March 29 - Disembarkation day was, as usual, a lot of waiting and sitting - we were given colored and numbered luggage tags to assist in getting everyone off in a timely manner. Since we had no flight to catch and simply had a car waiting, we were some of the last to disembark. One lovely thing about the delay in getting off was that I got to see Stoyan, the bar manager as he was leaving the ship and, a very nice unexpected surprise, Daniella, VP of F&B was just getting back on after vacation! So we had a little chat.
Murphy's, Hudson's and Macchi's were able to gather all of their luggage, some ten or so bags, and the van found us waiting at the curb. It was a very artful (and snug) packing job!
It was about 11:00 a.m. when we made it home and sorted out our luggage and got it all into the house.
We called the Vet immediately to arrange to pick up Guinness and Lacey, but we were told they wouldn't be ready till 3:00 p.m.. We reached a compromise of 12:30 p.m..
I was ever so pleased to be at home again, after 25 days, it was time. Our own bed, our own stuff, more clothes, my own washer! It struck me as I wandered from room to room checking on things, that I love my house. I only wished it came with all of the benefits of Regent! I love the service; having Julius and Roger to care for the room, fresh sheets daily, having the incredible, fantastic buffets for breakfast and lunch, the specialty restaurants as well as the Compass Rose, and Peter's Cosmopolitans, Rosetta's or Kir Imperials. Oh...and the lovely wines offered at lunch and dinner. Even the shows and after dinner entertainment. Although John and I don't often join in, it's quite nice to have it available!
I miss the easy, relaxed, quite routine we fall into at sea, I miss the adventure of seeing new places and meeting new people! It would be hard to imagine the cruise without Danny and Alison! Such fun! A St. Patrick's Day we won't forget! Most of all, I miss the learning. There is such a big wide world out there, and so very much to learn about people, places and things! It's hard to imagine not traveling.
Just as I suspected... it was quite a shock getting home. We met the Hudson's and Murphy's for dinner Friday night for the Murphy's last farewell; with a 5:00 a.m. flight to Boston I won't be at the gate waving good bye! Saturday arrived and I still didn't touch my bags. My cold returned with a vengeance and the unpacking would have to wait. Sunday morning I finally started to unpack, slowly. Sunday afternoon we got ourself together for Easter Sunday at Scott and Lisette's home and, from a quiet dinner for six, it turned into a wild Cuban Easter. Children running and screaming so high on sugar, they are probably still bouncing off the walls. Just about all the Miami relatives showed up to eat. Spanish, English and Spanglish were all part of the conversation; two labs, one Yorkie and dinner for 20 with something for everyone including two cakes to help celebrate Scott's birthday! I was exhausted from just trying to keep track of what was going on! Quite a change from the calm, serene Seven Seas Mariner...
Can't wait to go again! Maybe Europe - that seems out of favor this year! But I'm grounded until our dog sitter Lilia is back in action!
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Last Day!
March 24 - It's so unfair! How can it already be over? I
have to pack again? Make my own bed? Face life? Good news is that I will
get to pick up the little fuzzy ones tomorrow morning, Guinness and
Lacey will be sprung from the "Mastiff Suite" at the vets.
When
we saw that Nassau was the last port on the trip, I opted out of all
shore excursions and thought it would be great to go over the Atlantis,
see the aquarium and find a nice restaurant with some great conch
chowder and maybe a fresh grouper sandwich.
We had a quiet, if not late, morning and, after breakfast, began our test packing - you need to test the suitcases to make sure they will carry everything you have. Somehow, even though we really didn't buy too much of anything, stuff grows. You know all of my packages are small, so it's certainly not my fault!
We didn't arrive until noon, berthed at what I would swear is a new pier - Carnival Fascination, Norwegian Breakaway and the Allure of the Seas were all in port so Bay Street will be wild!
It's been long enough since I've been here that I think so much has been filled in, redone and spruced up! Last time I was here, I was caught up in the middle of a fight between two men on Bay Street that involved both grabbing liquor bottles off the shelf of a liquor store and throwing them at one another! Such vivid memories!
The Straw Market has been rebuilt and is now
housed in a nice modern building that looks as if they can pull down the
shutters and protect the building from hurricanes. The whole waterfront
has been redone with a new Señor Frogs overlooking the water. Bay
Street looked freshly painted with the duty free shops all vying for
attention and clients. With so many ships in port, the entire town is
buzzing.
