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Victoria, BC
Our cruise was enjoyable, just 4 days of relaxing and of course eating. The ship has a passenger capacity of 1,900 but actual count was about 1,000 so no lines to worry about. There were no big production shows but there were some very good music performances to enjoy. Good weather and calm Seas didn’t hurt either.
We met up with my brother Anton and wife Ita, sister Anne with husband Dick, niece Cat, and nephew Louis in Victoria and had a nice visit. A good time to rehash some old family memories.
Back to cruising
COVID caused us to cancel two booked cruises, but it seemed safe to finally start cruising again. So we booked a simple cruise out of Galveston, along with our friends Naomi and Larry Shirey. Easy drive down, five day’s on board, and an easy drive home.
The ship was the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas, a class of ships we were quite familiar with. The crew appeared very pleased to be back, and we were treated very well. The food was good, although we felt it was a little below what we were used to. But Romola and I each managed to gain 5 lbs, so it wasn’t all bad!
The entertainment was pretty basic, a mediocre comedian, a funny bolero gaucho, and the ship dancers and orchestra. This ship class has an ice rink on board, we rather enjoyed the ice show. We’ve seen them doing their routines in rough seas, and that is quite amazing.
We didn’t get off the ship, electing to go to the hot tub when everyone else was on shore. Good idea, we enjoyed the hot tub when we had it mostly all to ourselves. On sea days, the hot tubs looked like people stew. Wouldn’t want to go in them no matter how much chlorine they added to the water!
San Francisco, CA
Our ship docked at Pier 35, which was terrific. Right on the major bus lines, and a 15 minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf, it was easy to get anywhere in the city. We took a 2 day Hop on Hop off bus which gave us an excellent overview of the city. Although the delays in bus service was very aggravating!
Part of SFO’s reputation is food, and we had some of the best. Far East Cafe for egg foo yong, and Soto Mare for its famous ciopino. Both restaurants lived up to their fame!
I have been in SFO many times on business, and it was great fun to visit the many sights of the city with Romola from a tourist perspective. It is a great city to visit. Some random photos:
Nanaimo, BC
Or first port of call was Nanaimo, a city of some 80,000 on the west coast log Vancouver Island. Originally founded as a coal mining city, there are still miles of inactive underground mine tunnels. Today it is more known as a logging port, and, of course, Nanaimo bars.
Right next to our berth a logging ship was being loaded. Very interesting to watch, the little tugboats reminded us of sheep dogs, gathering up the herd. But it sure looks like dangerous work, running around on those logs!
We had nice stroll around the shore line. It is a pretty city, lots of parks and of course marinas. And the people we met are some of the friendliest anywhere.
We watched the cannon firing, sure reminded me of our days at Fort Vancouver!
We visited the Old Quarter, admired some of the older buildings and of course had a Nanaimo bar at Bocca, winner of the best bar awards. And it was delicious! We also had some excellent fish and chips at Trolleys, right on the dock.
Now on to San Francisco…
They really load the ships up high
Tugboats act like sheep dogs, gathering up the logs
But it’s the guys with hob nail boots that do the dangerous work
A wood Dungeness crab, carved with a chain saw
Spinning alpaca
Gay pride is evident here too
Loading the cannon
A flash in the pan….
The primer goes off….
BOOM!
Bank building
Old Quarter buildings
Old Quarter buildings
Pedestrian shopping
Bocca, winner of ” best Nanaimo bar” award
Cruising to Barcelona
Our cruise left the Houston Cruise Port Terminal on April 16. It was the last cruise from this port, which is going to be converted to a container terminal. Our ship was the Norwegian Cruise Lines “Jade”, which was repositioning to Europe. A seperate blog post details our extensive dining experience.
We made a quick stop in Miami to pick up more passengers. Our first real port of call was St. Thomas, VI where we got off for a walk before 6 days at sea. A ride up the cable car gave some good views of the surroundings, and our ship.
We joined with the cruisecritics.com crew and had a great time. There were over 100 of us, from around the world. We even celebrated joint birthdays with Romola and Jennifer. Special thanks to Viet for including us!
Our next stop was Funchal, Madeira where we had a nice excursion. Our first stop was at the market, with the usual collection of plants, veggies, meat and seafood. Always interesting to see what’s local! Then, a short stop to taste the local Madeira wine. We even took a ride on their famous toboggan!
Then on to Barcelona. I managed to get a picture of the Rock of Gibraltar, even though it was late and I only had my small camera. Then on to Barcelona, where I’m sure new adventures await us.
Serial in St Thomas
Not all people that live here are poor
Or ship on the left
Or new friends Dan and Veronica
Cliffs at Funchal
Fishing village colors
In the fish market
Flower merchant in traditional clothes
In the Madeira winery
Living on the side of a hill
Hang on!
Vietnam and his new wife, who had a birthday
Jennifer's birthday on the same day as romola
Gibraltar at dusk
Laninga's Travel Blog 