2020--the year of COVID-19 and Bathroom Renos

What can I say?  Who travelled in 2020 after everything shut down on St. Patrick's Day?  We didn't leave Vancouver Island and now we can't even travel north on the island.  I miss not seeing new places and meeting new people.   However, we weren't idle in 2020.  Here's a piece I wrote about our 2020 project. 

Last summer, when it became obvious we wouldn’t be traveling or visiting family and no one would visit us, we decided to renovate.    It’s been a hard lesson on learning what “island time” means but we thought we had it nailed.  Turns out we were wrong—very wrong. 

We’ve done our fair share of DIY renos and wanted someone else to do the renovation of two 1989-style bathrooms (before photo) from demolition to painting.  “Support local!” was the cry so I hit Google and found a company approved by Victoria’s Better Business Bureau.  Turns out it was a husband and wife team.  

Husband was quite a chatterbox but he seemed to know what he was doing and had been in the business for over ten years.  Two weeks, it would take to do the job and they could begin mid-August.  The cost was reasonable so we said, “Make it so,” and paid our deposit.

Mid-August came and the wife texted us something had come up.  Turns out a client whose kitchen they re-did, didn’t like the tiles she had chosen or the granite she had chosen.  It had to go!  So they spent August re-doing that job.

Meanwhile, we ordered vanities, sinks, toilets, and bathroom fixtures.  Elated, we popped into a tile store where we chose wall, floor, and shower floor tiles.   Each place offered great advice on what would work in our space.

Labour Day weekend, we moved into our guest room.  Then we waited.  Two weeks later, they came and demolished the bathrooms.  Biggest issue was removing the bathtub.  It was heavy and awkward but they managed taking it out with only a ‘minor’ dent in the wall.  Half our 2-car garage began filling up with old wallboard, vanities, sinks, etc.  They left the toilet in the powder room, just in case.

After that, it seemed a small job was done, then a week passed before anything else happened.  One week they were getting materials in Nanaimo, the next week, their truck broke down— a week later they had a new truck.  Meanwhile, they hired a young lad to help them and all the materials we had bought ended up in our garage.  

By Thanksgiving, the husband had diverted the shower drain to the centre of the shower space, moved, with the help of his wife, a cold-air pipe that serviced the fireplace, and gave us a nook for shampoo bottles in the shower’s wall.  They installed ‘mood’ lighting around the nook and somehow cut the electricity to the baseboard heaters in our living room.  Glen fixed that after I complained of being cold.

By Halloween, the floor to the walk-in shower was laid and the walls were covered with a waterproof material.  The husband had an argument with the hired help and fired him.  This meant the extra work they took on, was now being done by the husband so he couldn’t work for us.  Why we should it be us who suffered?

The first week in November, their house was robbed.  Not believing in the abilities of the police, they tracked down the culprit and held him at bay until the cops came.  They were then too upset to work.  The next week their son got sick so they didn’t show up.

However, they did want money for what they had done.  We paid an installment then they took off for Calgary to buy a dirt bike which cost exactly what we had paid.  Coincidence?  On the way home, a rock hit their windshield and that took a week to fix (any Albertan knows replacing an entire windshield every time you get a rock chip is a waste of money).  At the time, Calgary had more COVID-19 cases than here so I was glad they stayed away.

They tiled the walk-in shower floor and by the beginning of December (yeah, we wondered where November went, too), they had tiled one of the three walls.  Then the husband got COVID, or so he thought.  Two clients dumped him as we waited for him to be tested.  Turns out he suffered from a hereditary condition and was negative for COVID-19.  By this time, it was Christmas.   Do you remember how long the job was supposed to take?  Yes, two weeks.  It was now three months.

After New Year’s, they tiled the shower walls, but they had issues fitting the tiles around the curb between the marble-pebble shower floor and the bathroom floor.  Several tiles were broken so this required buying a new box of tiles and of course, the new ones weren’t the same size.  Mid-month, they got the powder room floor done and seated the new toilet. 

Then the wheels fell off the cart (and you were thinking that they already had).   The husband fought with a client over wearing a mask so we became his only paying customer.  Then, the couple split up!  Worse, the husband left the country!  He drove a sports car so insisted his wife travel in her truck with all his tools down to Arizona.  So began her first, two week quarantine.

Glen, fed up with “island time”,  plastered and painted the two rooms.  The wife helped him bring up the vanities then returned to the U.S. with the Calgary-bought dirt bike.  Quarantine number two.

We soon discovered the plumbing for the sinks wouldn’t work with the new vanities so had a plumber fix the problem.  Back in August, when we chose the vanities, we could also buy a custom-made, pre-formed counter/sink.  We decided against this so when we measured them for the quartz countertops we’d chosen, the standard sinks we ordered didn’t fit.

By this time it was mid February, and “island time” was a phase I began loathing.  The wife came out of quarantine and began tiling the shower walls and ensuite floor.  She was now a single parent so several planned work sessions were cancelled due to commitments to her son.  However, she did choose two beautiful sinks that would work with the vanities and our quartz counters.

Meanwhile, Glen hung the mirrors and increased the width of the vanities so our faucets would work.  By mid-March, the tiling was done and grouted.  

Easter saw us blessed with new counter tops. The plumber returned to install the sinks and adjustable shower head.  Three weeks later, the shower glass was installed.  Glen then cut, painted, and installed the baseboards and seated the ensuite toilet (he’s done this many times as our daughter loved tossing ‘stuff’ down the toilet and flushing).  

It was a great day when we moved out of the guest bathroom and into our new ones.

If you add “island” time and “COVID” time to “bathroom renovation” time, it is equal to “baby” time — NINE months!  

I heard the mission bell -- Todos Santos, Mexico

Back in 2004, we travelled to Baja California Sur for a conference.  We spent two nights at the boutique hotel, Casa Natalia, in San Jose del Cabo before heading to the conference all-inclusive.  We fell in love with the area.  A tour we could have taken was to see the Hotel California but we opted to go snorkelling instead.  We always knew we'd eventually visit the hotel and this was our year to do so.

The harbour at Cabo San Lucas can't accommodate large cruise ships so we anchored off the coast and took tenders into the town.  We motored past the famous Arch cut in the rocks of the tip of Baja California, a peninsula of Mexico along its west coast.  At the terminal we boarded a bus to take us to Todos Santos.  Glen had brought his cane as his knees often 'give-out' on him.  When our guide saw him, she insisted he sit in the VIP seats at the front of the bus.  We had a great view of the countryside as we drove up the coast to the town made famous by the Eagles song "Hotel California".

The hotel was first opened in 1950 and was built by a Chinese immigrant, Mr. Wong.  He changed his name to Don Antonio Tabasco but that didn't fool anyone.  He was the first person to bring ice from the Sierra de la Laguna (lagoon mountains) to the town so folk could enjoy cold beer.  As the hotel aged, it became neglected until 2001 when a Canadian couple, John and Debbie Stewart, bought it and did a complete renovation.  It is now the centre of a thriving artist colony and displays wonderful works of art.  The hotel denies the Eagle's song was inspired by it but every tour guide will assure you they know the truth.