We caught a cab over to Atlantis (Paradise Island) with the expectation of a little walkabout and a nice lunch, and zap...the hotel charges non-hotel guests $50.00 per person to visit the hotel aquarium and beach facilities. We passed.
We then got a recommendation for a good place for conch chowder, Anthony's, a few hundred feet down the road. I wasn't sure when we first entered, but a couple of ice cold Banks Beers got me onboard. Their conch chowder was great! Oh, and the grilled grouper sandwiches with fries? Divine!
I
feel a bit guilty as there is so much to do in the Bahamas. Anything
you can imagine water related is at your fingertips. Snorkeling, scuba,
boating of any kind is all available. The water is a magnificent
turquoise blue, to blue green and so crystal clear you can spot your own
conch resting on the brilliant white sand at the bottom under 20 feet
of water.
Nassau is a cacophonous blur of bouncing jitneys, horse drawn carriages, hustling cabbies, bargaining vendors, trash talking pirates and elbow-knocking tourists.
Take your pick, jump right in and enjoy!
We had a quiet, if not late, morning and, after breakfast, began our test packing - you need to test the suitcases to make sure they will carry everything you have. Somehow, even though we really didn't buy too much of anything, stuff grows. You know all of my packages are small, so it's certainly not my fault!
We didn't arrive until noon, berthed at what I would swear is a new pier - Carnival Fascination, Norwegian Breakaway and the Allure of the Seas were all in port so Bay Street will be wild!
It's been long enough since I've been here that I think so much has been filled in, redone and spruced up! Last time I was here, I was caught up in the middle of a fight between two men on Bay Street that involved both grabbing liquor bottles off the shelf of a liquor store and throwing them at one another! Such vivid memories!
We caught a cab over to Atlantis (Paradise Island) with the expectation of a little walkabout and a nice lunch, and zap...the hotel charges non-hotel guests $50.00 per person to visit the hotel aquarium and beach facilities. We passed.
We then got a recommendation for a good place for conch chowder, Anthony's, a few hundred feet down the road. I wasn't sure when we first entered, but a couple of ice cold Banks Beers got me onboard. Their conch chowder was great! Oh, and the grilled grouper sandwiches with fries? Divine!
Nassau is a cacophonous blur of bouncing jitneys, horse drawn carriages, hustling cabbies, bargaining vendors, trash talking pirates and elbow-knocking tourists.
Take your pick, jump right in and enjoy!
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
San Juan
March 22 - Outstanding day in San Juan! I had skipped all shore excursions and planned a shopping day! Yay! Actually a fabulous day. We had our face to face with TSA, immigrations, and cleared by 9:40 a.m.which was a bit later than hoped for; we were meeting Michael De Sadeleer, the GIA certified shopping consultant. He had made a call for me about a gem stone I was hunting.
As a member of the crew, Michael was delayed disembarking and sent us ahead to Blue Diamond, an exquisite designer jewelry store located in old San Juan. He had paved the way for me, with an introduction to Sunny, the owner and Charles the manager. He had let them know what I was looking for and actually, they shipped in the stone for my perusal. That's scary, but made me feel that I was queen for the day! It took about 3 hours to put the deal together, select the setting and select the additional stones, but once completed, it will be spectacular, even if I do say so!
Michael gives lectures during the cruise and is more than willing help anyone on the ship who is looking for something special and offers his services with compliments of Regent. He knows the ports and various stores so well, he can determine where you will be able to find the best deal based on what you are requesting or looking for; no cost or obligation to you. And, most importantly, he will hold your hand. He looked at the stone, and assured me that it was a very good stone indeed; I really needed hand holding on this one. If he's on board, take advantage of his expertise. He can put your mind at ease, when making a purchase.
After a Cafe con Leche and a Cordadito, determining the perfect setting, it was done, and I am officially broke. It will take eight weeks and we'll be in touch throughout the creation of this marvel to tweak the design if needed!
Michael not only helped me, he was everywhere throughout Old San Juan helping a number of people who had requested his assistance. On his recommendation we made our way up to Barrachina, a family owned restaurant that has been in Old San Juan since 1963 offering "Creative Puerto Rican & International Cuisine!" Not only that, they are the birthplace of the Pina Colada...quite honestly the best I've ever tasted! I had two just to make sure! Set in a beautiful courtyard, the bar is circular and can handle most any crowd - Jorge, the bartender, always checks to see if you want alcohol or not. Holy Toledo - so yummy! And NO ice! A very special, very protected, recipe.
