Wonderful wonderful Copenhagen

Our trip is over, and we’re back home in Windsor, California.  We’re still suffering somewhat from jet lag, but that’s getting better each day.  So here’s the last chapter in this trip’s blog.

We left Oslo, Norway mid-afternoon, and sailed down the fjord that leads to the North Sea.  Once out of the fjord, we encountered a wind that approached 65 knots and seas churned up by the wind.  For the rest of the afternoon and evening, the captain kept adjusting our course to minimize the effects of the wind and sea.  As we got closer to Copenhagen, the wind died and the sea calmed down.

We arrived in Copenhagen early in the morning; we were already docked by the time we woke up.  The departure schedule, which we had received the day before, listed our time for disembarkation as 8:45 AM, so we met our friends at a lounge/waiting area and enjoyed some coffee, juice and sweets.  When our time was called, we left the ship and reclaimed our luggage in a large tent set up on the dock.  The entire process went smoothly. 

Nyhavn

We had rented an apartment in Copenhagen, which we shared with our friends, Karl and Pam.  The others in our group were staying at the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel.  After calling to alert the apartment manager, we taxied to our apartment where we were met by a representative who showed us through the apartment.  It’s a large, bright, two bedroom unit in a building located off the street so traffic noise was non-existent.   It’s located in a neighborhood called, “Nyhavn” which means, “new harbor”, but it’s actually one of the oldest harbors in the city, dug by Swedish prisoners of war in the 17^th century.  The canal itself is lined with old ships that probably have sailed for the last time, and the streets that line the canal are filled with restaurants, bars and hotels.  It’s a vibrant, popular neighborhood with locals and tourists alike.

After unpacking and getting settled in, we set out to explore the neighborhood, get a bite to eat, and find a grocery store for a few supplies we’d need for a six-night stay.  Copenhagen’s traffic, both cars and bicycles, is very heavy, but the drivers (and bikers) are as courteous as we’ve seen in any country, obeying stop lights and pedestrian right-of-ways.  After a few wrong turns, we found the grocery store, completed our purchases and started looking for a restaurant.  There was a cold wind blowing so we did not want to eat at any of the many sidewalk cafes, so instead we found a small café about three blocks from our apartment.  We enjoyed a fairly modest lunch with a beer, and then came to the realization that Copenhagen is a very expensive city.  Our lunch for four came to $118.  Wow!  At least the tip’s included in the bill throughout Denmark.

The next day, Saturday, we were treated to a walking tour of Central Copenhagen.  Karl is retired from law enforcement, and he’s a member of the International Police Association (IPA) which provides police contacts in cities and countries around the world.  Karl had been in email contact with Rene, a retired police administrator in Copenhagen, and he and his wife, Majbritt (pronounced Mybrit) met us at our apartment to show us around.  We walked to the Amalienborg Palace where Queen Margrethe II and the royal family live.  While there, we watched the changing of the guard at noon.  From there, we strolled along the pedestrian-only shopping street to the Christianborg Palace, site of the fortress built in 1167 from which Copenhagen grew.  Fire burned the palace several times over the centuries; the present palace was built in 1907.  The stable and other buildings behind the palace date back to the 1730’s though.  Adjacent to the palace is Denmark’s Parliament, where the actual job of running the country occurs.  Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, run by a prime minister and 179 members of parliament, made up of representatives from 8 political parties or so.  The queen has to sign all laws, but they are first passed by parliament.

From there we walked a few blocks to the Rådhuset or Town Hall.  At Rene’s suggestion, we stopped at a hot dog stand in front of the town hall for lunch.  It was delicious and cheap!  We watched a human rights protest gathering in front of the town hall before strolling one more block to Tivoli Gardens, where we met our “Marriott companions”.  Together we entered Tivoli, which opened in 1843.  It consists of gardens, amusement rides, theaters, restaurants and shops, and it is the most popular seasonal theme park in the world.  It is said that Tivoli was Walt Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland.  It opens each year in mid-April and closes on December 30.  We spent all afternoon and evening at Tivoli, seeing the sights, watching a couple of gospel concerts and eating both lunch and dinner in the park.  Just before the 10 PM closing, we headed back to our apartment.

