Hvar, Croatia 9/14

 The ship's WiFi  was not working most of the afternoon and evening yesterday, so wasn't able to bring you up to date on our travels. This morning it's back to its normal moderately slow self.

We anchored off Hvar this morning and took a lighter to the pier. The lighters are the ship's lifeboats that are used on a rotating basis as lighters. This provides ongoing maintenance and use of each lifeboat plus it gives the boat operators refresher experience in operating their boats.

Hvar is an island itself with other smaller islands to seaward. It seems to be a popular place to visit so their are larger sailboats and yachts anchored in the available coves and protected areas. Then there are the sightseeing boats that take tourists for a ride around the area, the locals who commute from one island to the other, fishermen and assorted others who make it a busy area for boats.

This is the lighter that brought us ashore. Four of them made round trips all day carrying passengers back and forth to the pier.

Two streets up the hill from the main tourist street was this nice produce market. Again, there was lots of local produce. Iko bought some vine ripened grapes and I bought half a kilo of almonds. The grapes were small but very sweet. The almonds were the usual but more tasty because they cost only about a dollar for a little over a pound. 

More back streets and old buildings.

The old fortress and walls were effective against the Turks, but not so effective against bombs in WWII.

Handmade steps of limestone.

Happened to catch another sunset after dinner.

Zadar, Croatia 9/13

 We tied up at the new (at least it looks new) cruise ship terminal at Zadar this morning. After breakfast, Iko and I caught a shuttlebus to the Zadar Old Town. There were several areas that had excavations of  old building foundations and other stoneworks.

Old buildings through a wrought iron gate.

More Old Town. Those limestone paving stones are not wet, they've been polished by thousands of feet everyday.

I forgot to pack a black belt for this trip, so I've been looking for one. We were exploring the backstreets when I saw a leather products store. Stopped in and found a black belt of genuine top grain leather, not the stuff that so often passes for genuine leather nowadays. The problem was that all the belts were size 46 and I wear a 32. The owner said, "No problem, you find the color, size and buckle you like and I'll make it fit." Sure enough, he unscrewed a screw holding the buckle end together, removed the buckle and leather piece holding it, cut the exposed end of the belt, put it back together, and just like that, the belt was my size.

The price was marked 149 Kuna (about $25) but he took 140 even without me bargaining. At a leather goods place along the tourist street a little later I saw a similar belt marked $259 Kn. A little earlier I bought a bottle of water at a drugstore off the beaten path for half the price on the tourist street. It's usually worth hitting the back roads when shopping in tourist areas. 

These ready-made bouquets caught my eye. all were beautiful, some were stunning.

More back street stuff. We came upon a farmers market. These young fig trees had immature fruit on them.

In the same market I saw another florist. Near as I could tell she was offering to make custom bouquets.

The produce all looked good. I could tell a lot of it was locally grown. 

This is the entrance to St Mary's Church, one of the high points of a visit to Zadar. It is noted for its collection of gold and silver icons and relics. 

Here again, the stone pavers on the floor were polished to a high gloss by the feet of the worshipers and tourists like me taking photos.

The inside of the church was impressive. I was allowed to take photos but no flash was allowed.

The pipe organ was silent but it looked grand.

Tired out by our wandering, we caught the shuttle back to the dock and relaxed until dinnertime.

Italy 9/12/21

 Even though today is our stop in Venice, I titled his post "Italy" because we opted to stay aboard ship. A couple months ago, I read that the Italian government had restricted large cruise ships from having access to their regular moorage in Venice. This trip we berthed at an industrial area a few miles away to the southeast. Furthermore, passengers who wanted to visit Venice were not allowed to explore individually, but had to be part of an organized excursion. We didn't want to go through that drill plus we spent two days in Venice a few years back. So here we are aboard ship.

This is one of the offshore drill rigs I saw in the northern Adriatic on the way yesterday. Altogether I counted 19 of these or similar. I'm sure there were others that I didn't see.

This morning on our way into the moorage area I snapped this pic of the approaching sunrise. I was a little surprised by how dirty the air was in the nearshore area.

The crew took advantage of the slow day to wash down the verandahs. There is a ground crew that works washing down the sides of the ship at every port. They use long-handled brushes and nozzles tied to the top of long poles to wash off the salt water. They can't reach as high as the verandah cabins so this was a chance to clean our windows and decks too.

I saw several fishermen in small boats, both along this waterway and others on the way in and out of the berthing area. Note the industrial area in the background.

At some of the ports we take on supplies and offload garbage. I saw several trucks bringing supplies and other trucks taking away palletized garbage, or in this case, pallet boards that were unloaded earlier. I must say the operation is well organized and seems to efficiently bring the supplies in and the garbage out.

