Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
HELP ... FIRE DOWN BELOW!
We have had a couple of pretty normal sea days. The sea has been rough, but that is to be expected when you are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Last night was the final formal night on board so we all got "gussied up" and enjoyed a great evening together with new found friends.
Our waiters on this leg of the trip have been a delight and we are really going to miss them when we have to return to the realities of our own kitchens and waiting on ourselves. I'd love to bring these two home with us!
I have taken several formal night photographs but have neglected to say anything about our favorite little server who greets us every evening when we leave the main dining room. He reminds me of the Phillip Morris Cigarette boy from long ago except our young man was much taller.
He had butter mints and candied ginger and a very special way of wrapping them in a paper napkin when he served you. As he would hand you what he called "Happy Pills", he would pretend to drop them but the fold in the napkin would catch them and nothing would spill. He would get so tickled when he played this little trick on the guests that everyone stopped for a Happy Pill on their way to bed.
I opted for the ginger as it's great both for the digestive system as well as mal de mer! Plus .. I love Ginger, but then so did Fred ;-)
When we first boarded this ship, we had the usual lifeboat drill which is mandatory on every cruise. We never dreamed that we might have to participate in this activity in reality!
When we first boarded this ship, we had the usual lifeboat drill which is mandatory on every cruise. We never dreamed that we might have to participate in this activity in reality!
We had heard that the two most dreaded incidents on a ship were illness and fire. In fact, the crew participates in a lifeboat drill every week while we are at sea. There is an infirmary on board, but no fire station around the corner!
About 4:00 a.m. we were awakened by an alarm going off in our suite. There is a speaker in the headboard so there's no missing this! We learned at our drill at the beginning of the voyage that if you heard 7 short blasts followed by 1 long one you were to report to your lifeboat stations immediately and prepare to abandon ship.
I started counting and when the short blasts got to 6, they stopped. Frank sat straight up in bed and said "Fire alarm!" Had been dreaming and thought he was at home in his own bed and the smoke alarm had gone off. A few minutes later, the Captain came on the loudspeaker and announced that a fire had been detected on board and certain areas of the ship were restricted. I told Frank that we'd better get dressed and get out of there but he insisted that we wait for another announcement. The wait seemed like an eternity, but about 2 or 3 minutes later, the Captain came back on over the loudspeaker and told the crew to man the lifeboat stations. This sounded more serious than I wanted to think about and I was getting really concerned. All I could think about was the fact that the seas were extremely rough,
I started counting and when the short blasts got to 6, they stopped. Frank sat straight up in bed and said "Fire alarm!" Had been dreaming and thought he was at home in his own bed and the smoke alarm had gone off. A few minutes later, the Captain came on the loudspeaker and announced that a fire had been detected on board and certain areas of the ship were restricted. I told Frank that we'd better get dressed and get out of there but he insisted that we wait for another announcement. The wait seemed like an eternity, but about 2 or 3 minutes later, the Captain came back on over the loudspeaker and told the crew to man the lifeboat stations. This sounded more serious than I wanted to think about and I was getting really concerned. All I could think about was the fact that the seas were extremely rough,
it was pitch black outside with 12 ft. waves and we were in the middle of the Atlantic.
I was wondering how in the world I was going to be able to climb into a lifeboat when I could barely walk without a cane. It would certainly be no easy feat!
At this point I told Frank I didn't really care what he did, but I was getting dressed. I didn't want to be seen on a lifeboat in my nightgown when I was rescued!
There I was, sitting on the bed with my cameras along with my memory chips in my hand so I would remember the trip when the third announcement came and the Captain said that everything was under control, he was sorry for the inconvenience, and to go back to bed and go to sleep. Well .... sleep after that .... I don't THINK so!
The next morning we were talking to John and he said that all Cathy was concerned about was how she was going to save her Leiber purses. Frank suggested that she have a special life jacket made with pockets in it for her purses, and she could carry it like a baby. After all, the old saying is "Women and children first!"
There I was, sitting on the bed with my cameras along with my memory chips in my hand so I would remember the trip when the third announcement came and the Captain said that everything was under control, he was sorry for the inconvenience, and to go back to bed and go to sleep. Well .... sleep after that .... I don't THINK so!
The next morning we were talking to John and he said that all Cathy was concerned about was how she was going to save her Leiber purses. Frank suggested that she have a special life jacket made with pockets in it for her purses, and she could carry it like a baby. After all, the old saying is "Women and children first!"
We found out from our waiter at breakfast that someone had left a deep fat fryer on in the galley on the second deck and that had been the problem. Since we were on the eighth deck when this incident occurred, we couldn't really see or hear what was happening below us.
Do you suppose that this guy might have possibly been the culprit ??
Our waiter said that he was scared to death when this happened. He decided that he would jump overboard because he'd rather drown than burn up. Never a dull moment when you are a so-called world traveler. I hope to never experience this again, but we survived and all's well that ends well!
We have one last port in a few days. Until then.....
We have one last port in a few days. Until then.....
XOXO, Pcasso
Thursday, December 3, 2009
FUN IN FUNCHAL AND HAVE SOME MADEIRA, MY DEAR!
Yesterday was a sea day and nothing of any particular interest occurred but today is an entirely different matter. It was been a GLORIOUS day! Perhaps the best so far!!! As I said before, we canceled our scheduled panoramic tour due to circumstances within our control, and decided to explore this port on our own.
Funchal is by far among one of the prettiest places we've been so far on this cruise. We we docked, we look out over our balcony to see that the sun was shining and all the white buildings with the red roofs were sparkling in the sunlight.
We quickly ate our breakfast and boarded the local shuttle bus that took us into town. No long walks to get to our bus today ... YEAH!
When we reached our destination, we got off the bus and strolled along the esplanade.
