Live from the 2020 Grand World Voyage

[cat shepard]

Great pics, Kathi! Love the comment about zip lining.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Kathi, enjoyed your report! Hope you find some great yarn shops in Buenos Aires !

Your cold soup sounds yummy! I sure hope they bring them back on the other HAL ships👍
Denise😊

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great report.

 

So many people love the chilled soups.

 

Getting ready to do the trivia questions.

 

Great picture of you!!

[Scrapnana]

January 18, 2020

 

At Sea

I worked on my Linus blanket trim before going to bed last night.  I was doing the crab stitch (for the crocheters out there) and when I was finished about three-quarters around, I decided I didn’t like the look so I ripped it out and decided to do a plain single crochet to finish the edge.  I did that during our Sit and Stitch this morning and was much happier with it.  We had a young lady (Alina) join us.  She is a guest of one of the young officers and will be with us until early February.  She is from Belem, Brazil and has just learned to crochet and is working on a Linus blanket.

 

After finishing my blanket, I went down to the Explorer’s Lounge to turn it in and get some yarn for the next one.  There were at least 25 people there making blankets.

 

All six of us were present for trivia.  We seemed to have had our peak at the start of the cruise and have been doing fair to middling since.  Today was no exception.  We had 7 out of 15 and three teams tied for the win with 10.

1.Where would you find a “crossbuck”?

2.What is “pub” short for?

3.Culrophobia is the fear of what?

4.How deep is a fathom in feet?

5.On what island is King Arthur buried?

6.Who is the Roman god of fire?

7.How old is the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio – 98 years, 72 years, 104 years?

 

After trivia I returned to my cabin to sort the yarn for the Linus blanket.  I had decided to get small balls of yarn and do one of the “stash buster” patterns I have done before.  I also used a random stripe generator to determine how many rows of each color to use and where to put them.  I also used my ball winder (doesn’t everyone travel with one???) to make “cakes” out of some of the yarn that was in skeins.

 

I arrived a little later to lunch than usual (1:15 instead of 1:00) and found few places to sit in the section used for arts & crafts.  Luckily, Kathy and Mike were finishing their lunch and let me have their table.

 

We made a birthday card in arts & crafts.  After Rio we will have a number of jewelry projects.

 

I changed for dinner before going to trivia because my travel agency was having a cocktail party.  In the past they had two – on for early sitting and one for main – but they combined them and held it in the Mainstage this year. 

Trivia was one of the strangest I have played.  Usually there are a number of questions where at least one person in the team is fairly confident they know the answer.  Today there was only one question we were confident on.  Sherita was at the cocktail party and Marilyn had to leave early for Mass (Margaret never plays in the afternoon) so we invited Ruth, Cathy, and Bruce to join us.  We ended up with 10 out of 17 and were please we got that many right but the winners had 14.

1.In 1865, which city had the first pay toilets?

2.What unit was designed to be 1/40millionith of the Earth’s circumference?

3.Which European republic is encircled with a 900-mile ring road?

4.What does “pdf” stand for?

5.Where is the highest point in China?

6.In 1933, what activity that involves dancing was banned in the U.S.?

7.Valentina Tereshkova became famous for doing what?

 

The cocktail party was winding down when I got there at about 5:15 (it ran from 4:30-5:30).  I did get a chance to talk with Stephanie and Linc with whom I ate for half the 2018 world cruise.

 

After the party I still had over two hours before dinner so I worked some on the blog and started my next Linus blanket.

The usual four were present for dinner.  Billy (our dining room steward) keeps us laughing throughout the meal.

 

I skipped the show because I needed to finish the blog, go through e-mail (tons and tons of junk), and then go to bed early because I need to be off the ship by 8:30 a.m.  I have a ten-hour tour tomorrow so don’t be surprised if my post for tomorrow is delayed.

 

Morning trivia

 

1.railroad

2.Public House

3.clowns

4.6 feet

5.Avalon

6.Vulcan

7.98 years

 

Afternoon trivia

 

1.London

2.meter

3.Iceland

4.portable document format

5.Mt. Everest (evidently part of Mount Everest’s peak is above Chinese land even though the base is not)

6.marathon dancing

7.first woman in space

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[puppycanducruise]

Interesting trivia questions.

