Wednesday - off home

We were given an 80% chance of rain today and so it proved. We stopped off at a marine life centre south of St Augustine and it rained in torrents all the way from there to the airport.
Having had a terrestrial wild life day yesterday we chose the sea, on the basis that Marineland was not much out of the way. It was founded as a film studio in 1937 and The Creature from the Blue Lagoon was filmed there. I thought you'd like to know that. We also can reveal to you that Clint Eastwood's film debut was one line in the sequel, Revenge of the Creature, also filmed there.
We were planning to stop somewhere else but the weather was so dismal that we carried on straight to the airport. As a result we arrived at around 3:30 for an 8pm flight. We had a late lunch in the Outback airside restaurant, which is where we were I.D.d a couple of years ago if memory serves. It didn't happen this time so we must have aged in the interim.
So, were boarding soon, and given the weather outside were not sorry to leave! But we will be back.....one day.

Location:Orlando international airport

Tuesday-Zoo and Gardens

Today David and I were feeling much better, thankfully, and the weather was on our side meaning it was warm but cloudy, so it was good for walking around the zoo.
The gardens are part of the landscape, and as its February there's not much in bloom. However, here are a couple of photos.


The shrubs were very blue, but I don't think it was natural. They're called 'Jane Japanese Magnolias'. I'd love to know how the gardeners grow them to be blue. They didn't look like they'd been painted.


The animals were the usual sort you find in most zoos.
One greedy giraffe.



The rhino on the right couldn't grasp that the thing in his way was another rhino.



This is a bongo - an unknown species to us.



The delightful warthog.......


Lions being relaxed



The birds were very photogenic, especially the Kingfisher who seemed to be posing.

















Some folk obviously had a lot of time on their hands and were lovers of Lego. Here are two examples of their efforts. Pretty impressive. I didn't photograph the Zebra, but it was very realistic.

Location:Jacksonville

Monday-Walking Wounded

Neither of us was feeling 100% today, with Carolyn's head and David's runny nose and streaming eyes. We went for a walk round a small nature reserve and snapped this sign.









Then we went off to Amelia Island, another place on the coast with nature trails, but neither of us felt up to anything beyond lunch.
Here's another photo C took in the reserve.








There was an exciting political event-Trump has been in the area on a 'Thanks for voting for me' tour. Needless to say we didn't attend!
Tomorrow we are going to the zoo-yea! Lots of photo opportunities for Carolyn, so till then....

Location:Jacksonville

On the move again

This morning Elon Musk treated us to a Space-X launch from the Kennedy Space Center, just in view to the North. The skies were a bit overcast but we managed to see the rocket going up and, remarkably, landing again through breaks in the cloud. There was a spectacular double sonic boom after it landed.
We said goodbye to Larry and Doraleen and headed north to Jacksonville. We have opted for soulless efficiency and the hotel doesn't disappoint on either count.

Location:Cocoa Beach to Jacksonville

Saturday - last full day here

Today was the day of THE BREAKFAST. This is an annual event which we always help with.


Unfortunately David woke with a streaming cold and was forced to play the infectious card and opt out.
There was supposed to be a Space-X launch from the Kennedy space centre this morning but it was called off at the last minute. We all spent the day happily not doing very much.

Location:Cocoa Beach

Friday in Winter Park

Today the four of us went to see a couple of Larry's old friends he'd known since primary school. We met at the house of a couple who happened to be called Dick and Judy. On the way we took a photo of this sign outside a flooring store.





We had a boat trip round some of the many lakes north of Orlando some of which are connected by canals.

















visited a museum with lots of Tiffany glass, had an Italian meal where Carolyn and I were the only ones who had dessert-a shared one luckily.




and went to a musical. That was notable for the technical quality and the fact that the producer treated anyone she got near to a warm hug. They do things differently here in Florida!
Larry ended up doing a lot of driving and we got home just before 11.

Location:Cocoa Beach

Tue-Thu

After several visits we are happy to keep the visit low key so don't expect many photos. We had a lot of catching up to do with our hosts, although Carolyn saw them both last year.
On Wednesday David and Larry went to a small military museum locally. Here is Larry in front of his one-time transport of choice, an A7 Corsair.

