Graceland Here We Come!

Posted on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 by Paul

We have a seven-hour drive across Tennessee.  We plan a leisurely drive across the state as it is quite scenic.

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Chattanooga Choo Choo; We Is Coming!

Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 by Paul

We were up late this morning, probably about 7:00 am, as our bedroom was dead quiet.  We were in the forest, and there were no man-made noises.

Miss Becky went out of her way to make an absolutely fantastic breakfast fit for a king and a queen.  She even prepared some Lambsquarters, a local vegetable often called a weed.

Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) is edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.  It’s a leafy vegetable related to beets, spinach, orach, epazote, and quinoa.  Lambsquarters is available from early summer through fall’s first frost, and you can find it at farmers’ markets or forage for it yourself.

A gourmet breakfast at Chez Becky’s

Art was doing an errand that involved delivering Lady, their baby dog, to a friend who would watch her for a few days.

Art and Becky followed us in their car to Chattanooga, where we stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel.  This hotel is unique in that the rooms are in retired railroad cars.

Did You Know?  “Chattanooga Choo Choo” is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren.  It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade.  It was the first song to receive a gold record, presented by RCA Victor in 1942, for sales of 1.2 million copies.

The billboard is high on the city skyline.

We could not miss the sign.

We pulled up to the hotel and checked in.  Soon, we were freshened up and ready to explore a part of Chattanooga.

There were about thirty cars converted into two units each.

Becky brought her flowers, and Mary had all the paperwork for the remaining part of the trip.

We raced to the rooms to unpack and get going!

We walked by the side-by-side cars and were amazed at their size.  They were in pretty good condition, considering they were almost 100 years old!  Oops, I am talking about the cars, not the girls!

The cars were huge!

Upon opening the door, we were instantly returned to our country’s kinder and gentler period.  People traveled in style, and railroads were king!

Wow!  This is uptown!

Soon, we popped into our car and headed to the top of the mountain.  The upscale town of Lookout Mountain is known for its namesake ridge and attractions like the steep Incline Railway and Ruby Falls, a waterfall set in a cavern.

The Battles for Chattanooga Museum showcases local Civil War history, and hiking trails wind around Point Park and up to scenic overlooks such as Sunset Rock.  A few rustic cafes, homey eateries, and breweries dot the area and the nearby St. Elmo neighborhood.

We got our passes into the national park, which contained the  Battles for Chattanooga Museum.

To the top of Chattanooga.

Why was the Battle of Chattanooga important to the Civil War?   The Federals’ victory at Chattanooga opened the Deep South for a Union invasion and set the stage for Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign the following spring.

Boom Boom rested on the cannon, and we were puzzled how the soldiers got these 2600-pound cannons to the top of the mountain!

They call her BOOM BOOM for a reason.

The view was amazing.  We were almost 2,000 feet above the city; you could see forever.  We spent an hour wandering around the site and visiting the museum with pictures from the 1860s and stories of the five-day battles for Chattanooga.

We were 2200 feet above the city!

We wanted to see the lookout point inside the Rock City Gardens, just a few miles away.

Rock City is supposed to be amazing, located atop Lookout Mountain, just 6 miles from downtown Chattanooga.  Rock City is a true marvel of nature, featuring massive ancient rock formations, gardens with over 400 native plant species, and breathtaking “See Seven States” panoramic views

We took an unforgettable journey along the Enchanted Trail, where each step reveals natural beauty and wonders along the woodland path.  We experienced the magic of Fairyland Caverns and Mother Goose Village.  We took almost 200 pictures of the adventure!

We were off to Stone City!

Off we go, walking between these vast rocks.  The facility was first opened in 1932 by locals who had a vision.  Opened in May 1932, the attraction gained prominence after owners Garnet and Frieda Carter hired Clark Byers in 1935 to paint “See Rock City” barn advertisements throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States; Byers painted over 900 barn roofs and walls in 19 states.  When completed, almost 20,000 signs across the country were painted with “See Rock City.”

We walked in, around, between, and under huge rocks for an hour!

The paths go up and down and around.  We could look up and know we would soon be on that bridge!

Man-made bridges were overhead and hand-made of the local rocks.

We spotted two amazing Lovebirds cooing near an outcropping of rocks.  We tried to get close, but they hurried away.  They are scarce these days!

Ahhhhhhh!

The various passages had clever names like “Needles Eye.”  We had to turn sideways to get through. Paul applied a bit of Vaseline in certain areas, and thankfully, we wore hats protecting us from the very low ceilings.

Now we go underground.

We took many opportunities to let others pass us by and enjoyed every second of the adventure.

It was time for a rest!

Vanna White (aka Mary) showed us another flower, but we still could not guess what it was. So we asked for another flower.

