Gull's Gulp

 When the Silver Spirit made a call to Dover, UK, TSH and Diva went on an excursion to nearby Deal. It was described as having one photostop and freetime in Deal. Instead, there was a walking tour of Deal, a few minutes of free time and then a long stop at Dover Castle. Which is very impressive but impossible for anyone with mobility problems. Silversea had totally changed the tour without informing anyone who was already booked. TSH and Diva were not the only guests to be furious.

When anything goes wrong on the Silver Spirit, there are well rehearsed recovery procedures. A waiter broke a number of glasses, which spread widely across the floor of busy La Terrazza. He immediately placed a chair over the worst of the debris, obtained a warning sign, moved any guests who may have been affected and alerted a number of other waiters to bring brushes.  The whole scene was impressively cleared in just a few minutes. For greater problems, there are regular general emergency drills for the whole crew.

On the pool deck - now branded 'Riviera' - a gull boarded the ship and made a spectacular dive onto a guest's lunch. Which was, of course, rapidly replaced by a waiter. The bird did not leave the ship for some minutes afterwards, as it had identified a large number of potential food sources.

10 spare wooden coat hangers.

Bloody Mary for breakfast

 Despite being held hostage on the ship, the brilliant MacDonald brothers performed again, including an excellent version of 'Sunshine on Leith'.

The original plan was that TSH and Diva would have pizza in the outdoor restaurant in the protected mooring at Newhaven, before the scheduled late night departure. They went ahead with the plan, even though by dinner time they were in the middle of the North Sea. Fortunately the sea was calm and the heaters were effective. Best pizza in the world.

They must have missed a memo. Approaching La Terrazza for their usual buffet breakfast, they were accosted by waiters trying to thrust Bloody Mary cocktails into their hands. There was a special brunch, including an extensive sea food buffet, decorated with carved fruit and a huge ice sculpture. Rumour amongst the guests was that Silversea were trying to improve the mood after the disappointment of missing Edinburgh yesterday. Many of the crew had been up most of the night preparing the feast.

When they returned to the brunch at 12:00, some of the dishes had changed but TSH was able to construct an amazing meal including hash browns with Marie Rose sauce.

The clocks have changed to Netherlands time but the clocks around the ship are still wrong.

TSH and Diva do not drink Bloody Marys at breakfast.

Very close to home

 In Belfast, TSH and Diva went on a tour to Hillsborough, the royal residence. After the tour of the house, Diva took the bus to the Visitor Centre,  whilst partially sighted TSH bravely walked alone through the gardens. He made it to the exit in good time for the ride back to the Silver Spirit.

At lunch in La Terrazza, TSH and Diva were shown to a table that looked as if someone was already sitting there and had just gone to the buffet. The waiter insisted that the table was free and they sat down. When the occupant did return, they apologised but she smiled and went to sit somewhere else. When the occupants of that table returned, there was a danger that the whole section of La Terrazza would descend into chaos.

TSH had his first filet mignon of the cruise - totally up to standard.

In Liverpool - about 20 miles from their home, TSH and Diva took a walk along the riverside, retuning to the Silver Spirit just before the rain started in earnest.

Diva's sparkly shoes had their first outing of this holiday and received their first compliment within the first half hour. 

Diva and the Director

On the first night of the final leg of their cruise, TSH and Diva had dinner in Atlantide. Captain Ivo and the Hotel Director were at the next table. The wine service was below standard – TSH was served with alcohol-free red when he had asked for white. The refill he requested did not appear and Diva’s glass was empty. They did not complain (except to each other) but the Portuguese Hotel Director is an observant man. Suddenly two glasses of port appeared with his compliments. Diva waved a ‘Salute’ at him before drinking hers.

When TSH goes to the La Terrazza buffet, he leaves his small blue glasses case in a prominent place on the table to act as a marker for his return. The crew have observed and remarked on this and one waiter requested a demo of the folding glasses fitting into it.