Location:Space coast

Monday - Vero Beach to Cocoa Beach

At breakfast we renewed our acquaintance with the automatic waffle maker: American ingenuity at its finest. Carolyn drove the hour or so to Cocoa Beach and here we are.
Larry and Doraleen's apartment block looks very smart in its new paint. Florida generally looks smart after Cuba. Not so many old cars though.

Location:Ocean Beach Blvd, Cocoa Beach

Sunday

We had a final walk round Old Havana this morning and spent another few happy minutes watching the traffic. They managed to fix the one lift just in time to take the luggage down five floors and check out. The lobby was certainly impressive.






This is David on our balcony.





The taxi driver helped us wheel the suitcases across the cobbles to the car. The hotel receptionist advised us to allow three and a half hours so as a result we were at the airport an hour and a half before the checkin opened. The airside lounge was almost empty with lots of seats and the girl serving behind the counter in the café changed our remaining CUCs to USD without prompting or expecting anything in return. Not typical Cuban behaviour.
We had our bags searched at Grand Cayman, which insisted on full customs and immigration formalities even though we were only in transit. They were very nice about it and didn't find anything.
Both flights were far from full and the flight from Havana had only a handful on board. Miami airport on the other hand was nothing short of awful. It took us one hour and three quarters to get through immigration to our rental car. By that time it was getting late and by the time we'd stopped for a bite at a turnpike services (don't ask) it was getting on for midnight when we arrived at our cheap, functioning, comfortable motel room. The receptionist was friendly too.
P.s. Carolyn reminds me to tell you that she drove from the airport to the hotel. Very glad I was too, what with driving on the wrong side of the road, multi lane highways, bright oncoming headlights and lots of traffic. Everything except rain in fact.

Location:In the air over Cuba

Saturday - Back in Havana

After disembarking from our home for the past 7 days we boarded a coach and headed for Havana - a three and a half hour journey with one stop. The bus had to slow down a couple of times waiting for a chance to overtake horse-drawn carts on the motorway but we did see a lot of the interior of the country. We spotted this mother of all cut-and-shuts at the comfort stop.



We had a running commentary for the first hour or so from our guide on the Trinidad trip yesterday (Vladimir, a Cuban). The bus driver, who looked like a Mafia godfather, was the same one too. They dumped us and our cases what seemed like a quarter of a mile from our hotel but it was the closest they could get with the bus. After being pampered for a week, having to shift for ourselves was a bit of a shock. Thank goodness for wheeled suitcases.

Location:Ambos Mundos Hotel

Friday: last day at sea

We woke to find the engine on, the sails down and the wind on the nose. We arrived in Cienfuegos bang on time at 11am. After lunch we went to the old town of Trinidad 90 minutes along the coast by bus. The place was founded soon after Columbus discovered Cuba and the centre was certainly very picturesque. Not so the environs but that's Cuba.









We also bagged an A35 and another '57 Chevy.

Location:En route to Cienfuegos

Thursday

Staying put last night was a bit disappointing but it certainly meant a good night's sleep. After breakfast I (David) opted to go ashore in the tender. The water was so shallow that we had to transfer to a rib for the last 300 yards or so. I tried going into the 'interior' looking for wildlife but this is all I found



The iguanas were all in a clearing next to a beach hut where all the people were.


The crew had gone to immense trouble to ferry the makings of a beach barbecue lunch, including cold drinks and a drinking water dispenser. Unfortunately there was no wind so it was very hot. The shallow water meant that swimming wasn't an option without a 300-yard paddle, which I managed. It would actually have been more pleasant to swim off the ship but there are no facilities and in any case the Cuban authorities don't approve.
In the evening we weighed anchor and put a few sails up in a perfect sailing wind.






We watched the sun go down (sundowners in hand) before another convivial dinner.



One of the memorable passengers we called 'Liz' because she reminded us of Liz Taylor in her later years. Our Liz wore kaftans that were very colourful and varied. Not to mention the bling!

Location:At anchor off Cayo Largo and en route to Cienfuegos

Wednesday

The day started at 8am with the rattle of the anchor chain. We had to anchor over 3 miles off because of shoal water closer inshore. That meant a 30-minute trip in the tender to get to the island. David enjoyed a swim off the dazzling white limestone beach but we didn't want to walk in the heat. The beach is beautiful, but carolyn found it difficult walking in the sand due to a foot problem, and as there weren't enough beach lounges for everyone we decided to head back to the ship arriving just in time for lunch. With most passengers still on the island the dining room was very quiet, a pleasant change from dinner time!
One reason it felt so hot was the lack of wind. This meant that the planned night sail back to the same anchorage was cancelled and we stayed put.
So, no photos today.....

Location: At anchor off Cayo Largo

Tuesday

We were due to spend today on a beach on the uninhabited island of Punta Frances, a wildlife sanctuary. Unfortunately a Government car broke down somewhere and as a result the authorities couldn't organise the permission for the ship to heave to off the beach and put passengers ashore. I am not making this up I assure you! We therefore went around the ship in a couple of tenders while the sails were hoisted and we took pictures.

This is the boat we went out in, crowded and bumpy!



Here are photos of our lovely vessel. The sails were hoisted while we were
taking pictures. It is very impressive to watch.













The other tender/lifeboat was placed perfectly for a photo comparing the
size of the two boats. And some of the crew obliged by nipping onto the
bowsprit!


Since the photo opportunity we have been sailing towards our next destination at 2-3 knots with a few sails set, chilling out. In the evening we had a complimentary cocktail party from 7-7:30 in lieu of the trip ashore. All We managed was a single glass of bubbly and some orange concoction. We made up for it later.

The evening finished with a music quiz. David manage to spot Für Elise and the Four Seasons plus a half share in Air on a g-string.
Then a waltz was played so David and Richard represented our little group...why I'm not sure, but they looked good!

Location:At sea off NW Cuba

Monday - Day 2 on board

We slept a bit fitfully and then set about exploring the vessel. At 10 we had a follow-up safety briefing then managed to get on line and clear some of the backlog of blog posts.

We spent the day sailing and motoring when there wasn't enough wind. Time passed by eating, meeting the crew, listening to the captain introducing himself and telling us where we are going tomorrow. There was an opportunity to climb the mast which a few brave souls did. Needless to say the Barretts didn't.
We've met two couples that we get on well with which has been nice. We've also chatted a few times with a Canadian couple, so we are doing our best to mingle!
Here's the bar where we have our pre-dinner cocktails.

Location:Under way from Havana to Punta Frances

Sunday in Havana

Because the ship wasn't sailing until this evening we woke up no more than a couple of miles from the hotel. After breakfast and some time spent trying unsuccessfully to get online we went ashore again. We had a trip to the seaside village of Cojimar in a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster, sadly now with a Mitsubishi 4-cylinder diesel instead of the original silky Chevy stovebolt six.





This is a monument to Hemingway who frequented and went fishing from Cojimar.





We went back on board for lunch then in the afternoon we went back through customs and immigration to go to the Museum of Rum. This was just a short walk and was notable for a fantastic model of a sugar mill, complete with a model railway.



After this we hung around watching the old cars and the Cubans. David got ticked off by a policeman for sitting on sea wall.
The next couple of hours were pretty active with customs, passport check, embarkation formalities and safety briefing. We cast off around 7pm and watched the sails being hoisted. We were under sail until some time in the morning when they had to hoist the 'iron jib' which sounded as though it was in our cabin!

Location:Various

Saturday - Day 2 in Havana and Embarkation

After packing and checking out, Saturday saw us walking round old Havana again, visiting a sixteen the century fort amongst other things.






After lunch in an ice cream cafe, David chatted to the owner of this fine product of 1957 Dagenham.



We then witnessed a brief brawl between two young men, one of whom seemed to want to throw stones at the other. Then it was back to the hotel to pick up our bags and take a taxi the half-mile or so to the Sierra Maestre terminal to embark. We were put on a table for six at dinner with two other English couples that we have hit it off with. No ex-A&W employees on board this time!