At Sea - November 04, 2012

In the early part of the 17th Century, Henry Hudson set sail from Holland in a tiny ship called “de Halve Maen.” His long voyage across the Atlantic heralded the beginning of Dutch exploration and settlements in the New World. During the century’s great era of Trans-Atlantic elegance, Holland America’s beloved Nieuw Amsterdam II (1938-1973) came to represent all the luxury, magnificence and splendor of that time. Holland America’s emblem shows the famous flagship alongside “de Halve Maen”. Together, these two ships symbolize the centuries old seafaring tradition of the Dutch and the long-standing friendship between Holland and America. Holland America’s most recent ship added to the fleet is the new Nieuw Amsterdam completed in 2010. She is 935 feet in length and has width or beam of 106 feet, powered by 6 diesel generators punching out a total power of 86,000 HP. She is propelled by 2 ABB Azipods for a total power of 48,000 HP. Fuel consumption on average is 33,500 gallons per day. Total guest capacity is 2,106 with a crew of 888. We are in some rough water today with the tops of the swell as high our window (one of the reasons we love this deck - really get the feeling of being right on the water). Cloudy with a but of rain but very warm, about 22 degrees. A relaxing sea day which included a collectors voyage cocktail party by the Lido pool. Posting was a little later than usual tonight as a result of a couple of seven different types of alcohol drinks called Wang Wangs. Pictures include Jan with our cruise director David Shea.

Funchal, Madeira Islands - November 03, 2012

Look just north of Tenerife on the map of the Canary Islands and you’ll find the year-round resort of Madeira. Settlement first began on Portugal’s archipelago in the 15th century during the Age of Exploration. Funchal is the capital of the Madeira islands which are an autonomous region of Portugal. The city is located in the southern shore of the Madeira on the archipelago’s largest island on Funchal Bay. The industries include sugar and flour milling, wine production, fruit canning and the manufacturing of tobacco products and soap. Fish, fruit and the famous Madeira wines as well as embroideries and laces are exported as well. Ships from the times of early exploration through to today visit the Madeira islands as a replenishment port as they make their way to the Americas. Modern day visits at this port are mainly made to break up this long crossing to North America. Our visit here today was under a shroud of cloud that brought with it intermittent showers causing us a bit of change of plans today but overall we still had an excellent day. We took the cable car up to the 1800 foot above sea level to the town of Monte and this is where our plans changed, we could not see 20 feet in front of us due to being in the clouds (literally). I am sure this is very nice place to visit but as it very windy and wet we quickly looked for our way down, which for was not by the cable car but by the traditional basket sledges which back to the early 19th century. Back in the day they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal. The toboggans are driven by two runners, dressed in white and wearing the typical hats known as straw boaters. The trip down is about 2 kilometers long and speeds can reach up to 48 klms per hour and was just thrilling - great fun. Back to Funchal we went to local city market for photo ops, and then to the local Saturday street market. Back on board by 4pm for the wine and cheese sail away party. We had a very nice day here in Funchal. Now back at sea looking forward to our 7 day crossing. We will still be providing daily updates featuring different areas of the ship.

Sea Day - November 02, 2012

Ah, a sea day to recharge the batteries. Overcast most of the day but a nice 21 degrees so great for doing laps around the deck. Great day, ending with a formal night and an excellent Showroom production. Tomorrow we are in Funchal, in the Madeira Islands.

Lisbon, Portugal - November 01, 2012

Knock on wood, still so very lucky with the weather, a beautiful day as we slowly glided into and up the Tagus River to our next port of call Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Lisbon is located on a string of hills and the city is filled with wide boulevards, black and white mosaic tiled sidewalks and Art Nouveau houses that are face with beautiful tiles. It is a small city as far as capital cities go with a population of about 1 million (greater Lisbon adds about another 2 million to this number). Much of the city was destroyed in 1755 by an earthquake and tidal wave, The old Moorish quarter of town, the Alfama survived the earthquake largely because it rests on a foundation of dense bedrock. The Alfama is a legacy left over from the Moors who ruled Lisbon during the 8th century. It is a district of narrow winding streets, twisting their way to the castle on top. The castle de Sao Jorge is Moorish in construction and was built on a site of a fortification built in the 5th century by the Visigoths. The castle walls enclose an Arabian palace and a small village used by artists and crafts people and was the main focus of our visit to this city this time around. We were here before for an overnight with a land tour but the weather then was not the best so our adventures did not extend too far. Today we walked off the ship and used the local tram system, now they say this system is easy to use but having just used it, it is really only easy to use once you have actually used it, enough said it all got figured out and it was a very enjoyable way to sightsee through the city. Another quick note on the trams we used, they are turn of the century trams and not the 21 century, these trams date back to the early 1900’s, so they are full of old wood and rattle away up and down these very narrow streets, wonderful. For those familiar with Lisbon, yes we did stop at a local cafe and had one of the delicious pastel de nata - a small custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon, a must if visiting here - decadent and delicious. Tram number 12 dropped us off close to the Castle, magnificent. The rest of the day we wandered getting back to ship for a late dinner. Another great day, we hope you enjoy the pictures we selected today. Tomorrow another day at sea, excellent.