... to Stanley, Falkland Islands...

... a town of 2500 inhabitants on a windswept, desolate island. After two days of R&R at sea, we were ready for an adventure. We chose an overland expedition to visit the penguin rookery at Bluff Cove. Accessible only by Land Rover, we jolted for half an hour over uneven, rutted terrain, rocks, and gorges to reach the beautiful but secluded Bluff Cove. Home to more than a thousand Gentoo penguins, the rookery also has a small colony of King penguins, who stand head and shoulders above their smaller cousins. One protective King penguin father was warming an egg which was about to hatch. The rookery is watched over by the family who owns the land around the Cove, and makes sure no one bothers the penguins as they grow. The ground was strewn with penguin down from the mostly molting 3 month old chicks, who will go out to sea in the next few months. They were an endearing crowd, waddling up to us to see what we wanted. The innocence of youth! The nearby Sea Cabbage Inn offered fresh hot coffee, tea and chocolate, along with home-baked goodies, very welcome after braving the winds in the cove. Although it was a balmy 65 degree summer day, the wind was icy and relentless. Not good for contact wearers!

After our penguin visit, our driver returned us to Stanley, formerly known as Port Stanley. We had a nice lunch of fish n' chips at Deano's, a local hangout, which fueled us for a walk up Stanley's steep streets to get a better view of the town's colorful roofs. Many houses had lovely vegetable and flower gardens, which must have been quite a feat given the harsh conditions. One family has a display of various types of whale skeletons, and the local church has an arch made out of whalebones. We learned that Prince William will be returning to the island in the next week or two for a new tour of duty. Just missed him!

We enjoyed the walk and the many lovely gift shops along the major street. We were happy to make it back to the ship just before a brief rainstorm. Next up: Antarctica!

I'm again having trouble uploading photos, so will do so as soon as the connections improve. The penguins were adorable!

... to Montevideo, Uruguay!

Montevideo, the capital and largest city in the relatively small country of Uruguay, is located at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. This river is huge you can almost not see one shore from the other, and its location makes Montevideo one of the major ports of South America. The majority of the population is Spanish and Italian, and the European influence is evident in the architecture of the city, which is somewhat of an artists' colony with dozens of art and craft galleries. Its also world-famous for its beef.

The port is very close to the center of the old town, not more than a 5 minute walk, so we began the day with a lengthy walk around Old Town. Shops sell all types of handmade items, including many things made of leather, wool, fur, and wood. In addition, vendors often line the pedestrian streets, selling souvenirs and crafts, vying for space with vegetable stands. We greatly enjoyed our walk, and walked further than we intended before going back to the ship to catch our afternoon tour, which was supposed to be a bus tour of the city's architecture. Much to everyone's surprise (including several folks with walkers and canes) it turned out to be a walking tour - which lasted more than 4 hours! It was also, hands-down, the worst tour so far. But the city is delightful, and definitely worth a visit.

... to Buenos Aires!

Two days at sea, capped by a great onboard concert by Doc Severinson and the San Miguel 5 (what a showman and how that man enjoys what he does - at 84 years old!) put us in great shape for 3 back-to-back days in port.

We began our first day in Buenos Aires with an excellent tour which hit all the high spots. A bus ride took us through the port area to the North side of town, home to the financial district and the high end shopping and housing areas. We next went downtown, to the central part of the city, where we disembarked at Plaza de Mayo, to see the "Pink House" - the Presidential palace, with its famous balcony, used by Evita for speeches and by Madonna for a song in the film "Evita. The famous balcony has the 6th, 7th and 8th windows from the left on this photo.

Next we climbed aboard the oldest subway in South America, built in 1913 by the British and still in operation. We rode an original car to the Cafe Tortoni, the city's best-known meeting place. It reminded us of the intellectual coffee houses in Vienna.

During our tour we crossed the Avenue of the 9th of July, the widest street in the world; we counted at least 16 lanes. Pretty spectacular. A large building features Evita's picture and lights up at night.

We continued by bus to the South side of the city, historic home to the immigrant populations from Europe, and strongly Italian. The many-colored houses of Caminitos supposedly came from the owners requesting paint from ships in port, and using whatever colors were available. The tour concluded with a drive by Madero Port, a port originally built to replace the original port, but which turned out to be unusable for large ships. In an urban renewal project, the city has turned this area into the trendiest spot in town, home to several miles of restaurants, shops, and offices. We walked and shopped Florida Avenue, a pedestrians-only shopping district, home of the Galleria Pacifica, a lovely mall in an old restored building. The second day, we revisited many of these sites with our friends Lee and Troy, who had flown to Iguazu Falls the first day. In Caminitos, Frank had the opportunity to tango!

In addition, we took a cab to La Recoleta Cemetery, filled with spectacular little mausoleums built by famous artists, including 70 which are national monuments. The best-known "resident" is Evita, who rests in a low-key monument with other members of her family (but not Juan Peron, who is on the other side of town).