How many Linus blankets will you knit?  It's wonderful that you do this.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The trivia questions are getting very hard.  But we enjoy them.

 

Please post a picture of your Linus blanket.

 

Enjoy your excursion.

[travelnap]

Sorry Kathi, I am back to being a trivia loser again.  Well I was smart for one day anyway.  Hope you are enjoying your voyage.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Kathi, the photo of you with your dining steward at the Gala Night dinner is absolutely beautiful. A keeper for sure! Sounds like a fabulous cruise so far-happy sailing.

[St Pete Cruiser]

1 hour ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

Kathi, the photo of you with your dining steward at the Gala Night dinner is absolutely beautiful. A keeper for sure! Sounds like a fabulous cruise so far-happy sailing.

Yes, I agree.  Do the MDR wear the gold vests and ties every Gala night?  

[DeeniEncinitas]

Kathi the picture of you was stunning! WOW.

Now with Trivia😳 They are soooooo

hard now’ I got 1 right!! 😞 sad.

Have a wonderful time 

Denise😊

[Scrapnana]

January 19, 2020

 

Rio de Janeiro

 

My first excursion of the cruise was to Persepolis.  It is about 40 miles outside of Rio.  The royal family of Portugal moved its court to Brazil in the early 1800s.  In 1821, Joao VI became King and moved back to Portugal leaving his son, Pedro I, in charge in Brazil.  Pedro I, sided with the rebels and became Emperor of the Republic of Brazil in 1822.  His son, Pedro II, became the last emperor of Brazil and the Brazilian monarchy was abolished in 1889.  It was Pedro II who built the Summer Palace in Petropolis that his father had envisioned.

 

Our tour started at 9 am when we met outside the terminal.  The drive took a little bit over an hour and our first stop was at Palácio Quitandinha.  It was built in the early 1940s as a casino/hotel.  The interior designer, Dorothy Draper, designed the interior.  Many famous people have stayed there including Carmen Miranda, Bing Crosby, and Eva Peron.  The casino closed in the 40s and the hotel in the 60s after which it became condos and is now a major tourist attraction in Persepolis.

 

After our visit, we ate on the side of the man-made lake (in the shape of Brazil) beside Palácio Quitandinha.  It was a churrascaria (steak house) and we had numerous side dishes as well as different meats.

 

We then went to the Imperial Museum of Brazil housed in the Summer Palace of Emperor Pedro II.  We toured through the various rooms but photography was prohibited. 

 

Short stops were made at The Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcantara and the Crystal Palace (that was neither crystal nor a palace).  Our final stop was at the Cervejeria Bohemia Brewery, which was the first one in Brazil.  We had a tour of the brewery and tasted three different beers.

 

We arrived in Rio at about 6:50. I had dinner in the Lido where they were having a “Gaucho Dinner”.  Music trivia was at 8:30 and I joined a team (there were only three teams).  Afterwards I spent some time out on the deck looking at the lights of Rio. 

 

As I have been typing up today’s blog, I have been watching/listening to the movie “Judy” playing on the TV.  What a sad story.

 

We have another day in Rio and I have nothing planned.

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[Scrapnana]

10 hours ago, travelnap said:

Sorry Kathi, I am back to being a trivia loser again.  Well I was smart for one day anyway.  Hope you are enjoying your voyage.

 

7 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

Kathi the picture of you was stunning! WOW.

Now with Trivia😳 They are soooooo

hard now’ I got 1 right!! 😞 sad.

Have a wonderful time 

Denise😊

Trivia has been really hard lately for most of us!☹️

[Scrapnana]

9 hours ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

Kathi, the photo of you with your dining steward at the Gala Night dinner is absolutely beautiful. A keeper for sure! Sounds like a fabulous cruise so far-happy sailing.

Thanks!  We sure could use your expertise at trivia!

