Two days and counting…USA, here we come…

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Hot and sweaty after dancing at the silent disco.

It’s hard to believe we haven’t been in the US for two years and three months when we visited family in 2017 in both Minnesota and Nevada. We’ve missed everyone, and it will be fantastic to see them all once again.

Initially, when booking our time in Minnesota, we’d booked a hotel in a central location between our respective families. As time marched on, my dear friend Karen offered for us to stay in her gorgeous, spacious house on a lake in Eden Prairie.

We stayed with Karen for our final few weeks in Minnesota in October 2012 and found it easy and comfortable. There have been only a few other occasions when we’ve stayed at friends’ or family members’ homes in the past seven years.

It’s a rare occasion for us to stay with anyone when we don’t want to impose. We have our routine that may conflict with others, and we certainly don’t want to be underfoot.

The only family member with whom we’ve stayed has been son Richard in Henderson, Nevada. He has a roomy house leaving us with an area where we won’t be in the way. We’ll be staying with him in the next month.

As for the time we spend in Apache Junction, Arizona, near Tom’s siblings, we’ve rented a holiday home and will share details at that time. At this point, we haven’t pinned down how long we’ll stay in Minnesota. We can always book last-minute flights.

The ship’s casino. We do not partake.

The cruise is rapidly winding down. We had one “free” bag of laundry done and will be mainly repacking clean clothes. I didn’t include many of my tops and shirts when the ship’s laundry service tends to ruin some items by washing them at too high a temperature. I didn’t want to take the risk.

Tomorrow we’ll pack and place our bags outside our cabin doors before 10:00 pm, which will then be moved to the port disembarkation area, where we’ll pick them up on Friday after we exit the ship.

Our flight from Fort Lauderdale to Minneapolis will be very long, with almost a four-hour layover in Detroit, at which time we’ll find a restaurant and have dinner. We can’t ever plan to be served food on flights these days, especially suitable for my eating.No doubt, the next few days will fly by quickly. We’re looking forward to our arrival in Minneapolis, getting settled, and seeing family and friends. And before we know it, the time in the US will pass quickly, and we’ll be on our way to India.

The journey continues…Please stay tuned.

Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2018:
A mom and two offspring from different birth years. For more photos, please click here.

Photos of Bermuda…Sailing right along…Avoiding worry and concern…

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Pirate ship attracting tourists.

Fascinating Fact of the Day About Bermuda:
From this site:
“Bermuda, self-governing British overseas territory in the western North Atlantic Ocean. It is an archipelago of 7 main islands and about 170 additional (named) islets and rocks, situated about 650 miles (1,050 km) east of Cape Hatteras (North Carolina, U.S.). Bermuda is neither geologically nor spatially associated with the West Indies, which lie more than 800 miles (1,300 km) to the south and southwest.

The archipelago is about 24 miles (40 km) long and averages less than 1 mile (1.6 km) in width. The main islands are clustered together in the shape of a fishhook and are connected by bridges. The largest island is Main Island, 14 miles (22.5 km) long and 1 mile wide. The Peak, at 259 feet (79 meters) on Main Island, is the highest point. The capital is Hamilton.”

When our ship docked in King’s Wharf in Bermuda yesterday morning, we decided to take a walk from the pier to see what we could find. It was a Portuguese holiday, and only a few shops and restaurants were open.

We rarely shop in the touristy stores or dine in the restaurants at ports of call, but we often enjoy checking out the local flavor. We’d been to Bermuda several years ago on another cruise.

A government building of an unknown name due to a slow WiFi signal aboard the ship.

After taking a few photos during our hour-long walk, we wandered back to the ship to spend the remainder of the afternoon lounging in the cafe sipping coffee drinks and chatting with other passengers.

The remainder of the day and evening flew by in a flurry of conversations, meeting new people at every turn. We spent happy-hour in the Sky Lounge, with a stop at the Ice Bar, and then made our way to the Cuvee Dining Room around 7:30 pm for a lovely dinner.

