Day 50 ~ Funchal, Madeira

February 28, 2022

64 degrees, gentle breeze, a break from rough seas...in other words ~ perfect!  

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Footloose

The bottom portion of the sail is called the "foot." If it is not secured, it is "footloose" and dances randomly in the wind.

As you can see, even though the Madeirians are going maskless, we are still wearing the hateful things. It's the price we pay to make sure the Viking Star maintains its zero case count and makes it more likely we will be allowed to make all our scheduled ports of call. 

We were all footloose this morning! The captain granted us "independent exploration," which means we didn't have to stick with a Viking tour. And fortunately Funchal, Madeira, Portugal is a perfect place to wander. The ship provided a shuttle service to the walking plaza in the center of town where they dropped us off.  

What a lovely, clean, very European-flavored city. In fact, the inhabitants consider themselves European, referring to Portugal as "the mainland," much as Hawaiian's describe the 48 contiguous states. There was no graffiti, angry or otherwise. The homes and businesses were well-tended. People were going about their business as if the world was a normal place. 

The flowering trees are Africa Tulip Trees.

Our route took us to the Honario de Abertura da Catedral, a baroquely beautiful cathedral. (BTW, I learned on this trip that the only thing it takes to make a church a cathedral is to have the congregation ministered to by a bishop instead of a priest.)

This is the left side of the choir in the cathedral. There are seats for only 22 singers, 11 on each side beneath the ornate bas relief statues. (To my friends in choir back home, how'd you like to sing with these guys looking over your shoulders?)

The cathedral was laid out in the typical cross pattern, with alcoves along each long side filled with statuary and small spaces to pray. Everywhere you looked, it was heavily decorated. Sometimes, it becomes overwhelming, so I start to "look small." When I did, I discovered this exquisite little cherub on the base of one of the ornate silver candle stands. (To give you a sense of perspective, the stand was taller than my head.)

I sat for a few minutes, drinking in the sense of the place. Sacred spaces always fascinate me. There's something special about locations we set aside as unique places to connect with the Divine, places that have been consecrated by years, sometimes centuries or even milenia, of songs of praise, of tearful prayers, of couples uniting in  marriage, of the bereaved leaving their loved ones in the arms of God. All the peace and love and forgiveness humanity longs for seems to gather in sacred spaces. 

After visiting the cathedral, we popped into a pharmacy to pick up some Tylenol. Fortunately the druggist spoke a little English and sold me something that is like Tylenol, and we discovered that our credit card will work while we're out of the country. 

Kristy and her new tree friend

We strolled back to the shuttle pick up spot with Kristy and Dave, pausing to wander through a garden that won an award in 2009. One of the gardeners saw us looking at a misshapen tree and leaned over to give it a hug, wordlessly inviting us to come talk to him about it.

High up in the bare branches, there were avocado shaped pods that opened to reveal white tufts of cottony fibers. Our afternoon tour guide told us these were kapock (?) trees and the fibers are used in lifejackets.  

In the afternoon, we took the included Viking tour, and once again, it did not disappoint. We left the city to explore the almost surreal countryside. The topography of Madeira is mostly vertical, but that hasn't stopped the industrious populace from terracing and cultivating every square foot of available land. Their top export crop is bananas, but their market is internal to the Portuguese mainland. 

This must have been what Cape Verde looked like in the past when it had more rain. We saw evidence of rocked terraces, but no crops on the hillsides there.

 

The homes are built on the sheer faces of the ancient volcanic slopes as well. It's not unusual to have the garage on top of the house with easy access to the switchback roads for the vehicles and stairs to take the occupants down to their living quarters. 

Our first stop was at Quinta Grande. At 1800 feet, it's the second tallest sea cliff in the world. We hiked down to the observation platform and marveled at the incredible views! In the distance, as shadowy blue smudges, we were able to make out the two uninhabited islands in this chain. Even though the main island had abundant fresh water, there's not enough rainfall to support human life on the other hunks of rock, but a colony of Monk Seals is pleased to call them home. 

We headed back into the suburbs of Funchal, the island's capital for a chance to try the local drink--poncha! Potent and delicious, it's made of one part honey, one part lemon, two parts agricultural rum. It was a pleasure to sit outside on a flower bedecked terrace and enjoy views of this prosperous and peaceful place. 

Love the red tile roofs and fresh whitewashed houses!

It was a beautiful day, filled with the wonder of discovery and the joy of being together!

 Here's the DH's photo montage. As always, if you're reading this blog via FollowIt! be sure to click on the title of this post. You'll be taken to the blog where the Youtube vid will be available. Sorry it doesn't come through on FollowIt!

More soon!

Day 48 (or 49, it depends on how you count it) ~ Sea Day Odds & Ends

 February 27, 2022

68 degrees, sunny with a riotous sea.

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Chock-a-Block

This term was used to describe something filled to capacity or overloaded. If two blocks of rigging tackle were pressed so tightly together that could not be tightened further, there were said to be "chock-a-block." 