Did you hear about the drunk geologist? He finally hit rock bottom.

Mary loves the flowers.

Since its earliest days, Rock City has claimed that it is possible to see seven states from a particular spot (Lover’s Leap) in Rock City; a scientist at the University of Tennessee, when asked to prove the issue in 2007, pointed out that the claim refers to seeing mountains and other high points in many of these different states, adding that the claim was made long before the air pollution associated with the proliferation of automobiles and coal-fired power plants.

You know the old saying—igneous is bliss.

We were overlooking seven points.

The claim was reasonable many years ago. Today, it would take a windy day to see the top of Kentucky 120 miles away.

My wife told me she is thinking about selling Egyptian rocks. To me, this sounds like a pyramid scheme.

Seven states all at once.

We were in Georgia when we arrived at Seven Points.  I wanted to take a crayon and put in California, 2300 miles.  Mary told me no!!

Amazing!

High Falls (also known as Lover’s Leap) is an artificial waterfall that is arguably the signature attraction of the Rock City Lookout and Gardens on the Georgia side of Lookout Mountain.

Magnificent even though it is man-made!

We are at Lover’s Leap and decided we would stay on solid ground!

Just us.

We continued our journey into the Fairy Garden, a fantastic adventure.

Deep underground was magical.

At 5:00 pm, we declared victory and returned to the hotel for dinner at Elsie’s Daughters Restaurant.   At first, we were a little suspicious, but when our meal arrived, it was a fantastic experience.

Art said his curry meal was the best he had ever had.  Mary loved her chicken.  Becky marveled at the kale salad.  I had to order additional toast to sop up the spicy mussels’ juices, which were perfectly cooked!

Dinner in the diner.

After dinner, we walked over to the grand train station, a tribute to the time when railroads were king of Industry.  The interior of the building is seven and a half stories tall and sports a full-size Christmas tree during the season!

Chattanooga Union Station, more commonly known as the Union Depot in Chattanooga, constructed between 1857 and 1859, served as a train car shed in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Located at Broad and Ninth Streets (the latter now Martin Luther King Blvd), the station was one of two major railroad terminals in the city, the other being the Southern Railway’s Terminal Station.

We walked through the old Union Station.

We sat outside in the rocking chairs and admired the surroundings as a group of older folks on tour passed by.  Several stopped and chatted with us.  One lad asked if she could take our pictures because we were such a good-looking couple.  That was so nice!

Under refurbishment.

We returned to the car by 8:30 pm, as we were all tired.

I went to the hotel and got two bottles of water and a small bottle of champagne.  We read books for about an hour, and the lights went out.  We slept until almost 9:00 am the next morning.

We head to Memphis tomorrow to visit Elvis at his home, Graceland.

Goodnight all!

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Lookout Tracy Tennessee!

Posted on Monday, April 22, 2024 by Paul

We are on the road again!

We are off and running.  We departed Soddy-Daisy at 10:00 am after a great visit.  Tracy City is about an hour away, and we took several highways to get there.

Tracy City is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States.  ncorporated in 1915, it had a population of 1,481 at the 2010 cens  . Named after financier Samuel Franklin Tracy, the city developed out of railroad and mining interests after coal was found in 1840.

The highways were in excellent condition.

We said goodbye, then jumped into the car and headed west!

“Marilyn, Peter, and Mary are saying goodbye.”

The community was amazing, high on a mountain overlooking the surroundings.

And just like that, we’re on our way to everywhere.

We weaved around several miles before getting onto the state highway system.

We encountered some rain, but a couple of hours later, the weather turned bright and sunny, reaching 68 degrees!

As we approached Beck’s home, the surroundings became more rural.  It reminded us of an old joke!

We came up the road, and their home was at the top of the rise; magnificent rural living was at its best!

The roads were nice to drive.

When we arrived at 2:00 p.m., we were greeted by Becky and Art.

Becky did the landscaping.

Mary raced to see the fishies.

The fish are a cross between a goldfish and a koi.

Becky was pleased to see us.  They were roommates back at Pacific Union College.

Hello Girl!!!

We went inside, and Becky had prepared some photo albums from yesteryear. They were joyous to see, as they reminded us of everything that happened in the Dark Ages.

Studying as usual!

Same beautiful smile!

A little help from AI!

Mary and Becky at a college party!

Always funny!

Mary is at a costume party and going to a belly dancer.

Mary’s first car.

For lunch, we went to Southern University, which was terrific.  It was all-you-can-eat for $13!

The University of the South, known as Sewanee, is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is supported by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official church seminary.

Dogwood trees are in full bloom!

Did You Know Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico?  An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida and west to the Mississippi River.

Mary had to get up close to hear them bark!

