Serenity 3

We will be at sea for an unprecedented (for us) 137 days! The adventure begins December 20!

American idyll

Singing Our Hearts Out

Mor Mor and Valena

Marika singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

"Go, Tell It On The Mountain".

Twenty five hours and 1465 miles after leaving home we returned our rental car, checked into our Miami hotel, caught some zzz, then oo’d and ah’d over the beautiful full moon outside our window!

Christmas trees are in “full bloom” in Miami.

The moon pretending to be the Star of Bethlehem. Anyone catch the lunar eclipse?

The Crystal Serenity docked this morning. It will be our home for the next 137 days.

This year Hästa (our Swedish horse tagalong) was not left at home alone.

We are onboard and everything is tucked away.

Looking back at the Port of Miami.

One of many Christmas trees on the Crystal Serenity

ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS

On this "Tropical Holiday" cruise our first port was St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands - we arrived early Christmas Eve morning.

Looking from the ship to the town of Charlotte Amalie - it is about a 30 minute walk from the ship to the town.

Frederick Lutheran Church - established in 1666 by the Danes - with its doors open wide welcoming us in

Danish heritage and island culture are beautifully interwoven - those are steel drums in the balcony.

Several decorated trees are placed around the nave.

Also dating to the 1600's - the "99 Steps" ascend from behind the church (this picture is looking back down the steps)....

....and bring us to a lovely view of the harbor and also Blackbeard's Castle!

Later, our Christmas Eve service was at 11:45pm, a service of lessons, carols and communion.

AT SEA

Merry Christmas, everyone! We miss you!

Our Christmas service was held in the Stardust Lounge. Ed is standing with Teddy, who has been helping us with every service set-up for the past two years.

Who is that in Santa's toy bag?

Great decorations, yes?

The Christmas buffet- with the introduction of the most important folks: the chefs!

2010 is Crystal's 20th anniversary year - and the buffet, including dessert tables, featured the "best of the past twenty years". Yes, even a Norwegian wedding cake!

Ice sculptures, "Astoria String quartet" (they also played a prelude at our Christmas Eve service), and a lobster tail mountain - unbelievable!

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS

Happy Boxing Day! This is one of the town's shopping streets. Bridgetown stores are closed for the holiday.

Here's an unlikely spot for a Hallmark ad - above a changing table in a Bajan bathroom!

St. Michael's Cathedral - twice destroyed by storms and rebuilt - but still an "Emergency Shelter".

The British Commonwealth's third oldest Parliament, constructed around 1870.

The rains came on and off today, but our long walk was rewarded with sunny skies and happy clouds as we strolled along the "Careenage".

Crystal Serenity's Neptune pool on deck twelve - beneath the sliding glass roof.

An awesome performance in the ship's Galaxy Theater by Hector Olivera - he designed this organ/synthesizer and has voices, instruments, whistles and bells at his figure tips. He actually played "Flight of the Bumble Bee" on the foot petals!

Christmas guard duty!

CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA

It's a good idea to take pictures of place names! Two of the lecturers onboard this cruise are memory experts, Dr. Fred Chernow (from Long Island) and Michael Dispezio (from Cape Cod), but taking a picture of signs is one memory aid we thought of ourselves!

There are beautiful buildings as well as the poor and run down - all part of the island scenery in the lush hillsides.

This is the view from the port side (the side our cabin is on) - the skies are iffy, with rain forecast. The island had very heavy rains for their Christmas weekend.

Today is also a holiday - not many folks walking around - this is the central park' Derek Walcott Square, named for their native son, who won a 1992 Nobel prize for literature.

Big waves at Rodney Bay - the water was too churned up for snorkeling but we took a swim (I got tumbled around getting out of the surf!) then we enjoyed the sun and surf from the shade of an umbrella.

A green paradise does come with a price - the weekend rains are still being absorbed. We lucked out, though - four hours on the beach with no rain and no sunburn!

ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA

We drove by taxi to Long Beach, the only beach in Antigua where you can snorkel on a reef without using a boat to get there.

These are sheep - yes, they look like goats because of their short hair, but they have adapted to the tropical heat and never wear "their winter coats"! How can you tell the sheep from the goats? Sheep tails are long and hang down, goat tails are short and stick up!

Long Beach - great for snorkeling, swimming and soccer!

Also a really nice place to be on our anniversary!

ST. MAARTEN / ST. MARTIN

A rainy, blustery day in St. Maarten - a nice time to rent a car to see the island.

