Sea Day #2 Oosterdam

Yesterday was our second sea day as we headed towards King's Wharf. We had some higher swells which kept things interesting as you were walking around the deck, especially forward and on the higher decks. I was going to play Pickleball at 3 PM but it was too bouncy for me. I prefer a Pickleball court that's not moving like a level in a Mario video game. Usually we pick cabins that are towards the forward part of the ship but for this sailing the universe apparently had our back and we are much further aft and the motion has been manageable. The captain had a special announcement at 4:30 PM where he let us know the ship had made another course change and we were heading north, instead of west, to stay away from some heavier conditions. He also said that Tuesday (today) would likely be a day where we won't be able to outrun the weather. He expects that conditions will deteriorate as the day progresses with the worst conditions coming around 2 PM. We are currently four hours ahead of EST. He also did mention that making these course changes potentially impacts our scheduled arrival into King's Wharf. We'll find out in a few days if that was foreshadowing.  

Even with the "bounciness" (that's a technical nautical term), we had a great dinner last night at Pinnacle Grill which is one of the specialty restaurants on board the Oosterdam. We both started with wedge salads featuring crispy romaine, even crispier bacon and a tangy blue cheese. We also shared the best crab cake I've ever had on a Holland America ship. Full of crab meat with very little filler. And when you eat at Pinnacle Grill, you must try the Bacon Clothesline - unless of course you don't like bacon. 

Angie had a delicious main of Beef Short Ribs over Chow Fun Noodles. So flavorful!! And I had an Iberico Pork Chop cooked perfectly medium!!! Iberico pigs are fed primarily acorns so the meat has a nuttier flavor. No dessert although our waiter Hadi did bring out one of Angie's favorites: Macarons!!  

After dinner they were supposed to have a street fair up on deck 9 by the covered pool with carnival games and food but it got cancelled due to the conditions. Hopefully they can reschedule since this was one of my favorite events on the Zaandam earlier this year.  

Today we'll have breakfast in the main dining room. We'll await the captain's noon announcement regarding the weather. There is food trivia at 1 PM where we might have a chance at victory!!

Sea Day #1 Oosterdam

We had our first of seven consecutive sea days yesterday. We started with a brunch in the main dining room. Some tasty smoked salmon potato chowder in a bread bowl and a codfish sandwich. The captain predicted we'd encounter some rougher weather so we decided we'd have a more restful day and started an extended mandatory rest period in the cabin. I watched a couple of movies. The first was "Wolfs" which started Clooney and Pitt as "fixers" who have to fix the same messy problem. The other was "Two Faces of January" about two con artists who coincidentally meet in Greece and get entangled in murders. 

We had pre-dinner cocktails at Ocean Bar where the show band was playing a jazz set. Some talented musicians. Dinner was in the main dining room. They had a tasty cream of onion soup. That's something I hadn't seen before and it was delicious. You often see other cream soups as potato, asparagus or mushroom. I had beef stroganoff for my main and Angie had Orecchiette with a pork ragu. Both very good and comforting. 

After dinner we enjoyed and participated in the game show "Secret Identities". Contestants sat in front of a screen with a picture of a famous person, or food or piece of clothing and had to ask the audience yes or no questions to figure out what or who they were.

 Right after the game show was karaoke where I sang a crowd favorite from Jim Croce.  

The overnight weather conditions were actually very good. The captain had made an earlier announcement that we took a slightly different course to avoid the storms. It was a bit bumpy but nothing like some other sailings I've been on. Today the sun is shining and we have fairly calm seas. We had breakfast with a murder mystery author, a travelling nomad from Australia and our friend Susan from the Zaandam. Now Angie is catching up on work. We may play some cards later and check out the sea day activities. Pickleball might be an option as long as the ship isn't rocking too much.

Europe and Africa at the same time

Yesterday after our mandatory afternoon rest period, we had our afternoon snack of KitKat bars we had purchased in Gibraltar. It's been a long time since I have looked for a KitKat in the United States but I have seen them a lot during international travel. And the flavors seem quite unique, especially in Australia where they had chocolate mint. The salted caramel and peanut butter ones were quite delicious!! 

 Yesterday at 5 PM the ship had an Atlantic sailaway on deck 9 aft as we headed through the strait where you can see Europe on your starboard side and Africa on your port side. There are a few other places in the world where you can see two continents at once including the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey.

We had our first Gala dinner and enjoyed a delicious tomato bisque, burrata with tomato and gruyere brioche crusted halibut. Really tasty! And there is an update on our dinner table situation. The maitre D came over to us at breakfast on Thursday and said he had worked something out. We'd have Pande as our waiter for the rest of the cruise!!