Todos Santos began as a Roman Catholic mission in 1724 and was called Santa Rosa de Todos Santos.  The town prospered during the sugar cane boom with 8 mills in operation,  However by the 1950s, many of the colonial-style buildings became neglected.  Droughts and low sugar prices forced people to leave.  Eventually the farms were re-worked to grow avocados, chilis, and fruit.  Then in the 1980s, tourists arrived. and with them came artisans and artists.

As we disembarked the bus beside the Hotel California, we heard the mission bell and thought of the song.  We did a quick walk around the hotel and its environs before settling down to a wonderful Mexican lunch with lemonade.  We had met a couple from Vancouver so had ate with them.  They were horrified we drank the lemonade.  I guess we just assumed Princess would not let us eat/drink in a place that was unsafe.  The irony was two fold.  One, Glen had always said the best way to get samples from Mexico for his science was to go there and come back sick.  We never did, of course.  The second fact was that this couple planned taking the Grand Princess to Hawaii after our cruise ended.  They never reached Hawaii as COVID-19 hit the ship and it had to return to the mainland.  San Francisco wouldn't  let them dock for several weeks so we wondered whether or not our new friends got sick or got home before the border closed.

After lunch, we went to the cultural centre to learn about the region.  The inside was covered with murals depicting the history of Todos Santos and at the rear, they had built a replica of a typical house of the mountain people.  We then walked to the main street of artisans.  Our tour guide, Liddy, pointed to the end of the street where the white mission church stood saying she'd meet us there after we had explored the galleries and shops.

The galleries overflowed with amazing local art but having just downsized, we decided we wouldn't splurge on any new pieces.  Our guest room is full of artwork that still needs hanging so we were motivated not to bring anything home.  It was tempting, though.

The mission was a lovely church, very simple and very white.  The only colour was a single stain-glass window over the altar.  It was also cool so refreshing after the heat of the desert-like town.  We met up with Liddy and she led us back to our bus.  Along the way she showed us a globe-like statute indicating where the Tropic of Cancer passed through the town.

We headed back to Cabo and boarded a tender for our ship.  Both of us looking forward to the next five days at sea where we could relax.  Tours are exhausting!

To see my photos of Todos Santos, click here.

Follow the Blue Line -- Mazatlan, Mexico

The Princess tours offered for Mazatlan didn't inspire us (perhaps we'd had enough touring) so we decided to spend the day on our own doing a walkabout the town.  I suggested we might visit the Pacifico Brewery (founded in 1900 by three Germans) but they had strict rules for tourists, and as it turned out, we could see the brewery from the Grand Princess as she docked.  It didn't look any different from other breweries we've seen.

Mazatlan was founded by Nuño de Guzman in 1531 but it took German immigrants arriving around 1820 to create the thriving seaport of today.  Its name means 'place of the deer' and although it began by importing mining equipment, the port now exports over 40 million pounds of shrimp a year.

The Grand Princess docked at one of these working piers so we couldn't wander off the ship on our own.  Trolley cars ferried us to the terminal building, snaking through hundreds of boxcar containers.  Mazatlan taxis are unique and we were swarmed by pulmonia drivers as we left the terminal.  Pulmonia are soup-up golf carts and for $25, the driver promises to take you anywhere in Mazatlan, stopping to take photos whenever you wished.  But, what we wanted was a walk so we shook our heads and headed to the main road.  That's where we discovered the Blue Line -- literally a blue line painted on the road.  At a nearby corner stood an older gentleman who introduced us to the Blue Line features.  Every time a cruise ship docks, a group of English-speaking volunteers (mostly Canadian expats or snowbirds) scatter along the blue line route to direct tourists into the old city.  It was so nice knowing we wouldn't get lost and find ourselves in a scary place.

The first historic site we passed was the Angela Peralta Theater.  Originally built in 1874, it underwent several renovations before closing in 1964.  It was flooded by a hurricane in 1975 and set to be demolished in 1985.  Angela was a Mexican opera star who died of yellow fever in Mazaltlan in 1883 never having the chance to perform there.  In 1987, work began on restoring the theatre and in 1990, it was declared a National Heritage Building.

The next stop on the Blue Line was Machado Square where we received instructions from volunteers where to go next.  Carnival was to begin that week so many colourful statues decorating the square.  According to the volunteers, Mazatlan's Carnival is the third largest after Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.  The square was built in the early 1800s and is a traditional Mexican plaza with a central gazebo and surrounding gardens.

A few blocks away, was the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  Built in 1856, it's the only Roman Catholic church to feature the Star of David in its stain-glass windows.  I also discovered its outside lighting featured dragons!  Across the street is the Plaza Revolucion where the people of Mazatlan enjoy the shade of palm trees.

We retraced our steps to Machado Square then headed about three blocks to Olas Altas (meaning high waves) beach not too far from where the High Divers plunge from rocks into the sea.  The beach is famous for its shifting sands so depending on when you visit you may see the beach in a different place.

By this time, we were hot and tired so headed back to the port, thanking the Blue Line volunteers along the way.  What a great way to assure tourists of the safety of the city.  After lunch and a Margarita, we sat on our balcony and watched the workings of the port.  I had never seen cars being unloaded from a boxcar before.  It was a ballet!

See my photos of our Blue Line walk here.

A Grain of Salt -- Manzanilla, Mexico

Usually we do tours involving local food and drink.  In Manzanilla, we chose one with a promised snack but more importantly it involved salt, an essential ingredient in cooking.  Little did we know, Mexico has a salt-making industry that's been in business for 600 years.  We rose early to reach the salt ponds before the salinerios quit for the afternoon--they'd been up since 4:00 a.m. so no one could complain about waking up at 6:00!

The bus took us through the countryside which seemed to be never ending palm, mango, and pineapple plantations.  Our first stop was a gas station for a break.  As I stood at the end of a long line of woman, gales of laughter erupted from the bathroom.  I wondered if it there was no toilet paper (often a problem in Mexico) but no, it turned out one of the stalls had the smallest toilet ever!  Obviously designed for little girls, the women on our bus laughed as they used it.  There were no toilet seats so the squat method of peeing meant these ladies had further to squat.  It seemed the tallest of our group landed in that cubicle.

Originally, the salt of the Cuyutian Salt Flats was not used for food but for silver.  Mexico is one of the largest producers of silver in the world and the Spanish used salt to process it.  Today, the flats are a co-operative so the salinerios own the salt produced using the sun to evaporate the sea water.  The flats are in a lagoon with a naturally high level of salinity.  The salinerios pump this water into ponds lined with plastic.  When the salt forms, they rake it into piles to dry.  Most of the salt precipitates and falls to the bottom of the pond but some floats.  This is skimmed off and sold as Fleur de Sel which supposedly is the best salt for those with high blood pressure.  Most of the salt we saw piled beside the ponds was not fit to eat but was used to tan leather.  Of course, Glen tasted it!

Our next stop was a fruit plantation.  It was Sunday so the family were at church but allowed us to roam one of their service roads.  Our guide, Hector, showed us the different fruits they grew --jackfruit, mangoes (flowering), and zapote.  The zapote were not ready to harvest but the plantation owner allowed a few of us learn how to pick them using a knife and basket attached to a long pole.  Glen had fun harvesting.  Hector let us sample a ripe one and my piece was delicious.  However, Glen received a slice that was not so ripe.  He said it felt like all the water was sucked from his mouth.  Definitely not tasty.

