Lennon Link

TSH and Diva did not go into Reykjavik, as the Silver Spirit was docked some way out and there was no shuttle bus. So they enjoyed a few relaxing hours onboard until the next set of guests embarked.

They spent some time looking at a point on the southern horizon where there appeared to be a plume of smoke. This is a possible sighting of the result of the currently active volcano. In the Arts Café, they chatted with the on-coming Food and Beverage Manager, who is from Birkdale, near Liverpool. He now knows about the missing grilled peaches.

TSH and Diva are now very familiar to the crew and seem to have achieved celebrity status with some. The restaurants manager delivered a sweeping curtsey as they arrived for breakfast in La Terrazza.

Guests on this new leg, like the last one, are younger than the usual Silversea guests and sometimes this feels more like an expedition cruise.

Also in port was Regent Seven Seas Splendour.

On the way out of Reykjavik, Captain Ivo, in his accented English, pointed out something connected with John Lennon. Diva heard ‘tavern’ but TSH correctly identified ‘tower’. The connection is explained here: Imagine Peace Tower - Wikipedia

In Patreksfjordur for the second time, it was sufficiently cold that, on an open deck, TSH and Diva practised Tai Chi wearing coats. Also, for the first time ever, TSH wore gloves throughout.

Sea Day Supplement

TSH and Diva were surprised to receive a dinner invitation for the last night of the first leg. They had a pleasant time with the Cruise Directors – outgoing and incoming - at the transit dinner for the small number of guests who are staying onboard until at least Reykjavik.

The sea continues to be calm and the temperature is slowly increasing. So they managed a complete sequence of Tai Chi under the lifeboats!!

Celtic Cool

In Belfast, TSH and Diva went into the city on the shuttle bus and had a short walk around the shopping area. In the evening, a local group of musicians and dancers entertained the US guests, whilst being vey lukewarm in their welcome to the English. Maybe times have not changed as much as everybody hoped. Dinner was taken in the outdoor (but covered and heated) pizza restaurant. The pizzas were excellent as usual but TSH and Diva had under-estimated quite how cold and windy it was and they were glad to be back indoors. Non-UK guests are divided. Some think that British summers are always like this and others are totally shocked at the cold and wet. The seas remain smooth.

Silversea IT systems are as bad as ever. TSH and Diva always check the TV in their suite for any messages about dinner reservations etc. So far, there had been none. Until 17 messages, some of them days old, all appeared at once.

TSH and Diva received a letter from the hotel Director in response to their mid-cruise questionnaire. It was both apologetic and constructive, so full marks to him for that one.

There was never any plan to go ashore in Greenock and the grey drizzly weather confirmed this as the right choice. Tai Chi ‘under the life boats’ was going well until Diva spotted a pair of dolphins. By the time TSH had prepared his camera and the dolphins had vanished, they had both lost their place in the sequence and the session was abandoned.

 

Day 15 on the Silver Spirit

Since Singapore, there has been one scheduled port, three unexpected ports and the rest of the time either at sea or docked with nowhere to go. The cruise director has scheduled bingo and a guest talent show. There were no berries at breakfast and grilled tomatoes were by special request only. Even if Australia will not let the Silver Spirit disembark, everyone is hoping that they will allow to refuel and restock. The shore concierge informed TSH and Diva that flights have been obtained for March 18th, the expected day of arrival in Darwin.

No flight details yet, but the best option Diva found online was 2 stops, 18 hours flying and 24 hours elapsed. Not a good prospect!!

Seas have been calm throughout but some days the wind has been so strong that Tai Chi has been done on deck 5 under the lifeboats, instead of on deck 10.

Flying fish and a juvenile gannet have been sighted but no whales, dolphins or sharks yet. The navigation is not straight because there are many wrecks and reefs to be avoided. A point of interest is that somewhere in this region is the Darwin line, which marks the evolutionary difference between the fauna of SE Asia and that of Australasia. The Silver Spirit must pass it at some point.

Minor panic in the suite when a contact lens slipped out of TSH's grasp but a torch and a finger-tip search eventually located it. He does have a spare set.

On board

There has been no Internet – and hence no live blog – since Seaward. People are not happy!!

TSH and Diva have had a few Tal Chi sessions, some outdoors and, latterly, indoors. The fitness instructor observed one session and demanded to be taught the postures. Diva pointed out that it takes around 5 years to learn but was assured that the fitness instructor is a fast learner and would be OK after 30 minutes. She already does karate so perhaps best not to argue.

