Seattle & Vancouver

On Saturday afternoon our cousins Deb & Pete delivered us to Pier 91 for our embarkation. The ms Amsterdam will be our home away from home until December 2nd, and we were really anticipating seeing our stateroom.

The embarkation process was the quickest and easiest we’ve ever experienced, partly because we didn’t arrive exactly at the scheduled time, and partly because so many people had opted to embark on the cruise in L.A. on the 30th. We sailed through the process (no pun intended) and were escorted aboard the ship and to our stateroom. A few minutes later our luggage began to arrive. With five large suitcases and three small ones, we were in a complete state of upheaval for the entire first day, which was only interrupted by the mandatory lifeboat drill and dinner. After two days, we’ve finally pretty much found places for everything and sort of know where things are now.

We spent a marvelous day Sunday in Vancouver. We’d booked a tour with a private company which would show us the venues for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. Much to our surprise, a van pulled up, and the driver indicated that we were the only people booked for the tour. So we had a private tour of the city, which was adapted to suit what we wanted to see. We couldn’t have been happier with our very knowledgeable Hungarian-born tour guide, who kept up a steady stream of information about Vancouver and its environs. He was quite obviously very proud of his adopted home and loved to show it off! Especially interesting was the Richmond Olympic Oval, site of the speed and figure skating events, where we had the opportunity to view the interior of the facility. We also visited the Cypress Bowl, which will be the location of the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events, and we were rewarded with a spectacular view of Vancouver on the way up. Distance prevented us from getting to Whistler Mountain, which will host the alpine events. When we watch the games in February, I’m sure they will mean even more after having seen the various venues.

Monday was our first day at sea, and we had a chance to do some exploring of the ship in greater detail. We’ve checked out the shops, and we’ve also been up to the fitness center. Angie will be pleased to know that I did some time on the treadmill and the bike. When we went to the dining room for lunch, we discovered that Deris, our dining steward from our Norway cruise, was here. We’d seen him last year on the Zuiderdam, so we were quite surprised to cross paths with him once again! We’ve also met some very nice people, but are still sorry that our friends Al & Carol had to cancel out. It would have been so much fun to share the experience with them!

Many thanks to Deb and Pete for a fantastic stay with them in Seattle! It was great fun to spend some time together and see a little bit of the Northwest.

Barb

Seattle

Greetings from Seattle! Our voyage has begun. We flew from Chicago to Seattle yesterday, arriving in Seattle approximately 45 minutes early. Our only "incident" involved the fact that since our package included first class seats on American Airlines, it showed that we were entitled to a "snack" onboard. Barb checked at the gate agent who confirmed that it would be a "snack" and not "lunch". It seemed a bit strange, but not flying first class very often, we bought a lunch and took it on board. Since our flight was to depart at 11:25 and was to arrive about 4 PM Chicago time, we knew we would be starved when we got to Seattle. Early in the flight we pulled out our lunches and the flight attendant told Barb her sandwich looked really good. Five minutes later, she came by asking for our choice in lunch! We felt a bit foolish but explained what we had been told and even showed her the itinerary. She was quite surprised at the fact it said "snack."

We enjoyed the evening with our cousins, Deb and Pete Keane, in Edmonds, WA. This morning they asked us what we would enjoy doing today, and having been to the top of the Space Needle and toured the city on other visits to Seattle, they suggested we might enjoy driving up to the town of LaConner where we could have lunch and visit the shops in town. The weather was perfect, and we commented that there was a lot of variety and many items were high quality at a reasonable price. However, our “real” last minute shopping was done at places like Costco and Walmart!

