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Gorgeous day in Maceio, Brazil. Hot, humid and sunny. Maceio is another port city with a fabulous beach running along it's waterfront. The beach is serviced by numerous roadside bars and restaurants and vendors selling everything from roasted cashews, to BBQ food, to draft beer and corn on the cob along the beach.
We didn't arrive in port until noon and we grabbed the first bus into the city centre. We quickly found a beachside restaurant and ordered lunch. We've been very lucky so far - our lunches have all been fabulous but we often hold our breath after we order, never quite sure we've translated whatever language, in this case Portugese correctly. Today what we thought was fried chicken was indeed delicious fried chicken served with crispy fries, rice mixed with some veg and ham and a deep fried banana. So lunch included dessert! After lunch we headed to the beach wand walked it's length as we love to do. Amazingly warm water, and lots of folks enjoying the sandy beach and calm waters.
After our walk we ended back in the same restaurant - hoping the live music we'd enjoyed with lunch would still be on offer - but sadly not. Not to worry though we took the opportunity to try Brazil's national drink Caipirinha, which is made with their local liquor, Cachaca. (Info and recipe below). We loved it - the drink reminded me of Adrian's sister, Christine and brother-in-law, Warren who we spent a week with in Mexico in September - Warren makes an addictive Margarita which is very similar to this drink. So good we ended up having two of them!
Another lovely day in Brazil.
We didn't arrive in port until noon and we grabbed the first bus into the city centre. We quickly found a beachside restaurant and ordered lunch. We've been very lucky so far - our lunches have all been fabulous but we often hold our breath after we order, never quite sure we've translated whatever language, in this case Portugese correctly. Today what we thought was fried chicken was indeed delicious fried chicken served with crispy fries, rice mixed with some veg and ham and a deep fried banana. So lunch included dessert! After lunch we headed to the beach wand walked it's length as we love to do. Amazingly warm water, and lots of folks enjoying the sandy beach and calm waters.
After our walk we ended back in the same restaurant - hoping the live music we'd enjoyed with lunch would still be on offer - but sadly not. Not to worry though we took the opportunity to try Brazil's national drink Caipirinha, which is made with their local liquor, Cachaca. (Info and recipe below). We loved it - the drink reminded me of Adrian's sister, Christine and brother-in-law, Warren who we spent a week with in Mexico in September - Warren makes an addictive Margarita which is very similar to this drink. So good we ended up having two of them!
Another lovely day in Brazil.
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We’re in Salvador for 2 days and one night – this is an itinerary change; they took a stop in Victoria away and gave us an extra day here.
Very pretty harbour and we were docked right in town – a real treat. You’ll see a tower in our pictures – it’s an elevator that’s been there for well over 100 years – it was reconstructed in 1930! The city is divided in two – an upper and lower level and the elevator serves to connect them. The cost to go up and down is about 10 cents Canadian and each elevator car hold about 10 people.
The historic district with fabulous architecture, cobbled streets and great views is on the upper level, I am sure there must be a way to walk up but we just used the elevator. Beautiful weather both days – very hot and humid. The historic district was filled with cafes and restaurants and outdoor eating areas. The first day we walked for a couple of hours and enjoyed the views, did some shopping, and had a fabulous shrimp stew like thing for lunch.
It was hot enough that 4 hours ashore was about all we could take, and we returned to the ship – Adrian had an evening meeting.
Today was very much like yesterday – except the MSC Seashore ship arrived in port, her arrival added many thousands more people to queue for the elevator! We waited in line for quite a few minutes so we could return to the same historical area.
Our cabin steward, Rowel, has a family emergency and had to fly back to the Philippines tonight – so sad to see him leave under uncertain circumstances.
We are struggling more than usual with cellphone and WIFI coverage so we spent some time in a coffee shop so Adrian could catch up on some work. The square whole area was much busier than yesterday, so we decided to have the same lunch as yesterday (fabulous shrimp stew for two served with traditional condiments of rice, cassava flour fried in oil, and some mashed vegetable we haven’t identified yet) and enjoyed the area and walked back. The ship set sail shortly after 4pm – there were two calls over the PA for a couple in cabin 8027 to check in – we were late leaving, so we’re not sure if they made it back on board or not!
Tonight we saw E Sarah Carter Celtic Rock Fiddler - awesome show! She's playing for St Patrick's Day onboard as well.
