Sicily Surprised Us

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we went to Sicily! And it surprised us. Fuerteventura at the Canary Islands was expected to be lush and tropical. Today, we expected Sicily to be barren and featureless – it was far from that – beautiful and historic. Our arrival was spectacular. The pilot came out to meet the ship…

Sun rising over the deck.

The port from the deck.

We had a very early breakfast & then got ready to go out for the day. It was an hour’s drive from Palermo, the capital (population 700000) to Cefalu (population 70000). Cefalu began as an ancient fishing village before a King visited and found its beauty alluring enough to move there. It instantly gained popularity and now it’s flooded with tourists most the year but particularly in the summer months.

Cefalu – pronounced Chif-a-loo.

The main event at Cefalu is by far and away the impressive Duomo built in 1142.

Inside is an aisle, an altar and then the most impressive mosaic display dating back to the time of its building.

We bought tickets for 10 Euro each which enabled us to go up the towers and also to take a closer look at the mosaics.

The cross is “only” 16th Century

There is also the Silver Tabernacle

We climbed the (only) 76 steps up one tower, walked across to the other and then down its stairs. These are the photos.

If walls could speak, what stories could be told over the last 883 years

Walking between the two towers…

We took a walk around some narrow roads and alleyways

We found a little restaurant that had 4 amazing attributes – a stunning view, good coffee (black only for Euro 2.5o), WIFI and a free loo!

Cefalu beach..

Then it was back to the ship, but the wonderful tour guide offered to drop us off in the centre of Palermo so we could go check out Italy’s biggest Opera House – a whopping 7000 square meters.

It goes on and on and on…

Once we had taken photos of every side, we strolled back to the ship through the adjacent square where the horse and carts park.

We have had an amazing day in Sicily. I would love to return.

This evening is all about packing. We leave tomorrow at about 8.30am to start the disembarkation process and catch a taxi to the airport at about 10am. There is going to be some hanging around, but I’d rather hang around at Rome airport than at the Cruise terminal where there is absolutely nothing to do.

We’ve had a memorable cruise. Turkey awaits!

I’ve got some meaningful gems from Psalm 104

Psalm 104
Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

 

 

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Last Sea Day for the Moment

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Helga

Friday

Dear Elsie

Today was the last sea day for the moment. Last night we had a lovely dinner and then afterwards came back to the cabin and had quite a long chat with David. We had a video call and I took the phone out to the balcony to show him the sea. As I did so we saw two fishing boats really close by and it looked like one of them had caught a fish that was thrashing around in the water. It was dark, so the glimpse was from the light of the moving ship. It was quite a sight, albeit fleeting.

Right now we are just off Tunisia

Straight line for Palermo.

We passed the Galite islands (there are 6),  which are uninhabited and belong to Tunisia. Tourists find pleasure in visiting them, camping on the solitary beaches, enjoying  unparalleled star gazing and making the most of the islands’ diving and snorkelling spots.

And I’d never heard of them, but they would be an amazing place to visit.

It was a slow start today. We had a late breakfast. This is my regular morning fare…

I did a couple of hours work, walked on the deck and chilled on the balcony..

It was a good last sea day on the MSC Magnifica where we’ve had a magnificent time. Tomorrow Palermo, Sunday disembark at the port closest to Rome and to the airport for a late afternoon flight to Istanbul. The next adventure begins.

We all need this…

Psalm 103:2-5
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—  who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,  who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Straights of Gibraltar

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day, in the early hours of the morning, we went through the Straights of Gibraltar. We went through here just after midnight.

The land was very close and there were lots of lights.  This is a port city of Ksar Es Seghir…

As we went past this was looking back.

We are on the African side of the ship so didn’t get any photos of the British Gibraltar side, although twas Mike who was up on the deck taking photos. I went back to bed!

A small cruise passing by.

And this is Tangier…

So that was our experience of passing from the wild Atlantic into the calmness of the start of the Mediterranean Sea. Our current location…

There is quite a lot of mist – a very gloomy day. In the photo below it looks like there are hills on the coast but as we are 50km away, it’s most likely they are clouds.

Today Mike did some art…

And I did some work.

We are soaking up each moment of our penultimate sea day on the ship. Tomorrow is our last sea day for this cruise.

With all the nature that surrounds us, it’s easy to believe this…

Amos 4:13
He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals His thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is His name.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Creeping Past Casablanca

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today it was 2 weeks since we got on the ship. It’s hard to believe it’s gone so fast. Our map location shows us off the coast of Morocco. The Ship’s captain in his 12 noon message said we are 22 nautical miles off the coast and at 4pm were due to pass Casablanca. In this map, we are headed towards the Straights of Gibraltar, then across the Mediterranean to Palermo which is on the Italian island of Sicily (far right in the middle). From there, it’s onto Rome on Sunday, which is where we disembark.

So here we are most recently.

Looking through our binoculars we can see the coast. We’ve seen signs of a city and we’ve also seen a bunch of windmills. There has also been a significant increase in the amount of passing sea traffic with lots of fishing boats, container ships and even a lovely yacht all going about their nautical business.

It’s been a good work day for me. I took some time off this afternoon to go to the spa. It was wonderful. I had a soak in the jacuzzi and then lay on the indoor sunbed and watched the world go by. This was that view…

One of the defining factors of today (which you cannot pick up from the seemingly flat sea in the photo above) is the size of the swell. It’s been quite high and this morning, the rocking of the ship was more significant that usual. It won’t last. Once we get past Gibraltar, it should be as flat and calm as a pond…well that’s the expectation. Tonight at midnight, the ship’s clock moves forward an hour so we will be back on SA time & stay there for the rest of this cruise. When we fly to Istanbul on Sunday, we’ll be an hour later than SA.

And so we bid April 2025 goodbye from (as the Captain says) “my little pretty ship the MSC Magnifica!”

Psalm 148:4-5
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Canary Islands – Fuerteventura – Ajuy Caves

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we arrived in the Canary Islands. Our port of call was Fuerteventura, one of the largest islands making up the archipelago. One of the sweetest things on arrival was being met by 2 dolphins porpoising along side the ship as we arrived. I think they were heading for the wake of the liner where all the fish get displaced – easy pickings.

We are here!

We had an excursion planned to the other side of the island where there are the most amazing sea caves. It was an hour drive and the most significant thing about the island is the lack of vegetation. I was expecting a tropical island but it’s arid and dry and semi desert.

We arrived at the cave village

..and set about exploring the caves. They were enormous & cavernous and went on and on and on. Apparently in the 18th Century pirates would stash their loot deep in the caves. The walk way down…

Entering the caves…

If walls could speak, these ones would have amazing stories to tell. 

Mike climbing through from one cave to the next… 

When the tide is high, it must flood the cave. There was a helicopter that was doing training dropping people on the beach and picking them up from the sea (reminds me of home!)

It was quite remarkable. There were lots of dark and spooky places to investigate but (un)fortunately, there was no time and we had to return to the coach!

On the trip back we passed through an old picturesque village.

Canary Cat! Teddy was a bit uncertain. The cat was slightly unhappy to be disturbed. We went back onto the ship, had a cappuccino and then walked back into town to browse through the shops. Mike in the technology shop…

Back of  the ship…

By 5pm, we were ready to ship on out. The view from our cabin was port-side… a beautiful little bay.

Dinner has been had and we are full steam ahead.

Amos 5:8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, And changes deep darkness into morning,
Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Boats and Birds

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we saw boats and birds. Not a lot of both, mind you, but it does indicate we are closer to the coast than previously. In the Captain’s message at 12 noon today, he said we were 54 nautical miles off the coast of Western Sahara. Boats we have seen from time to time – usually big tankers but today we saw a little fishing boat.

And plenty of these birds – 54 nm from the coast, that’s amazing…long way from land.

It was a very overcast and grey day. Being Monday I got to do a lot of work, which was helpful because tomorrow we are in the Canary Islands.

This afternoon, we took a walk to try see if we could go to the 4-D movie. That was on yesterday’s things to do. Well we are now striking that off!  This sign had something to do with it. I had visions of wrecking my back.

Chairs that move intensely back and forth and side to side and you need seatbelts!

Looks like a bit of a torture chamber. I’m not a movie person in the first instance. This would work when I was 16, but not 60. Onto tamer things. This, I wouldn’t mind trying – the bowling alley…

I have to convince Mike though, because his ‘frozen’ shoulder is still not 100% and it’s his right shoulder so it would put him at a distinct disadvantage. This is what happens when you get older!