British red coat trying to attract passengers for professional photos.

After dinner, we headed to the Ensemble Lounge to listen to two talented musicians playing string instruments with many recognizable songs that left the passengers swaying to the music in the bar.

By 10:40 pm, we returned to the cabin but managed to stay awake until after midnight, finally nodding off for a much-needed decent night’s sleep. For us, cruising is exhausting when we have so much fun!

The bright blue sea was surrounding the island of Bermuda.

Has cruising been easy for me considering the past year’s dreadful medical issues? Not entirely. At times, when I feel a slight flutter of my heart or a momentary pain from indigestion, it’s impossible not to assume something is going on with my heart.

Having read many comments from other survivors of coronary bypass surgery, this type of concern is customary and even expected for a while after recovery from the surgery. 

Hotel overlooking the harbor.

Also, it’s essential to stay mindful of any alarming symptoms in an issue that may require medical care. Being so far from land in these types of circumstances is undoubtedly a bit frightening. 

I try hard not to worry each time I feel a twinge to avoid getting myself into a constant state of stress and concern, which is unhealthy in itself. I must admit I do wonder if all these late nights are good for me. 

Our ship, Celebrity Silhouette.

But, gosh, having such a good time surely must be conducive to good health as long as one gets plenty of exercise, eats healthfully, and gets adequate sleep.

Yesterday, I made an appointment with a cardiology clinic in Minneapolis for the end of this month for a check-up to ensure all is well, which hopefully will provide us with peace of mind as we continue on our journey.

Today, back out to sea, we’re headed to the Bahamas. We’d visited these same ports of call on previous cruises, so we aren’t quite certain we’ll do so again.  

We’ll be back with more tomorrow. Have a pleasant day and evening!

Photo from one year ago today, November 5, 2018:
This is the youngest giraffe in Marloth Park from what we’ve seen recently. Check out those knobby knees that will eventually result in some very long legs. For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…Murano, another fine dining option aboard the ship…Our anniversary cake…No boredom here…

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The anniversary cake was hosted by the restaurant. Tom didn’t eat any of it. We handed it over to the neighbors from Minnesota in the next cabin for them to enjoy.

The cruise is rapidly coming to an end with only four days until we disembark in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from which we’ll immediately fly to Minnesota on the only flight that worked time-wise for us, requiring a lengthy layover in Detroit. We don’t mind since it’s a relatively short travel time compared to most international flights.

For the next few days, we’ll revel in the relaxation and delightful encounters and interactions with other passengers and, of course, with one another. It’s funny how people often assume we cruise all the time when they first hear we are world travelers.  

The lobster was fabulous!

Neither of us would ever be interested in cruising all the time. Firstly, it would be too expensive for our budget unless we selected “inside” cabins which don’t appeal to us.  

Secondly, we’d eventually become bored with cruising if it were to be our permanent status. The novelty of cruising an average of three times a year is ideal for us. We use cruising as a means of transportation whenever possible, significantly reducing travel day stresses.

Besides, who wants to socialize every day? The ability to interact with others at our option is ultimately an ideal scenario. Doing so every daily could become trite and boring.

Tom’s plate with chateaubriand, potatoes, and vegetables.

Neither of us ever feels bored with our lifestyle.  We’ve shaped it in a manner to avoid becoming bored and lackluster. This is one of the innate requirements of ensuring long-term travel has purpose and meaning.

With considerable forethought and planning as we research each new location, we allow ourselves quiet time to relax, reflect and recharge. Even during these less-than-exciting times, we seldom, if ever, feel bored.

If a moment of “what-do-I-do-now?” overcomes us, we both easily switch gears to tackle a new project, conduct more interesting travel options or engage in research on our favorite topics.

Tom’s dessert of chocolate bites, coconut macaroons, and sugared ginger.

In the worst case, we can always stream a movie or favorite show to watch on our laptops. Our lives are no different from anyone else who may or may not be traveling in these respects. 

Sure, in most cases, others have the option to make a phone call to meet up with family and friends for social activities, lengthy phone chats, or planned activities. This is rarely the case for us when everyone is so far away. But we have each other and find tremendous fulfillment in our time together.

Soon, we’ll be in the US and spending some time apart with our respective families during an undetermined time in Minnesota. We have no doubt we’ll figure it all out with ease. 

In any case, regardless of how much time we spend in the US, on January 30th, we’re flying to Mumbai for the next leg of our journey when the adventure continues.

Happy Monday to all!

Photo from one year ago today, November 4, 2018:
Finally, the lions reached the kill, perhaps left behind by another lion. For more photos, please click here.

Part 1…Murano, another fine dining option aboard the ship…

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Tom seated at the table in Murano specialty restaurant. Tom took a photo of me, but it was too blurry to post here.

Celebrating our seventh anniversary of traveling the world in Murano Restaurant aboard Celebrity Silhouette was ideal for observing the special occasion.

A tower of unsalted butter and crusty rolls, which Tom tackled with enthusiasm.

The fact that Celebrity had “comped” the meal due to the flood in our cabin in the middle of the night made the event all the more enjoyable, knowing we didn’t have to add another $150 (including gratuity) to our bill.

My ice cold seviche.

We’ve easily used our $400 cabin credit for other items, including dinner in Qsine and a lovely sterling silver necklace I purchased that hides the scar from my open-heart surgery. I also included a high-quality pair of matching earrings.

Murano has a pleasing atmosphere.

The jewelry was pricey at $345, but I rarely purchase anything expensive for myself. I justified this purchase for these particular reasons. It felt wonderful wearing this fine piece of jewelry on the two formal nights when I wore dresses with a little bit of a low neckline.  

This small tower of seafood was not only pleasing to the eye but delicious. I asked them to return this one and bring me another without the wheat cracker at the bottom.

Most likely, there will be one more formal night to go.

This jewelry will serve me well in the future for dress-up nights on other cruises and other social events. I can’t begin to say how much more at ease I am wearing the necklace.

Tom’s lobster bisque.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Boston, but we, along with many other passengers, stayed aboard the ship again. It was cold and windy, and we didn’t have the appropriate clothing for such weather.

Scallops in a puff pastry roll.

We’ll have to figure something out for clothing for our arrival in Minnesota in five days as the cold winter weather rolls in, not unusual for November. No doubt, it will snow while we’re there.

This was fish in another pastry for Tom.

We continue to have a perfect time on this ship. We’ve probably made more friends on this ship than any other in the past, literally handing out dozens of business cards with our web address. 

This was my cold spinach salad, dressed in a tasty vinaigrette and topped with a chilled poached egg. Its appearance was odd, but the flavor was superb.

As it turns out, many people have approached us, saying they “already know us” from our over seven years of posts. We certainly realize our lifestyle is unique from that of many other frequent world travelers. 

The platter of accompaniments was prepared for the chateaubriand served tableside.

We haven’t met anyone on this ship that has a situation similar to ours. Yes, many people travel, but all have homes, apartments, belongings, and a place they call “home.”

The flambe of the chateaubriand.

Many express shock over how we ever managed to leave everything behind to embark on such an adventure. Overall, most struggle with the concept of ridding themselves of their treasured belongings. 

Many have moved to other states/countries to their desired locales with good weather and, like us, don’t see their family and friends as often as they’d like. But, they, too, feel a powerful sense of freedom and commitment to carry on their lives, experiencing as much of the world as possible.

Slicing the delicious, well seasoned, and prepared chateaubriand.

It’s been purely delightful sharing stories with other travelers, further confirming that we are not alone in our desire for wanderlust and a somewhat nomadic lifestyle.

