The Americas...North & South

The highlight of San Diego was the MS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum. We spent 3 hours exploring the immense ship and only saw a portion of the exhibits. They allowed us to return the following day to complete our tour, another 3 hours. The Midway is run by volunteers and receives no government funding. We’ve always been fascinated by these carriers in the middle of some ocean with aircraft coming and going day and night (which we learned occurs every 45 seconds!). The Americans have a very high regard for their military.

JS’s knees and hips are troubling him again, compounded by the regained weight since April. We never made it to the Gaslight historic area or to the famous zoo and I had to readjust some of our dinner plans that were too far for him to walk. I’ve realized that I will have to lower my expectations in terms of activities for this trip.

Day 2 and I took my first tumble....rainy, dark unlit street, turned to give JS directions, and the curb attacked me! Minor abrasions and no fractures. This newly diagnosed osteoporosis is going to be a challenge for me as I always was a clumsy kid!Leer más

We picked up our rental car, which was a bit of a fiasco because the Hertz location was closed due to computer issues so we had to be shuttled to a different location. After a long delay we headed to a popular National Monument which was closed due to the government shutdown. We ended up in the adjacent National Cemetery for a moment of reflection and a good view of the city. We had lunch at the top-rated Mexican restaurant in San Diego near the touristy Old Town, where San Diego originated. Old Town is a state park but it’s very commercialized in true American fashion.

Our home for the next 4 nights was at the Marina Suites in Oceanside, a small beach town an hour’s drive north. The one bedroom timeshare unit was dated but clean and right on the oceanfront. The location was convenient for day trips to La Jolla and Laguna Beach, two of my favourite spots. We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway and I was able to show JS the different resorts I had stayed at 3 years ago. The weather continued to be cool, in the low teens, and cloudy.Leer más

Our final night in California was at the Residence Inn in Long Beach. I got a great deal at this hotel, likely because it was a 15 minute taxi ride to the San Pedro cruise ship pier, costing an additional $25. It was also located aways from downtown requiring a long walk over a bridge. Oops...could have planned that better! We had a stressful time returning our car rental as the location was closed on Sundays, unbeknownst to me when I booked it. We had no GPS, wifi, or good old-fashioned paper maps so we got lost more than once. Tempers flared and we were both relieved to get rid of the rental, relying on foot power to explore the area.

It was time to cruise on out of here. We had just received notification that we had a free upgrade from an interior cabin to an ocean view so that was good news. Boarding the Holland America Amsterdam was a breeze as we were the only passengers there at 2 o’clock. The big rush had come and gone on board earlier. JS was relaxed and happy, unlike our airport experiences. The ship didn’t depart until 7 pm.Leer más

We’ve been at sea for 2 days travelling south along the coast of Mexico at a speed of 37 km/h. The temperature gradually increased from 15 to 23 degrees in the sunshine. The ocean has been fairly calm. We’ve explored the ship and finally got our bearings. Meals have been good and we are both watching our caloric intake, one with more success than the other. We purchased 5 bottles of wine at Costco in San Diego and were charged $18 corkage fee each for 3 of the bottles as we were allowed 2 free in our stateroom. This seems expensive but one of the bottles that we paid $11 for was on the menu for $46! Each day we’ve been doing 3 laps around the ship equaling one mile plus doing several flights of stairs, not to mention the steps from aft to bow. Four days ago I came down with a cold, which seems to be my travel norm these days sadly. In order to prevent a repeat experience with rib fractures, I’ve been taking ample Robitussin-DM shooters which made my brain foggy. I am on the mend now which pleases me immensely as I was a bit anxious about being out in the middle of the ocean with a respiratory emergency like in Portugal!

JS is half-way through his 2nd book and I’ve been enjoying the American Test Kitchen presentations. A professional chef from the TV show prepares the meal, shares the recipes, and gives a lot of general cooking tips. Their show is based on the science of cooking. We have been going to most of the evening entertainment shows and saw the movie, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the story about Freddy Mercury and Queen. Excellent movie that everyone should see.

Here’s my most exciting experience so far. Yesterday I was given a free bingo card so I went to try my luck. A couple in front of me had to leave early for a massage appointment and handed me their 5 cards on their way out. I yelled after them for their cabin # just in case they won and jotted it down. With a Texan drawl he told me, “You can buy me a drink if you win”. Five minutes later I yelled “BINGO!” on his card and won $150! I left a note on their door, which happened to be 2 doors down from us, telling them to come and collect their winnings. He was shocked, initially thinking it was a joke, and felt that the money was mine to keep because I didn’t even have to tell them that I had won. I felt it was the honest thing to do as he had paid for the bingo card. He gave me $80, which I thanked him for his generosity, and he kept $70 somewhat reluctantly. We were both happy!Leer más