TUESDAY 11TH APRIL, 2006
After such a great day yesterday, you would think that sleep would have avoided us, not so! We both got a good, (short) sleep, and we were awake in time for a bridge visit before we went down for breakfast. Breaky was followed by a little more of this blogger for me, and an hours nap for Judy.
Mid morning we donned our coats and headed for our daily walk and as it was a little warmer than it had been for several days, we really enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air out on deck. Following the walk, we went to the bridge to see what was happening in our bit of the ocean, and to get an update on our arrival time at the Hamburg pilot station.
We did exactly the same thing after lunch, with another two or three laps, and another bridge visit. By now I needed a sleep, so while I caught a few ZZZZZZZZ’s, Judy got to work on downloading some more photos from our camera and burning them to CD. She followed this with downloading the next segment of the blogger, which now completed it up until last night. As I was still in the land of nod, Judy did a bit of housework (ironing, yuk!).
At about 2.45 we headed for the bridge to wait for pilot to board, and to observe the entry to the Elbe River. Like all of the ports we have visited so far, the piloting arrangements are similar, but each port is unique in its own way. In this case, and I guess as a testament to German engineering, the pilot station (mother boat) and the pilot transfer boats were really special. The first thing that we noticed was the size of the boats, followed by how modern they appeared when compared to other ports. The mother ship was around 50metres long and as it was a catamaran, it was somewhere around 15 metres wide. The transfer boats were of similar design, catamarans around 15 metres long and 8 metres wide. The seas were relatively calm today, but you could see that when the going got rough, these vessels were designed and built to handle the worst that could be thrown at them in this part of the world.
The pilot was transferred from the mother ship to the transfer boat via a sliding platform situated on the upper fore deck, and just in front of the helm, of the transfer boat. The pilot and another seaman went on to the fore deck of their boat, and when the helmsman positioned his craft along side either the mother ship or a vessel requiring a pilot (like us), the platform extended out, I guess hydraulically, to touch the side of the other vessel. The pilot only had to step onto the hanging rope ladder, as was our case, or if it was a transfer back to the mother ship, directly onto the deck of the mother ship through an opening in the side. This was easily the safest system we had seen to date.
The journey into and along the Elbe River was expected to take about 6 to 7 hours, so we got to see a lot of the entry before the sun disappeared. The first thing that I noticed was the hundreds of wind turbines situated along the coast. They were in clusters of 30 to 60 and seemed to dominate the skyline in each direction. I don’t find them too unattractive like many other people do, and whilst they may cost a lot of money to install initially, I think the long term benefit will be well worth it. Anyway, that’s just my opinion. As we approached the river mouth, you could see people walking and crabbing on the tidal flats, and as this was obviously a farming area, and you could smell the cut grass and cow manure quite distinctly. The villages that abutted the river were fairytale like in their beauty, really quaint buildings with high pitched roofs, and church steeples that you only see in the movies. From the river mouth inward, we were welcomed with many of these small villages, and each was situated close to a large harbour or factory complex that obviously provided employment for the villagers.
We changed pilots after about 3 hours, and whilst the first fellow was cheerful enough, his replacement was very talkative and helpful. He had no hesitation pointing out things of interest to us.
As darkness approached we passed the “Airbus” factory, which abutted the river bank. This place was enormous, and seemed to go on forever. It had its own private runway that disappeared into the distance probably 4km away. As it was nearly dark the hangar lights were on, and inside the huge sectioned glass hangar doors were two massive A380 aircraft, parked side by side. Now any of you reading this will surely appreciate just how big this building is if you cast your mind to the photographs and news items that regularly occur in relation to this new 550+ seat twin decked aircraft. I said huge, and it surely was. It was interesting to note that the approach/departure direction of any flights from the tarmac took the flight directly over the richest housing area of Hamburg. Houses on the opposite side of the river to the start of the tarmac and the factory were immense and very attractive. The pilot assured us that you simply cannot buy into the area; it is only if the residents approve of you that a purchase can take place. This is really class distinction at its most obvious, but certainly the cost to buy there would frighten all but the most affluent away. The flights over these houses were infrequent, so complaints weren’t an issue, according to our pilot.
As we approached Hamburg City, we changed pilots again, and this time we got two fellows to take us around to our berth. Now the Port of Hamburg was very large, and it consisted of many narrow canals and berthing sites. We left the River Elbe, and traveled for about 30 minutes on a wide canal that went under a very large bridge, much the same in size and shape to Melbourne’s own Westgate Bridge. Shortly after passing the bridge, we traveled into a narrower canal for about 10minutes, and when we reached a wide turning basin, the pilots, assisted by tug boats fore and aft, turned our ship and proceeded to reverse the ship into an even narrower canal. We then passed through a bridge that was raised 47 metres so that we could transit the canal to our berth. We had plenty of clearance overhead, but no more than a few metres on either side when we actually passed the bridge pylons. Considering it was very dark, it was quite a maneuver to see. Not far from the lift-up bridge, about 500 metres, we tied up to our berth. We were almost at the end of the berth, and this is the same berth that is used by all of the Rickmers ships coming to Hamburg.
It was too late to go ashore, almost 10.30pm, so we decided on a good nights sleep aboard the ship, and we would “escape” to the city tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY 12th APRIL, 2006
We slept well, and after breakfast we met the new Chief Engineer and the Captains wife, both of whom had flown into Hamburg from Croatia to join the ship. Iva, the Captains wife is staying onboard until Taranto, Italy, and then re-boarding the ship in Shanghai to complete the voyage to Hamburg.
After getting our passports, we were told that we had shore leave until noon on Friday, so we headed off the ship towards the gatehouse about 300 metres away. The gate keeper was very helpful, and after he checked us off the list of persons allowed of the wharf, he telephoned for a taxi to take us into the city, and then recommended a nice hotel for us to stay in. The cab driver was extremely helpful as well, and we talked about our trip and his 103 year old wooden yacht all the way to our hotel. The cabbie recommended the same hotel as the gate keeper, so we reckoned that it must be all right if it got two votes. Well they weren’t wrong, it was just perfect! Mistakenly the gatekeeper had called the hotel “The Four Seasons” when he wrote the name and address out for us, but when we arrived there, it was actually “Raffles Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten”. Now you all should know about the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, it is really special, and if the chance arises, I would recommend a stay there just for the experience. This hotel was typical of the Raffles brand, and nothing is left to chance in the way the staff treat you or how the rooms are presented. Our suite overlooked a small ornamental lake called Binnenalster, which was created many hundreds of years ago when the river Alster was dammed. The lake is bordered by expensive shops, office buildings, and our glorious historic hotel, and the view we had was unbeatable.
We booked a room for our most precious friend, Alizon Holland, who was in Germany from the UK for a funeral of a family friend who had passed away. She was going to stay at the hotel with us tonight, and then travel by train tomorrow to where her stepson lived some three hours away from Hamburg. The plan was for her to then come by car to Antwerp to meet up with us again.
We had a coffee in our room (served by our own personal butler!), then headed out on the streets to check out the sights. We walked to the central station named “Hauptbahnhof Kirchenallee”, a vast building bustling with travelers. From here we took a Double Decker hop on/hop off bus for a narrated city tour. We have discovered over many years of traveling that if we do one of these style introductory tours, we get a good insight to a place, and we can then pick the places that interest us to visit later. The bus took us over all of the central and inner city areas, and eventually down along the bank of the Elbe River. We hopped off here and walked along the promenade to take in this busy tourist area. There were ferries, river and harbour cruises coming and going, and it seemed that every tourist in Hamburg was in this spot. The “Lion King” live show was playing in a venue just across the river, and they had a ferry painted up in the same colour scheme as the show plying its way back and forth across the river with patrons. The “Rickmers Rickmers”, a windjammer vessel of old, was situated here as well, and people were climbing all over it checking it out. It was still in excellent condition, and it is used for training and special occasions to this day. We decided to walk along the waterfront for a kilometer or so to the next bus stop, and in so doing we passed the old historic warehouse area. Much of this had been redeveloped into luxurious apartments, but many warehouses selling carpets and antiques were open to the public. Hamburg is often called “Venice of the north”, as it is built around hundreds of canals and it has in excess of two thousand bridges spanning them. This is more than Venice and Amsterdam put together. The view from most of the apartments was of the canals passing by, and you could easily see how effective it would have been in, in times long since past, to service this large warehouse area by boat.
We got back on the bus and went back to the central station where we had begun our tour. Just across the road from the station was the major shopping precinct for central Hamburg, so we walked this main street until we came to the very old and opulent Town Hall and its square. It was picture perfect, so we dined on Bratwurst sausage, chips and cold German beer from a food vendor along the side of the square. This area was only about 750 metres from our hotel, and the walk back took us along a very pretty covered path along side the canal. We were treated to the sounds of a busking musician playing a piano accordion, and the music together with the setting made for a memorable and slightly romantic afternoon.
We had not long been back to our hotel when Alizon arrived with her stepson, Peter, and his son, Simon. They had been to the funeral and were heading home, via Hamburg, dropping Ali off on the way. Actually, Simon’s mother lived in Hamburg, and they had been to see her before coming to our hotel. Simon now lived with Peter after finding himself a bit disillusioned with life and study in the big city about eight months ago. It really seemed as though he was more suited to living in the country with his father, and by all of their accounts, he was thriving in his new environ. After a few pleasantries, the boys headed off home and Judy and Ali settled into catching up on each others news in our room. The afternoon seemed to get away from us, and by the time that we decided we would eat out at a restaurant, it appeared as though we may have left our run too late. The lovely restaurant on the lake shore was closing, as was the next one in the main street. By chance we found a place that didn’t close until midnight, and the three of us enjoyed a very filling dinner. Both Judy and I couldn’t eat more than half of what was served to us, but Ali did her meal justice. I should add that we had a window table, and we were sitting level with the water of the canal, directly across from the town hall square, so the ambience was quite special.
We wandered back to the hotel, and after a late night coffee served by the butler to our room, we all headed of to bed.
Judy’s third monthly review of the trip thus far.
I can’t believe it has been three months; it only seems like a few weeks ago we left home. This shows I am still enjoying the experience. This month I achieved one of the things I had been looking forward to, going through the Panama Canal. I knew a small bit about the construction (from watching Discovery Channel), but seeing it is so different. You really wonder how it could have been achieved all those years ago. They tell me I will now be disappointed with the Suez Canal but we will just have to wait and see. I don’t believe I will as it will still be a new experience for me. The destruction of New Orleans was also an eye opener.
