BLOG # 5:   FROM SPAIN TO PORTUGAL

On Sunday we docked at Vilagarcia.  We took a small rubber-tire train into the town center.  The town looked quite nice but everything was closed on Sunday, so he had a coffee and returned to the ship.

When going to the Grand Dining Room for dinner we are first asked if we would like a romantic table or a sharing table.  Being old fashioned I think romance is best kept in private after dinner.  Twice we shared a table with a quite elderly couple from Bavaria.  He is in a wheelchair and she walks with two arm crutches.  He told us that he had spent the previous four days getting needles from the ship’s doctor for bronchitis.  Despite all of these problems they ordered four-course meals and then drank us under the table both nights.

On Monday (October 10) we docked in Oporto, Portugal. 

 

We had spent 9 nights in Oporto in April, but all of that time was spent in covid quarantine.  Oporto is the 2^nd city of Portugal, after Lisbon, but the two cities are quite different.  Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 and thus all of the architecture is basically from the 1800’s.  Oporto has buildings dating back to the 1200’s.  Despite it being the first rainy day in Oporto in 8 months we enjoyed a tour of the city.  Where else would you find an operatic soprano busker?

VEGAN ALERT:  Perhaps skip this next section.

One of the featured menu items in Polo Grill is the prime rib roast beef.  It is only served medium rare and comes in a boneless King cut (32 oz) or Queen cut (16 oz).  Either is too much beef for octogenarians, but we learned on an earlier cruise that one can ask for a Princess cut (1/4 the king cut).  The picture is Ron beginning to eat his Princess cut. 

 

The wine is a fine Bordeaux that the Sommelier insisted on substituting for my last bottle of pre-ordered discount wine.  Clearly, he knows more about wine that I do.

Tuesday the ship docked in Lisbon.  This was the end of our 14-day cruise and the beginning of our 7-day cruise.  Because we are doing “back-to-back” we were invited to a special lunch.  In the afternoon I walked and shopped on interesting streets.  Unfortunately, the cobblestones are much too rough for Betty’s cane-supported knees and she lounged on our deck.

One should never leave Portugal without eating sardines at least once.  Unfortunately, none of the ship’s menus include sardines.  My last chance, therefore, came on Wednesday when we anchored off Portimao, our last stop in Portugal.   Getting ashore was a bit of challenge as a medical emergency (the fourth this cruise) tied up the tender boat for a period of time.  By the time I ended my long, hot walk into the town’s center it was lunchtime.  I sat at the first checkered tablecloth that I happened upon.  To my surprise sardines were not listed on the menu.  As I was about to leave I asked the waiter: “Do you have sardines?”.  He looked at me like I must be an idiot for asking such a stupid question.  Finally, his reply was “What would you like with your sardines?"

Here is the before and after:

 

BLOG # 4:  FROM FRANCE TO SPAIN

On Wednesday morning we sailed up the Gironde River to Bordeaux.  Large cruise vessels must dock a 2-hour drive from Bordeaux, medium vessels 30-minutes away, but small vessels can dock right in the center of the city.  With only 1150 passengers and 800 crew, and being just under 800 ft long, the Marina meets the small ship criterion.

The weather was sunny and warm.  However, Betty’s leg was bothering her (too much recent walking) so she stayed on the ship (mostly on the balcony)

and I walked into the city to do some shopping on Rue Ste. Catherine, which claims to be the longest pedestrian street in Europe.

In the evening I unfortunately slept through part of a very nice classical concert by a Ukrainian pianist.  As it turned out I needed the sleep as the next morning Betty sent me on an impossible quest to find a particular French table cloth.  After almost two hours of walking and looking I purchased a cloth of the correct dimensions.  However, I missed some of the other instructions, and apparently have a lovely covering for my workbench.

On Friday we were scheduled to anchor off Saint-Jean-de-Luz in France.  Because of high seas the Captain decided that the tender boats would not be safe to board so we by-passed.  From Saint-Jean-de-Luz one can access the Guggenheim Museum.  We had visited it a few years ago so we were not overly disappointed in docking instead at Santander in Spain.

