Wish we could do this at home!

Love Manhattan’s

I turned to my phone and opened the “Find My” app. I chuckled when I realized it could even “find my husband” I kept an eye on that little dot moving towards mine rather quickly…no need to panic. Tony related how pleased he was to meet up with his friend, thanked him profusely and after some Italian words of wisdom, the two parted ways. Two lessons learned, it pays to be friendly and always, always double check for your own stuff! This is the message the Front Desk gave Tony’s buddy! Obviously “Italy” was the operative word.

Air Canada got us to Fort Lauderdale smoothly, better organization and efficiency than before COVID, smooth as silk. Out the door on arrival, at the Cruise Terminal within 30 minutes of landing! (Side note, in a very crowded airport, EVERYONE was wearing masks). Security, vaccination \240checks, proof of negative tests within 48 hours were essential! We feel good and now at sea, we are on our way! The Enchanted Princess, our guide, arrival in the Azores in about five days, chill time and I am not menu planning nor am I cooking; a break from something I truly love to do!

Yes you will hear from me as much as Internet allows, we have been warned, it may be tricky. I will have to get creative, but everyday provides us with a “story” lots of humour, and along the way we will always learn something new!

The ship is new, at half capacity and making its first voyage across the Atlantic with passengers. Our Itinerary tomorrow…sleep well all. We were up very early, the sliding doors to the balcony are open, a gentle breeze makes the curtains dance, \240zzzzzzzzzz…..

The waves are high, yes there are white caps, but this ship is not rocking and rolling! This is the view from our room this morning.

Quite frequently Cargo ships pass us by heading in both directions loaded to the max riding low in the water.

We spent our first day at sea getting to know our surroundings using an “Medallion” App on our person that opens our doors as we approach, guides us to our destination, allows the bartender and/or waiter to come to our table and say, hello Jane and Antonino! It gets us back to our room and tells us where our travel mates are at all times. Great but so wild in its knowledge of who and where we are, what we eat and what we drink. It reminds us of our scheduled events, tours and greets us each morning with the news of the day, location, weather etc. if you need to know anything, you just ask! I have started to say “good night” as I tuck it into my bedside table drawer at the end of the day!

We have not been on a cruise for many years but have done many. Some of you know we find a little place in villages overseas, this is different but very relaxing. I have not had to navigate once, the Captain is doing very well!

At noon, we had the clocks turned an hour ahead while we were at lunch at a little Italian Bistro, yummy! We look forward to a better dinner tonight in the dining room! Last night, first night, all was brand new for everyone, good but not great!

Agnolotti, stuffed with veal, fresh herbs and lots of cheese. Karen I know you like my foodie pics!

A quiet afternoon then off for cocktails at 6:00 and dinner at 7:40… during cocktails we were entertained by a Steel Pan player who was amazing. We will return tomorrow. Dinner was excellent, everyone is still finding their way as far as service but they are a new young crew who are on their way to Europe for the next six months and are trying very hard to take care of us. I am not complaining, I am enjoying their growth as I watch their Supervisors oversee their actions and start to chirp in their ear, it is tough! I think each night will be better for them and hope they relax.

Sleep well!

What to do in the middle of the afternoon? Wine tasting and canapés- interesting; on my “Medallion” I have been “tagged” as having a shellfish allergy, very true. If something has shellfish on it my plate arrives a little different without drawing attention. Should I order my dinner that unbeknownst to me has shellfish in a sauce, the head waiter will quietly recommend something else.

“one of these things is not like the other, one of these things is not quite the same”

Another great day, just passed by Bermuda north of us, heading east. A bit of Trivia today, to reach the Azores what took Columbus five weeks to do, will take us five days.

Sleep well.

We all enjoy being around water and watching the waves is mesmerizing, I love it.

No land in sight.

Tony is exploring looking for the perfect place to play cards this afternoon. There are many activities on the Ship but the day does start with walks around the outside Promenade for exercise, for Debbie and Mike, Tony as well and I wander around inside not wanting to fall overboard! There is a lot of glass, my legs go week at the sensation of falling, bizarre! (for my fellow French River Rats this used to happen to me on the Chief Commanda).We use the stairs instead of the elevators as much as possible. We are definitely in the age group of the highest number of passengers, followed by older then younger.

It is getting busier where I am sitting so I am moving on. To be continued…

We did play cards this afternoon - Hang Ten - which seemed appropriate with surf bubbling up beyond the railing. If you are a family of game players, it is a lot of fun and very unpredictable!