My main source of info (our cabin steward) told me that about 600 passengers left the ship today and about 800 new passengers arrived. About 200 of us stayed aboard for the return journey back down the Adriatic coast through Croatia, Montenegro and Greece, eventually making our way to Athens and our return flights. 

The cabin stewards were busy last night and all day today taking departing passengers bags to be stacked on enclosed pallets ready for offloading, cleaning rooms, and the prepositioning the new passengers bags in their rooms as the baggage trucks arrived. 

This port area was just transformed into cruise ship berths. Note the containers located on the dock to form barriers to keep the vehicle traffic in the proper locations. I suppose there are plans afoot to build a proper cruise ship handling area. 

The waterways here are narrow and made even more narrow by large cruise ships. I saw this freighter being towed stern first out to a larger waterway where it could be turned around and escorted out to open water.

Around 1800 we dropped the dock lines and, assisted by tugs fore and aft, we made our way out through the canals to the Adriatic. Here you can see the tug helping direct the stern of the Eurodam as we make a corner. The sunset was red through the smoggy skies.

A Day Afloat 9/11/21

We set sail from Dubrovnik at around 2130, Friday evening. Actually, we didn't set any sails. Captain Smit gave the order and the electric engines began to turn, we eased away from the pier, and made our way out the channel to the Adriatic, where again the surface was flat and the ride was smooth.

People talk of the need for clean power for ships, among other large power applications. This ship is already powered by electricity. We have three 1.9 MW (2,500 hp) bow thrusters and two 17.6 MW (23,600 hp) aft-mounted Azipods. Electrical power for these engines (along with the other power requirements of the ship) is supplied by six diesel generators. So the question becomes not how to move the ship, but how to generate the electrical power to drive those engines.

There are explorations in progress for this power, including rigid sails, solar panels, small nuclear reactors, hydrogen power cells, etc., but there is not one solution and perhaps there will be multiple solutions depending on the application. 

Our first cruise with Holland America was on the old SS Rotterdam, a true steamship. The props were driven, through reduction gears, by steam turbines. As was normal with such propulsion systems, the whole ship vibrated when we were underway. Incidentally, the SS Rotterdam is retired and berthed permanently in Rotterdam as an historical attraction and hotel. Makes me feel historical myself. Guess that comes from being somewhat ancient. ;-)

The Azipod units that provide the main thrust for this ship, and many others, are quieter and much more efficient. The propeller and its driving engine are mounted in an external pod that can be rotated thus delivering thrust in any direction. In normal operation, the propeller faces forward like an airplane propeller, operating in undisturbed water and delivering a 10-20% increase in efficiency over stern facing props, depending on the competition.

While the engines were efficiently driving (pulling) us forward, I considered various things. As the Walrus said to the Carpenter, or was it to the oysters(?), "...it's time to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings."

The passageway outside our stateroom is long. I paced it off and made it to be 175' to an offset, 455' main passageway, followed by 45' following another offset, for a total of 675'. This seems about right since the ship measures about 975' from bowsprit to fantail.

I think I mentioned earlier that this ship is larger than the usual HAL ship. Normally four laps around the Promenade Deck equals one mile. On this one the posted signs say three laps equal one mile. I paced off one lap and calculated 5115 feet. but my pace might not equal exactly 2.5' plus I cut short some of the corners. Anyway, I reckon three laps is close to 5,280' (one mile), or close enough for my needs.

While cruising I enjoy people watching. On shore there are the local customs, dress, sights and foods. On board, there are scenery, the passengers, the foods, and the crew. 

The scenery varies, believe it or not, even while at sea. The big things jump out. As we got closer to the top (NW) of the Adriatic Sea, I counted at least 18 oil drilling rigs located strategically along the way. There were more dolphins and jumping fish to be seen, if you watched closely. The color of the water varies, depending on the weather and time of day. The apparent wind varies in direction and strength. Yesterday I saw a butterfly, either hitching a ride or a long way out of its normal habitat. You get the idea... Always something to observe.

The passengers are a microcosm of society at large. While walking the deck, I see the readers, knitters, striders, sleepers, dreamers, and talkers. Each does their own thing, and jumps to other categories, depending on the time of day or inclination.

Formerly, the crew consisted of people of two nationalities, three if you consider the officers, who are mostly from The Netherlands. The men are from Indonesia and the women were traditionally from the Philippines. From two years ago, according to our cabin steward, HAL began recruiting women from Thailand and Indonesia as well. Of course, those are only the main sources. The casino staff has traditionally been recruited from Great Britain, the entertainment staff from the US, the medically team from Europe, etc. No matter their home country, the staff I've interfaced with have been friendly and welcoming.