Very pretty harbour and we were docked right in town – a real treat. You’ll see a tower in our pictures – it’s an elevator that’s been there for well over 100 years – it was reconstructed in 1930! The city is divided in two – an upper and lower level and the elevator serves to connect them. The cost to go up and down is about 10 cents Canadian and each elevator car hold about 10 people.
The historic district with fabulous architecture, cobbled streets and great views is on the upper level, I am sure there must be a way to walk up but we just used the elevator. Beautiful weather both days – very hot and humid. The historic district was filled with cafes and restaurants and outdoor eating areas. The first day we walked for a couple of hours and enjoyed the views, did some shopping, and had a fabulous shrimp stew like thing for lunch.
It was hot enough that 4 hours ashore was about all we could take, and we returned to the ship – Adrian had an evening meeting.
Today was very much like yesterday – except the MSC Seashore ship arrived in port, her arrival added many thousands more people to queue for the elevator! We waited in line for quite a few minutes so we could return to the same historical area.
Our cabin steward, Rowel, has a family emergency and had to fly back to the Philippines tonight – so sad to see him leave under uncertain circumstances.
We are struggling more than usual with cellphone and WIFI coverage so we spent some time in a coffee shop so Adrian could catch up on some work. The square whole area was much busier than yesterday, so we decided to have the same lunch as yesterday (fabulous shrimp stew for two served with traditional condiments of rice, cassava flour fried in oil, and some mashed vegetable we haven’t identified yet) and enjoyed the area and walked back. The ship set sail shortly after 4pm – there were two calls over the PA for a couple in cabin 8027 to check in – we were late leaving, so we’re not sure if they made it back on board or not!
Tonight we saw E Sarah Carter Celtic Rock Fiddler - awesome show! She's playing for St Patrick's Day onboard as well.
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Very quiet day today. We had breakfast followed by a walk on the deck and then some time in the gym – yay! Lunch and then we attended our very first lecture – how to be safe in Brazil and Africa – while very much common sense we picked up a few tricks and thoroughly enjoyed the talk.
Tonight, we had our third Captains welcome cocktail party – we finished our second leg in Rio and so some passengers left and many more came onboard.
We decided to not to attend the main event and instead enjoy the free cocktails in one of the other bars – had a lovely time with friends and then had a great dinner with a couple, Madelyn and Clark, from Kelowna!
We are so enjoying our balcony – we spend soooooo much time enjoying the ocean, morning coffee, late afternoon sail away, sunsets or after dinner drinks
Tonight, we had our third Captains welcome cocktail party – we finished our second leg in Rio and so some passengers left and many more came onboard.
We decided to not to attend the main event and instead enjoy the free cocktails in one of the other bars – had a lovely time with friends and then had a great dinner with a couple, Madelyn and Clark, from Kelowna!
We are so enjoying our balcony – we spend soooooo much time enjoying the ocean, morning coffee, late afternoon sail away, sunsets or after dinner drinks
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Today we visited Cabo Frio - we tendered from the ship. Cabo Frio is a favoured vacation location for Brazilians. You can see the beautiful beach from the top photo - but we tendered into the community behind this stretch of beach. The area behind is a myriad of canals and beaches. Sheltered and calm, filled with boats, jet skis and people on every beach area.
The community itself, unlike the ocean side was all low-rise buildings, lots of vacation accommodation, restaurants and beautiful street art. The cobbled streets line the canals and beaches and there are a number of bridges for traffic.
Lots of sea birds, cranes and black vultures. Tonnes of fishing boats and boutique stores. Much was closed because it is Sunday. We had a fabulous Brazilian BBQ lunch and a beer after our long walk around the peninsula, very warm and humid today.
We returned to the ship around 2 and spent some time in the sun before enjoying afternoon tea as we sailed away. Tomorrow we're at sea and then we have 2 days - one night in Salaverry.
The community itself, unlike the ocean side was all low-rise buildings, lots of vacation accommodation, restaurants and beautiful street art. The cobbled streets line the canals and beaches and there are a number of bridges for traffic.
Lots of sea birds, cranes and black vultures. Tonnes of fishing boats and boutique stores. Much was closed because it is Sunday. We had a fabulous Brazilian BBQ lunch and a beer after our long walk around the peninsula, very warm and humid today.
