Blog update with no pictures. For some reason I could not add the pictures. I will try again tomorrow or add them when we get home

.Sunday, May 6, 2012 Gibraltar, UK

The weather turned beautiful and we were off on a bus for a spin around the town. We then turned upward and started our climb toward the top of "The Rock"! We stopped at an overlook that gave us an excellent view across the strait, incredibly only 8 miles away. No wonder they built such a fortification here! They took us by bus to a place where you could climb, via foot, much further.. to the tunnels, etc. Jack climbed and I stayed behind in the bus. The climb was too steep and too long for me. Our next stop was the cable car to the top. It was getting late and with four large ships in port "the rock" was very crowded. Our guide was able to get us moved to the front of the line... it was getting very late! The cable ride was ok and the views from the top were great. From the cable car platform you had to climb a circular stair to the top. I decided not to climb, forgetting about the Barbary monkeys that run loose on the rock. After the group was out of sight, I saw some monkeys start to descend on the platform.... so, whish.... I was up the circular stair in a flash! We were timely getting back to the ship.... The guide's cell phone kept ringing, as the ship was waiting on us. Because I am so slow, we were the very last to "walk the plank" and get aboard! There is nothing like "Home Sweet Ship".

Monday, May 7, 2012 Cartagena, Spain

Spain is wonderful! Cartegena is a very beautiful city, perched on 5 hills around a pleasant harbor. Every hill is enhanced with fortifications and old walls, castles and ancient dwellings. The harbor area is spotless; in fact most everything is spotless! The Spaniards are friendly; of course their economy is terrible so the tourist dollars are necessary. Jack went off the ship on his own today! We had no plans for this port and I was just not up the walking and hill climbing. Jack took some wonderful pictures while he walked along a pedestrian street.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Valencia, Spain

We got on the correct bus today! It was only about 20 people and everyone was early, so our guide took us on a tour through the city of Valencia, which was not included in the original tour! The city of Valencia is beautiful and spotless! There was little traffic because nothing opens until 10:00 or 11:00am...this is Spain! We were so impressed with the mixture of the ancient, the old and the new..... and so much green mixed in....palm trees and parks, gardens and huge window boxes... what a fantastic city! Our tour took us to a Vineyard about an hour outside of Valencia. We walked through the billions of bottles of Cava and wine, up, down and all around, before finally getting to the "tasting". Our next stop was to the small town of Raquena, where we walked and walked..... then we went into ancient caves that were built by the Moors and the locals centuries ago, under the town. It was very interesting, but the walking...UGH!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 Barcelona, Spain

This is almost like coming home; we have been in Barcelona so many times! We had booked a "free walking tour" in Barcelona because as many times as we have been here, we had never taken a City tour! The tour was through the Old City, the Gothic area. We took a taxi to Las Ramblas and then walked to the meeting place. The tour was great...but too much walking...I was exhausted! We found a Pharmacy on our way back to the ship and I was able to buy my favorite toothbrushes...I bought 22! We found a taxi and went back to the ship to veg!

Friday, May 11, 2012 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Another beautiful day and we are off on a tour to the ancient port of Rome, Ostia Antica. Hurray, found the right bus! It is hot today and very sunny...not much shade at the old port. Jack and walked until I could not go any further... about 3/4ths of the way. Even though I carry a walking stool I just didn't have the energy to go any further. So we left the guided tour and slowly returned to the bus. Thank God I was able to get back to the bus before the group did! I was so tired that I skipped dinner and went straight to bed.

Jack also had a mishap today! He was off with his camara in some ruins, his foot slipped off a high step and down he went! What a leg shiner! It swelled up right away, about a 5" diameter. There was nothing open, just a bad bruise. I had some Tylenol Cream in the bag, so he applied that right away, but it was not pretty! This bothered Jack for a few days afterward, especially during the night, if he rolled over and bumped it!

The next morning, Saturday, at sea, we went to the tour desk and cancelled the rest of our tours! The walking is just too much for me! I did manage to go to the Greenhouse Spa on the ship to enjoy a wonderful manicure and pedicure which was a Mother's Day Gift from our kids! Pure luxury!

Sunday, May 13, 2012 Ibiza, Spain

Another beautiful day in another beautiful Spanish port! This is our first cancelled tour port and we took our time getting off the ship. We bought tickets on the shuttle ($12 each) to take us to the city and then we slowly walked into the lower town. There was some kind of festival and street fair and many shops were open. We walked around for quite a while and then headed back toward the ship, stopping at MacDonald's for lunch and so internet on Jack's phone. We wished that we had brought the laptop with us...oh well. Jack looked at flights and then we found the shuttle to take us back to "Home Sweet Ship".

