Tuesday

LOLITA LEAHY SPENCER GANLEY
January 13, 1917 - November 17, 2010



Although this year has provided me with many great memories of adventurous travel & fun with family & friends, I will remember 2010, as a year of great personal loss. In all my 58 years, I have never said a final goodbye to so many special people in such a short period of time.

Lolita was the common denominator of our extended Naples family. She was the reason that most of us made the move to paradise after she moved here in the 80’s. She was the “glue” that held together what’s left of Daddy’s side of the family. I have admired her gentle, southern style my entire life. Lolita was my idol! She had no daughters; & my relationship with her was more like that of a mother. I relied on her for motherly advice since I lived so far away from my own. And when I no longer had one, she took on the role of mine.

I will miss her presence; but take great comfort in the fact that she has found peace for her mind, body & soul once again. Until we meet again…..




Wednesday

November 7, 2010
Arrival in Miami, FL

Well of course, there’s more……did you really think this day would go off without a hitch???

And most of you may find this day’s events insignificant; even tedious. That is to say, until it happens to YOU. I’m going to vent now…….

I had the alarm set for 6; but woke up on my own a little after 4 am. My first thought………there’s only one other passenger awake at this hour…….Keith!

With internet time leftover, I wanted to upload more of the blog. It took at over an hour just to upload the photos from Philadelphia. If I had any sense whatsoever, I’d wait until I returned home to upload the blog. It would be a lot cheaper; but what fun would that be?

I watched the sunrise; & shortly we were entering the Port of Miami through Government Cut.  I had a perfect view of the magnificent homes on Fisher Island from my window.  I had a few things to nibble on in the cabin; & quickly rechecked the closet & drawers. It was nearly 8 when I opened the door & looked down the hallway for Mag’s cart. In a few minutes she came through a crew door; & I had to say my goodbyes. Man, it was hard. It’s been many, many years since I developed such a close bond with a crewmember. I told her as much as I’d like to sail with her again; my wish for her is to get off ships, go back to the real world, & do good things. I’d be so proud to claim this young lady as my daughter.

Very soon, my feelings of sadness would turn into that of frustration. There in the bridge room were 5 passengers & one crewmember (the entertainer, Mark Merchant), waiting to disembark. There were 2 luggage trolleys laden with all our bags; a long table where 2 “official looking people” were sitting, shuffling papers. I overheard the “officials” discussing with a member of the ship’s crew, various procedures having to do with “clearing” the ship. The ship wanted to set up 2 gangways to speed up the flow of passengers waiting to go on tour. “They” (the officials) said “no”. “They” wanted to know ”when did you last offload any garbage. “How much garbage did you have”? “They” appeared to have no interest in me/us whatsoever.

So, at 8:30, we started asking where is Customs? No one knew. “They” called several times; & someone was supposed to be on their way. Finally satisfied that the “in-transit” passengers were “cleared”, they could now let the tours depart.

“They” said the crew was not cleared; & no one but passengers could go ashore at this time. But wait…..what about the crew that usually escort the tours? “They” asked, “are the crewmembers going on the tours in uniform”? “No”. “Are they working”? “No; but they do hold up numbered paddles to direct people to the right buses.” “So they’re out there in their street clothes working”? “They’re not working, they’re just taking the tour on their free time”. “They” decided if the crew escorts held up paddles, that constituted working on U.S. soil; & they aren’t authorized to do that (whether wearing a uniform or not). By this time the ship’s officer had paged the tour manager trying to explain why the tours couldn’t leave yet; & that the “escorts” could not touch those numbered paddles! I’m just staring at all this in total disbelief. I could have slept another 2 hours while they sorted this crap out.

Then the chatter over the walkie-talkie turned to the subject of the luggage trolleys……who was going to take the bags ashore for us? “They” said the porters outside aren’t allowed to come onboard & get it. Well, the ship’s personnel aren’t allowed to work on “their” dock. What did all this matter if Customs/Border Patrol wasn’t going to come & release us anyway?

Our group was starting to get fidgety. We’re beginning to wonder if we’re the first passengers in U.S. history who ever tried to disembark a vessel that was in-transit. Just after 9, two Custom’s officers finally appear. We were now free to go; but what about our luggage? They were still trying to work that out. It was agreed, in order to not step on anyone’s toes, ship’s personnel would push the trolleys to the end of the gangway. At that time the porters outside would take it from there.