Inside the cafeteria, we dined and shared stories.  Although new, the cafeteria is built in the same style as the rest of the campus.

Generallycafeteria food is OK if you are a bug!

This school cafeteria offers various food options, making it an excellent choice for students, even picky eaters!

Good food; fantastic company!

After lunch, we walked through the chapel.

The stained glass work told the university’s story from its inception until today!

There were terrific details in the stained glass work.

The facilities were made of locally mined stone.  All Saints’ Chapel, located at the center of the campus, offers students a variety of programs for exploring religious faith and serving others.

It was built in the 1800s.

We went to the viewpoint 180 feet above sea level, and the valley opened below.

We could see for miles in today’s cloudless sky!

The cross was directly behind the viewpoint and could be seen for miles.

You are overlooking the valley!

We returned home and went for a tour of the back forty!  They have a massive yard with loads of berries, and an orchard is underway!

We were visiting the greenhouse.  Becky and Art gave us the grand tour!

The greenhouse was working as it was 100 degrees inside when it opened.  The tomatoes were going wild.

The summer garden is in!

We decided dinner was next and went to “Top Of The Rock.”

One thousand eight hundred eighty feet above the valley!

The Tennessee River is below in the valley!  Look carefully, and you will see a TVA Dam.

On top of the rock!

Becky was enjoying her dessert! We turned off the audio because the “slurping” sounds frightened the small children!

The dessert was yummy!

The moon was out and bright as a star!  The outside patio was beautiful

The moon was out and about.

Tomorrow is the Chattanooga ChooChoo!

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Soddy-Daisy, Here We Come!

Posted on Sunday, April 21, 2024 by Paul

We were careful where we parked!!

Today we head north-west for five and a half hours, 378 miles!  The weather is forecasted to be nice with perhaps a few tornados, three tycoons, and some blizzards!

The roads in the south are in better shape than in California.  They are wide and clean!

The roads were in great shape!!

After three hours, we searched for a fine dining experience.  Subway was at the filling station, where we got gas for $3.20 a gallon!  Hear that California, $3 per gallon!  On my!

We had a gourmet lunch.

Like always in the South, the clouds rolled in and we got rain for about two hours.  It was light and then heavy and then light again.

What did one raindrop say to the other?  “Two’s company; three’s a cloud.”

An hour later, the rain came down in buckets.

We got into Soddy Daisy at 4:30 pm and visited until late into the evening.  We killed off a bottle of vino and talked for several hours.

MAry got a friend. Cheyenne is very friendly and loves visitors, just like Scout.

Mary has a friend!

The dessert was outstanding.  It disappeared a matter of seconds.

We were busy talking and I missed the beautiful lasagna! I did get the dessert!

We discussed everything well into the evening.

Great fun!

Cheyenne was enjoying the visit.

Cheyenne is about 85 pounds.

Tomorrow late morning we will drive to Tracy Tennessee to visit Becky.

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Driving To Savannah Georgia, Yaw’ll!

Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2024 by Paul

We were up early as usual, but this time we missed the 8:00 am deadline to vacate the room. However, we made it downstairs by 8:30 am.

They called our number, Purple Seven, and we descended two more floors and exited without an issue. When we got to the baggage area, a nice man asked if we needed assistance. We both yelled, “YES!!!!!”

He took us through numerous checkpoints and right to a cab. We made him very happy as we gave him $40. The taxi took us two miles to Enterprise Rentals, where we got into our 1927 Model-T.

80 MPH all the way! 6 hr 23 min (465.7 mi) via I-95 N

We departed Ft Lauderdale at 9:30 am and arrived in Savannah at 5:30 pm.  On the way, we stopped several times at rest stops and for gas.

Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale!

I-95 serves as the principal road link between the major cities of the Eastern Seaboard. Major metropolitan areas along its route include Miami, Jacksonville, Savannah, and Richmond in the Southeast; Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington–Philadelphia, Newark, and New York City in the Mid-Atlantic; and New Haven, Providence, Boston, and Portland in New England.

We went over a load of bridges on our journey north!

One stop had an ice cream machine, which sounded interesting in the 92-degree heat!

It was not soft serve like the ship, but it was OK!

We called ahead using the trusty iPhone and arranged lodging at the Hampton Inn in Savannah.

The road was excellent, although traffic seemed to run at 80 MPH, including 18-wheelers!

After moving part of our luggage to our room on the 6th floor, we decided to go to Houlihan’s, a local hangout.

It was an easy walk, but we decided to drive anyway.

I was worried because loud music was coming from the restaurant, but as we walked up, it was from patio speakers. Inside, it was fine!

Our waitress was funny, and she and Mary shared that they were veterans together.

Mary did her salad with potato soup, and I just went for their special hamburger.

We had a glass of wine with dinner which made sure we would sleep tonight.

