Grandpa's New Computer Part II : (The Boat)

 Repositioning cruises are supposed to be had for a song, True story as we purchased a Transatlantic Cruise, I'd say for a song, but actually not too  bad.  Ours was for Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona Spain.  With stops scheduled at Horta, (Azores) Gibralter, Motril, Allicante and Mallorca, before disembarking at Barcelona.  After we were to get off, the Boat, Holland America's New Amsterdam ,continued on to Venice.  An optional 14 or 30 day voyage.  We also intended to stay in Spain, or later Amsterdam for a spell following the cruise depending how the funds held out.  Kind of got off to a stressful start with Security jumping all over my case for having a small bottle of wine (more than the two allotted) consequently subjecting me to a little extra scrutiny while simultaneously giving me the ol "stink eye".   Didn't help that I had just blown my "good knee" and was having a heck of a time just staying on my feet, was also reflected in my attitude because they just seemed to piss me off.  After all that and they let us keep it anyway.

Forgive my real poor depiction of our travels.  It's supposed to show our transoceanic cruise and then flights from Barcelona to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Portland.  And then back to Texas obviously.  A trip of some 11,300 miles.  It's notable cruising into the Mediterranean that the straits are only seven miles wide at it's most narrow between Europe and Africa.  With Gibralter on the one side and Morocco on the other.


Lisa and I never check luggage for the mere fact we like to travel light.  This was a stark contrast to most of the rest of the folks getting on the Boat who lugged out massive trunk size bags to load on the courtesy shuttle to the Cruise Port.  This is probably the first instance that we could count as an actual  "Criuse" as we came to find out. Our previous experience being an outing of just a few days, whilst this would be two weeks.  Seven days before we even were to see land again.  The cruise veterans pack everything and change clothes several times daily.  A whole subculture exists of these veterans, some who bragged thirty or more prior cruises.    And Lord there is a dress up occasion each and every day, sometimes two or three.   This wasn't to work very well for Lisa and I.  She had a few nicer duds she had brought, but I packed basic;  four underwear, one pair of long pants (Levis) flip flops, large (siz 13 double E tennis shoes, the kind with the big N on them.  Couple of T Shirts including my favorite Walking Dead emblem T shirt I had bought a few weeks earlier.  So after being forcibly kicked out of Dinner for being underdressed (OK in truth they offered me a jacket) but I got all Huffed up anyway and we ate in general dining the rest of the trip A couple of points here.  Cruise lines make 0 profit from the price of the tickets.  All of their profit is made from amenities.  Overpriced tours, nine dollar Martinis (of which I had a few, maybe more) and numerous shows etc.  And an added point here: two items that took us by surprise was one, that a tiny bread loaf size plastic bag filled with laundry cost 30 bucks.  And that it cost an additional 23 bucks a day for the cost of the services.  Of course this  cost (which by the way I would never begrudge) was included in the body of the small print.  "Small Print" I have become accustomed to responding to in all cases.  Uuuuh huh, sure, click blah blah blah, sure uh huh click (accept) blah blah blah, yeah yeah yeah... The second problems was remedied by clothes washed in body wash and hanging to dry from every available point that would hold a hanger.    Consequently, when added to the martini's and twenty two dollar bottles of wine purchased while under the influence of said martini's, upon landing we were roughly 700 bucks short of expectations.  Anywhoo.

Love us or hate us, we just seem to meet the most interesting folks and got to sit at the cool kids table eventually. 

First

Blue, a really self effacing guy and part of the BB King show.  Part of the ship's most popular 
event.  Blue is supposed to be "nice" and mix with the passengers we knew, but along with being a very amazing trumpet player, he is also a bit shy and felt comfortable hanging with us for a smoke on more than one occasion. He told me that he has played the trumpet since he was eight.  Born and raised in Memphis TN, he said his Dad played with the original BB King and through him, as a child had met Elvis.   Now in his fifties he has played the trumpet all of his life and his amazing talent, to him, just doesn't seem that great.  He liked talking about other stuff.  

Pat, just a nice gal, Widow and first trip since her husband died.  From Rhode Island

Scott and Lynn from Denver, here we met for dinner in Barcelona.  Scott kayaked the Murtaugh run near Twin Falls at one point in his life, as well as some other rivers including the Middle Fork of the Salmon.  About the only thing I had to compare  was that I too had rafted the Murtaugh run, but since I had been with a maniac, I had the dubious distinction of running the Class V rapid at "Pair of Dice"  . , Lynn, an undiscovered photographer had taken some amazing amazing pics on her flipping "cell phone"  God if I had such an eye.  In any event after trading email addresses, they continued on to Athens to meet up with other friends whilst we spent several more days in Barcelona.

Some federal retirees from North Carolina.  Went on to Germany later.  Formerly in a related profession and we traded war stories. 

More views from the ship

 The previous three photos from Horta (Azores)

Sunset from the Main Dining area.

                        Sorry I have no idea the Cathedral in this pic.  The entire trip consisted of eye popping ,jaw dropping scenery.

I believe these are from Mallorca.  We did not explore the stops requiring paid passage to and from town.

                            A lot of Wine.  Thank God, a lot of really really good Wine.

We heard many stories of the Barbary Apes living on this rock, of attacking people for the smell of food about them.  The actual only apes living on the Continent of Europe.  A ship's tour cost in excess of a hundred and fifty bucks.  We learned that in town, a taxi was available for 28 Euro.  Nasty little fellas.  A woman sitting behind us explained how her pockets had been ripped out by the Monkeys seeking food and one had attached to her head and peed in her hair.  Lovely.  Hehehehe.

Standing and smiling in a square public executions at one time occurred.