Somehow we got herded down this stairway; but our luggage went somewhere else. We stand outside in the chilly morning air, waiting & waiting. It was starting to get cloudy; & my mood was starting sour along with the weather. I tried to go back in the building to ask where our bags went; & a woman put her hands up, ordering me to halt. I was not allowed to reenter the building. By now, my car service driver was going to have to park in the lot to wait this out.

I watched as Chris, Steve, Keith, Anne Marie & many others left the terminal for their respective day of touring. My patience was all but gone by now. Finally about 9:30 I spotted one of the “officials” that had been onboard talking “garbage” & “paddles”. I went up to him; & asked if he could find out what they did with our bags. He was very nice; he disappeared inside; & returned about 15 mins later. Behind him were the porters with the trolleys. NEARLY TWO HOURS after this fiasco started, we were finally on our way.

I was seething when I got into the car; poor Bruce (my driver) had to listen to this for about 10 miles! While crossing Alligator Alley, the sun came back out. There were lots of alligators sunning themselves on the banks along the canals. It made me think of Chris & Steve, who planned to spend this day in the Everglades. I had told them to keep their eyes open for the alligators that would be “sunbathing” themselves in the cool weather.

I wonder if they saw as many gators as I did……or had nearly as much fun?

To put an end to this journey, I wanted to share photos of the beautiful Crystal Symphony.

Thanks for hanging in there with me……..



Seahorse Pool


                                     Lido Deck Lounge Area


Palm Court


                                                 Luxe Lounge


Crystal Cove/Atrium


Waterfall in Crystal Cove Atrium


Reception Desk


Starlight Club


Starlight Bar


Connoisseur Club (Cigar Bar)


 Silk Road & Sushi Bar


                                                  Prego


 Avenue Saloon


 Crystal Casino


 Galaxy Lounge





Novenber 6, 2010
At sea - enroute to Miami, FL

This was probably my last uninterrupted, carefree night’s sleep. Tomorrow, it’s back to the real world. I woke about 8; but stayed in bed to enjoy the rolling seas & the peaceful quietness. I don’t know how I let my normal everyday life get so chaotic. And when I do find ‘peace’, I hang on to it for dear life.

I took a quick shower; & plopped on the wig; & was off to the Bistro by 9 am. I had a little over an hour to get something productive done before bridge class (a repeat of lesson #2).

I settled in the back corner w/ my capp’o & fresh OJ. Being 3 days behind in the blog now, there’s a lot to be done. Within minutes every passenger of Asian descent had completely surrounded me. (And with all due respect, I mean no malice when I saw this; but…..) The hum of there high pitched banter, was like rapid machine gun fire. What are they talking about? And so quickly? I couldn’t hear myself think. So, I gave up any hope of tapping into my memory bank about the past few days.

At 10:15 I attended bridge lesson #2. Instructor, Brenda, took a slightly different approach; covering bidding & “points”. This was foreign territory for me; & I soon got lost. I’m back to that “I’m not smart enough for this game” mindset. Man, this stuff is deep. I sure hope my friend, Caroline, gets home from the hospital soon. She’s the only person I know who has offered to help me learn in a “play as you go” setting. Please, Caroline, I need all the help I can get!

I ran into Carolyn & Bill (Wrobichaux) at the photo gallery; & a little later, Keith & Anne Marie (Keith1010). At the elevator, there was Len & Marilyn (Suitedreams), Nicholas & Michael (Paleologos), Tracie (TERR777) & Ricki (Ricki). That made it easy to say one last “goodbye”; & wish everyone a wonderful cruise.

I headed back to the cabin to drop off some things; then I spotted THE LETTER! My Customs form was accompanied by a letter stating that I had to present myself to Customs & Border Patrol at 8 in the morning in the Bridge Lounge. And here’s the killer……. “You will need to disembark immediately after this inspection due to CBP regulations. Be sure to have all your hand luggage & other items as you will be ESCORTED STRAIGHT FROM THE INSPECTION TO THE GANGWAY”. Party’s over!

This is contradictory to what I was told by the LA office 2 months ago when I inquired about what time to request my car service pick up (9:30 am). I got nowhere at Reception. As sympathetic as he was, the blame is on CBP & not Crystal. On the upside, I have until 7:30 am to get my luggage out in the hallway for pick up.


