candide in cadiz

Our little trip from Brazil to Portugal is coming to a close.

I have visited Cadiz, Spain twice now. It is an odd city. Perhaps the oldest city in Europe. Rich in history, it was made richer by gold plundered from Montezuma (or, more properly, Moctezuma) and his American kin -- and marginally less rich by Francis Drake on one of his pirate ventures in Spain.

Geographically, it is almost an island, sitting on the end of a very thin, hook peninsula that juts into the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the city has the same island feel of Madeira or Tenerife -- just smaller.

It is impossible to visit Spain -- and especially Spanish cities with a direct connection to Spain's colonial past -- without constantly noticing the family resemblance to Morelia, Guanajuato, and Mexico's other colonial cities. Spain left its cultural mark throughout Mexico. And Mexico made that heritage its own.

When I took this shot, I realized I could have been standing on the ramparts of the fort at Veracruz -- or Havana.

One of Spain's most lasting legacies to Mexico can be seen on the same faces you will see in Puerto Vallarta or Mexico City.

This Spanish couple caught my eye just as they were walking out of the frame. What could be more symbolic to end this summary of Cadiz?

On to Lisbon.

let us entertain you

"Why do you cruise?" I hear that just as often as the rest of us hear "Why do you want to live in Mexico?," or a variation on Theresa's blog title: "What are you going to do each day?" The presumption appears to be that cruisers are in their 80s and get around either with the assistance of a nurse or a walker. (As you have seen, cruisers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.)

One of the factors that keeps me getting on cruise ships is live entertainment. The public areas are filled with singers, bands, and pianists -- all providing great music.

But the epitome of entertainment is the nightly show in the theater. This cruise was no exception. There was a tribute to The Temptations -- a talented group of singers who knew how to reach the audience. An acrobat couple who awed us as if they were a major act from Cirque du Soleil. Luis Dalton -- an acrobat juggler who would have been at home in any vaudeville theater. Mark O'Malley -- an Irish pop singer. Maria Neglia -- an amazing violinist who I have seen on several prior cruises. Helvis -- a Portuguese Elvis impersonator who knew his stuff, and added just enough Brazilian flavor to spice up his act. Elaine Lesley -- a British lounge singer. Sergio Rebello -- a Brazilian topical comic whose entire act was in Portuguese. Los Pampas Gauchos -- a gaucho troupe. (I must admit I have my own favorite gaucho group on Royal Caribbean International -- Los Diablos Gauchos, Juan and Eileen Santillan.)

And then were my favorites: the singers and dancers who make up the house cast of each ship. On this cruise they performed two shows: Dancin' Thru the Movies and Ballroom Fever. The material is, at best, mediocre. Each of the singers and dancers has the ability to perform far more challenging material. But the producers who put these shows together have a real problem. Their audiences have a huge range and no one in the audience has chosen the show with the purchase of a ticket. As a result, the material tends to be bland.

But the kids are great. They throw themselves into each number in the hope that they can work their magic with the audience. You can almost feel them reaching out to touch souls in the theater in the hope of sharing that brief shining magical moment when an entertainer and an audience member actually connect.

As for me, I actually felt refreshed after each of these performances.

Why cruise? As my blogger buddy Andee would say: Why not?

in the eye of the beholder

I was ready to tie the knot before I left the house. Today was the day I was going to look at Nikon's new Coolpix P80. Before I left the house, I knew I wanted that camera in my life. Huge megapixels. Unbelievable optic zoom.



Have you ever gone on a blind internet date? I have. And I did again today. I took a quick glance over the long counter of cameras. No potential candidates walkied in beauty like the night. I thought, with hope in my heart: maybe she's not here. Then I looked closer and found it.



What a disappointment! I expected the camera body to be a bit bulkier than my current S4. But it was like comparing Kate Moss to Rosie O'Donnell. There would be no way to fit the P80 into my pocket. And when the zoom lens was in full 18X position, it looked like -- well, it looked like Pinocchio had been telling political tales. Svelte, it is not.



But my greatest disappointment came when I picked up the camera. It was light. It was light because it was cheap plastic.



That is when two strands of my day ran together. The first was the camera's price: $400. Now, $400 is not a lot of money -- about a day's salary. However, $400 for a bulky, plastic camera -- no matter how seductive its megapixels and optical zoom may be -- is simply unconscionable.



