Blog # 5 – Crossing the South Atlantic 

LA GOMERA:  On Nov. 27 we docked in San Sebastian de la Gomera.  Whereas Tenerife is very populated (almost a million), La Gomera, the smallest of the inhabited Canary Islands, has only a population of 23,000.  We could not find any tours on-line so we took a ship’s tour (which we usually avoid because of the price).  We spent 4 hours travelling the length and breadth of this beautiful island.  It was interesting in that one side of the island is essentially a desert and the other side has lush forests. 

The bus travelled through the national park, over a huge mountain and when we crested the peak we changed instantly from one eco-system to the other.  As the road through the park was only one lane we alternated between enjoying the dramatic scenery and admiring the skills of the bus driver.  On the other hand, the guy across the aisle from me simply enjoyed a four-hour sleep. 

CAPE VERDE:  On Nov. 29 we docked in Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde.  Until it became an independent country in the 1970’s Cape Verde was a Portuguese Colony. 

We found a private tour company on-line and 10 of us jammed into a rather dilapidated van for a tour of the city and the island.  Sao Vincente has been having a drought for nearly 50 years and the island has almost no vegetation.  Almost all their water comes from a desalination plant.

In the center of the island is a huge mountain and we drove up a narrow cobble stone road to reach the top.  However, by the time we got to the peak we were in the clouds so missed the vistas.  Upon descent we visited a beach and went to see some beautiful dunes which are caused by sands blowing across from the Sahara Desert. 

Cape Verde is supposed to be the second wealthiest country in Africa.  However, I couldn’t figure out what drives the economy.  There is some fishing and some tourism, although only 60 cruise ships stop per year.  I asked our guide about employment and he talked only about service jobs.

CROSSING THE ATLANTIC:  It took 3 days to sail from Cape Verde to Brazil.  The weather was warm so there was lots of time between meals to read and sleep on our veranda.  By the way, here is a trivia question for you.  Why are the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic considered to be separate oceans?  And, a second trivia question?  Who was Malcolm Mcclean?  Hint:  He started something that in the past half century has positively affected almost everyone on the planet. 

RECIFE:  On Tuesday we docked in the Brazilian city of Recife (Portuguese for reef).  I usually do not enjoy shopping,  but this venture was an exception.  We last visited this city 9 years ago and at that time we went to a shopping center that is in an old prison.  For Betty’s birthday I bought her a necklace and earrings (or so she tells me).   

When I asked Betty what we should do in Recife she said she wanted to try and find a matching bracelet for the above items.  After almost 54 years of marriage I have learned not to be too skeptical of such seemingly impossible quests.  Two buses took us to the shopping center.  Despite there being 3 wings to the old prison Betty quickly located the cell housing the small shop.  The same man was there.  He looked at Betty’s necklace and pointed to a matching bracelet.  I couldn’t even bother to barter. 

Blog 4 - FOGGING 

On Saturday, Nov. 23 we docked in Barcelona.  As this was the end of a cruise (Marseilles to Barcelona) and the beginning of a new cruise (Barcelona to Rio) most of the passengers disembarked and new passengers got on.  However, 49 of us were booked for both cruise segments.   

Our plan had been to sleep-in and then meet Josep, Teresa and Pol (our Spanish/Catalonian friends) for lunch.  However, the stop in Barcelona was an opportunity for the ship to do a complete cleaning following the norovirus outbreak.  The 49 continuing passengers were told to leave the ship for the day, but we were offered a free 7-hour tour of the city. 

We had to pack up all our clothes and other belongings, as each room had to be “fogged”, including every drawer, closet, etc. Every brochure or other bit of paper was destroyed.  Cans of soft drinks inside the fridge were removed and discarded.  Cushions from the couch, pads from the deck chairs, and even the hair dryer were all removed and destroyed.  Presumably this was because Betty had been one of the sick passengers. 

We joined the free tour for most of the morning, but left in time to meet up with our friends.  The part of the tour in which we participated was through the old city to the Familia Sagrada, Gaudi’s still uncompleted Basilicata.  Even in late November there were lots of tourists around.  It is interesting that in the only church of this size built in the 20th century religious services are not held.  The reason for this is that they are making so much money selling tour tickets to tourists that they do not want to stop the tours in order to hold mass.  I think Gaudi is rolling over in his grave.   

We met up with our friends for coffee at the new W Hotel on the waterfront and then later had lunch in Barceloneta, an area of the city built in the 18th century by Spanish military engineers after they had defeated the Catalonians and took control of the city. 

