DAY 92 - DAY 86 CRYSTAL SERENITY

WELCOME TO WALVIS BAY, NAMIBIA

Happy St.  Patrick’s Day From Crystal Serenity.

We began last evening with a pre-dinner drink at Palm Court with fellow guest Robin. We enjoyed a lovely conversation.

These are the menus from Waterside.

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We dined at the Italian Specialty Restaurant Prego.  The menu has been revised for this segment of the World Cruise lithe some new items.

​We dined at the Italian Specialty Restaurant Prego.  The menu has been revised for this segment of the World Cruise lithe some new items. Our waiter was Petar who took wonderful care of us along with Specialty Restaurant Maitre d’ Paolo and Head Waiter Mario.  Dining at Prego is similar to dining at a small town restaurant in a town or village.
 
We tried some of the new items.  I had the Assorted Antipasti Plate and Anne  Marie had the Warm Sage – Butter Poached Lobster.  Both were perfect and are new items.  For our next course we had the Caesar Salad.  Our entrée was a new item which was a Pistachio Crusted Grilled Kingklip. The fish came out hot and moist and was very flavorful with the minestrone which accompanied it.
 

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The featured  entertainment was two showings of My Life:  The Music of Billy Joel performed by James Fox.  This is a very exciting and upbeat show and a wonderful tribute to Billy Joel.

We slept well as we sailed to Walvis Bay.  The sea  was relatively calm and the gentle rocking of the ship made it easy to fall asleep.

We began the day like we always do with an early morning workout for Keith followed by Coffee and Breakfast in our room.

Today marked our  third visit to Walvis  Bay. On our  first visit in 2007 we did a Crystal  Cruises tour.

Walvis Bay is a combination of desert and ocean and was settled in 187 by Commander Richard Dryer who took possession and settlement of the area under  Queen Victoria’s name.  In 1994 the area was incorporated into the  Republic of  Namibia.  It  is home to 67,000 residents.
 
Major attractions include:
 
Civic Center  which is home to  the Walvis Bay Museum that documents the town’s history.
 
Rheinish Mission Church which was assembled from prefabricated wood which came from Hamburg, Germany in 1880.  It is the oldest building still standing in Walvis Bay.
 
Dune 7 which is the highest of several dunes in Namibia.  It was measured at a height of 1,256 feet.  Why its name?  This is because it is the seventh dune that one encounters after crossing the river Tsauchab. 
 
The Laggoon which is located southwest of Walvis Bay provides a wonderful opportunity for Flamingo Viewing.   
 
Sandwich Harbour which is located 50 miles from Walvis Bay and is known for its birdlife.
 
Swakopmund which is a seaside town with many cafes and restaurants located 22 miles from Walvis Bay.

A couple of photos from our arrival.  It was overcast and had rained earlier.

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Walvis Bay is a place where if you want to visit sites it is best to take a tour.  

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There  was a shuttle which took you to a shopping mall.  On one of our visits we were docked in a location where we walked along the coast and we saw several flamingos. Unfortunately, we were docked in an area not easily accessible to where we visited before.  

Surprisingly it was brisk  and overcast given where we are visiting.

Anne Marie stayed on the ship and walked  for an hour and worked on knitting while Keith went off briefly.  This is a container port and the area near the ship was filled with tour vehicles.  Keith carefully made  his  way out of the port and walked for a little while.  Some of  the streets were desolate  other than for  some taxis and one or two people and Keith made the executive decision to turn back.  He did stop and spoke with a few locals who were selling various items.  He made some donations before heading back to the ship.   ​​

Back on the ship Keith visited with some friends who we know from prior cruises who are on-board.  This included Ernie and Val and the Schofields.  Before going ashore Keith spoke with friends Jim and Rob.  One of the  nice aspects of cruising is making friends and also seeing them on other cruises.  We first met Ernie and Val our very first time on Crystal  Serenity in 2005 through mutual friends Alan and Helen.  We were looking to do something special in 2007 to celebrate a milestone anniversary and thinking of a 30 day voyage on another cruise line.  After two meals with Ernie and Val who a few months earlier had completed World Cruise 2005 they had us sold on taking our first World Cruise and before the ship we put in a waitlist deposit for the 2007 World Cruise before knowing the itinerary.  As they say the  rest is history.

​We enjoyed  lunch at the Marketplace.

These are desserts from yesterday's  lunch at Waterside.  The one that got Anne Marie's attention was the Chocolate Mousse Cup.  

We are enjoying the rest of the afternoon on-board the ship including walking (Anne Marie), paddle tennis (Keith) and enjoying the company of fellow guests and the wonderful members of the crew. ​While Keith was playing Paddle Tennis the sun came out and it turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon.  Fun to be outside.  Fun to be on the ship.  It's all great.

Following is the daily Reflections Program from today.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith