Day 22 ~ Last Sea Day of Six

January 31, 2022

 Nautical Term of the Day... "Pressed into service" 

The British Navy filled their ships' crew quotas by kidnapping men off the streets and forcing them into service. This was called "impressment," and was carried out by "press gangs." 

Fortunately, everyone on the Viking Star is here because they want to be! This includes the gracious crew. We've never been so well-treated and catered to on a cruise ship. The crew is unfailingly helpful, eager to please, and obviously happy to be back at work. It's been a rough couple of years for the tourism industry.  So many of the crew greet us by name, remember our preferences, and go the extra mile to delight us at every turn. 

There's another dynamic at work that I've noticed here on Viking that I haven't seen anywhere else. Even the officers pitch in to help in all the dining venues. Our table is as likely to be bussed by someone with three stripes on their sleeve as by a new hire. 

The sky is overcast and the sea is reflecting that grayness. The DH woke with a migraine, so that put a damper on the day. We pretty much skipped everything (except meals, of course!) so he could rest. I even fell asleep during the afternoon. I so rarely nap, it's practically time to alert the media! 

Our art show took place in the atrium at 4:00. During class, I was so focused on my own small project, I wasn't really aware of the talent around me. It was fun to see some of the other students' work. (Mine is the hazy landscape near the center with pink from the sky reflected in the water. The DH's is the pink blossom in the lower right of the photo.) 

Today is Chinese New Years. It is the Year of the Tiger, which may help explain how the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the play-off game yesterday! Anyway, the chef never misses a chance to honor an occasion with a special menu. There was a Chinese buffet in the World Cafe, featuring Cantonese lobster!

Last night was the second show from our tango dancing couple. This time they focused more on gaucho, or "cowboy," music and dance. Their syncronicity on the drums was only matched by the taps and stomps of their boots. A very talented and exciting couple to watch!   

Tonight our evening entertainment is a LIVE in HD from the Metropolitan Opera of Verdi's Aida. Ordinarily, I'd be all over this, but with the DH's headache and an 8 hour excursion leaving early tomorrow, three hours of grand opera is probably contraindicated. 

More soon from the only cruise ship afloat with zero covid cases...as far as I know.

Day 21 ~ Welcome to Our Home Away from Home!

“The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” – Joshua Slocum

One of the things I really love about cruising is that we only have unpack once. Our stateroom becomes our very own tiny house for the length of our adventure. It becomes our home.

We are in a deluxe veranda on the Viking Star and the space is perfect! Our room stewards, Vi and Yoyok, anticipate our every need and keep the stateroom so clean. They are always asking if we need anything else to be perfectly comfortable. They don't know the word "no." When they noticed we'd run out of magnets to post our "artwork" on the walls, they left a handful of powerful ones. Want another pillow? Just ask. 

Like most lived-in spaces, it becomes what we need it to be. We've made a few alterations in the room that make it work better for us and I'm happy to share our place with you. To that end, we made a little video today. 

And then I was rudely interrupted by my phone, reminding me to "take a pill, take a pill!" So here's  the rest of the nickel tour: 

Hope you enjoyed visiting our little getaway space! We're having a wonderful time, "exploring the world in comfort" on the Viking Star! 

Day 19 & 20 ~ Neptune's Revenge

After much hazing and shenanigans, the Wogs were brought in front of King Neptune and the Royal court for worthiness inspection… Anonymous

Yesterday, January 28th, the poor pollywogs, those who hadn't crossed the equator before, were trotted out for ritual abuse and shame. Our Shellback ceremony was short on hazing and long on hijinks. The main goal seemed to be to make as big a splash as they could after being pelted with colored meringue. 

Unlike on the Princess world cruise, there were no passengers involved in this ritual, though doubtless some would have volunteered! All the victims were officers, our cruise director Aaron in the guise of King Neptune was the judge and we spectators were cast as the jury. Every "wog" was summarily pronounced guilty of never having crossed the imaginary line around the world and subsequently received their punishment. After they climbed out of the pool, they were offered a jigger of aquavit, which is punishment of its own. This strong spirit (80 proof!) is aged in casks on ships and is expected to have crossed the equator twice before it's bottled.  

Then after the reviving drink, the pollywogs had to kiss a couple of dead fish, which really wasn't as bad as it sounds. In keeping with the Covid protocols, both the fish were masked! 

In the afternoon, we attended a rehearsal for the Viking's Got Talent show that will be held in a couple of days. The DH and I sang an acapella duet we've done for years and it was was very kindly received. There's a nice mix of talents on offer--a couple of pianists (one who played a very tricky Chopin waltz!), a ukulele player, a drummer, a story teller and a lovely hula dancer. There were a few others who weren't quite ready to practice yesterday so I don't know what else we'll see, but it's a good variety.

Our evening entertainer was Amy Jo Slater. She was the Adele tribute artist we skipped earlier because I'm not a fan of that style of vocal production. It turns out that Amy Jo is a classically trained soprano and she did a wonderful rendition of "O, mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi. But before that, she'd hollered her way through a number of rock anthems. Like Lady Gaga and Cindy Lauper, both of whom have trained voices, Amy Jo mostly uses a very small portion of her range and stylistic abilities.

Today, Jan 29th, we started our day with a lecture about lost cities given by , Phillip Creaser, resident geologist. Forget Atlantis. There have been plenty of cultures that have suffered from earthquake , vulcanism, and flood. When we were on the Amalfi Coast in 2018, we visited Pompeii, but Herculaneum was also destroyed by Vesuvius. Several mega-eruptions have disrupted the climate world wide, causing precipitous drops in the mean temperature in the past. It's always amazing to me that so much of the changes in the world have been due to cataclysmic events, yet Sir Charles Lyell, the father of geology whose grave I've seen in Westminster, is hailed for his theory of uniformitarianism, which posits that everything pretty much putters along as it always has...