                          Really love this pic.  Our ship in the background

The context of the places we visited and the vast lack of information I am able to provide is daunting.  I guess I will just have to get a bit defensive and suggest anybody who wishes more info to get their own damn travel book. I found it amusing the numerous statues in the small towns we visited.  I recall an article that various small town European politicians endeavored to persuade the locals to erect statues in thier honor. My final thoughts however are that in this case, I could never ever conceive of a more amazing way to travel than by cruise ship.  Returning to the security of the ship after each port of call contrasted sharply with the issues we encountered once we hit port and set off on our own.  So many amazing pictures were taken and selecting those to post is hard.  I suspect I will return to edit these as my memory serves. Next Barcelona and Amsterdam. UA-20271220-1 ga(‘set’, ‘&uid’, {{USER_ID}}); // Set the user ID using signed-in user_id.

Grandpa Got a New Computer: Part I Florida

Been a little difficult to Post since the Theft debacle in Salt Lake City last March.  Just a little frustrating with a smart phone and these monster Brats I call my fingers.  Buuuuut a lot has transpired this past six weeks.  We have been crisscrossing this Country top to bottom and left to right. And then flat out leaving it for a spell to take a two week sojourn across the Atlantic.  

First of all, we left (and lost) our sweet, sweet two week on two week off gig in Texas on account Haliburton decided to send the boys we'd been following to Louisiana.  So without a specific deadline to be back, we left our last location (about 75 miles South of San Antonio) on the 16th of march to return to Idaho.  Having a lot on our plate, Lisa set about gathering her resources to get a tankless water heater installed in her house in Twin Falls.  Whilst I set out on a fifteen hour drive to transport Danny to Yuma,
Arizona for the purpose of getting him acquainted with the Dentists just across the border in Los Algadones.

The Pan above shows a little of the wide openness of the area we come from.

 The above picture was taken just outside the Border crossing into Mexico.  In a parking lot run by an area reservation (forgive me I can't recall the name.)  Mid March and it was only about 90 degrees.  First time that I have been here when there was a crowd.  Probably took about two hours to get past the long line of folks waiting to get back into the US.  Fortunately, my Daughter loaned us her Hyundai, which gets about a zillion miles per gallon of petrol.  (Actually more like 40 but whatever).


Finally, on April 1st we left for Vacation.  First flying to Fort Lauderdale.  About five days before the boat leaves.

Really don't have a map and prolly would not care to give exact directions anywhoo, but located about five miles from the Fort Lauderdale Airport is a sweet section of Beach loaded with low price motels called the Dania Beach area in Hollywood Fl.  Actually the whole area is called Dania, but the Beach area is no secret and very easy to find.  During the week rooms run between sixty to eighty bucks. Weekends more depending upon your wants Originally trying to find a place to stay and perusing our options of motels with Airport shuttles  and faced with the proposition of paying anywhere's from one fitty upwards, we elected to rent a car and go with the cheaper ones.  We weren't disappointed.  I would certainly avoid this area during spring break though.

          Ooops

No this isn't a pic from Amsterdam.  It is actually in a storefront window outside a coffee shop in Fort Lauderdale.  My hasn't fashion come a ways.  

 

For the price, I expected the Motels to be fleabags.  I was pleasantly disappointed.  Ours was spotlessly clean.  We stayed in this area for two days.  Unfortunately, as we were checking out I misstepped coming down some steep cement stairs.  For my nearly sixty year old bones the impact was alarming. But after a few minutes of self examination, I thought I was OK.  About an hour later I could barely walk, my right knee ( the "good one") was swollen, popping with every step and hugely painful.  This remained a constant throughout the trip and has only partially healed.  At least I can walk about a mile now without resting which is substantially better than the fifty yards the first week of the injury.

The temps were balmy and the water was lovely blue and clear, but few folks actually went swimming.  Probably the rip currents.  For my part I couldn't get those news clips of the occasional stories of hundreds of sharks being filmed a few feet offshore.

Florida is truly a multi ethnic state.  There are Canadians wherever one turns.,  Kidding aside this seriously  seems to be the main population of tourists, (everywhere) although the area is made up of many nationalities. Mostly reflected in the diversity of the beach side restaurants.  Both affordable and excellent. OK I thought amazing. We talked with the local merchants, and as one young Coffee shop owner, a young girl in her early twenties told us the small restaurants are family businesses and in the cramped kitchens located in the back of the small buildings are mothers and grandmothers doing the cooking.  Little wonder awesome food. I am guessing from the Caribbean and  Baltic coutnries. 

Day three we headed towards the Florida Keys.  A drive of about 160 miles give or take from Fort Lauderdale.   Mostly on a two lane highway that gets pretty crowded on the weekend.  So too do the hotel prices which rocket into the stratosphere.  It is the fishing which is touted most but there is  also scuba and  snorkeling.  For the most part, we get by on a beer budget.  K, cheap wine budget and forgo tours, expensive restaurants etc.  However one bright spot is that while motels and hotels seem out of site, RV prices seemreasonable for the location. Couple of hundred a week.

Most of the highway connecting the Keys are man made islands and bridges crossing more marshy areas than one would expect.  A new highway was built to replace the ancient narrow one in several spots I suspect because they were washed out by Hurricanes.  In some spots those have been turned into fishing piers.  Sea doo kept popping up in my mind. What an awesome spot.

Key Largo is the first of the Keys and about a hundred miles later lies Key West.  A small tourist town boasting locals in strange costumes, original New England looking homes, small town feel.  Did I mention that chickens running in the streets is a Key West thing.  One of the elaborate costumes was a dude riding a four wheel two seated bike that mechanically had a skeleton sitting on a seat behind him.  Mechanically, the skeleton seemed to be pedalling the bicycle as well.

          

Little Mike and Lisa

Real Life Mike and Lisa.  Notice me favoring my knee.  Really owwwie at this point.

90 Miles to Cuba