Chocolate Cherry Sorbet with Cherry Compote

Cruising through the Panama Canal

2/18/2024

The wind is blowing my hair all over my face while I am trying to write about my cruise on the Queen Elizabeth from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale via the Panama Canal. I am sitting on a balcony in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, sailing by the coastline of Colombia, passing the towns and cities of Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta before reaching the Guajira Peninsula. This peninsula is split between northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela and is the northernmost peninsula in South America. Every day of our cruise, we get a ship program with information like this from our navigator. It is an adventure, but a comfortable one because I am on a beautiful ship with excellent food, exquisite surroundings, and British flair. Every night, I am entertained by different artists, or favorite music and can dance the night away. The day is filled with dance classes, exercise, reading a book from the 3000-book library, or relaxing on a deck chair. I am ten days into my 15-day journey and it has been wonderful. There are people on this ship who have gone around the world.

Unfortunately, I didn't do much writing. I just had too much fun while cruising. Now, several months later, I have to rely on my memory. The highlight of this cruise was going through the Panama Canal, which was on my bucket list. Our speaker was Richard Wainio, who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the canal and anything else you want to know about Panama. He had many personal stories to tell because he lived and worked as the director of the canal board during the transition from the American to the Panamanian government, which took many years. It was a privilege to transit the Panama Canal after a lifetime of hearing about it.

We embarked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica for a day. Even though I only saw it for one day, I got a feeling for the island. We hiked through the jungle and I had a great conversation with an American who had lived in Costa Rica many years and owned a botanical garden.

An earlier stop on our journey was Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. While, there we took a small boat ride through Lovers Beach and Los Arcos, a natural archway.

How can I describe the Queen Elizabeth. It is sassy, elegant and relaxing. I loved the talks, the food, the dress standards, the shows, and the service. I enjoyed mingling with different people from all around the world. I rarely, if ever get to dress for special events at home and on this ship I finally had the opportunity. It was so much fun. I only wish I was a better dancer. I apologize to all the people that I stepped on. However, if you want to relax and unwind, this is the perfect place. I fell in love with cruising, and I am fortunate that I am about to embark on another cruise on this beautiful boat. Stay tuned.

18 Comments

Cruising

4/9/2023

19 Comments

I have always wanted to go on a cruise. I had visions of floating down a staircase in a fancy dress with an elegant gentleman by my side. Think of the Titanic or imagine crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary. Over the decades nothing like this ever happened for many reasons, one of them was my husband being afraid of getting seasick and not liking the idea of cruising, and my wanting to visit friends and family in Germany on my vacations.

Our friends finally talked us into joining them on a cruise from Sydney Australia to Auckland New Zealand. I had my doubts when I checked in and saw what would be my new home for 12 days. The first day I felt a little wobbly being on a moving vessel. All my doubts, fears, and wobbliness were gone by the second day. I woke up in the morning having slept like a baby with pleasant dreams ( very unusual for me.)

I watched the sun rise over the ocean and explored the ship. For the rest of the trip I felt well taken care of, everything was done for me. All I had to do was to enjoy the journey.There were incredible sunrises and sunsets, and then there was the beautiful sky in the middle of the Tasmanian Sea. My favorite cruising day was the day we spent at Milford Sound. The weather was great, which is very unusual.We missed two ports in New Zealand because of the Cyclone Gabriela and stayed at sea for 5 days, which was just fine with me. So now I have become a cruiser and hope to be able to do a few more of them.

The Island of Waiheke

A winery in Waiheke

The countryside of Waiheke

After the cruise we stayed 4 days in Auckland. We had a good time eating and exploring the city and surrounding area. My favorite was the Island of Waiheke, a beautiful island with many wineries and beaches. The 40 minute ferry ride took us past Auckland’s stunning coastlines and beautiful islands.

Excellent fish and chips at the Bistro "Oyster and Chop" in Auckland

Delicious local shrimp

In Auckland my favorite bar was Churchill on the top floor of the "Sheraton Four Points". The view is great, the drinks are out of this world and the food is good. We ate twice at the Bistro“Oyster and Chop” at the harbor.

I took this photo in Melbourne

I would love to go back end explore Australia and New Zealand a little bit more. Who knows, maybe one day, but in the meantime I am thankful that I was able to experience this beautiful part of the world.