LAST DAY AT SEA OF WORLD CRUISE 2019 & WELCOME TO MONTE CARLO ALL WRAPPED IN ONE Catherine, usually if we dine with an officer or senior member of the crew we invite them for dinner. On occasion we have been asked to dine with a Senior Officer. Mike, so glad to hear that you have been enjoying our blog. Wishing you and Jen safe travels to Barcelona and an amazing cruise. Last evening we had a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Plaza. We sat with friend Pat and enjoyed a lovely conversation. These are the dining menus from Waterside. We returned to Waterside for dinner and enjoyed three courses. Keith had had the Beet Root Cured Salmon appetizer and Anne Marie had Chicken Consomme. The Cured Salmon was from the Modern Cuisine Menu and had innovative ingredients and was very tasty. We both had Baby Green Salad and the Mediterranean Seabass Fillet. The Seabass almost looked similar to Branzino for those of you who are familiar with that seafood. The Red Wine was a Shiraz. It is from South Africa and brought on board when we were docked at Cape Town. It has been a very popular wine and the ship is almost out of it. Keith normally does not have a Shiraz but has enjoyed this one. The evening entertainment featured the talented Jacqui Scott who we have seen on several Crystal Cruises. She has a very talented vocalist. We left Barcelona at 10:00 PM and are now sailing to Monte Carlo. We slept well and began our day as we always do. This included a workout at the Fitness Center for Keith followed by coffee and breakfast in our room. While the seas are not too choppy for us one can feel the motion and on Deck 7 where the Promenade Deck is located one can hear the howling of the wind. Keith had a personal training class with Melanie. Melanie worked Keith hard with lots of non-stop exercise. The sea swells were more evident at the Fitness Center since it is located on Deck 13. Anne Marie began her walk inside the shop until Keith joined her after his workout. The ship was pretty quiet as we walked from 8:00 to 9:00 AM. A few people were having coffee at The Bistro and one other guest was walking Deck 6 as we were. After our walk, Anne Marie picked up a cup of coffee from The Bistro to take back to the room and Keith picked up our Passports from the Reception Desk. Although we will remain on-board after the World Cruise our passports will not longer be needed by the Crystal Cruises clearance personnel since we are sailing the Mediterranean. With a 4:00 PM arrival time to Monte Carlo this was pretty much a sea day for everyone. The program included one lecture. Ken Rees spoke about Monte Carlo including its history and things to do. This will be Ken's last lecture of the World Cruise. With such a talented group of speakers in lieu of having a second morning lecture Cruise Director Rick organized a question and answer session with Ambassador Tony Leon, Ambassador Marc Ginsburg, Ambassador Adam Erelli and Tom DeFrank and Eugene Robinson. This provided the guests with a wonderful opportunity to drive the topics of discussion through questions. Unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate. Between the rain, wind gusts and cold it was not possible to play Paddle Tennis today. Keith was looking forward to trying out his new Paddle Tennis Racquet as well as playing with those guests leaving the ship on Monday morning such as Cindy, Bill, Steve and his wife Denise Paddle Tennis for the final time of the World Cruise. The good news is that Keith will continue playing until it is our time to leave Serenity. As they say until we meet again. We enjoyed lunch at Marketplace and made our own Salad Entrees. A few photos right before the buffet opened. We are sepnding the afternoon speaking with fellow guests and members of Team Serenity. We also read and wrote and got organized for tomorrow and for the upcoming cruise. Following is today's daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie and Keith
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WELCOME TO BARCELONA Last evening we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Plaza. The attire was Black Tie (BTO) Optional. The Crystal Plaza and Crystal Cove were both busy between guests having a drink and listening to the Yamaha Piano Instructor perform and guests who will be disembarking in the next few days stopping by to speak with the Concierge and/or front desk personnel about final on-board details. The regular dinner menus from Waterside. We enjoyed dinner at Waterside and it featured a special menu as the World Cruise is shortly coming to a close. We were joined by Cruise Director Rick. Keith had Caviar for his appetizer and it was served with traditional condiments along with Melba Toast and Buckwheat Blinis while Anne Marie enjoyed soup. We enjoyed salad for our next course. There were seven entrees to choose from including Charteaubriand, Coq