I’ve shared with you a lot about what I’ve been doing off-ship, but now I want to share with you what’s been going on while we’re at sea. The ship’s staff puts great effort into making a full schedule and listening to passengers’ requests. The photos are some of my favorite places and events on the ship. Choir practice in the Bayou Café Each morning is a new episode of The Wake Show , where the cruise director and various guests talk about all the fun and wonderful things that are happening that day. Party time at the Explorer's Lounge There are trivia contests, and meetings of like-minded people such as first responders, Rotarians, teachers, train enthusiasts – pretty much anyone who wants to put together a group. Every card or board game you could think of has people meeting somewhere to play. One of the passengers put together an arts-and-crafts session each sea day that was regularly attended by over a hundred people; she did it because she loves sharing her talents and could ...
T he island of La Palma was the last stop on my world cruise, so it was with a bit of sadness that I dragged myself out of bed before the sun to explore. The locals were out and about watching the strangers walking through their town. The whole island is lousy with bananas - everyone is growing them Our first stop was a walk through a local village near Los Llanos de Aridane, where our guide told us about the life cycle of the banana plant, and how the local farmers have perfected the process of growing them on the island. Most of the banana farms can be found on the western side of the island. They also grow bird of paradise flowers, oranges, avocados, and grapes. Fun Fact: The Canary Islands were not named for the canary birds; the birds were named for the island. The Spanish name is Islas Canarias, coming from the Latin word for "dog". The story goes that when the first Europeans arrived on Gran Canaria, they encountered large dogs, or maybe seals which were known ...
