Finally!!! Catching up en route to Cape Town

It has been ages since I last wrote, and it is impossible to fill in all the events and happenings, since I am of an age where my short term memory is not the best, anymore.

While Marlyse was here, she learned how to play paddle ball, did some painting, made some jewelry, and became the favorite in Yoga Class, besides learning some bridge, and meeting practically everyone on the ship. For me, it meant that I became known as the mother of that lovely girl, and people still talk to me now, who never spoke to me in the two previous years, although they saw me then, also.

She could even stand on her head! I am also in the same yoga class, but while everyone else starts out seated on the floor, this old lady has the privilege of sitting in a chair!

We had stops in Fortaleza and Rio in Brazil, where I went to a Samba demonstration, and in Montevideo I visited the old Jewish section. There are still a number of synagogues in the city. Marlyse went with her golf group, and enjoyed a wonderful day of golf. She left for Zürich on the morning we landed in Buenos Aires, and on the flight from Sao Paulo to Zürich, an Englishman went bezirk, trying to attack the pilot, and the plane made an emergency landing somewhere in the Cape Verde Islands (I think that’s where it was) before continuing on to Zürich where there was loads of snow on the runway. Now, everyone is waiting for her to come back to the ship in Rome for the last segment.

In Buenos Aires, I took an overall tour of the city in the morning, and went to a Tango Nightclub in the evening. I still have difficulties choosing the land tours, due to the walking. However, when we were in Miami, there was a couple from last year who came to the hotel, just to say hello to people they knew, and he insisted on taking me, personally, to a drug store to have me buy a cane, which I now use most all of the time. (Sometimes, I forget it, either in the stateroom, before starting out, or else wherever I happen to be! Fortunately, I have attached my name and stateroom number to the handle, so I can retrieve it at lost and found). It helps me keep my balance, and means people are usually quite helpful, especially in the dining room, where I would otherwise have to carry my food tray.

Since Jan 31st (Buenos Aires), we have been at sea on our way to Cape Town, and every night we have had to turn our clocks ahead one hour, which means that everyone is now walking around half asleep! Since Skype can only be used between 23:00h and 07:00h, I have not been able to use that, either. I only go to dinner at 20:30 and we are always the very last table to leave the dining room (all of us are very happy with our table), such that I am usually too tired to go to a show or turn on the computer in my room, and just go to bed, instead.

My usual program will change after Cape Town, because everyone else in the Spanish class wants to meet in the morning, and that will interfere with my bridge lessons, so for the next segment I will drop the Spanish class and perforce, the extra Spanish reading that I had started (the class level is too easy for me, anyway, and the reading group is too advanced for me, so in the end I figured not to interfere, and make trouble for the others, but just to drop Spanish, and pick up the afternoon bridge tournaments. I asked a fellow from last year if he would be my partner starting in the next segment, and he agreed, so I’m all set).

The original bridge teacher had to leave quite suddenly, when she got the results of a biopsy (by email) and had to return to Canada for surgery. She has been replaced by a crackerjack British lady, and everyone is quite satisfied. The Yoga teacher is also very special, and although I am not good at it, I do feel that I am making progress. As usual, everyone in the class is younger than me.

I am really excited about stopping in Cape Town, because I have an arrangement with three friends from the days when I stayed at Helderberg Village, and they plan to pick me up on Monday, and take me back there for two overnights, plus some bridge, etc. Then, on Wednesday the four of us will return to the ship for lunch and bridge here!

I don’t know if I ever explained what caused me to get so far behind with my blog, but just after starting the cruise, my Outlook program no longer worked properly, and I lost oodles of time trying to get the computer to work (not to mention the amount of money lost in paying for computer time that was useless!) Finally, I got the idea that the Microsoft XB program comes with a built in Outlook Express, and I was able to switch over, so that I can now use the computer without wasting so much time.

Now, my only problem will be whether I succeed in getting this long report posted to my blog, and I would also like to include some pictures.