The seas have been trying at times, but nothing unbearable. It just means you don’t get much activity done when you don’t feel all that well. I did have to organize the settlement for Woodside Beach Caravan Park (with the help of the children and Joanne and Kyle), and it was when the seas where unforgiving, but we got through it. Yippee, one more down!
We brought games, puzzles, guitar, Italian tapes, cross-stitch, etc, and it may be hard to believe, but we do not get time to do any of them. In fact we will probably not even watch all the DVD’s we brought with us.
Football has now started again back home, so we hang on the end of the mobile phone each weekend, hoping someone will send us the scores for the mighty lions as soon as the game is over.
Changing Captains was very strange, as we had got to know Henryk quite well and liked him. He was quiet and had hands-on full control of the ship and crew. The new captain is completely different and you can see the changes in the crew. Some are more relaxed and others seem the opposite, but for us, he has made us feel comfortable and nothing is too much trouble. He is loud and allows the crew to get on with their job on their own, with him acting more as a delegate. It appears both systems work, but the crew is generally more relaxed with Goran.
To finish the month off seeing Alizon, Peter and Simon just topped it off for me.
Doug’s third monthly review of the trip thus far.
What a month it has been. The highlight for me was the Panama Canal journey, followed by the sights and sounds of New Orleans. The devastation that I saw there, post Katrina, will be forever etched in my mind. Houston was great, but Philadelphia was something else! I just have to go back there, time ran out much too quickly and many things remain to be seen there.
The new Captain is a real card, and his attitude towards running the ship is entirely different to the first Master, Henryk. I found him to be very likable and helpful towards us, but this new fellow, Goran, is even more helpful towards us. He rings and keeps us updated on the vessels departure times, and is genuinely interested in what we see or do when off the ship. Goran certainly likes a party, and life has certainly changed for the crew.
I can’t say that the rough seas across the Pacific were a real treat, and although I don’t generally suffer any sort of motion sickness, I did it a bit tough for a few days when we were getting tossed around. I felt really sorry for Judy, feeling as bad as she did, but there was little I could do to help her other than to just let her sleep as much as she needed.
Hamburg has joined my list of places to return to, but whether that happens or not remains to be seen. The sight of the Airbus factory is another thing I will never forget, sooooooo big! It was great to catch up with Alizon, Peter and Simon, and I look forward to meeting them again in Antwerp when we dock there.
As always, both of us enjoy staying at the best hotels, and the hotels in Houston and Hamburg were real treats. Sure beats the hell out of twin high sided beds on board ship.
The time has gone so quick, no way does it feel like three months yet. We are always on the go, and all the games, puzzles, guitar and Italian language lessons simply can’t be fitted in. Oh well, I guess I might get these done when I retire, and if all goes well, that wont be all that far into the future. This traveling is addictive, and if we can do it more often, we will.
THURSDAY 13TH APRIL, 2006
We started the day with a lovely breakfast in the hotel café. Back in our room a call from the captain advised us that shore leave will now finish at 8am tomorrow, with an expected departure of 9am, so it looks like an early start for us as the ship is about 20 minutes by cab from the hotel.
With Ali in tow, we first went to a supermarket near the town hall. Judy and I needed some supplies for the ship, and Ali wanted to get some things for her and Peter and Simon. On the way there, Ali was stopped by a film crew who were doing a study on how important math’s was for school children. She struggled through with the sums they put on the whiteboard, and was quite pleased with the way she handled the language with them. We took our purchases back to the hotel, and then headed for the central station to try and organize Ali’s train ticket to Peter’s place. This turned into a major task as they were doing renovations in the station foyer, and the ticket office had been moved. Now although Ali was reasonably conversant in German, we could not make out just where the temporary ticket office was. After asking at a renal car office, and then the information centre, Judy established that it was outside the station in portable buildings. You have to realize that today was the day prior to Good Friday, and the station was alive with people heading off for Easter, so nothing was easy to do. Eventually Ali got her ticket, but it was “unreserved”, meaning she may or may not get a seat for the 1½ hour trip. The train didn’t leave until 4.45pm, so we had plenty of time to walk and shop before then.
We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon strolling around the streets and enjoying this lovely city. Back at the hotel around 3.45pm, we sat down to “high tea” in the café. So decadent, cucumber and salmon sandwiches, scones, cream cakes, you name it, and none of it low calorie or cholesterol. So good! By the time we got through it, it was time to get Ali on the train, so we took a cab to the station, arriving with 10 minutes to spare before the train departed. The place was even busier than it had been in the morning, and when the train arrived, there was a surge of people at every door trying to get on and find that elusive “unreserved” seat. When the train left, Judy and I walked back to the hotel via areas we hadn’t seen. It is really good to be able to observe people going about their daily routines in another country. Subtle changes from the way we do things in OZ make for very interesting viewing. There was nothing special to see, other than really grand old buildings everywhere you looked, but for us, just to be in this environment evokes special feelings. We feel really privileged and lucky to be able to travel and observe as we do, and places with a long history like Hamburg, make it that much more enjoyable.
We stayed in our room for the rest of the evening, soaking up the TV and comfortable surroundings.
FRIDAY 14TH APRIL, 2006
We had room service breaky, and you have to have a continental breakfast in continental Europe to know how good they are. Fresh squeezed orange juice, crispy breakfast rolls and croissants, Bircher muesli like no other and big pots of steaming coffee.
We got in a cab about 7.20am, knowing we had plenty of time to get back to the ship. I gave the cabbie the address of the wharf, and also a map showing exactly where we were going. To be on the safe side, he put the address into his dashboard mounted GPS. Well that was a mistake! The GPS said turn left, the map and our intuition said turn right. While the cabbie said he didn’t really know the wharf area (a typical statement over the last 3 months!), he knew what the GPS was saying was wrong. We pulled up a couple of times and he reinstalled the address into the GPS, but in the end, he just headed in the general direction of where we thought we should be. A stop at a police check point set us right, and when we finally turned into the wharf area where the ship was berthed, the B****Y GPS said “you have arrived at your destination”. Technology, ahhhhh! We were a little late, as it was now 8.15, but by the look of things happening on the wharf, we still had a bit of time up our sleeves. The cabbie was, in his words, “a black man from Africa”, and amongst all of his apologies for taking so long to get us here, remarked that every time Judy saw a black man, or thought of Germany, she would think of the cabbie who didn’t know his way. It was a real laugh, and when the meter read €35, he said he could only charge us €25. I split the difference and paid him €30, saying the ride had been a hoot, and as he was so apologetic, it was only fair.
Back on board we found departure was now expected at 10am, so we had plenty of time to watch the last of the loading. We didn’t actually slip our lines until 11am, and this gave us the chance to see, in daylight, the bits we saw in darkness when we arrived a couple of days ago. We stayed on the bridge until about 12.30pm, which was after we passed the Airbus factory, the rich housing area, and Rickmers Head Office. After lunch we watched the rest of the river departure from our cabin, that is when we weren’t having a nap to recover from our early start. The pilot left us about 7pm, and after dinner and a movie, we headed for bed. We were expected to berth in Antwerp, Belgium, at 1pm tomorrow, but prior to this we would be traveling on the Schelde River through Holland for about 6 hours. This was the plan, but by now we knew that things don’t always go as planned on a ship.
SATURDAY 15TH APRIL, 2006
The Captain had told us that the first part of the journey on the Schelde would be uninspiring, and as it was so wide, there was very little to see. We decided that we wouldn’t get up to see the pilot arrive at 6.30am, and luckily we didn’t as he didn’t arrive until 8am. Unlike Germany with its large and modern pilot vessels, the Dutch/Belgium pilot vessels were completely different. The mother ship was old and nothing special, and the transfer boats were rigid inflatable boats about 4.5metres long. The poor old pilot had to step off this bobbing piece of rubber, and hope he had a good grip on the rope ladder hanging down the side of our ship. I guess it is what you are used too, but I am sure he would have been envious of the German pilots if he knew their system.
After about 5 hours of river travel, the scenery was getting better and better. There was lots of low lying farmland, protected by large earthen dykes, and many small quaint villages. Fishing boats were at every town, and we passed many colorful yachts plying the river on this Easter Saturday holiday. As we approached Antwerp, we had to do some real fancy maneuvering to jockey for position for the lock we needed to pass through to enter the Port of Antwerp. We had to come to a complete stop about 500 metres from the lock so as vessels already in it could pass when it opened. When our turn came, we were at 90° to our intended path, so the tug that was attached to our stern, and our bow thrusters really had to work overtime to get us lined up and in the lock. This lock, one of a pair that was side by side, was immense when compared to the locks at Panama, but we only had a small lift of about 2 metres, so it didn’t take long to traverse. The biggest delay was waiting for another vessel to come in behind us, and for the tug that we had had to depart back out the way we came in. By now we had changed to another pilot, and this fellow was really friendly. He had a friend in Sydney, and he picked us for Aussies as soon as we spoke. The trip from the lock to our berth took another hour, and was quite tricky as we had to turn around in a very narrow channel, and reverse to our berth between another Rickmers ship, the Rickmers Chennai, and two very long barges. It was completed without anything going wrong, and we were tied up by 3.30pm.
As we were going ashore, we had to go through immigration. Unlike other ports where the officers came on board, this time the captain organized a private taxi to pick us up and take us there. The driver is always used by Rickmers, so he knew the drill and had us there and back in less than 30minutes. It sure helped when he knew the language at the immigration office, and they stamped our passports and wished us a good time quite readily.
It was too late to go ashore to a hotel today, so we stayed on board and watched the cargo operations after dinner. Then it was off to bed to charge the batteries for tomorrow’s onslaught on Antwerp.
SUNDAY 16TH APRIL, 2006
We slept quite well, and around 9.30am we had the principle of the taxi we used yesterday pick us up in his Mercedes Benz and drive us to the Hilton Hotel, right in the centre of historic Antwerp. We decided on this hotel because of its location and reputation, but our driver assured us we had made the right choice and would not be disappointed. We went for a walk around the streets almost immediately after checking in to our hotel, as whilst we could leave our bags with the doorman, our room would not be ready until about 2pm. We had also booked a room for Alizon, and her friend Mike Williams, who was coming to join her and us in Antwerp. Mike was coming on a ferry from Hull, in the UK, to Zeebrugge, Belgium, and from there he would drive the two hours to meet up with us.