The soup was outstanding!!

Returning home, we barely made it long enough to open our bags and get our toothbrushes.  For some reason, we were pooped out!

Tomorrow, we are off to Soddy-Daily, Tennessee!

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Our Last Day At Sea; The Sea Trip Comes To An End!

Posted on Friday, April 19, 2024 by Paul

Great idea!

We saw a lot of gators on our travels, and perhaps we should bring them to the US!

We were up bright and early and headed to the gym so Ms. Yoga could do her thing, and I attempted to do my best on the bike.  We succeeded in both efforts.  Mary found out her yoga friend was a yoga instructor.

It works with chardonnay also!

We got instructions on the Heat Room so that we could head to the Sauna/Heat Spa after Mary’s optional classified secret procedure (It is so secret I do not even know what it is!)

While Mary was busy, I returned to the room and watched Fox News to see how the world was going. It is not going well! Meanwhile, we are cruising around the western half of Cuba, and then we will head east-northeast to Florida, arriving there tomorrow morning.

Click the photo to see a larger map!

We joined forces and headed to the Heat Room (that’s not what it is called), which is a steam sauna or a “dry heat” sauna.  We cooked ourselves and then promptly fell asleep on the heater lounge chairs.  After drying off, we headed to the hot tub in the “adults only” area of the ship. There was no noise, no kids, and it was just quiet!

As seasoned members of the Princess Family and Suite folks, we get to Sanctuary, a place to escape the noisy crowds.

Quiet, soothing, and relaxing!

If I ever lose Mary on the ship, I will go to the Spa, where she will be sitting, awaiting my arrival.

Mary’s favorite spot on the ship!

We just finished a steam bath, and my little drowned rat comes home to Papa!

Caution: here she comes!

The bar, bless the designers of this ship, is no more than 40 feet from the spa, so that was our first stop!

We enjoyed a Greyhound before hitting the trough for lunch!

One last gulp before brunch!

Outside the spa is our favorite watering hole where we go to fill up after working out!

Paul’s favorite spot on the ship!!

Slurp, gurgle, burp!  OK, let’s go to lunch!!

OMG, Mary drank water! This is worrisome!

We wandered down to the trough and had a nice lunch.  The place was loaded with goodbye cakes. We tried them.

It was the last day at sea, so cake was served!

The green cake came to the table with us, and we did him in!

Calories float, so I had several pieces just in case!

We now had to work for the first time in two weeks, packing. The suit bag contained everything we did not need for the next week, such as suits, tuxes, gowns, high heels, and other dress up goodies. He also got the boombox and tennis shoes.

We began packing around 3:00 pm.

We had a dinner appointment at 5:00 p.m. at the Crown Grill, so Mary got ready while I finished some last-minute packing.

Mary gets ready for dinner at the Crown Grill.

We went to the Grill and had a delightful dinner with David.  Mary and David did the Filet Mignon, and we enjoyed wine and MaiTai’s.

I went for the lamb chops!

We will miss our new friend as he is flying back tomorrow afternoon to San Diego.

We say goodbye to David for now; we will see him in two weeks as he lives near Oceanside!

We returned to the room and finished packing, placing our three bags outside the room at 8:00 p.m. We had already taken Mary’s four steamer trunks into the hold for safekeeping.

We watched TV for a few minutes but were tired and crashed quickly.  Tomorrow, we have to leave the room at 8:00 am and wait for the lounge to be called.  We plan to get a taxi to take the two miles to the car rental facility.  Then we are off for week three, the land cruise!

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Lookout Stingrays, We Are On Our Way!

Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2024 by Paul

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

The ship was on time as we spotted the Georgetown harbor at 6:00  am.

You Know?  When Columbus landed in the Caymans in 1503, he found tortoises and sea turtles in such profusion that he promptly named the islands Las Tortugas.  But the name that stuck for the islands was the Carib word “Caimanas.” Fitting, since the caiman is a New World crocodilian, the islands were long the lair of pirates, buccaneers, and assorted freebooters.

Despite their past, the Caymans are a Caribbean demi-paradise of white-sand beaches, coral gardens, and offshore waters harboring spectacular shipwrecks.  Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman also boast the highest standard of living in the entire Caribbean.

The weather was perfect, and there were no mountains here; it was flat as a pancake!

We had company; a Celebrity and a Carnival ship were there a little before us.

They were anchored in the bay and getting ready to use the tenders to go ashore.

We arrived right on time at Grand Caymen Island.  We landed in Georgetown and then took the bus to catch a small boat and ride to Stingray City!  (See the map below)

The Cayman Islands is a self-governing British Overseas Territory and the largest by population.  The 264-square-kilometer (102-square-mile) territory comprises Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman islands.  FYI: Catalina is 76 square miles!