Ah a walk on the deck. A bit windy but very refreshing. Mike trying to raise his right arm!

This is our position now:

And with that I’m off to dinner. I over-ate the other day and got tummy gripes, so today I’ve cut back and only had muesli and fruit for breakfast. I’m now 100% hungry. Mike bought a proverbial chemist with us, including pills for tummy gripes. Such a help!

Genesis 1:20
Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Wind, Wind, Wind and Sunshine at Sea

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day I chatted to your Mom for an hour. It was good to catch up and to hear all about you and all the things you all have been doing.

This is our location..we are headed for the Canary Islands, which is the smaller archipelago just above Western Sahara. While we look quite close to the coast, it is not visible and it’s very misty.

For us it was a very quiet day at sea. I have a short list of things I wanted to do.

  1. Go to the 4-D theatre.
  2. Go to the Aurea (free) spa session and
  3. Get breakfast delivered to the cabin. We have never done this before on any of our cruises. I was curious to see how it worked and how it arrived, so we planned to have breakfast in our cabin this morning.  They have a menu card which I filled in with whatever I wanted delivered (they offer coffee, cereal, fruit juice, yoghurt, jams and pastries). The instructions said to leave it on the outside doorhandle of our cabin which I did. I ordered it for 8.45am and it arrived promptly. We got stuck in and then I remembered I needed to take a photo!

So that’s one of the three done.

The most significant factor about today has been the wind! It’s a very strong head wind and we are ploughing through the waves seeing big swells. Every part of the ship is affected. In our cabin, we can feel the squeaking of the joints as it slightly moves from side to side. I went for a walk early this morning before breakfast arrived. I did 10 laps of the big deck which turned out to be just under 4.5km. When I first got up there, it was windy but the longer I stayed, the stronger it got. Eventually, I was walking into the wind one side of the ship and being blown at jogging speed down the other.  This was the scene this morning, but from this deck, the sea looks far calmer and there’s not sign of how windy it was.

The deckhands started putting the sunbeds up but soon realised it was going to be way too windy, so stacked them back up again.

After breakfast, we hung out on our balcony for a while and watched the big sea go by.

Later we went up to the buffet for a lunchtime cappuccino. It was jam packed with passengers enthusiastically tucking into lobster!  I would be hesitant to have lobster at home in Cape Town. I’m certainly not trying it on a ship. Mike had a bit of lunch. I had my cappuccino. Back in the cabin, we had turned the heat up a little and it made us both very sleepy. I had a little nap and then, while Mike slept on, I took myself up to Top 16 and sat in the whirlpool for a while. I got out, washed the chlorine off and then went to find a sunbed that was slightly sheltered to dry off on. As I walked across the deck, one of the stewards approached me. Very humbly and apologetically, he asked to see my cruise card to see if I was legitimately suppose to be in this very sacredly reserved part of the ship. I said, no problem and dug in my bag for my card and confidently handed it over. He squirmed and apologised and I explained that we had got on at Cape Town, which was why he didn’t recognise me and, furthermore, we had hardly come up here. I think it was the second time. He offered me as much as he could in regards to the comforts of Top 16 and scuttled away. I dried myself off with this windy view.

The sun was shining brightly and I was in fear of sunburn, so didn’t stay too long. I did walk around Top 16 and found one slightly more protected spot. It overlooks the whole main deck.

You can see how few people are down there. That’s how windy it is!

Meanwhile, back in Cape Town, a massive fire has crossed from Elephant’s Eye, across to Silvermine and is now affecting Kalk Bay. One of our neighbours posted these photos.

We are 2 hours behind Cape Town now, so I’m not sure how it’s going to be overnight. I know that there are major traffic issues getting in and out of the valley. I’m so glad David is home from Betty’s Bay. He missed the closures just in time. Hoping the fire department will get it under control.

Nehemiah 9:6
“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Dakar, Senegal

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we arrived in Dakar, Senegal. We did get off the ship and had a 6km walk around town. It is very much in keeping with north-west Africa, but it was worth the walk and we found a beach to create a memory. Here are some of the photos.

At the entrance to the port..

We went left at the gate and hugged the coastal road. Given the number of very fancy diplomatic cars, this clearly is the ‘expensive’ part of town. My tour guide (aka Mike) pointed out the French embassy along this road.

When we spotted a beach with 50 steps going down, we didn’t hesitate.