Tomorrow we meet our new home for the 67 days and will settle in on the ms Amsterdam. Much thanks goes to the Chicago Tribune, whose stock I had purchased in the 1980s and whose value had increased quite nicely before newspapers hit hard times. In late 2007, it went private and I decided to take the funds and spend it rather than reinvest it. Having always wanted to go to Australia but not wanting to fly that distance, we decided to take the cruise. A huge "thank you" to our friend and travel agent, Marcia Marcett, in the Joliet AAA office, who put in many hours making detailed arrangements. And thanks also to Dale Sandoval and Pam Floyd, our Lincoln-Way High School friends who have organized adult trips for teachers/friends and with whom we took our first cruise in 2004 to Alaska, followed by a cruise of the Baltic in 2006. Certainly we appreciate friends that are looking after our things at home: Pat Edgett who is receiving and sorting our forwarded mail, Rick Hammond who is checking our homes, neighbors, Sam and Sue Fiore and Gerry Werner for keeping an eye on our houses, and Jen Wozniak, Lincoln-Way sub caller, who we told we would be unavailable for so long, but who indicates she will be calling us again when we return.

Chuck

Peru 2008

In June 2008, we traveled to Peru with a group of teachers and friends from the local Lincoln-Way schools. Having traveled with them on cruises to Alaska in 2004 and the Baltic in 2006, we quickly decided to join this group in our first venture to South America. We would not have decided to go there on our own, but with this group it was a good opportunity to see the beauty of the Andes Mountains, the mystery of Machu Picchu as well as the Amazon rainforest.

On the first morning we were given a tour of Lima, a very poor, and for the most part, a not very attractive city, by our excellent Peruvian guide, Marco. First we visited the Main Square of Lima and seeing several churches, including the burial spot of St. Rose of Lima, and some government buildings. What took our eye in the Main Square were the tanks sitting right out in front of one of the buildings. We were told that those were there in case they were needed for water cannons in an effort to break up unruly demonstrators. Our next stop was at a nearby Pachacamac ruins, an Inca site. After climbing a gentle slope, we had to go down the steps. But on the way down, Barb lost her balance on one of the steep steps and fell but fortunately had sat down rather than falling forward. It was a sprained ankle and she was told to keep the leg elevated and to stay off her feet for at least a couple days, and to keep it iced. Barb announced it was impossible to keep it elevated for two days as we were were flying to Cuzco the next day and she was NOT going to miss Machu Picchu in two days.

O n June 20, we headed for the airport for our short flight to Cuzco. Cuzco is a beautiful city in the high Andes at an altitude of about 12,000 feet. They offer free oxygen at the airport and several availed themselves of this opportunity. After checking into our hotel, we walked through the nearby Main Square to our restaurant. Since we were there at the time of a major Inca holiday corresponding to their winter solstice, there were people in their festive holiday outfits in the main square so it was fun observing this as we went to our restaurant. While there, one of the young teachers fainted from the altitude, but she recovered quickly. A man in his 50s felt lightheaded, so was able to get to a sofa and recline on that. We had been told that it was impossible to determine who would be affected by the altitude and that it had nothing to do with age, gender, or physical fitness.

On June 21, we headed for Machu Picchu, first by bus and then the last part of the trip to Machu Picchu by train. On arrival at the Machu Picchu site, we were inspired by the beauty of the ruins. Way up in the Andes, we tried to imagine how a community with such complex architecture could be built under such primitive conditions. Barb got to see Machu Picchu but didn't risk the walking on uneven surfaces and similar climbing as there had been the day she sprained her ankle. Most of us took most of the tour. We had a group picture taken at a site where the solstice is celebrated. We left Machu Picchu happy that we had had the opportunity to visit one of the great wonders of the world.

The next day, we were up early for our trip to the Sacred Valley and to stop at the market town of Pisac. We enjoyed the market and the bargaining for the best deals. We returned to the town of Ollantaytambo where we had gotten the train the previous day. Not as famous as Machu Picchu, but the Inca ruins of Ollantay fortress there were also very impressive. On the return back to the hotel, we saw people in their colorful native dress, one place in particular where the family pig was tied to a leash at the front of the house, and at one point, I saw a farmer walking two cows through the small town square.