Today, a sea day, we spent most of the day in the Cafe al Bacio enjoying our unlimited drink package, including specialty coffee, tea, and other beverages. I don’t drink alcoholic beverages during the day, but Tom has partaken of a few Pina Coladas and other exciting coffee drinks.

We shared the chateaubriand for two but also ordered the lobster as the main course.

Soon, we’re off again for yet another evening of entertaining conversation, good food, and adult beverages. I’ve been sticking with my daily limit of two small glasses of fine cabernet sauvignon, which is included in the unlimited drink package.  

With each of the two glasses of wine, I always order a green glass bottle of Pelligrino (sparkling mineral water), making it possible for me to easily “stretch” the wine throughout the evening.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more food photos and updates. 

May your Sunday evening be entertaining as well.

Photo from one year ago today, November 3, 2018:

Mom and offspring cuddling during a nap in our garden. Note the oxpecker on mom’s head. For more photos, please click here.

Ship damage repaired…New York Harbor sail away…

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This photo illustrates how the gangway was jammed into the ship.

In six days, we’ll arrive in Fort Lauderdale. This has been a fantastic cruise for us. We’ve met many interesting people, enjoyed hours-long lively conversations, dined on excellent food, and as always, have had a fun and playful time together, often staying up well past midnight.

Not used to such late nights, every four nights or so, we try to get to bed a little earlier and “catch up” on sleep. “They,” say you can’t make up for lost sleep, but we both find ourselves rejuvenated and refreshed after a long night’s rest.

A crane was used to hook a cable to relieve tension on the jammed gangway to
extricate it from the ship.

Need I say, we’re having such a good time! I am feeling well, able to walk up and downstairs when the elevators are slow or packed, and each day I’m accumulating plenty of steps on my fitness device from frequently walking down the long hallways and walkways on the ship.

Today, we’re in Boston for a shorter layover than initially planned due to yesterday’s late departure from New York with the damage incurred to the ship from the jammed gangway, as illustrated in the photos.  

Finally, the ship was freed, and we were on our way, waving to the workers who assisted in the process.

Again, without warm clothing with us and the overly long walks required, neither of us had any interest in visiting the big city. We aren’t “city people,” and although we appreciate the many good aspects of big cities, we can’t push ourselves to tour them from the ship.

Besides, we don’t generally cruise to see big cities. We cruise for the convenience of getting from one location to another to avoid flying and for social interaction. 

“The Colgate Clock is an octagonal clock facing the Hudson River near Exchange Place in Jersey City, New Jersey. It has a diameter of 50 feet. It is currently situated 400 meters south of where the headquarters of consumer products conglomerate Colgate-Palmolive used to be sited before it left the area in 1985.”

We prefer to visit other countries on our own time and in our way, primarily by living in an area, among the locals and experiencing the full “flavor” of the location, its natural environment, its culture, and its people.

This particular cruise has fulfilled our expectations, and now with only six nights remaining until we arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, we look forward to the next leg of our journey, spending two months in the US visiting our family and friends.

Ellis Island…Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, within New York and New Jersey, containing a museum and former immigration inspection station of the same name. As the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 to 1954, it processed approximately 12 million immigrants to the United States through the Port of New York and New Jersey. Today, the island is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, a U.S. national monument. The north side of the island hosts a museum of immigration, accessible only by ferry. The island’s south side, including the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, is abandoned but accessible to the public through guided tours. In the 19th century, Ellis Island was the site of Fort Gibson, a component of the fortifications of New York Harbor. It later became a naval magazine for storing artillery. The first inspection station opened in 1892 and was destroyed by fire in 1897. The second station opened in 1900 and housed facilities for medical quarantines as well as processing immigrants. After 1924, Ellis Island was used primarily as a detention center; during World War I and World War II, its facilities were also used by the United States military. Following the immigration station’s closure, the buildings languished for several years until they partially reopened in 1976. The main building and adjacent structures were completely renovated in 1990.”
We have a lot to do while we’re in the US, including arranging for new passports, acquiring visas for India, replacing our driver’s licenses in Nevada, purchasing new laptops and phones, purchasing and replacing some of our clothing and supplies.
In addition, we’ll both have our teeth cleaned in Nevada, and I am planning to book an appointment for a heart check-up while in Minnesota or Nevada. We’ll see how that all rolls out.
As we sailed past the Statue of Liberty…The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The Statue of Liberty is a figure of Libertas, a robed Roman liberty goddess. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand, and in her left-hand carries, a tabula was inscribed in Roman numerals with “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. A broken shackle and chain lie at her feet as she walks forward, commemorating the recent national abolition of slavery.”

