Tenerife Day 1

What an excellent day and overnight we had in Tenerife. We are not scheduled to leave until after 4:30 this afternoon, so we will go ashore again and go to McDonald’s to try to Skype family. McDonald’s now offers free wi-fi in most of their restaurants around the world and is a very popular place now with cruise passengers and crew. The way to find the nearest wi-fi spot is to ask a crew member, so at dinner last night, I asked our waiter who told me that he had spent a long time using Skype to talk with his wife and son at McDonald’s.

The ship is docked about 100 yards from a main street making it easy to get on and off as often as we wish to, but yesterday we walked right out to the tour bus waiting for our group from Cruise Critic to board. There were around 20 of us in the group organized by Ken for an 8-hour tour of the island. The bus was large, new and comfortable and we had lots of room, giving everyone a window without a post interfering with the view.

We road through the town of Santa Cruz and began our climb into the mountains. Along the way there were spectacular views of many different kinds of lave, each with an interesting color and shape. The island is volcanic like Hawaii and reminds a little bit of features there. At over 6000 feet, we had a view of Mount Tiede, at an even higher elevation than we were. There was still snow along the side of the road (looked like Syracuse in late March, except that there was very little snow there.)

As the bus made its way around the hairpins and switchbacks on a two-lane road, I was sitting on the side with the drop-off. It looked to me as if the bus was about four inches from the edge, with an occasional 6-inch high flimsy barricade. I looked down to the bottom a couple times and decided that was not a good idea. The driver seemed to have it all under control and I relaxed, comforted by the idea that on the return I would be on the other side. But we didn’t return via the route up. We crossed over the mountain ridge to the other side and I had the drop off most of the time on the way down as well.

We stopped for a break just in time for a very much needed toilet break. There are several restaurants around the National Park so people had Spanish coffee and sweet bread. Tenerife is very connected to Spain and seem to think of themselves as Spaniards and Tenerifenos the way we think of ourselves as Americans and whichever state we are from.

The landscapes are spectacular and I wish I could post lots of photos. After I am home I will put some on Facebook. For now, I will try upload a few at McDonald’s.

From the park we descended to a black volcanic beach at Laguna, a charming area of shops, resorts and restaurants. For lunch I had papas con mojo and gazpacho de Andalusia, not the gazpacho I expected, but that is why we travel – to have new experiences. The potatoes were cooked in salt just like the salt potatoes from Syracuse, the Salt City, but were served with a red sauce and a green sauce rather than butter.

The cultural differences made us about 5 minutes late returning to the bus, and I hate to keep other people waiting. The unanticipated leisurely pace caught us off guard and we were making a made dash to get back to the meeting point after waiting for each course, waiting for the sauces for the potatoes, waiting, waiting, waiting. We made such a mad dash through town that we overheard someone comment, “They must be from the States.”

Yes, we are.

Dakar, Senegal

Our second port in West Africa was different from the first in Banjul, The Gambia, in several ways. First, we chose to take a ship-sponsored tour, which we seldom do, and it turned out to be an excellent idea. Independent tours in smaller groups mean that the guide is able to give us more information and we do not have to wait for so others who are late getting back to the bus. On the other hand, there is a sense of security being on the buses with other passengers. We had been warned about keeping alert, dressing to avoid attention, moving about in groups, and leaving our credit cards on the ship so security was on my mind.

The tour we chose was called Dakar Highlights and included views of the modern city as well as the early twentieth century buildings, the Presidential Palace with its Spahi guards wearing red and blue uniforms, the train station. We saw a demonstration of sand painting, the Medina (Old Town) and, of course, the obligatory market. Everywhere we go we end up where the locals sell their wares to the tourists.

The vendors are trying to eke out a living in very poor economic conditions so it is understandable that they are persistent in their efforts to make a sale. It can be a clash of cultures as we want to be left alone to look and choose what we want to purchase and they want to make every sale they possibly can.  Today, the vendors were among the most aggressive we have encountered. They tried to lure us into their stalls and block the way out, they were annoyingly persistent in following us, and they touched us. One vendor grabbed my shoulder with such a firm grip that my adrenaline shot up and I yelled at him “Don’t touch me!” He was very apologetic and backed off and pointed to where our guide was sitting to reassure me that I was safe and had nothing to worry about. I am sure that I was safe there or I would not have stayed, but overall, I would have bought more if I had been closer to the comfort zone of my own shopping culture. And as I write this, it sounds familiar to me and I think I wrote something similar in a different port on a different trip.

