Cruise to Europe May 1-15 2005
Back in March we got an Email from Charlotte Pakenham-Walsh
saying:
"This is a hell of a deal. We booked it
for $RealCheap, which includes round trip air from Houston to Ft.
Lauderdale, and then back from Copenhagen. Why don't you book and go
with us. You can extend your stay and come back later too."
Marion and I discussed it over the weekend and decided
to go.... We contacted the agency and before you could say "National
Debt", we were booked on a 14 day cruise to Europe at twice the
$RealCheap
price. Turns out it was still a good deal.. Charlotte had given
us the price for just one person.
Princess Cruise lines was relocating the Star Princess from the winter
route in the Caribbean to the Northern Europe summer routes... We were
along to help defray the costs of relocating the ship from Ft
Lauderdale to Copenhagen. It turned out the ship was just a
little over half full. Most of the Customers were seasoned cruisers
with 5 to 14 cruises under their belts. It was a first for Marion
and me. Both of us had shorter cruises several years before we
met, but they don't count.
May 1 Houston to Ft Lauderdale
We rose early to catch the 7 AM flight from Houston to
Miami. Randy and Paula drove us to the airport; they would keep our car
while we were away. Sam and Charlotte were there ahead of us and
directed us to the fast food court to find breakfast. The flight was
uneventful and I got started on Andrew Greely's book, "The Priestly
Sins".
When we got to Miami we were met by a Princess Cruise representative
and ushered to a Motor coach for a 30 minute ride to the Ship in
Port Everglades, that's Ft Lauderdale. When we arrived we were informed
that we had been upgraded from an Inside Cabin on Deck 12 to an Outside
Cabin with window on Deck 5. Sam and Charlotte had similarly been
upgraded to an Outside Cabin on Deck 8.
This is the inlet at Port Everglades
The picture was taken through the tinted windows of the Horizon
Restaurant on Deck 14.
The port was very busy on a Beautiful Sunday Afternoon.
We had tea and watched the action in the harbor.
Up on Deck 15 there is a great view of the port looking north.
The bridge is up for a passing Sailboat.
The orange tender alongside is one of the ships small Lifeboats. They
were on a training drill.
You can see that we are pretty high up.
Promptly at 4:45 we pulled out from the dock and headed to sea. The
residents of the area gave us a loud send off with air horns and flags
waving.
The US Coast Guard passed us by shortly after leaving.
In the distance is Ft Lauderdale.
For the next several hours we explored the ship, found our luggage
(it had been delivered to the earlier assigned room) and unpacked.
The stateroom had Twin beds placed side by side making a Queen
equivalent, the window was above the head of the bed, two side tables
with reading lamps, an arm chair, a small chair in front of a
combination desk/dresser/small refrigerator. There was a TV and large
mirror on the wall above. A second area by the entrance had a long
hanging closet, a tall narrow amoire with shelves and a Safe. The head
was compact and had a Vacuflush which sounded like a jet taking off
with full afterburners. The accommodations were Very Pleasant.
May 1 - May 6 At Sea
We were signed up for the second seating meals. There was an
option of anytime dining, but after the first evening when we met the
other two couples assigned to our table, we attended
quite faithfully. We did not want to miss the reports of their
activities. Our table for eight: Marion and I, Sam and
Charlotte and the two couples who live in Florida with strong ties to
New
York. The were lots of fun.
Richard and Cathy Donovan Wayne and Pat Dykes
Cathy and Pat are sisters. These
two couples have cruised together extensively but I think this was
their first Atlantic Crossing.
Marion and Ed
|
At our First Formal
Evening.
Several of the waiters asked me for my Texas Tie and Cummerbund.
Sam, Pio (our waiter) and
Charlotte
Sam is pondering his selection.
|
|
|
Our Gang
|
Canapé's and Rings
|
More Introductions
One of our favorite shipboard activities was Paddle Tennis. The
court is about half the size of a regular Tennis court and surrounded
by a net to keep the balls from being lost at sea. It is played with
regular tennis balls but uses a paddle instead of a tennis racquet. We
played a lot of Paddle tennis with Diane and George Sullivan and with
Art Houlihan and his steady, Nori Hoffman.
|
Diane and George Sullivan
|
This is not Nori and Art
I am hoping to get a suitable picture from them to insert here.