Rosenborg Castle

Sunday morning we walked a few blocks to yet another castle, Rosenborg, built in 1606-34 as a summer castle, complete with a moat.   After about 100 years, another summer castle was erected in a suburb of Copenhagen.  Since that time, Rosenborg has been used primarily as a storehouse for royal family heirlooms, including the crown jewels and thrones.  We toured the 24 upper rooms, each as it was when their respective kings lived there, and also visited the basement rooms which contain the crown jewels, including many of the current queen’s emeralds and diamonds.  

From Rosenborg, we took our travel group to Nyhavn for lunch, followed by a visit to show off our apartment.   After our fellow travelers left to head back to their hotel, we hopped on a canal tour boat to see the city from the water.  Along with many areas we had seen on our walk, we also saw the new Opera House, built across the harbor from the central area, and the “Little Mermaid” of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale.   The statue was created in 1913 with funding from the Carlsberg Brewery.  She has been vandalized repeatedly, losing her head and arms on a couple of occasions.

On Monday, we took a “Hop-On, Hop-Off” bus tour of the city which took most of the day.  Debbie had spotted a Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Outlet on a brochure and wanted to visit it while on the bus tour.  When we stopped at the Copenhagen Zoo, we hopped off and headed for the Outlet.  Maps are deceiving, particularly when no scale is shown.  We walked more than a mile before we reached the store.  After deciding that most everything in the store was beyond our budget (imagine a cup and saucer for $100), Debbie bought a few small bud vases as gifts for folks back home, then we trudged back to the bus stop at the zoo (uphill this direction).  We also stopped at the Little Mermaid again, this time to see the front of the statue; she faces the land.

Memorial Wall

Around 7 PM that evening, Rene and Majbritt joined us; Majbritt took Debbie and Pam on a shopping trip, while Rene took Karl and Tom on a tour of Police Headquarters.  We visited the Central Police Station which is used as an administrative center, and saw a memorial wall which is dedicated to the many Copenhagen police personnel who were executed by the Nazis during WWII.  He also took us to a precinct station where patrol and investigative officers are located.  It was a very interesting tour. 

 Following that visit, he took us out of the central area to a large conference center and a brand new hotel with a strikingly different design.  It is 23 stories high with a penthouse bar and a spectacular view of the city!

The following day we caught a bus for a day-trip to Malmö, Sweden, about 30 KM east and just across a bridge from Copenhagen.  (This town is mentioned in the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series of books.)  It’s an interesting city, much smaller than Copenhagen, but still, the third largest city in Sweden.  We walked along the central shopping street, visited the harbor and had a very good lunch at a Japanese restaurant in the central square.  From there, it was a little more shopping, then back on the bus to Copenhagen.  It was a short stay, but at least we can add Sweden to our list of countries visited.

On Thursday, Rene and Majbritt joined us again; this time for a trip to a small fishing village about 12 KM south of Copenhagen called Dragør.   Dragør has many well preserved historical buildings. The old part of the town is a cozy, picturesque maze of alleys with yellow-painted houses, thatched roofs, and cobblestone streets built in the traditional Danish style.  

Many of these buildings are hundreds of years old.  Dragør was a prosperous seafaring town in the latter half of the 19th century, and its charming harbor front is still in use by both pleasure and fishing boats.  The weather wasn’t particularly cooperative during our visit; wind and occasional rain and hail followed us around town.  We visited Dragør on Ascension Day, which is a holiday in Denmark, so some of the stores were closed, but many were open.  We had an excellent lunch at a local restaurant and did some souvenir shopping while there.  Following our bus ride back to our apartment, it was time to pack for home, as we were leaving the next afternoon.

On Friday we caught the Metro to the airport around 10:30 AM, in plenty of time to catch our flight at 1 PM.  We flew on a Lufthansa regional jet from Copenhagen to Munich, and then caught a non-stop Lufthansa flight to San Francisco.  We traveled across 9 time zones, arriving at SFO around 6:30 PM.  After grabbing our luggage and clearing customs, we stepped outside the terminal and there was an Airport Express bus to Santa Rosa at the curb.  We got to Santa Rosa around 9:45 and Debbie’s sister, Susie picked us up and took us home.  Brenda, our kitty sitter, had left the house in great shape with clean sheets and towels for us.  We fell into bed for a good night’s sleep, to be interrupted only by jet lag at 2:30 in the morning.  Bah!