The African Renaissance Monument, a 160-foot tall statue, is the source of controversy for the Senegalese. It is a dramatic, hill-top celebration of the African family. ( I will try to upload photos in the Canary Islands.) It was built at the cost of 85 billion Senegal-CFA francs. Exchange rate today: $1 US is equal to 490 francs. The controversy is about the expenditure of that amount of money in a country with so many people who do not have enough food to eat.

Sea day 2 of 4

This is our second sea day out of the four we will have crossing the Atlantic between Barbados and the Cape Verde Islands, our next port of call. The weather was perfect today with bright sunshine, force 5 winds and small swells so we spent most of the day outdoors.  There are so many places for passengers to be on the Prinsendam that we often feel as if we are the only ones onboard.

Most mornings we have breakfast and lunch on the aft deck outside of the Lido (buffet) under a large canvas canopy providing shade and shelter when there are light rains.  The tables are set for four people, but we usually eat alone.  The setting reminds me a little of being on the back deck on Tahitian Princess (now renamed Ocean Princess) except that was always crowded with people sharing tables out of necessity

We were quite late for breakfast again. For some reason we are not waking up until around 9:30. Since second seating for dinner in the La Fontaine Dining Room is not until 8:00, we still have time for lunch. Can’t miss a meal, you know. At lunch today, we enjoyed the company of Dave and Barb, fellow Cruise Critic members, talking about past cruises and upcoming ports.

In between meals we spent some time forward on Deck 9, standing at the rail watching flying fish jump out of the water and take to the air for many yards before splashing back into a wave. Before and after lunch we spent time sun bathing at the pool reached through the Spa. There were lectures and a movie today but with eating and talking to people and a snooze in the sunshine we didn’t get to do anything indoors.

I enjoy reading about the nautical details of the Prinsendam’s voyage on our Captain Albert Schoonderbeek’s blog.  He writes about the things I know nothing about, such as picking up the pilot, plotting our course by great circle or other route, negotiating the currents and rocks in channels, and other maritime matters.

Martinique

The ship docked right at the town which is always more pleasant than tendering ashore.  From the docking place it was a very long walk along the pier to the street, but the day was perfect for walking that distance and much further. On the way we passed a merry-go-round with primitive, hand-made horses and other animals to ride. Our main purpose today was getting Internet access that didn’t feel like a ticking meter. We found free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s so I was able to upload photos to the blog and catch up on email.

French is the official language and English spoken less than in many tourist areas. I did get to practice a little bit, trying to retrieve French words. I know they are still in there somewhere, but they were not even close to the tip of my tongue. Of course, toilet is sort of a universal word now, so the most essential matters were taken care of without difficulty.

The place most interesting to me was the market. The building it was in was substantial with a roof and may have covered an entire block. It reminded me of the market in Papetee, Tahiti.The colors were amazing and I don’t know if I will use the photo, but one vendor wore an enormous hat decorated with plastic fruits and vegetables. The things for sale were not for tourists. The goods ranged from perfect tomatoes by the grocery cart full to clothing to local whole and ground spices. There were also bottles that appeared to be flavored local alcoholic brews.

This was also our first try at using the self-service laundry on the ship. This afternoon turned out to be a great time to check it out. Nearly all of the washers and dryers were available and much to our surprise everything was free.

St. Patrick’s Day is being celebrated onboard as a major event with decorations everywhere and people wearing green clothes, silly hats, and shamrock eyeglasses. I never seem to have anything green to wear but another passenger gave me a little green shamrock that will have to do.

As the sun set, there was a rainbow, no doubt leading to a pot of gold left by Leprechauns. Tomorrow we will be in Barbados and then we will be several days crossing the Atlantic to West Africa.

St. Bart's

People kept telling us that Holland America’s World Cruises and Grand Voyages are more special than a regular cruise and I am beginning to understand what they mean. We have received a lovely gift each evening: a leather-bound diary, a canvas bag, a canvas bag lined with plastic for beaches. I wonder if we will receive a gift again tonight.

There has also been a lot of champagne flowing. First at the welcome aboard and sail-away, then the Captain’s party, and another cocktail party yesterday. Looks as if this will be the first day without champagne.

Our first port of call, St. Bart’s, is a small wonderful Caribbean island, apparently quite popular with billionaires judging from the yachts in the harbor and Hermes, Prada and other elegant shops lining the streets. It is a good town for walking with Shell Beach being about a mile from the tender pier. The beach consists of small and broken pieces of shell up to the turquoise water. The people were friendly and several teen-aged people greeted us in English as their school let out for mid-day recess.