There was disappointment at finally leaving the Reykjavik area without any sight of volcanic activity.

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.

Music Magic

The Welcome bottle of pink champagne is finished. Mostly by Diva but TSH has allowed himself the occasional glass (without incident). TSH has been assured in the past that only on initial embarkation is pink issued and after that it is replaced by ‘normal’ white champagne. Diva charmed Isaac the butler, explaining that they are embarking 4 times. And he brought another bottle of pink champagne!

But Diva cannot be on form just now, as she has missed two opportunities to give strategic guidance to the Silver Spirit management. In conversation with the head butler she failed to mention the dust on the bathroom shelf, the less than thorough vacuuming and the persistent stain on the worktop. At lunch time, the executive chef was standing outside La Terrazza – although not engaging with guests – and she did not tell him about the missing grilled peaches. Perhaps the blueberry pancakes made up for them.

Regular readers will remember that on a previous cruise Diva brought along an electric toothbrush with no brush head. This time, TSH brought a brush head but has now lost it. So he is reduced to using a manual toothbrush bought on board.

The background music throughout the ship is as dreary and old fashioned as ever. Bad covers of USA rat pack, mostly.  If Royal Caribbean are trying to attract a younger set of guests they will need to do better. It was astonishing that within an hour in Panorama lounge this morning, TSH and Diva heard both Ed Sheeran and Queen. ‘It’s a kind on magic’. They made sure to tell the bar staff how much they appreciated the change.

The sea has been calmer than anticipated and perhaps TSH and Diva did not need their precautionary Stugeron.

Lerwick Lost

When the captain’s voice is heard on the public address system before 8am, it is never good news. Especially when he says ‘This is s very important announcement’. The Silver Spirit will not make the planned call at Lerwick, Shetland because of a threatened storm. If the ship were to dock, the chances are that it would have to remain there for several days. So TSH and Diva are heading straight to Iceland, with the estimated arrival time unchanged. With an extra day at sea, the journey is obviously expected to be slow. The crew are securing the large plant pots and safely storing the cushions from the outside chairs. TSH and Diva have taken medication and are wearing their wrist bands.

The last time TSH and Diva crossed from the UK to Iceland in 2013, the sea was sufficiently angry that they said they would never do that crossing again!

The Silver Spirit is now so far north that there is very little darkness in the night. Perhaps that is why the telephone rang at 1:30 am. Diva was asked if she had ordered ginger tea. She was reasonably polite to the caller but very annoyed. The next morning, an oblivious TSH asked if there had been a telephone call in the night and, if so, what it had been about. There was a verbal apology from the Head Butler, who blamed the disturbance on ‘a technical problem’.

The dinner reservation in La Terrrazza (Deck7) has been cancelled. TSH and Diva will eat in Atlantide on Deck 5. Lower down and more stable.

TSH is let out on his own

In St Jean de Luz, Diva decided that she did not want to be herded round on another guided tour, The ship was anchored in the very scenic bay, so she decided to enjoy her last views of the Pyrenees.  

TSH left the Silver Moon to visit Bayonne and Biarritz accompanied only by his camera.

He has often encountered road signs in two languages but this time there were three. In Bayonne, road signs were in French, Basque and Gascon - a language local to South-West France.

The cathedral in Bayonne had an English feel about it -  the building was started by the English and completed by the French.

The bus driver expressed a view which TSH has often thought to be the case. He said that he was driving something stronger than the cars, so he could pull out in front of them at a busy roundabout. However, he was more polite when there was an emergency vehicle behind him - he drove the bus right round the roundabout to let it pass. At Biarritz the driver encountered a “Route Barree” sign, so alternative parking and additional walking were organised.

TSH returned triumphant – he had been on the correct tour (see Turkey) and he had not been left behind anywhere (see Terracotta warriors). By the time he returned, La Terrazza was closed so he went to the Arts Café for lunch.

The bus theme continued into the evening as one of the waiters sang “the wheels on the bus” whilst turning the handle on the parmesan cheese grater. 

The pilot for the navigation along the Gironde  river to Bordeaux was dropped onto the Silver Moon from a helicopter.

Diva is still working out how much remains of the on-board credit and what she can spend it on.

The crew of the Silver Moon are exceptional

Cartagena, surrounded by mountains, is a favourite call. The Silver Moon docked close to the city centre and there was no long walk to navigate the port itself and no need for a shuttle bus. Because it was Monday, both the Roman theatre and the Underwater Archaeology museums were closed, but it was possible to take a pleasant walk along the waterfront and into the city’s main square.

During the meal in La Terrazza, Diva was transferring some of the antipasti vegetables in tomato sauce from the slate on which they are presented onto her side plate. Not easy with a knife and fork and she spilt some of them on the tablecloth. Before serving the main course, their waiter brought an extra napkin to spread out and cover the offending stain. She apologised, but in a fine example of the humour and charm of the crew he said ‘Madam, it is entirely my fault for serving you messy food’.  Later, when Diva decided not to have a dessert, he tried to place TSH’s chocolatinis in the middle of the table so that she could share them. TSH pulled the plate to his own area in a very assertive manner.

The bar staff are very attentive, greeting TSH and Diva by name and remembering what they drink at different times of day – various teas, decaff coffee, no milk or sugar, shiraz, cognac. One of the bar managers was able to inform them of how many nights it was since they last had their night-cap in her bar.

 1 guest and 1 crew tested positive for Covid on 1/5/22

 

Spain

Palamos is one of the original resorts on the Costa Brava and is an attractive small port. TSH and Diva took the excursion to Girona (used in filming ‘Game of Thrones’). It is an historic city with many streets, squares and alleys little changed since medieval times. The visit included the Arab baths, the Jewish museum and a ‘Pastry Pause’ to sample a local speciality – deep fried and filled with confectioners custard. The guide moved so fast compared with the speed of the average guest that at one stage she lost the whole group, who wandered round in circles with some shouting ‘We are here!!’

Food for dinner included lamb rogan josh (as a main course, not a bread flavouring) – always a favourite.

In Barcelona, whilst the Silver Moon said farewell to some guests and welcomed others on board, TSH and Diva visited La Sagrada Familia Gaudi masterpiece. It is still under development and the greatest enhancement since their last visit is the stunning stained glass. The taxi transfer from the port was convenient and their prebooked tickets got them in without much waiting.

Breakfast in La Terrazza in Barcelona was extremely chaotic. TSH and Diva did not manage to get any hot drinks, as there were so few waiters, so they just had fruit from the buffet. When they left the restaurant, it was just after 8:00, which is the time when suites have to be made available for anti-Covid sanitising. Many guests left it until the last minute and the queue to enter the restaurant was the longest TSH and Diva have ever seen on Silversea.

Covid update: The Silver Moon guests and crew were all tested again before arrival in Barcelona. On 27/4, there were 6 guests and 0 crew testing positive. On 28/4, there were 5 guests and 0 crew testing positive.  No-one is more than mildly ill.

The sea is still smooth and the weather is a bit warmer.

 

Life on Board

 

The crew are determined to make this a successful cruise. There seem to be more of them than ever before and they are attentive and cheerful to an even greater extent than before. Captain Arma says that there is a full ship of guests and a normal number of crew. Other sources suggest about two thirds the number of guests and observation suggests more than the usual number of crew. There are a number of guests who are regular cruisers with other lines such as Cunard and Azamara.

The food is well up to standard, including ‘the best Danish pastries in the world’ (TSH). Afternoon tea is no more but the Arts café has food, including sandwiches and cakes, throughout the day. La Terrazza is still buffet style for breakfast and lunch but guests indicate what they want and waiters put the food onto the plate. Thus far, TSH and Diva have not been there at busy times, so it has worked well for them.

The IT situation has been badly affected by the general IT outage at Silversea (almost 2 weeks now). Internet and TV are intermittent. For the first day or two there were no puzzles and no country news sheets.

Captain’s Welcome was held in the bar. No receiving line but Captain Arma spoke to many people in the room. In theory, guests are supposed to sit only with their own group but there is no space for that to be rigidly observed. Similarly in the restaurants, people are dining in twos more than usual but there are also group tables. No official tables – last night’s formal was the first for many years where TSH and Diva had no invitation from a ship’s officer. Masks are compulsory indoors when not eating or drinking and this is rigidly observed and enforced. The crew wear masks all the time, which must be really uncomfortable. Butlers take guest temperatures each day, using a device pointed at the wrist. An element of ‘best of 3’ about this. TSH and Diva have both registered low on these tests and have then had it re-taken on the neck. So far so good.

The guests are making a defiant gesture to Covid. Never have so many sequins and sparkles been seen on board. Diva has a sparkly mask for formal nights.

 

In which Diva chooses the easy option.

In Penang, she rejected the one with the trishaw (fast and scary), the one with the snake temple (wild and scary) and the one with the lunch on shore (expensive and scary).

So they went to Penang Hill and Temple. The temple, which was on a scale they had never seen before was still in the process of being built, so it was difficult to perceive the temple complex as a whole. Getting around the site involved a return trip on two inclined elevators, which were crammed with people to Asian standards (scary). And a buggy ride between the two (fast and scary). There was a tortoise pool with many many tortoises (wild but not too scary).

The hill required a return funicular ride (scary but expected). At the top was a skywalk (scary) and lots of monkeys (wild). Diva misunderstood the instructions for the return ride. She thought that the guide meant that sitting in the lowest level of the funicular would be less dramatic on the fast and steep parts. What he actually meant was that this position was the most like a roller coaster and necessitated standing up with arms in air and screaming (fast and terrifying).

It was 34 degrees and humid.

On return, the butlers were lined up outside the Silver Spirit with their 'Welcome Home' banner. The butler manager greeted Diva by name and gave her a cheery wave. La Terrazza is booked for later.

TSH and Diva were thrilled one night to see stars and planets on a scale not possible in light-polluted Cheshire. They couldn't identify them all even with a sky map. One was moving in a very strange fashion so they have now both definitely seen a UFO.

Still no butler!

The first evening meal in La Terrazza and the first lunch-time burgers have been consumed and are as good as ever.

The Silver Spirit is anchored off Sorrento in the Bay of Naples - an extremely scenic spot. Early breakfast delivered by Room Service - the new butler was reportedly  'busy'. TSH and Diva went to Pompeii by a tortuous route involving the tender, a shuttle bus and a tour bus, followed by a walk to reach the site. All in reverse to get back, so lunch was at the unseemly time of 14:30.

But walking in the steps of people who perished (or fled) almost 2000 years ago is quite an experience. More of the site can be visited than either TSH or Diva remembered from their visits long ago.

Pompeii was built on the site of a prehistoric lave flow from a previous eruption. Which should have given them a clue about what could happen.

At the time of writing, there is no sign of the new butler but there are now 3 bottles of champagne in the fridge.

A day of two halves

3:45 alarm and 5:00 departure for airport. Travelling is sleepless work!!

The only good part about Manchester Airport Terminal 2 were the exceptionally helpful and cheerful staff, both at the check-in booth (of which more below) and at security. The cafes were all crowded and grubby and Diva was baffled by not being able to order food without a table number when their table, and many others, had no number. The approach to the Gate was down a scaffold staircase and the journey to the plane was by bus. And then the heavens opened. Not friendly Manchester all-day drizzle but a real cloud burst, complete with thunder and lightening.  So by the time anyone made it to the plane, they were soaked. Including inside Diva's open silver sandals. The plane almost ran out of paper towels.