Au Vin and Poached Canadian Lobster Tail. We both went with the Lobster Tail. We also enjoyed poured by Sommelier Donovan. The evening entertainment featured two performances by the amazing Maestro Hector Olivera. Hector has been playing the organ starting at a very young age and we are very fortunate to have someone of his caliber performing on-board. He performs exclusively on Serenity one or two times a year as his organ is kept on board. Unlike most other instruments it would not be practical to bring on board an organ each time he performs. We slept very well as we sailed to Barcelona. The seas were calm. We began the day as we always do with an early morning workout for Keith followed by coffee and breakfast in our room. We got ready to visit Barcelona a city we have visited many times including last October. Barcelona has a population of 1.7 million people. Highlights include: La Sagrada Familia which is a large Roman Catholic Church designed by Saudi. Parc Guell which was commissioned by Eusebi Guell who created stylish park. Museu Picasso which is the most visited museum in all of Barcelona and displays Picasso's works of art. Las Ramblas which is a tree-lined pedestrian boulevard which includes statues, cafes, stores, restaurants and other venues. Ciutat Vellas which means old city and is the oldest district of Barcelona. Museu d'Art Contemporani which was opened to the public in 1995 and contains 5,000 works of art. There are two major passenger cruise ship facilities. One is downtown near Las Rambles at the World Trade Center used by the smaller cruise ships. The one where Serenity is docked is located about one mile from the downtown centre and is used by the larger ships. This facility is Moll Adossat. We took the complimentary shuttle over to the area near Las Rambles. We last visited Barcelona last October and as we have done in the past toured the city. This time around our mission was to look for another Paddle Tennis Racquet for Keith and to visit some specific sites. Mission accomplished.LOL. We returned to a a shop which we visited in 2015 called Decathlon Ciutat Vella. Paddle Tennis is popular in this city and Spain which makes this city a good location to find a large assortment of Paddle Tennis Racquets. We purchased a racquet for Keith and picked up two items; one each for two members of Team Serenity who Keith plays Paddle Tennis with. We walked Las Rambles, visited some sites and also spent time at Mercado de La Boqueria which is a large public market. On our first visit to Barcelona with our family in 2008 we visited this market and we were very impressed with the variety and volume of items sold there. Since that time we have visited the market on other occasions. They sell salads and fruits. The size and color of the strawberries were amazing. They have a large seafood section, several butchers, poultry, cheese, olives, spices and places where you can eat. The aroma from the bread and pastries made us hungry. The streets were fairly crowded. Many school age children were escorted by adults and various venues including the theatre. Lots of tourists and locals were all out and about. Although on the cooler side this is a marvelous time of the year to visit to avoid the hot/humidity of the summer months. We were not alone. Several cruise ships are in port. This includes one Regent ship docked at the downtown terminal along with ships docked with us include a Costa, MSC and one other cruise ship. We had pre-ordered lunch for our room since we were not sure what time we would arrive back to the ship. We are enjoying the rest of the afternoon on-board Crystal Serenity. is the daily Reflections program from today. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith ON THE ROAD AGAIN TO BARCELONA, SPAIN Barb thank you very much for your comments. We are glad you are enjoying our Blog and appreciate your feedback and your comments about World Cruise 2015. We had mentioned at yesterday's viewing of the World Cruise Video, World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston read a poem that she wrote to describe the World Cruise and we thought we would post it here. It is based on the title of the World Cruise; GRAND CONTINENTAL ODYSSEY It goes like this: Gis for Globetrotting and Gallivanting around the Globe Ris for Roughing it, Reading and Relaxing in your Robes Ais for the Awesome Atlantic and All the oceans and seas Nis Never worrying about our path and a Nice feeling of peace Dis for the Deserts and Dunes in West Africa we explored Cis for Cruising from California with stops in Cape Town, Cape Verde, & oh so much more Ois for Our Captain, Our Outstanding leader. He’s the BEST! Nis for Nudging him just a bit to talk a little less Tis for Travel, Tours and excursions in all the ports Iis for the many Islands we spent time on…well AscensionIsland was a little short Nis