[Scrapnana]

8 hours ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Yes, I agree.  Do the MDR wear the gold vests and ties every Gala night?  

No, those were special for that night.  They will have different uniforms usually on every gala night and also on theme nights.  Stay tuned!

[Scrapnana]

16 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

The trivia questions are getting very hard.  But we enjoy them.

 

Please post a picture of your Linus blanket.

 

Enjoy your excursion.

This is the one I have finished onboard.  I will post a picture of the six I made at home and brought with me next time I am on my iPad.

[Krazy Kruizers]

6 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

This is the one I have finished onboard.  I will post a picture of the six I made at home and brought with me next time I am on my iPad.

 

Thank you for the picture.

 

The Linus blanket is beautiful.  There was a time when I crocheted blankets.  Hands and fingers won't let me do anything like that any more.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like your excursion was a winner.

 

Wonderful pictures.  No -- I have never seen mouthwash and/or toothpaste in a bathroom of any restaurant.  Who carries a toothbrush with them?

[kazu]

9 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

This is the one I have finished onboard.  I will post a picture of the six I made at home and brought with me next time I am on my iPad.

 

Very pretty, Kathi!

[DeeniEncinitas]

3 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Sounds like your excursion was a winner.

 

Wonderful pictures.  No -- I have never seen mouthwash and/or toothpaste in a bathroom of any restaurant.  Who carries a toothbrush with them?

Oh KK!,

I guess I do!,

I retired early about 5 years ago from dentistry and guess what I always carry one with me! 😉 Just habit LOL. I also have never seen that in any restaurant either!

Denise😊

[DeeniEncinitas]

Kathi, 

Your Linus blanket is pretty! I wish I had the patience to do the intricate work!

Glad you had a wonderful time with your excursion and some day I will be looking out in the evening at the lights in Rio!

Just had a friend return from her trip and she loved it there.

Denise😊

[Scrapnana]

Many apologies for changing the name of the place we went yesterday a couple of times.  You all were too nice to point it out.  For the record, it was named “Petropolis”.  I am blaming my mistakes on it being a long day (that’s my story and I am sticking to it).

 

As to the Linus blankets, I hope to finish at least four on board.  I have three inches so far on #2.  I have started crocheting while I wait for my pictures to upload which is going very slowly this year even though I have switched to resizing them to “small” rather than “medium”.

 

Here is a picture of the six blankets I made at home to donate onboard.

 

 

[RuthC]

Your blankets are lovely. What a nice gesture to make them (not to mention, pack them!) 

[Scrapnana]

 

 

 

January 20, 2020

Rio de Janeiro

 

 

My pictures finally all loaded and I was headed to bed when I saw lots of light outside my cabin.  There had also been a series of loud knocks previously and I found out why – we were bunkering.  2:30 am seemed like a strange time but they did not ask my opinion.  I did not fall asleep until after 3 am and I had planned on sleeping until about 11.  At 9:45 there was a crew drill and you would have to be comatose to sleep through those blasts and announcements right above your head.  Reluctantly, I got up and got ready for the day.

 

 

The only thing I had on my agenda was to spend money.  To clarify, I had Brazilian reals left over from last year and I still had not spent them.  You lose a lot if you change them again and I am not sure if the ship would even take them back – hence the need to spend them. 

 

 

There are a few stalls inside the terminal and more outside.  I looked through the inside, went to the outside, walked up and down, and then went back into the terminal.  I still did not find anything that struck my fancy so I went outside again and walked up and down twice more.  I finally found some things to buy – a necklace for me as well as a T-shirt and two gifts.

I returned to the ship around 12:15, changed to my bathing suit, and then went to lunch in the Lido.  I swam for a little over an hour and then finished my book before changing again for trivia.  It was a terribly hard trivia with the winning team having 10 out of 15.  We had 5 correct.  Mary, who I met in 2018, joined our team because Rodney was running.

1.What food item is “Allium Sativum”?

2.Which country is home to the Ashanti people?

3.What individual is notorious for saying, “I am like any other man.  All I do is supply a demand.”?