The Jet2 departure was one hour late and the experience gave a whole new meaning to 'cattle class'. Diva sympathised with the cabin steward, who had great difficulty in persuading one passenger to close his device for take-off and landing. He had to tell him the rules a great number of times.

On arrival at the cruise terminal, TSH and Diva quickly entered the luxury world of Silver Spirit. They didn't make the target 'lunch at 1' but by 14:00 were in La Terazza eating excellent salads, including a particularly good one with pineapple. No events at the drill, as Diva decided not to test the torch or the whistle. In an excellent example of nominative determinism, the butler, from Ghana, is called Bright.

New York strip-steak (Diva) and sea-bass (TSH)  for dinner, after 'my little allotment' starters on the special Silver Spirit plates.

TSH, who, in fairness, has a cold, excelled all day. He put the boarding cards for the return flight (for almost a month's time!!) into the folder for 'outward travel' so that a long delay was caused at the check-in booth whilst he searched for the 'inward travel' file. On arrival in Barcelona, the automatic password reader proved challenging and there was another hold-op for a while. 

Commiserations to all at Thomas Cook who helped to arrange this holiday and many others.

Changes

On arrival in the Cork area, the cruise director announced that the Silver Spirit was unable to dock in Cobh as originally planned. The berth was occupied by a Celebrity, so Silver Spirit had to dock instead in Ringaskiddy. The tours and shuttles ran as planned but the driver of TSH and Diva’s shuttle did not know the changed route and had a navigator on board to help. There was nearly an accident at an early stage, as a man was working in the road with his back to oncoming traffic and totally focusing on his phone call.  Fortunately he turned round just in time!!

Impressions of Cork: Pleasant town with wide streets and waterways. Modern town centre contrasts with old city originally founded by Vikings. Memorials to Irish people who died during the long struggles against the English military.

The Silver Spirit itself has changed greatly since TSH and Diva were last on board for the Circle round South America. It has been cut in half and a new centre section inserted, to increase the number of passengers by about 50. It has also been refitted in the style of the Silver Muse, so the décor is paler and more modern. There are two new specialty restaurants, both included in the normal price. Indochine is Asian fusion and there is a pizza restaurant which is open for much of the day as well as the evening. They seem to have dropped afternoon tea but there is an all-day deli/café which serves a range of snack food including cakes. The pool area has heaters over the tables and there are also removeable glass panels between the tables and the pool itself. This makes it into an all-weather dining area for both lunch and dinner. La Terrazza is bigger and has more of a café feel at lunch time, although there are still table cloths in the evening. All of the food seems even better than ever.

Tolls and Tantrums

TSH and Diva got really confused this time. For many days now, TSH has been advising Diva to save all her pound coins so that they were organised for the toll for the tunnel under the Thames to get to Greenwich. The evening before departure, Diva decided to look for another way, Googled ‘tunnels and tolls’ and determine that the fee was £2.50 and could be internet-paid in advance. Which she did, whilst TSH supervised. Turned out she had paid for the Dartford tunnel and the route was through the toll-free Blackwall tunnel!!

The arrival was good. The only wild animal spotted en route was a small rabbit which ran into the road and required avoiding action from the skilled driver. TSH then managed to drive into (and out of) the pedestrian pier area just before the bollards went up. Diva found two porters with trolleys and the luggage was taken to the Silver Spirit whilst TSH and Diva went to return the hire car.  At 13:00 they achieved Diva’s challenging aspiration to have lunch and prosecco in La Terraza.

And then they went to their suite. A small sticky patch on the desk-top led Diva to get out a pack of wipes. Being thorough, she proceeded to wipe the whole length of the top and was appalled by the debris she collected. The butler – who is responsible for suite cleanliness – appeared and tried to whisk away the evidence but Diva refused and insisted that a manager was called. A minor tantrum was called for. He offered a re-clean and TSH and Diva retired to a lounge. When they returned, Diva found more dirt. The manager was summoned again and this time Diva really came into her own. At one point she asked him for a job and said she could minimise such occurrences, which he admitted he had no idea how to prevent. Very disappointing and distressing.