I headed up to the Lido for some lunch. It was very crowded (a few eating alfresco all the way aft). I had to circle twice to find a place to sit. There was an empty seat at the table w/ Debby & Ernie; Pauline (my tablemate from the last segment) & Philip. So, I enjoyed some lively table conversation & a very nice Asian lunch. I also got to say a quick “goodbye” to Brian (Beav) & the guest pianist, Kyle Esplin as they passed by the table with their plates.


I got a tiny taste of just about everything. Orange chicken & that luscious stir fried garlic eggplant I love so much. Sautéed shrimp in dragon sauce; a few pieces of sushi; pot stickers & shrimp “purses” with soy dipping sauce. Steamed bok choy, BBQ spare ribs, stir fried pork with lychee & hearts of palm. Debby had a dessert that resembled (as Philip would say) ‘buh-non-nah’s foster; that smelled luscious. But I was way past stuffed.

I made a quick stop at reception to check my onboard account. Looks like I’m going to forfeit $6.03 of onboard credit. I made deposit toward a future booking ($100); but that cannot be paid for out of my shipboard credit & must be paid for by my credit card. So, I walk away owing Crystal $100. When I came back to the cabin to fill out my custom’s form, I realized that I had not bought one single, solitary thing. How suspicious does that look……a woman re-entering the US after 17 days, & she didn’t buy anything? I decided to put down an odd amount anyway, $55. If they were to hassle me so early in the morning, I’m liable to get ugly. After all, they are FORCING me to leave at such an un-Godly hour.

I looked at the nice freshly made bed…….should I pull out the suitcases or lay down? I went the more peaceful route. An hour later, I woke up with sun beaming through my window. It was a very nice day at sea. A few swells, nice rocking motion, temps in the 60’s. Time for one more trip to the Bistro (they won’t be open when I leave in the morning). I sat & drank a hot chocolate; hoping to say goodbye to Ioannis. But he’s hard at work somewhere.

Putting off the packing a little longer, I went back to the computer work (determined to eat up these last few hours of internet that I’ve paid for). I realized I was making excuses for not packing. And if I waited till bedtime to do it, my adrenalin would be pumping; & I’d never go to sleep. So, I piled the suitcases on top of the bed. Not watching the time, I realized I needed to be dressed for dinner in 45 mins. Semi-formal night; & I wasn’t sure if anyone would be at my table.

I stopped by the table where Philip, Michael, Nicholas, Debby & Ernie are sitting. Ernie wasn’t feeling well; & wasn’t there. They invited me to eat with them if no one showed up at my table. But I looked over; & saw that my table was almost full. I got a quick table shot of the CC folks; & said my goodbyes to them.


I thought I had heard a few people say they were dining elsewhere tonight; so it really surprised me that everyone was there. Even Fran was there. I’m so glad, because I finally had a chance to sit next to her & catch up. Lucky Fran, she’s going to stay onboard through the Christmas Holidays.

Not one of the best menus in my opinion tonight. But of course, I didn’t go away hungry. I started with a salad of assorted greens with grapes, cherry tomatoes & garlic crostini drizzled with sherry-walnut vinaigrette. For my main course I had the pan seared scallops with an orange butter sauce, along with fennel puree & angel hair pasta with oven dried tomatoes. For dessert I had a sampling of 3 mild, soft cheeses; but someone forgot my chutney (a very rare thing to happen on Crystal).


I had to get a photo with Adem & Davor, who had provided me with awesome table service the past 17 days. Then quick goodbyes all around the table. Leaving the D.R. about 10:45, I saw Ioannis sitting in the Crystal Cove; & I went over for one last hug from the “Greek Chief”. Such a delightful, gracious man. I’m so glad that it’s his turn this year to spend Christmas at home with his family.


Thank God we get to run the clocks back one hour tonight (daylight savings time ends). The bed is completely covered with piles of clothes, shoes & the open luggage. I guess you can tell where my priorities are…..here I sit at the computer, not wasting a minute of internet time. I have until 7:30 in the morning to get my luggage out in the hallway. But I’m going to cram everything in just before I lay down.
So, folks, unless something really drastic happens tomorrow…….I will end my story here. I’ll leave all my new friends behind to continue on their Panama Canal adventure. My life has been made richer by these new friends & the experiences that we have shared. And I salute the fine staff & crew of Symphony. They won me over with their grace, friendly smiles & outstanding service. I still love the Serenity. As long as it’s Crystal……..it’s always a “wonderful world”!