Until it doesn't. Then it's a very interesting day.

Our executive chef put together a German brunch for us today starting at 10AM, and the food was very good, if a little heavy. We started with appetizers of cucumber salad, slaw, & potato salad following by a rich pea soup. The main course was a shared platter of thin steaks, sausages, and potatoes. Dessert was an apple strudel with vanilla gelato.

We tackled palm trees at our art class. The last time we painted this subject was on the Queen Mary 2 when the DH was suffering from a migraine. His palm trees were very angry that day. We're still trying to pick our two favorites from all our endeavors to submit for the art show that's looming. 

Dave and Kristy made reservations for the four of us for Manfredi's tonight, so I'm already looking forward to my favorite dessert on the ship--Dark Chocolate Amarone Cremoso. 

The pianist is coming back for another show tonight. Sincerely praying he forgets to bring his other instruments. One should really lead with one's strengths. 

Sorry. My musical snobbery is showing. But I feel like all this one-man-band stuff detracts from his main talent on the keyboard. 

~~~~

Okay, my worst fears were realized. Instead of playing with the very talented Viking band as his backup, he played with canned semi-orchestral accompaniment. He also trotted out both the accordion and the trumpet. Then when he played a piano piece without those distractions, I realized why he leaned on background tracks and other flashy things. He couldn't play a legato line to save his soul. There was no shape to his phrases. Every note had the same value as every other note. When both hands were supposed to be moving in chords, there was a slight rabbitting--the left hand striking just a hair before the right. I suspect he has been a very fine pianist in the past, but his reliance on soundtracks, back-up musicians and gimmicks has made him sloppy. I hope he returns to his first love and ditches the distractions because there's some real technical talent languishing there.

More soon...

Day 17 & 18 ~ Time Travel

 "Does anybody really know what time it is?" ~ Chicago

In 2018, on our Princess World Cruise, we sailed from east to west. That meant that after we crossed the International Dateline and a whole 24 hours disappeared into the ether, we were rewarded periodically with 25 hour days. By the time we arrived back in the US, we'd reclaimed that lost day in small increments.

Now on the Viking Star, our travels are taking us mostly from west to east, so we have to shave off an hour here and there. As of tonight, we're an hour earlier than Eastern Time. (Hello, Halifax, Nova Scotia! We're with you right now! Just on the underside of the equator...)

Yesterday,  we did what all good world cruisers do on a sea day--LAUNDRY. At least, that was the plan when we popped into the launderette at 6:oh-dark-thirty. Unfortunately, one of the washers we picked never drained, and the system that automatically adds soap kept delivering more suds. I began to feel we were headed for starring roles in an episode of "I Love Lucy!" Eventually, we were able to sort of get it to spin and rinse, but that load was still wickedly wet when it went into the dryer. And the non-dryables are still dripping in our shower. 

We didn't encounter any personal problems in the laundry. Everyone was decent and polite and willing to make room for each other as we all worked on our individual piles. But I did hear a few "Laundry Wars" stories. There's evidently a Laundry Nazi on board who knows how everyone should do their wash and isn't shy about instructing perfect strangers with a shocking expectation of instant obedience. Then there's the slightly doubtful tale about Passenger A taking Passenger B's dry laundry out of the dryer when they didn't return for it in a timely manner, and then put the completely done load in a washer to go around again. By the time Passenger B (the owner of the rewashing load returned) she was so upset, she supposedly struck the offender with the iron attached to the wall. I can't vouch for the veracity of this story. Regardless of the provocation, that sounds like assault to me, and a guaranteed trip to cruise ship jail. (Mark you, that I've only heard tell such a thing as cruise ship jail exists. No personal experience to back it up!) 

On to less violent things... But only slightly less violent...

Our guest artists yesterday were a dancing couple who specialized in the tango! My word, all those kicks and flicks! This pair really trusted each other and were a delight to watch. But I couldn't help wondering how often they'd accidentally bruised each other in the most tender of places. And the DH audibly groaned when the fellow was lying on the stage and the lady stepped on his chest with her high heels during their Masochistic Tango!

I hope they'll be giving another show before they leave us.

This morning, we decided to revisit Mamsen's. It's the Norwegian deli on Deck 8 near the Explorers lounge. The waffles, topped with mixed berries, cream and brown goat cheese, are the stuff of legend! 

Mamsen's is also the best place on the ship to get a cup of coffee. It's smooth where the coffee in the Restaurant is terribly bitter.

There is a naturalist on board to leads wildlife viewing from the Explorer's lounge almost every morning. We've yet to make it there, but have enjoyed seeing flying fish and sea birds from our verandah. Our friends Kristy and David have spotted several pods of dolphins, but no joy for us yet.

Our art teacher keeps threatening us with a show of our work. We've been instructed to bring some of our paintings back to class so she can curate the display. While I thoroughly enjoy the process, the products aren't really ready for prime time. 

For the most recent class, we abandoned beach scenes for a slightly abstract reproduction of the skyline of Panama City. (Our deepest apologies to all the inhabitants of that sprawling metropolis!)

We slipped over the equator in the night, but there is a ceremony to mark the occasion scheduled for Friday. We've traveled back and forth over that imaginary line four times, so we're already "shellbacks." But those for whom this is a first may well be involved in an appeasement of Neptune celebration that promises to be messy entertainment for the rest of us.

A few more sea days to go until we reach Chile. Our position is just off the Peruvian coast now, steaming south. We are the only cruise ship in the Viking fleet to be 100% Covid free. 

In fact, we may well be the only cruise ship afloat that can claim that status. Viking's tag line is "Exploring the world in comfort." It may be time to add "and safety!"

More soon...   

Day 16 ~ Panama City!

"My police record says I went to Panama City, but I don't recall it." ~ Brantley Gilbert

I don't think I'll have much trouble remembering my visit here. Panama City is a robust mix of old and new, a city striving to make something of itself with a few pockets of urban decay in close proximity. The city likes to compare itself to Singapore and Dubai because of its avant garde architecture. And clearly, this is a city that's out to grow into its dreams, but there's more history in Panama City compared to those other modern wonders. 