Buenos Aires is definitely our favorite port so far; there is so much to do and see in this phenomenal place that we are already planning to return.

... to Rio!...

... de Janeiro! After two days of much-needed rest and some pampering (a special dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, based on recipes and menus from Le Cirque Restaurant, lots of swimming, soaking and napping), we headed for two days in Rio, beginning by getting up at 6 am to experience the sail into the Rio harbor. It was spectacular, although a bit hazy, and we took shots of the Rio landmarks from every imaginable angle: Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf, the favelas on the hillsides. Our excursion featured an ascent of Corcovado, where the statue of Christ is located, on a crowded-to-the-max 100 year old train. At the top, we were amazed by the number of people lying on their backs to take photos of the statue above them. (No, we didn't...) Also the number of people posing with their arms out in front of the statue...

After the descent from Corcovado, we drove to Rio's famous beaches, first a drive by Ipanema, then a quick photo stop in Cococabana. Some of the most amazing things were the coconut water stands everywhere, free solar-powered showers, water hoses making cool channels in the sand for people to get to the ocean, the black and white patterned sidewalks along each beach, and the beautiful, wide beaches themselves. Apparently cariocas (natives of Rio) don't really get in the water, they go to the beach to sunbathe, stroll and be seen!

Our final stop the first day was at the immense Cathedral of St. Sebastian, patron saint of Rio. Completed in 1976, this modern marvel is huge, and the air temperature inside is always pleasantly cool, even in the heat of Rio's summers. The Cathedral can hold 20,000 people, and 12,000 were expected for St. Sebastian's saint's day celebration the following day.

We walked around Rio near the ship for a few hours, exploring some of the old streets of the city. It was a lovely afternoon.

Our second day was spent on a photographic excursion. We visited the Botanical Gardens, a fort, Ipanema and Cococabana beaches, and St. Theresa, a quaint artist community on one of the hillsides in Rio. Rio's a fantastic city, with a lot to see and do. Next time, two weeks -- not two days!

... to Recife and Olinda, Brazil!

Went ashore this morning (mercifully docked rather than tendering) to see the city of Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco, with 1.5 million inhabitants. We went by minibus to the town of Olinda, a UNESCO World Heritage City, with beautiful colonial buildings dating to the 16th and 17th centuries. The town is particularly well-known for its baroque churches and monasteries, heavy carved wood doors, and many wrought iron balconies. We visited a monastery and a church, stopping for photos and a demonstration of the local dance, performed by a quartet of school girls. Olinda also has an abundance of gift shops, some with irresistable props ...

Switching to a large bus, we toured Recife itself, with beautiful flowering trees and shrubs, buildings reminiscent of Paris, and lovely plazas or parks. The most interesting fact was that initially when the Dutch ruled the city, Jewish immigrants were encouraged to become residents. When the Dutch were expelled, the Jewish citizens were no longer welcome, and many fled --- to Amsterdam or New York City. We visited the beach, a prison turned into a marketplace for local crafts, and a park before returning to the ship to swim until sailing on towards Rio de Janeiro.

 

... to the Captain's Dinner ...

... and the Black and Silver Ball. We were invited to the Captain's cocktail reception, followed by dinner in the Pinnacle Restaurant, the upgraded restaurant on the ship. When we got there, we found that we were seated at the Captain's table - and I was seated next to the Captain! One of the big topics of conversation was the Costa cruise disaster in Italy; very sad, and sounds as though it should have been dealt with differently. Our Captain, who is British, was quite horrified by the entire incident. Earlier in his career, a freighter on which he was the Third Officer caught fire, and through a series of poor decisions (the Captain refusing to call for help - until after the radio had melted, etc.), all aboard were forced to abandon ship in three life rafts. They floated for nearly three days before being rescued by a passing freighter which was fortunately a little off course. The ship burned totally, but never sank, and was retrieved by the freighter company, the hull used as the basis for a new ship, and our Captain actually sailed aboard the restored ship as a Captain years later! He's a British Captain, now living in Florida, and a very jovial guy. The dinner was magnificent, the accompanying wines superb. The after-dinner entertainment was the Ball. The floor was covered with confetti, which we were told would turn up weeks from now in unexpected places...

Today we have a quiet day at sea; we've been invited for cocktails by friends in one of the two penthouse suites, followed by dinner in the Pinnacle restaurant. Good thing we swam for a few hours, and then went through our weight-training program in the gym...

... to Belem, Brazil ...

... a busy city of 1.8 million people, about 60 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, up the Amazon River. It was a bit grittier than expected for Brazil, but boasts a fine cathedral in gleaming white, quite a contrast from the rest of Belem.