As I type this, we are cruising just west of the Canaries, a small chain of volcanic islands, off the coast of Morocco. (Fun fact: They aren't named the Canary Islands because of an abundance of birds, but an abundance of dogs, AKA canines! We saw a lot of stray dogs in Cape Verde as well, and it reminded me of the Polynesian islands we've visited where dog is often an item on the menu. I resisted the urge the ask our guide if the citizens of Sao Vicente also eat dog.) 

Each day we receive a printed Viking Daily, detailing all the activities available, what entertainment options are planned, and (most importantly!) when the restaurants are open. This little newsletter reminds us when we need to turn our clocks forward, which has happened with regularity. We're now six hours ahead of our family in the Central Time Zone. 

But in addition to practical matters, the Viking Daily also offers interesting tidbits of information...like explaining who was the father of ichthyology--the scientific study of fish. (Who knew there was such a thing?) It was Peter Artedi, a Swede, who started classifying fish by precise measurement of the size of fins, tails, and such. I suspect the Daily carried this story mostly because Sweden is an ancestral Viking country. The Daily does lean toward Scandinavian topics. 

Tomorrow, we'll reach our next port of call--Funchal, Madeira, a lovely tropical island that is as lush as Cape Verde probably used to be. (Turns out the drought has lasted much longer than the four years our guide mentioned. According to Kristy, seventy years ago Cape Verde lived up to its name as "green.") 

I confess that I'm feeling down and more than a little guilty today. Here we are on this luxurious, safe ship while people are dying in Ukraine in a needless war. My heart aches for the mothers and fathers, for the displaced children, I even pity the Russian soldiers because I can't believe all their hearts are entirely in this act of aggression, propped up by false accusations of antisemitism and genocide. (Why is it that tyrants always accuse their enemies of the very same sins of which they are guilty?) 

So at our on board church service this evening, I prayed for everyone involved in this horrid situation. Even Putin. 

(I have a beautiful sunset photo I snapped as we were sitting at Table 137 in The Restaurant with Kristy and Dave. I'd love to share it with you, but I've been watching the computer chase its tail for about half an hour now with no joy. I'll have to load it later. Heavy sigh...)

Look at that! It finally uploaded. Technology makes a liar out of me every time!

More soon... or as soon as we get a better WiFi connection!

Day 47 ~ Sea Day ~ Engine Control Room Tour

February 26, 2022 

67 degrees ~ Beautiful blue sky, deep blue waters, and pitching decks!

It is the DH today.  RtWW is perfectly capable of explaining the technical things that we learned during our Engine Control Room tour, but she asked me to step in for a change of pace.  I hope you enjoy.

A couple days ago Aaron (our cruise director) announced that the captain and crew had graciously allowed passengers to take tours of the Bridge.  That one filled up in a hurry, and we are on a waiting list.  The next day they announced that there would also be tours of the Engine Control Room.  Dave and I jumped on that one, and we got on the list for the very first tour!  

We all gathered to meet the Chief Engineer on deck 1, and he escorted us down to Deck A.  As a passenger generally all we see is the elegance and beauty of the passenger areas.  To be able to pass through one of those doors marked "Crew Only" and see the working part of the ship was fascinating!

Chief Engineer and his Chief Assistant

Our Chief Engineer has over 47 years of experience as an engineer at sea.  He went to sea at the age of 17, and worked on various tanker and cargo ships.  He has been with Viking as Chief Engineer for 8 years.   The Chief Assistant said that he had over 20 years experience as an Engineer at sea.

All of the Viking ships use the same power plants and are of similar design, so the engineering crews can move between the ships without any retraining.  All of the information provided on the screens by the engines on every Viking ship is also being monitored by the manufacturer in Germany.  The chief assistant said that he will often get a call from the manufacturer instructing them to check some part, or change some filters.

RtWW asked a very good question about the epaulettes on his uniform.  The Chief Engineer said that as an engineer his epaulette shows a propeller with 4 bars showing us his rank.  An electricians would show a lightning bolt, and an engine tech has a wrench.  The Captains epaulette has a diamond indicating that he is trained in all areas.  (That made me wonder what the symbol is for the plumbing guys that are responsible for the vacuum waste system.)

We weren't able to see the actual engines, but these images showed us the engine room area.  There are cameras set up all around the engine room so that the engineers monitoring can see what is going on.

There are at least 3 people on duty in the Engine and Control Room areas at all times.  2 at terminals watching for warnings or alerts, and at least one roving in the engine room.  The roving engineer is available by radio, and can be sent wherever he is needed.  There are two screens showing various places in the engine room, and we would see the roving engineers as they worked around the area.

This screen was mounted along the wall, and is for general viewing.  The 2 engineers at the terminals had access to every screen and each camera so they could see each area in detail.

There are 4 primary diesel engines that are the sources of power for the ship.  These engines generate thousands of watts of power each hour.  The two main propellers are driven by electric motors which have their own monitoring screen.

As you can see, at the time of this picture all 4 engines were working.  The Chief Assistant explained that we were fighting a headwind at the time and in order to maintain 18 knots, all 4 diesels were needed.  Often they will only run 3 of the diesels, which gives them an opportunity to do routine maintenance on one (i.e. changing filters, etc.).

When we are in port, they will drop down to just one diesel engine.  At that time, they are able to do any heavy maintenance on the engine that is required.  This type of maintenance is never done while the ship is at sea.  