I ordered a great Mofongo and Camarones! John opted for a boring old steak sandwich while Michael had a whole Red Snapper a la Criolla that looked delicious! We each savored our choices thanks to the excellent service from Victor as well as great food - and Sunny at Blue Diamond had arranged to pick up the tab! A lovely surprise!
Time to make our way back to the ship for 4:00 p.m. sailing. The Murphy's and Hudson's had been on the Bacardi Tour and came home filled with plenty of trivia - did you know Bacardi owns 150 other liquor brands - as well as rum! And they escaped Senor Frogs!
Our cell phones worked for the first time so we caught up with all of the kids and puppies. All is well, but the fuzzy ones have had a bit of a time with the stress. I know the Vets take really good care of them, but they do so much better at home!
We woke up to the news of the bombing in Brussels, and continued to catch news on BBC, CNBC and MSNBC off and on throughout the day. By channel surfing we seemed to get a fairly accurate, well rounded picture of the story as it unfolded.
As lovely as our day was, it was tragically marred by the terrorist attack in Brussels. In what seems to be a series of bizarre coincidences, our cruising schedule seems to intersect with memorable terrorists events - we were cruising when Seal Team 7 went in for Osama Bin Laden, we were cruising when Paris was bombed, and we just commented on the fact that they had captured the last of the terrorists earlier on this cruise, and suddenly we're faced with the devastating bombings in Brussels. If only there was a way to erase the hatred.
As a member of the crew, Michael was delayed disembarking and sent us ahead to Blue Diamond, an exquisite designer jewelry store located in old San Juan. He had paved the way for me, with an introduction to Sunny, the owner and Charles the manager. He had let them know what I was looking for and actually, they shipped in the stone for my perusal. That's scary, but made me feel that I was queen for the day! It took about 3 hours to put the deal together, select the setting and select the additional stones, but once completed, it will be spectacular, even if I do say so!
Michael gives lectures during the cruise and is more than willing help anyone on the ship who is looking for something special and offers his services with compliments of Regent. He knows the ports and various stores so well, he can determine where you will be able to find the best deal based on what you are requesting or looking for; no cost or obligation to you. And, most importantly, he will hold your hand. He looked at the stone, and assured me that it was a very good stone indeed; I really needed hand holding on this one. If he's on board, take advantage of his expertise. He can put your mind at ease, when making a purchase.
After a Cafe con Leche and a Cordadito, determining the perfect setting, it was done, and I am officially broke. It will take eight weeks and we'll be in touch throughout the creation of this marvel to tweak the design if needed!
Michael not only helped me, he was everywhere throughout Old San Juan helping a number of people who had requested his assistance. On his recommendation we made our way up to Barrachina, a family owned restaurant that has been in Old San Juan since 1963 offering "Creative Puerto Rican & International Cuisine!" Not only that, they are the birthplace of the Pina Colada...quite honestly the best I've ever tasted! I had two just to make sure! Set in a beautiful courtyard, the bar is circular and can handle most any crowd - Jorge, the bartender, always checks to see if you want alcohol or not. Holy Toledo - so yummy! And NO ice! A very special, very protected, recipe.
I ordered a great Mofongo and Camarones! John opted for a boring old steak sandwich while Michael had a whole Red Snapper a la Criolla that looked delicious! We each savored our choices thanks to the excellent service from Victor as well as great food - and Sunny at Blue Diamond had arranged to pick up the tab! A lovely surprise!
Time to make our way back to the ship for 4:00 p.m. sailing. The Murphy's and Hudson's had been on the Bacardi Tour and came home filled with plenty of trivia - did you know Bacardi owns 150 other liquor brands - as well as rum! And they escaped Senor Frogs!
Our cell phones worked for the first time so we caught up with all of the kids and puppies. All is well, but the fuzzy ones have had a bit of a time with the stress. I know the Vets take really good care of them, but they do so much better at home!
We woke up to the news of the bombing in Brussels, and continued to catch news on BBC, CNBC and MSNBC off and on throughout the day. By channel surfing we seemed to get a fairly accurate, well rounded picture of the story as it unfolded.
