SOME BOATS ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS

STOPS IN THE CANARIES:  After our aborted stops because of high winds we had three stops in the Canaries.  As we had been to these lovely island on earlier trips we skipped our booked tours.  However, each day I took a brief walk into town.  In many way SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE

and SAN SEBASTIAN DE LA  GOMERA

are similar towns, with lots tourists wandering around looking in the souvenir shops, and lots of locals drinking coffee or other things at sidewalk cafes.  One of things I liked about each town was that as you left the ship to walk to town there was a blue line on the pavement.  One followed the blue line with its twists and turns until the line ended at the town center.  Santa Cruz de La Palma has the best shopping and most of my shoes come from this town.  However, this time we stopped on Sunday and most of the shops were closed.

LU AND MIKE:  Ours good Antigonish friends Lu and Mike joined the cruise (along with 700 or 800 others) in San Sebastian.  This is their very first cruise and Betty and I are greatly enjoying seeing the ship with its food and entertainment through the eyes of first-time cruisers.   It has been a while since we had that excitement of such a great new adventure.

MORE ON CREDIT CARDS:  In an earlier blog I bemoaned Betty's having been pickpocketed in Barcelona and the fact that we no longer have any working credit cards.  Yesterday we wished to book a future cruise (Feb/27).   Booking on board gives a discount and booking a long while ahead allows us to secure our favorite stateroom.  Of course one must make a deposit, and that is a problem without a valid credit card.  Fortunately, Michael is currently acting as our banker.

THE NEXT FIVE DAYS:    We now have five sea days as we cross the Atlantic to Barbados.  We expect the weather to be warm and sunny, but the only things we expect to see from our balcony are sunrises and sunsets.