Viking Cruise 2019

OCTOBER 30, 2019 SEA  DAY That was this morning's sea. This afternoon we are still miles offshore and we have entered the Amazon River's effluence as evident by the muddy colour of the water. I have read that the volume of the Amazon River's discharge is so great that it can be detected up to 400 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.  There are public washrooms throughout this ship and they have a feature that I have never seen (er, make that heard) before - there are recordings playing all day of chirping birds, not loud but very pleasant. NIce touch, Viking. Speaking with senior staff who have worked on other cruise lines, they remark that on Viking ships there is no sense of class distinctions among their guests, in contrast to some more exclusive cruise lines where class status is quite noticeable.  Tomorrow we will spend the day on the River heading towards Manaus where the temperature is expected to be 33C but "feels like" 38...

OCTOBER 29, 2019 ILES DU SALUT,  FRENCH GUIANA  (Devil's Island) What a day! This afternoon we visited Devil's Island. Everyone who went on that excursion was warned that they would be soaking wet when they returned to the ship. Everyone was soaking wet when they returned to the ship.  Tonight we watched the movie " Pappilon " expecting the 1973 film with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. No. It was the 2018 remake. The shakey cam was so annoying that we stopped watching. The original movie was good enough. They got me But, the best thing happened earlier in the day, at 10:00 AM. Viking put on a special German feast  called Fruhschoppen  at the Chef's Table restaurant  for the 55 Ultimate World Cruisers  (we gained two others who chose to extend their original half-world cruise). The Captain of the Viking Sun and all the top brass were in attendance. The party began with a choice of either a shot of Jagermeister or a glass of champ...

OCTOBER 28, 2019 SEA DAY Today something unusual occurred. I was taking a photo of the Atlantic Ocean (just a lot of water) half way between Barbados and Devil's Island French Guiana, when the above anomaly appeared. I was shocked. The tip seemed to be still, not moving; its colour was  beige and bubbling, followed by turquoise water that slowly faded away.   What the heck is that? A whale? A sand bar...in the middle of the ocean? An underwater  volcano spewing effluent upwards and the current carrying it away? It's a mystery!! Later, I realized that I should have made a video of the phenomenon. Silly me! Still, I had something on my camera that is factual evidence. I wondered whether someone on the ship's bridge could explain it to me; after all, the ship came within a hundred yards of it and surely someone on the bridge must have seen it. I showed the photo to Captain Lars and he thinks it is a school of fish trying to evade a pursuer, likely a whale. Time...

OCTOBER 27, 2019 BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS This is the entrance to Bridgetown in 1967 when I first visited Barbados. I had sailed on a three-master schooner from Gibraltar (but that's another story, er stories). As you can see, in those days the careenage was filled with sailing ships and in full operation as a careenage. Now it operates as a yacht club. The most popular band in the Caribbean then was The Merrymen from Barbados. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NghkV-dDa10 In those days one could buy flying fish burgers, drink rum at the John Bull Bar, body surf at Rockley Beach (the best beach on the island) and get banana daquiris at the Abbeville Hotel next to The Sweet Life Guesthouse, where Karen and I spent a Christmas holiday in 1975. For those who appreciate flowers, be it known that  Barbados is blessed with an abundance  of various varieties of flowers. Presumably the British imported most of them: https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=A...

OCTOBER 26, 2019 SEA DAY What a perfect day!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQetemT1sWc A sea day means a bridge (the card game) day. We had seven tables - 28 people - playing duplicate bridge, the most since leaving London. There were several newbies, who slowed things somewhat, but that's OK. We all were rookies once. In San Juan 700 travelers left the ship and 700 new ones replaced them. Today Karen and I had a thoroughly enjoyable lunch with one of the newcomers, an 83 year old gentleman from Waterloo Ontario, a widower. We shared histories, stories and experiences. Many of our meals follow that easy format. This comfortable informality with strangers has lead to both parties in due course planning future meals together.  This afternoon we attended a presentation by the Excursion Manager regarding our three day tour of the Atacama Desert in December. The Manager outlined the hour by hour itinerary and what we can expect during our fligh...

OCTOBER 25, 2019 LEAVING  SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO In case you might have lost track of the Viking Sun's voyage, it can be sourced at:   https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/world-grand/2020-world-cruise/index.html#noscroll    All the available excursions at each port are described by clicking "Read more >" on the right side of the page.  Stopping as we do at ocean ports, the Viking Sun has access to plenty of seafood. Although our ship's pianist is sometimes predisposed to play sea shanties for that reason, I feel compelled to point out that while he can tune a piano, he can't tuna fish. ( sssssss ). Going forward, there are many sea days ahead. While there might be an occasional incident or an idea worth exploring, and I will not hesitate to comment on those, many sea days will be lazy and uninteresting. There won't be much to report.  However, to provide further substance to the daily blog, I have a library o...