All of these tasks will occur amid spending quality time with our kids and grandkids, siblings, and friends. On top of that, right now, we are perusing options for the two months we’ll spend in India after the Maharajah Express train tour in early February. It will be a busy time.  

How the time flies! We can only pray for good health to continue our journey with the joy, freedom, and excitement we are feeling today.

May your life be filled with joy!

Photo from one year ago today, November 2, 2018:
A lioness and her kudu kill on the bank of the Crocodile River. For more photos, please click here.

An evening to remember…Our seventh world travel anniversary…Dinner and dancing…

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View of the Intrepid Museum from the ship.

We’re thrilled to be able to upload photos finally. As it turns out, we’re still at the Port of New York when high winds prevented us from sailing away last night as planned.

As a result of the high winds, while we’ve been stuck at the port overnight, one of the pier gangway ramps severely jammed inside the ship and is being repaired/removed. We definitely won’t be able to sail away for several more hours.

Clouds over the skyline.

We aren’t sure how this will impact the few remaining ports of call on this cruise’s itinerary. The captain will let us know once we’re on our way again sometime this afternoon.

As long as we arrive in Fort Lauderdale in time for our flight to Minnesota on November 8th, we don’t worry about the world. We’re continuing to spend time engaging in lively conversations with other cruise passengers and, of course, with one another.

The New York skyline on a cloudy day.

Last night, the celebration of our seventh world travel anniversary was very special. First, we had happy hour in the Sky Lounge on deck 14 with the same group of about ten people with whom we’ve mingled each evening.  

At about 7:00 pm, we wandered down to the Emsemble Bar, chatting with another lovely couple. At 8:00 pm, we made our way to Murano, the specialty restaurant where we had a fantastic meal with impeccable service. We have several photos yet to share from the meal, including finally, one of each of us.

An old Concord supersonic plane is on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, as seen from our ships in port.

After dinner, we returned to the Sky Lounge for the 10:00 pm “silent disco.” I can’t dance as long or as enthusiastically as I had in days past, but I do not doubt that my stamina will improve in time.  

We had a fabulous evening reminiscing over the past seven years, particularly regarding cruises since our first in January 2013 when we experienced our first foray through the Panama Canal. At this point, we’ve been through the canal twice, but who knows what the future holds?

Other aircraft on display at the Intrepid Museum include a Blackbird spy plane.

This cruise is our third transatlantic, and the crossing has been seamless with only a few short spurts of rough seas during the first six days at sea. 

The itinerary from here in New York to Boston, to Bermuda to Fort Lauderdale, should be relatively easy, providing we don’t encounter any unexpected storms along the way.

A peek of the Empire State Building.

Tomorrow, we’ll report what has transpired with the ship’s repairs and our ability to continue on the planned itinerary and hopefully upload more photos.

Thanks to Louise and Pamela for filling us in on this architecturally unique building in New York: VIA 57 West (marketed as VIΛ 57WEST) is the name of a residential building designed by the Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The pyramid-shaped tower block or “tetrahedron” rises 467 ft (142 m) and is 35 stories tall and is located on West 57th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. According to The New York Times, the name was chosen “because the southbound West Side Highway slopes down as drivers enter the city, right at the spot where the building is situated,” serving as an entrance to Manhattan “via 57th”.

