Ostfriesland

 People ask Ian and me, what it is about Ponta Delgada that draws us back there every year.  It's hard to explain, but the answer is somewhat clearer to me, now that I have experienced this part of Germany which my cousin, Johanna, loves so dearly.

It is peaceful, peaceful and green.  The fields here are significantly ditched to draw away the water in this area which was formerly quite marshy.  There are cows and sheep everywhere, grazing in the fields and on the made-made dykes which hold back the North Sea in rough weather.  Their little hooves also serve to tramp down the dyke making more stable.  One can walk with them, but be sure to close the gates.

There is the ocean and the magic of watching the water move -- waves, tides, ripples.  And the interaction of the water and the land is fascinating.

There are harbours and boats of all shapes and sizes and purposes.  Some have site unique modifications that attest to the ingenuity of the years of seafarers.  

There are traditions of long standing importance to the local people, which connect them to the place they live.  The tea ceremony was needed for workers in the cold to have a break and warm up.  It happened easily 4 times a day.

There are green spaces and spectacular gardens -- the kind you almost weep over, they are so beautiful.  I have never experienced rhododendrons as I did today at the Hobbie Rhododendron Park, and the blossom season was just starting.  

There are museums and places of cultural significance.  We spent half a day at the Auswanderer Haus in Bremerhaven.  There was no record of our trip, but this where my family left Germany 72 years ago.  Looking at the harbour and seeing the displays  in the museum was quite emotional.

There is regional food, and it is always worth trying.  You understand what is important to the people of the area.

There are baked goods -- the kind for which you get up at 7 am and go to the bakery.

And then there is the most important thing -- the fact that you share the experiences with someone who is important to you.  Johanna has become a friend, not just a cousin, these past few years as I have visited with her in Vaihingen and travelled with her to southern Germany and now to the north.  She was delighted to show me this place that is so iclose to her heart, where she and her mother came many times for vacation.  That's like me, dragging Joanna all over Ponta Delgada 2 weeks ago because there was so much I wanted her to see -- and we did the same kind of things that Johanna and I did.

Having a place where you can truly relax, get away from the everyday responsibilities for a while, live simply, is a true blessing!

More trains

I have decided to do more train travel.

I am currently on the ICE from Hamburg to Bremen.  The seats are comfortable with a nice little tray table big enough for my laptop and my tea.  There is a good wifi connection.  Just two seats behind me there is a great luggage section.  The hum of the train is just a background sound.  The motion smooth.

There is a lot less hassle than getting on a plane.  There are many more options for travel in a day.  

The view is lovely.  Spring green is adorning most of the trees.  The fields are worked and ready for the growing season.  Forsythia and little fruit trees are blooming along the tracks.  

It is a Saturday morning and sitting in my area is a group of young guys who are headed for some kind of sporting event.  I don't know if they are playing or just going to be spectators, but the group is well behaved.  

I booked the ticket yesterday afternoon through the DB website and they give seniors' discounts.  

If I miss the connection in Bremen, I have a 12 minute window to get to the next train, I will just take the next one. Easy.

If I chose, there is a bistro car.  I could also have booked ahead for a bicycle.  

They will check my ticket, and I will need to show my passport to validate my senior fare.

It is a civilized way to travel.

Through new eyes

It is said that when one experiences familiar things with someone who sees them for the first time, it's like seeing them anew.  I have found that to be true when doing things with children and yesterday that extended to my big kid, who came to Ponta Delgada for the first time.

We  walked all over the city -- had to show my favourite parts.  We saw that the tree Ian and I like in a plaza is actually a pohutakawa tree as it was in bloom where it never is in February.  

The lava tubes were amazing with the heat glazed interior.

We enjoyed our burgers for lunch along with the Fanta Maracuja (passion fruit soda).

We checked out the pineapple plantation.

We checked out the temperature in the swimming area but as it was only 15.9 C, we just stuck our feet in.

Yes, we both agreed that the ship is a monstrosity, but as Joanna said, she is our montrosity!

