January 25, 2020



Montevideo, Uruguay



Sherita and I had made plans to meet by the gangway at 9 am.  Turns out, when I opened my door she was walking by, so we were off.



We walked through town and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral before stopping for drinks and a donut at the McDonalds at Plaza Constitucion.  There was a flea market setting up in the plaza and we looked at the stalls before proceeding to our main goal – the Manos del Uruguay outlet store.  Luckily, this one sold yarn unlike the store in Punta del Este.



When we walked in we saw a couple from the ship that we had met on Av. Raul Scalabrini Ortiz yesterday.  She wanted only sock yarn and was pleased with what she found.  We looked at the yarn on display which was not a huge amount (at least not compared with yesterday) but their yarn is so nice that more than made up for it.  I saw a couple of types not stocked at home. 



While we were deciding, Judy and Pete came in and we were all searching for some bargains.  Turns out, the yarn was about 1/3 of the price we pay in the U.S. 

As we were heading back to the ship we stopped at a small yarn shop (so small you didn’t go in – all the yarn was in the windows and you told the proprietor what you wanted.  Most everything was acrylic and not that great a price so we did not buy anything.



I was also looking for my pitcher and we had seen a couple of possible stores when Sherita spied one across the street.  She ran over and checked and motioned me over.  They had exactly what I wanted!



The shopping bags that the yarn went in were heavy paper with sharp corners.  As we were walking one of the corners hit my leg and I started dripping blood.  Luckily, I had tissue with me so I was able to stop the bleeding but did not have any band-aids so at the next farmacia we stopped and I bought a package.



We stopped at the flea market and each of us tried to use up the rest of the Uruguayan money we had buying a few souvenirs.  We still had a few left so when we got close to the ship we went into a market and I bought some cokes and Sherita some crackers.



Arriving back at the ship just after one, I felt like I had been in a sauna.  I rested for awhile and had one of my cokes.  I only found out the other day that my iPhone counts my steps.  Now, usually at home my phone is dead in the bottom of my purse or when cruising dead in the safe but I had pulled it out the other day to download Google translate (shown to me by Mike at the dinner table).  I had downloaded some Spanish words as well as some questions (like “Do you sell sock yarn”) for my yarn quest.  Yesterday, I noticed the step counter and found out how far I actually walked in Punta del Este (I thought it had been about 4 miles).  Turns out the total for the three port days was over 15.5 miles!



At 1:40 I decided if I was going to get any food I better get to the Lido which closes (except for sandwiches, salads, and desserts) at 2.  Once finished lunch I filled my new pitcher with tea bags and hot water.  I waited about twenty minutes for it to cool some and then went back to my cabin.  I worked on my Linus blanket until it was time for our second muster drill at 4.  After that it was time for trivia.  Diana and I were the only ones from our team so we joined another team.  The winners had 20.5 out of 21 and we only had 18.

1.Which Dutch company launched CD players in 1981?

2.Why are soap operas called that?

3.Which sport requires throwing stones at houses?

4.How many stars in the Big Dipper?

5.  What was the last name of Fred and Ethel in “I Love Lucy”?

6.What is the most recently recognized winter Olympic sport?



On the way back to my cabin I stopped in the Lido to get some pictures of the Chinese New Year festivities (none of which were in the MDR).



After dinner I was too tired to go to the show.  As I am finishing this up I am having my first glass of iced tea in three weeks and hope to be in bed by midnight provided the pictures upload quickly.



Finally two sea days before we reach the Falklands.

Trivia

1.Philips

2.when they began they were sponsored by soap companies

3.curling

4.7

5.Mertz

6.snowboarding

Street scenes

Inside the cathedral

Manos del Uruguay

cute needles and crochet hooks I managed to resist

                                    Pete and Judy 

My purchases

                              my first pitcher of tea

Chinese New Year in the Lido

Smooth sailing until next time!