The Anglican Church is a local landmark on the way to Shell Beach from the tender pier.

The most important thing about today is that I finally got the name of our ship right. We are on the HAL Prinsendam not the Prisendam. As we left the ship on the tender to St. Bart’s I looked at the name on the ship and finally saw that it has two of the letter “n”.

Another French island tomorrow: Guadaloupe.

PS

No photos yet. I keep getting server error messages. Sorry but will keep trying.

Embarkation Day

The ride to the port went so fast we almost drove past the exit from I-95. Then things slowed down. Apparently there were problems on the dock in addition to there being nine ships leaving Port Everglades at about the same time. We stood in a long line to check-in in spite of a very efficient process but everyone was happy and chatting so the time passed quickly. Then on board for our first cruise on Holland America Line’s Prisendam.

The ship is small at about 38,000 tons and there are only just over a thousand people onboard. It annoys me that the count is usually only passengers ignoring the ship’s crew and staff who make the journey possible, safe and pleasant, so that number is the total number of humans. Our cabin seemed small at first but after our cabin steward, Augustus, removed our five empty suitcases, the cabin felt larger. Everything is now put away and the room is beginning to feel like home.

We decided to try late seating for dinner this cruise since the itinerary is so port intensive. That was already a good decision because at the early seating time we were at the Sea View Bar with people from the Cruise Critic roll call and another couple and we didn’t want to leave. The weather was nice, the welcome aboard drinks were free, and I saw the green flash as the sun set.

The ship left a bit late as all of the supplies on the dock were finally aboard. We sailed past the high rises between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean with the Bon Voyage wishes of the people in the houses and condos along the way flashing lights, blowing air horns, and waving.

Now we are ready to check out the Lido for breakfast.

The most important news is that the rumors were true about the change in ports. Calls in Egypt are cancelled and are replaced with an overnight in Ashdod, Israel and a stop at Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Itinerary Changes

Rumor has it that the calls in Egypt have been canceled. I was pretty sure that they would be, but it will be good to hear it for certain. And I was telling everyone that I wanted to go to Dubrovnik and another day in Israel would be nice. That is exactly what the changes are rumored to be. Now I just have to scramble to get information about Dubrovnik and see what can be done about the tour from Ashdod.

Counting down to sailing

The list is slowly getting checked off but the pace of checking off had better accelerate. We now have two days before we leave. We have to pack! Yikes! Do we ever have to pack. I hope that our previous long cruises will really make packing for 62 days easy. Today we tested empty suitcases in the car to make sure that there is room for us, a driver, and 5 suitcases for the 2 of us. They fit but with no room to spare. Fortunately we have only a 45 minute ride to the port since the way the bags fit is with 2 large bags on the back seat between us.

The only decisions I have made so far are about the clothes for formal nights. There will be nine formal nights and I had no trouble choosing which dresses to take with me this time. The ship is usually so cold at night that I end up trying to keep warm by wearing a jacket or a shawl anyway.

While we were in Key Largo with my brother yesterday, I found a pair of water shoes in the Pennekamp State Park store so my shopping is complete. The snorkeling (for my brother) was excellent and J and I enjoyed sitting on the beach, eating at the picnic tables, soaking up the sun.

Today I read the news that Costa Cruises has dropped calls in Tunisia, Israel, and Alexandria, Egypt through the end of the year. There was also violence in Alexandria which resulted in 14 dead and over 100 injured according to one report. Although some cruise lines have canceled calls in Egypt, we still have no word about our calls in Alexandria and Port Said.

Today I stumbled upon something that gave me another reason to look forward to being on the ship. A few years ago, while on a cruise, I watched the performance of Livewire: A Whirlwind of Music and Celtic Spirit. After the performance I wanted one of their CD's but I didn't buy one. So the next day I went to the shop on the ship to see if I could purchase one there. The shop did have them, but when performers leave the ship they take their CD's with them and Livewire was gone as were their CD's. I searched online for them with only the name since that was all I could recall,  but there was a more famous group named Livewire and I was not able to find the group I was searching for.

Since this was our first time sailing on a Holland America Line ship, our travel agent had given us some of the daily publications from his last cruise with HAL. One of the performances was by Livewire and the listing included the Whirlwind description, so, of course, with that additional information I had no trouble locating their website. And this is the surprise part, Livewire will perform on the Prisendam in April while we are onboard. I will be first in line this time to purchase a CD.

 You can check them out. And no comments about my taste in music! I like a wide variety of simple music.

More last minute details tomorrow and packing for sure.