We walked around for a while, and were nearly back to the Hilton when Ali rang to say she was in the foyer waiting for us. Within a few minutes, Ali, Peter, Simon Judy and I met up and decided we would walk to the main station where Ali had told Mike to meet her. This was about 2k away, and the walk there took us right through the main shopping precinct. The station was one of the grandest buildings I have ever laid eyes on, and the stonework and guilding made it a sight to behold. We wandered in and out of here for about 30 minutes while we waited for Mike, and eventually he found us out the front. Well that is he found them, I was over the road eyeing off all of the diamond and gold shops to see if they had that special pair of rings Judy and I had promised ourselves. Well Mike’s arrival saved me opening my wallet, and it wasn’t long before we all decided to head back to the hotel. Peter went with Mike to show him the way to the car park, and the rest of us walked back the way we had come.
Our room was ready when we got back, so the six of us sat around and talked for a while until we decided it must be time for lunch. One of the reasons we try and get a suite is the extra room it offers if you have guests, and this proved to be the case today. Other times and other places, we get a suite just because we like the room and ambience they offer. Well our driver this morning was spot on, and the suite we booked for two nights overlooked the “Grote Markt” a paved very old market square surrounded by our hotel and several restaurants. Just at the back of this square, merely 100metres away, was another square called “Handschoemarkt”, and this square had the “Onze-Lieve Vrouwekathedraal” the cathedral of our lady. This church dominated the skyline from every direction, and it proved to be a spectacular sight, day or night. The whole area was abuzz with people, and as the sun was shining, it made our lunch, and the few beers we had with it, absolutely perfect.
After lunch we took a 40minute tour of the town in a small train like vehicle. It consisted of three carriages and a motorised engine, and it took us all through most of the historic areas and points of interest. As I have said before, if you want an overview of a place, these are the tours to do, you really get to see and hear about the main attractions, and you get a chance to get your bearings around a town or city. Following the tour, Peter and Simon headed off to their home as they wanted to be home before dark tonight. Evidently Easter Sunday is special in their area, and the local people have huge bonfires to mark the day. It was great to see Peter again and similarly to meet his son Simon. Who knows when we will get the chance again, but it will happen I am sure.
The afternoon was spent in our suite talking about just about everything. We hadn’t met Mike until today, and it was good to get the chance to get to know him. I mean, he had to pass our test to make sure he was good for Ali. He did! I don’t know what time it was when we decided on dinner, but the beer and wine was working wonders with all of us, and you could see that this was going to be one of those special times that remain etched in your mind forever.
We found a restaurant near the cathedral, not that this was difficult, as the whole area was dedicated to eating and drinking. After sitting down and perusing the menu, we decided that as it was predominantly a steak house, this was not for us tonight. Just a few doors away we found an Italian restaurant that had a wonderful menu, so we settled in there and into the wine again. The meals were really excellent, the wine magic, and the service and ambience exceptional. We ended up back in our suite for a night cap (or twenty!) and before we all headed to bed, we agreed to meet for breakfast at 9am in the morning.
What a great day we had had.
MONDAY 17TH APRIL, 2006
We met as planned, and after a lovely breakfast, got into Mike’s car and headed for Brugge, a very historic village, about 1½ hours drive from Antwerp. It was so good to see open grassy fields after looking at seascapes for 3 months. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying the sea, but a change is as good as a holiday they say. The sun was shinning and as we got to Brugge you could see that we weren’t going to be the only people out and about today. We had to park and walk into the town centre, but it was worth every step. Quaint little streets and houses, and even quainter Belgium Chocolate Shops. We avoided buying any sweets for the time being, but we all knew we wouldn't be able to hold out all day. There were horse drawn buggies continually passing us, and the sound of hooves on the cobbled pavement was reminiscent of times long past. We went into an old stone arcade that led to the public toilets, as by now we all needed a pit stop after the copious amounts of coffee consumed at breakfast. I took a double take when the first shop I saw was selling only things Australian. Driz-a-bone coats, didgeridoos, boomerangs, anything and everything genuine OZ. Why here in Belgium I will never know, but I do know that like us, all the OZ visitors to Brugge went in to window shop. No way would we buy, the prices were at least double what you would pay back home. I did find a road map and point out where we lived in Victoria and Queensland, to Mike.
We made it too the central square, and there we were joined by what I estimate to be half the worlds population. The place was packed, but not that much that it wasn’t enjoyable. Mike found the step at the bottom of the local historic statue a perfect place to grab 40 winks. Back in the UK he operates a newsagency, and the early starts for the last, I think he said 19 years, take their toll in the afternoons. All he needs is a quick nap and he is rearing to go again. The girls and I just walked and looked, eventually ending up back where Mike was. Mike and I went back and moved the car closer, as the time on the parking ticket was about to expire. Just as we got to the car, which was almost on the banks of a small river, the bridge that we had traveled over to get to the city centre was opened for river traffic. This is a sight to see in this part of world, and not something we would normally see in OZ. The traffic stops and everybody doesn’t seem to mind the wait for the boats to pass, it is so common place for them.
Back near the square we met up with the girls, and wandered around a few small streets and along a narrow canal abutting the old historic buildings. The river boats were teeming with tourists, and the queues to get on were much longer than what we would have endured to get a river cruise. Eventually we arrived in the main square, and we picked a small restaurant for a light lunch. It was time to rest the weary legs. Following lunch, we visited one of those decadent chocolate shops. You guessed it, gorged on chocky none of us felt all that flash by the time we got back to the car. We had to find a service station to get diesel fuel for the car, so as it was on a different road to the one we came in on, Mike asked for directions back to Antwerp from here. The fellow told us to carry on to the main freeway, then to turn off near Gent towards Antwerp. Well it was miles out of our way, but not in the least un-enjoyable as we had not been through here before and it was a new experience. I should add, that as it was Easter Monday, we were often reduced to a snails pace as the traffic was very heavy returning to Brussels after the Easter holidays.
Eventually we got back to our hotel, and after freshening up, we headed off to find another restaurant for dinner. The crowds had disappeared, and we had a multitude of places to pick from. Eventually we decided on a little restaurant in the main square, right in front of the town hall. The view was special, and the food and service superb. I didn’t want to leave Antwerp until I had sampled the local special, mussels. I wasn’t disappointed either, but if I knew in advance just how many mussels I was going to get served, I would have skipped the crumbed cheese croquette entrée. We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and of course the red wine that accompanied it.
We had a coffee and cognac in the lobby bar before heading to our separate rooms, and agreed to meet after breaky tomorrow as both Judy and I wanted to get going early to look at gold and diamonds, and this was not on the agenda for Ali and Mike. I had a call from the Captain earlier in the day, and shore leave now finished at 11am, so we knew things would be a bit rushed tomorrow.
Back at the hotel, we were all too tired to party any further, so bed beckoned and that was it for the day.
TUESDAY 18TH APRIL, 2006
We were up and running by 7am, and after breakfast we headed for the diamond/gold shops. Nothing was open, but they were starting to put out their displays. We looked in about 30 shops, but nothing really took our fancy. Resigned to the fact that this was not a good idea, and that anything we found now would be a rushed decision that would be regretted later, we headed back to the hotel. We had seen a leather bag in the store in the foyer of the hotel, and both Judy and I were quite smitten with it. It was one of those shops you can only enter when they unlock the door electronically, so we buzzed and waited. A door locks behind you and you are left standing in a glass cubical until the inner door opens. When this opens and you step into the shop, the inner door locks and the outer door opens. Talk about security, but I guess the watches and jewellery they had on display was pretty exquisite and very expensive. The bag was perfect so out with the credit card, and it joined Judy’s wardrobe. I got a matching wallet just to keep up.
Ali and Mike had been for a short walk as well, and now that we had met up in the foyer, they offered to drive us back to the ship before they headed off to catch their ferry back to England. We were running out of time for anything else, so we checked out and headed off in Mike’s car towards the ship. For a while I thought we may have stuffed up big time, and by Mike’s mannerism, he was obviously thinking the same thing. The map we were using was not at all like the port area, and whilst we had been there twice in a car, each time it was via a different route. Eventually we located the wharf, and it was only thanks to the numbering system that they use. Every wharf has a number, and we did manage to find number 332 at last.
We parked the car adjacent to the security gate, and I suggested that we try and bluff our way through and see if we could get Ali and Mike onto the wharf, and then the ship, for a guided tour. It worked a treat, and the young lady who was checking people, cars and trucks in and out of the wharf suggested that if Mike moved his car further from the gate it would not get damaged, and as they were just visiting for a few minutes, all was ok. When we got on the ship I found the Captain sitting in his cabin, and I asked if it was all right to show our friends around. His reaction stunned me, “of course” he said, “take them to the bridge, it is open, and then when you have showed them all that you want, have them join you for lunch. Cookie will prepare for them if you let him know”. Well this made the day for us, and we were able to show them our home of the last three months, and then we all sat for dinner in the mess. Of course, when the Captain arrived, he told the steward to “bring some wine for these people”. It was great. Mike had a little snooze in our cabin while Ali and I finished the wine, and then it was time for the goodbyes. We walked them back to the car, but decided on the way that we would go to the duty free outlet that all of the sailors went to in Antwerp. “Sunny”, as it is known, was about 2 km from the ship, so Mike and Ali dropped us there. After a few tears from the girls, we all said goodbye, and they headed off towards Zeebrugge and their ferry back home.
Departure time was changed to 6pm, so we had plenty of time to look all over the store at “Sunny”, but we didn’t think the prices were all that good, and quite frankly, we didn’t need any more junk to cart home. Three of our crew was shopping there at the same time, and when the courtesy bus was ready to take them back to the ship, they gave us a hoi to go with them. Back on board, Judy had a nap and I went up top to “supervise” the remainder of the cargo operations.
Well 6pm became 11pm, and by the time we let go the lines, both of us were asleep. We both woke up around the time of the lock maneuver, but it was a quick peek out the window, and straight back to sleep.
WEDNESDAY 19TH APRIL, 2006
I slept in late this morning, but when I woke, for the first time since we had left home, I was a little depressed. It suddenly dawned on me, that now that we had left Belgium, we were heading towards home. I had read about these feelings in other stories and books I had researched before we left on the trip, but I thought that me being the tough guy I am, it wouldn’t happen to me. It was only momentary, but when I told Judy, she remembered reading the same things.
We went to the bridge mid morning, but there was not much to see as we were in thick fog. As we passed Dover, we struggled to make out a ferry crossing our path towards Calais, France, so we knew there was no chance of seeing any land at all today. After lunch, Judy had a nap, and I did 10 laps of the deck to clear my head. It was really cold and windy, but when I got back to the cabin I felt much better for the walk.
