Friday, June 24, 2016


Generally, northern Spain is cool, wet and windy. Well as they say, 2 out of 3 isn't bad.... we had cool, windy and sunny! An unusual weather day. It is a beautiful coast line and A Coruna is a vibrant, crowded and busy city with a spectacular mix of ancient and new architecture, high vistas, magnificent coves and fishing harbors and a huge sandy beach in the downtown area. The city boasts the oldest working lighthouse, the Tower of Hercules built by the Romans which has been refinished and restored to preserve it. There is a 6 story paved hill to climb to get to the base, then another 300 steps to the top. We made it to the base and quit! But even there a spectacular panorama of the city was ours to enjoy.



We were on an overview bus tour, 15 euros each for just over 2 hours with a guide who spoke English and shared here internet connection with us. We had not booked with the ship and saved quite a bit and saw the same sights. The downtown beach which is a cove open directly to the Atlantic is about a mile in length, and although it looks inviting is considered quite dangerous because of the currents and rocks and cold water temperatures. A number of people die every year. In the winter, the road we were on is actually flooded over and not useable even though the city spends millions to build sand barriers to protect it.



We returned to the ship, played cards and enjoyed a ships bar-b-que poolside for dinner including suckling pig, short ribs, steaks and plenty of different salads and sides. We skipped the entertainment and played dominoes listening to the wind. A restful night and we slept in on Saturday morning!



A quiet Saturday at sea yet cold and windy but the waves were low and we took a 1.6k walk (3 laps around the ship before a light lunch in the Lido. Captain Nixon gave a provocative yet highly informative on the sensitive subject of slavery going back over 2000 years. Some of his power point was a bit salacious but necessary to get the message through. A thought to ponder: more African slaves went to Brazil, over 5 million than any other area in the Western Hemisphere including America which only received about 500,000 during the 17 & 18 hundreds.



An afternoon concert by the ships singers was followed by another formal night and the obligatory surf & turf offerings in the dining room. I opted for a veal chop. The evening entertainment (we went to the early show at 8 pm) was a piano showman from Manchester, England who was quite good and did a nice impression of Liberace. Early to bed tonight for a 6am wake up. The ship docks at 8am in Cherbourg and we meet our guide on the pier at 8:30am. And we will be off to the Normandy Beaches. Let's hope the winds die down as the forecast temperature is 55 degrees.









Monday, June 13, 2016


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.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Some facts and pics about the ship and our full schedule. We were on Deck 5, Cabin 5028.