Another use Mexicans make of their hot sun, is drying bricks.  They are made by hand which is back-breaking work.  Once the bricks dry, they are baked in an oven created by piling bricks around a fire and sealing all the holes with wet clay.  We saw they removing the outer clay to let the 'oven' cool before removing the finished bricks.

Paradise Beach is a black sand beach and people were gathering for an 'after church' meal and swim.  We enjoyed a 'snack' which was really a hearty lunch.  Tortillas spread with guacamole and deep-fried tortilla cylinders filled with mashed potato served with lots of hot sauce.  They even had our favourite beer, Victoria Lager.  Afterwards we had time to wonder the town until we got too hot and returned to the air conditioned bus.  While walking past the breakwater, a taxi pulled up with three 'amigos' crammed inside.  They cradled a stand-up bass across their laps with the scroll sticking out the window.  We started laughing as they scrambled out and they joined us.  No need to speak Spanish!

See my photos here.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We left San Francisco at midnight on February 11th so I missed seeing us sail under the Golden Gate Bridge.  There will be another time .

As you know if you've read my previous cruising blogs, we enjoy cruises with many days at sea.  This one was no different.  It took us 5 days to creep along the US and Mexican coasts to Puerto Vallarta.  We enjoyed our usual on-board activities of walking the promenade, reading, knitting and napping.  We also listened to the bands/performers who entertained in various venues scattered about the ship.  This time there were few educational presentations although we did attend a lecture given by the ship's navigator who gave us a virtual tour of the bridge.  On Valentine's Day we booked a meal at Sabatini's to celebrate.

On February 15th, we arrived in Puerto Vallarta.  The place was discovered by the Spanish in 1525 and by Hollywood, in the 1960s ("The Night of the Iguana" was filmed there).  In between, it was a sleepy fishing village.  We had signed up for a tour that would take us into the Sierra Madre (Mother Mountains) to a 17th century mining town called San Sebastian del Oeste originally settled by those in search of gold, silver, and lead.

The tour began with a long bus ride through the city and surrounding countryside.  Our fist stop was a small bakery/café (Panaderia) huddled next to the El Progresso Bridge which spans a wide ravine.  We then crossed the bridge and arrived at the Hacienda San Sebastian, a family-owned tequila distillery.   We sampled some of their unique tequilas (made from the blue agave plant) flavoured with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and almonds.   I had fun taking photos of their chickens, too.  Maybe I drank too much tequila?

A San Sebastian coffee plantation called La Quinta Mari was our next stop.  The high altitude coffee is grown under orange and lemon trees.  Our guide, Juan Carlos, when he discovered I loved lemons, picked one for me to eat.  We also had a tiny cup (size of a shot glass) of organic coffee.  Afterwards we sat down to an authentic Mexican lunch of tortillas, beef, chicken and pork fajitas and lots of different salsas.  We washed it down with local beer (or lemonade).  Juan Carlos assured us all the food and drink was made with purified water.

The town of San Sebastian is quaint with its white-washed haciendas and town square but our first stop was the church.  What an amazing building!  Originally built in 1608 in what is called the Spanish Baroque style, it was rebuilt in 1868 after an earthquake destroyed it.  Its vaulted ceiling was painted in pastel blue and rose so different from other churches we've seen.  We next visited the local museum, Casa Museo Doña Conchita Encarnacion.  Here one of the descendants of the original seven families who owned plantations around the town explained her rather complicated lineage.  Due to Spanish laws regarding land ownership, men often married their cousins or aunts.

We had time to relax in the village square where I photographed flowers while Glen made friends with a local dog.  The bus ride back was uneventful except we did pass a bullring, Lienzo Charro "Miguel Prieto Ibarria", an aspect of Mexican culture rarely explored on guided tours.

I returned to our cabin with bug bites.  I believe the dogs at the coffee plantation had fleas (I did not pat them) but if there is a biting bug around, it will find me.  So if you plan a tour into the interior of Mexico bring plenty of sunscreen and insect repellent.

See my Grand Princess photos here and my Puerto Vallarta pics here.

San Francisco -- Before and After our Cruise

It seems like forever ago that we visited San Francisco.  Between the time we were there and now, COVID-19 has laid waste to our normal lives creating a whole new version.  Non-essential travel is forbidden as is restaurant dining.  So I'm remembering our winter holiday and wondering when we can again enjoy the sights and food of a different place.

We left Victoria on February 10th planning to spend the night in San Francisco.  All went well until we woke the next day to learn our cruise ship was delayed and we wouldn't board until 4:00.  So what to do?  When in doubt do a walkabout, I always say.

So we headed toward the Grace Cathedral.  This imposing building resembles the stone gothic churches of Europe but is made of ferroconcrete.  Work began in 1928 and ended in 1964.  Inside are wonderful murals depicting scenes from the city's past.  We have been to the Cathedral before (see "A Rare and Blistering Sun...") and I always walk the labyrinth.  It is a time to reflect on my life and I thought of my family and my Mom who died a few years ago.

The last time we were in SF, I had lunch with friends, Tim and Ed, at the Cheesecake Factory in Macy's ("I'm Sitting on the Dock of the Bay...") so I suggested to Glen we walk down to Union Square and lunch there.  We wanted to sit on the outdoor balcony overlooking Union Square so had to wait for a table.  We began with two mugs of Anchor Steam Draft and shared a plate of pot stickers.  I had a delicious Margherita flatbread while Glen had 'Skinny' chicken pasta.  The size of the bowl had me wondering what 'normal' chicken pasta was.  We were stuffed so waddled back to our hotel, Hilton Union Square.  We had checked out before our walkabout so retrieved our luggage and sat in the lobby to while away the afternoon.  Once connected to the hotel wi-fi, we discovered our cruise ship would now board at 7:00!  Apparently, after departing Hilo, Hawaii, there was a medical emergency and the ship returned to the Big Island.  Rough weather meant the crossing to California took longer than expected.

We decided to head to the cruise terminal around 6:00.  We arrived just as the Grand Princess Hawaiian passengers disembarked.  We hadn't received the email telling us boarding had been delayed yet again.  We left our luggage with the porter and stood in the winding line to board.  We met an interesting couple from Utah so shared a few stories of our travels (see Road Trip, Part Three) through their state.

Our cabin wasn't ready so we headed to our favourite place, the WheelHouse Bar to wait (none of the restaurants were open).  That's where we met our server, Muhadir, who looked after us for the rest of the trip.  We got to our cabin around 9 but one of our bags was missing.  We figured it would show up the next day and it did.

On February 21st, we arrived back in San Fransisco after 10 days cruising to Mexico (blogs to follow).  We were at the hotel early so checked our bags then walked to Chinatown.  I wanted dim sum for lunch.  We found a restaurant just past the Dragon Gate (built in 1969) called the Far East Café.  The first Chinese came to SF in 1850 and by 1870 were settled in an area around Sacramento  and Dupont Streets.  After the earthquake of 1906, the town moved to its present location centred around Grant Ave and Stockton Street.  It's considered the oldest Chinatown in North America (Victoria's Chinatown is second oldest) and the largest Chinese enclave outside Asia.  The Far East Café is 100 years old and the decor is amazing.  The dim sum was different from what we have sampled elsewhere but still delicious.