Dinner service tonight has improved, we have found out that a lot of training is happening on this cruise, everyone has to start somewhere. In Copenhagen we will lose some staff to another ship.

Tony reads his Globe every morning!

By the way it is Thursday April 14th, getting a little cooler, my kind of temperature at 19 degrees. We had a quiet night last night, watched movies and to bed early. Yesterday morning the Cruise Director, a chirpy, happy fellow, greeted us with “Good morning, another sunny day, the Canadians are already around the pool, so let me talk to the rest of you!” There was laughter, he is right, the temperatures are warm for us but the sun is no stranger.

You have a lot of time to think, good thoughts; \240to discuss, listen and value the opinions of others; laugh heartily while reminiscing about individual or shared experiences and to empathize when someone reflects on someone they may be missing. When you are going places but have no place to go, time has little meaning, but time well spent gives you meaning.

I briefly met a young women, Jo, from Texas who has spent the last two years in Belize. She has taken a years leave from the Military and is on route to Turkey via cruise ship. She will decide if she will continue with her career as she said “women were dropped by Trump and his boys, our experiences and battles were lost by his decisions to denounce any of our claims, deemed not worthy and too old to be part of his presidency”, I listened. She will not return to Texas and she is thinking Maine, she needs to be near water. She has a good place to think!

Another lady, Ann Marie is travelling on her own. She is from Arizona where she lives in August and September. She first cruised with her parents on the original Queen Mary. One of her stories - “My sister and I were with our parents in the dining room, the orchestra was playing. The seas were rough and the piano sailed across the room. We laughed and giggled. My mother said to us “if you are going to behave like that, you will never sail with us again!” Ann Marie behaved and continued to sail with her husband and now on her own. She has been sailing since October last year and will get back to Arizona for August. Everyone knows her name and she knows everyone, she said “this is my family now”. By law she has to have a place of residency, stay for two months where her best friend is, her travel agent! “He is planning for next year!” She has decided how best to spend her time!

We are enjoying this moment of time, not forever but for now. A reflective morning. Speaking of time the Ships clock goes ahead another hour at noon, they are taking care of our inner clocks!

It is 17 degrees, we are travelling Northeast. Tomorrow we reach Ponta Delgada in the Azores. We have been there before and loved it and wanted to return. We are back the same time as before so know what to expect. As far as Internet, we have to depend on the “skies” for you to get this, apparently it will be another three days until we arrive in Europe. When it works you will have to scroll down and give it some time. We suspect we will not be the only ship moored at the docks. Many ships are repositioning for the spring/summer seasons. We think it will be Celebrity as they left before us from Lauderdale.

We are ready for on shore tomorrow and over our nightcap we make a plan, then it is good night!

Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel Island is the capital of the Azores archipelago of Portugal. It is known for its century old churches, quaint cobbled streets and squares, a long seaside promenade, and a delicious collection of local bars and restaurants.

As we approached the city at the shore to look up and see the volcanic rock and tea plantations, green as emeralds was stunning. We were impressed by the architecture, commanding with their structures of black basalt stone.

Gardens were in bloom with hibiscus trees, cacti and hydrangea just beginning to green. Pansies were everywhere.

We walked and walked along the narrow cobbled streets of this charming city before stopping for lunch at Casa Nostra a quaint little restaurant with a local daily menu based on the catch of the day, veggies in season and a couple of specialties of the house. We were looking for a place we had enjoyed before but alas, closed until supper and we also could not find it! We were very pleased with what we found.

My “Sopa do Dia” was cauliflower with toasted slivered garlic almonds and truffle oil.

My salad, beetroot with fresh truffle cheese, citrus. Incredible!

Tony had a marinated fish, with pickles and crème fraiche. He loved it.

A beautiful sunny 20 degree day, my feet were tired, my calves sore, my back aching, we covered and climbed a lot of territory! It was great! No dancing tonight….

There are beautiful flower arrangements throughout our surroundings but none are living, a consequence of COVID along with the inability to self serve at a buffet, coffee bar or patisserie.

We celebrated well tonight, martinis, Prosecco, fancy cocktails and birthday cake for a neighbouring diner we have embraced. Quite a character “Bob” turned eighty! His wife is seventy and and a doppelgänger for Lynne Bernie. Everyone has a twin somewhere; we found hers.

