Thar She Blows….or Not

 

I was scheduled to go kayaking today.  However, there were 3-foot swells, which makes kayaking very difficult, so I was able to switch to a Zodiac ride.

I donned my gear and got into an inflatable ship with a “Captain” and 4 other passengers.  We set off in search of whales on a choppy foggy sea.  Earlier trips had seen hundreds of whales, so we were on the look-out for spouts, tails or any other sign of whales.  It was a pleasant ride in light fog.  Well, maybe light is not the word.  About 3 minutes after we got away from the ship it was impossible to tell that there was any ship there.  Fortunately, the captain had a handy device which could point the way back to the Octantis.  We looked for almost an hour and saw not one whale!

Darrell was on another Zodiac and their group did not see whales either.  In fact, none of the groups saw any whales.

When Darrell got back from this cruise, he got on the SOB (Special Operations Boat) with about a dozen others.  This is an open sided ship, so you can get wet if you sit too far toward the back.  They saw whales.  They saw dozens, or maybe even hundreds, of whales.  They must have all been on vacation from 5:00 to 6:00.

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We are technically in Antarctic waters since we are at the correct geographic point.  However, I will not feel like I have gotten to Antarctica until I set foot on the ground (0r snow or ice or rocks).

Pictures, as Promised

I mentioned that the mountains we saw on our flight were rugged.  You can see the timberline,  If you look closely you can also see where trees were knocked down by avalanches.

   

  

Our "Departure Port" was Ushuaia, on the southern part of Argentina.  We made one stop on our way from the airport to the ship.  One curious sight was this decoration on the railing along the sidewalk.  These wrappings looked like hand knit or crocheted dishcloths were covering the top pipe.  Our guide did not know of any significance.

                                                                                                                                                                   

I do not know if this sleigh is here all year, or only at Christmas.

This is the "lifeboat" or tender for our ship. 

The town of Ushuaia is snuggled between the mountains and the sea.

A Day at Sea

This is our first day aboard the Viking Octantis and a busy day it has been. 

I took several trips to the Service Desk to see if anyone could get my camera working.  We left the whole camera bag in Minnesota, so went out and bought a new camera the day before we left.  No one at the store knew anything about it, but reassured me that I could get the user's manual online.  Wrong!  I checked the charge on the battery anyway.  100% it said.  So far, so good.  While I had the charger plugged in, I turned the camera on and it worked, so I went ahead, unplugged the camera and put the camera in my backpack and the charger in the suitcase.  When we got to Buenos Aires, I tried the camera.  It would not turn on.  I plugged in the charger, it said 100%, I took a picture with the charger plugged in, unplugged the charger.  The camera would not turn on.  The only person who knew about cameras was not in, so I planned to go back later.  By the time we finished dinner, he was gone.  Meanwhile, another nice fellow at Guest Services showed me how to get pictures off my phone by using Whatsapp.  So, I will try putting them in a blog.

This morning was an hour long briefing on what to do and not to do in Antarctica to protect the land and animals and leave the continent in excellent conditions for future generations.  As part of that we took all our outerwear other than that provided by Viking to be decontaminated - they vacuumed and sprayed everything so we did not introduce any non-native plants, seeds or dirt into the land.  We were also fitted for our boots.  I will try to get a picture of us in full regalia.

After all that hassle, I went down for a massage.  "Mike" was OK, but certainly not like Thomas from the previous cruises.  I will not have another massage on board.

Tonight we ate at the World Cafe.  It is much more spread-out than on the big ships, but they still have the suchi area, a separate area for shrimp (2 kinds), Octopus salad, langoustino etc.  Darrell went to "Sin City" (otherwise  known as the dessert bar) and came back, telling me that he knew what I would get.  He was right - Caramel Custard and salted caramel gelato.

Our room has a noise like a woodpecker.  They inspected it, but could not fix it, so they offered us a room 2 doors down the hall.  It was just as bad, so we will see how it goes tonight.  They just called and offered us a room one deck down, but still mid-ship where it is smoothest.  We will see in the morning.

We are seeing a lot of staff we know from previous cruises and making new friends.  On we knew is the head of the food service staff, so we talk to him at almost every meal.  The waiters seem anxious to make our acquaintance.  As usual, we are trying to learn to thank them in their own language.  So far we have learned 3 or 4 new phrases.

Now it is bedtime, but I will try to add a few pictures.   No Luck  Maybe tomorrow.  

The Expedition Begins!

 We are on our way to Antarctica!  Our flights from Tampa to Houston and Houston to Buenos Aires were uneventful.  We arrived in Buenos Aires in the early afternoon after an overnight flight.  It is hard to sleep on a plane, but I did as much as possible.  We checked in to the Hilton, met a few people who would be traveling with us, and got the wonderful news that we had to be on the bus at 4:10 AM.

We decided that an early dinner made sense, so we walked down the street and had empanadas, an Argentine half moon shaped pastry filled with meat and potatoes and 2 small bottles of water.  The bill came to 5100 Argentine money.  I am afraid to look up the exchange rate.

Breakfast was a buffet at 3:30, then off to the airport.  The trip to the "in-town" airport was in the dark, but there was still a lot of traffic.