After dinner both of us headed to the crew recreation room, as it was party time again. Ronnie, the deck fitter was celebrating his 39th birthday. The Captain had purchased an electric guitar for the ship and along with Ronnie’s home made drum kit, and the tambourine, maracas and spoons we got for the ship in Philadelphia, a good, but loud night was a certainty. Judy headed for bed about 10pm, but I stayed until a bit after 1am, just in case something happened that I didn’t want to miss.
I tried to phone the kids to tell them how much I loved them, especially as I was now a big bit tipsy, but luckily for most of them, it was only Erin who had to listen to my bleatings.
THURSDAY 20TH APRIL, 2006
Judy woke up much brighter than me; the previous night’s party was too much for an old fellow like me. We had breaky in our cabin again, and just lounged around until lunch.
We tried to do a deck walk in the afternoon, but it was quite cold and we were sailing in a fairly heavy sea. It wasn’t a “sea sick” type sea, but it was not comfortable on deck. A bridge tour followed, and Louis, the AB who was on duty, was a bit concerned about how it would be passing the “Bay of Biscayne”. In his years of crewing vessels he had never had a trip where he wasn’t sick passing this area and the weather looked like living up to his fear. Not so as it turned out, it flattened off considerably and we sailed in smooth (relatively) seas throughout the day and night.
The only sickness was from last night’s party, and when I declined a beer from the Captain at dinner, I am sure Judy knew only too well how I felt. In truth, I can’t handle the booze too well nowadays, and I look forward to the many days of abstinence with relish.
We did the usual movie and bed thing after dinner, and the gentle roll of the ship had me asleep in record time.
FRIDAY 21ST APRIL, 2006
We had a lazy morning, just reading and a quick trip to the bridge.
After lunch we walked the deck, but it was a bit cold and windy so we didn’t stay outside very long. We did comment to each other that even though we had been onboard for over three months, each time we walk the deck we see something different or something we hadn’t noticed before. I don’t know if we haven’t been observant or just that we are looking closer at things in general.
Back in the cabin, Judy put her head back inside the cover of another book, and I did as I was told, and put some more time in on this blogger. It is so easy to put things off when there is no pressure to meet a deadline. It will be interesting to see if we can adjust to working mode when we are back home, as easily as we have adjusted to doing nothing here on the ship. You may have noticed when reading this that we are napping more and more. We spoke about this today and think that the times we keep throw our body clocks out of whack quite regularly. For instance, tonight we will have a short sleep then get up and go to the bridge at 2.30am to observe the passage through the Straits of Gibraltar, and then probably sleep again from about 6am for an hour or so. In a day or so we will do a similar thing to see the pilot arrive on board in Genoa, and this is scheduled for 4.30am. We tend to get to the bridge for all of the comings and goings from a port, or transfer of a pilot, and mostly these are at odd times. Another adjustment we will have to make back in OZ
We now have the captain’s wife and the Chief Engineer at our table for meals, and whilst they are both very pleasant, Iva speaks very little English. The Captain, Iva and Petar, the C/E are all Croatian, so the conversation around the table between them is often in their mother tongue. Most times, as they finish each conversation, the captain fills us in with a précis of what they were discussing. It is very thoughtful of him, and does make it less uncomfortable for us. The C/E is a likable and quite knowledgeable fellow, and like the captain, is completely different to the previous C/E. Both of these officers seem to adopt more of a delegation type role for the ships duties, and even though it was good before their arrival, you can see a more relaxed crew now. I guess it is only a personality thing, but if you have to live and work on a ship for so many months at a time, it’s best if it can be in a harmonious atmosphere.
We were discussing the food that comes out of the kitchen, and all agreed that it was quite good, but in some cases lacked a little imagination. The cook had told us to tell him what we wanted to eat, and he would cook it, but we didn’t like doing this too often and generally went with what ever was on the menu. We got on to talking about local dishes, and next thing we know, the cook was summoned to the table and told that the C/E would be assisting him in the kitchen tomorrow, and he should not feel put out by any means. Petar was going to make his favourite soup and a surprise main meal for lunch, so time will tell if he should stick to the engine room, or maybe share his time in the galley.
On the regular afternoon deck walk we spotted a few whales, off the stern, but there was not much else around. We returned to the cabin to do a bit more reading, and just as we were both about to lie down, for some reason I looked out the window. There they were, Dolphins, and heading towards the ship from the starboard side. We were up and running. Judy headed for the deck, and I headed for the bridge to see where they were going. Sure enough, they swung in to our bow and the fun began. I raced down and met Judy, and we ran to the bow as quick as we could. The next 10 minutes was a private dolphin show for Doug and Judy, and standing on the forecastle we were merely a few metres above them as they dove in and out of the water around our bow. It was fantastic and we felt so privileged to be able to see them.
We didn’t do much else for the day, just reading and a movie before retiring for a short (3 hour) sleep.
SATURDAY 22ND APRIL, 2006
We got up at 2.30am and went to the bridge to see the passage through the straits of Gibraltar. We were only 1½ mile of the coast of Morocco, and just a few miles off Spain. It was dark, but the lights on shore made it worth the effort. Even though we couldn’t get a good view of the land, we are glad we did go to watch, even if only to say we saw ‘The Rock of Gibraltar”, all be it in darkness. We stayed on the bridge until 5.30am, and then headed for the cabin for a short sleep.
We slept until about 8.30, and then did the cabin breaky thing, followed by a deck walk. The weather was improving every day since we left Europe, and though we needed a jacket to stop the wind biting through, it was now around 16°C outside.
The lunch cooked by the C/E was superb. He had made his own pasta in his cabin last night, and this formed the bulk of his beef soup. He used a large cut of beef, boiling it for a few hours, and adding carrots, garlic, and a bit of seasoning. The beef was taken from the pot and put aside for slicing into a salad for dinner, but the flavour of it in the soup was really tasty. He followed the soup with stuffed bell peppers, and these would take some beating by even the best of chefs. They were huge, so by the time we left the table from lunch, we had to do a few laps of the deck to use up some of the calories we had consumed.
The afternoon was spent reading, napping, and another trip to the bridge. We had come through a rainy patch, and the visibility was severely reduced. We could see other ships on the radar, but anything beyond 5 miles was unable to be seen by eye. This is the times when the officers on watch earn their money, they have to be so alert. The rain passed after about 15minutes, but visibility didn’t improve until late in the day.
Dinner was just as filling as lunch. Petar had sliced the cold beef from his soup and mixed it with sliced boiled eggs, sliced onions, garlic, olive oil and salad vinegar. It was so tasty as an entrée; one plate full was not enough. Hence, two plates of salad followed by cookies garlic mashed potatoes, Florentine crepes filled with mashed spinach, and home made beef patties, left me completely stuffed. And I wasn’t alone; all of us at the table were well sated.
It was party time again, as Louis, one of the AB’s was to celebrate his 29th birthday tomorrow, but as we were going to arrive in Genoa in the early hours of the morning on Monday, he didn’t want any of the crew, nor himself, to be suffering any ill effects as a result of a late night party when they arrived in port. This is their busiest time, and a clear head is needed. So Saturday night turned into Sunday morning for most of the crew, and I had to stay and supervise, so it was a late one for me too. Judy was smart and went to the cabin to watch a movie, and then she was tucked up in bed sound asleep long before Doug made it home.
As usual, I managed to wake some of the kids back home to tell them how much I loved them. I did SMS all of them earlier in the day to warn them of the party, and likelihood of a phone call from me, so if it came as a surprise, bad luck to them.
SUNDAY 23RD APRIL, 2006
Slow start and a slow day really. We didn’t bother with much breaky, and by the time we had walked the deck and visited the bridge, we were hungry enough to face lunch.
The post lunch deck walk offered up a very large pod of dolphins about 300 metres from the ship, so things were looking up for the marine sights in the Mediterranean Sea. It was as smooth as a mill pond today, and as the ship had slowed down a bit (to fit with the arrival time at Genoa), it was really pleasant out on deck. The sun was shining, and we now had some pigeons and another small yellow breasted bird flying around the ship to keep us amused.
Discussion at lunch centered around the recreation activities on the ship, and the captain advised that they would be installing an air conditioner in the pilot deck bar area so as to make it more usable. Petar the C/E advised that he would be putting the ping pong table that was folded up in the crew recreation room, into the bar to encourage some use of it. It was a big area, and really didn’t get much use. The captain said he was putting a small fridge and electric BBQ in there as well, so looks like things are on the up for this area. They commented on the swimming pool on B deck, and said that as soon as we left Italy and got to the Red Sea, it would be filled and available for us to have a dip. All sounded good to us.
We had a visit from the ships electrician, Raffeal. I had mentioned to him that the aerial on my satellite telephone had come out of its end joiner, and being the obliging fellow that he is, it took him no time at all to affect a repair. The rest of the day was spent with an afternoon deck walk, and then a bit of time on this blogger. I am actually right up to date as I type this, and this is almost a first for me.
Straight after dinner we went for another deck walk, and this turned in to a worthwhile stroll. The sea was now even flatter than earlier in the day, in fact there was not even the slightest ripple. It was as smooth as glass, and just as shiny. So when Judy spotted a ripple in the surface about 200 metres from the ship, we knew a dolphin was about to surface. Wrong, there was a great big whale gliding along beside us. We went to the bridge as it was now a bit cool to be outside and coming straight from dinner we didn’t have jackets or coats. When we got to the bridge, the view from there was awesome. Words would not describe how still the water was, but the words from the First Officer certainly described what he thought of the sea conditions. When it is so flat, obviously there is no wind. No wind means sea mist and extremely difficult conditions to navigate by. There eyes get really strained trying to keep watch when it’s like this, and things are really hard to see far off in the distance. Not so all things, because over the next 45 minutes we had two whales on the starboard side of the ship, followed by a single whale on the port side, and then followed by a huge whale with two really small calves also on the port side. As it was so calm, they were really easy to see. These things really make this trip for us, and I am sure we will bore everybody we speak to about them when we are back home.
Just as we came down, three small yachts became visible on the port side. They were obviously sailing together, but they must have been using engine power as the one sail each had up hung like a wet rag. They were not going anywhere with wind power tonight.
We watched another movie, and then it was bed for us, tomorrow brings a new adventure in Italy, and we want to be ready to go as we are only in port until 2200, less than a day.
