Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Over the last few days we have been at sea.  We were due to anchor at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas on 3rd January but unfortunately the port was cancelled because of strong winds. It is something that the captain doesn't take lightly - putting lives at risk in order not to disappoint vs putting safety first.

Miami is a turn around port today, before heading out for the South American Grand Voyage.  I got off the ship for a few hours and went by bus into town for a wander.  Unfortunately I have never taken a sailor's mission bus so I was particularly nervous as to where to get dropped off, etc; and so was initially very reluctant to go.  Fortunately the chief engineer's wife was also going into town on the bus so I went with her; and on the way back I teamed up with the HR Manageress.  It was easier than I thought.

I spent a few good hours, having a wander around.  But no - I was good.  I didn't spend much - just picked up 2 packets of M&Ms (next best thing to smarties) and 2 packets of crisps.  Er .. and a bikini because my current one is just about to fall apart!

The Prinsendam is fully loaded and we are now setting off on the South American Grand Voyage - an 80 day cruise.

Messina, Sicily. Excursion: Best of Best of Taormina & Mt. Etna for Small Groups.

Yesterday was a sea day so I spent a bit of time working on my blog and later on helped the Shore Excursions Department with collating the new brochure pages, and stapling them.  There was another lady, Hazel, who came to the print room to help and so making up of the brochures went very quickly.  

Late afternoon the Shore Excursions Department asked me, Hazel and Reina (the Environmental Officer's wife) to help clean the plastic number flags used for the tour buses.  Some of the flags were really dirty so it took a bit of elbow grease and a good cleaning liquid to get rid of some of the stains and dirt which had accumulated over quite a long period of time.  The flags looked a lot better afterwards.

It was overcast when we arrived in Messina today.  Rain was on its way and I fervently hoped that it would rain at the end of the day - after the tours.  Ha!  I will come back to that in a bit.

The tour group I was assigned to was soon on its way to Mt Etna's Crateri Silvestri, through Messina, on to a motorway towards Mt Etna, with Ionian Sea on our left.  We could see, from the bus windows, the medieval village of Forza D’Agro where the Godfather was filmed.  

We had a toilet stop of 10 minutes which became 15 because someone went to get something to eat.  Note - it was a toilet stop, not a time to shop.  

We continued on towards Crateri Silvestri, driving along lower slopes of Mt Etna into the Regional Park, passing through Santa Venerina and Zafferana Etnea.

At a viewpoint near Crateri Silvestri our bus driver parked the bus and we had a walk to the inferior crater.  Right at the start of the walk the more active and agile passengers were given the chance to go walk up to the Superior Crateri Silvestri on their own (about a 20 minutes walk uphill and 20 minutes back), or stay with Marina, our guide.  Most people stayed with our guide.

Looking into Crateri Silvestri with Superior Crateri Silvestri in the
distance - the brown mound, top left of the picture.

Marina, talked about the crater and how volcanoes are formed.  Unfortunately I didn't get much of a chance to listen to her talk because a guest decided he needed his walker after all.  The driver had got the walker out but the passenger left it behind, thinking he could manage the walk without it.  A short while later he needed his walker.  I ran to update Marina and then went back to see if the bus driver was on the bus.  He wasn’t.  I went back to the guest and his wife to explain that the driver had locked the bus and gone for refreshments or a break during the hour that the passengers were away.  They were fine with that and decided to sit at the small café near the bus.  They insisted I join the tour group so I did.  After Marina’s talk we had some free time to walk around the crater site and or go to the restaurant or shops.  I enjoyed the views from the edge of the crater.  Looking at the loose gravelly volcanic rock and stones around the crater - I doubt that the couple I had left behind at the café would have managed to walk the short distance up to the lip of the crater let alone walk around it.

Lava fields and bus parking area with the cable station up to the
top of Mr Etna in the distance.

I subsequently discovered that couple, who I had left at the café, had seen the bus driver and asked him to get the walker out.  He did so and the couple were able to take a bit of a walk to other souvenir shops near the inferior Crateri Silvestri.  