There is also a fail-safe engine on deck 9 that will start if everything else fails.  This engine supplies power only to critical systems.  They run tests of this engine every week to ensure that the fail-safe systems will work.

Dave asked if Viking would ever have a nuclear powered ship.  The Chief Engineer laughed, then said that the next generation of engines would be powered by natural gas.

In the center you can see the monitors for speed and the propellers.  RtWW asked if there are cameras underneath the hull so that they could see the propellers and shafts.  The Chief Engineer said that would be a very good idea, but was not currently available on the Star.

On the right there is a rolling display showing status and alerts in every area of the ship.  There are a lot of areas that indicate "Alert", but the Chief Engineer explained that these show where routine type maintenance or some switch setting is required. 

The control boards along the bottom allow the operators to set the appropriate switch, or drill down to look at a specific area.  There was a panel by the door where with one turn of a switch they turn off everything!  This was protected by a plexiglass shield to make sure that nobody bumped into it accidentally.  (They kept a watchful eye on Dave whenever he was close to this panel.)

This is where all of the smoke alarms and fire suppression sprinklers are monitored.  There are close to 10,000 fire and smoke alarms on the ship, and all of them feed into the control panels here in Engineering.

This control room also monitors the course and speed settings for the ship.  If there were any variations, the engineers would make the proper adjustments to maintain the settings from the Bridge crew.  

I was surprised at how small an area the engineering team occupied, since they control so many of the ships functions.  The Chief Engineer said, "Don't let that taxi driver upstairs fool you.  This is where the real control center of the ship is!"

To drive home that point, the Chief Engineer brought up a screen that showed each stateroom on the ship.  From here they are able to monitor the temperature, plumbing and vacuum system in each room.  One of the ladies on the tour said that the A/C in her room wasn't working.  They checked, and found out that it was 74 degrees in the room.  The Chief Engineer called to have a maintenance man dispatched there immediately.  

Just outside the control room was a corridor that the crew refers to as I-95.  This corridor runs from bow to stern of the ship (a little nautical lingo there). This is the busiest corridor on the ship, and they said that every cruise ship refers to this corridor as I-95.

As you can see these hallways are very short, and some of the crew members are really tall!  One of the crew told me that he has to tilt his head as he walks down the hall to keep from bumping his head on the sprinkler heads.

All the major crew areas of the ship are accessed off this corridor.  Our waiter said that just forward from the engineering area is the crew's mess on the right.  He also said that on the left is the storage area for all the food, freezers and refrigeration. These are all located close to the kitchens.

Looking aft, there was a lot of recycling that was bagged up and ready to go off the ship.  At various ports we have seen these big bags of recycling material taken off the ship and loaded onto trucks to be processed on shore.  

This is where all of the waste handling areas of the ship are located.  Viking is very environmentally conscious.  The only waste that is released into the ocean has been processed and comes out only as clean water.  Waste handling is another major process and system within the ship, but I don't expect that they will let us tour those areas.

Full disclosure - we took this tour the day before we arrived at our port of call in Cape Verde.  After everyone got off the ship there, the Medical Officer decided to cancel all further tours in case anyone carried Covid on board from Mindelo.  We don't want to infect our crew!  Hopefully these tours will begin again soon.  If we get a chance to tour the bridge, I will take some pictures there as well.

More soon ...

Day 46 ~ More Photos from Cape Verde!

February 25, 2022

72 degrees, rollicking seas!

We're enjoying a lovely relaxing sea day while doing battle with a sluggish WIFI. The DH has finally gotten his photo montage for Sao Vicente to upload to Youtube so we can share this gorgeous island with you! We were unprepared to find such stark beauty. Hope you enjoy seeing it as much as we did!

At first, we were supposed to stay until 8 PM. Viking tried to organize a beach party for all of us on shore before our sail-away, but at the last minute, the island's health authority revoked its approval and the Star's gangway was rolled up for a 6 PM departure. We are enjoying zero Covid case status on board and hope to remain that way. While watching the sunset from a tropical beach would've been lovely, I support every country's right to sovereignly make their own rules. As their guest, I'll comply. I'm just grateful we, and our crew, were granted the chance to visit Sao Vicente for a while.

More soon...

 

Day 45 ~ Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde

 February 24, 2022

74 degrees, gloriously sunny, wickedly windy!

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Aye, aye!

"Aye" is Old English for "yes." The seaman's reply of "Aye, aye," means "I understand and I will obey." (I wonder if they couldn't work that into the groom's wedding vows somehow...)

Oh, the joys of not rolling and pitching! I've been lurching along the halls lately, making good use of the handrails. I do pretty well when the movement is up and down, but wallowing side to side makes me pathetically grateful to whoever invented scopolamine. It was such a delight to wake and realize we were no longer moving. And then to step out onto the verandah to be welcomed by this lovely harbor...

The land mass in the distance is Santo Antao, Sao Vicente's near neighbor in the Cape Verde chain.