After such a great day yesterday, you would think that sleep would have avoided us, not so! We both got a good, (short) sleep, and we were awake in time for a bridge visit before we went down for breakfast. Breaky was followed by a little more of this blogger for me, and an hours nap for Judy.
Mid morning we donned our coats and headed for our daily walk and as it was a little warmer than it had been for several days, we really enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air out on deck. Following the walk, we went to the bridge to see what was happening in our bit of the ocean, and to get an update on our arrival time at the Hamburg pilot station.
We did exactly the same thing after lunch, with another two or three laps, and another bridge visit. By now I needed a sleep, so while I caught a few ZZZZZZZZ’s, Judy got to work on downloading some more photos from our camera and burning them to CD. She followed this with downloading the next segment of the blogger, which now completed it up until last night. As I was still in the land of nod, Judy did a bit of housework (ironing, yuk!).
At about 2.45 we headed for the bridge to wait for pilot to board, and to observe the entry to the Elbe River. Like all of the ports we have visited so far, the piloting arrangements are similar, but each port is unique in its own way. In this case, and I guess as a testament to German engineering, the pilot station (mother boat) and the pilot transfer boats were really special. The first thing that we noticed was the size of the boats, followed by how modern they appeared when compared to other ports. The mother ship was around 50metres long and as it was a catamaran, it was somewhere around 15 metres wide. The transfer boats were of similar design, catamarans around 15 metres long and 8 metres wide. The seas were relatively calm today, but you could see that when the going got rough, these vessels were designed and built to handle the worst that could be thrown at them in this part of the world.
The pilot was transferred from the mother ship to the transfer boat via a sliding platform situated on the upper fore deck, and just in front of the helm, of the transfer boat. The pilot and another seaman went on to the fore deck of their boat, and when the helmsman positioned his craft along side either the mother ship or a vessel requiring a pilot (like us), the platform extended out, I guess hydraulically, to touch the side of the other vessel. The pilot only had to step onto the hanging rope ladder, as was our case, or if it was a transfer back to the mother ship, directly onto the deck of the mother ship through an opening in the side. This was easily the safest system we had seen to date.
The journey into and along the Elbe River was expected to take about 6 to 7 hours, so we got to see a lot of the entry before the sun disappeared. The first thing that I noticed was the hundreds of wind turbines situated along the coast. They were in clusters of 30 to 60 and seemed to dominate the skyline in each direction. I don’t find them too unattractive like many other people do, and whilst they may cost a lot of money to install initially, I think the long term benefit will be well worth it. Anyway, that’s just my opinion. As we approached the river mouth, you could see people walking and crabbing on the tidal flats, and as this was obviously a farming area, and you could smell the cut grass and cow manure quite distinctly. The villages that abutted the river were fairytale like in their beauty, really quaint buildings with high pitched roofs, and church steeples that you only see in the movies. From the river mouth inward, we were welcomed with many of these small villages, and each was situated close to a large harbour or factory complex that obviously provided employment for the villagers.
We changed pilots after about 3 hours, and whilst the first fellow was cheerful enough, his replacement was very talkative and helpful. He had no hesitation pointing out things of interest to us.
As darkness approached we passed the “Airbus” factory, which abutted the river bank. This place was enormous, and seemed to go on forever. It had its own private runway that disappeared into the distance probably 4km away. As it was nearly dark the hangar lights were on, and inside the huge sectioned glass hangar doors were two massive A380 aircraft, parked side by side. Now any of you reading this will surely appreciate just how big this building is if you cast your mind to the photographs and news items that regularly occur in relation to this new 550+ seat twin decked aircraft. I said huge, and it surely was. It was interesting to note that the approach/departure direction of any flights from the tarmac took the flight directly over the richest housing area of Hamburg. Houses on the opposite side of the river to the start of the tarmac and the factory were immense and very attractive. The pilot assured us that you simply cannot buy into the area; it is only if the residents approve of you that a purchase can take place. This is really class distinction at its most obvious, but certainly the cost to buy there would frighten all but the most affluent away. The flights over these houses were infrequent, so complaints weren’t an issue, according to our pilot.
As we approached Hamburg City, we changed pilots again, and this time we got two fellows to take us around to our berth. Now the Port of Hamburg was very large, and it consisted of many narrow canals and berthing sites. We left the River Elbe, and traveled for about 30 minutes on a wide canal that went under a very large bridge, much the same in size and shape to Melbourne’s own Westgate Bridge. Shortly after passing the bridge, we traveled into a narrower canal for about 10minutes, and when we reached a wide turning basin, the pilots, assisted by tug boats fore and aft, turned our ship and proceeded to reverse the ship into an even narrower canal. We then passed through a bridge that was raised 47 metres so that we could transit the canal to our berth. We had plenty of clearance overhead, but no more than a few metres on either side when we actually passed the bridge pylons. Considering it was very dark, it was quite a maneuver to see. Not far from the lift-up bridge, about 500 metres, we tied up to our berth. We were almost at the end of the berth, and this is the same berth that is used by all of the Rickmers ships coming to Hamburg.
It was too late to go ashore, almost 10.30pm, so we decided on a good nights sleep aboard the ship, and we would “escape” to the city tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY 12th APRIL, 2006
We slept well, and after breakfast we met the new Chief Engineer and the Captains wife, both of whom had flown into Hamburg from Croatia to join the ship. Iva, the Captains wife is staying onboard until Taranto, Italy, and then re-boarding the ship in Shanghai to complete the voyage to Hamburg.
After getting our passports, we were told that we had shore leave until noon on Friday, so we headed off the ship towards the gatehouse about 300 metres away. The gate keeper was very helpful, and after he checked us off the list of persons allowed of the wharf, he telephoned for a taxi to take us into the city, and then recommended a nice hotel for us to stay in. The cab driver was extremely helpful as well, and we talked about our trip and his 103 year old wooden yacht all the way to our hotel. The cabbie recommended the same hotel as the gate keeper, so we reckoned that it must be all right if it got two votes. Well they weren’t wrong, it was just perfect! Mistakenly the gatekeeper had called the hotel “The Four Seasons” when he wrote the name and address out for us, but when we arrived there, it was actually “Raffles Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten”. Now you all should know about the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, it is really special, and if the chance arises, I would recommend a stay there just for the experience. This hotel was typical of the Raffles brand, and nothing is left to chance in the way the staff treat you or how the rooms are presented. Our suite overlooked a small ornamental lake called Binnenalster, which was created many hundreds of years ago when the river Alster was dammed. The lake is bordered by expensive shops, office buildings, and our glorious historic hotel, and the view we had was unbeatable.
We booked a room for our most precious friend, Alizon Holland, who was in Germany from the UK for a funeral of a family friend who had passed away. She was going to stay at the hotel with us tonight, and then travel by train tomorrow to where her stepson lived some three hours away from Hamburg. The plan was for her to then come by car to Antwerp to meet up with us again.
We had a coffee in our room (served by our own personal butler!), then headed out on the streets to check out the sights. We walked to the central station named “Hauptbahnhof Kirchenallee”, a vast building bustling with travelers. From here we took a Double Decker hop on/hop off bus for a narrated city tour. We have discovered over many years of traveling that if we do one of these style introductory tours, we get a good insight to a place, and we can then pick the places that interest us to visit later. The bus took us over all of the central and inner city areas, and eventually down along the bank of the Elbe River. We hopped off here and walked along the promenade to take in this busy tourist area. There were ferries, river and harbour cruises coming and going, and it seemed that every tourist in Hamburg was in this spot. The “Lion King” live show was playing in a venue just across the river, and they had a ferry painted up in the same colour scheme as the show plying its way back and forth across the river with patrons. The “Rickmers Rickmers”, a windjammer vessel of old, was situated here as well, and people were climbing all over it checking it out. It was still in excellent condition, and it is used for training and special occasions to this day. We decided to walk along the waterfront for a kilometer or so to the next bus stop, and in so doing we passed the old historic warehouse area. Much of this had been redeveloped into luxurious apartments, but many warehouses selling carpets and antiques were open to the public. Hamburg is often called “Venice of the north”, as it is built around hundreds of canals and it has in excess of two thousand bridges spanning them. This is more than Venice and Amsterdam put together. The view from most of the apartments was of the canals passing by, and you could easily see how effective it would have been in, in times long since past, to service this large warehouse area by boat.
We got back on the bus and went back to the central station where we had begun our tour. Just across the road from the station was the major shopping precinct for central Hamburg, so we walked this main street until we came to the very old and opulent Town Hall and its square. It was picture perfect, so we dined on Bratwurst sausage, chips and cold German beer from a food vendor along the side of the square. This area was only about 750 metres from our hotel, and the walk back took us along a very pretty covered path along side the canal. We were treated to the sounds of a busking musician playing a piano accordion, and the music together with the setting made for a memorable and slightly romantic afternoon.
We had not long been back to our hotel when Alizon arrived with her stepson, Peter, and his son, Simon. They had been to the funeral and were heading home, via Hamburg, dropping Ali off on the way. Actually, Simon’s mother lived in Hamburg, and they had been to see her before coming to our hotel. Simon now lived with Peter after finding himself a bit disillusioned with life and study in the big city about eight months ago. It really seemed as though he was more suited to living in the country with his father, and by all of their accounts, he was thriving in his new environ. After a few pleasantries, the boys headed off home and Judy and Ali settled into catching up on each others news in our room. The afternoon seemed to get away from us, and by the time that we decided we would eat out at a restaurant, it appeared as though we may have left our run too late. The lovely restaurant on the lake shore was closing, as was the next one in the main street. By chance we found a place that didn’t close until midnight, and the three of us enjoyed a very filling dinner. Both Judy and I couldn’t eat more than half of what was served to us, but Ali did her meal justice. I should add that we had a window table, and we were sitting level with the water of the canal, directly across from the town hall square, so the ambience was quite special.
We wandered back to the hotel, and after a late night coffee served by the butler to our room, we all headed of to bed.
Judy’s third monthly review of the trip thus far.
I can’t believe it has been three months; it only seems like a few weeks ago we left home. This shows I am still enjoying the experience. This month I achieved one of the things I had been looking forward to, going through the Panama Canal. I knew a small bit about the construction (from watching Discovery Channel), but seeing it is so different. You really wonder how it could have been achieved all those years ago. They tell me I will now be disappointed with the Suez Canal but we will just have to wait and see. I don’t believe I will as it will still be a new experience for me. The destruction of New Orleans was also an eye opener.