Fifth day at sea.  I have no ill effects and even walking is natural now.  The rock and sway is fine -- like sitting in my basket chair.

We do our workouts -- Joanna runs and stretches and does her physio, I do my walking and then my resistance workouts with bands and weights.  The gym is well equipped and has not been too crowded.

We do our crafts -- Joanna is making progress on her diamond dots and my birds of paradise are taking shape.  There are some nice tables on deck 16, sheltered so our work doesn't fly away because outside it is quite windy, but with a great view to the ocean.  Yes, it looks the same all the time.  The navigation report at noon every day says that the waves are 2.5 m, but up there they seem like ripples.  We are going about 17 knots, that's about 31 kmph.

We have lost four hours so far, one each night for the past four.  So now we are all set for Ponta Delgada tomorrow.  Since the whole schedule goes with the time, there is no problem.

The shows are nice.  Last evening was the ABBA show with dancers and high energy.  Good music too!  Today we saw a sand artist.  That was unusual but she is extremely talented to be able to draw just with sand in her hands.

The staff does different things with the food.  Yesterday it was the German FruhSchoppen with really nice sausages, sauerkraut, salads and pretzels.  They made a baguette about 10 meters long and served everyone slices.  The desserts aren't my cup of tea, but I can enjoy cheese and fruit.  There is delicious gelato on the main level and it isn't even too costly.  Today was a rice festival, which we discovered after we had lunch and couldn't figure out why everything was rice.

Every deck has a composer associated with it.  We are on deck 10 -- Gershwin.  Coming down from 16, I always recite:  (Don't mind the baby, Peppa Pig goes).  Debussy, Marchionne, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Pagionne, Puccini, Gershwin.  And from us down to the main commercial/entertainment deck 6: (So we venture back) Strauss, Wagner, Verdi and Beethoven.  

I don't plan to go to the main show this evening -- another show by the juggling/equilibrium guy, but they are playing Twisters on the big screen by the pool  F1 was great there a few nights ago.

The temperature is getting cooler every day, both air and sea.  We started with sea temp at 27 and are now down to 22.  I will swim in Ponta Delgada if it is 20 or above.

We are doing well!

MSC Virtuosa

 MSC stands for Mediterranean Steamship Company and it was founded back in 1970 by an Italian gentleman who did cargo.  Lucky for us, they expanded into cruises in 1995 with first buying ships from other companies, but now building its own large ships.  Virtuosa was christened by Sophia Loren in 2021.  She is just over 300 m long and can accommodate 6000 passengers and 1700 crew.  As this is a repositioning cruise, we only have 2500 guests, which still seems busy and makes me wonder how a full ship functions.

Thinking that I would be alone, I booked an inside stateroom which turns out to still be fine for the two of us.  Without a window, we have no idea as to time of day, but that does not distress us.  If one gets up early, we just take a key card and head out.  The gym is 24 hours and the outdoor walking track is always open too.  This morning as there was a light sprinkle, I started in the gym and then went outside to walk when the weather cleared.  

We have an early supper seating at a private table in the main restaurant, Minuetto. But sometimes, we go to the buffet restaurant instead.  The buffet is our preferred breakfast/brunch/lunch place also.  The selection is vast and the quality of the items, generally good.  

There are indoor and outdoor tables for sitting and working on a computer, reading, doing handicrafts.  I have my bird-of-paradise stitching and Joanna has brought along an iris diamond dots.  We are not the only ladies with crafts.  

In addition, there are plenty of activities -- all kinds of yoga and exercise, dancing, artistic crafts, games and competitions.  I won the Sudoku challenge yesterday and have a set of MSC playing cards to remember my victory.  There are several hot tubs, indoor and outdoor pools which act like wave pools with the motion of the ship.  There are 3 water slides -- fun but not too crazy.  There are ping pong tables that attract young and old.  Downstairs there are video games, a VR race activity, a casino and a whole street of shopping -- care for a 14,500 euro watch? There are 2 theaters and more intimate clubs for live music.  I plan to go and watch a movie on a huge screen under the stars.