The second strand is really a matter of timing. My small group Bible study is currently reading Richard Foster's classic: Celebration of Discipline. Our discipline for Monday night is simplicity -- a discipline I have been struggling with as I attempt to make the move to Mexico. I am finding that I am tied to some of my possessions far more than I had supposed. I certainly do not need to build up a relationship with a camera that does not give money for value when I can continue to use the camera I already have.



I left my potential romance sitting alone at the café. Don't worry about her. I think I saw Eliot Spitzer sitting at the next table.

a shot of madeira

If I were to fall in love and run off to an ideal place to live, Madeira would be high on my list. I love Madeira. My first sight of the island was over ten years ago. I arrived by ship in the early morning -- and there it was: the white streaks of Funchal set in emerald green flowing to the sea. It was a magical place -- and still is.

This trip was a great opportunity to renew the romance. And renew it I did.

I had no excursions planned for this trip. I simply wanted to walk the streets of Funchal, climb its hills, and simply live in its unique rhythms.

Madeira is amalgam of the very best of Portugal in a jewel box setting. There is very little space to live. Like most mountainous islands, the majority of real estate is vertical. But the residents have learned to thrive within their physical limitations -- where front yards become vineyards and banana plantations.

And the food. It looks good. It tastes good. It is good.




I had one of the best fish dinners in my life. Scabbardfish must be the ugliest of God's swimming fish, but, on a plate, it makes up for everything with its heavenly taste.

If I could, I would retire in Madeira. The "could" is the problem. It is a very expensive to live. I can live far better in Mexico -- and there is the an even more remarkable mixture of history and contemporary life.

Next stop: Cadiz, Spain.

islands in the sun

When we left Recife, most of the passengers started grumbling about not seeing land for another five days. What caused grumbling for them caused glee for me: I love sea days. I seek them out. I lust for them.


To me, being at sea, with no port obligations, is pure heaven. Usually, I just sit in the sun and read. Or listen to music. Or watch the fascinating antics of my fellow passengers. It is the very essence of vacation.


And there was trivia. Trivia is one of my favorite cruise pursuits because it is just plain fun. Right or wrong, trivia brings out some of the best -- and worst -- humor in people. On this cruise, there were up to three trivia contests a day. The cruise staff also sponsored a multi-day trivia marathon. It may sound juvenile, but we all had great fun playing.


I even went so far as to play bingo. I think the last time I played bingo was at my grandmother's house when I was ten or so. I was shocked to discover that you had to pay money ($30) to play. I suppose I use "shocked" in about the same sense as Captain Renault was shocked at the presence of gambling in Rick's Café Américain.

We had just finished a game of bingo when this island loomed out of the mist on our third day at sea. It is Sal, one of the Cape Verde Islands. And, as you can see, there is almost nothing there except volcano cones and sulphur. It is one of the most desolate places I have ever seen. We sailed past it in 2003 just after visiting a much more inviting Cape Verde island: São Vicente.


Here is a map to give you an idea where the islands are located. Even the inhabitants refer to the islands as being in the middle of nowhere. If not nowherem they are, at least, in the middle of the Atlantic.

We then settled into our usual routine for another day until we arrived at Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I love Tenerife -- even though it had been 5 years since my last visit.


I had planned on simply strolling through the port city of Santa Cruz. But my friends wanted to see the chief tourist attraction of the island -- the volcano Teide. So, off I went with them.


In reviewing my photographs, I discovered that I must have got a drop of oil -- or something -- on my camera lens. Every exposure has what appears to be the early onset of glaucoma. I will choose exposures that minimize the effect. But I apologize. Tenerife is far more beautiful than these samples would indicate.


We headed off on a bus tour to see Teide that forms the very core of Tenerife. It is quite a sight -- and quite a height. At 12,188.3 feet, it is the third largest volcano on earth -- and the highest mountain in Spain. Because of Teide's height, Tenerife has the climatic diversity of a mini-continent. And it is just plain beautiful.

Much of its beauty is created by the rock formations that have built up and eroded over the centuries. Several of us noted the similarity to parts of central Oregon and northern Mexico.

Even the plant life has its own stark beauty.

After bouncing around in a bus on windy roads for three hours, we decided to spend time walking around Santa Cruz -- a city that has its own amazing vistas.