The seas have been trying at times, but nothing unbearable. It just means you don’t get much activity done when you don’t feel all that well. I did have to organize the settlement for Woodside Beach Caravan Park (with the help of the children and Joanne and Kyle), and it was when the seas where unforgiving, but we got through it. Yippee, one more down!
We brought games, puzzles, guitar, Italian tapes, cross-stitch, etc, and it may be hard to believe, but we do not get time to do any of them. In fact we will probably not even watch all the DVD’s we brought with us.
Football has now started again back home, so we hang on the end of the mobile phone each weekend, hoping someone will send us the scores for the mighty lions as soon as the game is over.
Changing Captains was very strange, as we had got to know Henryk quite well and liked him. He was quiet and had hands-on full control of the ship and crew. The new captain is completely different and you can see the changes in the crew. Some are more relaxed and others seem the opposite, but for us, he has made us feel comfortable and nothing is too much trouble. He is loud and allows the crew to get on with their job on their own, with him acting more as a delegate. It appears both systems work, but the crew is generally more relaxed with Goran.
To finish the month off seeing Alizon, Peter and Simon just topped it off for me.
Doug’s third monthly review of the trip thus far.
What a month it has been. The highlight for me was the Panama Canal journey, followed by the sights and sounds of New Orleans. The devastation that I saw there, post Katrina, will be forever etched in my mind. Houston was great, but Philadelphia was something else! I just have to go back there, time ran out much too quickly and many things remain to be seen there.
The new Captain is a real card, and his attitude towards running the ship is entirely different to the first Master, Henryk. I found him to be very likable and helpful towards us, but this new fellow, Goran, is even more helpful towards us. He rings and keeps us updated on the vessels departure times, and is genuinely interested in what we see or do when off the ship. Goran certainly likes a party, and life has certainly changed for the crew.
I can’t say that the rough seas across the Pacific were a real treat, and although I don’t generally suffer any sort of motion sickness, I did it a bit tough for a few days when we were getting tossed around. I felt really sorry for Judy, feeling as bad as she did, but there was little I could do to help her other than to just let her sleep as much as she needed.
Hamburg has joined my list of places to return to, but whether that happens or not remains to be seen. The sight of the Airbus factory is another thing I will never forget, sooooooo big! It was great to catch up with Alizon, Peter and Simon, and I look forward to meeting them again in Antwerp when we dock there.
As always, both of us enjoy staying at the best hotels, and the hotels in Houston and Hamburg were real treats. Sure beats the hell out of twin high sided beds on board ship.
The time has gone so quick, no way does it feel like three months yet. We are always on the go, and all the games, puzzles, guitar and Italian language lessons simply can’t be fitted in. Oh well, I guess I might get these done when I retire, and if all goes well, that wont be all that far into the future. This traveling is addictive, and if we can do it more often, we will.
THURSDAY 13TH APRIL, 2006
We started the day with a lovely breakfast in the hotel café. Back in our room a call from the captain advised us that shore leave will now finish at 8am tomorrow, with an expected departure of 9am, so it looks like an early start for us as the ship is about 20 minutes by cab from the hotel.
With Ali in tow, we first went to a supermarket near the town hall. Judy and I needed some supplies for the ship, and Ali wanted to get some things for her and Peter and Simon. On the way there, Ali was stopped by a film crew who were doing a study on how important math’s was for school children. She struggled through with the sums they put on the whiteboard, and was quite pleased with the way she handled the language with them. We took our purchases back to the hotel, and then headed for the central station to try and organize Ali’s train ticket to Peter’s place. This turned into a major task as they were doing renovations in the station foyer, and the ticket office had been moved. Now although Ali was reasonably conversant in German, we could not make out just where the temporary ticket office was. After asking at a renal car office, and then the information centre, Judy established that it was outside the station in portable buildings. You have to realize that today was the day prior to Good Friday, and the station was alive with people heading off for Easter, so nothing was easy to do. Eventually Ali got her ticket, but it was “unreserved”, meaning she may or may not get a seat for the 1½ hour trip. The train didn’t leave until 4.45pm, so we had plenty of time to walk and shop before then.
We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon strolling around the streets and enjoying this lovely city. Back at the hotel around 3.45pm, we sat down to “high tea” in the café. So decadent, cucumber and salmon sandwiches, scones, cream cakes, you name it, and none of it low calorie or cholesterol. So good! By the time we got through it, it was time to get Ali on the train, so we took a cab to the station, arriving with 10 minutes to spare before the train departed. The place was even busier than it had been in the morning, and when the train arrived, there was a surge of people at every door trying to get on and find that elusive “unreserved” seat. When the train left, Judy and I walked back to the hotel via areas we hadn’t seen. It is really good to be able to observe people going about their daily routines in another country. Subtle changes from the way we do things in OZ make for very interesting viewing. There was nothing special to see, other than really grand old buildings everywhere you looked, but for us, just to be in this environment evokes special feelings. We feel really privileged and lucky to be able to travel and observe as we do, and places with a long history like Hamburg, make it that much more enjoyable.
We stayed in our room for the rest of the evening, soaking up the TV and comfortable surroundings.
FRIDAY 14TH APRIL, 2006
We had room service breaky, and you have to have a continental breakfast in continental Europe to know how good they are. Fresh squeezed orange juice, crispy breakfast rolls and croissants, Bircher muesli like no other and big pots of steaming coffee.
We got in a cab about 7.20am, knowing we had plenty of time to get back to the ship. I gave the cabbie the address of the wharf, and also a map showing exactly where we were going. To be on the safe side, he put the address into his dashboard mounted GPS. Well that was a mistake! The GPS said turn left, the map and our intuition said turn right. While the cabbie said he didn’t really know the wharf area (a typical statement over the last 3 months!), he knew what the GPS was saying was wrong. We pulled up a couple of times and he reinstalled the address into the GPS, but in the end, he just headed in the general direction of where we thought we should be. A stop at a police check point set us right, and when we finally turned into the wharf area where the ship was berthed, the B****Y GPS said “you have arrived at your destination”. Technology, ahhhhh! We were a little late, as it was now 8.15, but by the look of things happening on the wharf, we still had a bit of time up our sleeves. The cabbie was, in his words, “a black man from Africa”, and amongst all of his apologies for taking so long to get us here, remarked that every time Judy saw a black man, or thought of Germany, she would think of the cabbie who didn’t know his way. It was a real laugh, and when the meter read €35, he said he could only charge us €25. I split the difference and paid him €30, saying the ride had been a hoot, and as he was so apologetic, it was only fair.
Back on board we found departure was now expected at 10am, so we had plenty of time to watch the last of the loading. We didn’t actually slip our lines until 11am, and this gave us the chance to see, in daylight, the bits we saw in darkness when we arrived a couple of days ago. We stayed on the bridge until about 12.30pm, which was after we passed the Airbus factory, the rich housing area, and Rickmers Head Office. After lunch we watched the rest of the river departure from our cabin, that is when we weren’t having a nap to recover from our early start. The pilot left us about 7pm, and after dinner and a movie, we headed for bed. We were expected to berth in Antwerp, Belgium, at 1pm tomorrow, but prior to this we would be traveling on the Schelde River through Holland for about 6 hours. This was the plan, but by now we knew that things don’t always go as planned on a ship.
SATURDAY 15TH APRIL, 2006
The Captain had told us that the first part of the journey on the Schelde would be uninspiring, and as it was so wide, there was very little to see. We decided that we wouldn’t get up to see the pilot arrive at 6.30am, and luckily we didn’t as he didn’t arrive until 8am. Unlike Germany with its large and modern pilot vessels, the Dutch/Belgium pilot vessels were completely different. The mother ship was old and nothing special, and the transfer boats were rigid inflatable boats about 4.5metres long. The poor old pilot had to step off this bobbing piece of rubber, and hope he had a good grip on the rope ladder hanging down the side of our ship. I guess it is what you are used too, but I am sure he would have been envious of the German pilots if he knew their system.
After about 5 hours of river travel, the scenery was getting better and better. There was lots of low lying farmland, protected by large earthen dykes, and many small quaint villages. Fishing boats were at every town, and we passed many colorful yachts plying the river on this Easter Saturday holiday. As we approached Antwerp, we had to do some real fancy maneuvering to jockey for position for the lock we needed to pass through to enter the Port of Antwerp. We had to come to a complete stop about 500 metres from the lock so as vessels already in it could pass when it opened. When our turn came, we were at 90° to our intended path, so the tug that was attached to our stern, and our bow thrusters really had to work overtime to get us lined up and in the lock. This lock, one of a pair that was side by side, was immense when compared to the locks at Panama, but we only had a small lift of about 2 metres, so it didn’t take long to traverse. The biggest delay was waiting for another vessel to come in behind us, and for the tug that we had had to depart back out the way we came in. By now we had changed to another pilot, and this fellow was really friendly. He had a friend in Sydney, and he picked us for Aussies as soon as we spoke. The trip from the lock to our berth took another hour, and was quite tricky as we had to turn around in a very narrow channel, and reverse to our berth between another Rickmers ship, the Rickmers Chennai, and two very long barges. It was completed without anything going wrong, and we were tied up by 3.30pm.
As we were going ashore, we had to go through immigration. Unlike other ports where the officers came on board, this time the captain organized a private taxi to pick us up and take us there. The driver is always used by Rickmers, so he knew the drill and had us there and back in less than 30minutes. It sure helped when he knew the language at the immigration office, and they stamped our passports and wished us a good time quite readily.
It was too late to go ashore to a hotel today, so we stayed on board and watched the cargo operations after dinner. Then it was off to bed to charge the batteries for tomorrow’s onslaught on Antwerp.
SUNDAY 16TH APRIL, 2006
We slept quite well, and around 9.30am we had the principle of the taxi we used yesterday pick us up in his Mercedes Benz and drive us to the Hilton Hotel, right in the centre of historic Antwerp. We decided on this hotel because of its location and reputation, but our driver assured us we had made the right choice and would not be disappointed. We went for a walk around the streets almost immediately after checking in to our hotel, as whilst we could leave our bags with the doorman, our room would not be ready until about 2pm. We had also booked a room for Alizon, and her friend Mike Williams, who was coming to join her and us in Antwerp. Mike was coming on a ferry from Hull, in the UK, to Zeebrugge, Belgium, and from there he would drive the two hours to meet up with us.