4.What did Zaire’s name become in 1977?

5.What is the national flower of Mexico?

6.What element is named after the Greek work for “green”?

7.What Canadian dessert is made with a pastry base and brown sugar and raisins?

 

 

It was sail-away time after trivia.  Glenn-Michael (the exc guide) narrated our departure from Rio.  Rio is one of those harbors where it pays to be out on deck.  The weather was much nicer than last year (we had a thunder storm) and I stayed until we had passed Sugar Loaf Mountain and the beautiful beaches (Copacabana and Ipanema).

 

 

Four of us for dinner.  I did not go to the show.  The performer for tonight (Lee Bradley) was not feeling well so they switched to Tim Abel.  I liked his show but needed to get to bed early (for me!) tonight, so I skipped it.

 

 

Two sea days coming up.

 

 

Trivia (we missed all of these and a couple more!)

1.garlic

2.Ghana

3.Al Capone

4.Democratic Republic of Congo

5.dahlia

6.chlorine

7.butter tarts

 

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

1 hour ago, Scrapnana said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 20, 2020

 

Rio de Janeiro

 

 

 

 

My pictures finally all loaded and I was headed to bed when I saw lots of light outside my cabin.  There had also been a series of loud knocks previously and I found out why – we were bunkering.  2:30 am seemed like a strange time but they did not ask my opinion.  I did not fall asleep until after 3 am and I had planned on sleeping until about 11.  At 9:45 there was a crew drill and you would have to be comatose to sleep through those blasts and announcements right above your head.  Reluctantly, I got up and got ready for the day.

 

 

 

 

The only thing I had on my agenda was to spend money.  To clarify, I had Brazilian reals left over from last year and I still had not spent them.  You lose a lot if you change them again and I am not sure if the ship would even take them back – hence the need to spend them. 

 

 

 

 

There are a few stalls inside the terminal and more outside.  I looked through the inside, went to the outside, walked up and down, and then went back into the terminal.  I still did not find anything that struck my fancy so I went outside again and walked up and down twice more.  I finally found some things to buy – a necklace for me as well as a T-shirt and two gifts.

 

 

I returned to the ship around 12:15, changed to my bathing suit, and then went to lunch in the Lido.  I swam for a little over an hour and then finished my book before changing again for trivia.  It was a terribly hard trivia with the winning team having 10 out of 15.  We had 5 correct.  Mary, who I met in 2018, joined our team because Rodney was running.

 

1.What food item is “Allium Sativum”?

 

2.Which country is home to the Ashanti people?

 

3.What individual is notorious for saying, “I am like any other man.  All I do is supply a demand.”?

 

4.What did Zaire’s name become in 1977?

 

5.What is the national flower of Mexico?

 

6.What element is named after the Greek work for “green”?

 

7.What Canadian dessert is made with a pastry base and brown sugar and raisins?

 

 

 

 

It was sail-away time after trivia.  Glenn-Michael (the exc guide) narrated our departure from Rio.  Rio is one of those harbors where it pays to be out on deck.  The weather was much nicer than last year (we had a thunder storm) and I stayed until we had passed Sugar Loaf Mountain and the beautiful beaches (Copacabana and Ipanema).

 

 

 

 

Four of us for dinner.  I did not go to the show.  The performer for tonight (Lee Bradley) was not feeling well so they switched to Tim Abel.  I liked his show but needed to get to bed early (for me!) tonight, so I skipped it.

 

 

 

 

Two sea days coming up.

 

 

 

 

Trivia (we missed all of these and a couple more!)

 

1.garlic

 

2.Ghana

 

3.Al Capone

 

4.Democratic Republic of Congo

 

5.dahlia

 

6.chlorine

 

7.butter tarts

 

 

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Kathi, it gets really hard for trivia! Now you feel our pain LOL! I did not get 1 right!,

I just love your writings.  Hope you sleep well and no more disturbances for a sound sleep!

Denise😊

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I managed to know garlic! Everything else was "huh"? Good luck!!! And your blankets are so pretty and colorful.