As lovely as our day was, it was tragically marred by the terrorist attack in Brussels. In what seems to be a series of bizarre coincidences, our cruising schedule seems to intersect with memorable terrorists events - we were cruising when Seal Team 7 went in for Osama Bin Laden, we were cruising when Paris was bombed, and we just commented on the fact that they had captured the last of the terrorists earlier on this cruise, and suddenly we're faced with the devastating bombings in Brussels. If only there was a way to erase the hatred.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Antigua!
March 21 - I love Antigua... It's a classic example of British Caribbean, with a ring of forts, quaint colonial architecture and best of all, 365 beaches! One for every day of the year.
Original plans were for a catamaran lobster and champagne cruise, but I opted out of that days ago. Patti and the sun just don't mix, and even with cover I'd be fried after 61/2 hours on the water!
Each time I'd been to Antigua was for a specific reason; a cruise on Star Clipper and later a visit to Pineapple Beach Club. Both delightful events, but never a chance to see the pier area downtown and shop!
It was great! Step off the ship, maybe a few hundred feet and voila! You are there! Right at the end of the the Heritage Quay Pier was a myriad of shops all just waiting for our arrival. Highlights were Diamonds International (and stroll down a bit further for the a DI clearance center), Tanzanite International, Abbott's Jewelry with Gingerlilly (a women's resort shop with lovely clothes), a Del Sol and Cariloha (the bamboo bedding and bath shop). Sound a bit like Bridgetown? Somewhat, but keep in mind, if you make a purchase on one island then see something you like better in another port, you can upgrade without a problem! I think that's a great benefit to shopping in the Caribbean!
I was delighted to find a new watch band for my watch, and someone kind enough to show me how easily they can be changed, so I can have a wardrobe of watch bands! As if I need to worry about is another wardrobe!
On our Cruise Director Jamie's recommendation we walked a bit further up St. Mary's Street to have lunch at Hemingways - established in 1987. They are on the second floor of a small wooden building and have a lovely balcony overlooking the street, and provide classic Caribbean service. I really don't know a kinder way of putting it. It was so slow that it was well over an hour between the time we ordered lunch and it's arrival at the table. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony, catching the lovely breeze and sipping our Red Stripes. We had heard about the fantastic lobster in Antigua and we were going to enjoy some for ourselves; so two orders of Grilled Caribbean Lobster - Market Price. Beware Market Price! With a good deal of savoir faire, we placed the order - hey, we're international travelers, how bad could the market price be! The late lobster was delicious! Served with lemon butter and fries, we were happy campers! Now maybe we were just so hungry by the time it arrived, anything would have tasted good, but they were really tasty. Ah, a bit of relaxation after the meal, a little chat and the request for the bill. OMG! Shocking doesn't begin to describe it! For the price of lunch, we could have hired a boat, scuba equipment and caught our own lobster! Possibly less! Lesson learned. ALWAYS ask the market price!
On the way back to the ship we wandered into a couple of other shops, but there was nothing compelling capturing our attention (or money!)
It wasn't far but by the time we walked back to the ship, we were both exhausted! It was bloody hot outside! It was a delight to get back to the ship and its air conditioning. We both crawled back to our cabins, showered and had a lovely nap!
We were in the Compass Rose for dinner with the regular menu, however four of us had requested escargot. One of the lovely things about cruising with Regent is that with 24-48 hour notice, they will cook anything for you! We enjoyed our little snails and have actually put in a request for a Chinese Dinner on Thursday evening... I love cruising!
Original plans were for a catamaran lobster and champagne cruise, but I opted out of that days ago. Patti and the sun just don't mix, and even with cover I'd be fried after 61/2 hours on the water!
Each time I'd been to Antigua was for a specific reason; a cruise on Star Clipper and later a visit to Pineapple Beach Club. Both delightful events, but never a chance to see the pier area downtown and shop!
It was great! Step off the ship, maybe a few hundred feet and voila! You are there! Right at the end of the the Heritage Quay Pier was a myriad of shops all just waiting for our arrival. Highlights were Diamonds International (and stroll down a bit further for the a DI clearance center), Tanzanite International, Abbott's Jewelry with Gingerlilly (a women's resort shop with lovely clothes), a Del Sol and Cariloha (the bamboo bedding and bath shop). Sound a bit like Bridgetown? Somewhat, but keep in mind, if you make a purchase on one island then see something you like better in another port, you can upgrade without a problem! I think that's a great benefit to shopping in the Caribbean!
I was delighted to find a new watch band for my watch, and someone kind enough to show me how easily they can be changed, so I can have a wardrobe of watch bands! As if I need to worry about is another wardrobe!
On our Cruise Director Jamie's recommendation we walked a bit further up St. Mary's Street to have lunch at Hemingways - established in 1987. They are on the second floor of a small wooden building and have a lovely balcony overlooking the street, and provide classic Caribbean service. I really don't know a kinder way of putting it. It was so slow that it was well over an hour between the time we ordered lunch and it's arrival at the table. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony, catching the lovely breeze and sipping our Red Stripes. We had heard about the fantastic lobster in Antigua and we were going to enjoy some for ourselves; so two orders of Grilled Caribbean Lobster - Market Price. Beware Market Price! With a good deal of savoir faire, we placed the order - hey, we're international travelers, how bad could the market price be! The late lobster was delicious! Served with lemon butter and fries, we were happy campers! Now maybe we were just so hungry by the time it arrived, anything would have tasted good, but they were really tasty. Ah, a bit of relaxation after the meal, a little chat and the request for the bill. OMG! Shocking doesn't begin to describe it! For the price of lunch, we could have hired a boat, scuba equipment and caught our own lobster! Possibly less! Lesson learned. ALWAYS ask the market price!
On the way back to the ship we wandered into a couple of other shops, but there was nothing compelling capturing our attention (or money!)
It wasn't far but by the time we walked back to the ship, we were both exhausted! It was bloody hot outside! It was a delight to get back to the ship and its air conditioning. We both crawled back to our cabins, showered and had a lovely nap!
We were in the Compass Rose for dinner with the regular menu, however four of us had requested escargot. One of the lovely things about cruising with Regent is that with 24-48 hour notice, they will cook anything for you! We enjoyed our little snails and have actually put in a request for a Chinese Dinner on Thursday evening... I love cruising!
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Discover Barbados on Bus #15
March 20, 2016 - My extreme caution paid off and I was bright eyed at 6am this morning! All the better to feast on caviar and mimosas, my dear! Not to say I'm spoiled or anything, but caviar just sets the tone for the entire day! You just know it's going to be a good day!
Downstairs and ready for our "Discover Barbados" tour by the appointed hour and we've exchanged our Destination Service Excursion Tickets for our bus number. Today it's number 15. Makes me a bit nervous thinking that there are 15 buses or maybe more in this group.
Actually, there was a Interport Shuttle from the ship to the terminal, which was lovely; it was about a mile hike otherwise. The took us through the pier and it was a delightful surprise, filled with shopping opportunities - Diamonds International, Best of Barbados, Cariloha (all bamboo clothing, bedding and sheets), Columbian Emeralds, A Duty Free Shop, Del Sol, The Best of Barbados Gift Shop and more! Well at 9:00 a.m. you march past them all and head for your bus. We all piled on, got comfortable (actually, they were beautiful new buses) and headed out to discover Barbados.
Although not the tour I would have normally signed up for, I really enjoyed seeing so much of the island. We drove through a beautiful area of Barbados with all of the magnificent hotels, (even saw one that we offer... Tamarind) on our drive up to Highlands Adventure Center for a rum punch. Now there's only one thing better than caviar and champagne for breakfast and it's having rum punch at 10:00 a.m.! The view was spectacular and that's what the majority of our tour was all about, driving around the island and catching the view of the ocean from the south and the west coast. The rugged east coast is particularly good for surfing, and attracts world class surfers for world championships in November. While the south side is where the incredible beaches and crystal clear water is found. A stunning island! We stopped occasionally for "photo opportunities" which we'll share and made our way to St. John's Parish Church. Originally built in 1645 for 110,000 pounds of sugar. It was badly damaged by a hurricane in 1675, rebuild and again damaged in 1780, rebuilt once more before it was absolutely destroyed in 1831. The present church was completed in 1836. The beautiful Gothic design was greatly influenced by its first Anglican Bishop, William Hart Coleridge. From there we made our way back to the ship and the shopping.
I loved the colorful houses we saw all over the island, very imaginative color combinations. They are built to be moved if they find more land, and in some cases built from the top floor down where eventually a bottom floor can be added when the money is available.
