Wednesday, November 8 – Gala Night Since we were at sea and have stopped playing trivia, there is little to say abput the day, but the night was memorable. Several days ago, we struck up a conversation with the couple at the next table during breakfast in the MDR. Costa and Ann are currently Canadians but he, at least, has lived all over the world. Greek by birth [hence his real name of Constantine], he has lived in Germany, Italy and Great Britain at least. He has a larger than life persona to match his larger than life physique. He is irrepressible and a great story teller; most of them, naturally, are about himself. He takes pride in his modesty. We have seen them several times around the ship and decided to invite them to dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, HAL’s extra-cost steak house. As 5-Star Mariners, we are given 2 meals apiece in Pineapple, as we call it, but don’t always use them because MA is not fond of beef. However, she ha...
Popular posts from this blog
Friday, October 20 -- Off we go In the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, it’s déjà vu all over again. Last year, we took HAL’s Atlantic Adventurer from Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Lauderdale by way of Greece. This year, we are taking substantially the same cruise on a different ship, the Veendam, not the Rotterdam. And it is a week longer, so we won’t be home until December 8. It was all too easy today, especially compared to some of the nightmarish embarkation days we have suffered at Port Everglades. We drove to the off-site parking facility we always use, unloaded the luggage and were on the shuttle to the ship in under 10 minutes. Once the bags were off-loaded at the terminal, we breezed through check-in and were on board the Veendam, again, in about 10 minutes. We dropped our carry-on bags in the cabin and went to the Main Dining Room [herein after called the MDR] for lunch. In deference to Jon, we will omit the details....
Saturday, November 4 – Cartagena Capers Cartagena is another in the Gump Chocolate C ollection. We have found a flavor we like, so to speak, and always pick it. And we are never disappointed. Things were a bit different on this visit, but it had nothing to do with our plan. In the past 4 visits, we have walked off the ship, turned left at the model submarine, right at the Burger King and straight up Calle Mayor, Main Street. Calle Mayor is filled with shops of all kinds from groceries to clothing to real estate offices. And cafes too numerous to count. There are parallel and intersecting streets also filled with shops and cafes. Everywhere one looks, there are locals going about their business or relaxing with a drink [or two]. In 2009, we discovered a bakery-café less than 50 feet off the calle. We were enticed by the aroma and enchanted by the displays, but we were brave. We were brave again in 2011 when we returned...
Bon voyage!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy sister just disembarked from the Veendam last week in NYC. Also we transited the Panama Canal on her last November. Looks like you will be back in Madeira on 11/29 ... so close ... we fly in on December 1st, staying a week, then a few days in Ponta Delgada.
ReplyDelete