Santander is a lovely city on a beautiful coastline.   It Is known for a terrible fire in 1941 that destroyed the medieval center of the city.  The airport In Santander is named for my very favorite Spaniard, Seve Ballesteros.  Seve was born, and tragically died too young, in a tiny village 11 miles from Santander.

In addition to taking the hop-on-hop-off bus I did a little wine shopping and purchased a bottle of Cantabrian Tinto (the local wine of Santander) for 1.99 Euros ($ 2.67 in Canadian dollars).   I may drink it with a few Tums.

In the evening we attended a private cocktail party hosted by the Captain and the General Manager.  As special guests we were formally presented our platinum pins. 

Over the past 12 years we have spent a lot of money taking Oceania cruises.  This has earned us “platinum status” which means we are now on a free cruise, we had a number of small gifts send to our stateroom, and we were honored at the cocktail party.  The party was fun and after the presentation lots of guests approached us to ask how they could earn platinum.  After several glasses of Champagne and a bottle of Chianti at Toscano’s later in the evening, the return to our cabin was something I did not want videoed.

On Saturday morning we docked in Gijon, Spain.  Gijon is an industrial city and my bus ride to the center did not reveal a lot to interest me.  This is the first time this trip where I was left wondering “why did we stop here?”

 

 

 

                                            BLOG # 3:  FROM DUBLIN TO CORK

 

In a rapidly changing world it is sometimes re-assuring to come across traditional customs, even if they are slightly sexist.  When seated in Toscana on Saturday night I was allowed to take from the table a large, off-white linen napkin and spread it across my black pants.  Betty’s napkin, however, was quickly whisked away and replaced with a very dark napkin that would more co-ordinate with her black pants.

Shortly, someone brought a plate of 9 or 10 different breads for our table and then the olive-oil steward quickly appeared and offered Betty a selection of 8 different oils and 6 balsamic vinegars in which to dip her breads.  Only after she had made her selection was I allowed to choose which oil to slop on my napkin.

The sommelier next appeared, and ignoring Betty, asked me (the male at the table) what wine(s) we would like to have with our meal.  Betty, of course, was first to be asked by our server if she were ready to order.  Only when the Maitre d’ came to our table did the question: “Is everything o.k.?” seem aimed at us equally.

Since Brexit cargo ships heading from the U.S. enter Europe via Ireland rather than the U.K.  Consequently. the port of Dublin has become very crowded.  To help alleviate traffic cruise ships have been banned.  So on Sunday we anchored well off-shore of Dun Laoghaire and took a 20-minute tender ride to the pier.  Our bus into the city took us past the well-maintained Georgian squares, as well as several beautiful churches (many of which are surprisingly non-Catholic, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral).  During the afternoon we had a pleasant stop at a pub for an Irish coffee.

In the evening we had our first visit of this trip to Polo Grill.   We were met by the Maitre d’, our “old friend” Dorian, who sat us at a very nice table.  We were then surprised by our waiter who said “I remember you from the Riviera in 2018.”  However, the highlight was the sommelier, who after a lengthy discussion with Betty about what she wanted to pair with her steak, returned with a bottle of Kunde Private Reserve.  He noted that this was the last bottle of this magnificent wine in the ship’s cellar and he thought we would like to have it rather than one of the wines I had pre-purchased.  I doubt we’ll drink anything as good the rest of the voyage.

On Monday we docked in Cobh and joined two other couples for an all-day tour.  We travelled through the countryside, had a stop in the fishing village of Kinsdale,

a tour of the city of Cork,

and then spent time at Blarney Castle (no we did not climb the dangerous stairs to kiss the Blarney Stone). 

 Betty and I were tense most of the day, but finger-crossing seemed to have worked, because when we entered our stateroom there was our luggage at the foot of the bed.  Today one of the people we met on the ship said to me “I see you must have received your luggage as you have changed your sweater."