There was a cable-car up to the top of Mt Etna but that was not part of our tour and to do it on our own would have taken a minimum of 2 hours to complete.  

On the drive to Taromina Marina talked further about Mt Etna and then played a video about the formation of Mt Etna and its history of eruptions.  It was very interesting and everyone appreciated it.  

By the time we reached Taormina it was starting to rain.  Fortunately the bus was parked in a covered parked in a covered parking lot but on the outskirts of the town.  And so our walking tour began.  I managed to buy a big umbrella but it eventually did little to keep me dry.  Because it was raining Marina gave guests option to explore the town on their own or have a coffee somewhere - but only after she had walked them to the restaurant which would be our meeting point for lunch at 2pm. 

Two guests were very slow and couldn’t keep up.  The hill to the village was steep and the roads were of cobbled stone.  I had to run between them and Marina to let her know that we were getting behind.  It was really difficult for Marina to strike a happy medium between fast and slow guests - and naturally most wanted to stay dry!    When we caught up with the group the guest gave Marina a piece of his mind.  But even after that dressing down, I still felt that she went too fast as we continued the walk towards the restaurant/ meeting point.  The couple decided not to continue with the walk and went into the restaurant to wait.  

The rain became torrential.  Some other guests decided not to continue walking in the rain, others were happy to plod on.  Eventually one guest, who managed to get to the entrance of the ancient theatre (Teatro Antico di Taormina), decided to head back to the restaurant – he was not happy about being wet and not enjoying the tour.  I didn't blame him.  I wanted to find somewhere to dry off but it wouldn't have been a good example for me to leave the rest of the tour group!

Much as we would have liked to have had a proper wander around Teatro Antico di Taormina, it was too wet so Marina gave us verbal overview as we took shelter under a massive archway.  We could see the ancient theatre and take photographs but the rain did not do the pictures any justice of such a grand place.

We headed back out into the rain to the restaurant (Ristorante Granduca) - a good 5 to 10 minutes walk.  By this time there were rivers of water running down the roads and I was up to my ankles in water; my trousers and sandals soaked.  There were two stragglers who couldn't walk fast so I walked with them while Marina headed with the rest of the group to the restaurant, and she walked towards us to make sure we were heading in the right direction.

Time to get dry and warm at last!  Well, not for Marina.  We were met at the restaurant door with a weeping woman.  Her husband, with his walker, had taken off into the rain to wander around town on  his own.  She was beside herself with worry because he hadn't turned up.  Marina went back out into the rain to find him, advising me to stay with the guests.

It took a while before we got started with the meal because in her haste to look for the missing guest, Marina forgot to let the restaurant know to start serving lunch in the meantime.  They started serving lunch when she got back after finding the chap.  The couple, after the husband had rested a bit, eventually joined us in the restaurant.

Another guest was missing.  It turned out that after briefly stopping at the restaurant – he had headed back to the bus, telling his wife that he was too wet to eat and wanted to go back to the bus.  He had been very upset.  The wife remained at the restaurant with us and had lunch.  So Marina called the bus driver and let him know to expect the guest and to make him comfortable.  If the guest needed anything – the bus driver was to help, and make sure the gentleman was ok.   Apparently he did make it to the bus safely.  The wife was relieved that at least her husband was ok.

Despite all that had happened, the meal was very nice.  Most people were upbeat despite being wet - saying the rain couldn’t be helped and that it would be something to write home about and laugh about later on.

After lunch we headed back to the bus, a bit damp and wet.  It was still raining but not as heavy as it had been earlier.  

Overall the tour of the town could have been really nice.  From what I could partly see in the rain, the city was quaint and certainly well worth a visit on a dry day!

As for the rain...  I wonder if the walking part of the tour should have been abandoned or whether there should have been an alternative in place for a rainy day.  But then Sicily doesn't get much rain at all throughout the year and we had come on one of the days that it rained so perhaps there shouldn't be an alternative tour in place.  It is a tricky think - trying to balance things for tour guests and whether a tour should be cancelled outright or not.  I therefore remain neutral.