We had planned staying an extra day in SF after our cruise to enjoy the sights and so we didn't have to worry about catching a flight right after disembarking.  Glen wanted to ride the cable cars as we hadn't the last time we were in SF (he had a conference and I walked where I wanted to go).  So we stood in a long line Saturday morning to head down to Fisherman's Wharf.  We lucked out and got seats.  The cars don't hold that many passengers and some love clinging to the sides as they are hauled uphill by the cables.  Going down you hope the brakes don't fail!  The system is the last of its kind in the world.  Of the 23 lines built between 1873 and 1890, only three are left.  Even these lines were not safe from being cast aside in favour of buses.  In 1952, the system was bought by the city but in 1979,  deemed unsafe.  In 1982, it was closed for a complete refit and didn't open again until 1984.  The cost to ride one way is $8.00 but what a ride!

Once at Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 39), we decided to scout out a possible lunch spot.  Glen got into a long chat about American politics with The Fisherman's Grotto Restaurant's frontman before I hauled him away to see the harbour.  The World War II vintage ships, USS Pampanito (a submarine) and SS Jeremiah O'Brien (a Liberty or transport ship) are docked at Pier 45.  We decided not to do a tour but enjoyed reading the plaques (Glen) and taking pictures (me).  We decided to return to the Grotto for lunch as we had dined at Alioto's (next door) the last time we were in SF (see I'm Sitting on the Dock of the Bay...).  It had been a fun time with friends but Neil passed away a few years ago so we didn't really want to eat there again.

The frontman was thrilled we returned and gave us the best table in the house--literally.  It was a corner window table so we could see the waterfront and the Golden Gate bridge.  Built in 1935, the Grotto, as it's now called, is famous for its crabs.  On one wall of the lobby, the restaurant's founder is holding up the crab he's selling.  It is huge!  Upstairs, we enjoyed more Anchor Steam beer and shared a dish of crab cakes then indulged in the most delicious crab melt sandwich ever!

Afterwards, we walked to Ghiradelli Square to buy chocolates then hopped a cable car back to the hotel.  The staff there kept telling us about the Cityscape Lounge on the 46th floor of one of their towers so we decided to check it out.  The view was amazing!  We planned to have a beer then scout out a local restaurant but ended up eating from the cocktail menu -- prawns, charcuterie board and olives.  A wonderful way to end our time in San Francisco!

See my photos here.

What is it about the Big Island?

Okay, I know I used a similar title in the last post but it is fitting to use it again.  Back in 2004, when we visited the Big Island for a conference, Glen wanted to see the telescopes on the top of the dormant volcano, Maunakea.  The tour was on his birthday so it was a great gift for give him.  It was pouring rain at our resort, the Hilton Waikoloa Village, but the rain was warm and we figured if we didn't see the views from the mountain (13, 803 ft or 4207.3 m), we'd at least have fun learning astronomy from the scientist stationed at the telescopes.  That was not to be as rain at sea level  translates to snow on the mountain peak making the road impassable.  Who knew a Hawaiian tour could be canceled because of snow?

So when we planned this cruise, we immediately signed up for the tour of the summit of Maunakea.  Glen was excited to finally see the telescope but on our last day at sea before reaching Hawaii, we received a note saying the tour would not involve the telescopes.  Glen was devastated.  Apparently, some native Hawaiians protesting the building of the third telescope blocked the road to the summit.  They felt since it is a sacred place, the home of the snow goddess, Pol'ahu, and a burial site for their chiefs, their wishes should be considered.  Tour buses would not cross their barricades.  

We had the option to stay on a modified version of the tour or choose something else.  We decided to stay with the original plan.  It was a small group who headed out.  In fact, except for the tour of Pearl Harbour, we chose tours with few people.  On this bus, was a couple from Alberta so we hung out with them.

Our port of call was Hilo, the oldest port in the state. The Big or Orchid Island is believed to be the first one settled by the Marquesas (French Polynesia) in 700 A.D..  Hilo is America's wettest city with over 120 inches annually.  The locals say it rains every day.  

It was misty when we left the boat and arrived at our first stop, the Queen Lili'uokalani Gardens (you might be interested to know there are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet).  The 24 acre park of Japanese gardens was created on land donated by the last queen of Hawaii and is named after her.  Not only are they beautiful (see above photo) but they do serve as a buffer zone between the town and the sea should a tsunami hit.

After a long drive through Hilo suburbs and into the east coast rainforest, we came to Akaka Falls.  Here we did a half-mile walk through the jungle to view the 442 foot cascade.  If we had wished, there was a short cut to the falls but Glen felt he could handle the longer walk.  All his walks on the promenade deck paid off!

Gradually we drove from the rainforest up into the range lands of the island (our guide played a movie on volcanoes).  Here, cattle roam as well as wild sheep and pigs.  Waimea cowboys are called paniolo and were originally Spanish cowboys from California and Mexico brought to the islands to herd the cattle.  Grasslands blanket the flanks of Maunakea.  We stopped in small town and had a picnic lunch in front of the local mall.  Inside was a Dairy Queen so a few of us enjoyed some ice cream--it was supposed to be better than Dairy Queen ice cream in Canada.  I really didn't taste any difference.

After passing the native Hawaiian protestors on the road to the telescopes (shrouded in cloud so we couldn't see them), we came to a turnout where we walked on stark lava fields.  Our guide told us about the Ohia Lehua tree which is called the first and last tree of the lava.  Their deep roots mean that most lava flows don't kill them and they are quite heat-resistant.  When the lava is cold, new growth pushes through.  Ferns are another first plant of the lava fields and we saw these eking out an existence.

The Ohia Lehua tree has a bright red or yellow blossoms called the Lehua.  Apparently, Ohia was a handsome warrior chief on the island who loved a beautiful woman, Lehua.  Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, felt Ohia would make a good husband for her so asked him to give up his wife.  Ohia refused.  It doesn't pay to offend the gods as Pele turned Ohia into a tree.  Lehua was devastated and the other gods took pity on her.  They changed her into a flower and placed her on the Ohia tree.  If one picks the flower, the skies rain down the tears of the lovers.

The last stop on our tour was Rainbow Falls.  It spills over a lava field falling 80 feet in front of a dark lava tube.  Usually rainbows form over the pool, hence the named best seen in the early morning.  Legend has it the goddess of the moon lives there.  There was a short walk to the top of the falls but Glen and I were pretty tired by this time so chatted with our guide.

We returned to the ship and set sail.  Next stop Vancouver!

See our Big Island photos here.

What is it about Maui?

Our next port of call was Lahaina on the island of Maui.  Glen had a conference here in 2012 and I explored the town then.  This time he wanted to see the sites. so we decided to explore the town before lunch.

Maui is named after the demigod who pulled the 123 Hawaiian islands from the ocean's depths.  Yes, I was surprised there were so many, too.  Apparently, Hawaii is the largest state in the US, the archipelago being about 1600 miles long.  Polynesians arrived on the island around 450 A.D. and after Captain Cook discovered it in 1778, Europeans began growing pineapple there.  Hawaii produces 320,000 tons of pineapple every year.

The cruise ship couldn't dock in Lahaina so moored in the harbour and we took tenders (large lifeboats) ashore.  It took about a half hour so a nice trip to enjoy a closer experience with the ocean.  The town had not changed since I had seen it.  Glen was thrilled to see the famous banyan tree that is draped around the square (planted in 1879).  It was a very hot day, 32ºC, so sitting under the shade of the tree was pleasant.  The main street is wall-to-wall shopping but this was good as Glen wanted to buy some Hawaiian shirts.  He started wearing these wild shirts over 30 years ago and so must constantly replace them as they wear out.  We found a shop that gave us a good deal and bought some T-shirts for the grandsons as well.