 

BLOG #2:  FROM TILBURY TO LE HAVRE

Our first stop was in Tilbury, United Kingdom.  This is the closest port to London and most people from the ship booked tours into that famous city.  As we didn’t feel like a long drive on a bus, we simply took the shuttle into Tilbury itself, so that we could shop for toiletries, etc.

Tilbury is the port closest to London and has been around since Roman times.  I don’t know what it was like two centuries ago but now Tilbury is a very depressed and depressing town with most of the buildings in the main area boarded up.  The only thing open Tuesday morning was a rather seedy convenience store and an even seedier pharmacy.  Apparently, this port town fell on hard times after container shipping replaced freight handlers and stevedores.  Returning to the ship for an afternoon nap was definitely the highlight.

On Wednesday (Sept. 29) we docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium.  We took a 20-minute taxi ride into the centre of the city of Bruges (a UNESCO World Heritage city) and, on the advice of the taxi driver, took a city tour on a mini bus with clear glass sides and a clear glass roof.

The contrast from Tilbury could not have been greater.  Bruges is an incredibly beautiful city with wonderful architecture.  I wished we had had more time to explore, but we had to return to the ship so Betty could make her appointment with a hair dresser at the ship’s spa.  Fortunately, this service is free to passengers who frequently sail on Oceania.

Betty got a call Wednesday night from the airport in Amsterdam.  Our luggage showed up on Wednesday, and now the logistics of getting it from the airport to a constantly moving ship has to be solved.  It is possible that we may get the luggage in Cobh, Ireland on Monday Oct 3.  Nonetheless, I wonder if getting our clothes next week will be all that much of a benefit.  With the quality of the food and wine on the ship we may no longer fit into any of them.

The dinner menu in the Main Dining Room changes daily.  Each morning the menu is available on TV and then one decides whether to eat there in the evening or score a reservation at one of the specialty restaurants (where the menus do not change).  Another little change in technology from our last cruise is that one no longer needs an identification card to board or leave the ship.  Security is handled by a facial recognition device, which I suspect is also reading one’s temperature.

Modern architecture is not something that I usually find particularly pleasing, yet when we docked at Le Havre Friday we took a shuttle to the city center to The Volcan Cultural Center. This area was designed by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer as the focal point of the city.  Featured are two buildings, the theatre and the library, which are supposed to represent volcanos.  To me they seemed more like derelict nuclear plants.  Perhaps I have finally found some buildings that are even more ugly than Antigonish’s Credit Union.

We continue to enjoy life aboard.  Last evening we opted to skip the musical performance in the theatre and instead, sipped pre-dinner wine while enjoying the string quartet.  This was followed by dawdling over a 3-hour meal, shared with two American couples, in the Grand Dining Room.  Tonight, we get our first meal of the trip in Toscano’s, the Italian restaurant.  I have already decided to follow lobster risotto with a plate of veal picada. 

 

 

FIRST TRAVELBLOG FOR THE FALL OF 2022

The start of any extended trip can be stressful, with a myriad of last-minute preparations, airports to navigate, and a thousand and one little aggravations.  Nonetheless, things usually improve and the rewards of visiting new places keep us awaiting our next venture.

The start of this trip was no different.  As most of you know a robot gave Betty her second new knee in late July and we wondered if she would be ready to travel in September.  However, her surgeon gave approval, provided she flew business class (didn’t budget for that). 

The plan was to leave Halifax on Sunday, Sept. 25 and fly to Amsterdam as the first stop of a 43-day adventure.  That almost didn’t happen as Hurricane Fiona hit Nova Scotia on Friday night.  The eye of the storm passed directly over Antigonish, leading to the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded in Canada.  The winds peaked at 179 kph.  Lots of damage in Eastern Nova Scotia, but we escaped with minor damage to our yard and garden. 

So right on schedule we left Antigonish with downed trees and power lines and no expectation of having the lights on anytime soon (power did return to our house on Monday night).  After an uneventful flight to the world’s worst airport (Toronto) we sat on the tarmac for almost an hour as Toronto didn’t have enough ground crew to gate planes.  We almost missed our flight and were the last persons to board.  Our luggage, however, didn’t make it and we don’t know how we are going to manage without very many clothes or toiletries.