We walked around for a while, and were nearly back to the Hilton when Ali rang to say she was in the foyer waiting for us. Within a few minutes, Ali, Peter, Simon Judy and I met up and decided we would walk to the main station where Ali had told Mike to meet her. This was about 2k away, and the walk there took us right through the main shopping precinct. The station was one of the grandest buildings I have ever laid eyes on, and the stonework and guilding made it a sight to behold. We wandered in and out of here for about 30 minutes while we waited for Mike, and eventually he found us out the front. Well that is he found them, I was over the road eyeing off all of the diamond and gold shops to see if they had that special pair of rings Judy and I had promised ourselves. Well Mike’s arrival saved me opening my wallet, and it wasn’t long before we all decided to head back to the hotel. Peter went with Mike to show him the way to the car park, and the rest of us walked back the way we had come.
Our room was ready when we got back, so the six of us sat around and talked for a while until we decided it must be time for lunch. One of the reasons we try and get a suite is the extra room it offers if you have guests, and this proved to be the case today. Other times and other places, we get a suite just because we like the room and ambience they offer. Well our driver this morning was spot on, and the suite we booked for two nights overlooked the “Grote Markt” a paved very old market square surrounded by our hotel and several restaurants. Just at the back of this square, merely 100metres away, was another square called “Handschoemarkt”, and this square had the “Onze-Lieve Vrouwekathedraal” the cathedral of our lady. This church dominated the skyline from every direction, and it proved to be a spectacular sight, day or night. The whole area was abuzz with people, and as the sun was shining, it made our lunch, and the few beers we had with it, absolutely perfect.
After lunch we took a 40minute tour of the town in a small train like vehicle. It consisted of three carriages and a motorised engine, and it took us all through most of the historic areas and points of interest. As I have said before, if you want an overview of a place, these are the tours to do, you really get to see and hear about the main attractions, and you get a chance to get your bearings around a town or city. Following the tour, Peter and Simon headed off to their home as they wanted to be home before dark tonight. Evidently Easter Sunday is special in their area, and the local people have huge bonfires to mark the day. It was great to see Peter again and similarly to meet his son Simon. Who knows when we will get the chance again, but it will happen I am sure.
The afternoon was spent in our suite talking about just about everything. We hadn’t met Mike until today, and it was good to get the chance to get to know him. I mean, he had to pass our test to make sure he was good for Ali. He did! I don’t know what time it was when we decided on dinner, but the beer and wine was working wonders with all of us, and you could see that this was going to be one of those special times that remain etched in your mind forever.
We found a restaurant near the cathedral, not that this was difficult, as the whole area was dedicated to eating and drinking. After sitting down and perusing the menu, we decided that as it was predominantly a steak house, this was not for us tonight. Just a few doors away we found an Italian restaurant that had a wonderful menu, so we settled in there and into the wine again. The meals were really excellent, the wine magic, and the service and ambience exceptional. We ended up back in our suite for a night cap (or twenty!) and before we all headed to bed, we agreed to meet for breakfast at 9am in the morning.
What a great day we had had.
MONDAY 17TH APRIL, 2006
We met as planned, and after a lovely breakfast, got into Mike’s car and headed for Brugge, a very historic village, about 1½ hours drive from Antwerp. It was so good to see open grassy fields after looking at seascapes for 3 months. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying the sea, but a change is as good as a holiday they say. The sun was shinning and as we got to Brugge you could see that we weren’t going to be the only people out and about today. We had to park and walk into the town centre, but it was worth every step. Quaint little streets and houses, and even quainter Belgium Chocolate Shops. We avoided buying any sweets for the time being, but we all knew we wouldn't be able to hold out all day. There were horse drawn buggies continually passing us, and the sound of hooves on the cobbled pavement was reminiscent of times long past. We went into an old stone arcade that led to the public toilets, as by now we all needed a pit stop after the copious amounts of coffee consumed at breakfast. I took a double take when the first shop I saw was selling only things Australian. Driz-a-bone coats, didgeridoos, boomerangs, anything and everything genuine OZ. Why here in Belgium I will never know, but I do know that like us, all the OZ visitors to Brugge went in to window shop. No way would we buy, the prices were at least double what you would pay back home. I did find a road map and point out where we lived in Victoria and Queensland, to Mike.
We made it too the central square, and there we were joined by what I estimate to be half the worlds population. The place was packed, but not that much that it wasn’t enjoyable. Mike found the step at the bottom of the local historic statue a perfect place to grab 40 winks. Back in the UK he operates a newsagency, and the early starts for the last, I think he said 19 years, take their toll in the afternoons. All he needs is a quick nap and he is rearing to go again. The girls and I just walked and looked, eventually ending up back where Mike was. Mike and I went back and moved the car closer, as the time on the parking ticket was about to expire. Just as we got to the car, which was almost on the banks of a small river, the bridge that we had traveled over to get to the city centre was opened for river traffic. This is a sight to see in this part of world, and not something we would normally see in OZ. The traffic stops and everybody doesn’t seem to mind the wait for the boats to pass, it is so common place for them.
Back near the square we met up with the girls, and wandered around a few small streets and along a narrow canal abutting the old historic buildings. The river boats were teeming with tourists, and the queues to get on were much longer than what we would have endured to get a river cruise. Eventually we arrived in the main square, and we picked a small restaurant for a light lunch. It was time to rest the weary legs. Following lunch, we visited one of those decadent chocolate shops. You guessed it, gorged on chocky none of us felt all that flash by the time we got back to the car. We had to find a service station to get diesel fuel for the car, so as it was on a different road to the one we came in on, Mike asked for directions back to Antwerp from here. The fellow told us to carry on to the main freeway, then to turn off near Gent towards Antwerp. Well it was miles out of our way, but not in the least un-enjoyable as we had not been through here before and it was a new experience. I should add, that as it was Easter Monday, we were often reduced to a snails pace as the traffic was very heavy returning to Brussels after the Easter holidays.
Eventually we got back to our hotel, and after freshening up, we headed off to find another restaurant for dinner. The crowds had disappeared, and we had a multitude of places to pick from. Eventually we decided on a little restaurant in the main square, right in front of the town hall. The view was special, and the food and service superb. I didn’t want to leave Antwerp until I had sampled the local special, mussels. I wasn’t disappointed either, but if I knew in advance just how many mussels I was going to get served, I would have skipped the crumbed cheese croquette entrée. We all thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and of course the red wine that accompanied it.
We had a coffee and cognac in the lobby bar before heading to our separate rooms, and agreed to meet after breaky tomorrow as both Judy and I wanted to get going early to look at gold and diamonds, and this was not on the agenda for Ali and Mike. I had a call from the Captain earlier in the day, and shore leave now finished at 11am, so we knew things would be a bit rushed tomorrow.
Back at the hotel, we were all too tired to party any further, so bed beckoned and that was it for the day.
TUESDAY 18TH APRIL, 2006
We were up and running by 7am, and after breakfast we headed for the diamond/gold shops. Nothing was open, but they were starting to put out their displays. We looked in about 30 shops, but nothing really took our fancy. Resigned to the fact that this was not a good idea, and that anything we found now would be a rushed decision that would be regretted later, we headed back to the hotel. We had seen a leather bag in the store in the foyer of the hotel, and both Judy and I were quite smitten with it. It was one of those shops you can only enter when they unlock the door electronically, so we buzzed and waited. A door locks behind you and you are left standing in a glass cubical until the inner door opens. When this opens and you step into the shop, the inner door locks and the outer door opens. Talk about security, but I guess the watches and jewellery they had on display was pretty exquisite and very expensive. The bag was perfect so out with the credit card, and it joined Judy’s wardrobe. I got a matching wallet just to keep up.
Ali and Mike had been for a short walk as well, and now that we had met up in the foyer, they offered to drive us back to the ship before they headed off to catch their ferry back to England. We were running out of time for anything else, so we checked out and headed off in Mike’s car towards the ship. For a while I thought we may have stuffed up big time, and by Mike’s mannerism, he was obviously thinking the same thing. The map we were using was not at all like the port area, and whilst we had been there twice in a car, each time it was via a different route. Eventually we located the wharf, and it was only thanks to the numbering system that they use. Every wharf has a number, and we did manage to find number 332 at last.
We parked the car adjacent to the security gate, and I suggested that we try and bluff our way through and see if we could get Ali and Mike onto the wharf, and then the ship, for a guided tour. It worked a treat, and the young lady who was checking people, cars and trucks in and out of the wharf suggested that if Mike moved his car further from the gate it would not get damaged, and as they were just visiting for a few minutes, all was ok. When we got on the ship I found the Captain sitting in his cabin, and I asked if it was all right to show our friends around. His reaction stunned me, “of course” he said, “take them to the bridge, it is open, and then when you have showed them all that you want, have them join you for lunch. Cookie will prepare for them if you let him know”. Well this made the day for us, and we were able to show them our home of the last three months, and then we all sat for dinner in the mess. Of course, when the Captain arrived, he told the steward to “bring some wine for these people”. It was great. Mike had a little snooze in our cabin while Ali and I finished the wine, and then it was time for the goodbyes. We walked them back to the car, but decided on the way that we would go to the duty free outlet that all of the sailors went to in Antwerp. “Sunny”, as it is known, was about 2 km from the ship, so Mike and Ali dropped us there. After a few tears from the girls, we all said goodbye, and they headed off towards Zeebrugge and their ferry back home.
Departure time was changed to 6pm, so we had plenty of time to look all over the store at “Sunny”, but we didn’t think the prices were all that good, and quite frankly, we didn’t need any more junk to cart home. Three of our crew was shopping there at the same time, and when the courtesy bus was ready to take them back to the ship, they gave us a hoi to go with them. Back on board, Judy had a nap and I went up top to “supervise” the remainder of the cargo operations.
Well 6pm became 11pm, and by the time we let go the lines, both of us were asleep. We both woke up around the time of the lock maneuver, but it was a quick peek out the window, and straight back to sleep.
WEDNESDAY 19TH APRIL, 2006
I slept in late this morning, but when I woke, for the first time since we had left home, I was a little depressed. It suddenly dawned on me, that now that we had left Belgium, we were heading towards home. I had read about these feelings in other stories and books I had researched before we left on the trip, but I thought that me being the tough guy I am, it wouldn’t happen to me. It was only momentary, but when I told Judy, she remembered reading the same things.
We went to the bridge mid morning, but there was not much to see as we were in thick fog. As we passed Dover, we struggled to make out a ferry crossing our path towards Calais, France, so we knew there was no chance of seeing any land at all today. After lunch, Judy had a nap, and I did 10 laps of the deck to clear my head. It was really cold and windy, but when I got back to the cabin I felt much better for the walk.