Being Palm Sunday, downtown Bridgetown was pretty well closed, with only select shops here and there open, but the shops at the pier were ready and waiting for us!
I was on a hunt to replace a watch band, which I found in Colombian Emeralds, LTD. We checked out Cariloha but found the sizes ran small, but we hit pay dirt at Del Sol with all sorts of fun stuff and promotions... Fingernail polish that changes colors, fun t-shirts and even hair clips! Happy Grandchildren! We found a sundries store as well and I found Cadbury FLAKES! Wow! Talk about Happy!
We're about to slip our lines and head toward St. John's, Antigua. Catch up with you tomorrow!
Downstairs and ready for our "Discover Barbados" tour by the appointed hour and we've exchanged our Destination Service Excursion Tickets for our bus number. Today it's number 15. Makes me a bit nervous thinking that there are 15 buses or maybe more in this group.
Actually, there was a Interport Shuttle from the ship to the terminal, which was lovely; it was about a mile hike otherwise. The took us through the pier and it was a delightful surprise, filled with shopping opportunities - Diamonds International, Best of Barbados, Cariloha (all bamboo clothing, bedding and sheets), Columbian Emeralds, A Duty Free Shop, Del Sol, The Best of Barbados Gift Shop and more! Well at 9:00 a.m. you march past them all and head for your bus. We all piled on, got comfortable (actually, they were beautiful new buses) and headed out to discover Barbados.
Being Palm Sunday, downtown Bridgetown was pretty well closed, with only select shops here and there open, but the shops at the pier were ready and waiting for us!
We're about to slip our lines and head toward St. John's, Antigua. Catch up with you tomorrow!
Friday, March 18, 2016
Devil's Island
March 18, 2016 - Another day of cruising in the morning with an afternoon in port after about 2:00 P.M.. Or that was the plan. Although it was cloudy with scattered showers, the seas didn't seem to be too imposing, but once we dropped anchor, lowered the gangway and tenders, there was still a delay. Quite a delay in fact, it was well over an hour while the tenders cruised around the ship. They worked the port side, then the starboard side and continued to cruise their way around the ship for well over an hour while we watched from our balconies and waited to hear it was time to proceed to the gangway to disembark and board the tenders. The call never came, however there was an announcement about 4:00 P.M. from Captain Serena. She had determined that the swells were just too high for passengers to board the tenders safely so although we could take pictures of Ile Royale, Iles Saint-Joseph and Ile du Diable they would be from afar.
There were no organized shore excursions, but simply the opportunity to go ashore and explore on your own. I was disappointed on one hand, but on the other, there was so much pain and suffering lingering on the island, it was almost palpable. As strange as that may sound, I was glad not to have to deal with that.
The ship had shown the movie Papillion the previous evening, with Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen - the story of Henri Cahrriere's successful escape from the island so everyone was very sharp on Devil's Island. Terry Breen had given a talk on Devil's Island the day before and discussed what there was to see. We were actually going to visit Ile Royale, the arrival/reception island where all prisoners disembarked their ship, were processed into the system and began their prison time. Each of the three Islands served a different purpose. Ile Royale was the administrative center, Ile Joseph held the most troublesome convicts and the almost inaccessible Devil's Island held the political prisoners, such as Albert Dreyfus, in isolation.
The penal colony was first opened in 1852 by Napoleon III and it went on to become one of the most notorious prisons in history. Once a prisoner completed his sentence, if it was less than eight years, they were forced to stay in French Guiana for the length of time matching their forced labor; any sentence exceeding eight years, they had to stay in French Guiana for the rest of their lives.
On Ile Royale there is the church, prison cells, solitary confinement, death row and the site of the guillotine remain for your perusal. The bars on the cells and the irons for chaining the prisoners to their beds indicates the harshness of the prison routine. I can't imagine you wouldn't quickly realize what a hellish existence life was for a prisoner: the oppressive heat, forced labor, cruelty from the guards and appalling living conditions, even though set among magnificent tropical flora and fauna.
On a lighter note, I am sorry I missed the gift shop, my favorite part of any excursion! According to Terry, you can send postcards postmarked from Devil's Island, however they are then shipped to France and from there sent on to their final destinations. So don't expect a post card anytime soon! Oh, and the gift shop also carries French underwear of all things!
Lovely dinner in Signatures followed by a couple of excellent Cosmopolitans crafted by Peter, head bartender in Horizons... His secret is Citron Vodka and Cointreau! Ever so tasty!