for NEVER being bored and the NON Stop activities galore Eis for Exciting Entertainment, Enrichment, Events and so much more N is for the Naps you Needed to keep up with the Never ending spree Tis for noontime Trivia which seems like Torture to you…and especially me! Ais for ALL the food And drinks. We may go home Alittle fatter. Lis for what your Legs felt Like after attempting Jacob’s Ladder Ois for Open hearts and minds as we experienced each place along the sea Dis for Dakar, your Donations and your generosity Yis for this Year 2019 we’ve begun with a fabulous World Cruise… Sis for the Shows, Supper Club, Bistro Snacks, Specialty Restaurants…and let’s not forget the booz! Sis for our Spectacular crew who kept us Safe, looked after, entertained and fed E is for Each and Every day we didn’t have to make our bed Yis for Your family and friends who miss You and who You miss when you roam But, certainly, Sif for our Stunning Serenity, your Crystal family and our home-away-from-home Before we went for a drink Keith stopped by the reception desk and then went by to speak with Future Cruise Consultant Paula Jean. A minute later former Future Cruise Sales Consultant Nikki Andrew came to the desk as she will be here the next few days to assist Paul Jean with bookings. It was so nice to see Nikki who we have known for many years. Two wonderful people. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at Palm Court. Mel took excellent care of us. These are the dinner menus from Waterside. We dined at Umi Uma for the second time of this long segment. We enjoy the cuisine at Umi Uma very much, however, we try not to dine there too often. This is because we consider the food to be very special and we want to look forward to the overall experience including the cuisine. The food served at Umi Uma is based on the partnership that Crystal Cruises has with Nobuyuk "Nobu" Matsushisa. The cuisine is known for its innovative blend of classic Japanese Cuisine foods with its Peruvian and European influences. The Crystal Ships are the only vessels that serve Nobu cuisine. Nobu has forty-six restaurants on land located around the world. We enjoyed wonderful cuisine, in a beautiful dining venue with the superb service provided by the wonderful Umi Uma waitstaff team. We were welcomed to Umi Umi by Head Waiter Sigi and by Ruel who will be the relief Head Waiter when Sigi goes on Holiday which starts at the end of the World Cruise. Congratulations Ruel. Waiter Anthony took good care of us. Since Serenity was in Malaga until midnight and with the 1:00 PM arrival Umi Uma was fairly quiet last evening. It had reservations for about half the usual number. It meant more time to talk with the waitstaff between courses. We began the meal with an array of Nobu appetizers including sashimi, sushi and various special items. We both had salad; Anne Marie had a Scallop Salad for the very first time and Keith tried the additional item which was a Salmon Skin Salad. Our entrees were Hot Soba Noodles with some Scallops for Keith and Wagyu Steak for Anne Marie. We slept well last evening. Crystal Serenity departed Malaga at midnight and sailing to our next port of call of Barcelona, Spain. We began the day as we normally do with an early morning workout for Keith followed by coffee and breakfast at our room. Our exercise continued with personal training for Anne Marie. Keith came up to the Fitness Center for most of Anne Marie's workout and began indoor cycling on his own before the cycling class began. Charlotte taught the class. Only five bikes were in use with some of the regulars not attending the final spin class of the World Cruise. Keith ended getting in 100 minutes of spinning between his workout before and during class. Anne Marie walked inside the ship while Keith was taking the indoor cycling class. Today is our last full day at sea of the World Cruise although we will have another partial sea day with a 4:00 PM arrival to Monte Carlo on Saturday. There was lots on the daily program with 50+ enrichment and other related programs available. There were three lectures: Ken Rees spoke about Barcelona including its history and things to do and see. Ambassador Marc Ginsberg spoke about the situation in Venezuela and the struggle for power between Maduro and Guaido. In the afternoon David Drewry spoke about the challenge with all of the trash in the ocean and the issues that it causes. In the morning Keith also played Paddle Tennis. It was windy and a bit chilly. First Keith played with one fellow guest and was wondering if others would come up. About 30 minutes later two people came up and a few minutes after that three more people so we have both courts in use. Keith has met a lot of people by playing Paddle Tennis. We enjoyed lunch at Waterside. After lunch Keith played more Paddle Tennis while Anne Marie walked. We also read and wrote and got organized for our next port of call in Barcelona. We continue to have an amazing time on Crystal Serenity. The days go by quickly and words cannot always describe how much we are enjoying the experience. Following is todays' daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith WELCOME TO MALAGA, SPAIN Pat...Thank you for your comments. I will be sure to ask about the item you mentioned about lecturers the next time I see the person responsible for the program. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Plaza. Shortly before dinner we listened to the World Cruise Choir perform. The Choir on this World Cruise has been amazing. We have been impressed with the number of songs they have performed on each segment, how well they have sung them and the number of participants. One of the guests gave a short and moving speech thanking Pastor Ed for leading this effort. Anyone can participate whether you are on for one, multi or all segments. They sang four songs last evening. Kudos to Pastor Ed, his lovely wife Ruth, Pianist Richard, and for the support from Cruise Director Rick and Assistant Cruise Director Rafael. We have included a couple of video clips. One is of a song that is very sentimental and dear for many of us. It is titled "What A Wonderful World". This song is played when the Crystal ships leave a port. When we hear it played whether at sea or on land we think of all of the memories we have made from each of our Crystal Cruises sailings. It is a wonderful world. These are the dinner menus from Waterside where we ate. We dined at Waterside and had three courses. We began with the Warm White Asparagus Seafood Salad which was amazing. We each had salads. The night before Head Waiter Augusto showed us this evening's menu and we decided to special order Salmon. Salmon is an item you can get even if it is not on the menu at the time you place your order but we thought it would make it easier to special order it. We were enjoying the meal so much we only took a photo of the salad. LOL. We did remember to take a photo of the rest of the Caymus Wine though. LOL. The evening entertainment featured Italian Vocalist Marco Romano who performed twice at 7:45 and 9:30 PM. The only downside to the evening was forwarding the locks by one hour for the final time of this World Cruise. We began our day as we always do. You know the routine by now. A workout for Keith at the Fitness Center followed by coffee and breakfast in our room. After breakfast we walked inside the ship. Shortly before 8:00 AM we transited the strait of Gibraltar. We've included a photo. There was a lot of activities on the schedule. The morning included several activities including two lectures. Ambassador Adam Ereli spoke about Saudi Arabia and the Pivotal Middle Kingdom and Tom DeFrank spoke about Presidential Stories which never made it to print. At 10:30 AM we were shown the preliminary World Cruise Video. On our last night we will receive a thumb drive of the final video. It was terrific and sentmentai. The video is created by the very talented Jeff Walters. It combines terrific footage and music at a good clip. As we watched the video we were reminded of all of the special places we visited during the World Cruise, all of the special events and the very talented team of entertainers and enrichment personnel. Thank you Jeff Walters. You have produced another wonderful video which will allow the World Cruisers to share it with family and friends and also relive the World Cruise for many years to come. Before the video was shown Cruise Director Rick and World Cruise Hostess Stacey kicked off the session. Rick gave a nice overview and Stacey read a beautiful poem which she wrote to describe this amazing adventure. At the conclusion of the video many from the outstanding Crystal Crew came into the theatre to the song of We Are Family. Indeed each time we sail on-board Crystal Cruises we are sailing with our extended family and a World Cruise reenforces this. Following the video we enjoyed lunch at Marketplace. We spoke with Ruel who we have known for many years. He will be swinging back and forth between waiter and head waiter in Umi Uma providing the relief when head waiter Sigi goes on Holiday. For the next few days at lunch he is performing head waiter responsibilities along with Sigi and the other head waiters who work there during lunch and breakfast. Congratulations Ruel. We arrived to Malaga, Spain at the scheduled time of 1:00 PM. Malaga is located in Southern Spain and has a population of 600,000. It is the sixth largest city of Spain. Highlights include: Museo Picasso Malaga a museum which opened in 2003 and has 285 works donated by the Picasso family. Gibralfaro; the castle was built in 929 CE by And-al-Rahman III. Alcazaba Fortress which was build by the Hammundid dynasty in the early 11th century. Catedral de la Encarnacion which is a