I then showed Glen where I had almost been hit by a car in 2012 (see above link).  Little did we know we'd have another close call not an hour later.  This happened as we waited to board the tender.  We stood under a marquee in the shade but I was still sweating.  A lovely breeze came up to cool us until it suddenly became a whirlwind.  One marquee was torn apart and ours almost blew over.  The cement weight keeping ours down hit my leg leaving a nasty bruise.  But I was lucky as one man was knocked to the ground and one of the cross pipes hit a woman in the back.  The wind died immediately and an ambulance was called to care for the injured.

We had lunch on board the ship glad to have survived that ordeal.  However, our time in Maui wasn't over as we had booked a catamaran cruise of the harbour.  It was to leave at 3:00 pm returning two hours later.  However, the last tender departed Lahaina at 4:30.  Glen said not to worry as it was a Princess tour so they would know about our group.  And they did.

I believe the harbour tour (see above photo) would  have been more exciting had there been whales in the vicinity but there weren't.  Lahaina was once a whaling station as humpback whales mate and calve in the area (see my post, Hanakao'o Cemetery).  These marine mammals summer in Alaska (see Juneau, Alaska for our whaling experience there) then head south.  The first one had been spotted the day before we arrived but we didn't see any on our tour.  The crew was very informative and told us all about Maui as they served us tasty canapés and drinks.  Our group didn't seem to be big partiers so the cruise was restful.  We did pass through a rain cloud and saw a lovely rainbow but that was the only excitement.

We arrived back at the dock and a tender waited for us.  Yay!!  Turns out it was the last one and the crew who had aided us on and off the boats were onboard.  Apparently, there were two people who hadn't made the last passenger tender so they were going to be left behind.  Just as we began to push off, a shout went out and two men leapt on board.  They were lucky!

See my photos here.

Kauai, Garden Isle

Our next port of call was Nawiliwili harbour on the island of Kauai, the oldest (geographically) inhabited island in the Hawaiian chain.  As the Pacific Tectonic plate slips over an upwelling of the earth's core, volcanic islands are formed then move northward.  Erosion and wave action wear them away until they disappear beneath the ocean's surface.  As Kauai fades away, another island south of the Big Island is being formed.  It's a circle of life thing.

Until the day Kauai disappears, we can enjoy its jungle beauty.  Before tourism began to dominate the island's economy, it was an island of sugar cane plantations.  One mill still operates but the sugar cane is mostly gone, replaced with other types of farming -- coffee, kava, avocado and other fruits.

The tour we chose was the Jewels of Hawaii --a walk through the wild Allerton and McBryde Gardens owned by the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) institution.   Founded in 1964, their mandate was to protect tropical gardens, do scientific research, and educate people about the diversity of Hawaii's tropical gardens.

Robert Allerton was the son of a wealthy banker but had no head for finances.  After studying art in Europe, he returned to the States, bought some land in Illinois and began 'The Farms'.  He traveled extensively and having a knack for garden design, began buying sculptures from all over the world to decorate his gardens.

In 1922, he met John Gregg, an young architect and they began living together.  Allerton adopted him as his son in 1959.  Kauai offered them a chance to live freely as a couple so Allerton bought land owned by the royal family.   Queen Emma had already begun work on preserving the native plants of the region.  Allerton and Gregg continued this adding their personal stamp to the grounds.

Our tour began first with a stop at The Spouting Horn where waves shoot through a narrow opening in the lava rocks along the shore.  It was our first time seeing a wild Kauai chicken.  The Poylnesians brought chickens from their ancestral lands and these bred with European chickens.  The eggs are tasty if you can find them but don't try eating their meat!

The next stop in the tour was a pond created in the basement of one of the outbuildings. Our guide, Paul, then walked us through the various rooms in the garden.  Allerton's house was small and he loved to entertain so he created open areas in which to dine and dance.  He loved the sound of running water so there are many fountains scattered along the jungle paths.  His statues are everywhere.

Paul told of us of all the movies filmed in the garden including Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park.  Apparently Michael Crichton loved Kauai and the Allerton gardens so it was fitting the film used this locale as a backdrop for the movie.  Paul had several scenes on his phone and acted out a few of them, including finding a dinosaur egg!

We then drove to the McBryde garden.  Duncan McBryde first leased the land from Queen Emma then bought the property in 1886 for his sugar plantation.  The NTBG bought the land in 1970 and began collecting endangered species of plants and propagated them in crude greenhouses.  As their research continued, the institute expanded into a world class facility.  They are also doing research on bread fruit as it is the only plant with all the nutrients people need to survive.  In 1992, a devastating hurricane hit Kauai and many plant species were lost.  Those working in the NTBG saved as many as they could and continue to search the island for replacement plants.

After a delightful picnic in a gazebo, we walked along the Lawai river until we reached a lovely jungle waterfall.  Paul was a bass player and had met and played with many famous musicians.  However, you don't make much money as a musician so he had a variety of day jobs.  Obviously he was a tour guid but he had also been a wedding photographer so he was very happy to take our picture and often set up the shot for the best result.  He loved my bright orange-pink shirt.  I had chosen it
so I wouldn't get lost in the greenery of the jungle.

My photos of the Garden Isle are here.

Pearl Harbour and the Mighty "Mo"

Our first port of call, once we reached the Hawaiian islands, was Honolulu.  We'd had flown into the Honolulu airport in 2004 but had never seen the city or taken in the sites (Glen attended a meeting on the Big Island).  This time our priority was to see the Pearl Harbour & USS Arizona Memorial but Glen also wanted to explore the USS Missouri where Japan surrendered to end World War II.

Pearl Harbour, Hawaii's largest natural harbour. was named for the pearls once harvested there. It is the only US navel base also declared a National Historic Landmark.  The reason, of course, was the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.  This event destroyed the battleship, the USS Arizona and brought the United States into World War II.

Usually we do mid-morning/afternoon tours as we are on holiday and like to sleep in.  However, to see Pearl Harbour, we had to leave the ship at 8:00 am.  We boarded a bus and drove through the city to the harbour.  The memorial site has very strict rules on purses/bags.  I did not bring my camera bag but soon realized I couldn't take my purse inside either (it had to be the size of a man's wallet to be legal).  So I stuffed my ID and some money into a pocket (I wore Eddie Bauer capris which had cargo pockets) along with my phone and checked my purse.  We wandered around the grounds (see photo above) then entered a theatre to watch a movie about the attack on Pearl Harbour.  It was gripping as they used film footage from Japanese planes.

To control the number visitors to the memorial, a boat ferries you to the site.  The USS Arizona sank the moment it was hit and the memorial straddles it amidship.  1,177 men died during the attack--a torpedo hit the munitions magazine.  Other ships also sank during the attack but were raised to fight in the war's Pacific Theatre.

It was a moving experience to walk over the ship and see its rusting structure alive with coral and fish.  Once in a while, it belches a bubble of oil, called its black tears.  The wall of the memorial lists all those who perished on the Arizona as well as those who have been buried in the ship since (if they served and survived, they can be interred on the site).  Two windows light the wall and their openings represent a 21 gun salute.