The Caymans are located south of Cuba and northeast of Honduras, between Jamaica and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.  Georgetown on Grand Cayman is the capital city and the most populous of the three islands.

We took the bus from Georgetown a short distance and crossed the light blue area to Stingray City via a long boat.

We hopped on a water taxi to the pier since the piers did not handle large ships!  The city provided a fleet of tenders that could take 150 people at a time.

We were pretty small compared to the Mother Ship!

The port provided efficient transportation to and from the docks using new boats.    It was a walk-on/walk-off arrangement.

The boats loaded and unloaded 2,000 people per ship in a half-hour.

We were greeted with a Hula by the temporary mayor of the city (for today).

Hilo (Mary) Hatti waved to us!  (Do you remember Hilo Hatti?)
Native Hawaiian singer, hula dancer, actress and comedian (1901-1979)

We were taken to a tent where we awaited the bus, which had the driver’s seat on the wrong side of the vehicle.  This is a British protectorate, so they drive crazy.  I paid particular attention because we will be in Ireland in a few weeks and have rented a car.

Mary has the tickets, so we are ready to go!!

Driving down the wrong way on the streets was a little exciting!

I just closed my eyes at every turn.

We arrived at the dock and jumped onto a 50-passenger boat to the sandbar called Stingray  City.  About 25 minutes later, we disembarked  (climbed a ladder off the back of the boat into the water) and met an experienced guide who instructed us on how to handle the stingrays.

We are ready for them; are they prepared for us?

The boat tied up and dropped an anchor, and we went into the wonderfully warm water.

We went for a swim in waist-deep water and discovered friendly white southern stingrays at Stingray City, a group of sandbars located 25 miles off the shore of Grand Cayman. The water surrounding the sandbars is pretty shallow, which makes it ideal for people of all ages to join in the fun. We had 90-year-olds in the water with us, and I assisted an older lady who was scared of the stingrays in climbing back up the ladder to safety.

The graceful southern stingrays glided around us as we entered their natural habitat’s clear three to four-foot-deep waters.  A couple of those rays were licking their lips, a worrisome sign.   These giant sea creatures are so used to humans that they allow us to feed, play, pet, and take pictures.

There were a lot of people, but it was not crowded.

The winds brought in some large waves, meaning about five feet tall, so you had to keep an eye out, or you would swallow salt water!

It was a perfect day to chase the little critters around.

We got up close and personal with one little guy named Seymour.

Go ahead, Mary, touch him, but be careful of the poison stingers.

They dared me to kiss Seymour, so I puckered up and planted one on his nose. Ah, I think it was his nose.

SMOOOOOCH!!   Mary got a kick out of that!!

Then, all of a sudden, I was attacked by a “StingMary,” a rare fish that finds decrepit old men and plants kisses on them!

We think Seymour was getting jealous!

One more little pat on Seymour’s head, and we were off to get dry.

Hello S  mour!  Keep your lips puckered!

After getting on the boat, we were warm, but after an hour in the water, our wrinkles had wrinkles!! Mary has a new nickname for me: Wrinkles!

What’s the secret to having a smoking hot body as a   senior?  Cremation!

One benefit of old age is that your secrets are always safe with your friends … because they can’t remember them!

After getting in the boat (no easy task, I may add), I got in the sun, and within a few minutes, I was somewhat dry!

Read the T-shirt;   It says, “WARNING, I Bought The Drink Package.”

We headed back to the island and through the mango groves to the hidden base from where we began the journey.

In thirty minutes, we will be on the 16th floor in a hot tub, recalling our harrowing adventures today and how we got away from the man-eating rays!

Just before boarding the tender, the crew gave Mary the T-shirt since she whispered to all the rays in the local area.  They are now lining up to go to the aqua-eye doctor.

#1 Ray Whisperer!

OK, back to the ship. We will go by bus and then the tender! When we arrived, we were starved, so we went to the pool area and ordered a burger and a dog. They disappeared immediately. From there, we went to the adult’s hot tub and enjoyed the 96-degree water!

We returned to the room before heading to the 18th floor and meeting David, our new friend.  David joined us at about 7:15 pm. We had a few drinks before we decided to crash!

Dinner on the 18th!

David went his way, and we decided Mary needed to see the shops before they closed.

Whilst heading for the shops, we decided to pick up some of our pictures from the cruise.  This is where I met Grance!

What can I say?? (Note: it was staged by the photographer)

The shops are near the ship’s center, and we heard danceable music, so we sat and had a drink (or two).

I said we would go to the room when I could carry the martini glass without spilling it. Mary was attempting to make it smaller so we could go.

It was 10:00 p.m., and it was time to head home, so we did. We pushed the elevator button, rose two floors, and walked to our suite, a mere 10,982 steps away!