Enjoy your Friday and weekend to come! 

Photo from one year ago today, November 1, 2018:
Lilies growing in the Crocodile River as seen in Kruger National Park. For more photos, please click here.

Our 7 year travel anniversary is today!…It seems s long ago…

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Due to WiFi issues while in port today, we are unable to upload any photos.  We will be back out to sea tomorrow and should have a better signal at that time. Thanks for your patience.

Seven years. It went quickly, more quickly than we ever imagined. When we started in 2012, we had no idea we’d still be traveling all these years later. After selling everything we owned, which was a huge commitment to stay on this path for the long haul, this in itself presented a huge degree of dedication.

It would have been ridiculous only to stay gone a year or two and then try to rebuild an entirely new life living in a condo somewhere in or outside of the US. The thought of having to buy furniture and household goods made us cringe then and still does today. 

Is it inevitable that we’ll eventually have to stop traveling? Sure. At some point, we’ll no longer have the health or stamina to continue. At this point, we prefer not to have to think about that.

We realize now that in the worst of circumstances, short of one of us eventually losing our “leasehold” on life, we won’t be able to haul one more heavy piece of luggage, sail on one more cruise ship, or fly on one more plane in a cramped seat. Those days will come.

But, now, after our big scare in February, we’re all the more determined than ever to continue. There is so much more we’ve yet to explore. In reality, we haven’t even put a dent in it with so much more ahead of us.

Today, we revel in this particular day, our seventh anniversary of total freedom to live life on our terms, where, when, and how we’d like based on the hopefulness of maintaining good health, a sense of well-being, and ongoing financial security.

Each of these conditions requires a degree of mindfulness and effort, but we do so with the utmost enthusiasm and zest for life. We each easily possess these qualities as we make our way through every day.

And today, we’ll celebrate this seventh anniversary in style…spending a leisurely day on the ship, preferring not to get off the ship in New York when it’s pouring rain, cold and cloudy.

Had we made plans, they may have been dashed due to the unexpected hours-long US immigration process. With happy-hour and tonight’s specialty dining reservation to celebrate our anniversary, we’d have had little time in the traffic-congested city to do much of anything.

Easily we avoid disembarking when we know full well that eventually, we’ll travel the US when most certainly New York will be included in that itinerary. Also, I’ve visited New York many times over the years and am not chomping at the bit to get out on this cloudy, rainy day, nor am I enthusiastic about tackling a tremendous amount of walking at this point.

Tomorrow, we’ll share photos from tonight’s activities and a memorable dinner. 

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 31, 2018:

An orange-breasted roller. For more photos, please click here.

Less than 24 hours until we’re on US soil as we celebrate life after 7 years of world travel….

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Bartenders were performing tricks at the Ice Bar.

It’s hard for us to fathom the idea that tomorrow on Halloween, October 31st, we’ll be stepping foot on US soil for the first time in 2 years, three months, which coincidentally, will be the seventh anniversary of the day we left Minnesota to begin our world travels.

For us, it’s a momentous day for many reasons, including the harsh reality of the struggles we experienced in the past year with the necessity of my having the triple coronary bypass surgery in February and the subsequent slow recovery.

Many often ask us, “What will you do if something bad happens?”  

Passengers were learning dance steps in the Centrum.

We have no home, no place to land, no belongings to settle into should such a situation arise. At the times of such questions, we’ve always replied, “We’ll figure it out.”

And…we did. We figured it out and, here we are 8½ months later, with me feeling well, albeit a little terrified at times when thinking about what transpired after being in the operating room four times in six weeks.

But, we must continue to face another harsh reality…that there’s no guaranty that I will be OK in the long run. Then again, no one has such a guaranty. Life doesn’t come with warranties and return policies.  

We “get what we get,” and none of us are exempt from those unpredictable situations whereby our lives are turned upside down by a single event. For now, we survived, and for this, we are more grateful than words can express here in a post written with the utmost candor and vulnerability.