Somehow I missed capturing them on my Canon
|
Actually Art and Nori taught us to play the game the first day out
at sea. The hardest part of the game for me is serving. The
service square is less than ten feet deep and I would either hit the
net or serve too long. I tried Overhand, Underhand, and bounce with
Underhand. Nothing seemed to work; I probably lost over 75% of
my service games due to Double Faulting. Marion carried me
in the few sets we won.
One of our favorite indoor pastimes was the Trivial Pursuit Contest.
Sam, Charlotte, Art, Nori, Marion and I were fairly regular players
we sometimes picked up another couple. There were Twenty Questions and,
although our team never won, we often finished in the top 20
%. Eighteen was the record highest score, on that occasion
I believe we got 15. Members of the teams would whisper the answers to
each other in trying to reach a consensus. I had lots of fun
occasionally blurting out false answers to the questions.
Sam and Charlotte are frequent Duplicate Bridge Players. They
introduced us to the game and we played three or four times. It's a
serious contest with results of each session tallied and published.
May 7 Azores
Our first port was supposed to be Ponte Delgado. We arrived
after full day of Force 8 winds and Heavy seas... The sky was leaden.
This was our first sight of land in almost a week.
Approaching Azores
|
Pilot Boat Brings Pilot
|
Pilot Boat Retrieves Pilot
|
Leaving Azores
|
We waited quite a while before the pilot Boat came out... Then we
maneuvered around for about a Half an Hour.. Then the Pilot
Boat came out again and took the pilot off. We left shortly there
after. Finally the Commodore came on over the Loudspeaker and
explained than the Port was closed due to our size and the Heavy seas
and High winds... We then sailed on for Southampton, England.
It was a bit of a disappointment.
Southampton UK May 10
It was two more days at sea before we reached Southampton.
This famous port is where the Pilgrims departed for Massachusetts.
We were Met by Neil and Valou Pakenham-Walsh, Sam's Son and his wife.
They took us on a guided tour through the New Forest.
New Forest was granted by the king to the people back in 1066. He named
it New Forest and the name stuck for almost 1000 years.
Neil, Sam, Charlotte, Valou, Marion
Along the wall at Olde Southampton.
Well preserved town ==>
Well preserved Englishman
|
|
On the Square
At the Mayflower Memorial ==>
Inset shows Mayflower atop.
|
|
Next stop was Beaulieu Estate.. It is in the New Forest. The House has
been in Lord Montagu's family ownership since 1538, when Sir Thomas
Wriothesley, later 1st Earl of Southampton, bought the Estate after the
Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Few car museums in the world can match the unique collection of the
world renowned National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.
|
Beaulieu Abbey was founded in 1204 by Cistercian monks on land given to
them by King John. Although much was destroyed at the time of the
Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII, this
chapel still stands.
|
We broke for lunch at a fine English Pub in the town and returned for
more touring..
|
Charlie Chaplin's Rolls Royce
|
A somewhat Territorial Goose
|
At the souvenir shop I bought a British Flag Pin for my hat. After
Beaulieu we toured the Country side. I assumed the role of
back seat Navigator; Neil drove, and Sam was riding shotgun.
Several times we left the map on side roads. Each time I called
for a pause to locate our position there was some sort of traffic
hazard to be avoided and Neil would take a left turn. Since they drive
on the left, left turns seem to be favored. I had recommended several
right turns that would have taken us to Southampton. We took the
scenic, but High Speed, Route. In the end there were four navigators in
the rear of the car.
We came in sight of the ship about an hour and a half before sailing.
That was plenty of time to go into town for Beer and Pizza, which we
thoroughly enjoyed. We bid farewells with a full ten minutes to
spare....
Le Havre May 11
Prior to leaving on our trip I downloaded several maps of Le Havre
and Rouen. I was confident in my basic chart reading skills and
Survival French. Gare means train station, Taxi means Taxi, Vin
Rouge is Red Wine, Merci is Thank you. Pan Chocolade is great eating.