Tuesday

November 5, 2010
Charleston, SC

I slept very well; & was excited to get off & explore Charleston. Everyone knows the town is rich in history; but what I was most interested in was the genteel, charm & epicurean delights that it has to offer. I had done my research; & I wanted to see how SC “Southerner’s” cooking compared to the TN version.



For the first time this entire cruise I turned on the “morning show” that the cruise director tapes in the very early hours. I found myself laughing out loud at some of Paul McFarland’s antics. I had no idea that all this time, he was doing a weather segment (including maps & moving radar). He & the Asst. C.D. chit chat about the day’s port; their personal experiences in travel; showing hilarious clips of anything & everything. When I met him at the first C.C. cocktail party, he was fun. But I had no clue just how ‘wacky’ he really is.  Paul mentioned that he served on the USS Yorktown; & was planning to go over to Patriot's Point to visit  the ship today.


I went down to the Bistro about 10 for some capp’o & fruit. I saw Fran, who had already been off & back on. She said it was very cold out there. So, I thought it best to wait until noonish; & maybe it would be warmer. So, I did my “work” in the Bistro watching the comings & goings. Saw no sign of any CC people; I guess they were off & running earlier than me (no surprise there).


About 11:30, I couldn’t wait any longer. I had on short sleeves; & carried a sweater. It was too warm with the sweater on; but a little chilly without it. The more I walked the warmer I got. I think it made it into the low 60’s; & it was beautifully sunny. I had no map; not knowing where I was going. I just followed the steady flow of people. I found myself by the old market; & decided to sit & make a few phone calls.


While I was checking in with everyone, I learned a neighbor/good friend had been taken away in an ambulance last night. No one seemed to know what happened. Not surprising considering everyone looks to me for info when I’m at home. I’m the Secretary of the Homeowner’s Association; & the one everyone calls with questions or when they need something. And the person who was “afflicted” is the President of the Assoc. (the next person everyone goes to for help). Note to self: implement a telephone chain when I get home.


I watched all the horse drawn carriages go by; & I thought that would be an interesting way to get the lay of the land. I was headed to the carriage “barn”; & a lovely young woman stopped me to ask if I was interested in the tour. She had one seat available ($20) on a carriage that was departing NOW. Nice surprise, since it appeared that there was a 45 min. wait back at the “barn”. I hopped on.  Our guide’s name was Adam; & he was hilarious. And he kept the 11 of us entertained with his funny stories intermingled with historical facts. We started our ride on Church St, then making a big square down Broad St, to S. Battery St & back to Church St. Adam pointed out some beautiful churches & public buildings.






The beautiful homes are large, colorful & appear awfully close together. All have verandahs (even on the 2nd floor) that sometimes face other houses. Made me wonder if, at one time, they had uninterrupted views to the ocean until their neighbors came & built a house in front of them. Nothing like having your morning coffee on the verandah; & you’re peering down into your neighbor’s dining room.



There were still some flowering shrubs in bloom; & for some reason the palm trees looked out of place. A lot of the houses have intricate wrought iron fences & gates. Since the city closely regulates exactly what routes the carriage drivers take, I got lucky that mine made the loop by the gorgeous “mansions” along S. Battery St. that overlook White Point Gardens & the ocean beyond.




In order to minimize & spread out the carriage traffic, the city dictates what route each driver makes. It’s sort of like the lottery, the driver doesn’t know where he’s going until he pulls up to the booth & is handed a route #.


As we made our way back to the “barn” we passed Chalmers St, which happens to be the longest cobblestone street left in the U.S. When the tour ended about an hour later, Adam gave me directions for getting to Jestine’s Kitchen. The distance from the ship to Jestine’s is just under a mile each way; & I was grateful that it was cool enough or else I wouldn’t have been able to survive the trek. I arrived about 1:30; & the line wasn’t too long. I’ve been told sometimes the line goes around the block.


During the 30 min. wait, I realized that the person standing behind me in line was Kyle Esplin (the pianist who had the Crystal Cove rocking after the NY sailaway a few days earlier). He reminds me of the actor, John Corbett, from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” & “Northern Exposure” a while back. He was with another couple from the area that he had worked with before on Princess Cruises. This was Kyle’s first contract with Crystal; & he’s very talented. They were very nice to chat with while we waited in line.