Our tour group was a mixed bag of happy and not so happy, soaked passengers.  We must have all looked quite a sight rocking up at the gangway still very wet.  There was a mad dash through security as my group headed back to their cabins to have a hot shower or a bath and get dry.  I, likewise, was only too glad to have a hot shower and put on something warm and comfortable.  I hope tomorrow will be a better day.  😊

At around 8:00/8:30pm we passed the volcano of Stromboli.  By then the weather was clear and the rain had stopped.  Just as well because we were able to see Stromboli at night, spewing out lava.   Paul and the captain very kindly allowed me to come onto the bridge and I was able to have a nice clear view of the volcano.  It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkness but then everything became clearer as we got closer to the island, and passing the island to our starboard side.  The volcanic action was beautiful sight to see.  In the end I swapped the camera for Paul's binoculars and it was easier for me to see what was happening.  Paul took over the photography and took some nicer pictures than I did.  An announcement was made that we were passing Stromboli and soon guests came out on deck.  No doubt the announcement interrupted the concert in the showroom but I am not sure whether concert ground to a halt, temporarily, or whether it continued.  The captain decreased the speed of the ship so that all of us could make the most of this wondrous moment.  Everyone went quiet in awe, with a few gasps now and then when lava spewed out into the air.  Now and then there was a thundery sound as the volcano rumbled.  It was .....  wow!!; and a sight I will never forget in a hurry.

PHOTOGRAPHS

En-route to Crateri Silvestri/Mt Etna

New life growing on the lava fields

Crateri Silvestri

Superior Crateri Silvestri in the distance

Taormina

Stromboli at night

Keeping busy.

Snow at last!

Last Saturday it was Paul and his mum's (Betty) birthday.   Family members popped in to see Betty to wish her happy birthday and to wish Paul a happy birthday too. Gwenny (Paul's sister) arrived on Thursday night and we took her to the train station in Breda later that evening.  It was snowing (for a change!) so I drove carefully - fortunately with no mishaps.  It was good to see Gwenny again and also to see other family members too.

The snow was lovely but it didn't last very long.  We keep hoping that the canals will freeze solid enough to skate on them but the freezing weather doesn't last long enough.  Hope springs eternal ! ??

We had hoped to go to England this past week but didn't want to leave Betty because she wasn't particularly well and could hardly walk.  To to be idle, we have been busy sorting and clearing out Betty's garage (still so much to do!).  Paul also managed to fix the broken car spoiler and put it back on the back of the car (it was destroyed in an automatic car wash...).

We also bought a small secondhand
T@B (teardrop shaped) caravan

and brought it to Betty's place and have been getting it ready for our travels - flushing out the water system, filling the water tank, getting some linen out of storage for it; put in the camping cookware, etc.  With a bit of luck we may head over to England on Sunday or Monday for a short break and bring the caravan with us.

Journey to France

Rijsbergen, Netherlands to Braugnac, France - 12 hour journey instead of 8½

On Saturday morning we hit the road, heading to France.  The 8½  hour journey took us 12 hours because we were towing a trailer and also traffic near Antwerp was bad.  We ended up taking an alternative route around Antwerp - distance-wise it was longer but at least we kept moving.  We stopped to stretch our legs a few times along the way and then pressed on.

I almost 'flashed' some cars at the toll gates along the way.  I had to lean quite far out of the window to get a toll ticket or put the credit card in the tollbooth pay machine because Paul couldn't get any closer to the machines because of the width of the trailer.  I forgot I had an elasticated boob tube dress on and as I leaned out of the window - the dress would inch right down!  Fortunately the dress didn't make it all the way down past the looking point, leaving my dignity only just intact.