January 24, 2020



Buenos Aires, Argentina



Today was my second time in heaven – yarn heaven that is.  Sherita and I left the terminal just after 9 and were shopping on Av. Raul Scalabrini Ortiz by 9:30. We visited at least ten yarn stores, a couple more than once.  We both came away with quite a stash.  I bought some yarn for the items I make each year for charity and some for me.  We taxied back around 12:30, looked around in the terminal dragging our very heavy bags, and then took the shuttle back to the ship (this is one of the ports where you cannot walk around). 



If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I settle into a routine when cruising.  This afternoon had no routine which was kind of nice for a change.  After depositing all my goodies on the bed (to be looked at later), I met Sherita in the Lido and we had lunch together.  I sat by the pool for awhile (for some reason the Sea View pool was closed although I really did not want to swim anyway) and then went back to my cabin to look at all my yarn and figure out where to put it (I can’t get to the suitcases under my bed).



We could have tied for the win in afternoon trivia if I had not changed my mind at the last second.  Only Sherita and I were playing and we had 10 out of 15 with two teams having 11.  The question I changed my mind on was about a 1943 musical with a dream ballet sequence.  My first choice was Oklahoma! but at the last moment I changed my mind to Carousel and of course, Oklahoma! was the correct answer.


1.What is the oldest British colony?

2.What is the national animal of Canada?

3.What is the date of Mexican Independence Day?

4.What is the most populated city in the world?

5.In what year did women get the right to vote in New Zealand?



I returned to my cabin after trivia and worked on my Linus blanket (which I had not picked up in two days) before sail-away.  I watched from the pool deck on 8 as we left port and then had dinner in the Lido.  I went to the local show (Pampas Devils Gauchos) at 7:30 and realized when it started that it was the same show that had been on board last year so I returned to my cabin to work on a couple of computer things.



I met Sherita in the Crow’s Nest for Name That Tune.  We tied for the win.


Montevideo tomorrow.  Sherita and I are going to check out the Manos del Uruguay outlet store and I will continue my quest for a plastic pitcher.



Trivia

1.Bermuda

2.beaver

3.September 16

4.Tokyo

5.1893

a.k.a. Yarn Heaven

the prices are in Argentinian pesos which were just under 60 to the US$ today

And now for my stash... (too much for one picture)

 And all of that yarn came to about $95

Two pictures of the city from the pool deck

Smooth sailing until next time!

January 23, 2020



Punta del Este, Uruguay



Today just did not go as planned.  First of all, I woke up 40 minutes before the alarm after having this dream (nightmare?) that I had agreed to teach one more year.  In the dream, I kept asking myself why I had done it since it meant I could not cruise.



Due to getting up earlier, I went to get my tender ticket just before 8 and was told it would be about 10 minutes before my color and number would be called.  That worked out to be accurate and we were on the tender at about 8:10.  The tender only took about 15 minutes to arrive at the dock (we had been told about 30 minutes) but a few more to unload.  I was off and walking towards town by 8:30.  Or so I thought.



When the port talk was given, we were told we were tendering to one location so I had figured out the directions from there.  Turns out we went to the other tender pier at the marina and my work was useless.



We had been given maps as we left the pier and I usually have a fairly good sense of direction – which totally abandoned me today.  Part of the problem was that some corners had no street signs and others only had the street I was on, not the cross street.  So, I could walk 2 blocks before I realized I was going the wrong way.  To make a long story short, it took me almost 40 minutes to get on the right street and I had been close to giving up when I finally found it. 



I had three goals – 1) find the Manos del Uruguay shop (they make beautiful yarn),  2) find a plastic pitcher in which I could make iced tea to keep in my cabin (the iced tea onboard is made from concentrate and is horrible), and 3) go to the public square where there were supposed to be crafts being sold.



Since I was coming from a totally different direction, I found the square first.  It was deserted –  no crafts.  I continued walking down the main shopping street and came upon the Manos del Uruguay shop – which did not open until 10.  Looking in the window, though, I could see they only had finished items – no yarn.  As I turned around I saw I was close to "The Hand” which I was going to find if I had the time, and the energy, so I went across to the beach and took some pictures.