The food aboard is usually quite good, as it is one of the selling points for cruise ships. There are several venues and passengers are free to choose where and how often to eat. Breakfast is served in the dining room, the Explorations Café, and the Lido Marketplace. We usually go to the dining room, although occasionally we go to the Lido. Some pax never go to the dining room and some always do. Some go to both on the same day. I've never been to the Café for breakfast although we have gone there for a specialty coffee in the early afternoon. 

Lunch is available in the dining room, the Lido, or you can order a pizza at New York Pizza (1130-2330), or a hamburger or hotdog from the Dive-In (1130-1730) near the main swimming pool.

Dinner is served in the dining room, and for an additional nominal charge, you can eat in the Pinnacle Grill (Fine dining), Canaletto (Italian), or Tamarind & Nami  (Asian fusion & Sushi). The Lido is open from 1730-2000 and again from 2230-2330 daily. Plenty of options for hungry folks. 

I sometimes ruminate about why cruising is attractive to me. All of the above play a part and then there's the attraction of the freedom to do as much or as little as you want. Some people rush around all day, going on excursions, playing Bingo, eating, drinking, watching shows or listening to recitals. Then there are those who lounge in deck chairs most of the day on the deck or by the pool, or those who start the day with a Bloody Mary and end with a nightcap. Different strokes, as the saying goes.

Whatever it is, sign me up for the next cruise. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia 9/10/21

The Adriatic Sea has been good to us so far. Last night and this morning, we had to look at the ocean to make sure we were moving and not docked somewhere. 

While I was walking this morning, I reflected on how clean and clear the water is, not just here in the Adriatic, but also farther down when we were cruising in local Greek Mediterranean waters.

The water was so calm we could see our wake extending back into the distance. I watched a school of dolphins playing in our wake on the starboard side then saw some on the port side. Next time around the deck I asked some reclining readers if they had seen the dolphins. The jumped up and started taking photos. Next time around all the passengers on that side were at the rail trying to time their shutters to catch a dolphin jumping over a wave.

Because it's a fairly long run from Argostoli, we weren't scheduled to dock at Dubrovnik until 1400. It's a popular port of call so there were two others at the cruise ship terminal when we arrived.

Iko and I caught a shuttle to the walled old town. Even though there are many tourists, it is well worth a visit.

The fortified walls surround the old city. I'm not sure if there are other entrance/exits, but this is the one near tourist central, where the buses and taxis deliver tourists from all around the world.

Before we crossed the bridge, I saw this colorful small florist's stand in the middle of the limestone and hustle bustle.

After we crossed the bridge and descended a couple flights of steps, we were in the old city.

This is one of the locations where Game of Thrones was filmed. The limestone paved streets were polished smooth by the thousands of feet that shuffled along their surfaces each day. The side streets were narrow. I calculated they were about eight feet wide.

Souvenirs, food and other tourist things were on offer in many places. Iko and I passed on the ice cream cones, T-shirts and personal guided tours. We worked our way back to the bus point and made it back to the ship in time for dinner. The Eurodam was scheduled to sail at 2130. With many of the passengers opting to sample the local cuisine, we had the dining room pretty much to ourselves.

Another interesting day drew to a close with another fine sunset.

Argostoli 9/9/21

 We sailed on smooth seas most of the night and tied up at Argostoli at 0600. The skies were clear and there was s light breeze from the NE. All was not calm however, as I could see at the top of a switchback road some wind generators working hard in the wind that came over the ridge. I counted 14 turbines, all whirling away in the wind.

After breakfast I worked on this blog for awhile. Had to catch up after the two days of down time. Later, we decided to walk off the pier and check out the town. As we walked up toward the beach, I noted some dark clouds off to the north. 

Keeping an eye on those clouds as we walked toward town I noticed a curtain of rain not far north of us. We decided we could do without a walk into town, made a U-turn, and headed back to the ship. We felt a few light drops of rain just as we approached the gangway. Strangely, the rain never materialized in the town, but fell just to the north with a few drops in the pier area. Before long the skies cleared.

Since we had decided to stay aboard, we had lattes in the coffee bar in the Crow's Nest then broke out the cribbage board and played crib for awhile. This is the second time I've used my selfie stick. 

Before dinner today, Zam, our dining room steward, made a bird using napkins.

After dinner, I worked on the blog some more, set our clocks back an hour and hit the hay. Before I went to sleep, I noted that the sea was so calm on the west side of Greece that it was hard to tell we were moving.