Monday, May 14, 2012 Almeria, Spain

Another beautiful day in another beautiful Spanish port! Today was the day we were to go to the Alahambra in Granada! I was so looking forward to this....oh well! I would have been so miserable trying to keep and with the group...there is a tremendous amount of walking and stairs on the tour and I know that I just can't do it!

We are about to go ashore with the laptop. Someone told Jack that there is a Burger King and a MacDonald's not too far from the pier.

We were standing on deck trying to get our bearings and, as usual, there was an ambulance at the gangway. I think there has been at every port. They just "load them up and then deposit them along the way", these cruise ships! Speaking of that, Jacks leg has gotten much better. The swelling has gone down and now he is just "colorful"!

Friday, April 27, 2012 Funchal, Maderia and at Sea, again!

Yesterday was our first port day. Our Port of Call was Funchal, on the island of Madeira, off the coast of Africa. We woke to cloudy skies, very low clouds and some rain! I had pre-arranged a Taxi Tour online and Robbie & Joel joined us for the day. We met our driver, Paolo, just at the gangway and we were off immediately. Our tour was really good. Paolo is a native of Madeira and he knew all the ins and outs of the city and surrounding area. The island is only 35 miles by 15 miles, and the people of the city of Funchal are all cliff dwellers. The skies started to clear and the day became quite pleasant. We visited the tourist spots and lookouts, the City Market, Nuns Valley and a small fishing village. Our 2½ hour tour became 5 hours and so we decided to head straight back to the ship. My knees were aching so I put on some Tylenol crème and we fell sound asleep for two hours!

The skies became cloudy again in the afternoon and by the time we sailed, at 6:00pm, the wind had picked up and the sea was not as calm. We did a lot of "rock and roll" during the night and woke to a sunny morning but still 5 to 6 foot swells. Walking is a strategy of "bob and weave".

One couple left the ship today..the man was ill! The Holland crew is VERY concerned about NoroVirus and they are taking every precaution to keep the passengers safe! They were also very stern about the Life Boat Drill on the first day..NO ONE could miss the drill! We have no problems with this as our room is on the Promenade Deck only five rooms from an exit in either direction, and the life boats are just outside our window!

Saturday, April 28. 2012 Lisbon, Portugal

We have been in Lisbon two or three times before, but we decided to take join a local tour company called We Hate Tourism! This is a youngish group of people who drive VW vans, some very unique! We were with Robbie and Joel again, and another 3 people from Ontario... a couple and the woman's father. Our tour guide and driver was Joanna, a 27 year old Portuguese native who was very fun and interesting. Our vehicle is pictured below, we were incognito! Our tour included a picnic lunch with wine and cheese, a cherry liquor in a chocolate cup and a famous Portuguese pastry. We had such a wonderful day even though I slid out of the van one time and bruised my leg! The skies began to cloud during the next day, at sea, and by the afternoon it started to drizzle. And then it got worse!!! By the time we got to the Dining Room for dinner at 6:00 we were starting to "rock and roll"! The ocean looked like a stew pot at full boil! We knew we were in for trouble when the "barf bags" appeared at the elevators. We went to the show after dinner and the evening entertainment was a concert pianist who had recently played at Albert Hall. He was quite good and he played a nice assortment of music...but one time he went to sit and his bench had dropped about a foot lower than he thought...we almost lost him! Thank goodness the piano was strapped to the floor or it would have been off the stage!

We staggered to our room, helping people along the way. There was a Dessert Extravaganza in the pool area, but we chose to skip this. One woman was pitched into the grand display of chocolates. She broke her arm and had to leave the ship the next day!

We have been in rough seas before....twice... but this was unique! I had eaten filet migon with greasy gravy and Jack had lobster with butter. When we got to our room we both began to feel queasy! I immediately ate a green apple from our fruit bowl and it did help...but I decided to put on the SeaBands anyway. Jack put on his SeaBands also and we went to bed. The ship pitched and heaved and rolled like crazy. After a little while, Jack got up, dressed and went to the Medical Center for the "pills"! We both gobbled the pills and then tossed and turned all night, even though the pills worked great! Being only the 5th cabin from the bow, the noise of the waves hitting the bow and the ship slapping down into the swells was quite loud! It was a VERY LONG NIGHT!