I found a couple more stores that might have the pitcher I was looking for.  I found one but it was too big to fit into my fridge.  By the time I started back the Manos store was open and I confirmed they did not have yarn.  I slowly walked back and when I passed the square it was still empty. 



Three hours after I started, I returned to the tender pier.  I had walked almost four miles (according to the calculations I made on Google Earth when I returned).



I changed into my swimsuit and went to the Lido for lunch.  I sat in the sun for about 30 minutes before getting in the pool.  I had done not quite half of my laps when I started getting leg cramps.  At one point the muscles in both legs were cramped up.  I finally gave up on my laps for the day although I did get 45 minutes in the pool.  When I got out of the pool, one of my pool sandals had blown away.  I looked but to no avail.  I thought it might have blown under one of the covered tables set out for the sail-away.



I read some e-mails and did some research on Montevideo (where I am still hoping to find Manos del Uruguay yarn) before heading to trivia.  Instead of having too many players like yesterday, we only had four.  We ended with 14 out of 23 and the winners had 19.


1.How many Liberty Bells have there been?

2.How many LPs need to be sold for an album to go platinum?

3.What was the first of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to be built?

4.What embarrassing single hole score in golf is known as a snowman?

5.What well-known company is the largest user of silver?

6.What was the brand of the first instant coffee which came out in 1950?

7.What two European languages does James Bond speak?

8.Which island country is the only member of NATO without a standing army?

9.Which sitcom character did People magazine dub the first Cold War kid?



I ate at my other table tonight because it was “Game Night”.  There were 15 players and we played three games.  In the first we were read the lyrics to a song and had to give the name of it.  The second game had two players with their backs to the screen and we had to give clues to the phrase that went with the picture, and in the third, one of the team had to sing a song only using la-la-la lyrics and we had to guess the song.

Decided to check with lost and found before I went to bed to see if my sandal had been found and it had!



Buenos Aires tomorrow (and it is supposed to be 90F!)



Trivia

1.2

2.1 million

3.Pyramids of Giza

4.8

5.Kodak

6.Maxwell House

7.German and French

8.Iceland

9.Beaver Cleaver

I passed this three times in my lost ramblings!

Home, Sweet, Home in the harbor

The Hand (Le Mano in Spanish) was constructed in 1982 by Chilean artist Mario Irarrazabal

The Hand symbolizes a drowning man 

 Jose Artigas in the square (without crafts) named for him.  He is a national hero.

fish market by the pier 

Smooth sailing until next time!

January 22, 2020



At Sea



My morning started with Sit and Stitch (Bonnie, Sherita, Judy Lee and Judy Bob present).  As usual, I left around 11:30 for trivia.  Another poor showing with only 8 out of 15.  The winners had 11.


1.Alba is the Gaelic name for what country?

2.”Dazzle” is the name for a group of what animals?

3.What does the “E” in Chuck E. Cheese stand for?

4.What is the only Canadian province with no natural border?

5.”Across the River and Through the Woods” was written by which author?

6.Who recorded the one-hit wonder “Pass the Dutchie” in 1982?

7.Who famously said, “When in doubt, tell the truth”?



After working on my Linus project and having lunch in the Lido, it was time for Arts & Crafts.  Nancy had cleaned out her bead stash and put together packets for each of us to make a unique necklace.  Everyone put theirs together the way they liked so even if you had the same beads as someone else (and I am not sure anyone did), they were all different.  The necklace making took some time so I only had a chance to drop off my knitting and then go to afternoon trivia.



We actually had too many players because Karen and Mary joined us.  Rodney was a gentleman and played with another team.  We did better than we had been doing with 16 out of 21 but the winners had 19.


1.What was the last Beatles album?

2.What Cookie Monster three-word phrase made it into Bartlett’s Quotations?