It was very hot during the day so we were very grateful for the air conditioner in the car.  Every time we opened the doors we felt a heatwave blast through.  As we headed south there were dark rain clouds on the horizon and there was a downpour before we reached Angoulême.  Paul had to drive much more carefully due to the rain and the fact that it was difficult to see the road a few times.  It was interesting to see the dark clouds building up and then suddenly the torrent was on us. Afterwards there was a complete beautiful rainbow. The rain brought some lovely cool air with it and the temperature outside plunged from over 30C down to 17C but it soon climbed again afterwards.

After the rain the clouds lifted

During the drive we saw a spider in the corner of the windscreen on the driver's side.  The tiny thing had spun a web and was waiting for a nice juicy meal.  Unfortunately it was inside the car so there wasn't too much hope.  Fortunately dinner came in the form of a small fly that had flown into the car when we were getting in/out of the car.  Every time the spider felt the fly on the web it would quickly make an appearance but the fly managed to get away a number of times until the spider made some amendments to its web and finally caught its hapless victim.  That was about the only 'entertainment' along the route!

We sunk a few energy drinks during the journey so it had helped to 'perk' us up a bit.

We arrived in Braugnac,Teyjat, around 10:30pm.  Although we were a bit tired it was good to see our friend Jo again.  After a bit of a catch-up and something cool to drink we headed upstairs for a cool shower.  We brought our fan along with us just in case the room was hot due to the day's sweltering heat but we discovered that Jo, bless her, had rustled up 2 fans for us, one on each side of the bed.

Time for a cool shower and then bed.

Raglan to Brynmawr. Bits n bobs day.

Raglan to Brynmawr

We hardly slept at all last night – it was too hot to sleep. I was a bit like 'a bear with a sore head' in the morning – feeling quite grumpy and irritable due to the lack of sleep and feeling so darn hot.

It was an early start to get to Brynmawr because I had an appointment to attend at 8:50. We got to the surgery well in time but we discovered that my appointment was actually at the main surgery, not the branch. We found the main surgery and checked in for my appointment with minutes to spare only we ended up sitting for around 45 minutes to see the nurse. It was later on, after collecting our mail and going through it that I discovered that in actual fact the appointment had initially been correct but that the letter was to say that the appointment had been moved to another time and at a different venue. Oh well.... The nurse was very pleasant and we got through our 'new patient medicals' without too much trouble – normal heart sounds, blood pressure, weight and height measurements (I've lost a few centimetres since I was last measured) as well as dietary and alcohol intake, exercise, etc. Paul had not actually been booked in for a new patient medical but I had to cancel half of a double appointment for a test that I couldn't go through with that morning so instead of wasting an appointment – I asked if Paul could have his new patient medical instead. They were very understanding and fine about it.

We spent the next few hours looking for a fan just in case we would be too hot tonight. Every place we went to – the fans were sold out due to the heatwave.  Paul also looked for t-shirts and swimming trunks. He got the t-shirts but not the swimming trunks – there was nothing nice and virtually no choice. At least he can survive, for now, with the ones he has got until either they disintegrate or he finds something soon. Paul also made enquiries about re-charging the car's air-conditioning unit but all places were booked up – no doubt busy due to the heat wave.

And so we rocked up at a friends' house feeling hot and very tired, and probably looking a bit dishevelled. It was good to see Sue and Ian again as well as their children: Callum and Lindsey; not to mention the 3 cats: Strawberry, Lightning and Tigger; and Kai – the dog. First things first was to down a nice cold drink before doing anything else. It has been a lovely late afternoon/evening spending a bit of time catching up. No doubt there will be more to come.

It's getting very late – time for some zzzzz.....

Rijsbergen, Netherlands to Raglan, Wales

We slept in late this morning – we needed it - and woke up to another bright sunny day along with a heatwave. It wouldn't have been too bad if we were able to stay in front of a fan the whole day but unfortunately we were travelling in our personal sauna. And it was a good drive from Rijsbergen to the chunnel. Paul had booked a train and then later amended the booking so that we could catch a later train. We discovered that we were late for the chunnel check-in and had to wait an hour for the next available train. We spoke to someone at the information desk to see if we could get onto an earlier train as we felt that we had checked in on time. It turns out that Paul's amendment to the booking didn't work and we had still been booked on the earlier train – which we had to miss, and miss the next one that Paul had tried to book us on because it was full, and take the next available train.