Onwards along the same road. In some of the gardens were massive baobab trees.

After a couple of kilometers we took a right turn and walked into an area that had more shops and people. We saw the Nelson Mandela Pharmacy, Doctors rooms, no supermarkets, but little side stores and lots of informal vendors. I left my cell phone at the cabin, but Mike took his and we got a few photos of around this part of Dakar. This is outside the hospital.

One of the main streets which wasn’t too bad.

We had passed close to the president’s residence but were not permitted to walk past it. There were armed guards at every intersection. These I did not mind as I felt safer. Eventually, we had to wind our way back to the ship and this was when my guide took me a really grotty way. I won’t dwell on the sights or smells, but I was happy to get back to the ship.

 

Travelling always brings with it a lot of surprises. One of today’s came in the amazing sea eagles that fly over the sea at Dakar.  I’ve never seen an eagle using the sea as its fishing ground before. There were loads of them and as a result no sea gulls.

Our ship is parked along side a Grimaldi Lines cargo ship & this is our view.

What you cannot sense is that it has the most enormous generators going 24/7 and they are LOUD. When we docked and went out on the balcony and heard the din, we figured we needed to get used to it because their ship wasn’t leaving any time soon (given the unloading that was going on) and we are only shipping out at 7pm. How the crew put up with it I don’t know. With our cabin balcony door firmly shut, the noise is but a hum, and tolerable.

That all happened today, but I can’t not mention last night. There was no big party crossing the equator the other day. We figured that was because the world cruisers were crossing it for the 4th time on this voyage. To make up for it, MSC put on an enormous buffet at, wait for it, 11pm last night! We were all encouraged to get there early to take photos and 10.30pm was mentioned. Those of you who know me well, will know I’m usually sawing wood by 10pm. However, I managed to stay awake and, at the appointed time we went up to the top deck and found we were late for the party. It was jam packed.

Amazing ice sculptures.

Celebrating the staff. They worked so hard to pull this off.

So much food.

As soon as the announcements were over and my photos were taken, I bid goodnight to Mike, went back to the cabin & lost no time in going to sleep. I stirred when Mike returned with cake which he offered to share but I was a-slumber so passed on it. He said it was like a scrum up there!

I’ve save the best for last. I went out on the balcony yesterday evening and was astounded to see the most amazing amount of bioluminescence. We had seen red tide, but as we are passing through the ocean, you never know if it will disappear. As the ship stirred up the water, the waves were lined with the most spectacular blue.

Mike took a video.

Yes, travelling always brings these unexpected surprises. That was a good day in Dakar. Having very low expectations helped!

Psalm 95:3-5
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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A Very Decadent Day at Sea

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Helga

Friday 25/4/25 – 8 months til Christmas!

Dear Elsie

Today was a deliciously quiet day at sea. When I woke up this morning and looked outside, the moon and Venus were one above the other. This was 7.22am.

Not quite an hour later, the sun was burning through the morning mist and shining its light on a passing tanker.

We had a lazy lie in with no formal exercise done.  I did do some work and then around 10am we went for breakfast. By 11.30am, in ship-appropriate dress we went to the main theatre.

There, the Master and the Chief Officers came out to say hello.

There was also a little dance team that impressed us with their moves.

This afternoon, we lazed around a bit. I did a fraction more work and we had a call with Julian who is cat-sitting in Cape Town. We are looking forward to him joining us in a couple of weeks…less than 2 weeks in fact.

The bulk of the passengers on this ship have been onboard since they left Genoa on about 4th January. I don’t know how they have done it. Their formal round the world cruise ends on 5th May back in Genoa.  On 6th May they will have to go back to the real world. The couple we spoke to the other day are full time travellers so their plan is to do a train trip, then hop on a plane and fly to northern Europe where they do another cruise. We too hop on a plane as soon as we get off this ship and fly to Istanbul where Julian meets us for a shorter Med cruise. We are really enjoying ourselves & lapping up each day. We have learned a few things on this cruise. We don’t need a drinks package. We don’t need an Aurea upgrade, but we do appreciate the balcony. We enjoy going to the evening sit down dinners where our attentive waiter is happy to serve us. Last night we went to the buffet for our evening meal for a change. I really enjoyed that too. Here’s some of the food!

Mike’s favourite spot!

Spoilt for choice. Tonight we will go to the main dining room.

David meantime, has arrived in Betty’s Bay for a short getaway with Anna’s family..

Such a great photo.

Tonight the clocks go back another hour so we’ll be 2 hours behind Cape Town. I don’t think it will be for long because the Canary Islands (Tuesday) are UK time.  Dakar is 2 hours earlier, so we have to change our clocks for our stop there tomorrow.

Genesis 1:9-10
Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Thunder and Lightening at Sea

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Helga

Thursday

Dear Elsie

This month (and especially Easter) has been a pivotal time for you. After almost 7 years of dairy allergies, today you had scrambled eggs for the first time. And over Easter, you had marshmallow Easter Eggs. Both of these you have not been able to eat for the entire duration of your young life. You are growing out of some of your allergies and we couldn’t be happier!

Today is the 8th day we have been on board. And it was the day we went through a storm! The sea was flat but there was thunder and lightening and it was very close. I can’t remember having gone through a storm at sea before. In cruises past, we’ve had some very rough seas, especially off the African coast but there have never been big flashes of lightening and great peals of thunder booming across the sky. It was very dramatic & went on for quite a while. At 7.41am, it still looked very ominous.

We went to the gym for exercise. The gym is at the front of the ship with large windows. Whenever I walk on the treadmill, I imagine we are powering the ship along. This was my view this morning…

The weather cleared and we are now out the doldrums. The wind has picked up as well. We spent most of the day about 200 nm off the coast of Sierra Leone. Our next stop is Dakar which is just south of Mauritania

Last night the dinner theme was supposed to be for a rock concert. I left my rock concert outfit back in the ’80s. What I did have with me is the glitzy top Stacey wore to her Matric dance. It was when I was sitting at dinner with it on that I realised Stacey matriculated 20 years ago this year! Time has certainly flown past. The top has lasted well. It’s only been worn about once every 2-3 years, so it should have.

Today’s been a good work day. I did more than 6 hours. A lot of work came in. Tomorrow I won’t do as much.

Happy 30th birthday Jess!  I hope you’ve had a wonderful day and are doing something special either tonight or over the weekend. Double my age!  Happiest of birthdays! The best is yet to come.

Psalm 139:9-10
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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In the Doldrums

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Helga

Wednesday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we entered the doldrums. First when we woke this morning, I went up to pick up coffee and as my cell phone connected to maps, I saw we were on the equator.

It was only this afternoon, I noticed we had got to the doldrums

I was at the gym when there was a downpour. Then I noticed how glassy the sea is.

Almost oily and very very flat

It makes sense that the saying of being ‘in the doldrums’ has come out of this part of the world. When you are in the doldrums, you may be struggling along, wading through treacle, not progressing well at all. The sailors of old must have moved painfully slowly through this section of the sea when they were dependent on prevailing winds. It was wind that never blew.

With us, there is no problem. Our big 95 ton ship that is close to 300m in length powers through the water at up to about 40km/hour.  According to AI, “the MSC Magnifica utilizes a diesel-electric propulsion system, powered by five Wärtsilä 16V38B diesel engines. These engines generate electricity, which then drives the propellers via electric motors. The ship also has a fully automatic control system for the engine room.” It is very smooth. We regularly can hardly feel that we are on a ship. Our cabin is close to the front (about 30 or 40m from the door to the front balcony). We are on Deck 10 and so well insulated with other cabins above and below as well as either side of us. It is only our balcony that is open to the sea. It’s very quiet with no passing foot traffic, so no talking in the corridors is heard. We didn’t have a choice of balcony cabins. This was the only one left, so we took it. We have had very calm seas so far. The next stop is Dakar on Saturday. We have decided not to get off. We took a look at the excursions and there is not much to see. The cruise port is not in a great area, so walking off is not really suitable either. I will take pictures from the ship.

It’s really difficult for me to find something I don’t like about cruising. We have arrived at 23rd April, my dear Mom’s birthday. She would have loved cruising too. And tomorrow is Jess’s 30th birthday! Woohoo! Happy Birthday Jess!

The earth in our eyes is so enormous, but from outer space we are just a grain of dirt.

Psalm 33:7
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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Dancing Tea-Time

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Helga

Tuesday

Dear Elsie
Today was the day we hit a shipping lane off the coast of West Africa. When the captain came on just after 12, he told us the nearest land was Ascension island 500 nautical miles away. We are very close to the equator now.