On to Oslo

We enjoyed one last day at sea between Rotterdam and Oslo, Norway.  We love the sea days; we can sleep in a little, have a cup of coffee at leisure, then decide what activities to participate in until mealtime.

Bright and early on Friday, we approached Oslo through a long fiord before docking, just a ten minute walk from downtown.  We had chosen to take a walking tour of downtown Oslo so at the appointed time, we met our guide next to the ship.  There were  fifteen in our group, so we had no trouble keeping up with, or hearing our guide.  The tour had been advertised as "1.6 miles of walking over uneven pavement and some stair climbing", so we didn't have people with canes, walkers, etc. on the tour.

We stopped first at Oslo's City Hall with its astrological clock and the large assembly room where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each year.  The other Nobel prizes, chemistry, physics, etc. are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.  From there, we walked through downtown to the palace that is the home to the Norwegian King and Queen.  Like most of the countries in Europe, Norway has a "constitutional monarchy" in which the Royals are the ceremonial heads of state, but the country is run by an elected parliament.

Leaving the palace area, we walked by the Opera House to an old, large church which was closed.  We then passed by the oldest house in Oslo, built in 1516.  Wow, that's old!  But even older is the Akershus Castle, built on a hill overlooking the harbor around 1300.  In the 1400's, Norway became a province of Denmark, and was ruled by Danish Kings.  In 1624, a disastrous fire destroyed most of the old city which was built of wood.  King Christian IV of Denmark had the city rebuilt of stone across the river from the old location.  He also strengthened Akershus Castle to guard against the Swedes.  He renamed the town Christiania after himself.  Norway regained its independence in 1905, and in 1925, the name was changed back to Oslo.

From Akershus Castle, we could hear the music of marching bands.  We crossed over the moat surrounding the castle and there, on a large parade field, at least a dozen military marching bands were gathering for a "military tattoo".  It was a marching and music competition for the bands of several countries, including a colorfully dressed unit from South Korea.  From the field, they marched downtown in a parade.  Interestingly, even in  Scandinavia, John Phillip Sousa is the favorite composer.

We had an early departure from Oslo, so from the parade field we headed back to our ship and lunch.  Tomorrow is the end of the cruise in Copenhagen, so this afternoon is the time to repack our bags for departure.

Amsterdam, Holland

Rotterdam Harbor

Our ship docked in Rotterdam, one of the busiest commercial ports in the world, serving not only the Netherlands, but most of Northern Europe.  Most rivers along the coast of the North Sea tend to spread into a delta of streams, but long ago, the Dutch learned to squeeze them into channels then deepen them for navigation with dams and levees.  Such was the construction of a dam on the Rotte River, thus Rotterdam.

We traveled by bus to Amsterdam which is technically the capital, but The Hague is the seat of the government.  Holland is very flat, since most of the land has been reclaimed from the sea.  On the way we passed a few of the old windmills.  There are approximately 700 remaining of the 10,000 that used to operate in the country, both to mill grain and to pump water.  The weather was overcast with temperatures in the upper 50’s. 

The old city of Amsterdam is made up of a series of horseshoe shaped canals facing the Amstel River, which separates the old city from Amsterdam North.  We started our visit with a canal tour that covered much of the old city, including the Ann Frank house as well as several museums, churches and bridges.  There are houseboats of all sizes, shapes and descriptions lining the canals.  Some are well decorated and obviously well kept, others are run down and look like they are about to sink.  Houseboats have been allowed for many years, but the number is capped at 2,600, so even the decrepit ones are valuable, just for the space they occupy since no more can be permitted.  Following the canal tour, we reboarded the bus for a city tour which covered the main shopping area and several parks and squares.  We finished our guided tour in front of the Central Station of Amsterdam.

After an excellent lunch consisting of split pea soup (much better than Andersen’s) and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich (yes, Tom’s stomach is much better), we set off on foot for the Red Light District.  We saw several ‘ladies in the window’ advertising their wares, but I think we caught the day shift, because there was no one even remotely attractive, in our eyes.  We did pass a number of ‘Coffee Houses’ that sell ‘soft drugs’, but the more conservative element of our group were anxious to press on. 


