Land Ho! We dropped anchor early this morning. The port is not deep enough for the ship so they set up tender operations. For those who have never cruised, that means using the ships lifeboats to shuttle people ashore. Each boat holds about 120 passengers and a crew of 3. A little uncomfortable with winds and 4 foot seas but only a 15-minute ride.

We found a taxi driver for a tour of the island. 65 euros for the 4 of us as compared to the ships bus tour of $70 p/p. She said she spoke “a little” English, turns out she spoke little English. "Beach, school, church flower, WC....one word answers to our questions but we rode the island for 2 hours, saw everything the tour bus people experienced and saved money. We had been here before so it was a refresher for us.

She dropped us off in town at a small pub and we had a wonderful lite lunch while chatting with two wonderful and entertaining British chaps from the Channel Islands of the U.K. who had just returned that morning from a 17-day crossing of the Atlantic from the Caribbean Sea in a 40' single masted sail boat. Wow! Talk about "cohunes”, it takes real courage to cross the pond with 15 to 20 foot seas in a small boat with just the two of them. They had some funny stories while they decompressed over tall glasses of local beer. They had spent the winter in the Caribbean staying warm and having fun. A thoroughly enjoyable lunchtime encounter.

We took a slow walk back to the ship and enjoyed the pleasant weather. We opted for a nap and then a casual dinner on the Lido deck as the ship weighed anchor and set sail for Ponta Delgada.  We opted for an evening movie titled "In the Heart of the Sea" a Ron Howard produced epic about a rogue whale that attacked a ship, killing many of the crew and how the rest were stranded for 90+ days in the doldrums of the Pacific. It was told through the eyes and words of the last living survivor to Herman Melville who used it as the basis for the infamous "Moby Dick" novel. Two hours of good entertainment.

We woke up Tuesday morning docked in Ponta Delgada. Interestingly enough, the Norwegian Star was tied up on the adjacent pier. We had sailed on her in the western Caribbean in January with 20+ couples from our community. A fun time then, but the quality of NCL is way below HAL.

We were again independent guests to go ashore. Jack and Gail had booked an excursion that gave them the highlights of the port. Since this was our second visit here we opted to just stroll around the downtown area which is a vibrant seaport town with plenty of shops, restaurants, churches and attractions.

In 2012, just prior to my transplant we had taken a repositioning voyage and stopped here. I never expected to return. We visited several churches and said thank you for allowing us to make this journey again. A little window shopping, a lite lunch in a small, local downtown cafe with local working folk and enjoyment of the sun and pleasant temperatures completed the day. We watched our departure from the dock as we sailed northeast toward Spain.

The ship's company of singers and dancers entertained us after our dinner with an interesting couple from nowhere! Yep, they were full time travelers having retired early from their jobs in Dallas. Between cruises, time share off season cash rentals and visiting with friends, Steve and Suzanne wander the world with no particular itinerary. We are at sea now for two days enroute to Spain.

 

Another day at sea and today is Jack & Gail's 59th wedding anniversary. Lazy morning and mid- day. Gail was off for a pedicure and manicure, we 3 played cards and did some sidewalk sale shopping by the pool. Another great lecture on Lord Captain Cochrane. We arranged for 2 other couples we have met to join us for dinner and celebrate the anniversary. I had a table for 8, champagne and we gave Gail flowers and some small gifts. Each of the other couples bought small gifts as well. We had a great time.

All of us have slight colds. Stuffy nose, cough, congestion, etc. nothing serious, just annoying. We had breakfast upstairs and enjoyed a fascinating lecture on pirates from Capt. Nixon. Laurie and Gail took long afternoon naps, while we read and then dressed for a wonderful dinner at their specialty restaurant called the Pinnacle Grill. Filet Mignon and lobster tail with more champagne to celebrate the 59 years. A show of 3 gal singers was the evening’s entertainment. Seas have picked up again and the temps are dropping. We dock in A Coruna, Spain in the morning.