When the Portuguese discovered these previously uninhabited islands in the 1500's, they set about colonizing them, but Sao Vicente was the last island to be developed. (With the exception of Santa Luzia island which is kept only as a nature preserve because there is not enough water for human habitation. Our guide for today, Ivandro, has visited the island as part of a crew to clean the beaches and says there is nothing there but lots of birds and, maybe not surprisingly, huge formerly domesticated cats!) But even though Sao Vicente got a later start, the most important port in the whole chain is here at Mindelo, and as the birthplace of Cesaria Evora, famed singer of "morna" ballads, it has become the cultural capital of this island nation.

There are some beautiful homes in the mountains, but they have to have their own catchment system for water. In the towns, citizens have access to water generated by desalination plants.

We opted for the Viking included tour and had set our expectations relatively low, because the Viking excursion presenter had told us that we would be given the very best the island had to offer, but our definition of "best" and theirs might differ. However we were happily surprised. The tour began with our guide Ivandro explaining more about his island and country while we wound through the charming, clean streets of Mindelo. The ubiquitous, angry-looking graffiti that had bothered me so in South America was rare here. 

The standard of living is "average" according to Ivandro. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by their constitution. 85% of the population is Roman Catholic owing to the Portuguese heritage. Portuguese is the national language, though the islanders also have their own patois with a mix of some African dialects. Public education features 6 years of primary and 6 of secondary school. There are 10 universities on the islands.  

The view from the top of Sao Vicente's highest peak--2400ft.

Our tour took us over some of the island's rough cobblestone roads. It fooled the heck out of my iphone. Thanks to the bumpy ride, the silly thing thinks I've climbed 61 floors today. It's easy to spot the island's volcanic past in the rugged terrain, yet there are also sections of striped sedimentation and evidence of upheavals in the past. The island is suffering through the fourth year of drought, but even in the best of times, it receives very little rainfall. Their rainiest month is September with an average of...hold onto your umbrella...only 1.5 inches of liquid sunshine. 

Yet even with the arid climate, they manage some agriculture. We passed by a large shrimp farm that produces enough prawns for export. And several fruit and vegetable farms that make use of subterranean water they pump to the surface using windmills. The water is then diverted into soaker hoses to nourish the small patches of cultivated ground.

Goats seem to thrive on the arid slopes and before Sao Vicente was colonized it was used as an oversized grazing area!

Who are those masked tourists?

Praia Beach (right behind us) is one of the most important breeding grounds for loggerhead turtles. Every year, the females come ashore to lay their eggs and the Cape Verdeans carefully protect the unguarded babies for the 45 days of incubation in the warm sand. Then they try to make sure as many as possible reach the sea once they break out of their shells. 

Our tour guide was passionate about his home and wanted us to see the best parts of his island, so he took us to a beach where the island holds an international music festival each year. The water is gorgeous--all emerald, turquoise and cobalt.   The fine sand is counterbalanced by large, pock-marked basalt stones, a reminder of the island's volcanic history.

I'd love to try to paint this scene once we get home!

Ivandro pointed out the fine white sand piling up in dunes. (See the photo below.) Local sand on the beaches is more yellow and coarser. The sand you see near the base of the mountains has blown all the way from the Sahara in Africa. To me, it's a reminder that we may be separated from other places by miles, but the whole world and all the people who live in it, are connected in ways of which we're not always aware. 

Praia Beach

I'm sorry I seem to be falling behind on this blog again. The Star is suffering with poor WiFi because its antennae has been damaged, so I spend a lot of time waiting for images to load. The DH is having similar difficulty putting together his photo montages. The antennae is scheduled to be fixed when we reach Cadiz, Spain.  

Lest you think we're living in Lalaland, uninterested in the plight of others, I want to share that we are able to stay informed about what's happening in Eastern Europe, following events on BBC. We are concerned for Ukraine right now and are lifting up those courageous defenders of Kyiv. To our family and friends, let me reassure you we are not traveling near the war area, but if Viking suspects we're in the slightest danger, I'm sure they'll change our itinerary to keep us out of harm's way. 

The DH is going to let his montage run overnight in the hopes that tomorrow I'll be able to post it then. He's got some really good shots of this beautiful island. 

More soon...

Days 41-44 ~ Delight on the High Seas

 February 19-23, 2022

73 degrees, fair skies (& wobbly seas! Thank God for scopolamine!)

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ "Go for the pig & whistle." 

The term was used in the early sailing days of the English navy. Once a week, the sailors were allowed a ration of rum, known as "the pig." A young subordinate sailor would be sent down to the cargo to get the rum and told to "get the pig and whistle." If he stopped whistling while he was out of sight, he was believed to be drinking the rum and so was lashed.  

 Pig & Whistle...sounds like a good name for a pub, doesn't it? 

I'm a dedicated carnivore, but I couldn't bring myself to have the pork after seeing this sorry little fellow on display in the World Cafe. 

As I type this is, we are off the coast of Guinea, Africa, on our way to Mindelo, Sao Vicente--one of the Cape Verde Islands. We fetch up on land tomorrow and the entire ship's company is ready for some terra firma. Even the crew is receiving well-deserved shore leave. Our delightful little room stewardess, Vi, is fairly dancing with excitement. She hasn't been ashore in months. The sharp reduction in the number and severity of Covid cases is making it possible for us to enjoy independent exploration of the island if we want. 