We took a tender from our ship to the port (30 minutes), then a bus to the heart of Belem (1 hour), and walked around the busy local market selling mostly a wide variety of fruit and seafood. We headed back to the port by bus (1 hour), to hop on our tour bus for a ride right back into the city (1 hour), and were dropped off at exactly the same spot as before. !!! This time we boarded a boat for a trip up the Amazon, leaving Belem behind for the more rural rain forested areas. Along the way we saw the Amazonian version of Perkasie Park's cottages.

We left the boat for a walk through the jungle, with our guide, Pedro, pointing out the indigenous trees and fruits along the way. We saw Brazil nut trees, with empty nut pods strewn on the ground. Weighing a pound or more, they're a lethal bomb when dropped from a tree. We stopped for a jungle feast of fruit; ordinarily we would have passed because the main thing not to eat when you're in a strange place is fresh fruit - but it was now almost 5 pm and we hadn't eaten since breakfast, so ... we sampled everything, washing it down with the local 57% alchohol beverage (it must have killed anything else because we had no ill effects of any kind).

We boarded the boat for the cruise to downtown, followed by the 1 hour bus ride, this time through rush hour traffic, complicated by a torrential downpour which snarled traffic further. Last tender to the ship was at 5:30; we didn't reach the port until 6:30, and waited until 6:45 for a local ferry to unblock the tender boarding area. We reboarded the Amsterdam at 7:15, with the ship waiting for our tour group before it could depart.

... to Bridgetown, Barbados ...

.. and find the elusive pedometer batteries! Barbados, a formerly British island, is green and lush with beautiful beaches and rolling fields of sugar cane. After a morning of sightseeing in Bridgetown on our own, we took a tour with an award-winning local photographer, Ronnie Carrington, who shared hints and local photo spots, which we hoped to show you. However, after several tries, the blogging interface to add photos is not working, so perhaps on another slow day... We ended the day with dinner with our tablemates at Canaletto's, the Italian restaurant on board.

Sea day today: swimming in the pool, soaking in the mineral bath, napping on the thermal lounges ...
Another sea day tomorrow, with more of the same, then on to Belem, Brazil! Would be nice to know some Portuguese ...  

... to Roseau, Dominica ...

... a small, rather poor island nation. Searched the stores for batteries to power our pedometers - with no success. So we're on the honor system, for now. Very hot and humid weather - it was great to get back to the ship for a soak in the mineral spa, followed by a cold shower and a nap on the thermal couches.

A woman from the ship was struck on the pier by a tour bus this afternoon; her leg was badly broken and she and her husband remained in the hospital in Roseau when we left the port. Several repeat cruisers remarked that they typically "lose" 6 or 7 cruisers during the world cruise each year; a high percentage of the cruisers are in their 80s and 90s, so this number is not too outrageous. One woman told me that many of the older cruisers have made arrangements with their spouses that should something happen to them, they would be cremated in the next port, and their spouse would continue on with the cruise. Perhaps Frank and I should have a conversation!

There are about 1097 passengers aboard, with nearly 700 crew members. The numbers will fluctuate from port to port, but nearly 60% of the folks aboard are doing the full 112 days. We've just met the folks in one of the two penthouse units, and will post photos of our suite (approx. 600 square feet) and their penthouse (1200 square feet) soon. Not sure I would ever leave the ship!  

Bridgetown, Barbados tomorrow!

... formal!

After sleeping in late, then working with the personal trainer to design a one-hour workout for each of us, we hobbled back to the cabin to spruce up for our first formal dinner - lobster and filet mignon with an international flair!

Our after-dinner treat was the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester, best known for her songs Midnight Blue and You Should Hear What She Says About You.

Back in the cabin we received our second "pillow gift" - the first was a large box of Molton Brown toiletries. This was a very nice courier bag with a trip diary, card case, and small bag of necessities (like bandaids). Tomorrow's our first port!

... to sea!

On the ship at last! Checked out our home away from home, unpacked (ugh!), and celebrated our bon voyage!

By the time we actually left the port of Fort Lauderdale, it was pitch black and we were an hour and 45 minutes behind schedule. But we're underway and have a few days at sea to relax and get organized. We'll need it!

... lots of places in Florida

First, Orlando for the Osceola County contract start. Six beautiful libraries and a wonderful staff! And really good local cookies at our meetings - pink lemonade and apricot white chocolate! (The lavender cookies were not for everyone.) Meetings over, time to visit my always-hospitable cousin Lois and her husband Gordon in Ocala - with Mia along for parent-daughter bonding before the trip.

Today's treat: lunch with our dear friends Bob Muller and Maggi Boid from Vienna. Bob was the guy who sold us on the concept of around the world cruising, and it was appropriate that he miraculously turned up in almost the same part of Florida the day before our trip began.  

A final New Year's miracle: the glasses we ordered in CA before Christmas actually showed up in Orlando - before we left! - after their own vacation travels from the lab, to California, to Maryland, and then on to Florida after the personal intervention of the store manager. Thank you, Karen! Now we can read the fine print...