The next morning we were off to the airport again for our trip to the jungle, arriving at Puerto Maldanado, the hub of the rainforest "civilization". It's a very poor village with people riding bicycles and motor bikes. We visited the market and got our suitcases stashed away in a secure building since we were only allowed to pack essentials in our carryon case. We went down to the Madre de Dios River which is a tributary of the Amazon. We boarded our motorized boat for the two hour boat ride to our rainforest site at Eco Amazonia. We arrived there, climbed the steep, uneven stairs, and were assigned our individual bungalows. It was quite rustic! It was one room with two twin beds, but behind was a room with a pair of hammocks. In between was the bathroom which had water, but no hot water! Showers were very quick! There was a single 60 W bulb in the ceiling to provide light for the entire cabin. There were generators that gave some light early in the morning and for a few hours in the evening. But, ready or not, lights were out at 10 PM! The porches were screened in but it became very still at night as it was pitch dark.

Late in the afternoon, we traveled to Monkey Island and enjoyed seeing the monkeys swinging from the trees and a few climbed on some of our hikers. They were safe but we were warned not to try to touch them and to let the monkeys decide if they wanted to climb on a person and not to try to force the money off them. After dinner, we boarded a motorboat to search for caimans. Later in the evening, armed with flashlights, we took a walk into the jungle to experience the sounds of the jungle at night.

The next morning some of us took a jungle walk, checking the foliage and thick brush, seeing the Lake Apu Victor and observing it from a watchtower and riding a small boat on the lake. Although we were in the jungle near the equator, it was still rather cool. We were told that the temps had set a record low when we were there -- somewhere in the mid to upper 60s.

The last day was a long one, with an early morning boat ride back from Eco Amazonia to Puerto Maldonado and their airport for the plane trip back to Lima via Cuzco. In Lima, we toured the archaeological museum, had dinner, and back Lima Airport for the trip home via Miami.

The trip was excellent and we had lots of new enriching experiences with excellent travel companions.

2008 Mediterranean Cruise

In 2008 we took a fantastic cruise of the Mediterranean onboard HollandAmerica's ms Zuiderdam. The 24-day cruise was actually two back-to-back cruises which sailed from Venice.

The first half of the cruise took us to Split, Croatia, followed by Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey. This was our first time in Asia. Then we went to Mykonos, Greece, an absolutely beautiful island with gorgeous white buildings and blue roofs. Kusadasi, Turkey was a hubbub of people, where the shopkeepers hawked their wares quite loudly and persistently. During our stop at Kusadasi, we traveled to Ephesus. Ephesus was interesting, but we would have enjoyed it much more if it weren’t so hot, crowded, and treacherous (walking). Despite all this, we did enjoy our trip to Ephesus.

Then it was on to Santorini, Greece, where we were anchored in a caldera and tendered to shore. The trip to the top of the island was on the only road, narrow with a lot of hairpin turns. Santorini was absolutely gorgeous, and our only disappointment was that we weren’t able to spend more time in the delightful village of Oia.

From Santorini, we sailed to Katakolon, Greece, where we traveled to ancient Olympia. Being interested in the Olympics, we found our visit there quite fascinating. We enjoyed seeing where they lit the Olympic Torch before its journey to the next Olympic site.

After a day at sea, we arrived back in Venice, where we spent two enjoyable days touring the town. The first day was on our own – we’d been there before so we knew what we wanted to see. The second day we took a shore excursion to Murano & Burano, two small islands in the harbor. Murano is known for its glass-blowing, while Burano is the home of lace-makers.

While we were in Venice, they were celebrating a national holiday, which included spectacular fireworks, which we were able to see from our verandah. The fireworks went on forever, and they were magnificent, hanging over the harbor and the city.

The second half of the cruise started in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dubrovnik was completely different from Split, and both were very interesting. We did like Dubrovnik better, though. From Dubrovnik, we went to Argostoli, Cephalonia, where we toured Melissani Lake and Drogarati Cave. The cave was nothing unusual as far as caves go, but Melissani Lake was quite unique. It was located inside a sort of cave with only one source of light. The bright sun shining down created a beautiful blue glow in the water, which reminded me a lot of the Blue Grotto in Capri. On the way back we stopped at an overlook of a beautiful beach with gorgeous hues of blue water.