We wondered how we would cope sitting in our personal sauna until it was time to drive onto the train but in the end we spent time in a duty-free shop (looking at books which we didn't get) at the chunnel terminal and didn't spend too much time in the hot car. Thank goodness for the airconditioning in the building otherwise we would have been well stewed by the time we left.

When we finally got on the train there was a delay by a good 20 minutes to half an hour due to a technical fault. Later when our tickets were checked, the train conductor went from vehicle to vehicle advising its occupants to complain if they wished – the fact that the air conditioning system was not working on the train and no water was handed out whilst we waited in the stuffy heat until the technical fault was fixed. We also think it was for the personnel's benefit because they have complained many times about the lack of airconditioning on the train and having to work in hot conditions but their head office don't listen to them but it may well be that conditions would improve if customers complained. The woman was pleasant enough and kept apologising but we were fine with the circumstances.

We finally arrived on English soil and headed up the motorway with the windows open, trying our best to keep cool. A couple of times I put my feet briefly out of the window to cool them down because the footwell became too hot.

We headed up to Bristol and ended up looking for a hotel or BnB to stay in overnight – it was getting late. We ended up staying in the The Beaufort Hotel in Raglan, rocking up at reception just as it was closing. Fortunately the bar was still open so Paul had 2 ice cold beers whilst I had something less alcoholic. It was good to cool down.

Unfortunately for us, the room we are staying overnight in is very warm despite having a window wide open. There is simply no breeze to cool the room down and no fans. 😓

I hope we can get some zzzzz!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Navigator's office

During the two days we have been at sea Paul has been just about rushed off his feet with work.  He roped me in to design new folder labels in preparation for a new filing system, and standardising the labels.  Perhaps it may be ‘OCD’ but having the same style labels on files looks much nicer.  Ha!  Paul has just discovered that the colour printer has run out of ink so the labels may be printed in black/white until new ink refills are purchased.  Well, at least it’s better than nothing.

It was good to see land again, a nice bright sunny day compared to cool overcast skies that we have had of late.  Down on the pier there was Mexican music playing and there were a few colourful artisan stalls.

Paul was unable to get off the ship at any time during the day so I ended up taking a walk from the harbour to the shopping mall across the road.  There was quite a few staff from the ship in the mall making use of the free wifi to connect with friends and family.  One of them waived at me and pointed out to a nearby seat so I joined the group, checking my whatapp messages and system updates on my phone.  

After that I had a wander around the mall and then walked to Walmart next door (for those of you in England – a bit like the ASDA ‘superstore’, for those of you in South Africa – a bit like a Pick ‘n Pay hypermarket).  Wow!  The place was HUGE inside however I was not impressed.  The shopping isles made no sense and everything was a bit ‘all over the show’.  In order to find things I had to walk through the entire shop.  In the end I gave up.  Whilst in Walmart I also looked for some underwear.  Sizes in Spanish meant nothing to me.  Everything looked enormous – from huge boulder holders to knickers.  There must be some big Mexican mammas around!!  Eventually I found a label that had both English and Spanish (‘S’ and ‘Chico’) so I ended up homing in on labels with ‘chico’ on it.  With not many of them around I had quite a job searching but eventually managed to get 4 pairs of knickers.

I was quite glad to get out of Walmart and made a hasty retreat to the sanctuary of the ship.  On the way back one of the ship’s crew spotted me and kindly kept me company.  The Pilipino crew are really lovely and friendly; and I’m grateful for their kindness.

A couple (Judy & Fred) whom I’ve kept in touch with, since a previous Maasdam cruise, are sailing with the ship again.  I knew they were coming back but was still delighted to see them again.  

Our route to our next destination - Manzanillo, but by sea though!