We have had fun playing doppelgänger-“people watching” has entertained us and we look forward to catching site of certain ones each night, not only because of outfits, on both men and women, but also hair styles, obvious plastic surgery, and shoes! One gentleman has shoes that match his outfit every day! He feels very dapper! One group, I refer to them as the beauty queens, have had more plastic surgery than they should have trying to make 60 (plus) thirty again. This is also very reflective in their clothing.

We retired a little later than usual but have yet to make midnight! Tony was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Sleep well!

We actually spent most of the afternoon at Bellinis Bar with some of the people we met along the way and at Giggi’s, great pizza! Sharing lots of laughs and stories made the afternoon fly by, and the night come sooner. \240Tony and Mike were a little quieter than usual, last nights formal night was big, the dilemma…”there is no way you could possibly drink the amount of alcohol allowed in the drink package!” Well you can come pretty close apparently!

A freighter heading in the opposite direction looked so small under the clouds tonight as the sun was setting. It was a gorgeous evening, another fun day; \240we look forward to Brest, France tomorrow.

The entryway is a lot smaller than this looks.

Coming in to the dock. You can see a Royal Carribean ship, it is dry docked and being refurbished.

We walked the shoreline and caught a glimpse of the shipyards, and had a better look at this vast natural harbour dotted with coloured navigation buoys. This photo shows one of the dry docks for the naval ships.

The Naval Museum is located in the oldest building in the city, the Château de Brest. There has been a fort here since the Romans in the 3rd century, but later became a seat for the Dukes of Brittany repelling sieges by the British in the 14th and 15th centuries. Well worth the visit we embraced every installation from sets of wooden figureheads from warships, historic model ships, sculptures and paintings that conveyed the development of the port in the 17th and 18th century.

The mess hall boys!

Captains dinner table in separate dining room.

Sleep quarters, bunks were no more than 5 feet in length.

The gardens were full with poppies the size of butter plates, the tulips could fill a tumbler, all healthy and strong with the temperature hovering at 15 today.

We continued our walk in search of a Crêperie, a treat that Brittany is known for, alas we were just about to give up when Mike, out of his good eye, spotted “Crêperie des Cocottes”. We were not disappointed as we tucked into savoury and sweet, best crêpes we have ever had, along with local Rosé and Cider.

The shuttle bus ride home was better than the shuttle bus ride to the downtown when we were crammed in like play dough, spilling out when the lid pops off. We were all masked but locals were not.

Wide open spaces, downtown, this is one of three identical blocks. Above the lower level is housing. It was pretty impressive and very clean.

After gathering for dinner it was an early call. Mike and Debbie have a tour to Normandy, which will be brilliant tomorrow at 7:15. We have been and look forward to hearing all about it. We are going to walk about Cherbourg, where we will arrive tomorrow at 7:00 a.m.

We walked around the city core during the afternoon, another sunshine day. We have been very fortunate with the weather. People were bustling around shopping for those amazing French cheeses

The aromas in this shop were incredible, strong, stinky, earthy and luscious.

This carousel in the town square was quite ornate but strange with its silence while in motion.

An interesting building was the spacious former Art Deco transatlantic terminal, where you were able to input your name and find immigration records. Tony put in Limina and lo and behold up popped his grandfather who arrived in Cherbourg from Naples in 1924, before departing to New York on his own. He made some money working in Pennsylvania then returned to Italy.

Transatlantic Terminal exterior and interior where people and luggage were processed.

Can you imagine the journey that all of these people had?

Tonight we celebrated Mikes birthday in the Crown Diningroom, which is known for its beef and lobster. Mike had enjoyed many rounds of the Happy Birthday song before tonight and smiled through them all! It all started when our regular waiter found out we would not be dining with him on the 20th, so he quickly disappeared and returned with his birthday cake singing away in \240his beautiful voice. The staff are very attentive, and we have our favourites.

Tomorrow we are at sea, we say goodnight to Cherbourg and wave to people on shore who have come out to say goodbye to this new ship.

The day is gorgeous, we perch ourselves at the top front and head away. We had a very full happy and adventurous day!

These colourful houses along the canals are bright and cheerful, as are the boats moored dockside. Copenhagen is known as the “Venice of the North”, founded during the 12th century on a series of islands and islets. We strolled along the old harbour of Nyhavn, saw the fabled statue of Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid, a symbol of the city and continued along the waterfront on a bustling Saturday, passing through the “Sakura Festival” which celebrates the Japanese culture and the apple blossoms.

