Monday, 29 November 2021

Land Ho! St Barts at Last

Many passengers are happy to see land again as we sail into the beautiful harbor of Saint Barthélemy (its full name, usually abbreviated to St. Barts or St. Barth). But I am sad that our transatlantic journey is over after nine days of smooth, calm sailing; I have enjoyed life aboard ship after the past two years' delay.

I will describe my short morning visit to this hot, humid playground of the rich in a later blog entry. But for now, blot time returns to:

Wednesday, 24 November 2021
A Partially Sunny (for a change) Sea Day

Today is a quiet day on board Riviera, although the sky gets rather busy in the early evening, presenting quite an impressive show in the sky. I was enjoying the warm weather and protection from the wind on my veranda before dinner, when the sky darkens and the rain comes down. The downpour doesn't last long, but the seas are a little turbulent during dinner. I'm glad a waiter offered to carry my plate to my table in the Terrace Cafe. Fortunately, everything quiets down after dinner and the ship sails smoothly on into the night.

The Sky After the Storm Clears (above and below)

-and-

Thursday, 25 November 2021
Thanksgiving Day at Sea

This is my second Thanksgiving on board a cruise ship. In 2000, for his 60th birthday over Thanksgiving, I surprised Will with a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean on Holland America’s old Westerdam, which has long since been sold for scrap and replaced by a much larger Westerdam (which I sailed on for 28 days in the Far East in early 2019). This was the first cruise for both of us, and the bug really bit (no kidding!). But we didn’t take a second cruise until January 2007, when Will returned the birthday gift for my 50th, with an 11-day Mexican Riviera cruise on Dawn Princess—during the break we were rather busy retiring and moving from Virginia to Arizona.

But to return to Thanksgiving…

I attend two more lectures today in the Riviera Lounge, where entertainers perform at night. The air-conditioning blasts at such a high level that I wear a sweatshirt to keep warm.

The other highlight of the day is Thanksgiving dinner.  All of the restaurants--Terrace Cafe, Grand Dining Room, Polo Club, Toscana, Jacque's, and Red Ginger--are serving the same turkey dinner (along with their daily selections). I decide on a non-traditional holiday dinner. Because fresh veal is so difficult to find in Tucson, I opt for a beautifully prepared, very large portion of Wiener Schnitzel! But I begin dinner with Maine Pumpkin Soup, which at least nods toward the holiday.

In the previous blog I included photos of my stateroom and some of the interior public spaces on board Riviera. Today I offer the poll deck's outdoor spaces.