But I found the people and the details of the city to be just as interesting. (The first picture is of crew members. But I liked the intensity of the shot.)

When I was last in Santa Cruz five years ago, we searched out a local fish restaurant and had a great meal. Well, my companions did. In my faulty spanish, I thought I had ordered fresh shark -- and ended up with a reconstituted cod dish. Gelatinous would be a kind description. This year, we did not have time to find a place to eat. So, off to the ship we went for dinner -- and another sail away from Tenerife. One of these days, I would like to return for more than a cruise visit.


I was going to include Madeira in this post, but I have written more than I intended. So, we will hold off on Madeira until next post -- or the post after.

camera bug alert

I am getting a bit bored with my 10X optical zoom Nikon S4. I will mention, only in passing, that I also broke the lens cover. But even I would not argue that I need a new camera to replace a lens cap. With thinking like that, I could become a government procurement officer.

In browsing through some recent announcements about new cameras, I noticed that Nikon released a new camera (Coolpix P80) last month with 10.1 megapixel capability and an 18x optical wide-angle zoom. I think I am in love. (Of course, I get the same feeling from reading online personal ads.)

Does anyone know anything about this camera? Have any of you bloggers tried it out? I cannot find any reviews on the camera yet.

I may need to buy one simply to answer my own questions.

stars of the seas

You have one job. You are to keep 2000 people of various ages, speaking at least three principal languages, happy while they are trapped in your business with nowhere else to go.


That is essentially the job of assistant cruise directors. On this cruise, they had the added challenge that five straight days were sea days. (For me, that was not a problem. It gives me an opportunity to read and relax -- something I find difficult to do at home.)


The assistant cruise directors conduct exercise classes on the deck and in the pool, keep trivia contests from degenerating into unpleasant muttering, build excitement for one of the world's most boring games -- bingo, teach new dances to passengers whose sense of rhythm was bred out several generations ago, and act as congenial hosts for people looking for the best times of their lives.


I am constantly amazed at how well these young people do their jobs -- especially on this cruise. The challenges were exacerbated by the language mix. Trivia was an example. All questions needed to be read in two languages. That was the easy part. The choice of questions were the true challenge. A 53 year old lawyer raised in Salvador is obviously going to have a different set of knowledge from a 42 year old carpenter raised in Omaha. But it all worked well.


Even though all of the staff did a good job, I was extremely impressed with three of them.


João Pereira, from Rio de Janeiro, regularly conducted bingo and trivia classes, in addition to teaching the group dancing classes. He was the glue for the cruise staff. His calm, professional manner made him a favorite of the passengers. The women in our group called him "Mr. Hips" because of his dancing ability. Royal Caribbean International (RCI) will do itself proud by promoting him soon to a position with greater responsibility. (Somehow, I managed to not get a picture of him.)

This is a picture of the other stars on the cruise staff. Linda Polasky, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was the English Activities Host. The title sounds as if she was in charge of teas. Not so. She had the very tough job of ensuring that the english speakers on board felt at home. For most of them, it was the first time they were in the minority on a cruise. And it affected some of them badly. Her job was to find enough activities for them to avoid feeling left out. She did a great job. She cajoled we english speakers into participating in dances and other activities where we would otherwise have been spectators. Due to her efforts, a lot of people had a great time. I cannot jump over the fact that she is one of the most charismatic people I have met. RCI has a treasure in her.


On the left is Fernando del Azar Cordeu, of Buenos Aires. The first time I saw him I felt as if I knew him. I am certain that has happened to all of us. Then, it occurred to me. He looks and acts like a friend of mine. Getting to know Fernando was easy. He is funny, charming, ingratiating. All of the attributes you would expect to find in both a friend and an outstanding cruise staff member. He was one of the youngest members of the staff, but he showed maturity beyond his years. Several times the trivia games would erupt in pandemonium. Fernando used his wit and humor to defuse the situation and get everything on track. He is another bright star in RCI's future.

This photograph represents the devotion Linda and Fernando show in their jobs. After staying up late to ensure guests had a good time on the last night of the cruise, they were at their stations before 6 AM to assist passengers in retrieving their passports. I watched both of them for awhile. They were pleasant and patient with each passenger.


Without João, Linda, and Fernando, this cruise would not have been the outstanding experience it was.


Next: Islands in the Atlantic.