The Little Mermaid and celebrations at the Sakura Festival under the canopy of blossoms.

Danes drink coffee like there is no tomorrow. Their favourite beverage is never more than a few steps away at cafés or at these little coffee trucks.

The interior is just a huge coffee machine.

Swans were nesting

Flowers were gorgeous, mostly yellow and white in city planters, cyclists were parked for lunch. Everyone cycles and you are warned to be very careful as they travel in their own lanes which are the same width as car lanes, at equal speed.

We stop at a patio for lunch, much to Tonys delight he has herring.

Pickled herring au natural, with mustard curry and the third with a mild Chili sauce, hard boiled egg, capers, onions and micro greens. He loved it and appreciated his cold beer which cost more than his food. I loved my

Organic buffalo mozzarella wth crushed avocado, pumpkins seeds and balsamic syrup. My rosé was not twice the cost of my food.

There are no mountains here, it is flat as far as you can see. This stack is a garbage incinerator. The city has built ski jumps on top of them. Denmark has successfully trained Olympic skiers using these platforms around the city. \240Architecture is very modern, unusual in its shapes but somehow it fits in with the old. Cranes dot the skyline, as far as building goes, there is a lot of construction going on.

Daylight lasts forever, it remains light as we finish our dinner. I captured this next photo while sitting at our table. We were at level 5, even with the sea. There are five decks below us and above, 11 more. They must have felt very small beside us.

A day at sea tomorrow then arrival in Oslo, Norway. Stay happy and keep safe.

And yes I am on board, Tony is not alone!

Debbie and Mike are here and so are Tony and I.

It was a gorgeous morning coming into Oslo, the ships shadow creeping across a landscape that reminded us of home.

The days are getting longer and everyone here is happy to have the sunshine back, daylight has returned after a long winter of darkness. Norwegians have no energy in the winter with only four hours of daylight, they sleep a lot! Suddenly in early spring they perk up and by June they will have 22 hours of daylight, impossible to sleep. This is all words of our tour guide.

We took a tour to Vigeland Park, a sculpture park open 24 hours, covering 80 acres and free to all. It is the life work of Gustav Vigeland, comprising over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron. The result of over 40 years of work, it was installed in 1940 - 1949 and is known as his “Circle of Life”.

From the entry gate sculptures line the path, or bridge, female on left, male on right - portraying opposites of each other.

Mother playing

Father playing

The “Angry Boy”

“The Sad Boy” Filled with emotions on the faces of every sculpture the story continues illustrating life from birth to death, relationships between couples, parents, siblings, extended families, complicated and simple. The running theme - play, lust, energy and vitalism. It was stunning.

Trees of Life - \240(23 groups) a huge fountain of “trees” that are located on a labyrinth that Vigeland constructed indicating life’s complicated or to some simple or easy, path. Expressing man’s relationship to nature they also form the setting for life’s evolving stages from childhood and adolescence through adulthood to old age and death.

It ends with a Monolith measuring 17 metres above ground. Carved out of one stone block, it depicts 121 human figures clinging and floating together. Women and men of different ages, the top crowned with children, it illustrates Vigelands vision of resurrection, longing and strive for spirituality.

This was my favourite stop. We continued to the Olympic Ski Jump, the Marine Museum and along the way saw many great sites, the Palace, the Norway Opera House, Parliament and the Barcode Buildings.

Top of ski jump, then looking down, of course Tony climbed! Skiers spend up to 20 seconds in flight before landing.

The award winning (Architecture) Opera house is very contemporary and has a flat iceberg shape. The Architect’s wanted the building to be used by people inside and out. The roof can be walked on, skied on, cycled on, special events are held inside and out.

Across from the Opera House are the “Barcode Buildings”, nicknamed as such because each of the buildings is the creation of different combinations of European architecture firms; however, together they form an interesting composition with gaps, open staircases, Tetris blocks all a little peculiar in their own way. There was some controversy adding high rise buildings to what is mostly a low rise city, \240however without diminishing any existing green space, and adding 12 metres of more green space between buildings, creating openness and light, installing living roofs, the project went ahead. My photo does not do it justice but it will give you an idea

All of this was done in the morning and in the afternoon we wandered around the waterfront stopping for lunch in an outdoor café, beer, rosé and fish and chips which we shared. Our tour guide suggested it was better than English fish and chips because the fish was caught right here. She was right! It was 10 degrees this morning, by this time the temperature rose to 22, another warm one!