We wandered through the shopping area but made no significant purchases, then headed back to the Central Station to catch our bus back to the ship.  When we got there, the line stretched for at least a block and we found out that there were 17 busloads of people from the ship who were all waiting.  Before we got to the head of the line, it began to rain, so those without a raincoat or umbrella got soaked.  Tom, who was standing in line, borrowed an umbrella from our friend, Ed, while Debbie and some others from our travel group decided to wait out the storm in a pub.  They caught the last bus back to the ship and arrived on time and in good humor.  Neither of us remember much of the trip back, but instead took the opportunity to examine the insides of our eyelids for leaks.

The ship left the dock in Rotterdam at 6:30 PM, and since the ship was too long to turn around in the dock area, we backed up for over two miles to a wide spot in which to turn around and head out to sea. Thursday is our last day at sea.  On Friday, we dock in Oslo, Norway, then sail overnight to Copenhagen, Denmark where we will disembark on Saturday morning.

Dover, England

We set our clocks one hour ahead between Falmouth and Le Havre, so, revisiting England, we set our clocks back one hour.  It’s about as much a pain in the A­­ as changing money.  We started in Ireland with the Euro, then the British Pound in Cornwall, the Euro again in France, then the Pound again in Dover.  We’ll use the Euro in Holland, the Norwegian Kroner in Norway and finally the Danish Kroner in Denmark.  The Danish & Norwegian Kroner are worth about the same, 16¢ in US dollars, but they cannot be used interchangeably, similar to the Canadian and US dollars; the same but different.

Leeds Castle

Tom woke up in Dover feeling lousy; nausea and an upset stomach.  He skipped breakfast and decided at the last moment to take our scheduled tour to Leeds Castle and the town of Canterbury.   Dover is the gateway to Kent, a rich agricultural area specializing in grain and apples.  Kent is also at the shortest crossing point between England and the continent, and as such, was on the traditional invasion route for incursions from the continent.  The Romans took control of England here, beginning with Julius Caesar in 55 B.C.  After the Roman legions were gone, Germanic tribes called Jutes landed on the same beaches in 445 A.D.  Then in 597, Augustine of Canterbury landed with missionaries, seeking to spread Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon tribes.  The invasion went the other direction in 1944, when the allies chose Dover to became the headquarters for the Normandy invasion.

Leeds Castle & Moat

Leeds Castle is about 35 miles from Dover, and is about 900 years old.  It began as a Norman stronghold, then became the private property of six of England’s medieval Queens and a palace used by Henry VIII.  In the 1930’s the castle was purchased by a private owner, an Anglo-American known as Lady Baillie, who entertained high society from both London and Hollywood for the weekends.  It is furnished as it was in the 30’s, with fine art, porcelain and furniture.  It sits on about 120 acres, with lakes, gardens, a golf course and a moat which surrounds the castle itself.  The castle tour was fascinating but Tom was more interested in finding a bathroom than visiting the Queen’s bedroom.

From Leeds Castle, we took our bus back to the old town of Canterbury, located on the ancient Roman road called Watling Street.  The town has prehistoric roots, but it became truly important as the capital of Kent and Augustine’s religious hub.  A century later, a bitter dispute between Archbishop Thomas Becket and Henry II resulted in the murder of Becket by the king’s knights.  Becket was acclaimed as a martyr to religious liberty and Canterbury became a shrine to pilgrims and tourists alike.  Excursions to the town became so popular that Geoffrey Chaucer based his “Canterbury Tales” on a pilgrimage.

Canterbury Cathedral Gate

After a brief guided walk around the center of the town, we were on our own for exploration, food and drink.  Tom still didn’t trust his stomach, so we found an old pub and enjoyed a pint while relaxing.  We were to meet our guide outside the gates of the cathedral, and when we got there, we were in the company of a large number of French school children. The French election had been held the previous day, and President Sarkozy had been defeated, so a holiday celebration was going on and French schools were closed for several days.  Amidst the hubbub we found our guide and made our way back to the bus to Dover.

We got back on the ship at around 4 PM and Tom went straight to bed where he slept pretty much through the night.  The next morning, all was well and we were now in Rotterdam, Holland.  Tom was ready for a little breakfast and the day’s tour to Amsterdam.