See you tomorrow!

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Another Day At Sea; Grand Caymens Here We Come!

Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 by Paul

A big AMEN to that one!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The ocean was calm, and the sun shone, making for a magnificent day on the water!  We have 500 miles to make it to Grand Cayman,

Magnificent!

Days at sea are very tiring. One would think you sit around all day and count the fishies, but that is untrue. We have to decide between many activities, so we plan the day when we get up in the morning.

We hit the floor running. First, we headed to the spa/fitness center, where Mary did Yoga for an hour, and I peddled a bike for 50 minutes, doing five miles on a 5% gradient. I burned 400 calories!

The workout area can hold 200 people, all using up-to-date machines!

After a good workout, we headed to the restaurant and found healthy food. Well, food, anyway. The buffet had everything one could ask for.  Mary met the sous chef from Germany; he was happy to have someone to talk to in German!

There are so many choices!

Then I remembered what happened last week at the market!  It’s fine to eat a test grape in the produce section, but one bite of rotisserie chicken, and it’s all, “Sir, you need to leave!”

From there, we returned to the spa, but something happened to our reservation.  We were disappointed so we departed for the room until the next event    Mary found the letter from the Spa Manager thanking us for using the facilities and for signing up for four couples’ massages.

We took the letter upstairs to the receptionist, and she was very apologetic She gave us another 15 minutes at no charge for later in the afternoon! Problem solved.

We almost had an opening, but the Ice Man Cometh!  From a large block of ice, Chop Chop soon made it into a beautiful ice sculpture.

The weather was tropical; that’s perfect!

I would NOT want to meet this guy in a dark alley and have him angry at me!

Someone had to be working.

Within ten minutes, he made a beautiful sculpture out of a solid block of ice!

A Hawaiian house against a flower backdrop!

OK, the morning is finished, but wait, there is more. At 12:45, we had a champagne and chocolate tasting in the dining room, so we dashed to the Grille and met up with David.  We tasted three sparking wines and selected from six different fine chocolates.

We tasted until we had to leave for the next appointment!

We ran upstairs to the spa and headed to the massage area, where we enjoyed 70 minutes of luxury. Mary says I fell asleep; imagine that!   We felt like “Wet Noodle Nelson” after this session.

They tried to take my picture, but alas, the camera lens cracked.

It was now 3:00 p.m., and the massage was over, so we went VFR to our suite because tonight was a formal night. We needed to get cleaned up and change into the tux and gown for formal pictures.  We dined at Sabatini again. Their Italian dining is quite good, plus the restaurant is 16 floors up and overlooks the ocean.

She brightens up the restaurant every evening.

After dinner, we had planned to attend a magic show. However, when we arrived a little late, we found that all the seats were taken. So, we decided to do some laundry instead. We took our dirty clothes to the laundromat, and within an hour, we had clean clothes.  We stayed with the clothes and ready our paperwhite readers.

From there, it was dancing or sleeping; we decided we needed to rest. It had been a fantastic, active day!

Chasing the Sun!

Tomorrow, we swim with the stingrays on Grand Camen Island!

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Columbia, Here We Come!!

Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 by Paul

We have our dance shoes on!

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The sea was a tad angry last night, but not enough to move the ship—just enough to generate a lot of spray. We got a phone call this morning—it was from room service! They knocked at our door, and we were still asleep. Mary jumped up and got our morning coffee while I disappeared into the bathroom. We must be having too much fun!

Robin and Scout sent us a text; Scout is doing just fine!

We arrived at 6:00 am and pulled in beside a Holland American liner, preparing to depart.

Nice looking ship; Robin would approve.

We cleaned up and got ready to go on tour, even though we didn’t have to leave until 10:30 am.  We had breakfast in our room.

The people and cars look small from up here!

Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.  By the sea is the walled Old Town, founded in the 16th century, with squares, cobblestone streets, and colorful colonial buildings.

Cartagena, Colombia, has many forts, including the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, also known as San Felipe de Barajas Fort.  Built in 1536, this fortress is located on the Hill of San Lázaro and is Colombia’s largest fortification.  It was initially called the Castillo de San Lázaro and was built by African slaves under Spanish supervision during the colonial era.

The walls were slanted so the attacking forces’ cannon balls would glance off the structure.

Since 1990, the castle has served as a location for social and cultural events offered by the Colombian government in honor of foreign delegations at presidential summits, ministerial meetings, the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (1995), and the Summit of the Rio Group (2000), among others.  The castle is open to visitors, but only some tunnels are open to viewing.

A lot of rocks were stacked up and served the city well.

We got dropped off and walked a block to the dance studio, but when our guide rang the bell, no one showed up!  They had moved, so we walked another six blocks to the new location.