At 6:30 a.m. then at 11:30 p.m.

Good night now!

The houses are mostly bright white or blue like the sky, it is clean.

Art installations vary, this one, paper maché, \240bright and cheerful

as are these rhododendron flowers spilling out of the gardens. I hope mine do well this year.

Tomorrow is a day at sea when we will be on route to Hamburg, Germany. After dinner we attended a live comedy show that thoroughly entertained us through humour and song. We will be looking for him again tomorrow night. Off we go!

We are on our way to Hamburg, Germany but today we chill. Reading, reorganizing and remembering. We are thankful that we are able to go on this trip, we are thankful for our perfect weather, we are thankful to be safe and healthy, we are thankful for those that are working very hard to take care of us. Not everyone on this trip is! It is so upsetting and disturbing to hear complaints about nothing, about other people, the required mask wearing; for some people just being miserable is their goal. I do not get it! Just venting but proud to be Canadian. There are two nationalities on this ship who are embarrassing. One thinks the world owes them everything and the other completely does not care about anyone other than themselves. Both are bossy and condescending. Just a side vent here!

Tonight is a “formal” night and we take the opportunity to have a quieter meal at an Italian restaurant. Sabbatini’s was fun, absolutely delicious, and maybe a bit more than we could handle. Five courses, homemade bread, fresh pastas, delectable entrées, gorgeous desserts. All plates were finished, maybe not by the person who ordered it, but nothing wasted! My favourite was the soup course which I did not take a photo of, Parmesan Cheese Fonduta with shaved roasted hazelnuts and wild mushrooms. Here are a few photos.

Lamb tenderloin

Wild mushroom risotto

Tortelloni, with rapinni

Spaghetti and sausage

Eggplant parmigiana

Chicken scallopini

Veal marsalla

And then there was dessert

Blueberry panacotta

The Chef’s Delight - right to left, Chocolate Rocher, Tirramisu, Zabaglione, and Panacotta. I am silent and can hardly wait to lie down. No food tomorrow…..touring Hamburg.

Quite the pulpit hovering over the pews….

There are four organ balconies encircling the third tier, all elegant and unique in their design.

Just down from the Church is the “Widow Alley”, homes or apartments built for widows who could not inherit or continue to live in their place of business that was run by their husbands.

We continue through the Red Light district, prostitution is legal here; we see where the Beatles played as a teenage band before the city turned them into what we know them as today, a cool and edgy looking place. We proceed through the Wharehouse district, all modern buildings but built in the old historical style. Hamburg doesn’t have a midieval town or castle, it is modern, maritime and industrial. This photo is just one of several blocks of the Wharehouse district.

This is the Elbphilarmonie, a concert hall, designed to resemble an ocean liner docked in the harbour, topped with a wave, or quart crystal

This is the “Dancing Towers”,

The canals are peaceful, the homes are stunning and little coffee shops dot the shore of the lake.

Loved this house facing the water

We stopped for a snack here and watched activity on the lake, and swans - Hamburgs’ “bird”. There are currently 150 of them who have their own caregiver year round. A position that first began in the 1500’s. In keeping with the bird theme we were told that Queen Elizabeth on one of her visits, brought as a gift, \240a pair of Canada Geese to Hamburg…..oh dear!???

You can see St. Michaels church tower in the background.

It was busy, the city is packed with construction and it does take forever to maneuver around. We are late returning to the harbour along with many others. Yes it was pretty, but we were not that impressed, it was too busy with the construction going on at every turn. We were told this is constant. The only old is the rubble under the streets, rubble from World War Two. A somber thought.

Night fell, the ships are being loaded, 24 hours a day. Up to 90,000 transactions or maneuvers take place on a daily busy from custom clearance, unloading, stacking in order, pick up etc. etc. etc.

Before this particular cargo ship leaves it will have over 4500 containers holding various goods from spices, footwear, to furniture, small machinery, anything that can fit in its twenty feet. \240Nine million of these ships go through this port annually-the numbers are incredible but this is a city in itself, employing over 150,000 people. They have got to get more entrances to get get in and out, currently there are two, but they are working on it…….