Here you can see the remains of an old wall which was built to separate the American base and the middle class neighborhood that sprung up around it from the more squalid areas of the city. According to Linzy, our guide, the housing on the old base is still considered premium living quarters. Even a house that needs a complete renovation will sell for $200K. That's American dollars, which is the currency Panama uses. They have dollar coins called Balboas but they use our bills. 

And whatever else the country is about, the canal is at its heart. It brings in huge amounts of revenue and given all the treaties signed to insure the safety and neutrality of the canal, Panama has been able to disband its own army. They know world will not allow canal traffic to be disrupted. It would be too destabilizing for everyone. 

Our tour guide talked a bit about America invading Panama in 1989. She emphasized that many civilians were killed. I don't know that I'd call our action an invasion since 12,000 troops were already stationed here. But Manuel Noriega, the dictator who voided elections in Panama to remain in power, declared war on the US. Shortly after that, a US Marine was killed by Panamanian soldiers. President GHW Bush ordered the apprehension of Manuel Noriega in order to try him for drug trafficking. 23 more US troops were killed in the action and 300 wounded. 450 Panamanian soldiers died and an unknown number of civilians were caught in the crossfire. Sad all around.

In 1989, I was knee-deep in childrearing and the only thing I remember about it was the strange news story about our troops blasting the house where Noriega was holed up with deafeningly loud heavy metal music. At the time, they were trying not to use lethal force, but to my mind, heavy metal music can be considered cruel and unusual punishment.  

Here's the DH's musical montage of pictures from our excursion today!

Our evening entertainment was by Dennis Daye, a talented pianist who sometimes spread himself too thin, trying to play the trumpet and an ocarina as well as an accordion. His next concert will be more classical in nature and I'm looking forward to that one. 

Oh! And for those who like weather reports, Panama was a muggy 95 with matching humidity!

We're starting our voyage to Chile now which will take six sea days! More soon...

Day 15 ~ Ups & Downs, and I Don't Mean the Ocean

"Never go on trips with anyone you do not love," ~ Ernest Hemingway 

Usually sea days are pretty unremarkable, but a couple of things happened that I find myself thinking about long after the moments passed.

The first was terribly distressing. We'd met up with Kristy and David and had a lovely supper together in The Restaurant. Our entertainment was a tribute singer who specialized in Adele songs. Don't hate me, but I am not a fan. When Adele sings, I feel like she's either yelling or yodeling at me. I figured someone pretending to be her would be even worse. 

So the DH and I suggested a trip to Deck 9 to see if we could make out any southern constellations. Our friend David is a very knowledgeable astronomer. This is one of his photographs of the Horsehead Nebula in Orion's belt taken with his beloved telescope, "Stellina." So we knew we'd have a great guide for this little adventure.  

But before we could board the lift for Deck 9, we met another couple coming out of the elevator. Sadly, the old gentleman seemed confused and unable to push his wheeled walker in a way that was safe. His arms stretched forward, but his feet didn't want to follow. His female companion was visibly frustrated with him, and abandoned him, disappearing around the corner muttering under her breath as she went. The DH and David came alongside the man, supporting him so he wouldn't fall, and asked him where he wanted to go. 

"I don't know," he said softly. I slipped around the corner to where the hostess station for the Restaurant was, to see if a wheelchair could be called for him. The woman was there, fuming about how he should have brought his scooter. She returned for him, took hold of his upper arm, and started dragging him along. 

"You're hurting me," he told her.

"I don't care." And she propelled him around the corner to where they were presumable going to have dinner. 

I was a little shaken by the whole incident. I'm not sure they were husband and wife. She seemed some years his junior, but that may have just been the difference in their general health. However, her callousness toward him was hard to watch. The opposite of love isn't hate. It's contempt. If I ever thought the DH felt that level of contempt toward me...life would not be worth living. 

But I don't know this woman's life. Being a caregiver is grindingly hard, physically and emotionally. God knows, I couldn't stand up under the scrutiny of my worst moments. I can't judge her by hers. 

Still, it made me sad and reminded me how very precious each moment is. As I'm nearing my 67th birthday next month, I know the future undoubtedly holds changes and unforeseen ends. Relationships are the most precious things we have in this world. To reach the "winding down" years and discover a primary relationship is not the solid rock of comfort and support you thought it was would be like descending to the 9th circle of hell. 

Witnessing this small crisis made me so very thankful for my husband and the love we share. It's something we must never take for granted, but nurture and care for each other daily, whatever the day brings. 

Okay, that was the "down." And now for the "up's" portion of this post...

We found Deck 9 forward and discovered that the running lights had been turned off. This was incredible. The sky was as black as the heavens were when we lived in Wyoming. We could see the Milky Way, something light pollution usually washes out, spilling in a river of cloudy stardust across the sky. David began searching for the Magellanic Clouds, which are actually a couple of small satellite galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way, but David decided they may still be below the horizon. 

As dark as it was, it took us a minute to realize we weren't alone on that deck. It was hard to see each other's faces, but another man was there, considering the stars, and using a laser pointer to site them. We fell into conversation with him and finally David asked if he was a member of the crew.

Not this Olaf, obviously! 

"Yes," he said, "I'm the captain!" 

It was our very own Captain Olaf, searching for the 43 stars sailors used to navigate by before the world of GPS. We were so excited to discover he shared our interest in astronomy and was curious enough to turn off the lights so he could see the stars.

We should have recognized him by his voice because he gets on the shipwide intercom at noon every day to give us our position, temperature, and updates on our Covid status, which is still holding at zero cases, Praise God! His Norwegian accent is so strong, that Captain Olaf (along with Uncle Torstein) could easily slip unnoticed into one of the DH's family reunions!