She raised her red umbrella so we could follow her.  Getting lost in this city would be easy!  The streets appear to have been built without any planning, as they go every which way.

She kept the 31 on us in toe without a single loss.

The streets were exceptionally clean, and fantastic plants grew everywhere!  However, we were warned that the roads and sidewalks were notoriously uneven, and tripping was a national pastime.

Mary wore her tennis shoes and brought her dance shoes, which was a good idea.

The homes and businesses were painted bright colors, which Vicky would appreciate!  Bouginvilla and other vines grew up the sides and had been doing that for decades.

The natural rainfall of the area watered them.

The studio was up two flights of stairs, so we went slowly and ensured we could still dance after the effort!

Good name for the studio: Crazy Salsa!

The room was long and narrow but well-air-conditioned—a little extraordinary!  The ladies wore skirts to move around as they danced, and the guys wore hats.

One size fits all!

The instructors were young and knew the stuff!  We learned three dances, two of which Mary and I knew but forgot the rhythm.  Once they showed us, we were off and running.  The third dance was from Africa and involved using a machete, so we paid little attention to it, knowing the Elks would probably not play that tune.!

We were there for two hours and had a Mojito drink to cool us down!

We had to find our bus, but not before we were taken to two shopping areas.  One was an emerald store, but Mary saw nothing that caught her eye!

I tried to get Mary to turn her hat upside down, and I would have filled it with local street vendor fruits; it was a no-go!

We returned to the bus and drove to the port, where we had another photo op!  The port is quite large, and the skyline is impressive, with tall buildings everywhere.

We popped out of the bus for the photo op and sent it to Marshall.

Why does “slow down” and “slow up” mean the same thing?

The breeze was very refreshing.

We were ready to return to the ship, so we jumped on the bus and traveled the last two miles.

The skyline was quite impressive.

There was a bird sanctuary at the pier’s entrance, and we strolled through it.  It was exciting.

With all the sounds, we had to visit it.

You could put out your arm, and the parrots would jump on your arm.  Most of them were not in cages and walked around looking at the passengers.

Why do we say something is out of whack?  What is a whack?

We counted about 70 of these beautiful animals and saw anteaters, turtles, and other jungle inhabitants.

We walked the last couple of blocks to the ship!

We went to the 18th floor, got our drinks at 4:15 pm, and waited for our reservations at Sabatini Restaurant at 5:20 pm.  It was a wonderful day!

The ship pulled out as we sat down; the skyline floated across the back window.

Dave and I tasted sweet cocktails, and our waiter was terrific in fulfilling our requests, including a clear chocolate martini.

Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand?

We are looking for more drinks for the next few days!

Mary was a good girl and stayed with Chardonnay!

With the help of the iPhone, we look up drinks!

We stayed after dinner was complete and swapped stories; it was great fun!

Those things that never happened were a lot of fun!

We have a day at sea tomorrow, and the next day, we arrive in Grand Cayman for a day of exploring.

Good night, all.

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We Passed Through The Canal And Heading For Cartagena Columbia!

Posted on Monday, April 15, 2024 by Paul

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Today will be full of surprises; we cross between continents in a matter of hours!

Did You Know?  The Panama Canal has 12 locks, with six sets in the new and six in the old sections.  Each set of locks has a series of steps that allow ships to move up or down in elevation.  The locks are built in double, with two independent transit lanes, and each lock has horizontal sliding gates that can overcome the difference in level between the oceans and Gatun Lake.  The new locks allow transit of more extensive New Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the previous locks were capable of handling.

There are two independent transit lanes since each lock is double-built.  The size of the original locks limits the maximum size of ships that can transit the canal; this size is known as Panamax.  Construction on the Panama Canal expansion project, which included a third set of locks, began in September 2007, finished by May 2016, and began commercial operation on June 26, 2016.  The new locks allow transit of more extensive New Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the previous locks were capable of handling.

We were up at 6:00 am sharp to prepare for the transit, my fourth and Mary’s first!  The sun was coming up over the bay surrounding Panama City.  We saw many ships awaiting their turn to make the transit, but we got priority because we were a passenger ship.

Panama City’s skyline was pretty in the early morning.  However, the city does not attract many cruise ship visitors because its docks are too small to handle the influx of people easily.

When is it time to paint another coat on a pirate ship?  When its timbers be shivering!

Good morning, Panama City

The first sight was the Bridget of the Americas.  The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama that spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.

Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 for US$20 million, connecting the North and South American land masses (hence its name), connecting the American Continent.

Two other bridges cross the canal: the Atlantic Bridge at the Gatun Locks and the Centennial Bridge.

Bridge of the Americas ahead.

The announcer told us not to be worried; we would clear it by a few feet!