I found out that the first train to Paris (Rouen was half way) left at
8 AM we were supposed to be docked at 7 AM. Unfortunately there were
port delays so we were not able to get off the ship until 7:50.
As we waited we discussed our plan to take the second Paris train at
9:00 and several others joined us for the two mile walk to the
Gare. Lee Vickers was traveling alone and we invited him to
join us. At Rouen the first thing we did was find out when the return
train departed... we had plenty of time.
The famous cathedral, Notre Dame de Rouen was my principal objective,
but we also wanted to visit the market square where St Joan of Arc was
burned at the stake. We took the Toy Train Circuit, its a tour around
the town that takes 45 minutes. It hits all the important landmarks.
The Front of Notre Dame is so large you can't fit it into a picture.
|
Notre Dame's Towering Spire
|
Notre Dame Gargoyle
|
St Catherine's Chapel
|
We found a sunny restaurant alongside Notre Dame. We had lunch and a
half litter of red wine.
In the Park
Lunch with Lee ==>
|
|
St. Macloud
|
Hotel de Ville and
Eglise St-Ouen
|
There have been two earlier churches in the Old Market Square, St
Savior was destroyed two centuries ago and Saint Vincent was destroyed
in 1944 during the war. The new church honoring St Joan of Arc was
built in 1979 at the site of her Martyrdom in 1431.
Statue of St Joan
|
Ste Jeane D' Arc
|
Pansies
|
Interior of Ste Jean D'Arc
|
Unusual features of the church are the reuse of stained Glass windows
from an earlier church. The ship like construction of the wooden
roof, The exterior view has been described as an overturned
ship. I think it looks like a medieval helmet. I bought a St Joan
Pin for my Hat.
For our afternoon snack we had Pan Chocolade and a Half liter of White
wine.... Then we returned to the train and and shared a taxi to the
ship. As you can see I used all of my survival French. That
evening we made our report at dinner. Others reported: The Paris tour
left late and spent most of the day traveling. The Benedictine tour was
over in a hurry. That night Marion and I won then lost $100 in doing
the slots. We ended up with plus 25 cents.
Rotterdam
May 12.
Rotterdam was down played as a tourist site, the Tour Operators
featured Delph, Edam and Amsterdam. We took the Free Shuttle into town
and picked the Maritime Museum to spend our time. Sam and Charlotte
went with us.
Rotterdam is the Worlds Largest Seaport. The Netherlands are just north
of France and Belgium along the English channel. The port is located at
the mouth of the Maas river. The Mass is connected in turn to all of
the river systems of Central Europe. There is significant traffic on
the rivers and barge canals which all add to the Rotterdam totals.
The Maritime Museum is the most impressive I have ever seen. It
features a 50 foot long scale model of the Rotterdam Port showing all
of the facilities from the North sea lock to the Mass river. There is a
large screen display of the Vessel traffic system which is updated in
real time and shows all of the traffic in the port. Even small boats
are shown on the display. The port is divided into sections and each
section has its own display. You can select displays and play like a
controller.
The museum is Heavy on history of all kinds of Shipping,
Sailing,
and Barges. The Holland-American line was founded in 1873 in Rotterdam.
It's ships brought many immigrants to Ellis Island. Crossings were
elegant for those in First Class... dreadful for those in Steerage.
|
Gunboat Buffel
1890 era
|
The outdoor section of the museum has several boats you can climb
aboard and tour. The Gunboat Buffel had three decks open for touring.
It showed the Captain's Quarters, very elegant.. The Officers Quarters,
pleasant private staterooms.. and the Seaman's Quarters, Quite
austere. The lower deck showed two different types of Steam
engines in place, one for each of the two screws.
There were full explanations (unfortunately in Dutch) of how the two
types worked.
After the Buffel we walked across the street and found the Bazaar
Restaurant, a Mediterranean eatery. We had beer and a giant appetizer
plate that had 10 different kinds: Kabobs, Stuffed Grape leaves, Humus,
Greek olives and peppers, pita bread, flautas,
Salad, cheese puffs, flim flam and walkabout.
|
Fire Boat see Nozzles fore and aft
<== Grenthuida
Barge 1927
|
We were able to go aboard the 1927 Coal Barge and see the living
quarters. This barge was about 16 feet wide and almost 90 feet long. In
the aft section there were two staterooms, a head with tub and shower,
the Galley and a very pleasant salon with skylight and a chandelier.