A half hour from another huge port Zeebrugge, we visit Bruges, Belgium a gorgeous town. Midieval streets radiate out from attractive squares, the sound of horses clop along the very uneven cobblestone. We started out on our own for the next five hours, at Minnewater Lake (Lake of Love), a wide spot before the canals wind through the city. Weeping willows, lilacs, large beds of tulips, swans, it is a beautiful park setting.

We walked on to the Beguinage, a place of silence \240where in 1245 lay women who dedicated their life to God, without removing themselves from the world, formed communed buildings built around green space where they could meet their spiritual and material needs. This is only one of the all 19 white buildings (17th century) inhabited now by the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict. This has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A canal boat tour was a must to see all the different Midieval and Renaissance buildings and hidden alleys that take on a different look from the water.

The Town Hall, 1376

Church of the Holy Blood (12th century)

This is a very Romanesque and Gothic Chapel, with all due respect, looked like Madame Toussoults Wax Museum in Niagara Falls, that we walked and walked looking for, so that Tony could see in the Chapel an unusual relic that’s revered as the blood of Jesus Christ. We have done this before in other cities, we have seen where the Blessed Virgin Mary died in many cities, if only we knew who told the first stories, before they became embellished by the following ones. Tony was pleased and I respect that. I will always come along.

You are told don’t miss the beer, frites, waffles or chocolate. We found a quiet place to have beer, wine, tapas, the waffles would come later.

We went inside and the dining room was very bizarre and eclectic. Who thought the two would offer comfort?

Tony loved the Belgium Beer, an amber….I loved the rosé (French - Terres Fermes).

You will now see why we could not eat dinner - this is Tapas, shared meals. This was not for two, but four: “Crispy Pork Belly with Hoisin, Onion, spicy Sesame”

Followed by enough Serrano Ham for a party of six,

And a “red”, what another Rosé…

Crispy Spiced Pork Ribs for a party of 10,

and enough Frites for the entire 22 people on our bus this morning,

Served in a large wooden salad bowl, with a very large ladle like spoon, tossed with salt and served with mayo, crispy, crispy yumminess, as good as Larry’s in Sturgeon? Never…..but for Europe…omg! We did not eat them all….

We know we are not having dinner this evening. Interesting fact, each beer type in Belgium has its own glass. One beer, we are told (could not understand the name our guide spoke) is served in glass with a wooden exterior. If you order it, you give the waiter one of your shoes to prevent theft, on departure and return you get your shoe back. Espresso and chocolate, I don’t drink coffee, we had fun before heading out again.

The candle was out by the time we left. We were off to search for chocolate and lace, we loved this old, full of history European city. Bombed many times in WWII, it is fortunate that this was not all destroyed.

By the way, we had lots of time, just before we had to meet we had a waffle, strawberries and cream, that we shared and each a glass of Rosé that we did not! This is where we found a quaint perfect terrace! A great day.

Until tomorrow….

We took the Tender in to town around 11:30, half hour later we were walking around a fun, sea side beach town, that must explode in population in summer.

Many little shops,

Lunch places,

Pubs, first time wearing our jackets

And beer and kids and dogs, every pub etc. had a sign, kids and dogs welcome! This pup had a good seat in the house. Water supplied…..

It was a good day, they all are. We had our last day at sea yesterday and are winding down. Today it was sunny, misty and calm. Rain spit around but was not problematic. We were welcomed by locals and spoiled by locals. Many familiar faces were at the fish and chip shop

The Brits love their peas and a good Ploughman’s lunch

The cheddar cheese was to die for! We were not sure why tortilla chips were on the plate….

Built on a magnificent natural harbour - 18th/19th century, Falmouth is a popular sea side resort escape, and international sailing centre.

It was fun, but back to the ship, our luggage tags have been delivered, reality begins to set in, tomorrow night suitcases out!

Stonehenge, a Heritage Site, is one of the best known ancient wonders of the world. At 5000 years old, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of this prehistoric monument that took Neolithic builders an estimated 1500 years to erect. It is now agreed that Stonehenge was once a burial ground. They have yet to determine other purposes and how a civilization without modern technology or the invention of the wheel managed to move roughly 100 massive upright stones into its’ \240circular layout. The sandstone slabs in the outer ring came from local quarries but the inner bluestones came from 200 miles away - the Preseli Hills in Wales.

It was a Spiritual place, listening to stories of healing and the belief that bluestone had curative power eminating from the heat of the stone, it drew you in somehow.

