At Sea—in more ways than one

After a couple of days at sea, I have gotten my bearings in terms of where most things are on the ship.  BUT, the next thing is to remember what time it is.  You see each night, so far, we have moved our clocks forward one hour since we keep sailing into new time zones.  Also, you tend to lose track of what day it is.  The cruise lines know this, so they help you remember by replacing the rugs in the elevators everyday as a gentle reminder.



(It really is Sunday today…I just took that photo Friday.  I think).

Being at sea is really relaxing, yet there is a variety of things to do.  Many are organized by the ship’s staff like:  cooking classes, dance lessons, book clubs, fitness classes, and lectures, to name a few.  Something is planned for every hour from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (which is why knowing what time it is is important).

Yesterday and today I have gone to hear   talks by our on-board travel guide, Wallis, about the different places we will  be visiting.
She has an interesting background--a Ph.D. in seismology and has lived in Mexico, Central and South America for many years.

 

Her lecture this afternoon was about Mexican fiestas. One of the things she told us was that tonight is La Noches de lost Rabanos (Night of the Radishes).  Interesting story…look it up for fun.

 

Many people don’t go to these organized events, but spend time playing games like dominos, mahjong, and scrabble: 
 

 

 

Or more active games like ping pong or chipping golf balls into a target in the pool.

Or, they lay around reading, sleeping, sunning.

 

While all of this was going on, we were sailing along the Baja California coast.



We passed by Cabo San Lucas and are now in the Sea of Cortez.



Thus far, we have sailed 700 nautical miles.  When we arrive at our first port tomorrow morning, we will have travelled a little over a 1,000 nautical miles.

Setting Sail on the Statendam

The good beginnings continued today.  After a wonderful complimentary breakfast at the hotel, the same shuttle driver took me to the Cruise terminal to go through the check-in/boarding procedures.  Since we arrived around 11:15 that process went quickly and within 45 minutes  I was on board and in my stateroom.

After getting settled in, I took off to explore the ship and have lunch (of course).  Others were doing the same thing…trying to figure out what was …where…which is starboard and port in order to find the “front” of the ship and the “back” so we could find the various bars, shops, offices, theaters,  and, most importantly to me, the library/ computer center known on Holland American ships as the Explorations Café. As on all HAL ships, the Explorations Café is most impressive.  This one is beautiful and stretches across three spacious “rooms”.

 

As you can see, there are comfortable chairs, nice computer tables, and lots of books.  I think this collection has about 4,000 titles. There are tables set-up for jig saw puzzles.
 

 

I had a nice chat with Ian, the librarian, who showed me around and answered my questions.  He is a Ph.D. candidate from Toronto, and he was excited that I photographed him and was going to mention him here.

 

He introduced me to Stefan who is the computer go-to person.  

 

Of course I didn’t tell Ian that I was really more interested in the tech offerings so I can get online to get my blog going.

I continued my exploration of the ship before getting ready for the mandatory emergency drill.

As we finally set sail, it was dark even though it was only 5 p.m.  Here’s my departing  view of San Diego with the Star of India ship’s illuminated mast.  (This is the same ship seen from my hotel room that I  showed you in the previous post.)

 

Off to a great start

After only three hours of sleep, I left for the Orlando airport at 4:30 a.m.  Despite the early hour, there were a lot of other people getting an early start on their trip, too, but not the hoards who will probably be there tomorrow and the next few days.

My flight to San Diego was fantastic!  I haven’t said that about flying in many years.  Usually, flying has become synonymous with torture to me. But not today.  I had paid a few more dollars to have a seat with a little more leg room…but what I got was a whole row by myself!  This happened on both legs of the flight.  Next, the weather was beautiful, so the flight was smooth and seemed to go much quicker than the seven hours it took to get here.

 

I am staying at the Best Western Bay Side which is just a few blocks from the cruise terminal where I will board my ship tomorrow.  I have a fantastic view of the bay from my room, looking straight down Ash Street to the tall ships docked at the foot of the street.

The hotel’s shuttle came to pick me up at the airport, and on my way to the hotel, the driver gave me some suggestions for a good place to eat that is nearby. 

The hotel is on the edge of San Diego’s Little Italy, and he said that Filippi’s was where the locals go.  So I went.  What an interesting place! A combo of deli and restaurant.  You wander through a narrow passage among all kinds of groceries and cheeses and cold cuts to the back where several small dining rooms branch off.

I sat in one little one where an Italian family of three or four generations were enjoying a huge meal while talking to each other in Italian.  The  food was good, the atmosphere authentic.

It’s only 8 p.m. PST, but 11 MY time.  I’m writing this in bed. Tomorrow the cruise begins!

Next Trip Booked!

I am so excited because I have booked my next trip.  I am going to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays cruising through the Panama Canal.

I fly to San Diego on December 20th and set sail the next day. I will return to Florida on January 4, 2013.   Here's my itinerary:

                                               

 

Watch this space!



Testing Windows Live Writer

I have been helping friends set up their blogs lately and have learned a number of new techniques.  One was how to add a gadget in the side-bar which would list  links to other websites.  The other was to use Windows Live Writer.

Live Writer is a great little program which allows you to create a post off-line and then publish it when you have an Internet connection available.  Since I have been writing most of my blogs while on cruises, I spend a lot of money for time on the ship’s internet system.  Now, with this program, I can create the blog post, add photos, and have all formatted before I go online to upload it.  Saves  time and money.  This is the first time I have tried it.
 
Now I am going to add a photo to see how this step works. 

Voila! A Piece of cake. This is what I looked like in 1965 with my two boys. Glamorous, huh?

Last Day of Trip

I am packed and getting last minute things done to disembark tomorrow morning.  It has been a long, interesting trip.  I flew approximately 5,000 miles to begin this journey.  Travelled 2,000 miles in a bus around Scandinavia.  Sailed 5,522 nautical miles across the ocean. 

I have seen many beautiful sights…and sites…and have gained some insight into myself.  Long sea voyages provide time for introspection.  I return renewed. 

On The High Seas

As I write this, we are sailing across the Sargasso Sea, and at three a.m. we will enter the mysterious Bermuda Triangle.

What does one do for 16 days while sailing across the various oceans and seas?  If you are on a cruise ship:

You eat, sleep, swim, sunbathe

 Eat,  dance, gamble,

 Eat, talk, walk around the promenade deck, shop,

 Eat, go to shows, go to auctions

Eat, talk, play basketball, play cards

Eat, compete in games shows, browse the library for books,

Eat, learn how to dance, watch cooking demonstrations, watch towel art demonstrations

Eat, watch movies, listen to lectures,  look at photographs taken at ports or in restaurants,

There are multiple things to do every day, every hour, 24 hours a day.  I am always puzzled when I hear someone say that they didn’t think they could be on a boat that long because there’s nothing to do…

Well, I’m going to have lunch now on the aft deck before I go to the next lecture on art.