The staff on the ship had a very long day doing all the cleaning/disinfecting.  Our room attendants started work at 5:30 a.m. and didn’t finish until 10 p.m. 

SEA DAYS:  We had two sea days on the sail from Barcelona to Tenerife.  There are two “enrichment” lecturers on board so we are learned a lot about Macaronesa, the part of the Atlantic that we will be visiting for several days. 

CANARY ISLANDS:  The Canary Islands are not named for the songbird, but rather for wild dogs (canines) that roamed the islands in past centuries.  These dogs were the most important source of protein for the indigenous people.  Incidentally canary birds are named for the islands, although the native birds are actually goldfinches. 

TENERIFE:  The largest of the Canary islands is Tenerife and the island has been a major producer of wine for centuries.  Shakespeare mentioned Canary wine 46 times in his writings.  In Twelth Night he refers to having “a cup of Canary.” 

The wine on this island is quite different than the wine with which we are familiar.  When the phylloxera epidemic wiped out almost all the grapevines in mainland Europe in the 1860’s the trade winds protected the Canaries.  Thus, the vines on the island are ancient vines and the varietals are traditional.  Listan Blanc and Listan Black are the two most common grapes.  Six of us did a wine tour of Tenerife.  Although we all liked the white wines that we tried, the red wines had a distinct flavour that we enjoyed less.  

We spent 7 hours on our tour of Tenerife (not all of the time drinking wine).  Tenerife is a beautiful island with a population of nearly a mllion.  In addition, there are about 200,000 tourists on the island at any point in time. 

BLOG 3 – Quarantine 

For those of you who are tired of my telling how great everything is on a cruise, let me describe the past few days.  Friday night, Betty woke feeling very sick (vomiting and other expulsions).  She got to the Medical Centre first thing in the morning.  The doctor gave her a shot and ordered us into quarantine.  Later they called with a diagnosis of Difa-Noro-Virus. 

When you are quarantined you are confined to your room and security takes away your key.  Should you be caught sneaking out you will be kicked off the ship.  It gets pretty boring after a while and the meals from room service are definitely not up to the standards of the various dining rooms. When room service arrives at your door the person is dressed like you would expect should there be an outbreak of  Ebola.  A large plastic bag is delivered with the meal and we insert leftovers, dishes etc., all for disposal.  After the room attendants do up the room they must return to their quarters, rid themselves of their clothes and shower. 

During the quarantine we missed a dinner invitation with the Staff Captain, reservations at both Jacques and Toscana, a pre-booked Old versus New World wine tasting, etc.  More importantly we missed our stop in Santorini, as well as a tour we had booked for Piraeus/Athens. On Monday afternoon, with great pleasure, we were allowed to go to reception to pick up our room keys.   Apparently, there are lots of people sick on the ship and the crew are going to great lengths to get and keep everything sanitized. 

Tuesday was a sea day and in the morning we went to a lecture on the Templar Knights and the Knights of Malta.  One of the interesting things in the lecture was the connections of the Templars to Nova Scotia. This talk was in preparation for our stop in Malta tomorrow.  There is very strong evidence that the Templars were in Nova Scotia more than 100 years before Columbus. 

After lunch we attended a lecture by one of the chefs, who at one time was Executive Assistant to Julia Child.  She worked for her up until the time of Julia’s death in 2004 at the age of 91.  The speaker was very interesting and said that the Meryl Streep movie was about 90% accurate. 

MALTA:  On Wednesday morning we sailed into the beautiful fortified city of Valletta.  Betty is still feeling poorly so I let her sleep while I breakfasted and took pictures of the sail in.  We had been in Malta a few years ago and weren’t terribly impressed at that time.  However, this time was different. 

After I brought Betty some extra strong coffee she decided that she would be able to accompany me ashore.  We walked off the ship and got a taxi.  The deal was 55 Euros for 2 hours anywhere.  I told the driver that the 55 Euros was fine but he had to decide where anywhere was. 

The driver first stopped at a take-out and bought us a couple of local pastries to try.  Then he took us to a neat little seaside market where I bought a bottle of real Maltese capers and Betty purchased a tablecloth.  The next time any of you are to dinner on Wedgewood Drive you be served on white linen with representations of the Maltese cross. 

After a drive by the Blue Grotto (boats weren’t running) we stopped at a place to sample cactus fruit (delicious), which we washed down with Maltese coffee (heavily flavored with cloves and other spices).  We then drove by the stunning Dingli Cliffs before driving through the cities of Rabat and Mdina (where the rich live).  All-in-all a great morning. 

We just got back to the ship in time for a late lunch.  Betty is still not drinking but I enjoyed some decent Malbec with my lunch.