We seemed so remote out at sea with no other signs of life, so it was a surprise to suddenly start having ships passing by.

As we get closer to the coast of Africa, we leave behind the middle of nowhere and will bring to an end that part of the journey. More ships & land will become the norm. I’m savouring every minute of this unique experience. I’m sitting on our balcony in sultry weather & what feels like 100% humidity. It’s quite a treat. Our balcony faces east so the sun has now passed overhead. The roar of the waves as the ship ploughs through the sea is not insignificant. My balcony view while doing my blog…

What we learned on Sunday when we met Steve and Mary is that every sea day, at 3.45pm,  in the  Ametista Lounge, tea is served. It comes with a pot of hot water for each person and you are offered a teabag of your choice, which you then put in the pot and let it draw. And, it comes with a tier of delicious snacks.  Whoever thought up dancing tea time was genius! It’s so different and creative.  There are always couples who get up and dance to the live music. Even if you don’t, the music is really listenable and pleasant to sit and enjoy. Those who love to dance include the Germans who lang-arm. I was so surprised to see couples lang-arming around the dance floor just like our Afrikaners do.

The Ametista Lounge…

Teddy getting ready for tea…

High tea every afternoon. Such an easy way to pass an hour.

Dinner last night was a ‘white’ affair, where wearing white was the flavour of the evening. They are not super particular about it & we soon found that pure white was not required.

I had the salmon…

And lime cake.

I’m always walking the deck curious about what people are doing. This must be the long cruise I’ve been on with the most smokers. There are loads of them which has surprised me. There’s also a lot of people doing exercise – yoga, Pilates and such. And there is Mike who did this today…

This afternoon we went to the Grand Finale of MSC Masterchef at sea. And the winner was…

It’s nearly dinner time and tonight is green, white and red. Mike’s got a red tie. I’ve got a green and white dress and green scarf. That will do.

Psalm 89:9
You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

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In The Tropics

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Helga

Monday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we woke to overcast tropical weather with gloomy skies above and warm air below. This is 6.37am from our balcony. All the orange things are life boats.

This is looking over our balcony. That’s the medical boat.

It was very warm and humid outside. By 7.14am, I was stomping around the deck. 10000 steps before breakfast!

I did a couple of hours work this morning. Then we went to the whirlpool for a soak. This is a good place of conversation as there are no cell phones to distract us. It is a relaxing spot where appreciation is high. It’s where Dave Ramsey’s advice comes to mind. Basically, his philosophy is to strive to have no debt, have an emergency fund, savings & sufficient retirement. With all that in place, be generous and have some fun. This is some fun. If we have done all the above, having some fun is guilt-free.

After the whirlpool, we dried off and went to the buffet for cappuccino.  I called Julian  and he told me the Pope had died. We had missed the news. Yesterday he appeared on the Rome balcony – today he is in eternity – that’s a life of service to the very end.

Back in our cabin, laundry had been done. One of the reasons we like having a balcony on a ship is because we always bring our own washing line and some washing powder. It won’t take long for this to dry.

When we went to get our cappuccino at lunchtime, I told Mike there were chocolate Easter eggs in the buffet. By then we were back at our cabin, at which point he hot footed it back to the buffet to get some of the leftovers. He also had pizza for lunch. I’ll have some of the chocolate after dinner, although last night I was so full, I could hardly eat another morsel. Here is the menu for last night. We had the soup, lamb and cherries.

Tomorrow is a proper work day for me, which entails 4-5 hours working. I had a little nap this afternoon which was very civil. If I only work a half day, maybe we can do the same tomorrow. Soon we will cross the equator. I think it will be the day after tomorrow.

Job 26:10
“He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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Easter Sunday on the Ship

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Helga

Sunday

Dear Elsie

Today was Easter Sunday 2025 and we spent it on the ship. There are a lot of Italians, so there was the entire crossing to the Vatican being played on the TVs in the public areas. Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed. Sunrise this morning.

The first thing we did today, is turn our clocks back an hour. We are now an hour behind SA. When it’s not a port day, the rhythm of the ship slows down. Everyone is very relaxed and finds things to do that interest them. Walking across the deck, there are people playing cards, doing aerobics, reading, sleeping, playing dice, doing crosswords & sudokus, playing table tennis, swimming, sunbathing, working on their laptops, chatting, drinking, eating.

