kochleffel

It’s also hard to reset the time on cats.

The Oosterdam is a few minutes away from docking at Las Palmas, and the captain announced that the bow would be open on the promenade deck for watching sail-in. I had Roy’s alternative menu on embarkation night, except for wild-mushroom soup instead of the salad. I’m envisioning room service for dinner tonight because I have a webinar at 6:30 p.m. Gran Canaria time.

It was definitely hard to shower yesterday. At dinner last night there was disagreement at the table about whether missing the last ports would affect supplies, although we were thinking about fruit and veg, not eggs. Some passengers said that the ship could be resupplied just as well at Tenerife, but others doubted that replacements for whatever would have been waiting at Lisbon or Funchal could be redirected or replaced in time. I am switching to the Lido for lunch, I think, because there are only about two things on the MDR menu that I would ever order.

The Oosterdam is also turning clocks back tonight, but it’s because the Canary Islands are on GMT.

It is disappointing to miss Cadiz (excursion to Sevilla where there is a place run by my friend Lillas Pastia), Lisbon, and Funchal. I have looked before at itineraries including the Canary Islands but didn’t really want to visit them this year. Last night had a gala dinner menu but it didn’t feel exceptional to me, and the service was exceptional but not in a good way - that is, exceptionally mixed up. One person at our table waited so long for a New York strip steak that I thought they were sending to New York for it. I had lunch today in the PG and it was as good as dinner on embarkation night.

A letter this evening says that Cadiz is because of weather but Lisbon and Funchal because of a pilots’ strike.

Does it count as pier running if you’re on the last shuttle bus from the terminal to the ship? The group was @Vict0riann and Patrick, Tony @sailingdutchy, and me. That we got back to the ship is the good news. The not-good news is that all remaining ports are being skipped. Apparently we’re going to Las Palmas and Tenerife instead.

Despite multiple delays I made it to the train with time to spare. Well, about 15 seconds. As seems to be usual, my seat was occupied, this time by a man who wanted to sit with his wife, but had been assigned a different row. But I l'm not firing on all cylinders. I had class online until 11:55 p.m. and then was too keyed up to sleep. Córdoba

I agree that Taiwan should not be carelessly called China BUT its preferred name in English is Republic of China and for most of my life it insisted that it was the only China. I don’t like the situation but I wouldn’t fault anyone over the name unless I thought it was an intentional provocation, which I believe is highly unlikely here.

You might not like the plan that much. It only counts one glass of wine as fruit; the other two servings have to be actual, fresh or frozen fruit, and it’s only four ounces of wine. A standard pour is five. It’s 3:00 p.m. and I am inexplicably still completely sober. I’m not making proper use of HIA. In other news, the laundry I sent right before dinner was back after lunch today.

@Vict0riann The forecast is for only mild wind tomorrow at Málaga. @Quartzsite Cruiser The nutrition plan I follow at home counts a glass of wine as a serving of fruit.

I had nothing planned for Cartagena except downloading the Navigator app. At Guest Services they used a crew login to download it for me.

I try not to use bad language so I will just say DRAT! We are not going to dock at Cartagena, because worsening weather would prevent leaving this evening.

Notes from the Oosterdam: The shore excursions staff were being sorely tried this afternoon by passengers who wanted to tell them where the excursions should go, instead of signing up for the ones that actually exist. More than one person told me how bad the food on the Oosterdam is. I boarded during the afternoon, so hadn't had any yet. It's not the Rotterdam, so some things just aren't available. On the other hand, both food and service in the PG tonight were outstanding. I didn't remember that my iPad is new since my last HAL cruise, and the Navigator app isn't installed. Therefore I can't connect it to wifi, and because it's not connected to wifi, I can't download the app to it. I think I'll be able to find free wifi on shore in Cartagena tomorrow. One post on another site says that it's available right at the dock.

On board. Easiest boarding process ever. Also no problem getting a taxi in the Ramblas, and the driver saw the HAL tags and knew immediately where I wanted to go.

Rabbit, rabbit, the white rabbit did not help me find a watch - the shop was closed for the holy day. Other shops could have sold me a smart watch or Rolex. Seven of us from the roll call had dinner last night at a restaurant reached by a series of dark alleys. Maybe we'll meet at sail away.

With a late check-in time, I got a slow start this morning. Now finishing breakfast at an outdoor café on the Ramblas. Next: trying to buy a cheap watch to replace one that cost $15 at least that many years ago.

Thanks. I probably won’t be first off the ship, so I have booked a taxi.

In a port call at Malaga, I’ll need to get to the train station for a 9:12 a.m. departure. Do taxis typically meet the ship? Or should I book one in advance (how?).

No line at the Reina Sofia when I went back, but when I was leaving the line was even longer than in the morning. That was because admission is free after 19:00.

Strange thing in the line to enter the Prado: people behind me were becoming enraged because their skip-the-line tickets “weren’t being honored.” The line they were in was for the security check. They got to skip the much longer line to buy tickets.

In the 1960s Mischief Night started to morph into Devil’s Night in Detroit, with arson replacing petty vandalism. It peaked at more than 800 fires one year in the 1980s, then was brought under control by as many as 50,000 volunteers who patrolled in their own cars, using mobile phones and CB radio to report suspicious activity. The Reina Sofia museum is a block from my hotel and this morning the line to enter it reached to the hotel door. I’m going to try to visit it early in the evening. This afternoon, however, I have a timed ticket for the Prado. I spent the morning reading for my class and drinking coffee in the hotel’s rooftop lounge.

@Quartzsite Cruiser What is also surprising is that Moorish style became the preferred architecture for synagogues in the US for a time. Central Synagogue in NYC is a good example, especially the interior tile work.