We stayed overnight in Amsterdam where it is very wet and cold.  In the evening we ventured out in the rain and walked to a “hole-in-the-wall” Italian restaurant where we had the comfort of great pastas washed down with copious but thin house wine.  Apparently, tipping is not common here.  I added a small tip (small enough to anger a Canadian waiter) to our bill.  Our server than asked us to stay and she then brought us two free glasses of limencello.  None of the other diners received this wonderful drink.

We made it to the ship Tuesday morning and it was a great feeling “to be home”.  The first thing was a lunch in the buffet.  Betty’s cane was immediately spotted and a server came to accompany her and carry her food.  The server remembered her from our last cruise on this ship (2019) and apologized that she couldn’t remember Betty’s name.

After lunch I made a dinner reservation at “Jacques”, the wonderful French restaurant.  Betty is hesitant to accompany because she is embarrassed that she will have to wear the same clothes that we she has been wearing for the past 3 days.   Assuming our luggage doesn’t miraculously arrive we may have a look for new clothes in the onboard shop.  We were told when we checked in that we had a special 25% discount because we arrived with no luggage.  For now the ship is providing toiletries.

Because this is our free cruise we don’t get the normal complementary wines.  Thus, I pre-ordered 14 bottles of wine for the next 14 nights.  I did this to get a discount.  Now I have the interesting challenge of matching my food order to the wine, rather than matching the wine to what I am eating.

Our washroom seems to be well equipped and the picture below suggests we won’t run out of toilet paper anytime soon.

                                             FROM QUARANTINE

Although our life is less than exciting I am doing a blog anyway.  Perhaps I should call it the "blog from boredom."

We discovered that our quarantine hotel is brand new and opened the day we came.  As far as I can tell the only guests are isolating.   The room is very nice but one feature causes me to wonder if the Portuguese are perhaps a bit quirky.  Along side the bed is a window that can be opened allowing a full view into the shower and the toilet beyond.  Thus one can lie in bed and watch one's partner shower, or fulfill other needs.

The food from room service is good but definitely Portuguese.  Seafood predominates.  I haven't seen a wine list and the wines they send are always from the Douro.

From the balcony we can chat with our neighbours on either side.  One neighbour is a retired cop from London who travels the world on cruiseships giving lectures on police work.  He said his best lecture was from his time in Colombia chasing Escobar.

This morning two rapid tests appeared outside our door.  We both tested negative but I don't know what that means as I assume we must test negative on a test that can be validated.  I am now wondering if perhaps I had a false positive as I can't imagine how I could have Covid and not pass it along to Betty.

                                                    PORTO

We started our last full day (Palm Sunday) on the Viking Hemming with our daily Covid spit.  After breakfast I, but not Betty, joined a 3.5 hour walking tour of the old city of Porto.  This is a lovely city, and both of us were looking forward to our four days on our own to explore.  Note the blue tiles on the inside of the railway station.

When we went to the restaurant for dinner, we were surprised by how empty it was.  Covid had struck the boat and over half the passengers had either tested positive or shared a bed with someone who had.  We thought we might have been lucky but later that night a knock on the door dashed out hopes.  Although Betty's results were negative, mine were positive.

In the morning (Monday) we were put in a van and transported to a hotel somewhere on the Douro River.  My interpretation of Portuguese law is that we will be locked in our room for at least 7 days.  We have no real idea of when we shall return to Canada.  Betty will miss her pre-surgery appointments and perhaps miss the surgery itself.

Viking Cruises is putting us up in a very nice hotel and paying the bill, including room service for meals and wine. I expect to spend a long seven days reading chick novels that Betty had downloaded on her e-reader.

Tomorrow (April 12) Betty will be "celebrating" something ending in a zero.  I did manage to grab a bottle of Champagne (the French stuff) from the boat as we were escorted off.  I am sure Betty would appreciate reading any e-mails you might care to send her.  bs.johnson@ns.sympatico.ca