Boarding
the Holland America ship, Statendam, today.
San Diego from the ship:
Just
on the way out, Mary checked her email before we got out of range.
Surprise! Our neighbor had left us a message that one of our
eucalypist trees fell into the street. No damage or injuries, and the
city cut up the tree and left it in our yard. Okay, so we can deal with
that when we get back.
General
comments on the cruise:
We
enjoyed the cruise very much. Lots of classes and presentations to keep us
busy, lots of time to just relax and read. We took Mary’s mom along, and she
enjoyed it a lot. We cruised on Holland America, a smallish ship
these days - passenger count was about 1200. The average age on board was 74,
so mom fit in well – she is 83. She is quite social, made lots of friends, and
enjoyed the cruise and the shows a lot, and also the shore excursions, except
sometimes too much walking for her. There were two early teens, and two 4 or 5
year olds, all with extended family (parents and grandparents). Other
than that, all were older adults.
We
bought several paintings at the art auctions on board to put in our library
once we get rid of a large file and shelving unit, and one large one that will
go over our bed, rotating with one we already have there, and won a few “free”
ones (free except it is just the painting, not the frame). Mary bought a
tanzanite stone (later made into a ring) in Puerto Vallarta and an emerald ring in Cartagena.
They had classes on board about what to look for in the jewels, and they had
stores they recommended that sell good quality stones at fair prices. Mary knew
exactly what she wanted in an emerald ring, and she found it – but very expensive.
She settled for a ring for a lot less, same color and
quality, smaller stone, simpler setting, and no diamonds in the setting. Mary’s
mom also bought a couple of paintings, a chocolate diamond ring and earrings,
and a tanzanite ring.
Best
parts – Panama Canal, mangrove boat ride in Chiapas, Everglades tour, meeting
people on the boat, learning about history and culture of Mexico, Antigua,
jewelry, and art.
For
the first 48 hours, at the buffet, we were served by the crew – to prevent spread of
disease. They also had hand sanitizers everywhere, and going in to eat
they had crew stationed just outside with a sanitizer to make sure everyone sanitized their hands.
Weather
was generally hot and humid, except Antigua at 5,000 feet, which was
about 68 degrees.
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