OCTOBER 24, 2019   SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO Like Quebec City, San Juan has a modern upper city and an ancient lower town. However, San Juan's lower town gets few visitors. So, how do Puerto Ricans feel about Puerto Rico and the U.S.? Listen..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e2igZexpMs Today is "turn over day" - about 700 passengers who joined the ship in New York are departing and will be replaced by new travelers. The staff are busy, but efficient. To make this morning even more hectic for the rest of us, the Viking Sun is sitting alongside Disney Fantasy (capacity 3,000 passengers) and Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas (capacity 5,400 - c'mon now,  this is getting downright silly!). Shopping is right across the street from these ships so you can imagine the elbow to elbow pandemonium that took place inside and outside the stores.  We went into CVS Pharmacy and discovered that their usual checkout counters were closed, customers had to use the s...

OCTOBER 23, 2019 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO What is more iconic of Puerto Rico than the Fort San Felipe Del Morro Castle? Sorry to be late with this blog, there is an unspecified internet problem in San Juan, possibly due to three huge ships being in port, and a rumour that security authorities are screening the Net. Wednesday was a small day. I went snorkeling while Karen tried her hand at shopping. I was more successful. Karen discovered to her chagrin after scouring the local area that there are no white ladies shorts for sale around here. Meanwhile, I spent eight hours traveling via bus and boat to and from a couple of snorkeling spots where swimming and viewing coral and little fishies was the order of the day. Oh, and there were pina coladas too. The coral was predominantly brown with some grey, except for the fan corals which were pink. The blistering sun was a concern as my skin is still Canadian pale, so lots of sunscreen was de rigueur. Our chosen destination, an uninhab...

OCTOBER 24, 2019 CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS It seems the reason we have been the only ship in port lately is because high season is just beginning. Adjust your Caribbean travel plans accordingly. Charlotte Amalie is named after was a 17th century Danish queen. Denmark sold the islands to the US in 1917 for $25 million in gold. - Now you know. Want more? See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Virgin_Islands The roads here are wider and far better paved than in the BVI. Britain are you listening? While Karen chose to avoid jouncing on the bus today, I was fortunate to secure an early morning excursion which included the island's highest viewpoints - thus the above photo, taken on Mountain Top, of the harbour with Viking Sun at rest. While we were taking photos, a local fellow, Darren Lawrence, was playing a chrome-plated steel drum nearby and it was truly ear pleasing (I'm not normally a fan of the steel drum). I bought one of his CDs. ...

OCTOBER 21, 2019 ROAD TOWN, TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS That's the Viking Sun docked in Road Town today. Having visited the BVI in April 2018, Karen and I are curious to see what re-construction has taken place during the intervening period. You might recall that 2017 was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane season on record and Hurricane Irma was the worst. However, two weeks later Hurricane Maria blasted the island. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Atlantic_hurricane_season Here are a few photos that we took last year (many boat graveyards abound): Before our adventure began in 2018 we (Terry & Nancy Fauteux, Jim & Bonnie Hume and the Di Tomassos), had preconceived ideas of wondrous yachting in cobalt-blue waters and favourable winds. Paradise. What we found instead was devastation beyond our worst expectations. The destruction was so widespread that one third of Tortola's inhabitants were both homeless and job...

OCTOBER 20, 2019 PHILIPSBURG, ST. MARTIN (Netherlands and France) This is Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch southern part of this Island, called Sint Maarten. T he northern half of the island is French and is called Saint-Martin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Martin For the fourth consecutive port, ours was the only ship in dock. How lucky is that? Upon leaving the dock area for our morning excursion, we immediately ran into a swarm of what our driver/guide called "Christmas Butterflies". Christmas? This is October. We were also informed that these butterflies, which are white and about the size of a silver dollar, only live for two days during which time they must mate. According to Wikipedia that is bullspit. Could this be a nameless, rare and endangered species of butterfly found only adjacent to the cruise docks in Philipsburg Sint Maarten?  In regard to currencies, the Dutch accept US dollars, while the French use only Euros. As it turns out,...

OCTOBER 19, 2019 BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS & NEVIS Saint Christopher, as it was originally named, is another two-island nation, and the smallest country in the Caribbean with 56,000 people (St Kitts 44,000, Nevis 12,000). Like Antigua, St Kitts was once a one crop island, sugar. Competition from European sugar beets eventually drove Caribbean cane sugar production out of business. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_plantations_in_the_Caribbean With the loss of the sugar industry most sugar plantations were eventually abandoned. Remnants of windmills and related chimneys are widely evident. St. Kitts Scenic Railway is a 7 mph ride along the Atlantic side of the island through 65 abandoned sugar plantations which have been replaced by nature with tall grass. To our surprise the number of African green monkeys in the wild here is greater than the number of humans. Monkeys were brought to St Kitts by the French as pets over 300 years ago. The train ride included free drinks...

