in the fjords, we were wrong. When we saw the snow coming down, we knew to bundle up again and even pack the umbrellas. Docked portside today, we could watch the guests going off and saw one man with walking sticks and wearing shorts. What was he thinking? At one point, he turned around and came back on the gangway, we assume to dress warmer. As we already said, we were not in a familiar pier, and without any maps, we had to rely on other guests coming back as to where to head to find downtown and the Fish Market area. It was somewhat of a walk but do-able. One good aspect of parking in a different spot was the fact we saw more of the town than we had on past visits. Back on the previous cruises, we had taken tours and had no time to explore the city. Now we walked to a pedestrian area that included many old historic buildings that led to a huge fountain by the name of Lille Lungegardsvenn. Several museums lined this central fountain as well as Bergen Kunsthall and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Not sure of the direction we needed to head for the Bryggen area, we asked some fellow cruise guests if they knew the way. They said turn left and we will find it. That brought us to a pedestrian street with some restaurants….one of which was Peppe’s Pizza. How about that? Never even thought to look for another one here, but we were glad to find it. And yes, we would come back later. This avenue happened to have many high-end stores that you see in every big city. Just a few blocks away , we found the Information Shop, up an elevator on the second level of the Fish Market. This was what we really needed – a good map of the city and surrounds. Forget the cell phone download, a real map is much better. The last few times we were here, the first time in 1996 and the second time 2006, it was summertime and the outdoor Fish and Flower Market was set up at the end of the harbor. Today the tents were gone, and there were only a few food trucks and vendors. One vendor was helpful when we asked where the tents were. He said that only happens in the warmer summer months. We continued on walking around the wharf and towards the old warehouses, some of which were covered for restoration. Kind of messes up the complete photo we wanted to get. There was a huge, masted vessel in the harbor which made for better pictures. We did notice that one of the wooden houses had a Radisson Blu sign on it. Never thought they had such a small hotel until we went around the side and saw the real hotel extended to the back street. The front of the hotel was just a façade. Hiking further on this upper street we did find the entrance to the funicular to the top at Mt. Floien. We have done that twice, but while on a tour. Curious as to the price to ride it one way, we found it was 85 Kroner or about $8 USD. We heard from Heo and Greg that they had done the ride and made it to the top just in time with the sun out. As they left, the snow passed over and blocked any view of the city down below. From here we went back downhill and towards the Fish Market. That’s when friends Jim and Jessica ran into us and we compared notes. They agreed that we were in a different dock and the walk was not a good one for them since Jim relies on a sturdy walker/chair to get around. There was a van back at the pier available for people using wheelchairs, and at first they were told they did not qualify for a free ride to here. That meant that Jessica would have to push Jim all the way to town, some of it uphill. Finally, they relented and took them both to town. Sad that you have to fight for this service. While chatting, we agreed that the ports in Norway had been the most expensive ones on this entire trip. They had paid $24 USD for two very large oysters for lunch, which was good they said, but not that good. As we were talking, it began to hail, enough to catch some of the ice in your hands. Jokingly, Jim caught a hunk of ice and put it in his mouth, saying that would be the only thing in Norway that was free. He was so right. Love his sense of humor. Now all we needed to do was find our way back to where we saw Peppe’s Pizza, which we did locate on a busy corner. By now, this area was bustling with people shopping and school kids catching buses. Several ho-ho buses were out and about as well. It was wonderful ducking into the warm restaurant and ordering two draft beers. Looking around, we realized that many locals and tourists such as us like Italian cuisine. It sure is good on a cold chilly day, like comfort food. We ordered the large pepperoni pizza once again, and it was just as tasty as the first and second ones we enjoyed this past week. And we doubt we will come across this chain in the upcoming ports in Scotland, Ireland and The Azores. Heading back, we took more photos of the many impressive buildings in downtown that we had missed on the walk here. Docked in the Jekteviken Pier, the Zuiderdam was close to the ferry port with a large ship in that spot. Running into hosts Luisa and Gene, they said they had been here recently while hosting other cruises, and they had been docked closer to the Bryggen area of town, close to all of the main attractions. We’re just guessing, but we think HAL saved some money putting us out this far away. There was no other cruise ship in that closer pier as far as we could tell. Anyway, we were back home by 3:30pm. Warming up in our room, we watched the sail away from our veranda after the all aboard time of 5:30pm. Leaving the Bergen area, we passed under another long bridge and many towns and villages. The ship was still in the series of fjordens with different names during our dinnertime, and finally reached the open sea by 9:30pm. Now that we are headed southwest, we expect a time change of one hour back soon. And believe us, with so many exhilarating ports in a row, we need that extra hour back as well as a day at sea. Wish it was more. The dining room dinner menu offered the last of the Norwegian specialties, but for those who really liked the cuisine booked the “Norwegian Dinner” in the Pinnacle Grill. They will have their fill of everything fish. We were happy with simple appetizers of hot chicken noodle soup and salads as well as mains of one chicken Kiev and a traditional turkey meal with cranberry sauce. Barb stuck to mainly appetizers for her whole dinner, with a few shrimp on a bed of linguine for her main. As she normally does, the shrimp is the only part of the meal she will eat. Joking as he often does, Heo said Barb must have been a penguin in her former life since she loves so much seafood. Good thing she likes penguins, or she may have thrown her napkin at him. Dessert for us was coffee yogurt – perfect end to a fun day. The fellows were on their way to the show with a repeat performance by comedian Sid Davis with an all- new show. They enjoyed the first one and looked forward to this one tonight. Better than the World Stage being “dark” as in no show. By the way, we had an amusing message from the hotel manager explaining the reason we were out of pillow chocolates. We had to laugh, since he said they had no luck trying to get substitute chocolates in Norway. Since they knew the supply was running out, why didn’t they look for a substitute while in Belgium, one of the biggest “chocolate” countries in the world??? Duh….. Now they are hoping for shipments in Scotland, Ireland, or the Azores. Bet they get the delivery in Ft. Lauderdale……. Really going to like a day at sea tomorrow. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #116 Tuesday April 25, 2023 Anzac Day Eidfjord, Norway Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-5pm Overcast And Cooler 39-45 Degrees Part #1 Of 4..........70 Pictures Snow-capped mountain peaks on both sides of the ship are what we woke up seeing this morning. We sure did not expect that, but with a temperature of 39 degrees, today will be the coldest port yet. It was overcast and cloudy, and the winds were rather calm. The village of Eidfjord is located off of the Hardangerfjord, the third longest fjord in the world. We had traveled the Hardangerfjord during the night and missed seeing the snow-laden mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and hundreds of thousands of fruit trees along the way. Lining the hillsides and shoreline are small villages and homes with a killer view. Hotels and camping grounds are here and there for the summer crowd of thrill seekers. It is also an area of many lakes and dams and hydro-electric power plants that feed the surrounding communities. This industry employs many of the folks that live in these small villages. In fact Eidfjord has been described as one of the wealthiest communities due to the production of hydro-electric power. A full size water wheel used in one of these powerplants is on display in the center of town. The town itself is quite unusual as it contains a little of this and that. There are a few hotels, the nicest being Voringfloss Hotel built in 2001 with 81 rooms, a tourist info center, a coop food store, one gas station and an electric vehicle re-charging station. There was a post office, bakery, cafes, sculpture park, art gallery and library. A church and a doctor’s office and a pharmacy were there as well. Bus tours and a small train ride are available when a ship is in port. Camping and summer outdoor sports bring the rest of the vacationing Norwegians and tourists here. Speaking of tours there were some available from the ship. Waterfalls and waffles for $150 for 4 hours sounded tasty, and ultimate Eidfjord and Norwegian lunch with the Food & Wine group was $270 for 5 hours. Eidfjord cruise and Voringfossen waterfall was $130 for 2 ½ hours. There was a seaplane flight for $450 for 1 hour, but not sure if there were any takers on that one. The little train ride lasted an hour and the fare was 180 kroner or under $20 USD per person. As for us, we left the ship around 11am and headed into town with a stop at the Tourist Information shop. We were able to pick up some maps and more local information. Then we began to walk towards a bridge over the river. That’s when we ran into couple we did not know, but suggested a trail to follow, since they seemed to know we liked to hike. Their advise was to follow the yellow route, which we did find on the local map. We hiked along the river bank where trout and salmon run upstream, passing many homes and possible camping grounds. That’s when we ran into Greg who was on his way back already. The guys had left the ship, gone shopping, and were off for some exercise. Greg had already made a purchase of a Norwegian wool sweater and was happy to have found it. Heo continued on for the rest of the 5K hike. Then shortly after leaving Greg, Christel came up and said hi. She had already done this hike and was out for her second attempt. That’s what being younger does for you, reminding us that was the two of us 20 years ago. According to the map, this hike was estimated to take 90 minutes. For us taking photos along the way, it was double that time. We reached the lake that even had a small patch of sandy beach. It is called Lake Eidfjord vatnet. This is the point where the switch-back trail ascends the hillsides to the top of a ridge, 100 meters above sea level. Halfway up this steep incline, we ran into Shiv, who was turning around from the top to go back the way he had come. Christel had told us this trail would lead back to town, even though Shiv was afraid he might get lost. He suggested we might want to go back the way we came, but we had gotten this far, so we decided to forge ahead. Glad we did as we came upon a farmhouse with pastures and fencing. The gravel road became wider and eventually led to the Haereid Iron Age Burial Site from the Viking Age. This was dated from 400 to 1000 AD. Wow. Originally 400 mounds were discovered to have remains, but to this day, they know more graves exist even deeper below this cemetery. The mystery surrounding the “where and why” these graves are here is still unexplained and will probably never be known. Several farms lined this now paved road, and at one point, the little tourist train passed us on their way to the ancient gravesite. Among the riders were Gene and Luisa, our travel hosts, who waved going and coming back. And here we thought we were in the middle of nowhere. Even a postal worker drove to the very end ranch to deliver mail. We had reached civilization after all. Following the road and passing what appeared to be a lone pony, we turned left and found Hodna, a scenic viewpoint straight up above Eidfjord. It overlooked the village below and also the soaring cliffs across the canyon. A chilling signpost was there describing the frequency of avalanches across the way. As lately as 2002, a huge avalanche occurred on these steep hillsides, that took a bus over the road and into the icy water, killing two people. These events are something they cannot predict and made one of us very uncomfortable being on this cliffside so far up from town. As much beauty as we witnessed today, you also know that this part of Norway is still wild and untamed. And it sure takes a special breed of hearty folks to survive year after year, especially during the darkest days of winter. Our hats are off to them. Zigzagging our way downhill, we passed by some pretty nice new homes built over-looking the sound. It seemed that each one of them had their own tractor, why, we don’t know. Maybe they just look cool parked in their driveways. It was great to be back on level ground, and we decided not to even try to look for a lunch place today. Room service lunch with hot soup, salad, and quesadillas would work just fine for us. We were back on the ship before 3pm, and hoped to do some work online. However, nothing was working……no internet and no TV. Strange, it had been working before we left the ship, and yes, we do know we are buried between the steep cliffs of a fjord, but it was off. Calling the front desk folks, they said it was being serviced. That meant shut off and might not return until after we left the town of Eidfjord. As it turned out, the connection was spotty and working poorly if at all for the rest of the scenic cruising of Hardangerfjord. Despite the biting cold winds, we did enjoy the sailing out of the fjord and going under the Hardanger Bridge. There is a lot of info we missed because Ian’s talk did not come through on our new veranda speaker. However, today was our veranda-cleaning day and the glass balcony was clean as a whistle. The scenery was fabulous with all of the snow still on the mountaintops. And as luck would have it, the sun even peeked out before sunset, which was after well after 9am. The Captain had said during his PM talk that we would be coming out of this fjord by 1am, and might hit some rough seas. He expected to be in Bergen on time and docked portside by 9am. And it appears that the weather tomorrow will be fine, with little or no rain. Greg and Heo arrived to dinner wearing their new purchases – Greg in his classic Norwegian sweater with the pewter hooks and Heo in a more modern pullover sweater. They will appreciate them during the cooler months of Sydney’s winter. We learned from Woody that his wife Susie will finally be flying back home with a medical escort tomorrow after a lengthy stay in the Lisbon hospital. We’re all praying for a smooth flight and a great homecoming from the family. More Norwegian specialties were on the menu, but we all decided our waiters needed to do something with the dinner rolls. They were hard as rocks and we suspect the bread had been in the warmer since 5pm. Barb challenged our head waiter, Oscar, to cut one in half, which he could not. Heo showed Oscar the carrots which half of them were spoiled. Oh well, guess we will all have a bread stick which was OK this evening. Lentil soup really warmed most of us up, along with prime rib and Bolognaise spaghetti. As a special surprise treat, Oscar brought two plates of Reistafel rice and chicken and pork to the table, however, with the generous portions of our entrees, we could not do it justice. Dessert for us was rocky road ice cream, which we have only seen a few times served at dinner. Today was also Anzac Day, a memorial to those that lost their lives in Australia and New Zealand during WW I. This special day to honor veterans is similar to our Memorial Day and also Veterans Day. Most times this holiday is celebrated onboard, but with so many port days in a row, many things such as this are dropped from the daily itinerary. Looking forward to our visit in Bergen tomorrow as it will be our final port in Norway. Expect to sleep likes babies tonight. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #115 Monday April 24, 2023 Haugesund, Norway 8am-5pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Overcast With Partial Sun In The Afternoon Cooler 42-48 Degrees Part #1 Of 3........70 Pictures Haugesund, Norway, is a small compact town with an urban feel about it. It is the regional center for the surrounding cities and villages. The total population is about 110,000 hearty folks that have jobs in fishing, shipping, and oil-related industries. Haugesund is located off of Smedasundet Sound with the North Sea to the west. It is surrounded by many islands and rocky outcroppings. This town, like many others in this part of the world, was built on the herring fisheries in the 1800’s. The ship docked by 8am at the cruise terminal at Risoy Island, not too far from the center of town, but that would be as the crow flies. We have to add it was the coldest port yet with temps in the 40’s. The wind was so chilly it was cutting. Even with our arctic jackets, it was still a penetrating coldness. The skies were heavily overcast, and we thought it might rain or even snow. We never expected to see any sun today, but eventually, it did. It was a miracle, as this was not expected. Excursions here today were scenic Skudenshavn for $130 for 3 ¼ hours or Medieval church and Viking village for $170 and 3 ½ hours. Ryvarden lighthouse walk was $140 for 3 hours, while a helicopter ride to Pulpit Rock and the surrounding area was $720 for 1 ½ hours. They did have at least one taker on that one. Getting off of the ship, we walked to a little shop which was selling trinkets as well as warm jackets and wool hats and gloves. They had some city maps too which we picked up. Directly across from this building was a shuttle bus with a line of mostly crew members boarding. Since we missed the port talk on Haugesund, we did not know there was a shuttle as it wasn’t mentioned in today’s Daily Program. We soon learned there was a charge to this bus like about 8 euro or $8 USD. And that might have been one way….we are not sure. We decided to walk after talking to some guests that had gone over and come back already. In addition to the shuttle, there was a city train sight-seeing ride that took folks to the major sights on both islands, and the downtown area of this town. The cost was the equivalent of $28 USD. You could not get off at any stops, and you could not re-join the train like you can on a ho-ho bus. We did not see many takers for this tour. There was a bit of a hike to get from Risoy Island to the Risoy Bridge that crossed over the sound below. The hard part was hiking up and over the high bridge to the center of town. It was quite scenic so stopping along the way worked out well to take many photos. At the end of this bridge, we looked down on the waterfront of the sound, and noticed several restaurants along the marina walkway. None of them were opened yet for lunch since it was only 11:30am. It seemed like the town was just waking up. Studying the map, we realized that the city’s central district was laid out in a rectangle with a pedestrian only shopping street in the center called Haraldsgata. Most of the sights to see were in this grid and up the side streets. Our first stop was at the information center which was loaded with many brochures, booklets, and maps. Excellent choice for a small town, as you can never have enough info or maps. The main street had many stores, shops, and cafes, but most of the cafes were not opened until 2pm. Pizza places were on most every corner, even a Dolly Dimples Pizza like we saw yesterday. They would not be opened until 2pm. If we stayed long enough, we might make it for that time, but it never happened. Our first stop was at the Church called Our Savior’s Church. We could only admire it from the outside since it was also closed. Across the street was their library, which had originally been repurposed from a shoe factory. Eventually the factory was destroyed, and the new library was built here. These days it is considered one of the finest examples of Scandinavian modernism in Norway. And they had free restrooms, something you have trouble finding in most of the cities. On the way back down to the main street, we passed a striking home painted a soft green with typical Norwegian decorations on it. The name is Wrangellhuset and was the home of H.M. Wrangell, a herring salter, shipowner, politician, and Danish consul. This historic house is now part of the museum group. The famous Fishermen Statue reflects the town’s history of the herring fisheries, a reminder that the town was built on herring bones, so to speak. By going the other direction, somehow we missed the town hall and surrounding square which is a park and a marketplace. We also did not see the statue of Marilyn Monroe, the actress whose father is said to have come from Haugesund. It is located on the quay, but on the opposite side that we had crossed the bridge. Greg and Heo did see her statue, because they found a nice restaurant opened on the quay after 2pm. Passing many small shops and some larger department stores, we headed towards the Byparken Park, with a nice pavilion and many benches surrounding a gazebo and fountain. It dates back to 1923 and it appears that concerts are held here in the warmer months. Another church was up the road apiece, so we hiked up there to find Skare Church, known as the cultural church. It was completed in 1858 and also has the town’s oldest cemetery across the street. It was elevated from the street level, and you had to walk up steep steps to see the grave markers that were flat on the ground. This area also had the nicest and largest of the homes which were built by the wealthy Haugesunders that made their fortunes by the fishing and shipping industries during World War I. Back to the main part of town, we ducked in and out of the shops. We did see only one souvenir shop that carried the Dale of Norway sweaters, but they sure do not look and feel like the ones we bought 30 years ago. They are not 100% wool, but have some polyester added, which makes them thinner and lighter in weight. The prices were quite high and it was difficult to find sweaters with their signature pewter hooks used in place of the buttons or zippers. That makes them unique we guess. Time to hike back, we never did find a good place for lunch today. Despite the fact that the sun did peek out, the wind was still chilly, especially down on the quay below the bridge. We had hoped some of the sound-facing restaurants had opened, but we did not see any. Of course, we were looking at only one side, and did not see where the guys had gone. Oh well, a hot bowl of soup sounded better than anything at this point. We got back to the ship by 2:30pm and stayed in the room enjoying a nice lunch of a salad, hot soup, and sandwiches. Adding a couple of chocolate cookies, we were happy campers. Before we knew it, the ship left after 5:30pm, and we were off for some scenic sailing out of Haugesund, traveling out of the sound, and heading out to sea. Our next stop will be Eidfjord, located all the way up Hardangerfjord which we entered by dinnertime. During his late PM talk, the Captain said to be prepared for some really cold weather, the coldest of this entire trip. Dinner was really good with the Club Orange main of a veal chop. Several Norwegian starters and entrees were on this menu as well. One of the popular mains was a bowl of mussels, which was passed around after dinner because they must have had a ton of them. A nice surprise for Barb was crème Brulee for dessert, although a different chef must have added something different such as cardamom instead of cinnamon. Looking forward to a small town tomorrow where we might get in some scenic walking. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #114 Sunday April 23, 2023 Kristiansand, Norway Docked Port Side To Dock 8am-5pm Overcast Turning To Sun In The Afternoon 48-65 Degrees showers In The am Part #1 Of 4.......66 Pictures Today’s port of call was the 5th largest city in Norway, Kristiansand. It is the most southern city in Norway with a population of about 88,000 people (2017 census). And this is the first time we have been here, so it was going to be nice to explore on or own. Some of the tours offered here were a boat trip to Norway’s southern-most lighthouse for $120 for 5 hours. A walk through historic Kristansand was $60 for 3 hours, while Lillesand , the jewel of the past and present was $110 for 3 hours. And we cannot forget the river rafting excursion for $250 for 5 hours. Honestly? Really? Doubt they had many takers today since the temperature was 48 degrees at 9am. Then a trip to Sorlandet was $160 for 4 hours. We left the ship around 11:30am and dressed right for the chilling wind. Although there was mention of rain, it never did. In fact, eventually the sun did peek out and it warmed up somewhat. The wind remained cold. It was an easy walk to town and exiting out of the gate where a mounted moose was, we ran into a series of small souvenir shops with an information stand full of local maps. There was also a ho-ho bus available for somewhere around $40 