However, while on board, we're still bound by the those hateful masks unless we are eating or actively drinking. I suspect we'll have to wear them until we get home because the countries we visit still want to know what steps the ship is taking to prevent the spread. 

Had fun painting this fellow!

I'm combining days because many of our sea days follow nearly the same schedule, which is to say, sometimes none at all. We're big on believing that it's perfectly okay to do nothing, to sit and read, to just watch the waves glide by. But we have enjoyed some interesting classes on how to use my iphone, how to waltz when the ship is pitching and yawing (the trick is to stand still and let the ship do the work!), painting and drawing classes or a combination thereof, lectures about navigation and other nautical matters. This afternoon, we're touring the engine control room with our friends, Kristy and Dave, and in a few days will get a bridge tour. 

Some things are like our life at home. Sort of. We had a passenger-led worship service in Torshaven (the night club) on Sunday evening at 6. The DH preached a short sermon (about 10 minutes) and we sang our duet version of "Jesus Loves Me/O! How I Love Jesus" (suitable on long car trips for singing small children to sleep in the backseat!) The pub was pretty well packed. It's nice to see so many coming out for worship. 

Some things are very different from home. We're constantly offered unique types of entertainment. We were treated to a nautical "County Fair" to celebrate crossing the Equator again. Every ship's department set up booths with games and activities to try--face painting (or in this case "forehead painting" because we were all still masked up!), driving nails with the mechanics, playing beer pong with the bar staff, making towel animals with housekeeping, testing the steadiness of our hands with the medical staff, and close up magic with Greg Moreland, to name a few. 

The DH and his towel cobra. Dave and Kristy are behind us to the right working on theirs.

We've also used some of these sea days to get acquainted with our next door neighbors, Judy and Bill from Greeley, CO. After watching the Montevideo sail out side by side, and Judy and I sharing a tray of beads for making jewelry in art class, we decided to have supper together. Turns out that Judy has worked in lots of music stores, and Bill is quite a sculpture artist! Check out his website to see his large bronze installations! Amazing art works! Judy also got me started with "seated yoga" which, despite its name, is quite a good workout!

In addition to the guest performers brought on board for the evening shows, Aaron Syfert, our Cruise Director, pulled together a show made up of duets using all the musical performance staff one evening. It was excellent! And if ever we don't feel like a big show in the theatre, we can always find King playing guitar and singing lovely ballads. This charming young man just had his 26th birthday yesterday and he's leaving the ship soon to go home to marry his sweetheart. Last night, he performed the song he wrote to sing to his bride as she comes down the aisle to him. Very touching... 

And let me sign off with the DH's photo montage...

Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde tomorrow! 

More soon...

Day 40 ~ First Rate Entertainment

 February 18, 2022

80 degrees and sunny 

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ First Rate

"First rate" implies excellence. From the 16th century on, until steam powered ships took over, British naval ships were rated by the number of heavy cannons (guns) they carried. A ship of 100 or more guns was a first rate line-of-battle ship. Second rates carried 90-98 guns; third rates 64-89 guns; fourth rates, 50-60 guns. Frigates carrying 48 to 20 guns were fifth and sixth rated. 

Last night our entertainment was David Meyer, master of the xylosynth. 

"The what?" I hear you ask.

It's a digital xylophone, an interesting percussion instrument with the capability to produce many different sounds when the keys are struck. He also played an astounding arrangement of "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana on a laser light instrument while his wife danced with illuminated wings and hoops on her costume. It was an electrifying performance, both to watch and to listen to. High energy and yet he displayed great musicality as well.

Like most of our guest entertainers, Meyer shared a bit about himself. He started playing the xylophone when he was quite young, but by the time he was a teenager, he was more interested in borrowing his dad's car. His father was very supportive of his musical talent, so he offered his son this deal. He could borrow the car IF he practiced for two hours every day, went to church with the family every Sunday, and got his hair cut. So David Meyer practiced the xylophone. He faithfully went to church, but he didn't get his haircut. 

"Dad, I've done what you asked, but I haven't gotten a haircut because I noticed in the paintings at church that Jesus had long hair," he said. "So can I borrow the car?"

"Well, son, you're right. Jesus had long hair," his dad conceded. "He also walked everyplace He went!"  

Meyer cut his hair.

This morning we had another art class and learned a new painting technique. It involved quickly slapping some paint onto something called a clayboard, then using that to make a single print on art paper. Once you have your print, you work with it to make it look like what you had in mind when you slapped the initial colors down. 

In the process, I discovered a new genre: Accidental Abstraction. 

When I've tried to paint abstractly in the past, the result was always too derivative. This however looks like exactly nothing. And try as I might, I couldn't bring "something-ness" into this thankfully small piece.

I think part of why I had trouble with this way of creating is that I have "control issues." I like to be able to make what I'm working on take the shape of what I have in mind. Looking at this hot mess, I have no idea what I was thinking! 

(The DH said he was already a master of Accidental Abstraction. It's his wheelhouse.)