Roman Catholic Church built in Renaissance Architecture. It was constructed over a long period between 1528 and 1782. Centro de Arte Contemporanco is a modern art museum. With a 1:00 PM arrival to this city and having visited here last October while on the three back-to-back Crystal Serenity Mediterranean voyages and having first visited here on World Cruise 2007 we decided to stay on the ship. After Keith played Paddle Tennis and we walked together outside and inside the ship we stopped by The Bistro so Anne Marie could get a French Press Coffee. Once the coffee is poured the process takes five minutes and it is timed with and hourglass. Following is todays daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith ON THE ROAD TO MALAGA, SPAIN Emily we did seem to surprise some people with the late night and pizza. Maybe we should do it for real. LOL. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Plaza. These are the dinner menus from Waterside where we dined last evening. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Waterside. We began with appetizers of Sautéed Tiger Prawns for both of us. Our second course was salad. Keith had the Pan-Seared Covina and Anne Marie had Veal Scallopini Pizzaiola. We also enjoyed a Caymus Cabernet which Donovan decanted for us. Two different shows were performed last evening. This included two showings of Crystal On Broadway "The Show" performed in the Galaxy Lounge at 7:45 and 9:30 PM. The other shows was Cabaret Showtime with Rock 'n' Roll Pianist Brett Cave performed at 8:45 and 10:30 PM at the Stardust Club. The Crystal Cove featured live music by Pianist Richard Pucci, music by Richard Pucci and Violinist Irina Gukova, Carlos Rayan preforming solo on the Guitar and music and song by Ana & Humberto. This took place between 5:15 PM and 12:00 Midnight. There was live music and dancing at the Palm Court and the Avenue Saloon featured Pianist Dan Davies. DJ Emotion hosted music trivia at Pulse from 10:00 to 11 PM and a late night dance party starting at 11:00 PM until late in the evening. The featured movie, A Quiet Place was shown on the full screen at 8:00 and 10:15 PM. The quality and quantity of quality of entertainment has been amazing. We slept well as we are sailing to our next port of call of Malaga, Spain. Thankfully we didn't forward the clock again but that comes soon. When we returned to the room there was a lovely letter from World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston with lots of information for the final days of the World Cruise along with a gift for each of us. The gift is a fold-and-go, wireless, noise-canceling headphones which will come in handy for our upcoming flights. Wonderful. Keith had another personal training workout with Fitness Director Melanie. We have really enjoyed these workouts. Following the workout he met up with Anne Marie and we walked inside the ship. We are enjoying another terrific day on-board Crystal Serenity. In the morning we participated in a behind the scenes tour for those on the full World Cruise. We have done this several times and it provides a nice opportunity to see the crew areas of the ship. We were divided into groups of 10 people and escorted by two of the Crystal Ensemble of Dancers. We visited: Engine Room, Officer Bar, Officer Mess, Crew Bar, Crew Mess, Laundry Area, Florist, Tailor, Uniform Room, Printing Room, Offices of Food & Beverage Manager, Shore Excursion, Concierge, Hotel Director, Assistant Hotel Director, Sommelier, Bar Manager, Operator, Front Office Manager, Conference Area along with several other areas. We saw the maze of hallways including the major corridor known as the highway along with an area that we are familiar with where we get the tenders known as Times Square as other crew corridors intersect this area. As many times as we have done the tour there is always something new to see and learn. We appreciate team Serenity organizing this tour as it required many members from the team being there for the actual tour. 1The morning also included a second Ocean Views of this segment. It featured Pulitzer Award Winner Eugene Robinson, Ambassador Tony Leon, Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, Writer Tom DeFrank and moderator Ken Rees. As mentioned, questions are asked by Ken Rees and the audience votes before and after each items is discussed by the panel. Questions asked before the discussion included: How do you rate your national politicians? Doing a Good Job 16 They are Letting People Down 110 All are as bad as each other 70 I Regard Myself Leaning The Right 57 The Left 46 The Center 111 First Topic: What are we going to do with the thousands of captured ISIS prisoners who are in custody? They should be back to countries where they are citizens and face trial 47 Leave them are in desert camps 27 Send them to an island prison for the rest of their lives 129 