Day 220 At Sea

Kind of a dreary day outside but pretty nice inside….  I got the final packing done, Yeah!!!!  I went to “Dancing with the Stars” finals today and that was great.  Gene Yong is such a fabulous Cruise Director that he makes every event a fun experience.  So today is our final day, certainly a day filled with sorrow for leaving such great friends and “family” but also a day filled with joy as we remember all the great adventures we have had on this Grand World Voyage.  When I get home I will provide another Blog with my personal top 10 overview of this Grand Voyage.  We have seen magnificent places, met wonderful people along the way of so many cultures and enjoyed the company of our fellow guests and beloved crew.  It has been an awesome adventure….

Day 219 At Sea

It turned out to be a pretty nice day today….  It feels so good to be sitting on the aft deck, once again, with friends enjoying the sun..  Tonight we had the Captain’s Farewell Reception which was extremely well done.  The video, prepared by our Cruise director Gene Young, was fabulous!  I certainly will miss the staff and crew of the ms Amsterdam, they have performed in an exceptional manner and, they are like family to me.  After the reception, we had a wonderful meal at the Chef’s Farewell Dinner, everything was excellent.  Wonderful day!!!!

Day 218 At Sea

It was fairly nice this morning and was able to sit outside but by lunch time the conditions worsened and it was time to go inside…  I spent the rest of the day packing and visiting with friends…. I am actually pretty close to being ready to go home.  It has been a long time since I visited my home.  The voyage has been great, kind of a rough ending but you can’t control the weather….  Two more sea days and we are done…  Hard to believe 7 ½ months are done, the time has flown…

Blog update....

I just wanted to inform all the wonderful people who follow my blog religiously that I will be closing up after this magnificent world voyage.  I have been blogging for about 10 years and have loved sharing my adventures around the world with you.  It has gotten to the point where sometimes it is just way to difficult to post my blog.  The last day in Ponta Delgado took over an hour and a half of Internet time to post.  That makes for some very late nights.  So, I have decided, for now, to stop blogging while at sea, unless I am asked, once again, to be a featured Holland America Line blogger.  So what will I do in the meantime.  I will continue exploring the world, taking thousands of photos and sharing them with friends onboard and publishing books.  I just won't put my adventures out into the blogosphere....  It will take a little getting used to but I'll quickly get used to having all that extra time on my hands.  If I go on some more road trips, I will certainly blog those adventures.  I  hope you have enjoyed my blog and you never know, I may start again some day..... Now, back to packing!

Day 217 At Sea

A pretty good day!!!!  I actually got to sit out in the sun for a while…  been a long time.  It felt nice to sit outside with friends and enjoy the sun and fresh air….  This evening was a lot of fun, first we had the Mariner Awards Night and cocktail party and then it was off to the Captain’s Dinner.  I sat with Aart, Ellen, Allan, Sandra and hosts Henk & Christel.  The food and company was just amazing.  Fabulous evening!  Then, after dinner it was off to the Masquerade Ball….  A nice time was had by all.  I also went upstairs for the after party in the Crow’s Nest which was extremely well attended….  It certainly was a very lovely day!

Day 216 At Sea

We had another miserable weather day which probably is a good thing to keep me focused on packing.  I have made great progress.  I did take time out for the Mariner Lunch.  It was a fun time, sat with Allan & Sandra and our wonderful host, Henk Mensink.  Productive day!

Day 215 At Sea

Well, the rough, windy, chilly weather continues for us….  Good time for packing which I spent a fair amount of time doing today.  This evening was a lot of fun, Sarah Coles, the luggage services representative for Holland America Line joined us for dinner.  Have known Sarah for several years and she is just the best at what she does for us…  She makes our transition home go very smoothly.  It’s always nice to see her and visit a bit.  After dinner, I watched the rest of the ongoing Celebrity Texas Hold’em Tournament…  My friend Sandra Benson was the big winner for the evening receiving several prizes and a bracelet in the Texas Hold’em tradition.  Nice day and evening!

Day 214 Ponta Delgado, Portugal (Part 2 of 2)

Here are the rest of the photos from my wonderful touring of Ponta Delgado…..  In addition, there are photos of friends I ran into along the way.  Al & Ruth Wentzy who I ran into at the gardens and Aart, Ellen, Barbie, Allan & Sandra who I found at one of the local restaurants…  It was a beautiful time!