We met Kristy and Dave for lunch at the World Cafe. It's Pan Asian cuisine today, so I enjoyed scallops, tempura shrimp and brussels  sprouts (my favorite!) We decided to meet to attend the lecture on the geology of some of the heritage sites we'll be visiting at 2:00. Hopefully. Sometimes the title of the lecture and the information imparted are not in agreement. Even though the talk is given by a geologist (who is a real scientist, BTW) and could be about how they think things such as the striking solitary rock formation called Uluru in Australia was formed, the talk may instead be slanted toward climate change or governmental regulation of geological sites. 

Later this afternoon we'll attend a workshop designed to make me and my iphone's camera better friends. I've had a hate/hate with this device since I bought it. The thing is needy. It constantly demands I re-enter my password, which I can't remember worth shooting. I've had this phone for about five years, and haven't activated Siri yet. Even so, I suspect she's the unseen listener to all my conversations. My phone wants me to provide it more and more information about me, my finances, my health...I feel violated by its constant demands. When did a phone suddenly become so wickedly essential to daily life? 

But I digress. If I can learn to take better pictures with my phone and share them more easily, if I can reach some sort of detente with the thing, the workshop will be time well spent.  

There are lots of different types of entertainment on board the Star all day long. And the evening shows in the Star Theater have been a diverse lot. I was just saying to Kristy and Dave that the special acts brought on board have been "first rate," in my estimation... mostly because we haven't been subjected to that most dreaded of all variety acts--The Ventriloquist. 

I recognize that I'm probably in the minority here. Our friends really enjoy this type of puppetry. I don't exactly have a phobia about them like some folks do about clowns. I've just always found ventriloquists to be semi-creepy. And I've never suffered through a single one who didn't crack at least one nervous-laughter-inducing joke designed to appeal to middle school boys about where the ventriloquist's hand was inserted. Viking is such a classy cruise line, I didn't expect to be offered this type of act. 

But sure enough, tonight we will be entertained by a ventriloquist. 

Dave is still laughing at me...

More soon! 

Day 39 ~ The Chef's Table

February 17, 2022

"I'm so glad you have Ava Randa." ~ Text from my mom after I shared how much we enjoy sitting on our verandah watching the cerulean water and clear skies. Voice to text technology sometimes isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Last night we went to the Chef's Table for supper. This is our third or fourth time at this specialty restaurant, and to be honest, we haven't been terribly impressed. I got choked on hot and sour soup the first time. Kristy had trouble with the granita being far too spicy hot for her the next time, and then we went on Mexican night which wasn't as memorable a meal as you might expect for a fixed menu tasting/wine pairing experience. But last night's La Route des Indes menu was much better!

The meal starts with an "amuse bouche" called Carrot and Cardamon Cream with orange and star anise foam. I was expecting something on the sweet side, but this was more savory than sweet. It was paired with a very, very dry (read: absolutely dusty) Chilean chardonnay.

Our fish course was Spicy Tuna Tataki with Szechuan peppercorns, coriander and sesame oil with pickled vegetables. This course was paired with a very nice light rose wine. The chef recommends only light searing of the tuna which means the interior of the fish is served raw. Since I'm immuno-suppressed because of some of the meds I take for my lung condition, I don't eat uncooked or undercooked fish, pork, or chicken. Beef, however, I always have rare. The difference is...well, I'm not sure there is a good reason except that I like my beef rare well enough to chance it.

A granita is a "palate cleanser" so none of the fishiness of the fish course finds its way to the meat course. Some of these ices have been wickedly spicy. This one featured ginger, tarragon and infused vodka topped with lemon foam. I liked it. (Maybe the vodka had something to do with it!)

These beef tenderloins with warm spices could be cut with a butter knife. The purple smear you see is pureed purple potatoes. Mushrooms and jus round out the artful presentation. It was all so delicious, I narrowly resisted the urge to lick the plate! 

The dessert was an Apple Delice Facon Tarte Tatin with butterscotch calvados sauce. Oh, my! Between the tart apple and sweet creamy butterscotch, the taste was practically orgasmic. In the background, you can see the line-up of the paired wines. I've never been much of a drinker, but I did enjoy trying a few sips of each offering. 

Today is my birthday, so tonight we have reservations at Manfredi's, my favorite specialty restaurant on the Star. So many well-wishes have come my way, both here on the ship and via the internet. I even received a "Happy Birthday" from my church choir! Our internet on the Star is being very spotty right now so I can't download this hilarious vid, but here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcEQ0gBwDMU ! Smiles guaranteed! Thanks so much for all the love!

More soon...

PS. It's early on the 18th now and the internet is slightly less sluggish than a three-toed sloth. So here's the very special Happy Birthday from a group of wonderfully silly people whom I dearly love!

Day 37 & 38 ~ (Maybe. The DH thinks I've lost a day somewhere...)

Feb 15-16, 2022 

"We have no destination menu for this evening because we are nowhere." ~ Azwi, our new head waiter in the Restaurant because Glenn just left us to go home because his 8 month contract was up.

As I type this, we are actually on our second of nine sea days. I'll probably combine a number of them because when you're enveloped by blue skies and bluer waves, the urge to do something dissipates. I can sit mesmerized by the sea and sky for long stretches of time. 

I wanted to share this truly abysmal photo with you. I snapped it as we sailed away from Montevideo, knowing it wouldn't look like anything but wanting to capture the moment. 

What am I looking at, I hear some of you asking.

I won't turn this into another guessing game. The little squiggle of light with a tail is the International Space Station zipping across the sky. (As for the previous mini-trivia question--what does bunkering mean nautically speaking?--it refers to taking on fuel.  Sometimes a captain will top off the tanks to add weight to the vessel, which makes it answer more quickly to the helm and makes it more stable. Captain Olaf made sure we were fully "bunkered" before we rounded the Horn.

This morning before breakfast we had a crew evaluation to turn in. Spoiler alert! They're all fabulous. We've never been so spoiled. 

And that kind of attentive service really starts at the top. Before we made it to breakfast, I accidentally wandered into Johann Van der Merwe's office looking for the right place to make an appointment with the future cruise office. Johann is the Hotel General Manager, which means he is responsible for everything that happens on board that isn't related to navigation and the actual running of the vessel. Stateroom issues, all the restaurants, excursions, entertainment eventually report up to him.

He greeted me by name, though I'm sure we've never officially met. "How do you know who I am?" I asked.

"I know all my guests," he said with a smile. (I wondered if they made up card decks with our masked faces on them for all the crew to study.)

As you can see, Johann's desk is not standard issue. It's toilet tissue. Some of his team had pranked him during the night! I still remember when the DH came to work on the Monday after his birthday and his team had come in over the weekend to fill his office to the ceiling with wadded up computer paper. A boss has to be very well liked for his staff to prank him in either of these ways!

Last night, we were treated to a very funny magician and tonight we have a vocalist who won The Voice competition in the UK. Until then, we intend to fritter this lovely relaxing day away, with oodles of thankfulness. We're so blessed to be here on this beautiful ship, to be together enjoying all these special moments, and to look forward to the adventures yet to come!  

More soon... 

 

Day 36 ~ Farewell to South America

February 14, 2022

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” —Charles M. Schulz

I guess because there's a jewelry shop on board and it's Valentine's Day, someone asked me what my husband was going to give me to celebrate the occasion. 

Are you kidding? He's taking me on a 122 days cruise to exotic, strange and fascinating places. He's good for Valentines, my birthday, Mother's Day, our anniversary, Christmas, Groundhog's Day...Seriously, this boy's ticket is well and truly punched! 

And his photo montage is so complete, he's even done the blog for me today. Here are several snippets of our adventures in Montevideo:

I will only add that after we had a tomahawk steak dinner on the pool deck, we went up to Deck 8 to enjoy the almost full moon. Captain Olaf had announced that the International Space Station was going to pass above the Star around 8:05 and be visible for a few minutes. My eagle-eyed sweetheart spied it, glistening like a jewel, as it made its way across the inky sky almost directly overhead. We watched it until it disappeared in the earth's shadow. 

Oh! And I also forgot to mention that the captain had another stargazing evening a few days ago. At that time, we were able to see the larger of the Magellanic Clouds (a sort of hazy appearing satellite galaxy that dogs the Milky Way. Eventually it will be gobbled up by the Milky Way, according to Dave, but it won't happen in our lifetimes.)

Now we have 9 sea days until we set foot on land again at the Cape Verde islands.

More soon...

 

Day 35 ~ Montevideo, Uruguay or "Where you go on your way to someplace else..."

 February 13, 2022

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Bunker

To bunker is to...wait a minute! Just for grins, I'd like to see what YOU think this term means. Please leave a comment below with your guess. Winner takes the Grand Prize: A Rubber Cookie with Cement Frosting! (Please remember if you're following this blog by email, you cannot leave a comment there. Click on the title and you will be redirected to RoundTheWorldWriter. Thanks for playing!)

Please don't think I'm slamming Montevideo by saying it's "where you go when you're on your way to someplace else." This is what our excursion guide, Adriana, said. What she meant is that it's not the glitzy, touristy destination its larger neighbors, Argentina and Brazil, are. But Uruguay has plenty to offer and they are working on improving their touristic profile. For example, move over New Orleans and Rio, did you know that Uruguay boasts the longest Carnival celebration in the world? Also, there are about 3.3 million people who call Uruguay home. And those 3.3 million have about 9 million dogs! (Come on, dog lovers! What's not to like?) 

The city of Montevideo is pleasantly laid out around planned squares filled with greenery. There are copious parks interspersed among neighborhoods. The downtown, which they call their "central district," reminded me of Seattle because, like that city in the Great Northwest, trees line a number of its streets making it a very livable urban area. The difference is much of Montevideo's architecture dates to the 1930's and features art deco, art nouveau, and neo-classical lines and embellishments. According to Adriana, 16% of the population is considered impoverished, 18% wealthy, with the rest falling into a wide, diverse middle class.

All the homes, whether humble or quite affluent like this one, are hemmed about with gates, bars, electric fencing or razor wire. This is has been the norm throughout Central and South America, ever since we visited Costa Rica. Makes me appreciate the small town where we live and fact that we don't feel the need to erect this kind of defense around our little "castle."