Ambassador Ginsberg said send them to an island for the rest of their lives. Eugene Robinson said maybe send them to an island but have a process to deal with those who repent. Tom DeFrank said he was somewhere in between the Ambassador and Eugene and definitely not to send them for their home country for trial. Ambassador Leon said there needs to be an international approach to this but also an approach that takes into account the rule of the law and find a way to bridge those who are radicalized for life with those who become deradicalization. We are including the summary of this discussion to this question but not for the other ones Answers after discussion. They should be back to countries where they are citizens and face trial 28 Leave them are in desert camps 24 Send them to an island prison for the rest of their lives 151 What should we do about Global Migration First question related to the USA I agree the Mexican border wall is necessary 51 The wall is not going to stop illegal immigrants 153 Second question related to not just USA but other countries who deal with this such as the United Kingdom. Immigration Can help us but must be very tightly controlled. 110 We must keep our doors open to the desperate and needy 44 Illegal immigration must be stopped – using force if necessary 47 Results after discussion: (NOTE: The discussion ended up mainly focusing on the USA border.) Immigration Can help us but must be very tightly controlled. 132 We must keep our doors open to the desperate and needy 41 Illegal immigration must be stopped – using force if necessary 37 Venezuela I think President Trump did the right thing recognizing the opposition leader 80 We should stay out of the issue 111 Follow-up question We should take military action to support the opposition leader. 49 Try talking to President Maduro, not threatening him105 Results after discussion: We should take military action to support the opposition leader. 19 Try talking to President Maduro, not threatening him 146 The afternoon featured a talk given by Professor David Drewry about whether or not our climate is changing and the evidence we have learned from Africa. We enjoyed lunch at at Waterside. In the afternoon Keith played Paddle Tennis, Anne Marie walked. It was windy outside making for very interesting games. As we post we are enjoying another wonderful afternoon on Crystal Serenity. The following is the daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith WELCOME TO SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA, CANARY ISLANDS We enjoyed a wonderful time on Crystal Serenity last evening. We skipped dinner, went to the Avenue Saloon until 11:00 PM, went to Pulse for Karaoke and stayed there for to Disco. When we got back to our room we ordered Pizza from room service. Well.........That didn't happen. After all today is April 1 and April Fools Day. So, let us begin with what did happen starting late yesterday afternoon. After posting we watched the talk given by Eugene Robinson called Real News, Fake News, No News. He began by saying that at around the time he was hired at the Washington Post in 1980 as a news writer that another reporter was hired. She wrote a story about a boy and the issues he and his family were going through and won a Pulitzer for the writings. Before she received the award the post did some additional research on her and learned that her resume was all made up and learned that she had made up the entire story. He said that was fake news. He contrasted this with some examples from today. One is that there are individuals writing stories on social media and how some of the stories are made up but have an impact when they are believed as fact. He gave an example of someone writing that Michele Obama and Chelsea Clinton attended a speech given by Trump and gave him the finger. It was all made up. He also gave an example where someone was feeding the Post wrong made up information hoping that the Post would publish it and then they could say that the newspaper publishes fake news. Thankfully the Post researched the information provided and determined that it was made up and didn’t publish the story. He went on to speak about the importance of writing factual information and the impact if the public stops believing in the news coverage and thinking it is all fake. None of this is good for our Democracy. He also spoke about newspapers and how many have limited staff and no longer can fully cover state issues. He mentioned that with cutbacks if the local papers have to make a choice they will fund staffing to cover local issues but not states issues and the down-side when that happens. He did say there is still hope and pointed to the Texas Tribune for their coverage but to keep this alive it requires donations from people similar to what PBS requires to keep vibrant local and state coverage. One of the takeaways is that we have to stay vigilant and use good sources for our new and to support local and state newspapers. The other takeaway is that being informed and having a good investigative journalism is essential to a strong democracy We began last evening with a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Plaza. These are the menus from Prego Originally we were to dine at Prego with two friends but unfortunately they couldn't attend due to a health related issue. We still went to Prego and Cruise Director Rick Spath joined us. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Rick which included non-stop conversation, delicious dinner, impeccable service and the ambiance of the dining venue. We had three courses. Anne Marie had the additional entrée as an appetizer of lobster and pasta and Keith had Warm Sage - Butter Poached Lobster. We both had Caesar Salad and we had Pistachio Crusted Grilled Kingsklip for our entrée served with a minestrone. The featured entertainment was a very upbeat show called Queen of Rhythm which featured music of Soul, Motown and Disco. Coincidentally, the movie shown two times last evening was First Man which we watched in our room the other da about the life of Astronaut Neil Armstrong. The only down-side to the evening is when we turned forward the clocks by one-hour as we sail into a new time zone. We did sleep well even though we lost the hour. The seas remained relatively calm. Keith managed to get up at the same time he always does (a little more tired) and began the day with a workout at the Fitness Center. After his workout we enjoyed coffee and breakfast in our room and got ready to go ashore. We have been accustomed to early sunrises and that was not the case today. The sun didn’t rise until 8:00 AM. This seemed very strange. We arrived to Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands on-time. Although politically the Canary Islands are part of Spain they are located closer to Africa than Europe and geographically they are part of the African Continent. Santa Cruz de La Palma is located in the eastern part of the island of La Palma province of Santa Cruz de Teneife of the Canary Islands. It is the second largest city and the capital of the island. The population of the city is 16,500 people. Highlights of the town include: Old Town which is a colonial style old town with many boutiques, cafes, restaurants, chucher and museums. Insular Museum of La Pama which is the largest museum of the town and covers history dating back to the 16thcentury. Museo Naval which houses items showcasing local maritime life. San Francisco de Asis which was originally a Franciscasn convent and now a Catholic Church. Castillo Santa Cataline which is a castle built between 1676 and 1701. Parque Nacional de La Carldera de Taburiente which was designated a geological park in 1954. After departing Serenity we saw a ship pulling into the port in front of us. As it turned out it is the former Celebrity Zenith. We took our second family cruise in 1993 on the Zenith. Our first family cruise was in 1991 on the Big Red Boat on the Oceania Cruise Ship. The irony is that Oceania used to be part of Home Lines and we came on-board in Manhattan when helping Anne Marie's mom board the ship for a cruise she took with a friend. The other irony is that Keith sailed with Home Lines on the Homeric in 1968 on his first cruise with his parents, brother and Nana. Zenith was our first cruise with Celebrity. We sailed round trip Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean. We enjoyed the cruise line so much we sailed the next five years on Celebrity; Celebrity Horizon two consecutive years followed by Century, Galaxy & Mercury. We have wonderful memories of each of our cruises so it was very nice to see the former Zenith in port with us. We enjoyed a wonderful walk around town. With map in hand we made our way to the Old Town Area. We took in all of the views of this charming areas including the colonial style and cobbled stone streets. There were many boutiques, cafes, restaurants, churches and museums along the way. Our walk included a visit to the Castillo Santa Catalina (castle) and the Museo Naval which is inside the replica of the Santa Maria. We walked along the waterfront, on interior streets, into small neighborhoods and to higher areas of elevations. We stopped to smell the aroma of baked goods, visited some stores, and stopped to smell the roses. The weather was terrific. We wore light jackets. Many locals were out and about. Shortly after returning to Serenity we had lunch at Marketplace. After lunch, I played Paddle Tennis while Anne Marie walked. As we post this we are enjoying the rest of the afternoon on-board Crystal Serenity. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith This is the daily Reflections Program from today. |
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