After our time on the memorial, we returned to the bus and drove to the battleship, USS Missouri (Mighty Mo) which is moored close by.  Despite it being Sunday, there were not many people visiting the ship.  We had a tour of the top deck then explored the rest of the ship on our own.

The most impressive part of the Missouri are her guns.  They are huge!!  I couldn't imagine their power or the noise they made while firing.  She has 9x406 mm guns, 12x127 mm guns, 32 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 16 Harpoon Anti-ship missiles and 4 20 mm Phalanx CIWS, for those who are counting.

Built in 1941, the Mighty Mo fought in World War II (Pacific Theatre of Iwo Jima and Okinawa) and the Korean war.  She was initially decommissioned in 1955 and sent to the Navy's reserve fleet but was reactivated in 1984.  Her final battle was during the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm).  After being decommissioned in 1991, she became a museum ship in 1998.

Missouri is most remembered as where the Japanese signed the instrument of surrender to end the war on September 2, 1945.  Canada was a member of the party accepting the surrender but mistakenly signed in the wrong place.  You had one job to do, Canada!

Glen and I are big fans of the movie Under Siege where a cook (Steven Seagal) on board the Missouri saves the ship from a group of terrorists (led by Tommy Lee Jones).  It has lots of footage of the ship so we were anxious to go below decks to check out the kitchens where the cook worked. What amazed me were the crew's quarters (1850 people manned the ship).  Not much space to move around and privacy was decidedly lacking.  Although, the fake bread in the bakery looked pretty tasty and Glen was ready to consume the trays of fake doughnuts.  The operation rooms had ancient computers used during the Gulf War so yes, it was a museum.

By this time we were tired and it was a fair walk to where the bus was parked.  As we left, a young Navy man in a golf cart offered us a lift.  I guess he felt Glen's cane meant he had walking issues.  When we boarded the bus, everyone asked what had made us so special as to get a ride back.  Right time, right place, I guess.

After retrieving our purses at the main entrance of the park, we headed back to the ship.  It had been an amazing day!.

To see my photos of this tour, go here.

Crossing the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii

Before we made the move to living full-time in Victoria, we decided to book another cruise.  This time across the Pacific to Hawaii.  We'd be gone 15 days: 11 days on the ship and 4 touring the islands.  Since we love sea days, this suited us to a tee.  The cruise ship, the Star Princess left from Vancouver and returned there to end its season in northern waters.

Two weeks before we boarded her, the Star Princess was in Victoria so we headed to Ogden Point to check her out.  It seems unreal to be in a city where cruise ships dock.  Earlier in the summer we went down to see the Queen Elizabeth, a Cunard ship.

For this trip, we boarded the same BC Ferries Connector bus we had used when we did the Alaska cruise (North to Alaska!).  There were two buses this time and they were packed.  We got the 'milk run' one but knew we had plenty of time to enjoyed the scenic route around Vancouver.  Turns out we were lucky to make the ferry crossing as the second bus 'forgot' to pick up passengers so had to turn back and almost missed the ferry.  Not a great way to start a holiday.

The Vancouver cruise terminal (Canada Place) is very well organized and we zipped through customs and boarding with no problems.  One of our suitcases was at our cabin door when we arrived (the other came while we had lunch).  We unpacked and settled in then headed to the top deck to watch the ship leave Vancouver.  Usually there is a big outdoor party but the weather was rainy so it was cancelled.  It's always fun sailing beneath the Lion's Gate bridge.

The first day out was rough and some suffered from seasickness.  Glen and I were lucky and didn't have any problems but we couldn't walk the promenade deck as it was pretty wet with the splashing waves.  As you know, we always do a walk in the morning while on board.  The Star Princess had a wonderful promenade deck that went from bow to stern.  Two trips around the boat was a mile.  Most days, we walked two miles before attending the enrichment lectures.

There were two lectures given each morning, one by a Hawaiian naturalist and one by a retired physics professor.  Both were knowledgeable and entertaining.  We learned about the formation of the Hawaiian islands, their volcanoes, their history, coral reefs, the attack on Pearl Harbour, and 3 talks on Captain Cook.  We also learned from the on-board hula teacher, the history of the Hawaiian monarchy.  Her husband taught those who wanted to play the ukulele (pronounced in Hawaiian oo-koo-lay-lay).

We often enjoyed the music of a dance band at lunch on the pool deck or the jazz band in our favourite Wheelhouse Bar.  Some afternoons we had coffee in the Atrium and listened to a string trio playing different styles of classical music.  We went to the casino once and I lost $40 in 15 minutes which put a damper on my play time.  We often caught the end of Trivia games that seemed to happen at all hours of the day and night.  There were oodles of craft and culinary demos to enjoy so no one on board was bored.

For some reason, we never seem to make the evening variety shows but one night we did catch comedian, Steve Caouette and he was very funny.  It was nice seeing comedy and not have to worry about swear words.  While in Hawaii, a local Hula School (Halau Hula Olana) entertained us with song and dance.  The little girls doing the hula reminded me of Meg when she was a young dancer.

AMA, our travel agency, treated us to two meals in the specialty dining rooms, one was Italian, the other a steak house.  Normally, you pay about $30 US/person to reserve a table in these restaurants.  We treated ourselves to a meal in the Crown Grill to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Little did we know that most of the ship's passengers were Canadian and the dining rooms hosted a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Usually most people on a ship are from the States so this was an unusual cruise.

Rumour had it there was no Clamato juice on board so Canadians couldn't have their favourite drink--a Caesar (invented in Calgary).  We did see two flats of Clamato juice bottles being loaded on the ship when we got to Honolulu so that problem was resolved.  Princess must have also underestimated Canadian's love of draught beer as they ran out of Heineken (which Glen was drinking) two days before we disembarked.  Fortunately, they still had Newcastle Brown Ale which was what I was drinking.

One of the best things about cruising is the dining experiences .  We ate a wide variety of food and cooking styles.  I even had cooked vegetables for breakfast.  I think Glen had bacon every day--a treat he never gets at home.  Don't worry about his cholesterol as apparently it doesn't register on any scale.  The buffet lunch featured sushi a couple of times, ramen, tacos, Indian, and Chinese cuisine. as well as wonderful soups and sandwiches.  On formal nights, where you dress up for dinner (a cruising tradition), the dining rooms served lobster.  I ate mostly seafood meals but indulged in a steak once and it was amazing.  Glen had dessert every night and they were always a feast for his eyes as well as his stomach.

Glen's happiest moments, other than when he scanned the horizon for other ships, was charting our latitude and longitude as we headed south.  We had three time changes spaced over five days and gradually the sun got warmer until we were definitely in the tropics.  Seeing flying fish as we walked the promenade was a treat.

See some pictures of our shipboard fun here.

A Year in Flux

Honestly, I can't believe it's been over a year since I wrote a blog post.  Where has the time gone?  I do have an excuse -- this is a travel blog and we didn't travel much.  We had  'Staycations' as we pulled up stakes and moved from Calgary to Victoria.

After our TransAtlantic cruise, we decided to see if I could handle a winter in Victoria.  I find rainy days depressing.  So at the end of October, 2018, we left Calgary to live for three months in Victoria.  I survived!!