USD for a 1 ½ hour drive. In addition to that, we saw a little train ride that took folks through the small town, which was cheaper. We had run into Mike who was sitting on a bench catching some sun, while his wife Pauline had stayed onboard. He said some of his friends had taken the ho-ho bus and the speaker system was not working properly, so they learned nothing. Following the map, we knew we could cover most of the sights on our own. All aboard was at 4:30pm, giving us plenty of time for exploring and lunch too. Once out of the cruise dock area (there was no terminal building) we took a right and saw the new Kilden Performing Arts Center. It is built very ultra-modern with architectural and artistical designs with a high quality calendar of events. We walked around the water’s edge to see the fish market, one of the town’s idyllic spots. Inside the building they had tanks full of live fish and shellfish, however, they were closed today because it was Sunday. There was an outdoor restaurant where they were serving morning food until it was opened for lunch. Crossing the canal, we walked up a hill to get a view of the marina below. There was a white structure on the knoll which we assumed was a restaurant with outdoor tents. Had we continued walking to the peninsula, we would have come across a former naval base called Odderoya. It is surrounded with park area now and has marked nature trails, great views, and a small café. Back down the hill, we followed the footsteps on the map and stayed near the waterfront. That brought us to a large square with granite fountains called Otterdalsparken, where a tour group was learning about the area from a guide. They were not speaking English, so we assumed they were from the other smaller ship that came into port after we did. The name was Holland Norway, not related to HAL. Directly across the road from this park was a row of highrise apartments facing the harbor and ocean. Further up, we saw the Christiansholm Fortress, built in 1672 to guard the city. Originally on an islet 100 yards from the shore, it is connected to the mainland now. There was a row of old cannons facing the sea, which got us wondering what life was like back in those days. Further up this road was the city beach and the Aquarama, a waterpark with a diving tower, swimming pool, surf wave, and even a climbing wall. A gym and a spa make it perfect for the entire family. What was people-unfriendly was charging for the restrooms. You needed a credit card to open the door, even though the charge was 5 kroner or the equivalent of 50 cents. A man was waiting for his wife to come out, so he could go inside getting a two-for-one stop. Hiking the streets in the Posebyen district, we saw the several timber-clad houses that were mostly painted white. This part of town is home to one of Northern Europe’s largest collections of old lowrise timber houses. By the way, we did notice that this entire city was clean as a whistle. No trash anywhere, especially around the waterfront and in the water. Before we left our room, we did some research on restaurants….in particular, pizza cafes. We located the same type of café we had lunch yesterday, and decided it was so good, we would try it again today. That is if we could find it and if it was open. The more we walked the streets, the more we noticed that everything was closed. Even the department stores like Mango or Zara. Not open on Sunday. Period. Following the map, we must have been a street off, since we went from the Otra River to the end of the street, passing the cathedral, and still did not find Peppe’s Pizza. Perhaps the Google map had the incorrect address. So we went back to see the cathedral which was located in the dead center of the town. It is a Neo-Gothic cathedral built in 1884 and part of the evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. The bell tower is 70 meters high. And guess what we found right down from the Cathedral? Yep, Peppe’s Pizza….right on the square of the church area. It appeared to be closed, but we did try the door and they were open. Perfect. We walked inside and got a table for two. Within minutes we had one tall Carlsburg beer and a Coke Zero. We ordered the same Italian cheese and pepperoni pizza we had yesterday in Oslo, and found it equally as good. It was not crowded, so we enjoyed our stay. Afterwards, we went to see the cathedral and actually got inside since it was opened for a few hours. This present cathedral is the fourth one here, since the original ones burned down. We did notice there were no candles inside the church itself. This cathedral is host to a number of events as well as being the parish church for outlying districts. Every café and restaurant in this main square was filled to capacity, and we heard great reports on the food everywhere. We passed by a McDonalds and just for the fun of it , where we went inside to get a picture of their menu. The prices were shocking as a big cheese bacon burger was the equivalent of $14.44 for just the burger, no fries or drink. The place was full of local young folks…..all eating the French fries. Time to head back, we took the side streets all of the way back to the port area and got back to our room by 4pm. What a nice day we had in this smaller city. And it never did rain and the sun even came out. How lucky was that? There were two bucket lift vehicles with fellows painting on the port side of the ship. Looking from the bottom of the gangway, we figured they were really close to our room. Sure hope the paint dries quickly as the smell can be off-putting. Guess this kind of work can be scheduled ahead of time, especially when the weather is co-operating like today. After all of the tour buses came back, the ship left by 5:30pm, sailing out slowly. We watched from the veranda until the chilly wind drove us back inside. Before we knew it, the time for dinner had arrived. We did have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill, but decided the menu had some items we liked and cancelled our time slot in the specialty restaurant. We are running out of “regular” dinner days now that the trip is wrapping up. We were all present and delighted to share stories of the day. The fish and chips in town were reportedly the best ever, according to both Greg and Heo. They had gone out earlier than us, and probably had morning coffee and pastries at a café. We had taken about the same path they did, after seeing their photos. All of us, except for Barb and Woody who had stayed onboard, agreed that this day-to-day port stop was like going to work with hardly a weekend to recuperate. That time will come on May 6th when the ship heads out across the pond. Unfortunately, that will also be packing time. Thinking ahead, Heo admitted he has been slowly packing some of the clean clothing when it comes back from the laundry nicely pressed and folded. Since they do not get the complimentary luggage shipping, they will bring their luggage with them back to Sydney. We have been thinking about packing, but that is as far as we have gotten…..just thinking about it. Tomorrow, we will be in another new port for us, Haugesund. Captain Frank has remained very cautious about the possible change in the weather conditions, but so far, all has turned out OK. Sure hope our luck continues. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #113 Saturday April 22, 2023 Oslo, Norway 11:30am-7pm Docked Port Side To Pier Sunny And Warm 46-75 Degrees Earth Day Part #1 Of 4.......66 Pictures Norway has been described as the most beautiful country in the world. Its capital is Oslo, and the population is 5.2 million folks that speak Norwegian. It is a dramatic land of glaciers, fjords, the largest of Europe’s icefields, rocky coastal islands, and the primeval Arctic. Norway’s nature is their #1 destination, especially when you can view the Northern lights or participate in the winter sports. Did you know that the word ”ski” is a Norwegian word? Aeons ago, hunters were believed to have fashioned skis made of wood used while hunting big game, and actually drew figures in the caves at the time. What kind of food appeals to the Norwegians? Roasted reindeer, elk steak or burger, grilled or smoked salmon, dried cod, shrimp, and herring as well as Arctic char. Most favorite dishes are meatballs with mushy peas, mashed potatoes, and wild berry jam. Wild berries include strawberries, black and red currants, raspberries, blueberries, and cloudberries….a real treat. They wash it down with black strong coffee. Have you ever heard of a breakfast that comes in a tube? Well they have it here with cream cheese and sugar-cured and smoked cod-roe cream packaged in tubes. Popular for decades, it has been around since 1893. Newer versions contain bacon, ham, salami, shrimp, tomato, and even Mexican jalapeno flavored cheeses. It is often eaten with slices of cheese and boiled eggs. There are two basic seasons – summer and winter. Other times of the year, many operators simply shut up shop. And the weather can turn on a dime. And according to what we have been hearing for the last two days from the Captain, the weather may be turning on that dime soon. There was a scenic sail-in commentary from the Crow’s Nest delivered by Ian at 7:30am where Oslo rolls were served we understand. Darn, we did not know that. But we are not sad we missed Fiskesuppe, the Norwegian fish soup that was served on the outside decks and Crow’s Nest at 10am. Tours offered today were easy Oslo for $70 for 2 hours and biking in Oslo for $100 for 3 hours. Oslo highlights and Maritime Museum was $130 for 3 ½ hours, while a drive to Vigeland Sculpture Park and Holmenkolfess was $100 for 3 ½ hours. Land of the Midnight sun and maritime museum was $100 for 3 ½ hours. Great Norway explorers was $110 for 3 hours. Best of Oslo was $190 for 5 ½ hours. And there is always the ho-ho bus which could be booked right outside the ship. The ship must have entered the fjord in the darkness of early morning. It is a very long fjord, so our arrival time was 11am. Last night, we had been told there would be a passport check in the upper dining room, but if this occurred it must have been later in the morning. Our breakfast was the normal time. However, we were told that the Thai crew were not allowed to leave the ship today, or any other Norway port. That extended to the crew from South Africa as well. And we have no idea why this occurred, but it is politics for sure. We always inquired about the number of guests that left in Amsterdam and how many joined this last segment. Presty said about 90 got off, and 96 joined, more or less. Some guests will be leaving along the way and will not be doing the Trans-Atlantic part. Also this morning, we saw two ambulances taking people to the hospital. Sadly we learned that our head room steward was going home today. We will miss his friendly smile and his excellent service. There was a time when most all of the crew members stayed on for the entire world cruise. These days their contracts are honored to the letter, and when their assigned time is up, they have to go home. While watching the ship being tied up, we saw a group of new crew members waiting to board. The ship was not cleared until after 11:30am, at which time, the guests poured off of the gangways heading for their buses. By the way, there were no shuttles today as we were docked close to the center of town. And the all aboard time had been extended to 6:30pm, an hour later. Since the tours were delayed in starting, this would give them plenty of time to get back on the ship. We stayed until the thundering herd was off. 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. The early morning temperature was 44 degrees on our veranda, but eventually, it warmed up nicely to perhaps in the high 60’s. Guessing it would be more sheltered in town, we wore sweatshirts and we were comfortable. Wherever the sun hit, local people were sitting in it. It was a good thing the ho-ho buses were handing out maps, since we saw no one giving out city maps. The ship had docked in a different dock today, and we needed to get our bearings. Following the crowd seemed safe enough once out of the fenced dock area. That took us through a series of cafes all the way to the Nobel Peace Center off of a huge square. On the corner was City Hall where we ran into Gyl and Howard. Comparing notes, we figured the way to the palace was up the street and to the left. Once out of the jungle of buildings, we could see the Norwegian flag flying on top of the palace. Perhaps the royal family was home today. Walking the gentle slope, we arrived to The Royal Palace, but could only see the outside with several guards at every entrance. The side garden was not open today. Locals were posing with the friendly guards, and that’s when we noticed some of the guards were young women. It must be quite an honor to belong to this elite group, since almost half of the group were ladies. We took photos, then moved on towards the old carriage house and hillside of trees, blooming bulbs, and spring flowers. It was near 1pm by now, and something was happening. The carriage house door opened up, and a string of guards began marching around the back end of the palace, then around the front. We might be seeing the changing of the guard or something similar. The crowd approaching the palace was stopped, and the guards continued to march and go through some maneuvers with their rifles. More guards came out from the carriage house, so we stayed until 1:30pm watching this exercise. They were still at this display when we left to find a place for lunch. But we considered ourselves lucky to have stumbled upon the Royal Guard exercise. Sheer luck. Down at the bottom of the hill, there was something else going on. A big crowd had gathered under the banner which advertised a 5 km run. It was commencing around 1:30pm, so after passing the Oslo College, we stopped and watched as a group of young kids began running the race. The street had been cordoned off and the course wrapped around the park in the center divide. Some dads also ran with their kids. Right across from this race, we remembered eating lunch at a Hard Rock Café. The old historical corner building looked the same, but the restaurant was replaced with another. Going inside, we inquired if the HRC had moved, and were told they had closed a few years ago, and never reopened anywhere else locally. It may have been a casualty of Covid along with many other cafes. Some barricades had been removed so people could cross the street, and we followed them. The cafes along this street were totally full of guests inside and out. Right across from the Johans Gate shopping street, we saw a sign saying Peppe’s Pizza, which naturally drew us inside to check it out. It appeared to be a narrow restaurant with all the seats filled inside. However upon asking for a table for two, we were led all the way to the back, and up a flight of stairs, where the restaurant had plenty of seating left. Within minutes, we had two local draft beers called Ringnes and had ordered a large pepperoni pizza. This eatery had deep dish Chicago pizza as well as New York-style with a thin crust, which we prefer. And went it arrived, it was LARGE, almost the same as the one he had in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Sure was good and we managed to eat the entire pie. They did have a banana split for dessert, but there was absolutely no room for it. Just for general information, we noticed there were no public restrooms, and if you found one, there was a charge. However, for the special race today, there was a row of portables for the crowd. We did have restrooms in the café, but it was for paying guests only. Later on at dinner, we learned from Heo that one of the cafes they went to, had no restroom, but showed the way to one, which had a charge. As nice as it was sitting at the restaurant, it was time to move on. We slowly made our way back to the dock, passing hordes of folks out and about on this fine sunny Saturday. The eateries that lined the alleyway back to the ship were jammed with customers enjoying the wine. This must be a fairly new area, and it is hip and cool as it comes. Boarding the ship by 4pm, we warmed up in our room, and worked on photos and reports. Watching from the veranda, we saw numerous buses coming back from the tours, as well as several ho-ho buses. We were scheduled to leave shortly after 6:30pm, but a few people were late coming back. And they were lucky that the ship had waited. Their names and room numbers were announced, and that is not a good thing. Leaving the fjord was no where as nice as when we entered. The light was much better early on because the sun was out and the skies were clear blue. Later this afternoon, clouds moved in, and the best of the light was gone. We were still in the fjord when we went to dinner, so that was the end of the pictures. All of us were present, sharing stories once again. Being docked in a different area, we had missed seeing the Opera House. Greg and Heo had hiked there to find it had been re-developed and many apartments and amenities had been added to the popular area. They likened it to the rebirth of the Barangaroo area of Sydney. Fabulous according to Greg. There were several Norwegian items on the menu, but we had our usual appetizers of smoked chicken (really tasty), chicken noodle soup with spaghetti, salad, and mains of everyday roasted chicken (really good tonight), and beef stew also nice. Desserts were banana frozen yogurt and one panna cotta. There was a barely advertised Chocolate Surprise at 9pm, where the waiters paraded with trays of everything chocolate we heard. It would last for ½ hour, but by the time we finished dinner, we had missed it. We did hear that the sweet treats were gone in a flash. And speaking of chocolate…….the pillow chocolates were missing this evening in our room for the first time this cruise. Greg mentioned their little chocolates had stopped a few days ago, so we can only assume they have run out. So sad for a grand voyage, but we will survive as we have kept many of the chocolates from day one. Tomorrow’s port is a new one for us….Kritiansand, located about the furthest south of Norway as one can get. And with it, comes the change of weather as it will turn on a dime. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 112 Friday April 21, 2023 Copenhagen, Denmark Docked Port Side To Pier 8am-6pm Sunny And Warm 48-70 Degrees Part #1 Of 3........71 Pictures The Zuiderdam arrived to the port of Copenhagen, Denmark early this morning at 7am, and we were docked by 8am. The skies were clear and it was a bit chilly, but warmer than Amsterdam. We bet it will warm up and be a marvelous day. Denmark is considered the most livable and happiest nation in the world. Of course it comes with a price of high taxes, but most everything is free, we have been told by tour guides. Great health care, free education, and extended paid vacations as well as maternity and paternity leave once a child is born is provided for all. It is, however, very expensive to live here. The population is 5.6 million residents that speak Danish and most speak English too. Copenhagen is the capital. They are best known for the Vikings, Hans Christian Andersen, Danish design, the plastic-fantastic Legoland, and excellent cuisine. The Danes are described as fun-loving frivolous party animals with liberal and progressive attitudes. And we are so looking forward to visiting Copenhagen with museums, castles, shops, bars, and historic sights. The Danish Monarchy, a constitutional one since 1849, is still functioning today making it one of the oldest in the world. Copenhagen’s harbor is 850 years old and has smartly retained its historic areas. With their copper spires, cobblestone squares, and colorful gabled houses, Copenhagen is considered one of Scandinavia’s coolest capitals. It is also home to 15 Michelin-starred restaurants, and also home to the tiny statue of the Little Mermaid. The city ranks as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. It is a popular means of transport with 42% of all locals using a bike to commute back and forth to work. New bike paths and bridges are designed every year to improve the ride for them. By the way, the locals seemed much more careful riding these bikes today, compared to what we encountered while we were in Amsterdam. The city has 386 km of bike lanes to explore. And they do not have to be young to do it. What do the Danes eat here? Try smorrebrod, an open-faced sandwich, Danish meatballs, pickled herring called sild, and Danish pastries. Favorite drinks are beer like Carlsberg and Tuborg, also schnapps. Micro-breweries are on the rise too. We stayed onboard until noontime, having slept a bit later today. With so many ports in a row, we are finding that it is catching up with us. Now we really appreciate the sea days, and miss having them. The longest stretch will be Trans-Atlantic, but that is quite a ways away yet. The free shuttle bus from Ocean Quay, a new dock far from town, was waiting for us to load. The bus people had city maps that they handed out, which we love. We had almost a 20 minute ride to Kastellel park surrounded with blooming cherry trees. Just stunning, it really woke up the spring allergies with us. From there, we hiked to the harbor’s edge to see The Little Mermaid. Not hard to locate, because lots of tourists were crowded at the railing to take photos of the copper statue. We continued to walk along the harbor past the theater and on to Nyhavn Harbor. It sure was crowded, but then it was also Friday, and folks could be off for a long weekend. Or there were a lot of spring tourists here. There wasn’t a seat to be had with all of the harborfront cafes and eateries. The old gabled houses always present a photo opportunity and we sure did that just fine. Many boats were in the canal also. They have the canal tours here as well. Leaving Nyhavn, we ended up in a gigantic square where we recalled the beginning of the Stroget pedestrian walkway was located. We had to head down the street where the Rolex building was on the corner. This street is loaded with all of the high end stores that you see worldwide. There used to be bakeries and places to buy cheese, but we did not see them today. There were some hotdog stands with the best long and skinny dogs that are famous here, but we were saving ourselves for lunch if we found the Hard Rock Café. The further we traveled down this lane, we came upon the more touristy section selling all types of inexpensive clothing and loads of souvenirs. Finally we arrived at the end of the Stroget, and saw Burger King on one side, and Hard Rock on the other side. Happy we had found it, we went inside and got a high top table for two. We also noticed that we were directly across the street from Tivoli Gardens, a place that inspired Walt Disney to create a theme park following the ideas here. Besides some rides, gardens, and restaurants, they have a broad range of concerts all summer long. Back to lunch, we shared a burger and the big brownie ice cream dessert with two Stella beers. Compared to other places we have dined on this trip, it was very expensive here. Like the equivalent of $75 USD… and we shared. We did pick up a city T-shirt, which was priced about the same as all of their stores. The salesgirl that seated us, loved the New York HRC sweatshirt one of us was wearing, and threw in a free HRC collector’s pin for free. Sitting and relaxing with the beer was priceless naturally. We took a slightly different path back, and went around the back street near Nyhavn to avoid the crowd. That brought us right to Amalienborg Palace where several guards were marching with their rifles, just like you see in Buckingham Palace. Years ago, we were here during the noontime changing of the guards and it was most impressive. But it was time to move on since all aboard was at 5:30pm, and the last shuttle from the park was at 5pm. It was a long hike, but we made it to the bus by 4:15pm. And as luck would have it, our buddies Greg, Heo, Ginni and Rich were on the same bus. We all had to laugh that we did it again – running into them in the last several ports. What are the odds? The ride back took 15 minutes and we were back to the room by 5pm. Just then, we had a knock on the door and a waiter came in with a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries. No card, so we do not know where they came from. We suspect they were an apology for missing the birthday a few days ago. Whatever the reason, they were really good. Captain Frank spoke before we left, and mentioned there would be some scenic cruising as we leave the city and head north. We had the sun shining on the veranda, and it was heaven sitting outside. The Captain also mentioned that tomorrow’s scenic sailing into and out of Oslo will be wonderful as far as the weather is concerned. But he also added that we better enjoy tomorrow’s sun, since he expects unsettled weather the further north we travel. Hope he is wrong with that, but we shall take his advise and take what we can get of the sunshine and blue skies. Dinner found all of us present with stories to share of our daily exploits. The guys had walked as far as we had but stopped for morning coffee and Danish pastries. Then they followed up with a light lunch before coming back. Barb had stayed onboard, and so did Woody. He talked to Susie who is still in the hospital in Lisbon, and waiting to be flown home with an escort soon we hope. Working with insurance can be complicated, especially when you are overseas. Turning in early as we can to be ready for tomorrow’s scenic sailing into Oslo, Norway. But we were told this evening that there will be a passport check in the morning, so our breakfast will be moved to deck two. Nothing like waiting for the last minute to spring this info. But what else is new? Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 111 Thursday April 20, 2023 Day at Sea Enroute To Copenhagen, Denmark Sunny And Windy Cooler 48 Degrees Sea State Choppy Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures Finally a day at sea, but also a busy one with different activities. It was a good day to stay inside since the temperature was a crisp 48 degrees, windy, with choppy seas. The first big event took place at 2pm with a presentation by Gus Antorcha, the new President of HAL. Informative as well as interesting, his talk lasted from 2pm to 4:30pm. The speech included a special announcement of the 2025 GWV, or should we say two cruises….one a world cruise on the Zuiderdam and one a grand cruise on the Volendam. Surprise, surprise. We did not see that coming. Anyway, more about that later. We had heard the comment that Mr. Antorcha had better put on his big boy pants, and pull on the wellies (rubber boots), and be prepared for the Q & A after his speech. Love the Aussie humor. Before we continue, we have to say we watched this presentation in our room, and the TV reception was terrible. All of the TV screens throughout the ship were misbehaving as well. But we stayed in our room anyway and did not run to the World Stage with way too many people jammed in there. For this entire cruise, nothing has been done to correct this problem which is sad. So Gus’s talk began with, “Through the years since the 2020 pandemic, they got some things right, but also got some things wrong”. They had heard from some world cruise guests and travel agents that things have not gone as expected, and he was prepared to explain why. He began with a quick video of the special event in Rotterdam, concentrating on the Princess and the local big wigs. Not so much the audience. Perhaps this was a way of sharing what the majority of folks onboard had missed since they were not invited. His basic message included tid- bits like the training schools are back for the crew, they intend to retain their special service, and keep the ships that are in the family now. No plans to add any more new builds. We assume some GWV guests were polled and they requested to retain the turndown service (55%), cocktail hour with better music (42%), retain high tea (32%), and return the after dinner mints (30%). Gus admitted perhaps with these cutbacks, they were not doing the right thing. They intend to bring the dance teachers back and provide a better internet and TV feed. People want more special parties or events, as well as the traditional HAL canvas bags that went away a long time ago. Printed maps were requested and that was applauded loudly. They asked for better menus and better quality of food. The reply to that was the deliveries had supply chain difficulties with this cruise. No kidding. They will try to stock the library with more books, and he added for us to please return what we had read. Printed daily newspapers and printed shore excursion tickets were promised to be “looked at”. They are watching their competitors in this category of cruising (not luxury brands) and are trying to keep it the same. Questions and answers followed, which would keep Gus on the stage until 4:30pm. We give him credit for sticking it through for that long. When asked why we are getting charged more for these cruises and getting less for our money, his answer was they are focused on fuel prices, and needed the cutbacks to break even more or less. Single supplements will continue to be high, they will not get rid of any bathtubs, even though much work needs to be done on this ship. He did say there will be dry docking done on every ship in 2027. One gentleman said he will not come back to another world cruise if it turns out like this one. Gus’s answer was “sorry about that”. Others said the entertainment was the worst ever, but the biggest gripe was about the nickel and diming like in the Pinnacle Grill. That brought applause too. The reply to that was that inflation gave the company no choice but to tack on extra charges. Think we heard “boos” in the back round. One person asked about returning more classical music, and Gus said they will do that in the Ocean Bar occasionally. One guest complimented to Gus it was the best cruise he ever had. No applause for him. We are a tough crowd. One lady said this was the smelliest cruise ever, and he said it was problems with the venting. Others said they loved the crew – big applause as they deserve it. How about the return of dance hosts for the ladies? Not happening….ever. Too much controversy from past years, which we knew. If they could program robots to do the job, they would be safe, ha-ha. The Lido food was addressed as being repetitious and poor quality. Where had the small packages of cereal, like All Bran, gone? Too much paper waste was the answer. Too expensive. How about the non-working toasters in the Lido? Those can be replaced Gus said. Televised lectures from the guest speakers and more local shows were suggested. Gus would look into that. He would not go into any detail regarding the company’s standing in regards to the Carnival stock. Not his department. A question came up with the Mariner program, which he said it was rich enough in perks, and it would not change. How about the dining room dress code? One elderly man said it had deteriorated to meaningless with three types of dress suggested. More applause. And nothing is enforced. We heard no reply on that remark. And what happened to the pillow gifts we always received on formal nights? Gus did not know. One of the biggest complaints was the extra charge for appetizers in the specialty restaurants. And the extra 18% gratuity added was insulting as well. When one nice lady added a comment on the food in the Lido, and the fact many folks got sick eating in there, Ian said the meeting was about over. Again, no reply to that question. As soon as we get the real itineraries online for the 2025 Grands, we can show you where they are going. The TV screen was so bad, it was all but whited out. The last event of the day was a dinner for the President’s Club members with officers in the Pinnacle Grill at 7:30pm. It began with cocktails in the Rolling Stone Lounge at 6:30pm, where the newly-inducted guests got their pins and photos taken with the Captain and Henk. It’s been eight years since we did that. Then we were escorted to dinner. It was a fixed menu with the main course being scallops or beef tenderloin. Starters were a salmon sampler, but one of us got tomatoes and mozzarella cheese slices. A creamy parsnip soup followed, confirming the fact we do not care for parsnips. Dessert was pavlova, but we did not stay that long. Every course took about ½ hour, and since we don’t care for pavlova, we said goodnight to our hosts, two people from corporate we have never met before tonight. Glad this day was over. We prefer the laidback sea days much better. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 110 Wednesday April 19, 2023 Day #2 Amsterdam, Netherlands Docked Port Side To Pier Depart 5:30pm Sunny And Cool 44-60 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.......66 Pictures Since yesterday was such a busy day, we forgot to add the info on The Netherlands. The capital is Amsterdam, and the population of the country is 17 million people that speak Dutch, as well as English as their second language. It is a land of artistic masterpieces, windmills, museums, tulips, liberal ideology, and canals with cafes to name a few. Did you know that more than half of the Netherlands is below sea level? And 20% is reclaimed land and flat as a pancake. The windmills help keep the water at bay. That makes it perfect for cycling. There are 32,000 kilometers or 19,872 miles of cycling paths throughout the country, believe it or not. Pretty impressive. The Amstel Gold Race is the biggest Dutch cycling race around hilly Limburg. It is 260 kilometers long and considered the most demanding race on the professional circuit. And after walking several kilometers today, we are convinced that the majority of bikes are in Amsterdam. And you had better watch for those bike lanes, or else get run over. Tours offered here were the Keukenhof Tulip Festival for $80 for 4 hours. Greg and Heo did that yesterday, but on their own. More like Disneyland, they said it was jammed packed with people, and the blooming tulips were outstanding. Then there was windmills and edam (cheese we assume) for $90 for 4 hours. Amsterdam highlights and the Van Gogh Museum was $100 for 3 hours, while Amsterdam city of diamonds was $70 for 4 hours. Last but not least, was an evening canal cruise for $100 for 1 ½ hours. The weather looked so nice out this morning, we thought it had warmed up. However, upon opening the veranda door, we discovered it was a chilly 44 degrees. With the sun out, it may warm up later according to Ian. Sure hope so. We had the meeting of the minds, so to speak, at our Breakfast Club this morning. Actually we were the first to show up at 8am, because of the late night party we assume. Staying overnight, it was not a problem sleeping in later. When our group staggered in, we had more fun going over yesterday’s events, mostly our special event in Rotterdam at the Hotel New York or the original terminal building for the Holland America Line. No doubt there was local TV coverage that was televised, but not so much because of the 150th year celebration, but the fact that Princess Margarite and the mayor of Rotterdam were in attendance. The general consensus was that this event could have been better organized than it was. It was rather insulting to our group to be told to leave for the buses, and the rest of the crowd could stay longer and enjoy the food and beverages. We all agreed that the most exciting things were happening outside the hotel with the marching band, the three mermaids on stilts, the tuba players, and even the Jamaican drummers. They about popped our eardrums with the extra loud drumming. We had to laugh since at one time we liked that music, but now, not so much. Once again, after breakfast we worked in the room for a while, and also watched the activity on the dock below. It was the reverse of what we saw yesterday. All of the flowers, most of the large and small potted tulips, planter boxes, and chairs were being taken off and loaded into waiting vans. Guess it was all rented, except for some small potted tulips for table decorations. We left the ship around noontime, got a nice map in the terminal, and asked directions to the Hard Rock Café. The information lady gladly drew a line on the map to the restaurant and said it would take 45 minutes to walk there. That sounded like a plan to us, so off we went for the hike. One of us had worn the arctic jacket, and other a heavy hooded sweatshirt. As long as we kept moving, we could withstand the bone-chilling wind. After leaving the cruise terminal, we turned right and headed towards the famous Central Station, an impressive old building, and one of the busiest hubs in the city. Even on a Wednesday, it was bustling with activity. Following the lady’s instructions, we turned left on a major street that took us past more historic sights. Among some of the iconic sights we passed were the De Nieuwe Kerk (church), the Royal Palace, a huge square with a monument and a building called De Bijenkorf. Continuing down this main street we passed by a few McDonalds and a KFC. We know that our crew will be in this area for sure. Numerous shops, stores, cafes, bakeries, and restaurants lined this street. One type of fast food cafes offered frites or fries to snack on. There was a line of 12 people waiting to order them. We had to be careful walking near this place since many fries had dropped on the sidewalk. There were not a lot of pigeons to clean them up. At one point, we had to turn right, which led us to a street that crossed the series of three canals . We came upon a building that housed garden items as well as fresh flowers and thousands of packaged bulbs. It appeared there were stalls with fresh produce. We would have loved to buy some of their fabulous tulip bulbs, but we are not allowed to bring these into the USA when we get to Florida. We did take a lot of photos though. We continued on, hoping we were going in the right direction. Passing the Holland Casino, the area began to look familiar, as we had been bussed this direction in 2019 and taken to the Rijksmuseum for a huge special event. We had not realized that the Hard Rock Café was so close to that famous museum until we looked closer at the map. In the recesses of our minds, we recalled seeing the sign for this café from the bus at that time 4 years ago. Knowing we were close because we had seen a street ad pointing this way, we finally asked a workman where it was. He pointed to the next alleyway and said turn left. And there it was, the front of the restaurant facing the canal. The main entrance was well hidden from the main street. Relieved we had located it, we went in and found it full of customers. There were two levels of seating, and we were brought upstairs to a table for two with a view of the canal. Perfect. We were in need of a beverage, so we were happy to see Affligem draft on the menu, and we ordered two. Then we asked a a platter of nachos to share, and it arrived within 10 minutes. This would work out perfectly, since the all aboard time was 4:30pm, giving us plenty of time to eat lunch and take our time walking back as long as we left the café by 2:30pm. It had taken us about 1 ½ hours to get here, not 45 minutes as was suggested. Of course, we were taking pictures of the old buildings and canals along the way slowing us down. After lunch, we made a stop in the shop and got a few t-shirts, along with an extra one for 10 euro. The nice checker had put a HRC nylon drawstring bag in for free. We did find our way back the same way we had come. It was slow-going due to the streets that were getting more crowded by the minute. There were tour groups and many high school kids being led places. Eventually, we got back to the cruise terminal by 4pm. Never felt so good to relax on the veranda which had almost full sun now. Protected from the wind, the temperature was 60 degrees. All aboard was 4:30pm, but we did not leave until after 5:30pm, due to the fact there was yet another person taken off in an ambulance. We stayed outside and enjoyed the sailing out of the river. On previous stops here, we had entered the lock and left in the dark. This was the first time to watch the lock operation, or at least some of the transit, because it was dinnertime and we were a little late. We could watch our exit from the dining room table. During the late afternoon, we had received a phone call with a message left. Remember we said there was a telephone system upgrade happening yesterday? Well, something is still wrong, since we could not access the message left. It turned out to be from Greg who told us that Rene, our spa manager, was coming to dinner tonight with her sister who is on the ship for two days only. And it happened to be Rene’s birthday (the same day as our oldest son….happy birthday, Bill). It was a pleasure having them as guests for the special day, which was also being celebrated for Bill, since his birthday was missed yesterday. Something had slipped through the cracks again, and there was no birthday cupcake and card from the Captain left in our room yesterday. He did get the nice card from the front desk folks and a very special one from Shiv, who never forgets. Truth be told, he does not like a big deal made at his birthday, but this same thing happened to me as well in January. If someone had not informed our waiters it was my birthday, we would not have had a cake at the table. It was sad, however, that Woody informed us that Susie would not be re-joining the ship but would be flying home from Lisbon with a medical attendant on Friday. Her daughter had flown home today, also her birthday. Bet she never would have expected to be spending her birthday in Lisbon. Anyway, Susie will be home and in competent hands, while Woody will stay onboard and be back home May 12th. Like part of our extended family, we will all be happy to keep him company all the way back. Despite all of that, we did have a wonderful dinner with our guests, and the choices of starters and mains were better. We had received more deliveries while in Amsterdam which was great. After we finished our meals, two cakes arrived…..one regular size one for Rene, and a double-size one for Bill. And naturally, a dozen of the wait staff, including Oscar, our head waiter, came to sing a rousing happy birthday song. A good ending for our visit to Amsterdam. Another strange thing happened tonight, as well as last night. The room TV shut off at 10:30pm. Now what? That was supposed to be fixed on April 15th, but we guess it was not. Yes, we can live without it, but it is our only chance to keep up with the world news. Tomorrow we will have a very precious day at sea, and enjoying every second of relaxing, but also catching up on hundreds of photos etc. Bill & Mary Ann