Why do pirates have such a hard time remembering the alphabet?  They get lost at “C”.

We made it with six feet to spare!

The new gates came out from the side of the canal instead of swinging open and closed.  The new gates were made in Italy and weighed about 3100 tons per gate.

The new locks are built parallel to the existing ones, and side basins are used to minimize water consumption.  The gates are a dual system, implying that two independent gates are servicing the entrance/exit of each lock.  This improves the reliability and maintenance of the lock system since it is possible to maintain operations while one gate is serviced.

The new locks are 55 meters wide, 427 meters long, and 23 to 33 meters deep.  The Gatun locks have a total lift of 85 feet, while the Pedro Miguel locks have a total lift of 54 feet.  The new gates for the Panama Canal weigh an average of 3,100 tons each. The final gate, which weighs 4,232 tons, is one of the heaviest. 

The Panama Canal is about 50 miles long and crosses a ridge on the Isthmus of Panama.  The canal’s water system supplies an average of 165,000,000 US gal (625,000 m3; 137,000,000 imp gal) of additional water annually, enough to provide an annual average of approximately 1,100 additional lockages.

The gatehouses are quite modern and are controlled from a central control room.  They use hydraulics to move the gates open and close.  Read here for more information.

The gates are ten feet wide and can be maintained from inside the gate itself.

How does sit work?  We asked YouTube!

Entering the first lock was exciting.  Once in, they let water in and raised the ship over thirty feet in minutes!  Then we did it two more times, and all of a sudden, 125,000 tons of ship were raised 85 feet into the canal, and off we went!

Only a crew of ten people is assisting the ship; people are everywhere in the older locks.

Once past the locks, we have 50 miles of steaming toward Lake Gatun and then into the Atlantic Locks.

The rainforest comes right down to the shore of the river/lake!

Bridge #2 is Panama’s Centennial Bridge (Spanish: Puente Centenario).  It is a central bridge crossing the Panama Canal.  It was built to supplement the overcrowded bridge of the Americas and replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway.  Upon its opening in 2004, it became the second permanent canal crossing.

The “steps” along the canal are the original diggings, which were made by the American effort to prevent the sides from crumbling and entering the canal.

Newly built in the 1960s.

We had no issues crossing the 3,451-foot-long bridge that opened on August 15, 2004.

Duck!!   e are on the 19th floor of the ship at this point.

After the second bridge, we crossed the east and west continental divide.  This was the highest point in the effort to make the canal, and they used 63,000,000 pounds of dynamite to loosen the rock so the 68 steam shovels could load the residuals into freight cars for disposal.

The ship was moving, and the wind blew, so we had new hairdos for this evening!

We are up on deck 19th aft, where the jogging track and miniature golf are located.

It is better to be below; there are more windscreens available.   In some places, the vegetation came right down to the water.

We might need a saloon visit to fix our hair!   aloon or Salon?   Only time will tell!

The Panama Canal Dredging Division’s headquarters has been in Gamboa, on Gatun Lake, since 1936.  The division is near Gatun Lake and Culebra Cut, which require continuous dredging.  Due to the area’s seismically active nature, the dredges operate constantly.

They have many dredges available to keep the canal open.

After a four-hour transit, we are at the Atlantic gates and will soon be in the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic).  The Atlantic Locks are directly ahead of us.  Three more locks, and we will have crossed into the Atlantic Ocean.

The captain had a challenge; the wind was really blowing!

Bridge #3 is the Atlantic Bridge, a road bridge in Colón, Panama, spanning the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.  It was completed in 2019 and is the third bridge over the canal after the Bridge of the Americas and the Centennial Bridge, both on the Pacific side of the canal.

The bridge is a double-pylon, double-plane, concrete girder, cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 530 meters (1,740 ft) and two side spans of 230 meters (750 ft).  The east and west approaches are 1,074 meters (3,524 ft) and 756 meters (2,480 ft) long, respectively.  China Communication Construction Company designed the bridge.

The Atlantic Bridge was beautiful and took a lot of traffic between the Americas.

By 4:00 pm, we crossed the canal and were picking up speed toward Columbia, our destination for tomorrow morning.

We went to dinner at Crown Grille, and I introduced David to two new drinks: a Mudslide and a Nutty Irishman.   e downed them and continued with dinner.

Mary did a taste test and decided the Nutty Irishman was the winner.

Their steaks were outstanding.   Mary’s selection could feed a small army!

Wow, it looked like a dinosaur!

After dinner, we went to the photo shop and the customer service desk; my medallion somehow died when I dropped it into the vodka drink last night.

We crashed at about 8:30 pm but watched Cheers for a few minutes.  Tomorrow, we are going to dance Salsa in Cartagena.

Good night, all; it’s been a fantastic day!

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