Home - April 4, 2013

After breakfast at the hotel we walked to Penn Station for our train to Washington D.C.  We arrived there in time for lunch. 

The train station in Washington is the most beautiful one we've seen.  There are many nice restaurants and shops. 

We went out for a walk, but it soon started to rain, so we returned to the station.

At 2:15 we boarded the Capital to Chicago.   After a night on the train we arrived in Chicago the next morning.  It was cold out, so we did a quick walk to find lunch.  The Chicago station is nice, but not as elaborate as the one in D.C.

We boarded the Empire Builder in the afternoon, and after two nights on the train we arrived in Portland at 10:00 a.m.  We took an Amtrak bus to Salem.

It's good to be home.

New York City - March 30, 2013

We spent two days at sea in the Atlantic.  The weather was mostly clear but very cold.  Again we spent a lot of time in the Garden Lounge.  It's really a lovely space to sit and read and have tea, or people watch.  It's like a greenhouse, with lots of plants and a glass roof.

 

We arrived at dawn in New York. This photo is actually New Jersey.

We docked next to this aircraft carrier.

We disembarked in New York at 9:30 a.m. and took a cab to our hotel.  After leaving our bags we set off on foot for Central Park.  It was Saturday, so a few other people had the same idea.  It was still looking very wintery in New York, with just a few things starting to bud.  

We walked 10.1 miles. 

The following day we walked around Battery Park and through Chinatown and Little Italy.  

We walked 7.5 miles.  

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - March 27, 2013

The first day out of Grand Cayman was cloudy and chilly with winds that reached 40 knots.  We were unable to open the door to our veranda and the ship had a decided port list.  It was the first day we didn't go outside.  We spent most of the day in the Garden Lounge, where we watched waves crashing in the pool.

We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale in the morning, where it was partly cloudy with a temperature of 70 degrees.  After an annoying security procedure to go ashore we took the free shuttle to the Galleria shopping mall.  We had no intention of shopping, but from there we were able to walk a few blocks to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.  We did some birding, left for lunch, then returned for more birding.  We were fortunate to run into a local birder, who gave us some good tips.

Birch Park is a tropical jungle.

There are Zulu fig trees, which are quite amazing.

We returned to the ship in time for afternoon tea.  We sailed at 5:30 for New York.

George Town, Grand Cayman - March 25, 2013

We spent a warm day at sea, with the winds behind us.  The ocean was very blue.  We saw lots of flying fish and a large school of dolphins.

We arrived at Grand Cayman the next morning at 7:00.  There were already two cruise ships in port.

Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands, is just 22 miles long and 8 miles wide.  The highest point on the island is just 60 feet, which as near as we could tell is the garbage dump, seen here just right of center.

The big attraction in Grand Cayman is shopping.  It's also known for all it's financial institutions where people like Mitt Romney can shelter their money.

 The island is mostly made of coral, which was evident along the beach.

We headed out of the shopping area to see the neighborhood.  We found a few interesting birds and some equally interesting plants.

There were lots of free range chickens.

As we were walking back to the ship along a road we unknowingly walked right past this huge iguana. 

After walking about 3 miles we returned to the ship for lunch.  We sailed at 4:30 bound for Ft. Lauderdale.

Willemstad, Curacao - March 23, 2013

We spent a rather rocky day at sea.  The winds were up to 30 knots, so we did a bit of bouncing around.  The next morning we docked in Willemstad.

 We were tied up just outside the city.

 This blue-tailed lizard greeted us.

This is one of our favorite cities.  We love walking here.  This time we walked four miles.

The city is divided by St. Anna Bay.  This photo shows the floating pontoon foot bridge that crosses it. Whenever a ship needs to enter or leave the harbor, the bridge swings open. 

We even loved the license plates.

 

Away from the touristy area the buildings are not all as well maintained.  In the neighborhood that used to be where the Jewish merchants had their homes, some buildings had been restored but others were crumbling. 

 

In one area of the city there is a produce market.  Small boats come from Venezuela with their produce to sell.  

Just before we left we watched a car carrier come up the channel from the commercial port.  It really dwarfed the city.

We sailed at 3:30 bound for Grand Cayman.

Panama Canal - March 21, 2013

After a day at sea we arrived at Panama City early in the morning.  It's always a shock to see such large buildings after the other places we've visited.

 

This was an interesting building. 

We continued to the entrance to the Panama Canal, where the pilot boarded at 6:15 a.m. and we were on our way.

As we approached the first set of locks at Miraflores we noticed the construction of the new set of locks on the west side.  The plan is to build these locks bigger so larger ships can pass through.  The target date to finish is 2014, but it looked like they have a long way to go.

These little powerhouses (two on each side of the ship) pulled us into each lock and held on to us so we didn't move around.

The trip was slow, so we were able to enjoy the passing scenery and wildlife.

We passed through the second set of locks at Pedro Miguel, which apparently are not going to get a wider set.  Not sure how that will work...

I love this bridge.

At the Gatun locks we saw the widening project again, and again a long way from completion. We finally cleared the last lock at 5:00 p.m. and sailed off into the Caribbean.