Friday, October 17 - Santa Cruz de Tenerife

 I skipped dinner last night (a 9 course lunch will do that) and headed to see the show "Persephone".  There was a long line and then I learned that there are no seats for the show.  I considered if I wanted to stand in a crowd of people for over an hour and decided no.  As I was walking away, I ran into two couples I'd met at dinner.  After a brief confab, two of us headed to trivia while the other three opted to see the show.

After trivia and the show we hung out for an hour or so, then I headed to bed.  But on the way, I realized I could watch the show from the level about the main stage.  Great costumes, singing and dancing, along with silk aerials but I'm glad I wasn't downstairs standing in the middle of it all.

Shockingly, I was up past midnight and slept in until 7:30 this morning.  We have five time changes coming in the next week, so it will be interesting what time I'm waking up by the time we get to Miami.

I wanted to do a helicopter tour here but it was sold out, which saved me a LOT of money.  I don't like lining up for busses just to get out of Port, so have decided to stay on board.

Photos!

We'd just docked when I got up.  Not a bad view to wake up to.

The P&O ship Azura is docked next to you.  3,500 passengers.

Tenerife is surprisingly (to me) hilly.  It would have been a spectacular helicopter ride.  

Views from my balcony while docked.

Someone kayaking?

Can you see how far out/tiny the kayaker is?

I've been going wild at breakfast.  Another take-out dish of overnight oatmeal with fruit and cashews.  Delicious.

I thought it was a drill.  The Captain announced "man overboard" on the port side, while docked. Shortly after, I watched them store the boat used.  While I was taking this photo a couple from Atlanta stopped by and said it wasn't a drill but had no details.  Workers have been cleaning the balconeys and outside of the ship.  It could have been one of them, or who knows.  I hope it was just a drill.    

I'm proud to say I've exceeded my step goals every day by just walking around the ship.  This is the pool on a port day.  Guaranteed it will be packed for the next 8 sea days.

The Galley is also much more pleasant when most passengers are off the ship.

Another view of the quiet Galley.  I did notice a group of visitors having lunch.  I'm assuming travel agents doing a tour while we're in port.

I misspoke about the other ships in port.  There are 3 - this is the P&O ship.  I think the other was Costa but never did see the name.

Views of Santa Cruz from the ship.

Lunch was Shrimp Pad Thai from the Galley.  I ate the two shrimp.  I left the rest.  Noodles weren't cooked enough and flavor was "meh".  But the view was great and the weather was perfect.  

Mariners - why do ships have this big bulge at the front?  

Mr. Olsen does a booming business with his ferries.

The pad Thai was not good so I grabbed some trail mix.  Can't go wrong with nuts.  This was the first time they've been available.

Why I didn't get off the ship.  These folks were waiting for the bus.  Then they got on the bus and waited for more passengers.  Then drove to the dock entrance and had to take a short walk into town, then reverse the process.  At least it wasn't tendering.

I didn't get the Michelin star meal I hoped for, or the helicopter ride.  Instead, I had a lovely, quiet day.  And saved a bunch of $.

I finally crawled out of the hammock because I decided a mid-afternoon ice cream cone would be good.  I've never tried their ice cream and didn't today because of the line.

I LOVE this shirt.

I love this one too, and need it!  Here's an example of socializing on the ship and why it is easy to travel alone.  This guy came to find his wife who was doing a jigsaw puzzle at the table next to where I was playing cards with folks I met at dinner the other night.  We all started talking and he actually went to his cabin to get his Stud Muffin shirt so I could take a photo.  

This is Bill.  He's married to Nancy.  She and I have a lot in common, we discovered.  Including our names, our fathers' names and we both have a single allergy - and it's the same one.  We also love playing cards and games.

The card playing table in one of the bars.  That's Jack on the left - he's married to RayAnn.  They've 40 year friends, colleagues and travel buddies with Nancy and Bill.  A very friendly, fun and welcoming foursome.

Ah, lounge chairs for those of us who don't love day beds.

I've never seen a Chihuahua service dog on board but there is one.  I've also never seen a service dog that jumps on strangers but that one does.  There are a number of service dogs on board and this is where they do their business on deck 6.  I miss Buddy and he's a very good boy and loves people but nope.

A small reminder that under the fancy decor is an actual working ship.

A view as we were departing.

Free champagne!  I hear it was warm and bad.  

Roland- there were what looked like tiny sunfish all over before sunset as the winds picked up a bit.

We were scheduled to sail away at 5.  At 5:30 I was on the balcony and saw an ambulance with lights flashing arrive.  And police.  They took a passenger away in the ambulance.  Someone told me they'd seen an elderly man in a wheel chair taken away in an ambulance earlier.

More about the food situation later, but dinner was prime rib with a view.  The meat was tasty.  The potatoes were oily and the corn was not good. The view was the best part of the meal.

3 of the little sailboats were towed in by a power boat.  What's up with that?

I'm guessing an oil tanker?  Clearly empty.  And covered with rust.

We didn't depart until after 6 pm.  We just pushed sideways off the dock, then took a slight turn out into the Atlantic.

The Canary Islands, from what I've read, are a warm vacation spot for Europe, much like the Caribbean islands are to the US.  Las Palmas, and the little I saw of Tenerife are similar to mainland Spain in terms of culture. shopping, etc.  But with a Canarian charm.

Dessert!  A macaron and a chocolate thingy that bore a striking resemblance to the puffed wheat bars I've enjoyed in Alberta, Canada.  Years ago at a lunch when I was working in Edmonton, I asked if they thought the chef would share his recipe because they were so good.  Everyone laughed because everyone makes them at home, just as Americans make rice crispy treats.  The bar on the ship was topped with fresh berries and "kisses" of rich chocolate frosting.  Here's a recipe for the classic Canadian treat.

I went to trivia after dinner and met with with the group I played cards and took t-shirt photos with.  Virgin's mascot is an octopus and I'd love to steal this large candle holder.  I can stick it in my blouse with the glass jars I want to steal.

You can join in creating art.

One of the service dogs on board.  This one seems very friendly and wants lots of rubs.