Dancers are training passengers to perform dance steps.

We often surprise ourselves by how well we survived this trauma, how well we, as a couple, came out on the other side. Here we are on a cruise ship on its way back to the USA to see family and friends and to be reminded so close to this anniversary of how peaceful life can be.

Playfully, we’re enjoying every moment of this cruise, often finding ourselves laughing, dancing, and reminiscing over how much we’ve gained, how much we’ve learned, and how we’ve survived these fascinating, exciting and dangerous past seven years.

The future? Who knows? None of us knows. None of us can state emphatically that we’ll continue on any path we’ve chosen for the past years, months, or even days. Life will always be uncertain.

Tomorrow, our ship arrives in New York City. At this point, we may or may not get off the boat. Halloween festivities will create more traffic, more tourists, more hustle and bustle that, at this point, neither of us are much interesting in exploring.

The participants are having a great time learning dance steps.

The calm and peacefulness we’re experiencing during this highly pleasurable cruise could turn on its head if we threw ourselves into that tumultuous environment right now.  

Plus, I’ve only been able to walk well for the past six weeks. I don’t know if I’m ready to tackle as long a walk as required if we get off the ship. Our other option is a taxi to be potentially stuck in Manhattan traffic, a situation unappealing to either of us at this point.

We’ll see how it goes and what we feel like tomorrow. We have no one to please but ourselves, and as we’ve discovered during the past seven years, we aren’t “required” to do anything that doesn’t appeal to us at any given time.

Please check back tomorrow for our anniversary celebrations as we share highlights of this exquisite journey that we hope we’ll be blessed to carry on.

Have a safe and festive Halloween!

Photo from one year ago today, October 30, 2018:
Our friend Lois was feeding a large number of kudus who stopped by. She puts the pellets on the veranda’s edge to keep the helmeted guineafowl from taking them all. For more photos, please click here.

Too much fun…Little time to post…Not much in the way of photos today…

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Pumpkins and Halloween decor decorate the grand staircase.

It’s close to 4:00 pm, and I’ve yet to get to upload today’s post. Nor do we have any worthwhile photos. The only excuse I have is the fact that we are simply having too much fun. Plus, the fact my laptop battery only lasts for about one hour, and there are no outlets nearby any of the areas where we visit with people, posting is tricky right now.

We spent the entire morning and up until this afternoon with Carolyn and Fred in the Cafe al Bacio, sharing various travel stories and experiences, and we had a fantastic time.

We had the laptops in our possession but never got around to getting started on today’s post. Now, we’re back in our cabin with little time until we need to dress for dinner to head up to the Sky Lounge for happy hour at 5:00 pm.

If we don’t get up there on deck 14 early enough, we’ll never find a place to sit. The place is packed with enthusiastic passengers like ourselves, excited to share travel stories with new people they meet.

Tonight is the big Halloween party aboard the ship as we sail toward New York, arriving on our anniversary in two days. It will have been six days at sea to arrive in New York on the 31st with little opportunity to take many good photos.  

It’s a far cry from our previous three Atlantic crossings when we’ve experienced rough seas. Fortunately, neither of us suffers from seasickness regardless of the condition of the waters. But with all this fun, we may suffer from tiredness from the late nights and social activities.

We’re always amazed by how many people we meet during cruises.  We’re both making a point of attempting to remember the names of all the fine people we meet while traveling, but in this case, we’ve met so many, it can be not easy.  

Once again, tonight, we’ll dine in the main dining room with my special meals appropriately prepared, although they may be bland. Without the addition of sauces, many of the meats, chicken, and fish are relatively tasteless. 

Passengers were attending a dance class in the Grand Foyer.

But, for us, cruising isn’t about the food as much as the friendliness of other passengers, the excellent service, and the general ambiance of yet another cruise. On this particular cruise, we’ll remember the good meals we’ll have had in the two specialty restaurants, as illustrated in the posts of the past few days.

