Santander, Spain

​June 29 & 30
 
Before lunch we received notification that in preparation for our arrival to the United Kingdom to turn in our passports to the reception desk by 6:00 pm yesterday. When I turned them in, I said, “please tuck them in so they don’t go astray.” LOL.
 
We had another first since the 2020 World Cruise. We couldn’t sit outside at Marketplace since it was rather windy. We were going to have lunch in the suite but as we walked towards the Trident Grill, we spotted large tables and realized we could sit there as we felt there was a lot of distance to other tables, so we had lunch there with friends Andrea and David. We take precautions given Anne Marie’s compromised immune system, and this worked great. This is another benefit of a ship the size of Serenity originally sized for 1,000+ guests but with a much lower capacity when staterooms were removed and replaced with larger suites.

Maybe another first for walking only inside the ship happened yesterday for Keith. Given yesterday’s weather we couldn’t walk outside so all the walking we got in was inside the ship other than for a minute on the pool deck. A lot of my walking was himself, with Anne Marie, with Anne Marie and Andrea and with Andrea as well as walks up and down the stairways at different times of the day. A great place for us to walk is on Deck 6 which has several public areas. Also, on Deck 7 on the side that has no guest rooms. Keith ended up walking over eleven miles inside the ship and close to 28,000 steps. Anne Marie did very well with her walks too.

​Last evening was Formal Night and was the Captain’s Reception & Crystal Society Party hosted by Captain Vincent Taillart and Future Cruise & Loyalty Managers Maria Lopez & Andrew Triplow.

After about 30 minutes of dancing to live music and conversations, Captain Vincent gave a warm welcome to the guests, spoke about Crystal and the fleet, gave some background about himself, covered the upcoming ports and introduced the senior officers of Crystal Serenity
 
He then introduced Maria Lopez. She mentioned the number of first-time cruisers on this voyage and mentioned those who have significant milestones and those on the sailing that have the highest milestones which are based on the number of cruises and length of each one when the latter change was made around 10+ years ago.

 
We were recognized by Maria as we were celebrating yet another new Crystal Society Milestone on this sailing. Maria also shared a short biography about us including when we began cruising with Crystal, our favorite destinations and what we most like about sailing with Crystal.
 
Dinner was back in Waterside and is always special on a Formal Night. We were joined for dinner by Crystal & Loyalty Managers Maria Lopez & Andrew Triplow and enjoyed a lovely dinner.Maria and Andrew are such nice and caring people and do an exceptional job in their positions.

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Another start of the morning with walks.
​Keith went first.

​It was windy but far less than yesterday so Keith was able to walk outside the entire time.
 

Today's Daily Refection Program.

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​Today we arrived at Santander, Spain. Santander has been a port city since agent times, according to legend. It has a population today of close to 175,000 inhabitants. 
 
Its old town, beach and other attractions are popular with tourists and other visitors, and the driver of its economy is hospitality services. It has a very active port including a ferry service to the United Kingdom. Fish and seafood dominate local cuisine.
For beach lovers Santander has long golden beaches. Other might enjoy the Belle Epoque mansions, beautiful parks and the promenade along the waterfront called Paseo de Pereda.
 
Major attractions include:
 
Catedral De La Asuncion a cathedral comprised of two Gothic churches.
 
Museum of Prehistory & Archaeology which contains 1,200 ojbects.
 
Placio De La Magdalena a palace completed in 1912 as a summer residence for the royal family.
 
Museo Maritomo Del Cantabrico which is a maritime museum.
 
El Sardinero which is considered to be on of northern Spain’s most elegant resort destinations.
 
Centro Botin which is set on the waterfront which has various cultural activities and rotating art exhibits.
 
Crystal offered five shore excursions in the morning and one in the afternoon including a visit to Bilbao including the Guggenheim Museum, Wine Tasting, visits to Santillana, Santander Bay sailing and a walking tour of Santander including Tapas.
 
Downtown Santander is within walking distance of the ship and that is precisely what Keith did enjoying a stroll around town including the promenade. It was delightful. 
 

We are enjoying the rest of the day on-board Crystal Serenity.
​
Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith