United States
Smith Island

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    • Day 19

      Port of Las Angeles

      January 9 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We disembarked to go through customs and walked around the port area. We stopped by the Iowa and embarked back on the ship and met a new couple from Kansas City, Kansas. Darrel went to Northwestern Medical School and graduated 2 years before Papa. Sally was a TWA flight attendant, and they met and married after she was 27 years old. There was a Cocktail Party on the Pool Deck at 5:15 and we met and talked with Karine Hagen, the daughter of the owner of Viking. She and Torstein Hagen were on board for the welcome ceremony as their headquarters are in LA. Her partner is from Salt Lake City - and we chatted about her desire to spend more time there. She is lovely and very easy to talk to - what a treat. We had dinner with Angelo, Susan - Australian, and after were joined by Paula and Ray. Ray - wanted to look at a Tesla truck in Santa Barbara, but after asking Wade, there were none there, nor in Honolulu. Lovely evening. Thanks Wade!Read more

    • Day 17

      1 o 2 Sea Days, before LA

      January 7 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

      Jan 7, 2023
      Ferdinand Magellan (born 1480) crossed the Pacific Ocean 500 years ago, he called it Mar Pacífico, meaning "peaceful sea." The name has remained, though those who have sailed these waters have not always brought peace. Soon after Magellan's sailing and as Europeans continued to expand their reach, five Spanish galleons carrying some 400 explorers pioneered a westward crossing, establishing one of the longest trade routes in history, which operated for 250 years. With trade came settlement and conflict whose ripple effects are still felt today. More recently, in 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed this ocean on a balsa raft he built himself in order to prove that ancient civilizations could have done the crossing.
      We played Baggo, went on the general ship tour which included a small peek at a kitchen, wine storage, engine control room, crew quarters, and I 95 corridor, which is the length of the ship and the laundry with a $1.4 million dollar flat sheet machine which dried, and folds sheets. They have a shirt machine that takes a few seconds to dry and steam a shirt on a hanger. We checked in with our Aussie friends to try and gain some points, but were less than stellar today. At lunch we met and sat on the back deck with Molly, and Stan who will be leaving us in LA and will join the Sky in Sidney for the remainder of their World Cruise on the Sky.
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    • Day 21

      Los Angeles

      January 9 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

      Dale, Jenni and I chose the excursion: Santa Monica On Your Own. We chose this excursion because the Pritchetts needed some prescriptions and I needed some additional over the counter medicines. There is a Target within a couple of blocks of where the bus dropped us off. It was an interesting experience because several other people from the bus had the same idea. We descended on the Target enmasse. This was a very small Target which had almost everything locked up. The poor employee who was working in the OTC area got overwhelmed with all of us asking to have cabinets unlocked so we could reach toothpaste, cold medicines, and various other sundries.
      After shopping, we stopped by the Tesla store and then proceeded to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch.
      We then caught the bus back to the ship and I unpacked my purchases.
      There was a welcome reception on the pool deck at 5:30. So I changed and headed up for the festivities wishing that Bob was joining me because he helps ameliorate my social awkwardness. Surprisingly, I met several people who were on the 2019 WC.
      The CEO of Viking Cruises, Torstein Hagen, and his daughter, Karine, were at the reception. Mr. Hagen spoke but I was in the back of the room so did not hear much of his speech. I did hear when he spoke about the conflict in the middle east. He wished a speedy resolution to the conflict for those most effected. He did mention that he also hopes that we will be able to sail through the Suez Canal and not have to sail around Africa. I was disappointed to hear that this was the optional route being considered because I would have preferred a route up to Japan, over to Alaska and back through the Panama Canal. We continue to hope that the conflict will be resolved.
      We have been unable to listen to the news as the live TV broadcast on ship has been non-existent. This has been a real struggle for Bob as he has been confined to the stateroom. There are only so many TED talks a person can listen to.
      After the reception, Dale, Jenni and I met Krystal and Henry at the Chef's table for the "California" menu which featured an outstanding halibut dish as the main course.
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    • Day 16

      Day 16 - Good Morning

      January 7 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

      Good morning - we are heading north bound on route to Los Angeles. This morning when I woke up, I checked our Ring cameras back home. While there is a nice serenity to fresh fallen snow - the good news is I don’t have to start up the plow truck and snow blower. The photo with the railing is from my friend Tom U back home - He will be running his snow blower.

      This morning’s sunrise from the stern on Deck 7 was simple and pure - no majestic clouds - just the stillness of the morning.as the sun ushers in a new day. As we move northward the sea breeze is colder. I am wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt.

      Leon is posted at his chair. He informed me he & Lindy got “The Letter” last night. They need to have their luggage packed and in the hallway by 10pm today. Their cruise is coming to an end they are getting off in LA. I will miss Leon & Lindy they have been great neighbors in the room next to ours. Also, a great encouragement to cruising.

      We will also miss Geoff Carpentier (the birding lecturer). Geoff is just an all around nice person and has taught us so much.

      Karmila brings me my morning coffee and tropical fruit smoothie. We will be at sea for a couple of days - arriving in Los Angeles on January 9th.

      Newsflash: While I am writing this post - A Ring Camera notification pops up on my phone. My neighbor Phil (We call him Phil with 1 L) from across the street pulls out his tractor to make a few runs in our driveway to remove the snow and make the house looked lived in. Phil with 1 L is in his late 80’s, he had a stroke right before covid hit. His right side of his body has been impacted greatly with little functionality. Phil with 1 L works harder than most men half his age. It’s doesn’t surprise me that he is watching over us so closely. He also loves to play with his tractor - Boys and their toys at any age.

      All of a sudden Phill with 2L’s messages me (Phill with 2L’s is a few towns away - we forward our mail to him and he has Ring set up for our home to monitor the activities - He messages “Who’s that with the bucket loader?” I told him it was Phil with 1L. He sent me a dimly face icon back.

      Donna and I are so fortunate to have such great neighbors & friends back home. As well as the ones we are meeting a board ship.

      #myvikingjourney #vikingneptune #PacificOcean
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    • Day 24

      Jan 9: Santa Monica

      January 9 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

      We knew we were in LA today because our excursion bus was an hour late due to LA traffic! 🤣 We visited Santa Monica Pier and the surrounding neighborhoods. I needed a few art supplies so we hoofed it to Blick Art Store (7.5 total miles walked today). It felt great to get out and walk in the beautiful California sunshine! Our tour guide gave us a few facts regarding the cargo containers in the Santa Monica port (there are THOUSANDS of them!) Each container can hold:
      ▪︎ 2 million golf balls
      ▪︎ 400 flat screen tv
      ▪︎ 1/2 million eggs
      ▪︎ 300 containers are empied and moved in a typical 8 hr shift
      ▪︎ George Lucas reportedly got his inspiration for the AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport and combat vehicles) for the movies, "The Empire Strikes Back & The Return of the Jedi", from the container port cranes.

      Upon returning to our ship today, we were excited to see that the 300+ new cruisers have boarded for the next 4 months! The ship threw a huge celebration on the pool deck, with music, champagne & hors d'oeuvres. We were surprised to run into founder & CEO of Viking, Torstein Hagen & his daughter Karine at the celebration! My first question to Karine was whether she had her pups with her?! She laughed and wished she had but they were a long way from home. She told us the hardest part of traveling is leaving her beloved yellow labs behind (a kindred spirit!) Karine then proceeded to check Julie & my hands to see if we had Viking blood! She obviously recognized something in Julie that gave her pause. The Hagen's are quite down-to-earth and don't hesitate to express their gratitude to the hard working staff who work tirelessly to bring the best to all of us.

      Tomorrow, Santa Barbara!
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    • Day 19

      Los Angeles

      January 9 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

      Major port stop. About a third of the passengers disembared and the ship filled with those going around the world. Also the enrichment lecturers changed.

      We connected with Ed Byrne, a friend of ours and had a lovely dinner. We had plenty of time and he had no agenda so we searched for a charger for my new Samsung watch. I forgot the charger when I packed and my Amazon order didn't make it to the ship. Google directed us to Neptune Electronics--turned out to be a very interesting maritime Electronics store; however the owner determined that Target or Best Buy were good opportunities. Target had none. The sales clerk at Best Buy said his inventory showed 3 but he couldn't find them! Oh well...

      In case you have never seen the Port of Los Angeles I have posted a few pictures.
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    • Day 21

      Disembark Time

      May 6, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

      Final Cruise Footprint

      Had breakfast and awaiting disembarkation. The process is running way slow due to customs in the terminal. So I get an extra hour or more to chill on board.

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