Glen, convinced we could live in the condo, felt if we renovated the bathroom and replaced the carpets, I would agree with him.  As with most things in Victoria, everything is done at a slower pace.  The ensuite's floor was tiled the day before Christmas.  Geoff et. al. arrived just after Boxing Day and we had a great visit (see my photos here).  The highlight of the visit was an exhibit about Ancient Egypt at the Royal BC Museum.  We also took the family crabbing and did several beach walks.

My sister, Lynda, arrived mid-January (see my photos here).  We enjoyed some seaside walks and spent time photographing the Government House and Beacon Hill Park gardens.  By this time, we had decided we could live in Victoria so went back to Calgary to begin downsizing.  Big job!!

At the beginning of March, we asked a realtor, Karen, to sell our Calgary townhouse.  She was amazing and brought in a stager to make our home look more like a show home.  Yvonne was brutal but in a good way.  However, it meant getting rid of all our bookcases, the top of our china cabinet, and most of our chairs.  We worked for two weeks boxing stuff up and getting a local moving company, Get a Move On, to lift the heavy furniture downstairs.  Our home was now just a house.  We listed it on March 20th and sold it on the 23rd.  This was very unusual for the market in Calgary but we had a great team of advisors and we heeded their advice.

As we packed up the house, we took breaks and re-visited some of our favourite Calgary haunts like the downtown river walk, the zoo (with the pandas), and Canmore.  We also checked out the new Calgary Central Library (see photos here)

We'd planned on returning to Victoria for an Easter holiday but this time with the intent to buy a townhouse.  Even though we had done a lot of downsizing, we still had too much stuff to live comfortably in the condo.  Karen had found us a great realtor, Beth, who helped us search for a townhouse.  Several we liked sold before we arrived in Victoria but our favourite on-line choice was still on the market (see above photo).  We looked at it and put in an offer.

Then we had to downsize the condo!  With Beth's help, we changed the look of our apartment then headed back to Calgary, putting the condo on the market May 1st.  Then the real work of packing up Calgary began.  I've lost count of the number of times we got boxes and packing paper or made runs to Goodwill.  We also moved our sectional couch to Meg's house as we knew we wouldn't need it in Victoria.

We moved out on June 4th and took possession of our townhouse on June 7th.  Glen became vice-president of our strata council on the 12th so we hit the ground running.  The former owners had left the place too dirty to live in so we stayed in the condo for two weeks while we cleaned and unpacked.  The condo finally sold and we moved the furniture from there to the townhouse on July 26th using another great company, You Move Me.

In the meantime, we played golf, walked some beaches, checked out the cars during Deuce Days, and joined a Probus club.  To see our Victoria Staycation photos, go here.

Now that fall is upon us, we can get back to settling into our 'new' place.  The townhouse is 30 years old so needs some TLC.  The garden is a work-in-progress and today Glen has finally begun painting the inside walls.  We haven't hung any artwork as he wanted to paint first.  We're also in the process of replacing the appliances and will begin renovating the ensuite bathroom after Christmas (Didn't I begin this blog with a bathroom reno?).

Port of Call -- Ponta Delgada/Sete Cidades

It turns out a lot can happen when you have two days at sea.  1) I locked myself out of our cabin safe which required a staff member to open.  Funnily enough, alcohol wasn't involved, just the distraction of me talking to Glen. 2) I had to wait in line at Passenger Services twice to get a new cabin key until we discovered that the clasp to my clutch was magnetized and I kept laying my card on top of it.  3) the Princess accounting system is not for the faint at heart.

That latter comment resulted from the fact Princess refunded what we paid for our excursions in Norway, N. Ireland, and Newfoundland.  How they did it was confusing.  A few passengers had problems so while we haunted the service desk for solutions to our safe and key card problems, we witnessed several angry people.  For those who may experience this the future, rest assured you won't be cheated.

So what did Princess do?  They refunded the entire amount of all our tours then charged us again for Rotterdam and Hamburg.  Seems simple enough but since I had paid for all our tours, I expected the refund to appear on my account but it was divided between Glen's and mine.  Once I got that figured out, the rest was easy.  As compensation for the change in itinerary due to the storms, Princess also credited our accounts with $200 each.  Some felt they had to spend it on board.  But no, if it wasn't spent, it would be appear as a credit on your credit card statement.  We spent ours on beer so there wasn't any credit going 'home'.  Princess also gave us a credit on a future cruise.  It was no fault of theirs the weather foul so we were impressed by these gestures.

After two days at sea, we arrived in the Azores at dawn.  The weather was perfect so we did our morning walk through the tiny town of Ponta Delgada.  What a charming place!  You could eat off the streets, they were so clean and the people were very friendly.  Of course, we were 3000 people wandering the streets that normally 70,000 inhabit so we made an impact.  Ponta Delgada is the capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal and is located on São Miguel Island, the largest island in the archipelago (nicknamed the Green Island for good reason).  Delgada means thin or delicate in Portuguese.  It became a village (vila) in 1507 but wasn't the capital until an earthquake destroyed Vila Franca, the former seat of government, in 1522.  Spain tried to take the Azores from Portugal in 1582 but an Anglo-French expedition fought to keep it Portuguese.  The main industry of the islands is agriculture, mostly dairy, tea, tobacco, wine and pineapples.  Fishing and tourism also contribute to the local economy.

We spent an hour wandering the distinct black (basalt, a volcanic rock) and white cobblestone streets of the town, heading along the waterfront to the São Bras Fort then heading inland to Rua Gil M Sequeira.  We passed São Jose Church and another dedicated to sailors and fishermen (Church of Our Lady of Hope Santo Cristo).  With each block the name of the street changed becoming Rua Marqués Praia E Monforte then Rua Machado Santos.  We took a side street and walked past the Sahar Hassamain (Gates of Heaven) Synagogue, founded in 1836 but is now only opened on Saturdays for guided tours.  We ended up at the Gates of the City (photo) before returning to the ship.

After lunch, on the pool deck of the Princess, we boarded our bus for a tour of the island with a stop in Sete Cidades (Seven Cities).  This small town (800 people) is nestled in an almost circular volcanic crater (3 mi/ 4.8 km across) of the same name.  We drove through a few small villages on very narrow roads to get there.  Kudos to the bus driver who navigated these often passing other buses or large trucks.  Hedges along the roads were hydrangeas, the flower of the Azores, and were often laced with deep purple morning glories.  The crater was painted a verdant green although some hills were yellowed by the Kahili Ginger flower that is a weed in the area.

Our first stop was the Neo-Gothic St. Nicholas Church.  A self-made man called Nicholas (I can't remember his last name) built the church so he'd have a place to worship and decided to dedicate it to his name-saint.  The village still worships there.  Like all churches on São Miguel, doors are unlocked and everyone is welcome to step inside.

The crater is famous for Lagoa das Sete Cidades.  The Blue Lake and Green Lake are separated by a tongue of lava (and a bridge).  Legend has it a princess with green eyes whose father was overprotective, escaped the castle one day and fell in love with a shepherd (blue eyes).  The boy told her father they wished to marry and the king became furious.  Not wanting to upset her father, the princess met the boy for a final time and they both cried enough tears to fill two lakes -- one blue and one green. Depending on the light, you can see the difference in colour although agricultural practises (and sewage) have made the blue lake greener due to algal growth.

