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Making Lemonade

August 2022 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Tui Snider & Larry Read more
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  • Making Lemonade
    Day 2

    SS Rotterdam

    August 21, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We have changed ships, but things did not go as planned.

    We were originally going to hop off the HA Rotterdam and hop onto the HA Oosterdam in Trieste. As usual, we took a covid test before the end of our cruise.

    This time, however, guess who tested positive? Me!

    Since the trip was nearly over, they let Larry and I quarantine together in our stateroom. They brought us food and when the time came, they escorted us off the ship before anyone else.

    They even gave me free internet so I could find a place for us to quarantine in Rotterdam. I thought there would be a list of “quarantine hotels,” but there is not.

    I finally found us the perfect place: the SS Rotterdam aka the Rotterdam 5. It was built in 1958, and after many cruises as part of Holland America’s fleet it has been transformed into a hotel, restaurant, event center, museum, and even houses an escape room.

    No one wears masks in Rotterdam, so we get strange looks, but whatever. (Locals even rioted over mask mandates here last November!)

    But we’ve spent the last several days here in a stateroom that’s much bigger than the one we had on the Rotterdam 7, which is the ship we were just sailing on.

    As you can see from my pics, the Rotterdam 5 has been lovingly maintained in all its mid-century glory.

    We took a self-guided tour through the whole ship, even down to the engine rooms, where I was surprised to see that the Rot 5 had stabilizers. (It was one of the first ships to have them.)

    I was also surprised to see that there are no balcony rooms. Guess those became a thing later.

    Our room includes a wonderful breakfast in the Lido deck. We sit outside in the fresh air. We’ve been eating dinner there, as well.

    I know it’s silly, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty for catching covid. Luckily, I only ever had the barest of symptoms, which is why the positive test result was such a surprise.

    When I admitted to Larry that I was feeling guilty, he just laughed and said we are just on an alternative adventure now and that we will have fun making lemonade from this turn of events.    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 5

    Pancake Boat

    August 24, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We took a tour of Rotterdam’s port on the Pannenkoeken Boot, which literally means “pancakes boat.”

    Sure enough, they served all you can eat pancakes throughout the journey. The pa cakes, which are more like thick crepes than thick American style flapjacks, come in three varieties: spek (bacon), appel (apple), and normaal (plain.)

    As the chefs make them, they are plated and set on the appropriate shelf. The pancake shelf is inside the cupboard you see in one of the photos.

    After you grab a pancake, there’s a bar full of items you can add, such as fruit, cold cuts, cheese, and all sorts of sugary sweet things. I went for spek, soft-boiled egg, and brie.

    It’s a nifty set up!    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 7

    Cruise to nowhere!

    August 26, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We’ve been on a ship all week, but it was a cruise to nowhere!

    After I tested positive for covid last week, we needed to quarantine in Rotterdam.

    We wound up staying on the SS Rotterdam, which used to be a cruise ship but is now a floating hotel. It’s been meticulously maintained in all its swanky mid-century furnishings, so it’s like a museum, as well.

    When it comes to quarantining, this has been the best of all possible worlds. We actually had a fun stay, and best of all, we both tested negative for covid yesterday.

    So today we check out of the SS Rotterdam and head to Amsterdam to hop on another cruise ship.

    The adventure continues!    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 9

    Surprise inspection

    August 28, 2022, North Sea ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Passport inspections are usually a serious experience, and most immigration inspectors I’ve encountered have a stern countenance, so I was a little freaked out when the UK immigration officers took one look at me, burst out laughing, and exclaimed, “Look! It’s her!”

    Female officer: Ah, there she is!

    Male officer: It’s our singer, isn’t it?

    Female officer: We saw you at karaoke.

    Male: Loved your version of “White Rabbit.”

    Female officer: You’ve wonderful energy!

    Me: You guys were in the audience?

    Female officer: We were undercover!

    Male officer: After you sang I added “White Rabbit” to my Spotify playlist. Just listened this morning.

    Since they were so chatty, I asked why they don’t stamp passports anymore. Turns out it’s now done digitally. The officers are just there to make sure our faces match our passport photos.

    As our banter continued, we found out that the immigration officers have been on the ship for a couple days. Must be a fun part of their job to hop from ship to ship.

    I would have asked more questions, but by then other travelers showed up and I didn’t want to slow things down.

    What a surprising exchange!    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 13

    Tagalog Teacher

    September 1, 2022, Celtic Sea ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    I was recognized again! 😆 While walking down the gangway, I saw a familiar face among the crew. She called out my name and we had a quick chat. I’m grateful for the chance to thank Sprinkles for the helpful Tagalog language class she gave on the ship we were on last year. Considering that much of the crew hails from the Philippines, it’s really nice to be able to make a tiny bit of small talk with them.Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 13

    One Good "Tern"...

    September 1, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We've popped by Invergordon, Scotland 3 times this summer. This has allowed me to observe the colony of Arctic Terns who nest in the port.

    I saw the terns when they first hatched, again as noisy floofballs, and most recently as fledges! Squee!

    Some were still pestering adults for food, others already seemed to know how to fish, and a few strays were still in floofball stage. The one below called out for fish until an adult came along and fed him.

    In other news, despite having the mildest covid case ever, I find that the hour or so before bed that I usually spend editing photos and writing my travel blog is now being used for sleep. I'll catch up when I can!    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 14

    Dickie's Dangle

    September 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    I forgot to share the story behind this statue in Liverpool. Locals call him "Dickie Lewis." This nude male figure stands proudly on a ship's prow as a symbol of the city's ability to weather any storm. The sculpture was well-received except for one unexpected side effect.

    As our guide told us, "There's no delicate way to say this. Every time it rained, it looked for all the world as if Dickie were weeing on the people below."

    Before long, there was a petition to "change the angle of Dickie's dangle." Sure enough, it worked. By moving the figure back, everything was fixed.    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 14

    Charming Port Town

    September 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Larry and I were surprised by how intruiguing Liverpool is. We both expected a grimy industrial port with little to do but chat about The Beatles.

    How wrong we were!

    As our Beatles tour guide, Paul B., explained, "Liverpool was a bleak place while the lads were growing up." It was heavily bombed during WWII, so they experienced the aftermath of this during their childhoods.

    See that photo of the house with the secretary bird mural? That's the only building standing in that neighborhood after WWII. So the Liverpool of today is quite different than the Liverpool the Fab Four knew early on.

    One thing I appreciate, is that many of the museums and historic public buildings are free and open to the public. Next time we go, I want to explore them.

    The library has a secret code in the pathway leading up to it. If you decipher it and tell a librarian, they will show you where a secret passageway is!

    I got a kick out of this tip from our other tour guide, Kevin, who said, "Don't toss your maps after my tour. Keep 'em close. This way, any time you want to walk into a building, even if its off limits, you can wave your map around and tell 'em you're a tourist. Keeps you out of trouble."

    I was also surprised to learn that Liverpool is home to Europe's first Chinatown. Next time we visit, I definitely want to wander through that neighborhood.    Read more

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