Le Havre, France

Last night we sailed across the English Channel to the French port of Le Havre in Normandy.  The ship offered tours to a number of locations, including Paris, Rouen and the Normandy beaches where the D-Day invasion took place.  We had visited the Normandy beaches on a previous trip, so we chose to visit the village of Honfleur near the mouth of the Seine River.  It was a beautiful ride through the farmlands of western France, and through several villages where many houses still sport thatched roofs.  They told us that a thatched roof will last 40 years, but then it must be totally replaced.

As there are fewer and fewer roofers who can build thatched roofs, it is very expensive so many homeowners are choosing to replace their roofs with tile or slate.  The area’s soil is very rich, with wheat, rape seed from which canola oil is made, and dairy making up the majority of the local agriculture.

The cities in western Normandy were heavily bombed during WWII, but the village of Honfleur didn’t suffer serious damage, so many buildings date from the 15^th to 17^th centuries.  There is an inner harbor, called the old dock or “le Vieux basin”, surrounded by half-timbered buildings and filled with sailboats and other watercraft, and a canal which connects with the Seine River, allowing the long, low river cruise boats to dock right downtown. 

We explored Saint Catherine’s church, built in the 15^th century by shipbuilders.  It is the largest wooden church in France, and the ceiling resembles an upside down ship.  We also explored a French pastry shop for a mid-morning snack, YUM!  We had plenty of time to see the sights of this medieval village, including the remains of the old prison and the 17^th century salt warehouses that are now used for exhibitions and concerts.

Whereas we’d taken the scenic, country route to Honfleur, we returned to Le Havre by the faster route over the Normandy Bridge, built in the 1990’s.  It is the largest suspension bridge in Europe with twin towers and a total length of over 2,000 meters or 6,500 feet.  We had most of the afternoon at leisure because the ship didn’t sail until the last of the passengers who had spent the day visiting Paris got back aboard about 7:30 PM.

Then, like a ping pong ball, we jumped back across the channel to England again, this time to Dover.

Cornwall

We sailed from the southwestern tip of Ireland to the southwestern tip of England, which is known as Cornwall, an easy overnight trip.

At the time of the Roman Empire, the majority of the people in Britain and Ireland were Celtic.  But as the Anglo-Saxon and Norman invasions continued, the Celts were pushed further north and west, into the remote corners of both islands.  The Cornish people were one of those cultural enclaves.  They remain so today, considering themselves a separate people from England.  They’re proud of their heritage and culture, although their native Cornish language gradually died out.

Falmouth is located at the mouth of the Fal River, hence the name.  Henry VIII built two large fortified castles to guard the harbor mouth against a possible Spanish invasion, though none ever came.  Smuggling was very common along the Cornish coast, particularly in remote coastal towns such as Polperro and Charlestown.  Cornwall was also the home to many lead and tin mines, and many Cornish men immigrated to North America to work in the gold and silver mines in the west.

Falmouth is the one port of this cruise that requires the ship to anchor in the bay and transfer passengers going ashore in the ship’s tenders or lifeboats.  This is always a bit of a hassle as it takes 20 minutes or more to load, sail to the dock, and unload a tender.  Although we used six or seven tenders, it is still much slower than when docked.  Once on shore, we boarded a bus for a 90 minute trip to the village of Polperro, a charming village of narrow cobbled lanes and whitewashed houses.

On the way, we stopped in another coastal village, Charlestown, for a bathroom break and a chance to stretch our legs.  There were three tall ships at the village dock, and they all looked ready for a trip to sea.  We walked about the village for 30 minutes or so, then reboarded our bus to Polperro.

Polperro’s streets are so steep and narrow that cars and busses are not permitted in the village, but have to park in a large parking area at the top of the village.  It’s about a 15 minute walk to the center of the village, but a tiny tram is available for those who choose not to walk.  We passed many beautiful old homes during our walk, which ended in a pub at the harbor’s edge.  The pub has the only working ATM in the village, and we needed to get some British pounds for our local purchases.  Credit card foreign transaction fees and currency conversion by shopkeepers tend to be very expensive. 

Once we had our local currency, we stopped at one of the many shops that make pasties, a local Cornish meat and vegetable pie.  If you’ve ever been to Grass Valley or Nevada City in California, you may have had a pasty, as the many Cornish miners in that area brought the pasty to the US.  The pasty is a ‘hand pie’ which is meant to be eaten without utensils, so we took our pasties and ate them while exploring the village.  We also stopped for a beer at a local pub.



The tides on the Cornish coast are extreme.  The boats in the harbor were all resting on the harbor mud.  They can only be used when the tide is in.  

Once we’d finished shopping, we headed back up the lane to the parking lot where we reboarded our bus for the trip back to Falmouth.  There, we joined a long line of passengers waiting to catch a tender back to the ship.  By this time, the wind and waves had come up, making the process even slower than the trip to the shore.  We did, however, make it safely back to the ship with plenty of time for a cocktail before dinner.  

Cobh, Ireland

On Saturday morning, we docked at Cobh (pronounced Cove) in Ireland.  Cobh is close to the city of Cork in southwest Ireland, and it is also close to the Blarney Castle.  We had decided not to take any of the tours offered by the cruise line, but instead, we decided to wander around the small village, find a pub for a beer and lunch, and perhaps do a little shopping.  The weather was bitterly cold, with a temperature in the low 40’s and a brisk wind.

Cobh was the last port visited by the Titanic on her maiden voyage in 1912.  One hundred and twenty six passengers took tenders out to the ship which was anchored in the harbor, and five passengers got off.  Three days later the ship struck an iceberg off the coast of Greenland and sank.  Since this is the centennial year, everything in town has a Titanic theme.

Cobh has the distinction of being the port closest to the position where the British Passenger Liner, Lusitania, was sunk by a torpedo from a German U-Boat in 1915, so the survivors and the bodies of the victims were transported to Cobh.  There are many graves of the victims in the town’s cemetery.  There are also memorials to both disasters prominently displayed in town, as well as at least three museums dedicated to the Titanic.

We wandered down the main street to Kelly’s Pub where we quenched our thirst with a Guinness or two.  It tastes better in Ireland than it does at home.  A climb up the hill to the cathedral reawakened that thirst, so we withdrew to the pub in an old hotel for lunch and another beer.  Debbie had fish & chips while Tom enjoyed a steak and mushroom pie, both definitely Irish in origin.  It was very good and also very filling.

After lunch, a little shopping was in order; Tom found a wool cap to keep his head warm, and Debbie found a couple of pins to add to her collection as well as a gift or two for folks at home.  By the time we finished that, we were ready to head back to the warmth of the ship to await our overnight passage to Falmouth in Cornwall. 

Since we've been unable to link the photos from the Captain's Table Dinner to our blog, click this link to view them.  

Chef's Table Dinner Photos

A Meal to Die For!

While we’re at sea, writing a post every three days is about right.  However, now that we’re visiting a different port every day, three days is way too long.  Yesterday we were in Cobh, Ireland, and today we’ve been in Cornwall. But, before we talk about the ports, we have to tell you about one of the greatest dinners we have ever had!!!

Since we cruised last year, Princess has come up with a new wrinkle; a “Chef’s Table” for a few guests.  They hold it three or four times on a cruise of this length, and the maximum number of guests for each event is 12.  You can’t sign up for it until you are on the ship, so as soon as we got to our cabins, our wonderful friend, Judy, was on the phone with the dining room, trying to grab a reservation for our group of nine.  She was told that the attendees would be chosen by lottery, but that if we were chosen, all of us could go.  We didn’t hear anything for five or six days, when we all got invitations for Friday night.  Yippee!!!

The girls with Executive Chef Giuseppe

At 7PM on Friday, we gathered in the atrium where we were met by a dining room steward who had our names, cabin numbers and photos, and checked us in.  We were led to a coat rack by the ship’s Maître d’ where we all donned lab coats and entered the galley (kitchen).  The next step was to wash our hands like we were about to perform surgery.  They are very serious about sanitation on the ship.  We’ve taken galley tours on previous trips, but they were always when the galley was between meals, and very quiet.  This tour, which was led by the ship’s Executive Chef, began right in the middle of dinner service, and while it was calm and orderly, there was a bit of bustle of servers throughout the galley.  

After our tour, we retreated to a quiet corner where we were served champagne and several “WOW” appetizers, including a lobster margarita, tuna tartar, a fontina cheese quiche with truffles, and caviar served on new potatoes, all of this in the company of the Executive Chef and the ship’s Captain.

