At Sea - Dec 04, 2011

Well our last day... we say goodbye to another incredible and wonderful adventure.

So sea days and what do we get up to, here is a brief picture and comment summary of the days activities - we have also included some pictures of the great ship.

The clock in the atrium.

 Our room.

 Jan playing some deck games.

 Jan getting herself a double cappuccino.

 The reason why our room looks so great, thanks Yunas.

We rise usually about 7:20 ish and head to the main theatre for Tai Chi. 

Our instructor and class on our last day of practice.

Our smaller class on the last day.

Then we grab a coffee and head to the Wajang theatre for the 9:00 tapping of Good Morning Amsterdam. Interviewed this day were the Hotel Manager and Guest Relations Manager, Henk and Christel Mensink - a wonderful couple with a great story. We can see that their caring philosophy is carried out the entire ship’s staff. We are very fortunate to be in such great hands. Adel the Grand Voyage hostess and Gene Young the Cruise Director host the program.

Then at 9:30 time for a quick breakfast before running off to the 10:00 seminar. We have had excellent speakers during the entire voyage, during this segment we had former Astronaut Tom Jones speaking on space exploration including some great video and photos of his four space shuttle missions.

 Rene cooks up the best eggs and lunch sandwiches.

11:00 is a toss up, either the other speaker on board or taking into a cooking demonstration. There were many excellent guest chefs on board with todays pictured here is the Head Executive Chef Bernie making Dutch Pea Soup.

12:00 is team trivia followed by lunch at about 1:00. Usually another seminar at 2:00 or time to do some reading or go to the gym usually starts with an hour power walk around the promenade deck.

Dessert anyone...

Afternoon reading and then a swim and then get ready for dinner.

9”30 takes us to the Explorers Lounge to listen to the String Quartet, show time in the main theatre at 10:00. Back to the room by 11:00 to read and go to bed. 

Not a bad way to spend the day.

And food glorious food - yesterday at lunch was indeed a culinary celebration as these pictures show only a small part of what was offered from the chefs on board.

Goodbye from Gene the Cruise Director and the Captain and crew.

Tip or Comment of the day. As we are in the throws of packing and document completion we leave you with the pillow card from last night by John Updike.

Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.

There will be a summary in about a week. 

Honolulu, Hawaii - Nov 29, 2011

Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is located on the island of Oahu and is the largest city in Hawaii and also the major port and economic center of the state. The name Honolulu comes from the Hawaiian language, Hono means ‘bay’ and lulu meaning ‘sheltered’ or ‘sheltered harbour’. In Honolulu, old Hawaiian culture is captured in the grand Iolani Palace, America’s only royal palace. The Iolani served as the last seat of the Hawaiian monarchy to King Kalalaua and his successor Queen Liliuokalani. The monarchy was abolished in 1893 when American forces overthrew the Queen-ruler. The Palace has since been used as the capital building for the provisional government of Hawaii, Republic of Hawaii and finally for the State of Hawaii. The population of Honolulu is close to one million residents which is about 80% of Hawaii’s total population.

With mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid twenties we did decide on one more tour here in Honolulu. We had never visited the Pearl Harbour USS Arizona Memorial or the USS Missouri and our ship’s shore excursions tour looked good so we took it all in - a great tour and highly recommend it to anyone visiting here and as usual we wished we had more time to go through the Mighty Mo (USS Missouri). Don’t get me wrong we did have plenty of time an hour plus on our own after the 40 minute formal tour but this battleship is huge and there was just so much to see that you could spend a whole day here. Okay to the pictures.

Good Morning to Honolulu.

 Meet Al Bodenlos - Al was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 13, 1920 and enlisted in the US Army on July 9, 1940. Al was a Bugle Master for the 15 buglers in the 804th Engineer Aviation Battalion at Schofield Barracks here in Hawaii. Early on the morning of December 7th 1941, Al was returning to Pearl Harbour after being sent to Honolulu to purchase some instruments and play at a special concert from the night before, and that is when “all hell was breaking loose”. M.P.’s stopped the shuttle and ordered everyone off and to take cover immediately. This is when Al had learned that the harbour was under attack and the Japanese pilots were shooting any thing moving. Al recalls that the planes were flying so low that you could see the faces of the pilots. They shot at but missed the shuttle by inches, bullets whizzed all around and everyone dove for safety into a nearby ditch. Al was scared and witnessed the horror of the tragedy developing in the harbour. He vividly remembers the USS Arizona blowing up and the USS Oklahoma rolling over as he helplessly watched other ships sink into the harbour floor. Following the war Al spent a couple of years in the Army in Korea and in 1947 was honorably discharged and returned to Ohio. He tried to wipe the war out of his mind, as many veterans try to do, and eventually moved to California where he worked for 34 years. In 1982 AL discovered the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association which helped him to put everything back to light again. Every year, Al travels to Hawaii for one reason, to place flowers at the USS Arizona and USS Utah Memorials. Al sadly admits that he had made friends with members of the USS Arizona band. They became friends because of their musical backgrounds and he never saw them again - they are still on the USS Arizona and are still in his heart. 

 USS Arizona - left as is - with crew - all in their underwater grave.

 Yes, still seeping oil...

 The Battleship USS Missouri - The Mighty Mo!

Built beginning in 1941 and launched in January 1944, 887 feet long, 108 feet wide, carries nine, 16 inch /50 caliber guns with a range of 23 miles; ten 5 inch /38 caliber guns with a range of 9 miles; air defense with four Vulcan Phalanx Weapons Systems and 32 Tomahawk Anti-surface Missiles/Land Attack Missiles and 16 Harpoon Anti-Surface Missiles. It’s final mission was to the 1991 Desert Storm War in Iraq, the USS Missouri was the first battleship to launch a Tomahawk missile.

 On the side of the first set of 16 inch guns is this display showing that it was used in Iraq (the map displayed), that all three guns were used and that 289 rounds were fired.

 It was on the USS Missouri that the surrender documents were signed ending the Second World War. This plaque commemorates this.

 Lawrence Moore Cosgrave signs for Canada.

 This is a great shot and hopefully you can make it out. The cook was out with his camera and caught this picture of a kamikaze pilot’s wing hitting the side of the Missouri. The plane spun around half of which ended in the water while the other half including the now dead pilot on board. The crew were wanting to just toss his body into the ocean but the captain did not allow for this and gave him a proper burial at sea. The captain had a Japanese flag made and draped it over the coffin while the men on board gave him a proper burial - quite a story.

 Jan on the bridge on the Captains chair.

 Some sleeping quarters.

 Jan along side the famous kiss seen around the world.

 Then it was up to the Punchbowl Memorial where the soldiers of war are laid to rest. Incredible site of graves as far as the eye could see. A spectacular rainbow came out on route as well as beautiful vista of Diamond Head.

 Passing by the Iolani Palace and King Kamehameha I

 Honolulu is getting all geared up for Christmas.

 Back on board for our Hawaiian Luau outdoor BBQ followed by a wonderful “Drums of Polynesian Culture Show”

A full and great day !!!

 We say good night from Hawaii

Tip or comment of the day. Comes from our pillow card last night by Francis Bacon. 

If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other islands, but a continent that joins to them.