When we reached our destination, we got off the bus and strolled along the esplanade.
We could see our ship in the harbor and watch the hang gliders as they gently sailed over the marina.
We walked up and down the streets looking for a sidewalk cafe where we could stop for a cup of cappuccino and watch the people stroll by. I decided to take a little rest while Papa scouted out the place.
Since it is Sunday morning everyone was taking life was slow and easy. This was an ideal spot for people watching which is one of our favorite pastimes. Here are just a few of the people that we saw. I found some of them to have very interesting faces as well as clothing.
While I watched couples enjoying reading their papers and drinking their coffee, Frank seemed more interested in this blonde. After all, that's who they say gentlemen prefer!
I decided that this man was wearing one of the worst toupees that I have seen in a long time. It reminded me of Frank's Uncle Alfred's rug.
When we finished our coffee, we ambled on down the street and found out where all the action was.
This place reminded me of a European version of the Santa Fe flea market. They were selling everything imaginable including food, clothing, shoes and even near life size witches!
The place was bustling with people and there was music playing with some of the tunes that we would have selected had we been afforded the opportunity. Suddenly one of our favorite tunes was playing, so Frank started to do a little dance right there in the street (I pretended that I didn't know him ;-) Thank goodness he didn't start to sing!
It was the perfect place and day for a family outing and many people were taking advantage of this on this lovely Sunday afternoon.
We stopped at a booth where they were pouring samples of Madeira so we sampled their wares.
It was very good, so we bought a couple of bottles to bring home with us. Be sure and check out this clip from You Tube and you'll understand why I titled this post like I did.
This little man was watching us, but wasn't a bit happy when I snapped his picture.
A word of warning about cruising. You'd better not linger too long at the midnight buffet tables or you'll end up looking like this poor lady!
Too much of a good thing can sometimes be a bad thing! And speaking of bad .. look at THIS guy's hat. I'm so thankful that Papa didn't decide to buy one!
We noticed a lovely little park across the street, so we decided to take a look. It was very different from the street we had just left ... very quiet and serene and the perfect place to get out of the hustle and bustle.
You'd never guess that you were in the middle of a city!
When we were planning this trip Frank had signed us up for a toboggan ride in Monte which is on top of the mountain in Funchal.
At the foot of the Monte Church you can take the famous wicker toboggan sled ride down the mountain. This is one of the wacky must-try things you do as a tourist. You sit in a large wicker basket that is on two wooden runners. Two "guides" alternately steer and push as you go down the steep mountainside streets back into the downtown area of Funchal. It's supposed to be quite an experience.
When we were planning this trip Frank had signed us up for a toboggan ride in Monte which is on top of the mountain in Funchal.
At the foot of the Monte Church you can take the famous wicker toboggan sled ride down the mountain. This is one of the wacky must-try things you do as a tourist. You sit in a large wicker basket that is on two wooden runners. Two "guides" alternately steer and push as you go down the steep mountainside streets back into the downtown area of Funchal. It's supposed to be quite an experience.
While the toboggans appear to be of an earlier decade, they sit atop wooden skids that are obviously of new wood, as they are oft abraded by the trip down the paved streets. Two people to a toboggan, with two burly Madeirans to handle (stop, in most cases) the conveyance as it slides nearly 2 miles into Funchal.
The ride takes nearly 20 minutes and recreates a major mode of travel in the 1800 - early 1900's. I looked at these two sites on YouTube while we were still at home and decided that I better not do this with the problems I have been having with my back. One of these sites is from the perspective of the passenger. For a fun ride ... click on either or both of the links below and check it out! WOW!
Our table mates, John and Cathy did this and they of fun. I don't even ski, so I don't think it would have been for me, even if my back was all right. I'm a real scaredy cat. My Mother said that when I was learning to walk, I could crawl over the cracks in the sidewalk so I wouldn't hurt myself!
When we left the park, we went back to the "main drag" and had a little libation.
When we left the park, we went back to the "main drag" and had a little libation.
As we made our way down the hill to the shuttle bus, we passed some mimes. They didn't seem to have much business today.
We weren't sure exactly what this building was, but it was certainly beautiful and very well guarded.
I'm sure that it was probably some sort of government building.
When we returned to the ship, we noticed these wind surfers. They were having some sort of race. The bay was full of all sorts of boats and activity. I thought I'd better play close attention as we would be crossing the Atlantic tomorrow, so we won't be seeing these sights anymore :-(
When we returned to the ship, we noticed these wind surfers. They were having some sort of race. The bay was full of all sorts of boats and activity. I thought I'd better play close attention as we would be crossing the Atlantic tomorrow, so we won't be seeing these sights anymore :-(
One last look at the beautiful shoreline and it's time to get ready for our evening's entertainment.
If you look closely, you'll see that there was one sailboat at the end of the bay on the horizon that seemed to be wishing us a safe trip. We really hated to leave this beautiful port!
Our entertainment tonight is going to be Elliot Finkel and I'm SOOO excited! We had seen him before on the Seabourn Sun when we sailed around the world.
Elliot is a very gifted pianist, conductor and composer. He plays both classical and pop, including the works of Gershwin, Kern, Porter and Broadway show tunes. I managed to get this shot from a distance. It's very hard to photograph when you can't use a flash.
We loved being able to see him again and enjoy his wonderful music. What a perfect end to a perfect day! This may have been my very favorite. It's really hard to say as there have had so many wonderful experienceses!
We'll be crossing the pond for the next 5 days, so my reports will be few and far between. This long one today makes up for that. Hope you enjoyed Madeira as much as we did.
We'll be crossing the pond for the next 5 days, so my reports will be few and far between. This long one today makes up for that. Hope you enjoyed Madeira as much as we did.
Cheers!
XOXO, Pcasso
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