The following two photos I took from the Visitors Centre. I was drawn to the winter scene

And of course the sun

This is one of the typical houses of the “builders” of Stonehenge, ten buildings were excavated (2500 B.C.) and from the remains of animal bones, pottery found near the houses, it appears that people were gathering to celebrate, feast, conduct rituals and perhaps live while they built. What were they living in before…after, a great deal changes over 1500 years!

I had to duck going in!

We had two hours at Stonehenge, then we were off to Salisbury, about ten miles away. We were to see the famous cathedral that is known for holding one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta. Written in 1215 it has helped shape the constitutions of many countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It has gone beyond the concerns of midieval England and taken on a universal symbolism as an ancient charter of liberties and a cornerstone of democracy. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights was inspired by the Magna Carta. Photos were not allowed, located in a special “tent” we were disappointed we could not read one word, the beautiful handwritten script was so small, the letters blurred together-Damn, no one had a magnifying glass. This should be installed, I must tell them.

Yes, Salisbury Cathedral is stunning

But I was more impressed by the flowers of May that filled the church at every turn

The “May Pole”

And the houses that surrounded the Cathedral, some recognizable from Pride and Predjudice, the Crown and Downton Abbey

Not very busy here but busier at the church. School trips are taking place, the uniforms on the kids are very proper…boys and girls both wear ties.

It was a big day. The bus was quiet. We all realize we have to pack tonight and have our bags outside the door before heading to dinner.

We did it!

We celebrated our journey over cocktails and dinner, and after dinner we hung on to the last notes of familiar music eminating from various parts of the ship! We will arrive in Southampton around 6:00 a.m.

We said goodbye to those who took great care of us. \240There were favourites not only because of their jobs but because of their personalities. We watched over 25 days newbies blossom and become more comfortable with their work and with us. Their teachers, quietly and patiently showing them the ropes, took pride in all of the accomplishments and in the positive relationships that developed while still excelling with their own responsibilities and understanding of us all. We were appreciative and thankful but we saw some people that were not, I can’t understand that behaviour.

We have met some wonderful people, shared stories happy and sad, we have laughed and cried, laughed till we cried, we have sung and yes danced, we were comfortable in silence. We know our paths will cross again, we will keep in touch.

It is time for us to head to the airport. Until tomorrow…

We were up and ready to go! Like animals heading back to the barn, we just want to get there! Everywhere we go I seem to find sheep, I love them, hence the photo today…seems fitting somehow as we proceeded through our duties.

All of our forms were filled out last night; “ArriveCAN”, on line check in with Air Canada, COVID declarations, (tests were not necessary) - all to make operations run smoothly. All required in duplicate! Tip #1 - do it! Yep do it, the number of times requested, I think it was a Memory Test.

Princess had us organized. Off the ship without a hitch, into the baggage pick up, where everything was in its proper section, out the door to waiting busses, our bus information in hand. “Heathrow Airport - Terminal Two” RED, not a problem. We found it and got in line. Simple, right?

As soon as some people got out of Princesses’ care, they LOST it. “Where are my bags?, what bus do I take?, where is my bus to Heathrow? “I want my bags on this bus”, “It is not your bus Mam” “How do YOU know?” “The ticket in your hand says, Green, Terminal Three”, “oh”…walking away in a huff, in the opposite direction from where the, as of now, cuz it’s early, happy driver was pointing. Yes, she forgot to listen to numerous instructions from the ship in the waiting area, read all of the printed information the night before and visually, well hard to see with your head…down. Tip #2 - read, listen, stop, look before you lose your…mind. It works.

We are off early in the morning, new passengers will be filling up this ship at 12:30. We will be spending time at the Airport, we know this. We have a plan. I heard: Female -“why isn’t this bus leaving, it’s full already?” Male - “I think you want your bags to go with you” Female - “WHAT, my bags aren’t on”, Male- “I don’t know, there’s other people, listen, you can hear them loading the bus” Female - “I can’t hear anything”. Silence….Tip #3, appreciate silence.

Tip #4 - the bus will NOT leave without you. You will not be standing all alone when everyone else is gone. There are so many ground crew. If you are standing there all alone you will be surrounded like a dropped French fry when all of the harbour seagulls in South Hampton descend. “I can’t miss my plane, how far to Heathrow?” Bus driver - “Ladies and Gentlemen, if you are on this bus you are going to Terminal Two, Air Canada, Flight #….you will arrive at 10:30, after I and only I remove your baggage you will spend quality time with the authorities and still have time to shop, eat, drink, and spend your last bit of coin before your departure at 4:30, enjoy your last day in England my name is…..” I love the accent!