We’re enjoying this cruise considerably more than we did the Baltic cruise, which embarked on August 11th and ended on August 23rd. No doubt, the added enjoyment is a result of my feeling better and walking about the ship with ease and the opportunity to meet more passengers.  

Most days, I walk close to 10,000 steps, although we end up spending plenty of time sitting and yakking. It couldn’t be more fun. We haven’t attended a single show in the theater or participated in any classes or games. Even so, we find ourselves in a constant flurry of activity with the many new people we meet.

Sorry to be rushing through these past several posts. But we’ll have plenty of time to languish over future posts when we reach Minnesota in only nine days.

Thanks for all the positive email messages wishing us well as we rush through the cruise posts.

May your day be filled with lively conversation and interactions, as well!

Photo from one year ago today, October 29, 2018:
Her “friends” or family members on the opposite side of the road noticed her dilemma between nibbles on treetops. For more photos as to how this story unfolds, please click here.

Part 2…Two spectacular videos of a most exciting 3D dining experience…A flood in our cabin….

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Please watch this second video of our extraordinary experience in Qsine Restaurant.

Note: Please excuse the less-than-perfect photos all taken in the darkened dining room.  For more clarity, please watch today and tomorrow’s videos.

It’s Monday afternoon. We’re seated in Cafe al Bacio with another couple, the third couple of the day that has joined us at our table while I’ve attempted to post today’s story when I’m not distracted by the delightful conversation.

A digital preview of Tom’s dessert.

Since the onset of this cruise, we’ve had an excellent experience, which included a few nights where we’ve stayed up until 1:00 am or later. Subsequently, last night it caught up with me and I desperately needed an early night and by midnight we were sleeping.

There have been three changes since the onset of the cruise, all of which resulted in turning back the clock that “seemed” to help with an extra hour of sleep each night.  

Tom’s dessert.

On the dress-up night, Saturday, when we returned to our cabin at 1:00 am, a pipe broke in the toilet in the cabin, and water literally filled up the bathroom floor in a minute or two.

Between courses…

We immediately called guest relations to report it, pleading with them to hurry.  There was no way for us to turn off the water. In the 10 minutes it took for the plumber and cleaner to arrive at our cabin, the water escaped the bathroom and soaked the carpeting outside the door.

By the time the plumbing was repaired and the carpeting cleaned, it was 2:30 am.  After all the excitement, I couldn’t fall asleep. My fitness watched showed I’d slept two hours by morning, and I felt exhausted and beside myself.
Colorful displays…

Yesterday, I had a lazy and exhausting day. Mid-afternoon tried napping with no luck. Last night, I hadn’t fallen asleep until midnight but managed a total of six hours of sleep, feeling a lot better today.

Guest relations contacted us, apologetic for the inconvenience, and offered a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant. We’d already booked Halloween night, October 31st, the day of our seventh travel anniversary, for dinner in Murano Restaurant.  

It couldn’t have been a more delightful presentation.

This worked out perfectly for us…they pay for our anniversary dinner, priced at US $55 per person. I suppose in the realm of things. It didn’t turn out so badly after all. We’ll undoubtedly enjoy our comped dinner at this fine restaurant.

The tabletop is a plain white blank canvas, making such colorful presentations possible.

Tonight, we’ll dine in the main dining room, most likely seated with a new group of people, enjoying the fun chatter, among which seems to center around travel-related experiences.

Later in the evening, there’s a Queen (rock group) sing-along in the Sky Lounge, which we look forward to attending. We may dance a little as we had a few nights ago, good exercise for both of us.

We loved the polka dot display!

In a few days, we’ll arrive in New York. We’ve yet to decide what we’ll do in the Big Apple, but whatever it is, we’ll be sharing it with all of you here.

May your Monday be filled with insight and purpose. Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 28, 2018:

A young male kudu learns the ways of being so cute its impossible to resist giving him pellets.
For more photos, please click here.