The island is only about half the size of Washington DC and we soon left the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) and drove through the crowded street of Marigot, the French capitol, it was Wednesday market day.

Venders were busy restocking, and everyone on the island with a car was in Marigot looking for a place to park!

Restaurants and stores were busy - just like North Conway, NH on a rainy summer day!

Friar's Bay in the wind - wild and beautiful.

We had lunch in this small restaurant- a great place to practice my French! We ordered the specials of the day - magnifique!

Before leaving the French side we navigated the worst road you could imagine to get to Le Galion, where windsurfers were taking advantage of the blowy day.

Crossing the Boundary back to the Dutch side

The Crystal Serenity was not alone in the port.

CURACAO

Curacao is one of the five islands of the former Netherlands Antilles and is just 35 miles from the coast of Venezuela. We docked in Willemstad, the capital of Curacao – a unique blend of Dutch, Caribbean, African and South American cultures. The Queen Emma pontoon bridge swings aside several times during the day, allowing ships to pass. At those times pedestrians take a ferry to cross the waterway that divides the city.

The Floating Market – with the Serenity docked front and center.

Curacao was fought over by the French and British for 200 years until it was given back to the Dutch in 1814. I don’t know whose cannon this was – but Hästa seems to have claimed it.

During the day lots of explosions rocked the city (and us!). Apparently, New Year’s Eve fireworks here are all about the noise!

Plumes of smoke rise from the latest explosions.

The waterway when the pontoon bridge is floated to the side.

Back on board the ship was being readied for a big New Year’s Eve celebration: shows, music and champagne toasts – and no fireworks!

Happy New Year everyone!

GRAND TURK

This island is a part of a group of thirty islands located due east of Cuba and 575 miles southeast of Miami. It is known as a diving and snorkeling paradise, but today we stayed on (sort of) dry land. Ed was ship's escort for a Dune Buggy tour of the island - here one of our guides was giving us instructions.

I decided to go with the best driver J. Helmets were required and face shields recommended (lots of donkeys and wild horse on the island!)

Most of the beauty of Grand Turk is near or under the water (the beach, the coral, the fish). The landscape is scrubby vegetation and limestone. Salt flats are edged with what the locals call their "snow".

Climbing one of the highest spots we looked out over Gibbs Bay. The coral reefs surrounding these islands drop off in one portion at "The Wall" and go 7000 feet down. The water is crystal clear! We saw rain coming and hurried back to our waiting vehicles.

One of the reasons for wearing face shields when you don't have a wind shield.

At times our little convoy looked like an invading army!

The lighthouse on the north tip of the island - rumor has it that Grand Turk may be where Christopher Columbus touched land in 1492.

John Glenn splashed down in the waters off Grand Turk in his space capsule way back on February 20, 1962.

We put our feet up before showers chased us back to the ship..

MIAMI

We docked in Miami this morning. Monday night we had said our farewells and wished Godspeed to new friends and we decided to use this "turnaround day" as a chance to walk off some of the great food we have been having.

The ship is docked not far from downtown, in the waterway we will sail down and out to sea tonight.

We walked along Biscayne Blvd. toward our destinations - not here, but to the post office and CVS - unromantic, but necessary.

Looking toward the Serenity and the port from the bridge we walked. We came back, tasks completed, with 4 or 5 miles under our belts, looking forward to a relaxing afternoon on deck and the arrival of friends who are embarking today.

We were waiting for these gulls to start squawking, "Mine, mine, mine"!

GRAND CAYMAN, BWI

Cruise ships anchor in the waters off Grand Cayman (there were four of them here today – ours was the smallest) and the ship’s tenders ferry passengers to and from the piers in George Town. This tender/lifeboat is being winched back up onto the Serenity.

Seven Mile Beach – soft clean sand, beautiful clear water – great for snorkeling or just hanging out in the shade of an umbrella

Lunch time at the family business

Hästa will be appearing more regularly in these pages– we’re told that we have some grandchildren looking for him!

We came back to the ship early to prepare for the Epiphany Service. The black and white ship is a Holland America ship and the white one is a Royal Caribbean, all anchored and calmly floating while awaiting their returning passengers.

Entertainment on Crystal Serenity has something for everyone. This evening we were treated to “A Musical Journey from Chopin to Gershwin”, featuring celebrated pianist Philip Wojciechowski. Incredible!