Porta Delgada

When we awoke this morning, we could see the Azores in the distance. The ship docked shortly after noon, and we made our way off the ship into Porta Delgada. It was very good to be in on solid ground after so many days at sea. The Azores are part of Portugal, so it was a nice way to sort of get ourselves ready to be in Europe. The contrast between the locals and the tourists was very obvious, but the locals seemed quite tolerant since the tourists bring in so much cash. I was fairly surprised when I overhead a woman from Texas asking if there was a Wal-Mart on the island. As in most European towns, most of the cars were very small and most of the drivers drove those small cars about a thousand miles an hour down the very narrow streets. They are supposed to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks, and they seemed to actually do so. I’m going to have to get a lot more trusting however or I will never get across any street! Bill, who is very trusting of the rules and much more assertive than I, will consistently be a dot in the distance.

Bill and I got away from the crowds as quickly as we could. We stopped first at the church in the town center – St. Sebastian’s. The noon Mass was going on (in Portuguese of course) and we stood and watched for a bit until we could figure out at what point in the Mass they were, then wandered into the Porta Delgada community. We found a little local market and bought a couple of sandwiches (we didn’t know what kind they were) and a Coke Light (which is what they call Diet Coke). We took our goods to a nearby park and dug in. We made good choices, because his was a ham and cheese and mine was a tuna salad with pieces of corn and tomato. Both were delicious. We ate and watched the local lovers enjoying the sunshine during their lunch break.

We wandered around a bit more, and then found a little bar where we paid for a half bottle of the local wine – Vinho Verde – and two glasses. The label was Castel Garcia, which is available in the United States and which we’ve drunk on a number of occasions, but somehow it tasted better when sitting in a Portuguese café. We toasted our first day in Europe!

We were back on the ship by 4 o’clock, and we pulled out of Porta Delgada at 6 o'clock. We have two more days at sea, and then we will be in Cartagena on Friday.

Disco and Chocolate

A busy evening capped a somewhat quiet Sunday. After spending most of yesterday reading, we went to dinner as usual. Following dinner we went to the evening show, which featured two brothers who were illusionists. They were very good, and quite entertaining. At 10, what seemed like the entire ship congregated in the promenade, and they had a 70s street fair. The singers and dancers dressed up in 70s costumes and sang disco tunes, and many passengers joined in. It was very funny to see balding men singing along with the words to Donna Summers and the Bee Gees. People were having a lot of fun. I have to admit that Bill and I participated in YMCA (who wouldn’t?).

At 11 o’clock, we went up to the 11th Deck where they were featuring their chocolate buffet. We ate chocolate treats and talked with a couple from Iowa who were the poster children for not judging a book by its cover. Though looking as though they were fresh out of the corn fields, this is actually their 20th cruise or so, and they have traveled extensively throughout Europe. It was fun to talk with them.

Today is a beautiful day once again, though the sea seems a bit more rocky than it did yesterday. At lunch, three of the chefs cooked paella out on the pool deck, and then served it up with some sangria. Yum and yum!

Our Typical Day

The first morning on the ship, we had ordered coffee from room service the night before to be delivered between 7:30 and 8 (foolishly believing that we would sleep past 8 the first morning on a cruise ship). Predictably, we awoke around 7, so I telephoned room service to deliver coffee early and asked them to cancel the other coffee. We got our pot of coffee delivered very quickly and had just settled down to drink our first cup when a knock on the door told us that a second pot was being delivered. The room service waiter was not happy when I asked her to take back the second pot. Since that day, we have instead taken turns going down to the Café Promenade on Deck 5 to bring coffee up. That way we can do it whenever we awaken.

Our days on the ship have become very calm and rhythmic. After a cup of coffee we shower, and then we have typically gone to Mass. After that, we will grab some breakfast (perhaps a large breakfast or perhaps just a sweet roll). The first couple of days when it was nice outside we sat by the pool and read. Once we got out into the Atlantic, it has been a bit cooler so we read inside our cabin or in the library. If we take a dance lesson, it is in the morning.

We eat a light lunch. Each day at sea we turn our clocks ahead at noon, so we might start eating lunch at 11:45 but it is close to 1:30 when we finish!

In the afternoon we have generally attended some sort of lecture or class. Bill has taken a Spanish class, and we have not missed ANY of the Hollywood gossip classes! Today we got a peek at which stars are still alive past the age of 80.

We dine at the early seating and then go to the 8:30 show at the La Scala Theater. We have seen a variety of things from Broadway reviews to ventriloquists and magicians. Quite good entertainment.