Anyway, after a while, he took his leave from us, because after all someone has to drive!  And he warned us to be careful in the dark. He'd be turning the lights on again in a few minutes. 

I won't be surprised if the captain does a more formal version of this stargazing at some point. Especially as we near the bottom of the world...

Tomorrow, we pull in to Panama City, another bit of terra incognita for us! 

More soon...
        

Day 14 ~ Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Puntarenas = "Sandy Point"

Last evening, instead of a show in the Star Theatre, we were treated to the Liar's Club--a game show that involved strange words, three made up definitions and one true one delivered by members of the Viking entertainment staff. As the audience, we were supposed to spot the true definition. Here are some of the words: wenis, hyprosexia, baggywrinkle, smout, ... well, you get the idea. They aren't exactly part of my regular vocabulary. Some of the definitions were hilarious, and that includes the real ones. 

But somehow, I doubt this game agrees with Uncle Torstein's assertion that this is a "thinking man's cruise!"  Anyway, it was fun. 

Today we docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, our third new-to-us port. This little country is about the size of West Virginia and is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico on the east, Panama to the south, the Pacific to the west and Nicaragua to the north. The summer vacation for school children is just about over and presidential elections will be held here soon. There are 26 (!) candidates on the ballot!

According to our onboard naturalist, Costa Rica is home to an explosion of bio-diversity. However, we didn't take an excursion to any place where we might have seen any of these unique animals. Instead we visited a small town in the hills called Esparza and were treated to a folkloric show by a group of schoolgirls in the shaded town square. Our tour guide, Porfirio, was informative and entertaining. His English was excellent because he'd spent a few years in the States, and his sense of humor was charmingly self-deprecating. He spent a little while trying to help us remember how to pronounce his name, Porfirio, telling us of one lady who seemed to think he was called "PornVideo!"

As you can see, the young dancers, all the women who sponsored the event, and those who were selling handicrafts were all wearing masks and practicing social distancing. I wished they could see the smile behind my mask as I watched them display their pride in their country. 

The town of Puntarenas looked pretty rough, bars on all the windows of houses and razor wire topping most of the fences. In an "ugly American" moment, one of our fellow passengers asked our guide if drugs were a problem. 

"No problem," he said, "you can find drugs if you want them."  Then he went on to describe the difficulties of being geographically situated between the biggest producers of drugs and the biggest consumer of them. 

He meant us. 

And sadly, he's not wrong. The United States is the biggest market for illegal drugs. Any market abhors a vacuum. If there's a demand, someone will supply the goods. If we didn't buy them, they wouldn't be produced. We are culpable in the destruction of these small central American countries. That's why I can't understand it when some people, even well-educated people, argue for legalizing drugs. They should realize that it is not a victimless crime. It will always be destructive, even if we aren't close enough to see the violence happening.  

On to happier news: We have zero covid cases on board the Viking Star. It appears our 100% vaccination of crew and passengers, daily testing, mask wearing and social distancing protocols are working to keep us all safe in the Viking bubble! I'm praying for our family and friends back home that they too remain virus free.  

Before we go to supper at The Restaurant this evening, we're attending a non-denominational church service being held at 6PM in Torshaven. This'll be the first time we've gone to church in a nightclub! But "wherever two or three of you are gathered together" is a promise that's still in force. 

I'm glad the Viking provides a space for worship. There is also a Friday evening Sabbath service offered for Jewish guests.  

While we enjoyed the included excursion we went on today, part of me wished we'd signed up for "A Walk in the Clouds," a visit to the rain forest that involved walking on raised walkways at the level of the canopy. I don't know if we'd have seen more of Costa Rica's animal life, but we'd have seen more of the heart of the country instead of its fringes. The moral of this story is if there's something we want to do on this trip, we should do it. 

Who knows when, or if, we'll see any of these places again? 

 Here's a photo montage from the DH!

More soon!

Day 13--Viking Cruise Line--How do I love thee?

 "These are a few of my favorite things..." ~ The Sound of Music

I've cruised on a number of lines--Costa, Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Norwegian, and even on a couple of now defunct cruise lines, the Dolphin and American Hawaiian. All told, it's well over 250 days afloat, but I can tell you after only 13 days on board the Star, that Viking stands head and shoulders above the rest. Here are a few of the things I already love about Viking:

•  Real Musicians--There's a violin & cello duo, a pianist, a classical guitarist, the four piece Viking band, a mixed quartet called the Viking Singers, and our Cruise Director, Aaron, and his two assistants are all gifted vocalists. No one sings to canned accompaniment. (To my mind, that's just a dressed up version of karaoke.) 
• A Subdued Soundtrack in Common Areas--When we were on the Norwegian Encore last September, their buffet played an especially offensive loop of songs in which the female vocalist made noises like a cat being eviscerated. And it was LOUD! The music played in the restaurants on Viking are subtle, and unobtrusive enough to have conversation at a normal decibel level.
• Exceptional food--
  
  
  Viking even knows how to elevate a lowly burger. Their Viking burger served at the Pool Grill is garnished with bacon, cheese, onion marmalade, and BBQ sauce. Last night, we dined at the Restaurant, which is not a specialty venue, and I had lobster tail. On most cruise lines, you might get lobster once in a while on a formal night. There are no formal nights on Viking. I had lobster simply because it was Thursday.   
• All Inclusive--We're not big drinkers, so Viking is making a little money on us in that department, but if the DH wants a glass of wine with supper, he has one without additional charge. We are offered an included excursion in each port we visit. The lovely thermal suite is ours for the using without additional fee. 
• Mental Stimulation--Whether it's a talk on an historic piece of art, or the wildlife we might see from our veranda, the enrichment lectures have been excellent. My mom always says she'd never seen a child so hungry to learn as I was. I'm still that way. My cup can always stand filling in that department.  