The family lived aboard year round. Most modern barges are
similarly equipped but also feature a small crane for the compact
car which sits on board, ready to be set ashore for land travel.
After the museum tour we took a water taxi tour around the harbor.
Hotel New York
operates a water taxi
Chinese restaurant and hotel on
barge
in front of the Europe Tower ==>
|
|
Star Princess in port
|
Erasmus Bridge
|
We passed under the Erasmus Bridge on the water taxi.
It is an unusual Half Suspension Bridge - Half Draw Bridge.
Before returning to the ship I managed to find a Netherlands
flag pin for my hat.
The Star princess was the first Cruise ship to visit the port in the
spring of 2005. Rotterdam made a big celebration of our arrival and
departure.
For the first two miles we backed out of the harbor until we reached a
spot wide enough to turn around. This maneuver began while I was below.
Coming topside I was expecting to see the other side of the river. It
was most disorienting for me and for a moment my stomach did a turn
until I figured out what was going on.
There was a band playing as we left and two fireboats
plus a gaggle of small boats escorted us out of the harbor. There was
even one small boat sporting a US flag in the sendoff flotilla.
|
Send off Collage
|
At sea May 13
After Rotterdam we had a full day at sea before making port at
Oslo. That night we had the last of the three formal parties.
Oslo May 14
Marion's son Philip came all the way from Stavanger by overnight
train to meet us. We did not have a lot of time in Oslo; the boat
arrived at 7:30 and we needed to be back aboard by 1:30 PM. Philip
arrived at 8:00. Sam and Charlotte joined us for our tour.
The
economy tour means:
Stroll into town, Find the Metro station in front of the University,
Purchase a one day senior citizen ticket (all of us except Phil
qualified). Catch Bus 30; it takes you within a quarter mile of Frogner
Park.
We would do the park, return to Bus 30 and ride to the Kon-Tiki Museum,
Do the museum then catch the cross harbor ferry back to Port.
There we would have Beer and Pizza on a Barge and return to the Ship in
time for departure at 1:30.
<=== Pfancy Pfountain
Frogner Park
Frogner Parken is at the top of a hill. We had to walk up
embassy row to get to the park. From that elevation we could see the
Ski Jump from the 52 Olympics in the distance. It's about 100 years old
and has grown from a 20 meter jump to it's current 90 meter height.
The bridge in the park was full of bronze nudes.
|
Our Group
|
The Bridge
|
Happy Nudes
|
Unhappy Nude
|
The fountain was surrounded by dying nudes, and the monument
was made of a pile of marble...
guess what?... NUDES!
Close up of Nude Baby Toss
|
Fountain Nudes
|
There are young nudes, old nudes, baby nudes, child nudes,
male nudes and female nudes. All of them are bigger than a normal size
and all of them are overweight. There is one plaque of a mule kicking
an infant nude high into the air like a soccer ball.
Play Piggy Back with Mom
|
Five groups of Nudes
|
One guy, Gustav Vigeland, did all of this back in the twenties
and gave them to the city.
|
Obelisk Close up
<== Obelisk full height
|
Oslo also has some pretty Flowers
Next on our tour we returned...
this time down hill.. to the bus and rode to the Kon-Tiki Museum.
Philip sent me this photo of RA 2 at the exhibit.
It is a worthwhile Museum to visit if you have an hour or so.
We missed it on our last trip to Oslo in 2004.
We only had time to do the Fram Museum.
At the right is the ship Gjoa at the Fram Museum
We took the ferry back across the Oslo Harbor where I got this Harbor
Composite picture
That's Little Philip.
He sent us a Big
Picture that he took
while standing on the
castle wall .
The Big Picture
Our special thanks to Philip for making a long trip to visit with
us.
I was great seeing him, sharing the day, and getting all the news.
Away we go to Copenhagen and an early flight Home. 
It was a Once in a Lifetime Experience...
We met a lot of Nice People and Had a lot of good times...
That's what Cruising is all about.
Trans Atlantic Cruise