When I finally got seated, I was drooling just reading the menu. It’s kinda of a dive with waitresses that had probably worked there forever. I had a chance to talk with the owner, a lovely lady named Dana Berlin. She opened the restaurant using the recipes of & to honor Jestine Matthews, who was her family’s housekeeper when she was growing up. Jestine died in 1997 at the age of 112. You can tell the food coming from the kitchen is made with love. I have to admit that a few things were not seasoned during the cooking process in the same way TN country cooking is done. But everything I tried was pretty authentic. I ate way too much there at lunchtime; & ended up bringing home other things to have for dinner.


I had the fried chicken plate with collard greens, mac & cheese, fried green tomatoes & a bowl of cucumbers in sweetened vinegar. The fried green tomatoes were good; but they came with an unusual green pepper relish instead of the usual dipping sauce. The fried chicken was a little overbrowned (& I’m more used to double breading); but the breading/coating had a nice little spice to it. The mac & cheese was excellent, as was the pickled cucumbers. I tried the pineapple bread pudding for dessert. It was a little dry, could have used a little more of the accompanying vanilla sauce.

I was so stuffed; I wasn’t sure I’d make it back to the ship on foot. Now late afternoon it was getting a little cool outside. I was really worn out when I got “home”. I took a short nap; & then got to work on the computer. Mag came in to fuss at me for keeping the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door all day. I didn’t really need anything; didn’t care if the bed was made (I just crawled back in it after my afternoon outing anyway). I figured the only way to keep her out of there was to leave the sign up. If I didn’t she’d hang around in the hall all day waiting for me to leave, even though it might be hours after her shift is supposed to end. I told her I was staying in tonight; & that I had carry out food from Jestine’s for my dinner. She even offered to take it to the crew mess to heat it up for me in the microwave. (Certainly wasn’t going to let her do that.) BUT, there was one thing on the D.R. menu that held great appeal to me…..caramelized garlic soup with king crab meat.


I asked her to bring it about 9; which she did. That soup was divine, as are all of Crystal’s cream soups. What I brought home from Jestine’s was fried okra (very good), corn fritters (not so good), lima beans (excellently seasoned), gumbo (not so good) & their famous coca cola cake (orgasmic)! I actually left a little of that to have for breakfast in the morning.

I wanted a break from the computer; so I got in the bed to read. We didn’t set sail from Charleston until 11 pm. By the time we made it out of the harbor & into the Gulf Stream, I was being slowly rocked to sleep. Don’t remember much after that.

November 4, 2010
At sea-en route to Charleston, SC

It’s a luxury to have another sea day onboard the beautiful Symphony. The ship really started pitching & rolling early this morning; so much so that it woke me up about 7:15. I peeped out the drapes to see very grey skies; but the sea did not look rough at all. Back to bed, I just laid there smiling to myself. Lounging around, enjoying the rocking. Before I knew it I was fast asleep again. It startled me when I awoke; & saw that it was 9:45 already. I intended to take the beginner’s bridge class over again at 10:15. I had to scurry to the Bistro for some fruit & capp’o. A lovely lady walked up to me (my apologies for forgetting her name), recognizing my photo from the blog; telling me how much she had enjoyed reading about 0225. We were chatting when the Chief walked up to say good morning. She turned to him & said, “Oh, you must be the Greek Chief”. He looked puzzled, until I jokingly told him that I’d made him “famous” on my blog. She’s traveling with her Greek family; & wanted to introduce herself to him. He promises to be at dinner tonight. I told him that our new table was an “interesting mix”.

There were at last 6 tables at bridge. Brenda is still the instructor; but with a new helper, Eileen. Knowing that they will have 9 sea days/9 lessons to learn the game this cruise, makes me very jealous. She mixed it up a bit today. We learned basically the same things she taught on day one before; but in a different manner. She actually let us play several hands (without bidding) just to get a feel for reading the cards. I liked this approach better.

I then went down to the reception desk to turn in some paperwork; & to stop & see the cruise consultant. I wanted to set up an open booking; but there were quite a few people waiting to talk with her. I grabbed one of the “self service” forms; & just handed it to her when she stood up to call the next person. Not a problem, they will process it later; & leave a confirmation letter in my “mail box”.

About 1 pm, I went up to the Lido buffet to get some lunch. The place was pretty busy. I created a small mixed salad; had half a reuben sandwich; a few of those luscious meatballs with dragon sauce; a few onion rings; a few boiled shrimp; & some fried calamari. I got some brie, dates & mango chutney (which I brought back to the cabin for dessert later). Ernie stopped by my table when he came through on his way to play bridge.