Now I can hear some of you saying, "Isn't Viking more expensive than those other cruise lines?" Yes, if you only compare basic cruise fares. But when you add in all the extras for specialty dining, excursions, first class airfare, the thermal suite (which ran about $179 a piece on a week long cruise last time we had access to one.), drinks, art class supplies (all included on Viking), I really think actual costs are a pretty close horserace. 

Anyway, we're heading off to the thermal suite again. This sort of pampering is the ultimate luxury to my mind. Wherever you are, please be good to yourself and insert a little "you" time into your day!

Day 11 & 12 ~ No Land in Sight

"She could smell the sea in the air..." ~ Diana Peterfreund

 According to our stateroom TV, the Star is following the coastline of central America, just off Guatemala as I type this. We have one more sea day after today before we reach Costa Rica on Sunday. Since I'm not sure how interested you are in all my small doings, I've decided to condense a couple of days together. 

We start our day pretty early, waking at 6 or 6:30. We often order room service coffee and a few light bites to tide us over until we meet Dave and Kristy for Second Breakfast sometime after 8:30 or so. If I'm a lark, Kristy is a night owl. Mornings are not her thing, but who can say no to breakfast on the fantail with the sharp, fresh scent of the ocean wafting over us?

Then we usually go our separate ways to follow what interests us. I've been indulging in lots of reading and have finished the 8th and nearly finished the 9th book in The Expanse series, a science fiction tour de force! Kristy recommended a book based on the life of the biblical Joseph's Egyptian wife. Since we hope to have 4 stops in Egypt on this cruise, it sounds perfect for my next read.

The DH and I usually hit a lecture in the Star Theater. Wing Commander Simpson gave an excellent one on Vikings today. I didn't encounter anything new, but his points all squared with my own research from when I was writing my Songs of the North series.  

I've also got Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology downloaded on my phone so if I can't find the book about Asenath, that may be next for me.

We've been pretty faithful about attending the painting classes, though I can't claim that our skill level is increasing very much. Today we experimented with pallet knives and laying on a lot of pigment so it stands out from the paper and creates a sort of texture. This sorry result will take forever to dry. 

I know, I know. Don't quit my day job. What a minute! I don't have a day job! I guess I can waste paint if I want to.

I am feeling awfully self-indulgent on the Star. Everything is provided for us so seamlessly. Because the ship is only about half full, we've never had to wait at any of the restaurants. There's really not much need to make a reservation. We can usually book time in the thermal suite, even though they are limiting that space to six guests at a time. There's always room. And we're feeling very safe here in our Viking bubble, traveling with all vaccinated and boosted passengers and crew. I'm already pretty tired of wearing masks all the time, but if it keeps us all safe I'm willing to do it. 

My thoughts travel home every day, where our #1 Daughter is down with a bad cold. Thankfully, she tested negative for Covid today, but our pastor was not so lucky. Neither is our Sunday School teacher who is also my doctor. I hate hearing how the virus is ravaging our town while we're so insulated and safe. 

So while I'm loving the lazy sea days on this beautiful ship, I'm thinking of my family and friends, praying for your safety and well-being. Be safe out there! 

  

Day 10 ~ Beautiful Briny Sea

"It's lovely, bobbing along, bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea!"
Bedknobs & Broomsticks

Well, we're not exactly on the bottom of the sea, but the Pacific has been so placid and welcoming, that little ditty from a movie I used to watch with my kids has been stuck in my head today. My previous experiences in this ocean have not been so smooth, but I've decided Balboa wasn't lying when he named this largest of all the earth's feature. It truly is "pacific." 

The Viking Star, like the Pacific Princess, is not a large enough ship for me to walk 5K steps without some intentional extra schlepping about. So today, we visited the small gym and were able get onto treadmills immediately. There are 540 passengers on a ship designed for 930, so there is never a sense of being crowded or having to wait in line. In fact, the crew complement is 550, so we are always well-tended by Viking staff who are eager to please. 

We attended another art class, focusing on painting the Sierra Madres. I continue to be a little frustrated because our instructor doesn't have an easel, so she whips out a few things on her watercolor paper and then shows us her semi-finished project without us being able to see the intermediate steps. Also, I have no idea about brush technique or how to mix pigment, so my paintings are by-guess-and-by-golly. But it's still a fun play time.

In the afternoon, we joined Wing Commander (Ret.) William Simpson (one of the ship's resident historians) for a tour of the fore and aft stair wells where much larger than life murals of the Bayeux Tapestry adorn the walls. The details in the battle scenes are quite graphic when you consider they were designed and executed by a cloister of nuns. In the 19th century a group of English ladies undertook to recreate the tapestry, but influenced by Victorian modesty, they covered up the over 100 depictions of genitalia (mostly equine, but a few human as well.)

We met Kristy and Dave for supper at Manfredi's and I discovered a new addictive substance--Dark Chocolate Amorosso Cremoso. It is without doubt the most mind-altering dessert on the planet, by which I mean its taste almost made my eyes roll back in my head! And so rich, I could only eat half of it! Next time we visit Manfredi's, I'll take a picture of it, but it's actually quite unassuming looking, just a rectangular slab of chocolate garnished with strawberries. How cleverly bliss is sometimes disguised!

The evening show was The Beatle's Songbook, presented by the Viking Singers and Band. Lots of fun, and very high energy.  I was 8 years old when the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. At the time, I didn't understand why all those stupid girls were screaming. Still don't. You miss the music that way. The Fab Four certainly changed the face of popular music forever.                                                        

More soon...

Day 9 ~Salty Feet in Puerto Vallarta

Well, we lost another hour last night and are now on Central Time. And I seem to have lost a number of details from our sea day yesterday, too. The voyage from Cabo to Puerto Vallarta was pleasantly lazy. I can confirm that we had surf & turf on the fantail for supper, spent time with our friends, attempted abstract painting with limited success and enjoyed Wendy Law's 2nd cello performance, but other details are fading into a delightful haze. 

