Another "old" Travel Report

As if there was not enough to worry about in the world ... now news about the war in the Ukraine. Both of us being from Europe, me having visited the Russian occupied East Germany as a child so I could spend time with my family (especially grandparents) who could not visit us in the West ... lots of emotions, besides the horrible brutality.

James and I love to travel. We were very fortunate that his job came with traveling and wives were sometimes invited. We were also very fortunate to have taken other opportunities when they were there such as the the short window of being allowed to visit Cuba from the USA, or walking the Camino Pilgrimage or hiking the Jesus Trail while our bodies were still stronger. 

And there was the River Cruise in 2003 from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Cruises are a wonderful way to travel but river cruises are the tops. Really! No hotels the whole time we were in Russia.

We had 3 days in Moscow - Read Report A

There were 5 stops to visit places while sailing - Read Report B

Then 3 days in St. Petersburg - Read Report C

We went through 18 locks and sailed 1805 km (1121 miles). It was awsome. And that is why I felt so compelled to blog about this trip. We saw so much gorgeousness. Beautiful churches. The towns. The countryside. The people were so nice. We felt good walking around by ourselves. The little villages where we were invited into people's houses to see how people lived. Yes, they earned a little income that way but everybody was so friendly, offering tea and nibbles ... or a schnapps. Even the street vendors were nice peddling their handmade things like knitted "wedding ring" scarfs. 

To get back to why I felt I needed to finally write this report: It is not the common people in Russia just like you and me who are causing the horrible war in the Ukraine right now.

Cruise Day 10 and the return home

Friday March 4

Cruising the Atlantic Ocean

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Our last day on this cruise. I must have been all "photo-ed out". Hardly took any. We enjoyed a lazy day. We did do our walking. James as always had no problem reaching his goal. I failed to pay attention and only saw next day that my step count ended 9,926. Really? 74 steps short?

We played cards, spent time on our balcony, gave some thoughts to packing. I almost forgot the 2pm appointment of picking up my "art class creation". I was a bit late and most things had been picked up. Mine is the blue on on the left. I was sorry that I didn't see the others but I had a nice chat with Andre the artist. I must say that I had enjoyed this project more then I thought I would. He was so encouraging and excited about what we all did. Now to get that glass plate home in one piece.

To be honest I can't really remember what all we did. But we did decide that we might want to try one of those specialty restaurants for dinner again. 

Instead of French like last night we choose Asian. It was very posh. They even came to the table with a lovely wooden box asking which pair of chopsticks we wanted explaining which were easier and which ones the most difficult, the stainless steel Korean. James knew them well. 

This time I braved to take photos at least of the desserts so I could remember. Mine was something like a 'Windbeutel' (cream puff) and the waitress paired it with chili ice cream (?). I didn't taste much chili though.

I liked the way how James' was decorated with a slice of somewhat dried slice of apple.

The show at 9:15pm was another high-light. 

First the guitarist Greg Rodman (click on the link and then on videos) and then the pianist Michael Kaye 

(and ... already home again ... I have fun googling and listening to them again).

I was a bit in a panic because the suitcases were supposed to be outside the door at 10 pm but the show went longer which was great but no problem. Got everything finished quickly.

Afterwards we strolled a bit around, went upstairs to Horizons for more music etc etc.

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Saturday March 5

Miami     -      disembark 8 am

* * * * *

Several days ago we had to fill out a disembarkation form and opted for 8:30am. Suitecases had to be outside the stateroom door at 10pm the night before. So we didn't have much to gather any more and vacated the room soon to give the staff as much time to get ready for the next guests.

All the staff, everybody, was just so nice, happy, friendly, helpful, you name it. So we gathered the "hand-lagguage" and went up to deck 12 to have breakfast. 

This time we actually went inside very soon because it was not the friendliest early morning.

Last slice of that incredible bread I liked every morning with bitter orange marmelade. You had to be careful though. The little apricot jam jar looked exactly the same.

Disembarkation was very well organized and we had our 3 suitcases soon. I had the sticker the car- parking-people had given us in the beginning, called the number and the bus was soon there to pick us up. Retrieving the car was easy too and we found a gas station soon too. That had been on my mind with a little bit of worry.