October 18, 2019 ROSEAU, DOMINICA This is Roseau on a sunny day. It is heavily overcast and threatening rain as I write this in the morning. For the first time we are noticing plenty of young folks on board the Sun. I guess it's because, on this two-week leg, the ship spends most of its journey visiting Caribbean islands with sandy beaches and warm water. Can you imagine? Dominica has a population of around 65,000 and it is a country - heck, Saanich is more populous. However, there are nine active volcanoes on Dominica; Saanich has none. Have you ever gone tubing down the Cowichan River? If you haven't, you are missing out on one of the most enjoyable ways on Vancouver Island to spend 3-4 hours on a hot afternoon. Dozens of people swarm to the River whenever the weather permits. It is a popular pastime with our family, particularly the boys and their friends. This experience leaves pleasant memories that last a lifetime.  So, when Dominica offered a "River Tubi...

October 17, 2019 ST. JOHN'S,  ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Here we are overlooking English Harbour where the British Navy was based during the 1700s to protect British interests in the Caribbean region.   The Caribbean! Arguably the most convivial playground in the world.  With a population of only 95,000 on Antigua and 15,000 on Barbuda, the country appears quaint, poor, slow and friendly.  Antigua began its commercial life primarily as a sugar producer on vast plantations owned by English aristocrats. Today tourism and bananas are the major sources of GDP. How things change. During our tour of the island we were introduced to a special local rum that is 151 proof. My Captain Morgan Spiced Rum is only 70 proof, so I'm not sure that I will be trying the harder stuff any time soon.  Tonight's theatre production featured humourist Don Bryan, Master Ventriloquist from Vancouver who brought along his two puppets and conscripted an audience vo...

October 15 - 16, 2019 SEA DAYS Have you seen this bit of news? It shows the downside of being subject to the elements when cruising the seven seas. When Zeus gets angry, beware! https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/passengers-riot-after-norwegian-cruise-ship-diverted-due-to-bad-weather-remnants-from-hurricane-lorenzo Tuesday morning awoke sunny and warm threatening to be hot later - bring it on!  At breakfast one of the restaurant managers brought to our attention that the kitchen staff had set up an entirely separate meusli section. And what a spread - almost a dozen types of meuslis that incorporate dried berries and fruits; dozens of bowls of fresh fruits, berries, nuts, grains, yogurt. Add milk and brown sugar or maple syrup and you have a day's worth of nutrition. What a treat! One cruise reviewer said that people cruise to eat. Well, we have never had a finer dining experience while cruising than what is provided by this ship. The variety and the quality...

October 14, 2019 HAMILTON,  BERMUDA Imagine in the middle of this photo the Viking Sun docked beside a main avenue in downtown Hamilton. Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. As you might have expected, I have a song for this auspicious occasion. Tim Harrison, a Gabriola Island resident has written and sings " Song of Thanksgiving ". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SkkioBxJ2M The eponymous song from Tim's album " Wheatfield with Crows " is so fine that it is worth a place here. It is dedicated to the international volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War against the Fascists. One of my favourites (the song, not the war). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SkkioBxJ2M We should also be thankful because d uring a lull between the speeches at a recent Parliament Hill Correspondent's dinner, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau leaned over to chat with Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Defence.  "Ya know, I bought Justin a parrot for his birthday" she said, ...

October 12 and 13, 2019 SEA DAYS Sorry folks, I forgot to send this one earlier today. Saturday was not a good day. I had felt a cold coming on for a couple of days and finally it arrived. You know the symptoms so I won't bore you. I spent most of the day in bed, no meals, hoping that rest would be the cure. To make matters worse Tropical Storm Melissa was moving northward past Bermuda so Viking Sun skirted it to the west. That night the ship was rockin' and rollin' in 15 foot seas. This is the first time my sleep was disturbed by the sea. There is good news, though - the weather forecast calls for sunny skies by the time we reach Hamilton, Bermuda. Karen and I attended an information meeting for the 70 travelers who will be taking the 4-day Overland Excursion to Machu Picchu in mid-December. The biggest concern is being able to acclimatize to the thin air at an elevation of 16,000 feet. Some passengers might  be reconsidering their commitment to this venture. Su...

October 11, 2019 NEW YORK, NEW YORK Viking Sun doesn't leave NYC until 6:00 PM today, so Karen and I decided to take a walk in Central Park. Part of the day's enjoyment was experiencing the park itself, another part was just resting on a park bench and watching the people parade. Totally entertaining. Here is my "keeper" photo of Central Park: Visible from our patio on the ship are two advertisements six stories tall on the walls of Manhattan Mini Storage that read: " Transform your sad, tiny apartment into an uncluttered sad, tiny apartment", and then, "We're all for cleaning out cabinets, but seriously, Donald?" Only in New York! Two days ago, when we arrived in New York I mentioned that a Concorde was parked nearby. Well, here it is: As an equities manager at Royal Insurance Co. of Canada in Toronto during the 1980s, I was fortunate to be invited by Wood Gundy, who were one of the underwriters of the British Airways initial ...