The ship had shown the movie Papillion the previous evening, with Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen - the story of Henri Cahrriere's successful escape from the island so everyone was very sharp on Devil's Island. Terry Breen had given a talk on Devil's Island the day before and discussed what there was to see. We were actually going to visit Ile Royale, the arrival/reception island where all prisoners disembarked their ship, were processed into the system and began their prison time. Each of the three Islands served a different purpose. Ile Royale was the administrative center, Ile Joseph held the most troublesome convicts and the almost inaccessible Devil's Island held the political prisoners, such as Albert Dreyfus, in isolation.
The penal colony was first opened in 1852 by Napoleon III and it went on to become one of the most notorious prisons in history. Once a prisoner completed his sentence, if it was less than eight years, they were forced to stay in French Guiana for the length of time matching their forced labor; any sentence exceeding eight years, they had to stay in French Guiana for the rest of their lives.
On Ile Royale there is the church, prison cells, solitary confinement, death row and the site of the guillotine remain for your perusal. The bars on the cells and the irons for chaining the prisoners to their beds indicates the harshness of the prison routine. I can't imagine you wouldn't quickly realize what a hellish existence life was for a prisoner: the oppressive heat, forced labor, cruelty from the guards and appalling living conditions, even though set among magnificent tropical flora and fauna.
On a lighter note, I am sorry I missed the gift shop, my favorite part of any excursion! According to Terry, you can send postcards postmarked from Devil's Island, however they are then shipped to France and from there sent on to their final destinations. So don't expect a post card anytime soon! Oh, and the gift shop also carries French underwear of all things!
Lovely dinner in Signatures followed by a couple of excellent Cosmopolitans crafted by Peter, head bartender in Horizons... His secret is Citron Vodka and Cointreau! Ever so tasty!
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
March 17, 2016 - Well, in fine tradition we started our day with Irish Coffee and continue to enjoy them throughout the day. I am pacing myself, as there is a long way to go... Funny, they are serving Bushmills in the Irish Coffees, not Jameson - Bushmills is for the Protestants from Northern Ireland, while Jameson is from Southern Ireland, and quite Catholic... But after two, no one really cares!
It's been a quite day as we make our way out of the Amazon. We dropped off our pilots this morning and will exit the Amazon early evening, meanwhile, we are still surrounded by the Cafe au lait of the Amazon.
I have to admit the ship is dong a grand job of celebrating St. Patrick's Day - nothing the crew is particularly accustomed to. There are green balloons and shamrock balloons in the atrium, lunch offered a fabulous green shamrock cake, with a rainbow, leprechauns and pot of gold, as well as a beautiful shamrock shaped loaf of bread. There was corned beef and cabbage, colcannon soup, and even an Irish potato and chicken pie!
This afternoon we're all planning on attending a "St. Patrick's Day Teatime" followed by a "St. Patrick's Party! I'll fill you in! I can only tell you that by the end of the day, we'll all sure to be green!
I didn't plan this trip as a bucket list destination, it just happened, but how fortuitous. It has been an adventure, a luxurious adventure, but an adventure none the less. And once again, you realize how blessed you are, how lucky to have air-conditioning and to be cruising on the beautiful Seven Seas Mariner with an entire staff dedicated to your enjoyment and well being. We must seem like aliens to the natives; we arrive on big ships, we bring money, take a few pictures, buy a few of their crafts and then slip back onto our ship and disappear, never to be seen again.
I have to admit the ship is dong a grand job of celebrating St. Patrick's Day - nothing the crew is particularly accustomed to. There are green balloons and shamrock balloons in the atrium, lunch offered a fabulous green shamrock cake, with a rainbow, leprechauns and pot of gold, as well as a beautiful shamrock shaped loaf of bread. There was corned beef and cabbage, colcannon soup, and even an Irish potato and chicken pie!
I didn't plan this trip as a bucket list destination, it just happened, but how fortuitous. It has been an adventure, a luxurious adventure, but an adventure none the less. And once again, you realize how blessed you are, how lucky to have air-conditioning and to be cruising on the beautiful Seven Seas Mariner with an entire staff dedicated to your enjoyment and well being. We must seem like aliens to the natives; we arrive on big ships, we bring money, take a few pictures, buy a few of their crafts and then slip back onto our ship and disappear, never to be seen again.
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