Puerto Vallarta couldn't be more different from Cabo. The Baja peninsula is arid and rocky. PV is lush with green mountains rising from the beaches, and a friendly populace eager to welcome us to their home. Our tour guide today was Victor, a personable, funny young man who loves his country and shared a wealth of stories about the history of the area and his life there in particular. He explained that native Puerto Vallartans refer to themselves as "salty feet," because in early days, the main export was reclaimed sea salt for use in the silver mines in the mountains. Those in the mountains meant "salty feet" as a term of derision, but Victor says the folk who live by the sea now wear the name with pride.  

 After a bus ride and a short walk, we visited a beautiful church, which Victor hopes will one day be named a cathedral when it's appointed a bishop instead of a priest. The churches are the hub of local life and explained the custom of the pinata to us. In Mexico, they aren't shaped like donkeys. Instead they are like a crown with seven thorns, each thorn representing one of the 7 deadly sins. Whacking away at the pinata reminds us to fight against sin in our lives and when we break its power through faith, we receive a prize!

In addition to showing us the site of the filming of John Huston's Night of the Iguana,  a movie starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardener, and Deborah Kerr, Victor took us away from the glitzy sea side resorts to the heart of the city where regular folk live--his own neighborhood. It was clean and safe and projected a strong sense of community. There is a park in the square which used to have free wifi, but the grandmothers in the area lobbied for it to be removed because they saw that people weren't talking to each other any more. 

At the end of the tour, Victor thanked us profusely for coming to visit them. Tourism accounts for a huge share of the economy and the past couple of years have been hard on everyone. He said he realizes there are parts of Mexico that are very dangerous. (Frankly, the same can be said of the U.S.!) But Puerto Vallarta is very safe, very clean and quite beautiful. 

   

We finished our day with supper in the Restaurant, and a magic show in the Star Theater. I'd say we were rocked to sleep in the worlds largest water bed, but the Pacific continues to be so calm, I barely feel the movement.

Oh! I also wanted to share something we learned from several members of the crew. One of the reasons they are so happy to be working on board again is that all during the pandemic when cruising was completely shut down, Viking continued to pay them. 

Now, that's class!

Day 8 ~ Sea Day Doings...Or Not!

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” —Jacques Cousteau

The Star is taking her leisurely time about getting to Puerto Vallarta. Our speed is about 8 knots, almost crawling, but there is no hurry, no sense of urgency. Our second "new-to-us" port will still be waiting when we get there. In the meantime, we're enjoying our little verandah space where we can go maskless, watch the waves, and eat a room service meal any time we want. 

Today we attended our first enrichment lecture about the Bayeux Tapestry. It's a huge work of embroidery designed to tell the tale of the Battle of Hastings when William the Bastard became William the Conqueror. I understand why Viking is interested in promoting this story. It's really all about Norse history. After King Edward the Confessor died, Harold Godwinson was crowned king. (If his name sounds a bit Scandinavian, that's because it was. The Northmen first raided the Brits in the late 700's and by 200 years later, were pretty entrenched in the country.) While Harold was rallying his troops against an invasion from the south where William, Duke of Normandy, who was a descendent of Rollo the Walker, a Viking so large he had trouble finding a horse that could carry him,  was amassing men and arms for a crossing of the English Channel. At the same time, Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, invaded England from the north and took York. King Harold (with an "O") marched north and killed him.  But in the meantime, William crossed the channel and invaded England unopposed. And by the time Harold's army marched back south, they were too tired to repel the invasion. 

Long story short, the Bayeux Tapestry was commission to chronicle the event on fabric for a population who couldn't read. And the kicker is that all the principals involved had Viking blood flowing in there veins.

The only other thing we did all day was spend some quality time in the thermal suite. And we read.

We're retired so I know you're wondering why uninterrupted reading time is such a big deal. Since we don't have jobs to go to, our time should be our own, right? Well, that's the theory. In practice, there are always things that need to be tended to when we're at home. While we're on the ship, we can't actually do any of those things that seem so terribly urgent at the time. We can spend hours in a book. We can listen to music without having it be the background for some other activity. We can walk at a comfortable pace because we have no destination in mind. We can do anything or nothing with equal lack of guilt. 

And now, since Gordon requested some shots of public spaces, here's photo of the Wintergarten, a lovely place to curl up with a book, or chat with friends, or partake of that oh so civilized ritual known as afternoon tea! 

  Love Scandinavian design!  

Day 7 ~ A Whale of a Tail!

They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent. DH Lawrence, Whales Weep Not

Today we visited the first of 37 new ports on our "third time's the charm" itinerary. (Thank you to Cory who pointed out that my "No, Really" tab wasn't working. Think I 've got it fixed now.)

Cabo San Lucas is located at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, straddling the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. The city has built up over the years to become a playground for the rich and famous. Its watery surround has been a favorite haunt of cetaceans for much longer. Humpbacks, Blues, Minks and even Orcas find their way to these emerald and sapphire waters for feeding, breeding, and birthing. 

After lazing around the ship all morning, we took the Land's End & Whale Watching excursion in the afternoon. On the way to the arch, we passed Lover's Beach, which is snugged in a low draw between the rock formations. It's possible to walk across the narrow peninsula there to the other side where you'll find Divorce Beach, so named because the waves on the Pacific side are much choppier than the calm surf at Lover's Beach. 

The iconic Cabo arch!

When you take a wildlife viewing excursion, you're always warned that you may not see anything. This has happened to us before when we lived in Boston. The tour company was kind enough to give us vouchers to try again another day, and we did see some juvenile humpbacks the next time. But we only had a day in Cabo, so this was our one shot. (However, we had seen some spouts and a tail wave from our cabin balcony on the sail in, so in some ways, we felt we'd already been blessed with our sighting.)