After several stops to view the lakes as we zigzagged up the crater, we returned to Ponta Delgada and the Grand Hotel Azores Atlantico.  Here, in a restaurant that offered incredible views of the harbour, we tasted local wine (white from São Miguel, red from Pico Island) and a variety of excellent cheeses.  They served a soft, young cheese with a hot sauce that really perked it up.  São Jorge cheese had a buttery texture and wonderful taste.

Even though the Royal Princess sat within walking distance of the hotel, we had to board the buses to return to the ship.  It was getting late and the ship wouldn't sail without us if we were on the bus.

The next five days were spent at sea.  This was the part Glen really had been looking forward to.  He'd sit on our balcony and just gaze at the horizon.  At one point, the captain did announce we were over the mid-Atlantic ridge and that the valley was 3,500 m/11,482 ft below us.  Pretty exciting stuff!

We arrived in New York City before dawn.  I figured we wouldn't see the Statue of Liberty until I realized the boat was going astern and being on the starboard side, we'd get a great view.  It was a bit foggy but we did see the grand old lady.

Leaving the boat was tedious.  We had to vacate our cabin by 8am but our group didn't leave the ship until 9:30.  We couldn't find a seat in our designated area so sat near the gangway.  We ended up going off first in our group as we heard the coordinator make the call.  The terminal was filled with different piles of luggage but we easily found Yellow 6 and made our way through customs to the waiting buses.  Unfortunately our driver dropped us off at the wrong terminal.  We walked most of the terminal before discovering we had to retrace our steps and catch a shuttle to our terminal.  We arrive to find our flight has been cancelled due to the aftermath of the hurricane.  Once we got our new flights organized, we went through security and entered the first restaurant we found.  It was 1pm.  Our plane to Toronto didn't leave until 6:30.  No meal was served as there was a lot of turbulence.  By the time we landed and walked to the gate, there was no time to stop and eat.  It was 11:00 when I finally had a sandwich but since I was nursing a cold, I really hadn't been that hungry.  We landed in Calgary and finally tumbled into bed at 3:30am our body's time.  Slowly crossing the Atlantic (it was fall back every day) made jet lag easier but it still took a week to get back to feeling normal.

If you want to see some photos of the Azores, click here.

Port of Call -- Vigo/Bayona La Real

The Royal Princess is not the fastest ship to ply the seas, averaging 20 knots (37 kph/23 mph), so we entered the English Channel the day after our Hamburg sailing.  It was after breakfast when I asked Glen if what I was seeing from our balcony were the famous White Cliffs of Dover (350 ft/110 m high) on the coast of Kent.  Sure enough they were!  I'd never seen them before so was very excited.  Glen had his binoculars out in minutes.  Being a clear day, we could see Dover Castle, founded in the 11th century and England's largest castle.  Its proximity to the coast of France meant it has always been a strategic fortification.  In the 1800s, a complex of barrack tunnels were constructed and these were used as an air-raid shelter/hospital in WWII.  It was also the headquarters for the military telephone exchange.  Looming nearby are the Swingate Transmitting Masts (364 ft/111 m) used as radar stations during the war to detect incoming aircraft.  Now they transmit microwaves.

On our next day at sea, we crossed the Bay of Biscay but we might as well have been in the middle of the ocean as there was no land in sight. Shipping traffic kept Glen close to his binoculars (from Canadian Tire and the best $200 we've ever spent) and spotted a Gannet flying near the ship.

The Royal Princess aside from being slow is a huge ship, 1083 ft/ 330 m long and can carry 3560 people. She was christened by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, hence the 'royal' name.  Not every port can handle her so it took some time to find ones that could on our new itinerary.  Vigo, Spain stepped to the plate and the Princess tour staff scrambled to organize 8 tours of the area.  We attended a lecture on the area as we had no idea what to expect.  One tour was to Santiago de Compostela, the church with relics of the apostle, James and is one of the stops on the Pilgrims' route.  Our friend, Monica, had walked the Spanish portion of this pilgrimage (100 kms) so we felt taking a bus to the site was cheating.

Vigo is the largest city in the Galicia (northwest) area of Spain, close to the northern Portuguese border.  Its name means village (Vicus) in Latin but it was only recorded as a real village in the 15th century.  The Englishman, Francis Drake occupied it (1589) after he helped defeat the Spanish Armada (1588) and there is said to be ships in the harbour still bearing gold from the New World that Drake sank.  Another claim to fame is Jules Verne who used the harbour in his book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

We enjoyed the morning watching the comings and goings of the port, even spotting some dolphins cavorting in the harbour.  While having lunch, the Party Band played some great songs and kept us entertained.  It was a warm day in Spain and I began to regret not packing shorts (hey, I thought I'd be in the north Atlantic).

Our tour involved walking and wine (it was our theme after all).   First though our bus stopped at a church (Capela Da Guia).  Perched on La Guia Hill, it offered great views of Vigo and its port.   Then it was off to Bayona La Real (sometimes written Baiona).  This tourist town was founded in 140 BC and throughout its history was either Spanish or Portuguese.  The Old Town is dominated by Monterreal Castle built in the 16th century.  Nowadays, it's a tourist attraction and our destination.    the Hotel Parador Conde De Gondomar is part of the castle complex which offers incredible view of the bay and its islands.  Paradores are luxury accommodations created in castles, monasteries, and fortresses throughout Spain.

It was a warm, sunny day so our local wine and tapas were served on a terrace of the hotel.  Each region of Spain has its own version of tapas and Bayona is no different.  The word 'tapas' actually means 'to cover' and a theory is it began as a piece of bread one put on top of a glass of sweet wine to keep the fruit flies away.  Bartenders then used salty meat to cover the wine which encouraged patrons to drink more.  However, there seems to be many stories on how tapas began but suffice to say they usually have salty meat, olives, seafood or cheese.  There were also sweet versions in Bayona which attracted Glen's attention.

Not everyone on our bus was up for a walking tour so those who were followed our guide down into the town.  We walked passed Chapel to our Lady of the Garden and saw Belladonna flowers.  These are sometimes called Naked-Lady Lilies as they don't have leaves.  Our tour wound through the grounds of Monterreal Castle and down to the beach.  A same-sized replica of La Pinta (see photo), Christopher Columbus' ship sat in the harbour and we learned the real one arrived March 1st, 1493 with the news he had found the New World.   There is a commemorative plaque and the actual anchor from La Pinta on display nearby.

Modern houses and flats surround the old town because Bayona attracts many summer visitors --  the population increases from about 10, 000 to 50,000.  The main street is modern with shops and restaurants but walk a block away from the beach and you're next to buildings that are centuries old.  The Convent of the Dominicans (built in 1547) still has nuns who have taken a vow of silence.  On the next street is the Misericordia Chapel which has a crucifix the Spanish used to smuggle gold from the New World.  They reasoned pirates would never desecrate it and I guess, pirates do have a code of honour as it was left intact.

Our tour ended at the Town Hall and our guide said we were on our own.  Glen and I wandered along the beach wall and returned to the bus.  Glen wanted to watch us leave port so we ate supper on the pool deck after sampling what the buffet had to offer.  The sunset was spectacular.  A
fter attempting to take photos through the glass, I ran downstairs to our cabin and got better shots from our balcony.  Must say the tropical sun makes for very dramatic photos.

To see these, you can view my Vigo album here.