After dinner we played a game show where they poorly described a movie and you had to guess the title. For example:

A man has an allergic reaction to a spider bite and starts acting weird in public.  

Answer below.

After dinner we finally got seats in two Rolling Stone Lounge!! It's quite a popular venue and we saw why when we listened to the band. A terrific five member band playing classic R&B and party favorites. For those that think Holland America Line gets "sleepy" after 7 PM, this is simply not true. So many people on the dance floor!! And HAL has one of the best live music programs across all the lines I've sailed.  

Today is the first of our seven consecutive sea days until we arrive at King's Wharf. The captain made an announcement yesterday that we may see some heavier weather starting on Monday so we will take the necessary precautions. However conditions are expected to greatly improve as we head west. 

The answer is Spider-Man.

Gibraltar

We found a great pub for lunch in Gibraltar!! English staples of Fish and Chips and Sausage and Mash!! Delicious versions of both and such a massive piece of fish for only £18!! The bite of the day was definitely the mash. So well seasoned and creamy. Plus some savory beef gravy!!

We're back on board now having a mandatory rest period. There will be some scenic sailing at 4 PM as we leave Gibraltar and begin the first of seven sea days until we get to King's Wharf. There is a pod of orcas that have been spotted in this area over the last several years so we'll keep an eye out for wildlife. 

Tonight is our first "fancy" night. Dinner will be in the main dining room. Escargot is on the menu and that will most likely be ordered!!

Cartagena, Spain

 Yesterday we had a nice walking tour in Cartagena visiting a castle and some peacocks!!

 Lunch was highlighted by fried anchovies and pulpo (octopus). Really tasty.  

Today we're in Malaga and have an afternoon excursion with a walking tour and a visit to the Picasso museum.

Boarding the Oosterdam

Yesterday we checked out of the Hoxton hotel. It was a really perfect hotel for us and just what we needed as a buffer between the river cruise and the transatlantic cruise. The hotel was near many restaurants. Some great spots for a three course lunch for only €15.50. They also had a rooftop pool and restaurant area which had a 360° view including the Sagrada Familia. 

Reports are that this amazing architectural achievement is finally "complete", but there are still cranes operating around it so maybe not quite yet. Regardless, make sure you visit when you come to Barcelona. It's amazing to see up close and inside.  

At 12:45 we headed to the cruise port and boarded the Holland America Line Oosterdam. They had an enhanced check-in process where you had to pass through EU immigration control even though we will have two more ports in Spain. It was painless and we were onboard at 2 PM, dropped off our luggage in our cabin, visited our muster station and had some lunch. Sailaway was at 4 PM. There are several crew members on this ship that sailed with us earlier this year on the Zaandam. We found Edcil working at the Pinnacle Bar, Pande our amazing waiter was in the dining room and Santek was the barista/bartender at the Crow's Nest. It was very fun to see them again. We're trying to get our dining table changed to Pande's section. Not successful yet but we aren't giving up!!

We attended a Mariner Society cocktail reception at 6:30. The Mariner Society is HAL's loyalty program. We talked with a few other passengers about travel. Dinner was very good. I had crab and shrimp cocktail, a twist on Caprese salad with roasted zucchini and southwestern salmon bowl for my main. No dessert. We visited Santek at Crow's Nest, got a few cans of water and headed back to the cabin. 

Today we will be in Cartagena and have a morning walking tour.

Barcelona

 We made it to Barcelona!! Easy flight on Vueling which arrived early into BCN. We gathered our checked luggage, grabbed a taxi and headed to the hotel. It was about a 35 minute drive to the Hoxton hotel in the Poblenou district. It cost €47 plus gratuity. Most taxis will take credit cards but we had some Euros so we paid in cash. If you do use a card, make sure you check with your bank about whether they will charge foreign transaction fees which can be an unwelcome surprise. 

We checked into our beautiful corner room which has a separate living room. We had breakfast at 7 AM in Prague so we needed some lunch. I found a place called DgUSt which was about a five minute walk. They had a great three course lunch special menu for only €15.50/person. I got spaghetti with chorizo as a starter and Angie had grilled veggies with a Romesco sauce. 

We both had hamburger steaks for our main. They were served with melted goat cheese and grilled onions along with crispy fries topped with flaky salt. They had a great Vino Verde house wine. All really good and just what we wanted. We're now back at the hotel for an early evening. Angie has some work to catch up on. I will probably listen to a podcast. No definite plans for tomorrow. There are orange and yellow rain alerts for today and tomorrow so we may encounter some heavier weather. We'll see what happens tomorrow and perhaps head to a nearby museum. There are many restaurant options nearby and in the hotel.