Nothing could have prepared us for the amazing treat we experienced. We saw plenty of spouts, surfacing backs followed by tail waves, slapping the surface with their long pectoral fins, waggling their tails high above the water, and the most spectacular behavior of all--breaching! 

Photo by Kristy!

I don't know if it was the same whale breaching all the time, but I lost count of how many times we saw that magnificent creature hurl its bulk out of the water and return with a thunderous splash! Our guide wasn't able to give us a reason that whales breach. It's thought to perhaps attract a mate or warn other males away. Personally, I think they do it for the same reason children skip along instead of walking--because it's fun! Because there's a joy in movement that is life affirming and thrilling.

At 5:30, we attended a Meet and Mingle for our CruiseCritic group organized by Jim Medalie who headed up an active email loop and Facebook page. It was nice to put faces to names...well, half faces. We're still under a pretty tight mask mandate.

Back at the ship we prepared for another supper at the Chef's Table where the theme was Asian Panorama. We started with an amuse bouche of chilled king crab infused with coconut milk. The first course was lobster & chicken shu mai (pronounced shoe my), which are tasty little dumplings on a bed of butter lettuce. 

The granita (palate cleanser) was problematic for me. Tonight's offering was shaved ice flavored with lemongrass and chilis, topped with lychee foam. The chilis had a way of creeping up on you with a burning aftertaste. Palate cleansing I understand. It helps insure the taste of seafood doesn't interfere with the enjoyment of subsequent courses. But cleansing by fire seems a bit extreme to me. I couldn't finish mine.  

Our main course was Peking Duck, something I'd never had before. It was delicious, but then I like dark meat. The DH isn't wild about poultry at the best of circumstances. (Too many times cleaning out the hen house as an Iowa farm boy!) But he's especially not fond of duck because there's no white meat.

I made it up to him in the dessert course. We were presented with a trilogy--a chocolate banana spring roll, green tea cheesecake, and yuzu creme brulee. Since creme brulee is his favorite dessert, I slipped him mine as well.

The night ended with a smashing musical review in the Star Theater by the Viking entertainment staff. They sang old standards, and very good excerpts from Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. Lovely way to wrap up a stunningly beautiful day!

And to wrap up this post, let me share a photo montage put together by my dear DH! 

Tomorrow we'll take a leisurely sail across the Sea of Cortez and arrive at Puerta Vallarta on the 18th! 

More soon...

Day 6 ~ Play Day

 We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.

~ George Bernard Shaw

The DH managed to capture Venus, the Morning Star just before dawn.

Today was the perfect mix of relaxation, recreation, and rest. We started with a trip to the thermal suite hoping to spend a little time communing with our beloved stone loungers. Alas! They had not been turned on. Heated, they are heavenly. Stone cold, meh.

So instead we relaxed in the warm thalassotherapy pool, letting the jets and bubbles sooth our muscles. But it is easy to get over-heated. The DH decided to honor his Viking heritage by dumping the cold water bucket over his head. Judging from his expression, I'd say this Norwegian custom, like eating lutefisk, is more fun to say you have done than to actually do. 

We attended another painting class in the afternoon. I know so little about painting technique, but our teacher was pretty good about breaking the project down into manageable bits. The lovely thing about this sort of play is that it doesn't really matter how well the final product turns out. Just trying something new, experimenting with different combinations of pigment, fiddling with the brush tip till I could make it do approximately what I wanted--the whole experience requires both intense concentration and wild abandon. I loved every minute and can't wait for the next class.

For some reason, our instructor doesn't like seeing brushstrokes. I told the DH that I can tell his painting was done by a man. The brush strokes are bold, kind of like Van Gogh or Munch. Bet no one told them not to let the brushstrokes show. 

For supper, we went to Manfredi's, the specialty Italian restaurant on the Star. I'm afraid the food and the company were both so good, I didn't manage to take pictures. 

The ocean remains placid, the sky clear, and the temperature in the 70's. Tomorrow we reach Cabo San Lucas, the first of many "new-to-us" ports! 

More soon!

Day 5 ~ I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing!

“Irony is the opposite of wrinkly.” ~ Anonymous

 Yes, it's true. Laundry is that which "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven," and is considerably more abundant than mercy. We'd been on the road since last Saturday so it was time to seek the laundry facilities on the Star. We could, of course, send our things out and someone else would do them for a price, but I'd rather spend our cruise money on experiences I can't get at home. Laundry follows me everywhere! 

All passenger cabin decks seem to have their own launderette. We managed to hit ours when all four washers and dryers were available. The only snag is that many of my things never see the inside of a heated dryer. It's always fluff and hang to preserve the fit. Unfortunately, the handy-dandy little ten item over-the-door hook I packed will not fit over our bathroom door. Viking believes in building for stout. The door is too thick for me to slip the device over. So our cabin now resembles Dhobi Ghat  (see my post on Mumbai!) on wash day.   

We'd hoped to sit in on a lecture by the wildlife expert on the types of marine and avian life we're likely to encounter on our way to, and around, Cabo San Lucas. However, before that, we had to attend a meeting in the Star Theatre to settle the matter of our Chilean Vaccine Pass. Before we'll be allowed to set foot on this long thin South American country, we have to submit evidence of both our passports and our vaccination status. And for better or worse, this can be accomplished using our cellphones. 

First we had to set up an account with the entity collecting all this information for the government. Then they sent a confirmation to our email account prior to allowing us into the site. After being confirmed, we submitted information about ourselves and our vaccine history (including the specific lot numbers of the specific vaccine).  We had to upload a photo of our face with our passport held beneath our chins, our passports by themselves, and our CDC vaccine card so they could make sure all the information we had input manually matched what was on our documents. Once that was done, we were assured that we are ... ta-ta-ta-da ... "under review." 