And off we went. Lunch break at Wendy's for a taco salad. It was pretty empty so we ate inside. From my seat I could see those white  birds between the cars ... and on top of one too.

We spent the night in a hotel close to the highway I-95. The ususal breakfast after 2 hours of driving at a McD's. And a Wendy's salad again later for lunch.

We were home in good time Sunday afternoon and then the unpacking, sorting, washing etc etc started. Happy dance: the plate survived the travel.

And this greeted us when we arrived home.

 And now we have new memories to enjoy. We are so blessed.

Cruise Day 9

Thursday March 3

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic     -     8 am     -      3 pm

“Christopher Columbus dubbed the peak overlooking the town Monte de Plata due to the silvery hue of its cloud cover, but the region is actually best known for its abundant amber deposits. View ancient fossils and insects encased for millions of years in this translucent, hardened sap at the Amber Museum, stroll among vividly painted Victorian mansions and then take a cable car to the 2,600-foot summit of Pico Isabel de Torres for glorious views of the entire Amber Coast. At the superbly preserved 16th-century Fortaleza San Felipe, look out to sea and imagine an onslaught of pirates eager to plunder the town’s treasures. Fortunately, today you need not cannonade Puerto Plata from a frigate to access its myriad attractions.”

Sea Lion Encounter & Ocean World Adventure (POP-004)

Duration: 5.50 Hrs Tour Price: $189.00
Date: March 03, 2022 09:00 AM 

Spend time poolside interacting with South American sea lions and follow up with other animal encounters at Ocean World, an outdoor marine park right on the sea. All you have to do is sit on the side of the pool with your legs in the water, and the sea lions will come to you. As you will discover, these large short-haired mammals are agile, playful and bright. Chances are, the sea lions will waddle over on all four flippers, allowing you to pet and feed them fish. They might even encourage you to play ball, as they are skilled at bouncing beach balls off their noses. The males are the larger sea lions with lion-like manes running down their backs. In addition to this up-close encounter, you can enjoy the park’s other attractions, including the rainforest and bird sanctuary. You will also have time for a refreshing swim and to snorkel in the reef aquarium. 

·Interact with South American sea lions poolside and feed them if you wish.
·Spend hours enjoying the attractions at Ocean World, a dolphin habitat with plenty more. ·Walk through the rainforest, watch marine animal shows and snorkel in a reef aquarium. ·Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
·Bring a bathing suit, towel and sunscreen.
·Wear flat, comfortable walking shoes. 

Bring money for pictures, videos and souvenirs. Towels are available for rent. A prior shower is required. An 18 year or older adult must accompany children at all times. Minimum age to participate is 4 years old. Child minimum height is 45 inches (115 cm). Participants must be able to swim and must use lifejackets (provided). No pregnant women allowed. No jewelry on hands, neck and ears allowed to avoid harming the animal. No camera or glasses allowed in the water. Electric mobility equipment i.e. scooters not allow inside the premises. The park is wheelchair friendly with ramps. Wheelchair users must be accompanied by a friend or family member. Showers, restrooms and changing facilities are available.  

* * * * *

Can you believe it? Vacation and we had to set our alarm for 6:45am (ha-ha). 

Today was our last of the 3 complimentary excursions. The ship docked at 8am and we were surposed to already be ready at 7:55am. Well, we were.

It was quite a long way from the ship but the harbor area for passengers to walk around is just lovely. It must be brand new. State of the art. We don't have any time though.

This time it was a large bus. We were 3 groups (at least) but all going to Ocean World. Our guide in the bus and all day was Daniel the skinny (that's how he introduced himself). There was also a helper who also was Daniel but he called himself sexy head because he was bald.

Skinny Daniel gave us all the tour when we had arrived at Ocean World. The reason why we are different groups is because we have different encounters. James and I have the sea lion encounter. Others have the shark or dolphin encounter. Or you can just look at all the shows or go to the man-made beach.

First thing some Spanish dancers performed for us. 

Then Daniel suggested to us that we should take photos of the show times and the map with our smart phone. Yes, that's what I usually do.

After the tour James and I headed for the changing area. James had to go somewhere to rent a lock.

First we came to the aviary. There was a macau who wanted to kiss James. 

Right away we were whisked into the big aviary and an attendent put seeds on our hands. OMG, I wasn't prepared. How could I take photos with just one hand. The birds loved the seeds in my other hand. They were so cute. So many. Coming and going.

Amazing that I managed these selfies.

And then we had to hurry to the bird show right next door. It seemed already full but we found a place. The show was phantastic. The macaus were so clever and seemed to have fun. Halfway through came another huge crowd and just busted in squeezing us together. It was outdoors and James and I put our masks on but we were uncomfortable to be crowded upon. 

Nevertheless, the birds showed such cleverness and trainers were great. 

Afterwards, time to find the ladies' room. Even that was so wonderfully decorated. 

The next show was the shark encounter. We could watch the people who had signed up for that and the shark trainers for a while. But we had been late and only could get a place on the side.

Ha-ha, sitting down no view for the camera.

But when we left for our encounter we stood for a little while from the way were we had  a great view. Sharks? Not my thing really.

We had been told to be 10 minutes early. We were and saw a bit of the previous encounter group. 

And then it was our turn. First we were briefed about what the animals like and what they don't like. Then James was the first to be asked to sit on that wooden structure with his back to the pool. Rubia, the sea lion, was so cute and seemed to like being with people. 

Chach was a bit like a show man but ...

... he liked splashing us with water. We have more photos to prove it, ha-ha. And we were drenched.

We were thoroughly surprised how much we liked this encounter. We had so much fun. 

After that we just wandered around a little bit more, then emptied the locker. James brought the lock back and got some of the money back too. We were thirsty. It was lunch time. We could have done with a bit of lunch but that seemed complicated. Seemed like we were supposed to have some tickets. We settled for a beer each which took good care of us. We had a nice place and enjoyed the view. 

Few minutes later a sea lion show started and we noticed that we had a prime seat. All we had to do was turn around. Our "new animal friends" did very well and it was the cherry on top for us to see this.

VIDEO:     (1:34 min.)

All in the bus in the morning were told to be back at that same spot at 1pm. Everybody was right on time (wow) and we left exactly at 1pm. 

So, thinking of this experience I am so surprised. Generally I am not so comfortable with "caged" animals but zoos have so greatly improved lately to give animals a good live and give people a chance to see animals they otherwise might never have a chance to see. Zoos also have the purpose to preserve a species which otherwise would die out. There was no doubt that these animals were very well cared for and had fun interacting with their trainers and us. I really didn't have any great expectations but James and I came back with having had a marvelous time. Something really special. That place was very well done.

The drive back seemed shorter but we were let out in a different place in the parking lot and had a further way to walk. The good thing: we got to see more of the lovely construction and landscape. 

View from the deck on 12.

Funny this: we are hungry for lunch now but the Terrace Cafe has just closed. But the Waves Grill next to it is open till 4pm. No problem. The servers were so nice to help us. 

James had the veggie burger with caribbean mango salsa.

I could not resist the maguro (soy-gigner marinated ahi tuna with wasabi-garlic mayonanaise). Awesome taste. Ha-ha, so much for not being very hungry. 

It was a bit unfortunate that we ate so late because we had a dinner reservation in one of the specialty restaurants on ship. Normally on a cruiseline you pay extra for these but we learned that on an Oceania ship it is included. We were generally very happy with the meals in the Grand Dining Room and didn't see the need for something else but thought we would give it a try. The adventage of the Grand Dining Room is that you go when you are ready. This time I had an even harder time to choose. To name just 2 ... my escargots were some of the best I had ever had and my scallops were a feast for eyes and tongue equally. But ... it was not a place were you take photos of your food. Sorry. 

The big show at 9:15pm today was Vocal Harmony Group 'The Other Guys" as always accompanied with the Marina Band. Having been 4 people in their first performance they were only 3 this time because one wasn't well. They are very good though and it was a totally new program. 

Another great day. I should have written GREAT Day. Oh yes!

Tomorrow we can sleep on it.