Into Brazil

The weather is now hot again, and sometimes humid. So, short-sleeves and cropped or light-weight trousers. No more vests. A couple of relaxing days at sea and a formal night, when TSH and Diva were hosted by the Hotel Director. Other guests on the table were two people who live only about 5 miles away from TSH and Diva and two who went to a school less than a mile from Diva’s school. One man writes books about trains but, sadly, his interest is in diesels.

Silver Spirit has about 100 fewer passengers on this leg of the cruise. As a result, everything is much more relaxed and there is less queuing. TSH and Diva thought that on the last leg, when the ship was full, the ship appeared not to be fully sized up for the number of guests. There was a lot of queuing for tenders and there was no procedure to cope with simultaneous sets of people coming back to the ship and going out. Result: occasional chaos on the gangway. Lunch in La Terrazza had to be taken early to be sure of getting a table.

The first port in Brazil, Itajai, is a lot more developed than many of the places so far seen in South America. It has a lot of high rise buildings along a narrow strip between the ocean and the low hills. There are small fishing boats around now – the first time they have been spotted in his region.

Intrepid TSH ventured alone on an excursion that seemed too exciting for Diva, perhaps because of the multiple cable car rides out over the sea. The trip was to an UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve at Camboriu, where many animals and birds were said to live but none considered it worth showing themselves. As TSH has been on a number of such trips on previous cruises, he was not disappointed. His expectation level was low.

The tour was very scenic and provided a good opportunity to sample the local drink, which everybody agreed had a high alcoholic content. After climbing 100 steps to visit the viewpoints, TSH asked for water but the local drink was all that was provided. He arrived back on the Silver Spirit smelling of strong drink.

The guide leading the tour was not always very clear, resulting in some people being instructed by the Silversea escort to get off at the wrong point on the cable car.

After arriving back at the ship, TSH managed a quick drink (water) before Diva and TSH headed into Itajai, where they saw the modern shopping street and visited the main church.

Other cruise ships in Montevideo: NCL Norwegian Sun, Costa Pacifica 

Through the Chilean fjords to Punta Arenas

The itinerary for the voyage was misleading in that there was really only one day in the fjords – the first was in open sea (which was choppy enough to make some people ill – not TSH and Diva) with entry to the first fjord at 17:00. When they eventually got there, TSH and Diva thought the fjords were very similar to those in Norway. They varied in width and at one point it seemed that the Silver Spirit was on a lake, while at other times, both banks were quite close. The nearest hills were reminiscent of the central English Lake District fells, covered with low vegetation but with some bare rock. In places, snow covered peaks and glaciers could be seen through the mist on the higher peaks beyond. This was the first rain of the whole trip.

The butler spotted a ship-wreck but for some reason the captain did not draw attention to this sea feature.

There was another special dinner (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, pasta, beef, tuna, sticky dessert) for the Circlers, this time in La Terrazzza.

Punta Arenas is not the most interesting town but the short excursion gave a good idea of a region which has always had to work hard to counteract its climate and its distance from places it trades with. The terminology of ‘discovery’ and ‘native Indians’ seemed very colonial and old-fashioned, not to mention politically incorrect. The main statue in the town shows Magellan in triumph, with the original inhabitants of the region beneath his feet. The guide was the son of a man who left London after the first world war but most of the European settlers here came from what is now Croatia.

Punta Arenas is at the extreme south of the mainland of South America. It is on the Magellan strait – across the water is Tierra del Fuego, a separate island which belongs partly to Chile and partly to Argentina.

Many guides in Chile have said that Chile is the major exporter of salmon in the world but a Norwegian guest insists that Norway has that distinction.

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

Good news

TSH and Diva learned that they have a new grand-son. Two weeks early but obviously desperate to join the world. All’s well with him and his mother. His health was toasted with much Prosecco in La Terrazza.