Uruguay's government is a democratic republic, with lawmakers and presidents elected for five year terms. They CANNOT be re-elected, (which makes more and more sense to me!) The current governmental coalition is conservative after a time of democratic socialist rule. As in the States, the political pendulum tends to swing back and forth. For the first time, they are experiencing a problem with more immigration than expected. Their newcomers tend to be from Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. 

The citizens of Uruguay are unabashed carnivores and love beef. They are proud of their gaucho (cowboy) heritage. Asado barbecue is their national culinary favorite. Even though the country is positioned on the largest estuary in the world, as well as the southern Atlantic, fish is not their first choice.  

Our tour ended with a visit to Baar Fun Fun (Pronounced "Bar Foon Foon") for a tango demonstration. Oh, my word! What a smoldering, intense, athletic, sensuous dance! 

The tango troop came on board the Star as destination performers later in the evening. The dance is raw passion under tight control, very exciting to watch. With all the lifts and kicks and flicks, pound for pound, dancers really are the strongest athletes around.

We had originally been scheduled for only one day in Montevideo, with a second stop in Uruguay at Punta del Este, a smaller city farther east on the coast. Unfortunately, it's a tender port, which means we can't dock there, and the wind is expected to make the water too rough for our lifeboats to conduct tender operations. So we have an overnight here, which I'm sure will make all the football fans on board happy because that will increase the chances of good broadcast quality for the Super Bowl tonight!

I'll leave you with a short tango video. Please remember if you don't see the vid on your FollowIt! email, just click the title to be taken to the blog.

More soon!

 

Day 32, 33 & 34 ~ Water, Water Everywhere

February 10, 11, & 12, 2022

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Booby hatch

On board a ship, a booby hatch is a sliding cover a hatch that must be pushed away to allow access or passage. 

The 10th of February is my mother's birthday. She's 85 now and just as beautiful and ornery as ever. But I wasn't able to be with her to celebrate her life. I should have bought a present and left it with the girls, but I didn't think about it ahead of time. Then on board ship, I tried to log on to a women's clothing website I favor so I could order something to be delivered to her, but our connection on the ship is still pretty spotty. (The scuttlebutt is that one of our antennae has broken, to which I say, well, fix it! The Viking crew is constantly cleaning, repairing and tending every aspect of the Star. But perhaps that sort of maneuver is more safely accomplished snugged up to a dock.) Anyway, I feel badly that, other than a few texts, I wasn't able to make a connection with her on her special day. 

Breakfast on the fantail is our guilty pleasure. (Notice the DH still doesn't have the earring in his left lobe his trip around the Horn entitles him to!)

We've had three sea days since leaving the Horn, but don't think for a minute that time hangs heavily on our hands. Everything about seafaring is fascinating to me. Our friend Dave has an app on his phone that tracks all the ships we encounter. He happened to notice a crowd of small vessels that were holding station near our path, so he got up in the middle of the night to see if their running lights would show up against the dark sky. Here's his photo:

We discovered later that they were Chinese fishing boats that, according to our captain, operate outside the international laws governing fishing. They don't limit their catches. They don't avoid endangered species. They take everything caught in the net. I understand they have lots of mouths to feed, but it's not sensible to hunt or fish an area to depletion. China is actually a pretty important influence in South America. It is Chile's major trading partner. And they've made significant investments in Panama. No one seems interested in policing their fishing practices.

Enrico, the pianist who plays with the Viking band, performed an excellent solo program one evening. He's from the Philippines, but his passion and degree is in Western Classical Music. We were treated to Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, all played with equal portions of precision and feeling. So talented and yet so humble and gracious. I was captivated! I told him I hoped they'd feature him again, and he promised he's working on a Chopin recital. I can't wait!

We also enjoyed second performances by Tanya Roberts, whose "Someone to Watch Over Me" was especially touching, and Mark Hussey, a classical guitarist. His flamenco piece entitled "Prayer" was a revelation. He explained that the music is not written down. It is learned by rote and this piece has no particular meter to reign it in. It was a cry of the spirit too deep for words, ethereal and moving, offered up with yearning in the hope that Someone is listening.     

Kristy with Lobster Mac & Cheese!

Of course, there is food everywhere on the Viking Star, and with the added bonus of being able to sit and visit without masks, there is a temptation to linger over our meals. Every other day or so, we lounge in the thermal suite, going from the relaxing thalassotherapy pool, to the invigorating snow grotto to the restful stone lounges, all maskless since the number of people in the spa is strictly regulated and by appointment only.  Still, we mask most of the time, both on board and when on excursions. Even with some European countries and the governors of some States declaring the pandemic over and suspending mask mandates, I suspect we will still be wearing masks and spitting into test tubes each morning right up to the day when we float into Bergen in May. 

I've had ample time to read, finishing three books and just starting on the fourth: Tiamat's Wrath & Leviathan Falls (books 8 & 9 in James S.A. Corey's sci-fi tour de force The Expanse series), The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (as weirdly wonderful as all his stories are!), and The Paradise Wars by Steven Lawhead (clever writing and an interesting quasi-otherworldly set up. Not far enough along to give my full opinion, but I'm hooked.)

Every day aboard the Viking Star is an incredible gift! Tomorrow we dock in Montevideo, Uruguay. 

More soon...