Our activity of the day took us to the tennis court where we set about a highly competitive game of very poor tennis.

Our umpire was in place, but didn’t say much.

The tennis court is surrounded by net so balls don’t go flying into the ocean or surrounding decks, but they did have a habit of slipping beneath the net behind Mike’s side and ending up on a platform. To retrieve it, a walk out the court down the stairs, round the back & up a ladder was needed. The job fell to Mike!

One of the issues was the tennis balls were pretty bad and didn’t have much bounce, but we did get some exercise and satisfied Mike’s yen for playing tennis on a ship. We lost track of the score. Calling it a draw is fair, I think!

This afternoon, we went to meet Steve and Mary, a YouTube couple who have posted monthly about their adventures on this cruise. I had watched their video and reached out to them. It was interesting conversation, hearing about all their travels, plus their experience so far on this cruise. They are full time travellers, a pastime they took up after the untimely and tragic death of their younger daughter 11 years ago. (She was in her 3rd year of college and was knocked over by a car). So very sad. After the accident, they just felt they couldn’t stay in their city, so they took off travelling. They love to hike and have been to all 5 continents as well as Alaska and the Antarctica. This is their first trip to Africa. They would like to return to Cape Town, so we’ll stay in touch.

The internet has been excellent. Here’s why – Starlink panels are abundant.

Now it’s time for dinner.

Psalm 93:4
More than the sounds of many waters, Than the mighty breakers of the sea, The Lord on high is mighty.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

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Discovering the Pods

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Helga

Saturday

Dear Elsie

Today was the day we discovered the pods. Because this cruise is  part of the Round the World one  & this balcony cabin was the only one left for the 18 nights from Cape Town to Rome, we had to take what it came with. If we wanted to go, we had to pay the price, which was higher than usual for 18 nights. As a result we have got a massive cabin plus a few other perks.   We didn’t really realise all that it came with, so the very big cabin and balcony was a surprise. The eat whenever you like in the reserved seating is helpful when we are a little later in eating (very seldom because I’m still skipping lunch and by 6pm, I’m ready to eat a small pony). The big surprise came when we found out we had access to the ‘exclusive’ Top 16 which is the highest outdoor area at the front of the ship.  It doesn’t have any indoor space but it has a lot of out door tables with private booths shielded from the wind.

It has a couple of hot tubs.

There are far fewer passengers up there….& we discovered the pods. These are massive covered circular seats. This is what they look like from behind…

Inside, the view is of the ocean passing by. The stewards go round handing out fruit kebabs.

Mike and I in the pod.

Teddy came too.

We have never had this option before and I don’t know if we will again, so we are enjoying it this once. All these sea days are definitely giving us the rest we need. I’ll be ready to go back to work on Tuesday, that’s for sure. I may even do a bit of work on Monday.

The other thing that happened today is I may have set up a meeting with a YouTube couple who have posted a couple of their videos from this ship. I started following them because we were waiting for the ship to arrive in Cape Town. They’ve down the whole round the world trip, so have been on it for more than 100 days.  Perhaps tomorrow we will meet & I’ll hear more.

Mike and I did 10000 steps before breakfast. We sort of half-heartedly thought of doing another 10000 before dinner, but that’s grueling, so we just did what we did. We are not going to the formal dinner tonight but will go to the buffet.

Tonight the clocks go back an hour, so from tomorrow we are on UK time. I’m hoping my watch, cell phone and laptop will adjust itself. How does one know? We’ll have to find a ship clock.

We have been enjoying fair weather. This is our current location…

Julian will be interested in this: the ship to the left of us is the MSC Euribia which we went on last year on our trip to the Norwegian fjords. One of the best ships and the best cruises I’ve ever been on.   I’m not sure why it is where it is because when I click on it, it says it’s going to do a Northern Europe cruise (3rd -10th May), so I’m surmising that it’s come round Africa to avoid the Red Sea. It also is much further west than we are, almost as if it’s going to St. Helena Island. Perhaps it’s also doing a recce? I’ll be keeping an eye on it.

Isaiah 42:10
Sing to the Lord a new song, sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.

It’s not about now – we are only passing through.

Keep the smile going.

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Gran xx 🙂

 

 

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