The Silver Shadow is crossing the south end of the Bering Sea and the sea is still calm but the fog horn is in constant use. There is a hint of drama to come. The Captain has asked all the guests to assemble in the theatre at 18:00. He is going to talk about the internet service (or lack of it!!) and the weather to come over the next two days and three nights before the arrival in Russia. The guess is that he is not going to announce that the winds will be gentle and the seas calm.

Heading for the equator

The Panama day was rounded off nicely with a last minute booking for La Terrazza – the first on this voyage. Diva had her usual 9 starters (all tiny).

The butler and the butler manager part-rescued the reading situation by lending TSH some reading glasses from the staff store. He still needs to buy some soon but there is a plan for that.

Early morning Tai Chi on the lifeboat deck, which seems to be the only outside space which doesn’t form part of a thoroughfare or a public area such as the pool.

The first highlight of the day at sea was the sight of a school of dolphins swimming alongside the Silver Spirit, leaping in and out of the water.

The second highlight was another lecture from a Professor of Archaeology. One of the best speakers ever experienced on a Silversea ship. Diva wants to visit all the Peruvian sites and museums he is describing but it will be possible to visit only one.

Excellent sweet and sour pork for lunch made a change from TSH and Diva’s usual choice of lots of salad with fish or cheese.

Diva and TSH have been presented with small holdalls with the Silversea Circle Voyage logo.

Not many other cruise ships spotted so far. Only Celebrity Summit and Crystal Serenity.

This photoblog hopefully gives some impression of the spectacle which is the Panama Canal.

Continental divide

Early morning

Flight of pelicans

Going In

Leaving Panama

The lake

A day at sea

Sea days are regarded as rest days but not by everyone.

Diva and TSH were up as usual around 6am and ready in good time to enjoy breakfast when it was available at 7am. A light breakfast was taken (noted by one of the waiters – do they really study what everybody eats?) - solely fruit, with the exception of TSH having an excellent cinnamon Danish pastry to accompany his coffee.

Then it was up to deck 8 to pick up the daily puzzles before climbing another flight of stairs to do Tai Chi. Doing Tai Chi at sea is usually a challenge due to the motion of the ship and the wind but fortunately the seas have been reasonably kind thus far. As Tai Chi is partly about balance, it is perhaps a good way to practice.

After physical exercise, Diva and TSH set about metal challenges with the crossword and Sudoku puzzles, which they both completed. The crossword has taken some time to tune into as it uses American words, spellings and phrases which they are not accustomed to.

The puzzles were followed by an educational session, as Diva and TSH attended a lecture on upcoming ports of call. This was the first one they had managed to attend (after three weeks on board) as Diva and TSH had previously been too busy to find the time for this activity.

Diva and TSH then allowed themselves a short relaxation break during which they read books on their kindles whilst seated on the pool deck. This rest could not continue though as it was soon lunch time.

At lunch Diva decided that it was time for another seafood pizza which she again enjoyed even though she could not manage to eat the whole of the base. TSH limited himself to a large salad and a lean piece of pork and some fruit for pudding. He did give in to the cookies to have with his coffee – three of them.

Whilst seated in a prime window seat in the restaurant, TSH spotted some dolphins beside the ship, causing a bit of excitement amongst guests and staff.

After lunch Diva and TSH decided it was too bright to use computers out on deck so they retired to the observation lounge to work on their projects. After spending some time doing this, Diva and TSH read from their kindles and moved outside to take the air whilst taking advantage of the shade from the strong sun.

Before returning to their cabin, Diva and TSH observed flying fish - they flew for considerable distances in order to escape from the approaching ship.

TSH had a minor panic after finding out it was formal night and discovering his frilly shirt was not to be found. He reasoned that it must be in the laundry that the Butler had taken away (Diva and TSH get free laundry as a result of doing more than 100 days with Silversea). The shirt was duly delivered whilst TSH was shaving in preparation for dinner. So he could dine suitably attired. Not only did he have a clean shirt but he also had freshly polished dress shoes to wear, as the Butler had polished them yet again – at this rate they will be worn out more by polishing than wearing.

Before dinner Diva and TSH relaxed whilst listening to the soothing tones of Leonard Cohen, played on a PC brought with them.

Dinner was excellent – Diva had lobster whilst TSH had bream as main courses. Diva enquired of the Restaurant Manager when filet mignon would next be available on the menu. He responded ‘for you madam it is available whenever you wish to ask for it’.

On the ship

One day, there seemed to be insects everywhere. Many of them were green and looked like crickets, with the associated clicking sound to be heard on deck. At night, dozens of tiny insects were plastered on the outside of every lit window. The crew members who come from countries with lots of insects were no doubt highly amused that the guests are so delicate that the insects have to be hoovered up on a regular basis. A losing battle!! This situation, although diminishing, continued for several days.