3.What is the geographic term for a ring-shaped coral island?

4.What color did Japan’s royal family start staining their teeth in a 1233 fashion statement?

5.What Saudi city is the birthplace of Muhammad?

6.”Taco” was the high school nickname of which female golfer?

7.What is the title for the Canadian head of government?



I spent most of my free time in the afternoon doing research for my yarn expeditions over the next three days.  The main yarn shopping will be in Buenos Aires on Friday where the yarn is so inexpensive it would be a crime not to buy some!  On Thursday and Saturday we will be in Uruguayan ports.  There is a company called Manos del Uruguay that produces the most beautiful yarn.  They have shops in the two ports we have but it is hard to tell from their websites whether they have yarn or only finished products.  Both of the stores are close enough to walk to and see what they have so I was checking out maps to find the best way to go.



We will be having our second Cruise Critic Meet and Greet on Sunday so I went by Guest Services to confirm the information. 



Last year the jewelry shop on board was selling a Pandora-style charm bracelet.  I resisted then but broke down today and bought it.  They will be selling additional charms (it came with five) on port days which I may or may not buy.



Bob and Judy (known as “Judy Bob” in knitting group) invited me to join them at their table tonight.  They have a table for four and like to invite others to join them.  They also asked another Cruise Critic friend, Susan, to join as her tablemates are on an overland excursion.  We laughed a lot.



I skipped the show because I have to get up early tomorrow.  We are in port from 7 to 2:30 and it is a tender port so I will need to get a tender ticket, wait for my number to be called, and it is a rather long tender ride so I need to get going by 8 am.



Morning trivia

1.Scotland

2.zebras

3.entertainment

4.Saskatchewan

5.Hemingway

6.Musical Youth (don’t feel bad if you got that wrong, so did everybody playing)

7.Mark Twain



Afternoon trivia

1.Abbey Road

2.Me want cookie

3.atoll

4.black

5.Mecca

6.Nancy Lopez

7.Prime Minister

today's beaded necklace

Smooth sailing until next time!

January 21, 2020



At Sea



Bonnie, Judy Lee, Judy Bob, and I were at Sit and Stitch.  I left around 11:30 for another dismal trivia game.  We had 6 out of 15 and the winners had 10.


1.What does “vodka” translate to in English?

2.Phnom Penh is the capital of what country?

3.What boxer said he should be a postage stamp because that is the only way he could be licked?

4.Which river forms a boundary between France and Germany?

5.Who was the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup?

6.According to the prologue, where do Romeo and Juliet take their lives?



Some work on my Linus blanket before lunch and then had Indian food for lunch.  In Arts & Crafts we started on a necklace.  I will post a picture when it is done.



Joined Sherita and her friend Karen (who once lived nearby in Fredericksburg, VA) before trivia.  She played along with our regulars.  Our performance was better than this morning but that is not saying much.  We had 8 out of 15 and the winners had 13.


1.What do you add to Kahlua to make a Black Russian?

2.Which planet circles the sun in 84 (Earth) years?

3.What is the most common bone fractured?

4.Which personal grooming product was once marketed as a floor cleaner?

5.Which two oceans meet at the Cape of Good Hope?

6.What is the capital of Dominica?

7.What is the name for a group of ravens?



After trivia I swam for an hour.  Towards the end, I started to feel queasy.  I’m blaming it on having had two margaritas during happy hour in the Crow’s Nest.  I almost did not go to dinner but pulled myself together and went.  Billy suggested some mint tea and it made me feel better.  I skipped the show in hopes of going to bed early.



Morning trivia

1.water

2.Cambodia

3.Muhammed Ali

4.Rhine

5.Michelle Paine

6.Verona



Afternoon trivia

1.vodka

2.Uranus

3.clavicle

4.Listerine (yuck!)

5.Atlantic and the Indian

6.Roseau

7.an unkindness or a congress



Smooth sailing until next time!