By the time we boarded the charter flight (1 of 3 to get everyone to Ushia) it was light.  The southern part of Argentina is very mountainous.    

We boarded the ship, the Viking Octantus and spent the rest of the day trying to find our way around.

More later when I figure how to get pictures off my phone.

Marseille

 

 I took the optional tour to Marseille to see another famous city.

Marseille is a beautiful city  with many parks and fountains, but the Old Town is compact and very walkable.

Our meeting place when we had free time was by these two "naked men" who seemed to be holding up this balcony.

The street corners give the name of the street in French and in the local dialect.  This square is the Square of the 4 Dolphins because of the fountain.

This square was once the courtyard for a rich Citizen.  Then it changed hands.  Since it is close to the sea, some of the "commercial establishments" advertised their services by the design of the balconies. 

This clock never needs batteries!

We saw  a couple of markets selling local goods.

I am afraid I will have to give up on pictures today.  The internet connection is way too uncertain.

Eggs are sold by the half dozen.  6 eggs cost 3 euros (about $3.50)

We saw the city hall with 5 flags hanging in front.  The French flag was in the middle with its 3 vertical stripes of dark blue, white and red.  To the right of that is the flag of that region of France, a horizontal half of light blue and a lower half of gold.  On the other side of the French flag was the European Union Flag, dark blue with a circle of gold stars.  On both ends was the flag of Marseilles, vertical strips of red and gold.  There is a story behind the flag.  The king of Marseilles was dying on the battlefield.  They asked him what his flag looked like.  He weakly raised his bloody hand and made 4 red stripes on his gold shield.  Thus the flag of Marseille was born.

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Tarragona and Sete (Montpellier)

 My post on Tarragon will be very brief.  We were scheduled to be in Tarragona on Saturday, June 4.  Darrell, Brenda and Nicole arrived just after midnight and I arrived about 3 AM on  the fifth.  This was after a restless night on the plane from Newark to Frankfort.  None of us were up to tours.  So, I will skip to Sete.

I cannot type the name of the town correctly because there is a mark above the first 'e".  It is pronounced "set" just like a set of cufflinks.  Darrell toured Sete and I went on to Montpellier.

Some people have asked how the University of Minnesota got the  "M" used in its logo.  It does not match any of the usual fonts.  Well, I have the answer.  In the main square of Montpellier, Comedy Square, the emblem "M" of the city is found on many paving blocks.

                        

The center of the Comedy Square has a fountain called "The Three Graces."  This square is a gathering place for any celebration or protest.  Thanks to the many pubs surrounding it, revelers often get a bit boisterous.  Therefore, the original marble statue at the top of the monument has been replaced with a copy and the original is kept safely inside the Theater, 

The local tram system has a stop on the Square.  Tram cars are decorated to represent the season, or nature or some other reason.  We just saw 2 of them.

 

We were  in the city on Pentecost , so most of the shops were closed.  However, a few of the fruit stands in the large market building were open.  

This part of France has had may wars and changing allegiances.  To commemorate one victory they built a triumphal arch, the Arc de Triumph, much like the more famous one in Paris.  At the time, they were not particularly fond of the king, one of the Louie's, So when he came to visit they made a statue of him and put it on the other side of the Arc, outside the city walls.

 

Many of the buildings in the city center are ones which have stood for hundreds of years.  As styles and uses changed old openings were closed and more modern doors appeared.

Not all buildings are old, however.  This hotel is right on the Comedy Square.

Our next stop was Chateau Flaugergues.  Again, I cannot recreate all the marks above the letters. 

In order to be called a chateau, a property must have 3 things:

    A Manor house

    A French Garden

             and a vineyard (which we did not see.)

The original owner did not think his house was grand enough, so he added wings on each end and a third story. 

One distinguishing feature of the house is the "floating staircase."  It seems to hang in the air with no visible means of support.

During World War II the Germans occupied the house.  The left their signature and other remarks on the walls, so redecoration was in order. 

The master bedroom (called the Eagle Room) was redecorated as a tribute to an ancestor who spent time with Napoleon in Egypt.  

For some reason, there is a large grove of bamboo.  

Our wine tasting at tables inside this grove gave us a taste ( about 1 tablespoon) of 3 of the wines they produce.  This part of France is the largest wine producing area in France many, many times larger than the more well know areas such as Burgundy,

Just one more interesting fact about Sete. 

The word means "whale" because the area looks like a whale from the sea.  

So Sorry

 Dear Friends,

I am sorry that I have not sent any blogs.  Internet access is almost nonexixtant on the ship.  I will continue to try to send something, 

On the Way - Again

 The Zenks are off on another adventure, this time from Barcelona to Athens.  We have not had the best start.  

The gate agent in Minneapolis at noon on Friday, June 3rd, looked at our bags and guessed that were over 50 pounds, so she ticketed them as such.  She took them to the check-in desk, and they were under 50 pounds, so she had to print new luggage tags.  She had given the old baggage checks to Darrell, but for some reason gave the new ones to me.  That caused some confusion later.  The flight from Minneapolis to Newark was uneventful, but when we got to Newark, all the gates were in use, so we sat on the tarmac for a half hour.  Then, it was a matter of the hike to the gate for the flight to Frankfurt.  It was only supposed to be a "short" distance, but I guess Minneapolis to Duluth could be considered a short distance, too.  It is all relative.