Now, imagine if you will, a whole theatre full of people of a certain age and indeterminate technical ability, trying to navigate a site whose primary language is Spanish, while the wifi system they are ALL using at the same time grinds to the speed of a giant sloth under the strain...

Fortunately, the DH, who retired from Google, is my ace in the hole, but there were a lot of unhappy campers around us.

Kristy and Dave at an adjoining table with our energetic server!

We dined al fresco this evening around the pool. It was a lovely, soft evening. The mechanical cover over the pool deck was retracted. Perfect temperature for a quasi-outdoor dining experience. Again, this was a fixed menu. The only thing we could specify was the level of done-ness we wanted. All tables were set for two because there was no room for more once the steak for two was brought out.  

Have you ever seen such a big cut of meat? It was like a whole roast clinging to the end of what I presume must be a rib bone. 

Rustic Caesar Salad & Crostini

Tomahawk Steak & accompaniments, fries, mac & cheese, spinach, & sauces

It was all delicious. But no, we didn't eat the whole thing!

Day 4 ~ O Me, of Little Faith

 When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are...Anything your heart desires with come to you! ~ Jiminy Cricket

Pinch me, somebody! I still hardly dare believe the joy I'm experiencing is real. Yet, here we are gently making our way southward toward new adventures on the beautiful Viking Star! 

I slept in till 6 this morning. (Yes, that is sleeping in!) There's something about the whoosh of the waves against the hull that puts me right out and keeps me in a state of somnolent bliss. When I finally woke, the sun was just rising over the mountains on the Baja peninsula. We lucked out in being assigned a port side cabin. (That means we're on the left hand side as you face front.) And for right now during our voyage, it means we're on the landward side. In addition to the land in the distance, we've already seen flying fish and a pod of dolphins from our verandah. 

As you can see, the ocean is very calm. If I hadn't already put on a scopolamine patch, I don't think I'd need one. We are definitely enjoying fair winds and a truly "pacific" sea. What a contrast to the rocking and rolling we experienced in our early days on the Pacific Princess in 2018. We bucked the whole way to Hawaii back then.

After breakfast at the World Cafe, we did a little walking (still trying to maintain at least 5K steps a day. I know, I know, I'm not really tearing up the track, but for me, it's a good goal!) Then we went to an acrylic painting class. Neither of us are going to give Van Gogh a run for his money, but the process is so relaxing, I wish they'd offer a class every day. Tomorrow, the teacher will be leading the group in making collages. Not my favorite thing since kindergarten. 

We rested and read and generally frittered away the day, skipping lunch because we knew we'd be meeting Kristy and Dave for tea in the Wintergarden. This is a lovely, inviting place and while I sipped my Bombay Chai, we were serenaded by King, our very talented acoustic guitarist in residence.

Kristy & King

Then we met up again at about 6 PM for Munch Moments in the Atrium while the resident pianist played pieces by Edvard Grieg, Norway's most famous composer.  I snapped some pictures of the Munch paintings on display and will devote a whole post to them soon.

We booked supper at the Chef's Table, one of two specialty restaurants on board. The menu is fixed, so there's no wondering what to choose. It's already done for you. It's a five course "tasting" menu with a wine pairing for each course. Tonight the theme is Chinese cuisine. There is no upcharge for this , but we did have to make a reservation. 

The meal starts with an "amuse bouche," which I take is supposed to amuse my mouth. We were brought really small servings of a hot and sour soup. It was heavy on spices and vinegar, and I'm afraid I got choked on it a bit. (I do the same with hot Chinese mustard.) Believe me, a coughing fit is not smiled upon when everyone around you is thinking, "Oh, no! What if she's positive for Covid?" (I'm not, BTW. We are tested every morning here on the Star.) But suffice it to say, my mouth was not amused.  

Then came the appetizer, Tiger Prawns. They were delish! Lightly breaded and seasoned delicately. They made up for the hot and sour soup. Instead of assaulting my taste buds, this dish soothed them. 

Each course is paired with a specific kind of wine. The first two courses were accompanied by light, refreshing white wines. However, since I'm pretty sure mixing booze and scopolamine is contraindicated, I only took a sip or two from each wine offering. They were very nice, but I'm using my brain at the moment so I didn't feel like overdoing it.

Then because the appetizer was a gift from the sea, a palate cleanser was in order before we reached the main course of beef. 

This granita is composed of shaved ice, sugar, and hints of coconut.

The main course was beef with vegetables in a rich sauce.  The DH and I were able demonstrate our prowess with chopsticks because the beef was already cut into manageable bite sizes and was so tender it could have been cut with a fork.   

Fried rice was served as a side dish in a leaf of some kind. We were to spoon it out of the leaf bed and mix it with the beef. Very yummy!  

Lastly, the dessert was a light mango flavored tapioca. The DH wasn't wild about this because he was thinking about the creme brule he might have had if we'd dined in The Restaurant. (That dessert is part of Viking's "always available" options.) And I'm not sure what I thought of the mango tapioca either. Tapioca has the consistency of caviar, little round globes of almost pure carbs. Mixing it with fruit doesn't really work for me.  If I'm going to carb out, I need chocolate to be involved somehow. 

The menu at The Chef's Table rotates every three days to completely different spice palates and regional dishes, so I'm sure we'll give it another try. 

But we may have to sneak down to The Restaurant afterward so the DH can get his creme brule. 

I've really enjoyed the music on board and the evening shows have been very good. Last night was no exception. Wendy Law, a brilliant Juilliard trained cellist, regaled us with some wonderful pieces, backed up by the very talented Viking band. 

She was very engaging as she introduced us to Sebastian, her two hundred year old instrument.  People who play this type of legacy cello typically regard themselves as caretakers of a treasure, not an owner.  The quality of the artist playing it somehow infuses a deeper tone, and more richness to the instrument that can then be passed to the next lucky musician who becomes its keeper. I wasn't surprised when Wendy admitted that when they flew out to join us, Sebastian had his own seat. In first class! 

Wendy rode in coach.

So ended another lovely day filled with moments of pure delight on the Viking Star.