After we’d had our fill of the appetizers, we were escorted through the dining room back to the coat rack where we shed our lab jackets, then proceeded back into the dining room led by the chef.  We were seated at a beautifully decorated table, complete with flowers, candles and crystal wine glasses.  The rest of the dinner was kind of a blur, but it included asparagus risotto with lobster tails, lemon sorbet with lemoncello marinated strawberries (this was served as a “palette cleanser”), roasted veal shank served, as the chef said, with a side of beef tenderloin in a green peppercorn sauce.  It was accompanied by roasted potatoes trimmed in the shape of mushrooms and fresh vegetables.  If that wasn’t enough, we finished with baked camembert in a port wine reduction, a passion fruit dome cake with a whiskey -soaked raspberry soft center and a mango glaze, served with a decorative sugar sculpture that was also edible.  Of course, the ship’s sommelier served fabulous wines throughout the meal.

The meal was an extra charge of course, but the cost was about the same as eating out at a nice restaurant with a bottle of wine at home, and as we said earlier, it was spectacular!

We’ll post pictures of the dishes as a web album shortly and link it to our post.  In the meantime, we’ll start writing about the two ports we visited so we don’t get too far behind.

Sailing to the Azores

We completed the 5 ½ day crossing from Florida to Ponta Delgada in the Azores islands without falling off the ship, hitting a rock or anything bad.  The weather is still great; partly cloudy with highs in the 60’s.  The Azores are a group of nine volcanic islands that belong to Portugal.  They are located about 800 miles off the coast of Portugal.

While at sea, there’s plenty of time to partake in whatever activity interests you; sleeping, eating, drinking and reading come to mind.  Tom took in a lecture about storms at sea, a phenomenon we hope not to experience.  There’s also time to learn such things as the origins of the words, port and starboard (the left and right sides of the ship).   Briefly, the terms go back to the days when ships were steered by a long, large bladed oar instead of a rudder.  This oar was referred to as the “steer board”.  Since most sailors were right handed they would stand on the right side of the ship facing forward.  Therefore, this side became known as the steer board side of the ship.  Over the years this was corrupted to become the starboard side.  Due to the location of the steering oar on the right side of the vessel, ships would always come alongside a berth with the left hand side to the dock, to avoid damage to the steering oar.  Therefore this was referred to as the “port” side of the ship.

On Tuesday evening, we decided to have dinner at one of the ship’s alternative restaurants, the Crown Grill, the ship’s steakhouse.  The food in our regular dining room has been great, but at the Crown Grill, which has a cover charge, serves exceptional beef, as well as seafood and other treats.  We both had steak, of course, and it was superb!  It came with a side of lobster tail as well as numerous other side dishes.  By the time dinner was over, we were totally stuffed, but happy.

Wednesday, May 2^nd, at around noon, we docked at Ponta Delgada and proceeded off the ship to explore the town.  Many of the ship’s passengers had booked land tours around the island, but we decided to just stroll the streets and find a café for lunch and a local beer.  The streets and sidewalks are cobblestone and the streets, for the most part, are quite narrow.  Although at many intersections there were traffic backups, drivers appeared to be both patient and courteous, as they were quite willing to let pedestrians have the right-of-way.  The general pace of life appears to be rather laid back.

Anyway, after strolling about and exploring a number of local stores, we found ourselves at a sidewalk café where we proceeded to enjoy sandwiches and local beer.  Good!  We then made our way back to the ship and found a deserted piece of deck from which to enjoy the view until sailing.

We now have two more days at sea, heading for the British Isles, where our first port-of-call will be Cobh (Cork), Ireland.   We’ll spend Saturday in Cobh, then an overnight sail to Cornwall.  Much more to follow about these ports after we’ve seen them.

Until then, Cheers!

Tom & Debbie

Bon Voyage

Well, we are underway on the Emerald Princess.  We left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale at about 6PM on Thursday.  Once clear of the barrier islands, we set a NE course toward the Azores Islands.  We’ll be at sea for five days before reaching Ponta Delgada on Sau Miguel Island (yes, it’s Sau, not San, because it’s Portuguese) in the Azores.

