Because We Can

  The Cruise is Over - May 11, 2024 - 5,904 Steps It was over months ago we walked out to this same spot shortly after we boarded the ship. Then it was a glorious and joyous afternoon, today it was a glorious but sad morning.  Instead of watching to see if could recognize our luggage being loaded aboard the Zuiderdam, it was watching to see if we could spot it being off loaded. The lineup of trucks bringing provisions for the next sailing that would be leaving a few hours. Trucks were lined up in the far distance awaiting their turn to unload. Port Everglades is a very busy cruise ship terminal. There was a staggering amount of food to be loaded onto the ship. A pallet of apples. A last look at the old home place that served us so well for the past mounts. Literally shutting the door on one of the most awesome adventures we have ever been on. But the fall of next year we will be opening the door on an another one. We patiently waited for our group, Gray 1, to be called. The lu...

  Travel Day 128 - May 10, 2024 - 6,604 Steps Today is luggage day, so the elevators were busy all day. A good many boxes were also going back. After 127 days it was time to say goodbye and celebrate the end of the around the world adventure. It was also a day for the last presentations. Ted used his to talk about the woman who discovered the method used to determine the age and size of the universe. Of the 9 brightest stars in the sky, 7 of them are further away from us than Sirius, the brightest one. To answer the question, it's no different than Russia has been for centuries. The communists are no different than the Czars of the past. Only the most ruthless get the top job. Ivan the Terrible would say, Well done Vlad. Our last Happy Hour in the Crow's Nest Life is more than good, it is fantastic. Going out in style tonight. I wonder how many dozen macadamia nut cookies I devoured during the cruise? It's one of those mysteries of the universe that will never be answered. ...

  Travel Day 127 - May 9, 2024 - 5,904 Steps Gonna miss this view in a few days. With the cruise drawing ever closer to be over, Linda has certainly been glad of the many "Linda" sea days like today.. The laundry always comes back with one of these stickers on each article. Too bad it took until the last week to learn we could have pulled them off when putting the freshly laundered cloths away. All that scratchy itchy underwear!  Linda once again in the front row for Kim's interview. It was the bridge officers turn this morning. There is so much we learned about the operation of the ship from these sessions. David is ending his lectures with one today and tomorrow on Russia. Ivan set the tone for what Russia is even today. Enemies of the Russian ruler are simply killed. It's been that way for over 450 years. The last Tsar. And what came after the tsars was just as bad. It was little things like this which made the voyage so interesting. How one puts a survival suit on...

  Travel Day 126 - May 8, 2024 - 7,666 Steps Joe and Patrick our room stewards who have gone way beyond and above to not only keep our room in perfect conditions, but also have a great sense of humor. If it looks familiar it's because it the same one I recently read. I mentioned to Linda I thought she would enjoy reading it, and she did. You never know how things like this are going to turn out. It proved to be great from original songs, standup comedians, dancing, musical instruments. There's talent hidden amongst the ship's passengers. It took a while after Jose And Grace were transferred  from the Lido, but in the opposite corner of the Lido we found Lisna, who was every bit as awesome as they were. David's history presentation, proving once again that only a tiny bit of history is about names and dates like we were taught in high school. A cartoon from several centuries ago portraying the effects of consuming too much sugar on the King of England. And it is a slight...