Speaking of "Relative,"  we met our daughter, Brenda, and our granddaughter, Nicole, at the gate at Newark,  They are traveling with us.  Actually, I guess we are traveling with them.  The trip is Nicole's graduation present from us, and since there are no 3 person rooms on the ship, and since we did not want an 18-year-old in a room by herself, we "had to" bring along her mother (our daughter.)

The flight to Germany had delayed boarding because the staff was hyper checking each person prior to boarding them; this went on for 268 passengers for a new Boeing 777-300 aircraft; then we sat on the runway so that we ended up being over 2 hours late into Frankfurt.  Of course we missed our connecting flight to Barcelona.  Airlines in Europe also have problems getting enough staff, and now everyone seems to want to travel.  All the  flights to Barcelona that day were fully booked.  We got on the waiting list for the next flight and enjoyed the "Panorama Lounge" in the airport since we were traveling Business Class,  The Lounge was different from any I have seen before.  There was the usual room with food and beverages, but there were several other rooms with TV, lounges and comfortable chairs.  There was even a place to take a shower!  Recharging stations were available in most of the rooms.  We ate lunch there and waited until it was time to stand in line for stand-by on the next flight.

We were told to be at the gate an hour before boarding time.  At the gate, the flight was listed, but no gate agent appeared.  After several of us waited for half an hour, they changed the gate, so we all trotted off to find the new gate.  We were numbers 3-6 on the stand-by list.  Then the sign said the flight was delayed for an hour or so.  We were told that there could be 2 seats available if everyone who had booked showed up.

Now came the time for a decision.  If only 2 could go and 2 would have to wait, possibly overnight, who goes and who stays.  We decided that Darrell and Brenda would go and Nicole and I would try to get on the next flight at 9:00 that night, or have them put us up in a hotel and try for a flight in the morning.  At the last minute, there was one open seat, so Nicole joined Darrell and Brenda.  Of course, they were not seated together.  Nicole got her first taste of flying alone on a plane where most of the people did not speak English.

I waited for a seat on the 9:00 flight.  Back to the Panorama Club to eat and charge my phone, then back to the gate to get on the stand-by list and wait.  Oops, the flight is going to be delayed by 45 minutes.  No, it will be delayed for an hour, then an hour and a half, at a new gate.  Finally a plane arrived and emptied its passengers.  After the mandatory crew change and plane cleaning, they started boarding.  At 5 minutes before scheduled take-off, I was called to the desk.  There was one seat available in First Class.  Did I want it?  Oh, yes!!  I got seat 1C.  The plane I boarded had the B seat blocked off in Business Class.  The man in 1A told me this is standard practice on inter-European flights.  I do not know why.

I had planned to sleep on the flight, but the man in 1A was from either Hong Kong or Singapore, but lived in New York.  He did something related to auto racing, but I am not sure what.  Maybe I deflated his ego because he was someone famous, but I did not know who he was.  We chatted for most of the flight about his travels in the United States,

When I did get to the Barcelona Airport, there was a crowd waiting to meet incoming passengers.  Many were holding electric signs with the names of the people they were supposed to meet,  None of the signs said Zenk.  I kept waiting for someone to show up, but no luck.  Finally I called the Viking "Flight Emergency Line."  I listened to scratchy music for over an hour before a live person answered.  He did not know about my arrival, but would see about getting someone to pick me up.  More music, more  "I'll see what I can do" for another half hour.  Then a man walked up with a piece of paper with "Zenk" written on it.  He had no Viking identification or any other credentials to show he was legitimate.  Finally, I asked him how he knew to come for me.  He showed me a picture on his phone of me with Brenda and Nicole from last Christmas, so I went with him.  Brenda had shared the picture so he would recognize me.  It is over an hour drive from Barcelona to Tarragona, so I took a nap!  When I woke up we were approaching Tarragona, but had to wind through the shipping area of the port,  We must have gone through 15 traffic circles,  At each one, he hesitated trying to figure out how to go.  He only had to backtrack once.  Finally I saw a cruise ship in the distance.  IT WAS THE VIKING SKY!!  I had arrived, and it was only 3AM.  

Checking in was no problem (no lines at that time of night.)  I got up to our room to find Darrell sound asleep, but with only 1 of our 2 checked suitcases.  That was Sunday morning, early.

It turns out that Brenda's suitcase and one of ours did not make it onto the planes.  Today is Monday, and they think they have found the suitcases and might have them for us in Marseilles tomorrow.  Lost luggage seems to be the "new normal."  We have talked to many people who are worse off than we are.  We learned a long time ago to put some of the clothing for each of us in each suitcase.  One couple has been waiting for theirs for 6 days.  They missed a connection somewhere along the line and came from Paris to Barcelona by way of Istanbul.

Such are the joys of travel in the post-pandemic days!!