After the show we may come up to our room or wander around a bit before we turn in. While it sounds predictable, it is actually very relaxing and we are still having a great time.

The seas are much calmer today. I think we may have survived the worst of it all. Bill may go down to the cigar room later, as he has done a couple of times.

Our Cabin

Here is a photo of our cabin and a photo of the view of the promenade from our cabin window.

Rock and Roll

“The sea was angry that day, my friend.” – George Kostanza

Captain Frank warned us yesterday that – lo and behold - we would be sailing into the low front that he thought would head north and away from us. Oops. He said we could expect swells today in the nature of six to seven feet. Instead, according to our ship television station, the swells are 7.5 to 12 feet high.

The good news is that neither Bill nor I are the least bit seasick, at least at this point. The ship really is rocking and rolling. There are not nearly as many people out and about as there have been other days. Still, I was surprised at how many have ventured out of their rooms.

Last night we went to the first ice show of the trip. It really was very beautiful. I was impressed at how well the skaters performed, particularly given the fact that the ship was already bouncing around quite a bit. I was having trouble walking, and here they were jumping around and twirling their partners above their heads.

This morning after breakfast, we elected to just WATCH the dance lesson instead of participate. I believe this decision was a wise one, since at the end of the other two dance lessons that we took we were barely speaking. Today’s dance was the tango, and we couldn’t really envision a time when we would be out tangoing. It was fun to watch, however. Some people do quite well, and some are worse than Bill and me. There is an Asian couple who has been at all of the classes who really are quite awful, but they are a joy to watch because they are having so darn much FUN. They really are. I like watching people who are happy and enjoy everything.

Tonight is the second formal night. I will pull out my same dress that I wore to the first formal night since I didn’t think it was prudent to bring several gowns that I would then have to haul around Europe for four months. I will put a colorful scarf with it and call it a new dress! If the sea keeps rollicking like it is, there might not be many people at dinner anyway.

I’m not sure I mentioned that every day that we are at sea, we turn our clocks ahead one hour at noon. It makes the morning short, but I like that better than doing it at night because you don’t feel like you’re losing an hour of sleep. After noon today, we will be five hours ahead of our friends and family in Colorado.

Quiet Day

Boy, was today a lazy day! Last night we stayed up for the midnight buffet. (By now, you know I’m not kidding.) It was quite a spread, with ice sculptures and an amazing array of food such as sandwiches, salads, and desserts. We actually didn’t eat a whole lot, but really wanted to see the spread and say we had visited the midnight buffet. Prior to that we had been at the country music extravaganza where we were able to show off our Texas Two Step. Dancing With the Stars should pay attention to us! (not)

Because we had stayed up until 12:30 (madness!), we slept in this morning until 9 o’clock. Those who know me will realize that is INSANELY late for me. We made it just in time for our rhumba class, at which we decided that dancing is not really our strongest point. Bill went upstairs to do some work, and I went to the “Eat More and Lose Weight” class. Blah blah blah.

This afternoon we mostly read. I did take some time out to walk two miles on the treadmill, but let me tell you that I really had to hang on because of the movement of the ship. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse, according to Captain Frank who was reporting to us from the bridge (wink).

We’re about to join our compatriots for dinner for the first time in a couple of days (we have been dining elsewhere the past couple of nights). Afterwards, we have tickets for the ice show. I’m not sure if that show will actually take place. I can barely walk on the ship, so I find it hard to believe that others will be able to skate.

We're on Vacation

What I’m about to tell you will sound funny to those of you reading this blog sitting comfortably in your chairs, either in your living rooms or your offices back in the United States of America. You cannot understand how your mindset changes when you are on a cruise ship where the most stress you have in a day is deciding which dessert to choose (so perhaps you take two). You start to think and act differently when you listen all day long to reggae music and drink concoctions with little umbrellas in them. So, here goes: Bill and I are leaving momentarily to go take our country two-step dance lessons and we hope to be finished in time to take our merengue dance class. There. I’ve said it.

The sea is much more choppy than it has been previously. No seasickness so far for either Bill or me, I’m pleased to report. The captain told us yesterday (pretending he was speaking to us from the bridge, but I know he was speaking from the Schooner Bar) that there was a low front north of where we would be sailing and it might make things a bit rougher. Bill and I tried to go for a walk after Mass this morning, but gave up when the wind became too strong. I might try to fit in some time on the treadmill prior to our merengue class. Oh, wait. I have to fit lunch in there somewhere.

One thing I have noticed: you can recognize European men by a few clues: one, any man wearing capris is undoubtedly European; two, any man with seriously spiky blonde hair is undoubtedly German.

Off we go to learn to Texas Two Step.