The ship tries to have something to appeal to everyone and there is a very diverse group of passengers speaking many different languages.  Announcements are usually given in English, French and German, but the MC at the shows does his spiel in about 5 languages.  He says it's because he had girlfriends all around the world.

The ship is kept sparking and gleaming.  There are mirrors everywhere, and even a Swarovski staircase.  People are cleaning all the time.  The ship has a music theme, so all the floors have composer names as well as deck numbers. 

I imagine that one of the fancier rooms would have more storage capacity, but we are OK.  There are many add-on activities one could purchase, but we amuse ourselves.  The specialty restaurants are probably amazing, but we are happy with the food.  

All in all, it's a great trip with the best part being that Joanna is here with me!

Last of the Land

 So this afternoon as we got back on the ship, Joanna said goodbye to the land.  We now have 5 days at sea.

The island hopping of the last two days has been quite an eye-opener.  To our brief visits, it seems that St. Maarten is the most prosperous of the three, and Guadeloupe probably the poorest. This is based on the areas that we stayed or visited, which, of course, were not a true cross-section.  

On Guadeloupe yesterday we made our way to the Aquarium.  Yes, it was open on Easter Sunday, one of the only places that was, and despite some less than positive reviews, we taxied over there for what we thought would be probably a 45 minute visit.  But the place delightfully surprised us.  Embracing the available technology, they have an app to download which then serves as both a guide and information source for the facility -- in numerous languages.  The tanks are not huge, but well designed to showcase the different marine habitats and their inhabitants.  There is some history thrown in and lots of concern and actions for maintaining the biodiversity of the surrounding ocean.  We saw species we had not seen before and marveled close-up with many that we already knew. We plan to give the place a great review!

Today both of us took one of the ship's excursions.  We both ended at the same nature area, but Joanna did the zip lines and the tube ride.  I stayed safely in the gondola.  The view was magnificent, including the airport where the planes come in right over the beach.

And we both started our 'work' for the trip.  Joanna has a diamond dot and I am continuing  on my stitching.  The ship has a swaying motion, not too violent, but noticeable.  We shall see if we would have made good sailors.

Bucket List

In 2007, there was a movie called Bucket List about  two terminally ill guys who leave the cancer ward and have a bunch of adventures that they have always wanted.  No terminal illness here, but the idea that 'life is finite and if there are things that you want to do, you should do them now' is something that many people in my age group are thinking about.  I have not made a formal list, but there are some things that I have wanted to do for a long time and I should get on them.

In the spring of 1954, my parents, along with their 2.5 yr, 1.5 yr and 0.5 yr children, crossed the Atlantic on the Arosa Kulm, leaving from Bremerhaven and arriving in Halifax.  I have the paperwork to show I was the 2.5 yr child that came with them.  For many years now, I have wanted to make that return journey on a ship.  Travel insurance becomes very expensive after 75, so now was the time.  Scouring the internet, with the criteria of arriving in Germany and no leaving out of the US, I found a cruise on the MSC Virtuosa leaving Fort de France, Martinique and ending up in Hamburg, Germany 13 days later.  We stop in Guadeloupe, St. Martin and Ponta Delgada for a day each time, but the rest of the voyage is the open ocean.  

Last fall when I made the decision to book this trip, I asked around to various friends and family members to see if anyone wanted to make the voyage with me.  There were no takers, especially not Ian who gets seasick!  So I paid the single supplement and made the booking.  Then in February, Joanna's work situation changed drastically and when I laughingly suggested that she could go across the ocean with me, she considered and a few days later, said yes.  So we changed the booking and yesterday we took an early flight from Toronto to Montreal, where we connected with a flight to Martinique.  I don't travel on the day that the cruise starts -- asking for trouble with delayed planes and lost luggage.  We spent last night in a basic hotel on the waterfront, close enough to the cruise terminal to walk, and at noon today we were in the line for processing our embarkation.  And here we are in our very nicely appointed cabin, relaxing after checking in at the emergency muster station and having a lovely lunch from a buffet which had everything you could want.  We have unpacked and are relaxing.

All aboard for an adventure!