Getting aboard the ship was a pain this time.  When we left this same port last April, we were on the ship within 30 minutes after arriving at the port.  This time, it was at least two hours of standing in line before actually setting foot on the deck.  We were told that there were two contributing factors to the delay; the Coast Guard wouldn’t let the ship begin boarding because they didn’t have a complete list of all passengers who had disembarked from the previous cruise, and that this particular dock had only one gangway from which to board the ship instead of the three gangways that the ship normally uses.  Oh well, we finally made it. 

After taking a brief tour of the ship, we met most of our traveling companions for lunch.  In addition to all of the dining rooms in the ship, there is a hamburger/hot dog counter on the main deck so, since it was a beautiful day, we decided to eat ‘Al fresco’.  After lunch, we decided where and when to meet for cocktails before dinner.  We have to keep our priorities in order, of course.

While there are many times and places to choose for dinner, we like the traditional fixed seating where we can get to know our waiters, and more importantly, they get to know our wants and needs.  Our waiter is Francisco from Chile, and our assistant waiter is Alejandra from Mexico.  Both have great personalities and make dining fun.  As in previous cruises, the food is very good, but the number of choices makes it difficult to decide what to eat.

Yesterday, Friday, was a quiet day; we slept late and skipped breakfast.  I think we’ll do that on most sea days; two meals a day is plenty!!!  Tom went to a seminar on the history of the Atlantic Ocean, presented by a Geologist/Naturalist on board.  Debbie spent the morning reading.  After lunch, we signed up for the on-board internet, which as I said earlier, is slow and expensive.  It does work, though, and as past cruise passengers, we get several hours free during the 16 day trip.  We’ll try to stay under our “free” limit.

The weather continues to be beautiful.  Days are around 70 degrees, and nights are in the 50’s.  It’s mostly cloudy with occasional sun breaks.  The seas are “moderate” which means that there are 4-7’ swells, but since the ship is large and equipped with all sorts of stabilizing gear, all we feel is a slight roll from side to side.  It’s a very comfortable ride.

Today, Saturday, we are a little south of the Islands of Bermuda, right in the middle of the notorious Bermuda Triangle.  The Triangle is one million square miles, in the North Atlantic Ocean, between the Bermuda Islands, Puerto Rico and Key West.  Its myth originated in the fifties after a few articles in the press about accidents and disappearances of ships and aircraft which took place in mysterious circumstances attributed to supernatural or extraterrestrial forces.  Scientific scrutiny of these occurrences has found no connection between the accidents and the location, so what remains today is just legend.  We’re not worried, are you?

Tonight is the first of three ‘formal nights’, when we will put on dressier duds for dinner.  The ship’s captain, or in this case, Commodore (he’s the senior captain of the Princess fleet) will have a cocktail party to welcome the guests and introduce the senior officers.  Since there are close to 3,000 guests aboard, I think we’ll skip the party.  It can really be a hassle.  I’m sure we won’t skip dinner, though.

That’s about all for now, folks.  We hope you enjoy our tale.

Tom & Debbie

Off We Go Again!

We're presently in a hotel room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, preparing to board a cruise ship in a couple of hours.  We spent most of the day yesterday on an airplane, traveling from California to Florida, with a stop in Houston.  Air travel isn't fun anymore, with TSA and the airline industry teaming up to make it as uncomfortable and unpleasant as possible.

But, enough about that, our adventure begins today.  We're sailing on the Emerald Princess to Europe.  Yes, Princess is owned by the same company as the Costa ship on its side in the Mediterranean, but we're not concerned.  We've sailed on Princess many times and have had a great time.

From Fort Lauderdale, we sail east for five days to the Azores Islands, where we'll spend a day in Porta Delgado, the main port city.  From there we'll head to Ireland, Cornwall, France, England, Holland, Norway and Denmark, where we'll disembark after 15 days.  We plan to spend about a week in the Copenhagen area, returning home on Friday, May 18th.

While we're away, having a local beer in every port, our good friend and cat tamer, Brenda, will be  staying in our home, making sure that our cats, Bella and Cocoa, are getting the love that they demand.

While we're on the ship, internet access can be good or bad, but the one sure thing is that it'll be expensive.  So, our posts from the ship are likely to be brief, and will probably not have many pictures.  We'll catch up once we're off the ship.

Stay tuned for more!

Tom & Debbie