At 1:30, I attended a thought provoking lecture given by Ambassador Ed Peck (“The Shock of Other Cultures…..Especially Yours”). Mr. Peck has been our Ambassador to many countries. He’s served on terrorism task forces, on the Joint Chiefs of Staff & at the Pentagon. He’s had a chance to observe & compare cultural differences from around the world. Although I wouldn’t attempt here to point out “our” differences; let’s just say that in America, we interpret “things” in a much more radical & “in our face” manner.

During the early afternoon, the weather took a change for the worse. Dark skies; squall lines on the horizon; & then a blinding rain started to fall. The wind was blowing the white caps; & they put ropes across the doors to discourage anyone from going out on the promenade deck. This type of sea day was tailor made for some reading & relaxation. And that’s about as much as I managed to do until dinner time.

I had a scheduling conflict this morning during bridge. I wanted to go to a lecture by Ken Rees; so I was lucky to catch it replayed on TV this afternoon. Ken Rees is an award winning journalist for Britain’s ITN news agency. This talk was entitled “A Million Miles & A Thousand Stories”. He shared countless stories of his years covering politics, wars, space travel disasters & the British royals (always a fascinating subject to me). I’ve heard his lectures on Crystal before; & he’s always informative & entertaining.

I read a little while & then drifted off again. If there were a way to “bottle” this vibrating/rolling motion, I’d make a MINT! It’s better than a mojito; much better than a good massage……it’s more like a drug, a highly ADDICTIVE DRUG!

I was dreaming about hot chocolate; but realized that by the time I turned on the light to look at the clock, it was almost 6 pm. Horror of all horrors, the Bistro was closed.

Tonight was the first formal night of this segment of the cruise. This would be my last evening to dine with Ioannis. I was full of anticipation to see who the rest of my table mates would be. I knew a Naples friend, Fran B., had come onboard in NY; & I hadn’t run into her yet. So I stopped to ask the M’D (Norbert) if he knew where Fran would be dining. He said, “yes” (very somberly). So, I asked if it was possible to tell me where she was so I could say hello. He said, “yes”. Then he broke into a grin; & said “she’s at your table”. At first I thought he wasn’t going to tell me; then realized he was yankin’ my chain.



So, I was tickled to death when she arrived. She’s always the life of the party. Our table of 10 was complete tonight with the addition of 2 couples, who I didn’t get to meet night #1 (Rita & Cyril, Lynn & Ed). I was lucky to be seated next to Ioannis tonight; & he worked his magic, encouraging everyone to interact across this huge table. As usual, the Chief treated everyone to his favorite white & red wines. He & I reminisced about last year’s cruise when Fran came to dinner with a jeweled evening purse that looked like a parrot. We had so much fun taking pictures with that purse perched on the Chief’s shoulder. Tonight, she was carrying a beautiful jeweled purse that looked just like a Siamese cat. Boy, would I love to take a trip through Fran’s closet.

                    Adam takes orders from Joan, Marion & Lynne


And from Ed, Tracie & Ioannis

I loved tonight’s menu. I tried the pate’ de fois gras. The dish was almost too pretty to eat. There was a thin slice of the pate, topped with a gelee made with sauterne wine, garnished with a thin, crisp wafer & a single orchid. It was served with warm brioche.


Continuing the pasta appetizer theme, I had to try a sampling of tonight’s pasta special tossed with roasted squash, tomatoes, pancetta, garlic & king crab. It was simply luscious.

                     
                                 Cyril, Rita & Fran catching up

For my main course I had the chateaubriand (rare) with steamed veggies & chive-truffle risotto. I was hoping they would serve the champagne risotto that I’ve fallen in love with in the past. But this version was equally delicious. (I think I could survive a whole cruise eating nothing but their cream soups & risotto.) I let Adem choose some cheese for my dessert.




         I just had to get a shot of Fran, Ioannis & myself; like old times.


By the time we left the D.R. it was getting close to 11. Everyone went their separate ways. When I returned I found a letter from Mag on my bed. I realized that I hadn’t seen her all day; & she wanted to say “hello” & wish me “pleasant dreams”. Without a doubt, she is the sweetest, most attentive cabin stewardess I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. It will be hard to say goodbye to her in a few days. I opted to read a while before going to sleep. I’m probably not going to catch up on the blog before I disembark, so I’m not going to knock myself out trying. So ends another perfectly beautiful “Crystal day”.