The “authorities”… the first is the dreaded boarding pass machine. Out come the Passports…you scan and voila all your information appears on the screen. After completing another COVID declaration and indicating the number of bags you want to check in, you receive the boarding pass and baggage tags. Passports away and hands free you drop off your bags. “Passport please” said this lovely lady, another “authority”, \240remember it is still the happy time of the day, out comes your passport after a juggle here and there. Okay bags on conveyor belt, gone, passports away. Have the Boarding passes in hand you head in the right direction towards security pre check……we are doing well. This cute little girl, looks like 16, with false eyelashes on as thick as a hedgehogs back says “good morning, passports please” out come the passports, I remember where I put them this time. Then she said “ArriveCAN?”… my mind went blank, I filled it out, where is my phone that I knew I could not use until I got home? Juggled around in my plump backpack and in the last pocket in the bottom, success! I have no internet, I can’t show her….she suggests I log on to the free Heathrow internet, I pass the phone to Tony as she hands me back the passports, I put them away. Okay, ArriveCAN receipt where are you, not it in my mailbox, “Lashes” suggests I search, I do…..I do….I do…..I hand her my phone, she searches, Voila! She suggests I take a photo in case I need it again, I ask her to do it, my hands are full pushing everything back down in my backpack that seems to have expanded to fat status. After another COVID declaration she hands it back to me I thank her profusely, she bats her heavy eyes at Tony. Tip #5, just hand your phone over with your password and tell anyone looking for ArriveCAN to go for it! Your receipt will not be in your Inbox, it is in junk mail.

Off to the next step, “Passport please?” Where did I….geez…..you know the drill. I glide through, Tony got searched, he has a water bottle. Tip #6 - Velcro your passport to the back of your hand to allow movement of your fingers.

We are through! We enjoyed our time in the airport, had lunch, a cheer and bought a magazine to use up that last bit of currency.

Boarding begins…..”passport please”, “here you go”, can’t fool me six times!

We are in the air!

We made it, we squished everyone and everything in! The flight was uneventful and we landed an hour early. I even fell asleep, something I have never done on a plane. Yes the passports came out again as we traversed through Duty and COVID Declarations, but it truly took no time at all. All of our bags made it, the Provan’s winning the prize for the most. Mike also won a prize for dancing while on the ship, a contest he did not know he had entered.

We made arrangements to stay in Toronto overnight. Even though we were anxious to see family, our internal clocks were running at 1:30 a.m. and we did not think it would be a good idea to drive.

Rehashing everything on the way home we all were thankful to get away, truly relax and enjoy what the cruise had to offer. We all needed to break away a bit, have time on our own, individually. Isolation affects everyone differently, our experiences during these times are our own. We were very fortunate to be able to travel, feel safe in a comfortable and clean environment, when others are not. We could not believe the weather, perfect spring days all except for one which was overcast with a sprinkle of mist while we were at lunch. No complaints. Not having Internet on a regular basis was a bonus, if we didn’t have it in the morning it was not going to be there all day. It has seriously changed the way we will do things.

Sea days were my favourite, on the water watching the waves, the sunsets, sitting in a quiet spot reading, writing, lost in thought or just people watching. No schedules. It was marvellous. Touring and visiting cities are a bonus, places I would never see, but when we can avoid an “organized” tour and venture out on our own while we can, that is our preference.

Twenty-four days on the ship was a perfect length of time. \240Tony always thought he would like to do a world cruise, see everything, he was ready at 24 days too! Our bodies need to break from fancy dinners and cocktail parties everyday; time to work off those extra pounds! We all commented on how fast the time went, it flew by. Near the end of the third week, more conversations about our children and grandchildren were happening, sharing their photos, we were missing them. It was time to get back to our happy reality and to our homes.

This was the first time we have come back to green grass and open water, a gorgeous welcoming site. Even better was the huge hugs and smiles from our daughters who brought us lunch and caught us up on North Bay activities - to see our neighbours who we have not seen since November, more hugs and a glass of wine, was a bonus.

Yep, we are back, glad to be and looking forward to normal. Thanks for coming along, I will be in touch.

Janie