Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Today is a sea day and many folk are taking the opportunity to turn bright red in the sun.  But my day starts with the adventure of the spoons in the Lido Restaurant for breakfast.  I decide to have a boiled egg, along with the usual accroutements, but I cannot find a small demi-tasse spoon with which to crack the shell and dig out the creamy yolk inside.  After putting my food down at a table, I search the service area for the right-sized spoon, but cannot find one smaller than the usual teaspoon--which won't do.  I ask several servers for help, but no one seems to know what I am asking for, until I find one of the chefs (you can identify him by his hat), who is able to find one for me.  When I get back to the table with my spoon, lo and behold, my egg and other food are gone (these people are very efficient).  So off I go to get another egg to eat with my new-found spoon, but when I return to the table, the spoon, as well as all the other silverware, has been cleared off the table.  I return to the location where the chef found the first demi-tasse spoon, but there are no more, so I scurry back to my table to find that this time all my food is gone again--except for five spoons of various sizes.  Sometimes too much efficiency is not a good thing!

My next venture is a little more successful.  The King Neptune Ceremony in honor of crossing the equator has been re-scheduled for 10:30am, and I find an unoccupied chair up against the railing on the deck just above the aft pool.  Although it has been a bright and clear morning, just before the ceremony begins the storm clouds gather and everybody runs from the brief shower.  But the show goes on and all the newby crew members who have not previously crossed the equator by ship, have the opporunity to "kiss the fish," and be given absolution by King Neptune (after a series of personal humiliations by the cruise director).

Thursday, 27 February 2014

This morning the Maasdam sails into the harbor of Vittoria, a modern city of 300,000 built on a series of islands connected by bridges.  Its sister city of Villa Vehla brings the metro area population up to about half a million.  This is a much more prosperous are than those we have previously visited, and certainly the most beautiful, with a port and beaches that suggest Rio itself on a smaller scale.  I am surprised to learn that not many tourists visit this area, The occasional cruise ship stop is about the extent of the tourist industry.  This area was the scene of major river flooding back in December (over 20 people killed), but there was not much damage to the cities themselves. 

My shore excursion begins with a drive from the port in Vittoria to the newer area of Villa Velha, crossing a 2km viaduct bridge over the bay (the 2nd longest in Brazil).  We transfer from large tour buses to smaller vans to make the journey up a winding road into the hills to visit a still-active Franciscan monastary--with spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding areas.  We also stop for short walks on two of the most popular and beautiful beaches in the area, with clean white sands and turquoise water.  The final stop is a visit to a local pottery that produces cooking utensils used in most ordinary Brazilian kitches.  Not very beautiful, but quite functional.

It really is quite remarkable how everything becomes cleaner and more efficient as we get nearer to Rio (which used to be the national capital before the creation of Brasilia in the interior), although this is also due to the many businesses headquartered here. 

Back on the Maasdam, the highlight of dinner is a very fine chicken piccata and the last bottle of my wine package.  We are supposed to depart from Vittoria at 5pm, but are rescheduled until 7pm due to the shallowness of the river currents--and then delayed until 8pm by the unexpected arrival of a very large tanker blocking our way.  The port is too narrow for the ship to turn around so we sail backwards during dinner until we reach a point where we can twirl to starboard.  After dinner, the night views of the city, with the illuminated churches and bridges, provide a lovely farewell to the city.