Monday, April 30, 2012 Brest, France

We arrived in Brest two hours late, after our thrilling "rock and roll" night! The ship had to be slowed down because of the rough seas. It was still raining but we had a ship tour booked...and we went! The tour was to Quimper, a small French town about 1 hour away from the port. The tour guide was to take us on a one hour walking tour of the old cathedral and then we were to have one hour to walk around town and visit the shops, etc. And it was raining! So everyone got off the bus...and because it was "gray-hairs" they had to go to the bathroom! We decided to go on to the church instead of standing in the rain...waiting for bathroom crowd! So off we went in the pouring rain and when we got to the cathedral....it was closed! When the guide FINALLY got there, she had no idea about the cathedral being closed! Also, it was some kind of holiday and almost all the shops were closed! So we got some pastries and headed back to the bus...to find the bus locked and the driver gone! We had to wait....IN THE POURING RAIN...for the driver to finally come back...we were soaked, tired from the near sleepless night before and not happy campers! When got back to the ship we jumped in the bed with lots of blankets to get warm and sleep like the dead for two hours!

April 17th to May 19th, 2012 - Holland America Rotterdam sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Rotterdam

We began our adventure on Saturday, April 14th, when we stood by for a flight from Dallas to Jacksonville, Florida at 7:25am. We were thrilled to have gotten on the flight and we even turned down First Class, as there was no food service and the coach section had only about 40 passengers.... So we flew for free instead! We had booked two nights in the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville because it was a good price, but when we arrived they didn't have a room ready. We were told that it would be an hour so just take a seat in the Lobby and they would call us when a room was available. After an hour, Jack went back to the desk and the Desk Lady said she still had no room...but that she would upgrade us to the Executive Level for the same price. BINGO! Off we went to the 5th floor where you can only go with an Executive Room Card! It was very nice... with all the extras. Plus, we also had access to the 6th floor where there was a Lounge with Gourmet Coffee, fresh fruits and Ice Cream. We had decided to conserve our cash supply by not renting a car until Monday, April 16th, so we just hung around at the Hotel, sleeping late and walking around the property for the weekend....It was very relaxing! On Monday morning, Jack took the free shuttle to the airport and then the free shuttle from the airport to the Car Rental area, and picked up our rental. He came back for me and the luggage and we were off for the 5 hour drive from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale, arriving in mid-afternoon at the Hampton Inn, where we also had a reservation. Jack returned the car and took the free shuttle back to the Hotel. We were booked on the 10:30am free shuttle from the Hampton Inn to the cruise terminal and we arrived in plenty of time for the 11:45am embarkation. We were able to go directly to our stateroom and then head off to the Lido for lunch.

Our stateroom is just fine. Because we are Three Star Mariner, we were upgraded from the lowest obstructed view cabin to an ocean view Promenade Deck cabin. We are NOT under the kitchen this time, so no dishwashing goes on half the night. We are under the theater, but that ends at 11:00pm, and we really don't hear too much. We are very forward, Stateroom number 3308, only the fifth room from the bow and a LONG WALK to food, which is always in the aft of the ship. Fortunately, this is a small ship...only about 1100 passengers.

The weather has been unusually wonderful. We have had sun every single day. The seas have also been unusually calm, also. The Captain reminds us each day that we are so lucky to have such a smooth sailing, but he also says that it will not stay that way!

Today is Wednesday, April 25th and we are now on day 8 of 8 days at sea! It has really been quite uneventful. We have unassigned dining and so we sit with different people each night. On the first (of 8) Formal Night we dined with Franny, who is from Jackson Heights, NY. Franny is traveling single and is quite a character! Another night we dined with Robbie & Joel Wise, of Naples, FL, who I had been emaiing with before leaving home. The rest of the nights we join others at a table for four or six. There have been no grievous crimes of any social nature, as far as we have seen or heard! Very unusual!!

Sooooo, where has the last week plus gone? We don't really know! We sleep late, eat often and go to the Shows. Jack walked the 5K Walk around the "poop" deck with Franny...picture below... and we just can't think of anything else!

Picture day at school - and yes - breakfast!

Field trip to the zoo! The hats helped me keep tabs on them!

Allie came home last week with a back pack of drawings. Here are 3 of them

Puerto Vallarta

Last port! We had booked a "small group city tour" through Viator before we left home. We found our driver and discovered that we were the only ones on the tour. Our driver/guide, Miguel, was very pleasant and we spent the day seeing all the sights. We stopped at Senior Frogs for lunch, where we asked Miguel to join us.

Now, two days at sea before our arrival in San Diego for our trek home.

Guaymas Today is very cool and very overcast. The town is very poor and very shabby. We walked along the malecon, where there were street vendors and Mariachi Singers, then returned to the ship for lunch and rest. Tomorrow will be a very long day, as our alarm is set for 3:00am!

Copper Canyon

After a very short night, we boarded our bus at 4:15am for the 2 hour ride to El Fuerte where we boarded the train for the Copper Canyon. It was still dark as the train departed, and eventually, as the sun came up, we were able to see the beginning of this wonderful area. The ride was very pleasant and comfortable, as each car had only about 36 people and a Tour Guide in each rail car. We were given a box breakfast to eat along the way. There are two different kinds of people living in this area. The lower altitudes are mostly very poor Mexicans. The railroad company had built many small concrete buildings along the route for the construction workers. When the construction was done they stripped the buildings completely. The locals have moved into these building shells, with no windows, doors, sanitation, etc! The second group is the tribal Sierra Tarahumara Indians. These are not Mexican people, do not speak Spanish and they do not mix, at all, with the Mexicans! The tribal people live in lean-to's and caves in the canyons. They are very poor. The men scratch out some gardens and hunt small wildlife and the women weave baskets to sell to the train travelers. The baskets are made of pine needles and they smell wonderful. The train stops at Barrancas, where the women and their small children run along the tracks with their handcrafted baskets. They are not allowed onboard and the Tour Guides act as onboard negotiators, unless you can get to an open door to pick out a basket on your own. The tribals do not speak English.

At the top of the canyon lunch was served in one of the three Hotels. The one we went to has a dining room right on the rim of the canyon. The view is very beautiful and the lunch was wonderful, including a glass of Hibiscus Juice. There were more Tarahumara's selling baskets and doing some dancing demonstrations.

The ride back to the ship was quieter, as everyone began drifting off to sleep and it began to get dark well before we were completely through the canyons. Once back on the buses, I think that everyone but the drivers were asleep! When we arrives at the dock, at about 10:30pm, there was a whole contingent of senior crew members waiting to welcome us back at the gangway and a special buffet waiting for us in the Lido. We went straight to bed!

Mazatlan

We did not plan anything at this port and so we just took a short cab ride into the Old Town. It was not a very pleasant place, very dirty and uninteresting! We decided to go back to the ship and take a nap!

Holland America - Sea of Cortez Cruise - 1-2-11

New Year's Eve, 2010, was spent with family and friends at the Dallas Stars Hockey game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. We have traditionally gone to the Dallas Stars game on New Year's Eve for many years. This year Jim got a Suite and invited family and friends to help pay for it! It was a great Suite and included food, beverages, beer and parking. Too bad the Stars got "whipped" by the Canucks! Jim wore green hair for the occasion!

Jack and I were booked on this cruise Jan 2nd from San Diego. We booked ourselves on the standby list for San Diego, but the flights filled...so we booked ourselves on a flight to Santa Anna and rented a car, but the flights filled...so we booked ourselves on a flight to Palm Springs, changed the car rental...but the flights filled ... ..... so we booked ourselves on a flight to Las Vegas and changed the car rental! We did manage to get on the flight, arriving in Las Vegas on New Years morning around 7:30am! Once car bound, we headed for San Diego, about a 6½ hour, long, boring ride through the Mojave Desert and then down into San Diego. We had booked a room in the Holiday Inn, again, which is just across the street from the pier. We had stayed here in October when we cruised to Baltimore, through the Panama Canal.

Finally aboard HAL Zaandam, we were pleased to have gotten an upgrade from a "closet-room in the bilges level" to an obstructed view room on the Promenade Deck! The room is okay, except that the dishwashers are just above us and they wash a lot of dishes!

Cabo San Lucas

This is our second visit to Cabo and we decided to just do a little Whale Watching. We booked a tour online, not through the ship, and it was just great! We did see lots of whales. One picture is of a Momma whale with her baby! The weather today was sunny but windy, causing the seas to be choppy! Because this is a tender port, it made it difficult to get to and from shore! Going back to the ship, I went to step off the tender and the ship crewpersons grabbed my arms just as the tender dipped, causing me to land on my knees on the ship platform with my legs hanging over the edge. I threw myself forward to keep my feet from being crushed between the tender and the platform, but then I could get myself up! Finally I had to yell for them to help me up; they just stood there looking stupid! I was so glad to get back to our room and dry off!

Loreto

We spent the afternoon walking through the small tender port town of Loreto. I was overcast and quite cool for Mexico weather! I am having some knee and wrist pain today, from the fall yesterday! Guess I will have to use some Tylenol Crème, but that seems to make me so sleepy! There is very little to see in Loreto, but we enjoyed our stroll through town.

Guaymas

Today is very cool and very overcast. The town is very poor and very shabby. We walked along the malecon, where there were street vendors and Mariachi Singers, then returned to the ship for lunch and rest. Tomorrow will be a very long day, as our alarm is set for 3:00am!