After dinner both of us headed to the crew recreation room, as it was party time again. Ronnie, the deck fitter was celebrating his 39th birthday. The Captain had purchased an electric guitar for the ship and along with Ronnie’s home made drum kit, and the tambourine, maracas and spoons we got for the ship in Philadelphia, a good, but loud night was a certainty. Judy headed for bed about 10pm, but I stayed until a bit after 1am, just in case something happened that I didn’t want to miss.
I tried to phone the kids to tell them how much I loved them, especially as I was now a big bit tipsy, but luckily for most of them, it was only Erin who had to listen to my bleatings.
THURSDAY 20TH APRIL, 2006
Judy woke up much brighter than me; the previous night’s party was too much for an old fellow like me. We had breaky in our cabin again, and just lounged around until lunch.
We tried to do a deck walk in the afternoon, but it was quite cold and we were sailing in a fairly heavy sea. It wasn’t a “sea sick” type sea, but it was not comfortable on deck. A bridge tour followed, and Louis, the AB who was on duty, was a bit concerned about how it would be passing the “Bay of Biscayne”. In his years of crewing vessels he had never had a trip where he wasn’t sick passing this area and the weather looked like living up to his fear. Not so as it turned out, it flattened off considerably and we sailed in smooth (relatively) seas throughout the day and night.
The only sickness was from last night’s party, and when I declined a beer from the Captain at dinner, I am sure Judy knew only too well how I felt. In truth, I can’t handle the booze too well nowadays, and I look forward to the many days of abstinence with relish.
We did the usual movie and bed thing after dinner, and the gentle roll of the ship had me asleep in record time.
FRIDAY 21ST APRIL, 2006
We had a lazy morning, just reading and a quick trip to the bridge.
After lunch we walked the deck, but it was a bit cold and windy so we didn’t stay outside very long. We did comment to each other that even though we had been onboard for over three months, each time we walk the deck we see something different or something we hadn’t noticed before. I don’t know if we haven’t been observant or just that we are looking closer at things in general.
Back in the cabin, Judy put her head back inside the cover of another book, and I did as I was told, and put some more time in on this blogger. It is so easy to put things off when there is no pressure to meet a deadline. It will be interesting to see if we can adjust to working mode when we are back home, as easily as we have adjusted to doing nothing here on the ship. You may have noticed when reading this that we are napping more and more. We spoke about this today and think that the times we keep throw our body clocks out of whack quite regularly. For instance, tonight we will have a short sleep then get up and go to the bridge at 2.30am to observe the passage through the Straits of Gibraltar, and then probably sleep again from about 6am for an hour or so. In a day or so we will do a similar thing to see the pilot arrive on board in Genoa, and this is scheduled for 4.30am. We tend to get to the bridge for all of the comings and goings from a port, or transfer of a pilot, and mostly these are at odd times. Another adjustment we will have to make back in OZ
We now have the captain’s wife and the Chief Engineer at our table for meals, and whilst they are both very pleasant, Iva speaks very little English. The Captain, Iva and Petar, the C/E are all Croatian, so the conversation around the table between them is often in their mother tongue. Most times, as they finish each conversation, the captain fills us in with a précis of what they were discussing. It is very thoughtful of him, and does make it less uncomfortable for us. The C/E is a likable and quite knowledgeable fellow, and like the captain, is completely different to the previous C/E. Both of these officers seem to adopt more of a delegation type role for the ships duties, and even though it was good before their arrival, you can see a more relaxed crew now. I guess it is only a personality thing, but if you have to live and work on a ship for so many months at a time, it’s best if it can be in a harmonious atmosphere.
We were discussing the food that comes out of the kitchen, and all agreed that it was quite good, but in some cases lacked a little imagination. The cook had told us to tell him what we wanted to eat, and he would cook it, but we didn’t like doing this too often and generally went with what ever was on the menu. We got on to talking about local dishes, and next thing we know, the cook was summoned to the table and told that the C/E would be assisting him in the kitchen tomorrow, and he should not feel put out by any means. Petar was going to make his favourite soup and a surprise main meal for lunch, so time will tell if he should stick to the engine room, or maybe share his time in the galley.
On the regular afternoon deck walk we spotted a few whales, off the stern, but there was not much else around. We returned to the cabin to do a bit more reading, and just as we were both about to lie down, for some reason I looked out the window. There they were, Dolphins, and heading towards the ship from the starboard side. We were up and running. Judy headed for the deck, and I headed for the bridge to see where they were going. Sure enough, they swung in to our bow and the fun began. I raced down and met Judy, and we ran to the bow as quick as we could. The next 10 minutes was a private dolphin show for Doug and Judy, and standing on the forecastle we were merely a few metres above them as they dove in and out of the water around our bow. It was fantastic and we felt so privileged to be able to see them.
We didn’t do much else for the day, just reading and a movie before retiring for a short (3 hour) sleep.
SATURDAY 22ND APRIL, 2006
We got up at 2.30am and went to the bridge to see the passage through the straits of Gibraltar. We were only 1½ mile of the coast of Morocco, and just a few miles off Spain. It was dark, but the lights on shore made it worth the effort. Even though we couldn’t get a good view of the land, we are glad we did go to watch, even if only to say we saw ‘The Rock of Gibraltar”, all be it in darkness. We stayed on the bridge until 5.30am, and then headed for the cabin for a short sleep.
We slept until about 8.30, and then did the cabin breaky thing, followed by a deck walk. The weather was improving every day since we left Europe, and though we needed a jacket to stop the wind biting through, it was now around 16°C outside.
The lunch cooked by the C/E was superb. He had made his own pasta in his cabin last night, and this formed the bulk of his beef soup. He used a large cut of beef, boiling it for a few hours, and adding carrots, garlic, and a bit of seasoning. The beef was taken from the pot and put aside for slicing into a salad for dinner, but the flavour of it in the soup was really tasty. He followed the soup with stuffed bell peppers, and these would take some beating by even the best of chefs. They were huge, so by the time we left the table from lunch, we had to do a few laps of the deck to use up some of the calories we had consumed.
The afternoon was spent reading, napping, and another trip to the bridge. We had come through a rainy patch, and the visibility was severely reduced. We could see other ships on the radar, but anything beyond 5 miles was unable to be seen by eye. This is the times when the officers on watch earn their money, they have to be so alert. The rain passed after about 15minutes, but visibility didn’t improve until late in the day.
Dinner was just as filling as lunch. Petar had sliced the cold beef from his soup and mixed it with sliced boiled eggs, sliced onions, garlic, olive oil and salad vinegar. It was so tasty as an entrée; one plate full was not enough. Hence, two plates of salad followed by cookies garlic mashed potatoes, Florentine crepes filled with mashed spinach, and home made beef patties, left me completely stuffed. And I wasn’t alone; all of us at the table were well sated.
It was party time again, as Louis, one of the AB’s was to celebrate his 29th birthday tomorrow, but as we were going to arrive in Genoa in the early hours of the morning on Monday, he didn’t want any of the crew, nor himself, to be suffering any ill effects as a result of a late night party when they arrived in port. This is their busiest time, and a clear head is needed. So Saturday night turned into Sunday morning for most of the crew, and I had to stay and supervise, so it was a late one for me too. Judy was smart and went to the cabin to watch a movie, and then she was tucked up in bed sound asleep long before Doug made it home.
As usual, I managed to wake some of the kids back home to tell them how much I loved them. I did SMS all of them earlier in the day to warn them of the party, and likelihood of a phone call from me, so if it came as a surprise, bad luck to them.
SUNDAY 23RD APRIL, 2006
Slow start and a slow day really. We didn’t bother with much breaky, and by the time we had walked the deck and visited the bridge, we were hungry enough to face lunch.
The post lunch deck walk offered up a very large pod of dolphins about 300 metres from the ship, so things were looking up for the marine sights in the Mediterranean Sea. It was as smooth as a mill pond today, and as the ship had slowed down a bit (to fit with the arrival time at Genoa), it was really pleasant out on deck. The sun was shining, and we now had some pigeons and another small yellow breasted bird flying around the ship to keep us amused.
Discussion at lunch centered around the recreation activities on the ship, and the captain advised that they would be installing an air conditioner in the pilot deck bar area so as to make it more usable. Petar the C/E advised that he would be putting the ping pong table that was folded up in the crew recreation room, into the bar to encourage some use of it. It was a big area, and really didn’t get much use. The captain said he was putting a small fridge and electric BBQ in there as well, so looks like things are on the up for this area. They commented on the swimming pool on B deck, and said that as soon as we left Italy and got to the Red Sea, it would be filled and available for us to have a dip. All sounded good to us.
We had a visit from the ships electrician, Raffeal. I had mentioned to him that the aerial on my satellite telephone had come out of its end joiner, and being the obliging fellow that he is, it took him no time at all to affect a repair. The rest of the day was spent with an afternoon deck walk, and then a bit of time on this blogger. I am actually right up to date as I type this, and this is almost a first for me.
Straight after dinner we went for another deck walk, and this turned in to a worthwhile stroll. The sea was now even flatter than earlier in the day, in fact there was not even the slightest ripple. It was as smooth as glass, and just as shiny. So when Judy spotted a ripple in the surface about 200 metres from the ship, we knew a dolphin was about to surface. Wrong, there was a great big whale gliding along beside us. We went to the bridge as it was now a bit cool to be outside and coming straight from dinner we didn’t have jackets or coats. When we got to the bridge, the view from there was awesome. Words would not describe how still the water was, but the words from the First Officer certainly described what he thought of the sea conditions. When it is so flat, obviously there is no wind. No wind means sea mist and extremely difficult conditions to navigate by. There eyes get really strained trying to keep watch when it’s like this, and things are really hard to see far off in the distance. Not so all things, because over the next 45 minutes we had two whales on the starboard side of the ship, followed by a single whale on the port side, and then followed by a huge whale with two really small calves also on the port side. As it was so calm, they were really easy to see. These things really make this trip for us, and I am sure we will bore everybody we speak to about them when we are back home.
Just as we came down, three small yachts became visible on the port side. They were obviously sailing together, but they must have been using engine power as the one sail each had up hung like a wet rag. They were not going anywhere with wind power tonight.
We watched another movie, and then it was bed for us, tomorrow brings a new adventure in Italy, and we want to be ready to go as we are only in port until 2200, less than a day.
posted by Shipmates on a world journey | 11:29 PM
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