Then it was back to Santorini, which we enjoyed even more the second time than we did the first. This time, we were able to spend a few hours in Oia, where we walked the streets and snapped pictures. Back in Fira, we had more time before taking the funicular back down to the dock to catch the tender back to the ship.

Our stop in Sicily meant a tour to Syracuse, led by one of the best tour guides we’ve ever experienced. His enthusiasm was absolutely contagious! We took a walking tour of the city, and then went to a huge amphitheater. Syracuse showed the influence of the Greek civilization.

Leaving Sicily, we spent several hours enjoying the views of Stromboli, an active volcano, and we were actually even able to see some of the lava shooting out when it got dark.

Naples meant a trip to Capri. We’d been there before, and we have to confess that we enjoyed it far more before than we did this time! It was a mass of humanity, oppressive with people, so although beautiful, not nearly as pleasurable.

The day we were near Rome, we opted not to take a shore excursion. We relaxed around the ship, and enjoyed having a little peace and quiet as there were so few people left on the ship.

Our next-to-last stop was in Livorno, where we took a trip to Cinque Terre, which is a World Heritage site of five villages sprawled across high cliffs along the western coast of Italy. It was very unique – we did mostly a walking tour, and everything was up and down. We walked between two of the villages, then took a ferry to a third village, passing a fourth. The villages were very picturesque and we were glad for the opportunity to see such unique places.

Barcelona was our last port. We enjoyed walking along Las Ramblas, and seeing all the street entertainers and searching out the Hard Rock Café (Chuck’s favorite Hard Rock).

When we disembarked the last day, we were given a bus tour of the city, and after arriving in our hotel, we took a cab to Guell Park, famous for its Gaudi artwork. It was beautiful but (believe it or not) virtually all uphill to get into it. (The bonus was that it was all downhill to get out!) We look forward visiting Barcelona again so we can explore it further.

All in all, the cruise was beautiful, and one that we would definitely do again if the opportunity arose.

Pictures may be seen by clicking on the link under the Picasa Photostream.

2009 Alaska

Our Alaska trip, July 5-12, was a last-minute decision because of the excellent prices available through HollandAmerica. We set sail from Seattle on the ms Westerdam on the 5th for a cruise of the Inside Passage of Alaska.

Our first stop was at Glacier Bay. I use the term "stop" loosely because we're not allowed to get off the ship. The weather was a picture-perfect sunny day with magnificent views of various glaciers. The most impressive was the Margerie Glacier.

Next was Juneau. We spent time wandering around Juneau in the morning, then took a photo safari in the afternoon. There are no words to describe the awesome experience we had! There were fourteen of us who sailed out to an area where the humpback whales were bubble net feeding. We've never seen so many whales in our lives! The naturalist was able to count seventeen whales, and they kept coming up to the surface to feed. Barb got something like 300 pictures that afternoon, many of which were later deleted, but there were pictures of blows, backs, mouths, and flukes. It was truly an amazing experience for all of us! We didn't want to leave and head for the Mendenhall Glacier, but we had no choice. That was also beautiful, but after the whale (of an) experience, it was somewhat of a letdown!

Sitka is a very interesting port that shows evidence of its Russian influence. Barb took a sea otter cruise while Chuck did another photo safari. The two shore excursions were totally different. Barb saw lots of wildlife, and more bubble net feeding, though not as many whales as in Juneau. The tour guide told the group that a commercial fisherman had told her it was the first time in over 30 years that he'd seen whales bubble net feeding in Sitka. Chuck's photo safari took him to various scenic areas of Sitka, but did not include wildlife.

Ketchikan is known for its rain. While we had a lot of overcast weather there, we didn't have rain. We took a boat trip to the Misty Fjords National Park, which was beautiful! I can only imagine how spectacular it would be if the weather were sunny.

Our last stop was Victoria. While we'd been to Butchart Gardens before, we wanted to do that again as we'd enjoyed them so much in 2004. This time we were there in the evening, and we were treated to fireworks to end the day (and our trip). The fireworks were not what we'd expected - they were ground fireworks that created scenes