Tai Chi on deck has been possible as long as it is in the early morning before the heat develops.

Before leaving Yangon, a group of kites, probably attracted by the insects, put on a magnificent aerial show. A number of swallows joined in.

Crossing

For two people who have never been anywhere near the equator before, it has been very exciting to see the ‘degrees north’ on the Silver Whisper position steadily decreasing. And then came the morning when it was 0.06. Nearly there.

The sail into the mouth of the Amazon happened at night so it was not possible to see anything of the many islands there. The first stop was in Macapa, a very small Brazilian town where the Silver Whisper anchored for several hours to carry out Brazilian clearance.  Passengers were not allowed ashore but they could see forest and small riverside settlements. The water looks very muddy.

TSH and Diva did some Tai Chi on deck and Diva eyed a large insect very warily. Like a dragonfly but much chunkier and with a venomous way of flying. A couple of small black and white birds were glimpsed briefly. A moth the colour of an autumn leaf rested on the deck.

Late morning, Neptune appeared for the ceremony of the crossing of the line. Diva is convinced it was not the real Neptune, as the ceremony was very tacky and nothing like a God would organise. But the equator has been crossed!! The direction of flow down the bathroom basins has been observed but there seems to be no difference. So maybe all that school science stuff was just made up.

There is a new addition to the suite. TSH and Diva pointed out in the interim questionnaire that the light level in the suites has diminished and reading at night whilst sitting on the sofa is now impossible for them. So a reading light has been delivered!! Diva is wondering if Eclipse kitchens will be as helpful if the new light levels in the kitchen are similarly inadequate.  All modern lighting is designed by 25 year olds with perfect vision and no care for even slightly older people (like TSH and Diva). May they grow old and feeble sighted at a fast rate!!

Fjords and burgers

Today did not go to plan. A short excursion was cancelled due to lack of numbers but this had the benefit that there was no 7:30 departure and the start to the day was more leisurely. Plan B was thwarted when, after a few minutes queuing for the tender, the Captain announced that service was temporarily suspended to allow the ship to move. This was to allow space for MSC Orchestra and Celebrity Infinity, which turned up just after Silver Cloud had taken prime position at the head of the fjord. Since ‘all aboard’ was 10:30, it was no longer worth the journey into Geiranger. So the morning was spent on deck, Tai Chi training and observing the magnificent fjord, with its mountains and waterfalls. Lunch was also outdoors – the first Silversea burger of the holiday, accompanied by a rare lunch-time beer for TSH.

The afternoon stop allowed time for a short walk around Hellesylt (pop. < 100). This boasts a factory outlet shop, waterfalls and a Sherlock Holmes pub. Do they know that these are not the right waterfalls? The pub had a dragon motif on its roof trim but the reason for this is unknown. A wild aquilegia was seen on the river bank.

Newfoundland

The forecast for the night spent starting the crossing of the Davies Strait was ‘optimistic’ (the Captain’s words the following morning). Diva was awakened by a mighty crash as the stabilisers operated even more loudly than usual. It turned out that the waves were higher, the wind stronger and the swell greater than forecast. By morning, things were calmer, but the Captain was already making ‘we might be late at Corner Brook’ noises, because of the lack of speed through the storm.

Strange lights in the light were eventually identified as lights along the Canadian shore-line – the first inhabited shore-line for many days. There have been six days at sea instead of the planned three, Silver Whisper has missed two ports and had half-length stays at two more. This has meant more Tai Chi training sessions than are normally possible on a busy holiday.  But in the St Lawrence river and its estuary, there should be no more significant delays.

Corner Brook was a welcoming port, with someone playing guitar and singing ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’ on the quayside. No idea why. Part-way through the excursion, tea and snacks were provided at a local church hall by ‘ladies of the parish’ who had made cake and sandwiches in their own kitchens. The crab sandwiches were excellent. They were also selling handicrafts, including knitting and quilting.

Before taking the excursion, TSH and Diva had their traditional ‘at least once in a cruise’ burger on deck. It was the first time it seemed possible and although Newfoundland is much warmer than Greenland, coats and woollies  were needed.

The terrain is much gentler than either Greenland or Iceland, with rounded or flat topped peaks no higher than about 1000 feet. No snow capped  jagged peaks here. The climate ranges from about -10C to about 25C. The interior is wilderness and the coast made up of bays and coves, a bit like parts of Cornwall.

Some leaves have already turned colour, in some cases to a vivid red, although these are the exception and most are still green. There are plenty of rowan berries around.

No phone signal in Canada yet.