We returned to the ship around 2 and spent some time in the sun before enjoying afternoon tea as we sailed away. Tomorrow we're at sea and then we have 2 days - one night in Salaverry.
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We spent a fabulous night on the Copacabana Beach in Rio. The ship was in Rio overnight and we tool the opportunity to spend a night away and enjoy a king size bed, a large bathroom with an equally large shower, right on the beach.
We had amazing weather, lots of humidity though. We walked the beach both days - about 12 km each day. There was an outdoor restaurant right next door to our hotel which became our regular haunt for food and drinks.
So much fun people watching - anything goes here, no need to worry about what you look like on this beach. Too much surf for me to consider going in but walking along the shore was the best for people watching.
Vendors on the beach sold everything from bathing suits to corn on the cob to mixed drinks. The entire waterfront is lined with hotels, side by each and not even a breath of air between them. The make this solid wall all along the beach, each one practically blending into the next and most if not all with rooftop balaconies and pools for their guests.
We had breakfast on Saturday on the boardwalk and a champagne lunch before returning to the ship in the afternoon. Loved our time here, but it was just enough. Not a place I'd want to return to! Our taxi driver made sure we saw some of the amazing street art - the statue of Christ and the slums.
We had amazing weather, lots of humidity though. We walked the beach both days - about 12 km each day. There was an outdoor restaurant right next door to our hotel which became our regular haunt for food and drinks.
So much fun people watching - anything goes here, no need to worry about what you look like on this beach. Too much surf for me to consider going in but walking along the shore was the best for people watching.
Vendors on the beach sold everything from bathing suits to corn on the cob to mixed drinks. The entire waterfront is lined with hotels, side by each and not even a breath of air between them. The make this solid wall all along the beach, each one practically blending into the next and most if not all with rooftop balaconies and pools for their guests.
We had breakfast on Saturday on the boardwalk and a champagne lunch before returning to the ship in the afternoon. Loved our time here, but it was just enough. Not a place I'd want to return to! Our taxi driver made sure we saw some of the amazing street art - the statue of Christ and the slums.
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Quiet day for us in Santos. Friends we had dinner with a couple nights ago tested positive for Covid so we chose to isolate until we could get to the medical centre. Turns out they don't test without symptoms. So we missed this port but everything we read said we didn't miss much - it's a part of Sao Paulo which was an hour or more from the port.
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Happy March. Today we're at sea and we celebrated the end of Bridge Lessons for this leg and with our instructors David and Dianne. David and Dianne leave us here and we've decided to just play and try to absorb what we've learned so far. During our final social Bridge match today - Dave announced the passing of one of our players - known to the group as new/old Sam. While we knew someone else had died (number 3) in Buenos Aires we didn't know who and we certainly didn't realize it was someone we had met. A reminder to us all to live each day to the fullest!
Not much happens on sea days so Adrian always does some work catch up - if the internet chooses to cooperate!
Tonight we're invited to a games night in the "Artist Loft" in the Horizons Lounge. We need to be in the Terrace Cafe (buffet) as soon as they open at 6:30 because play starts at 7pm. Wish us luck!
Tomorrow we're in Santos, Brazil and we have an invitation to join Steve and Mary for afternoon cocktails - they're in a suite with a Butler so we're excited to see what that looks like! Stay tuned.
Not much happens on sea days so Adrian always does some work catch up - if the internet chooses to cooperate!
Tonight we're invited to a games night in the "Artist Loft" in the Horizons Lounge. We need to be in the Terrace Cafe (buffet) as soon as they open at 6:30 because play starts at 7pm. Wish us luck!
Tomorrow we're in Santos, Brazil and we have an invitation to join Steve and Mary for afternoon cocktails - they're in a suite with a Butler so we're excited to see what that looks like! Stay tuned.
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Today we’re at sea and the weather is now warm enough for us to enjoy our coffee on our balcony. We even spotted a couple of seals this morning. It’s Day 45 and amazingly we’re now 1/4 of the way through our cruise!!
We participated in our second last Bridge lesson - we’ve really enjoyed learning but are looking forward to playing over the next leg.
It’s a beautiful day and we were able to snag a table outside for lunch. Eating outside just makes the food taste even better! After some afternoon Bridge playing we took some time in the sun - I can’t remember the last time we lounged on the pool deck.
Yesterday Adrian had some work to do in the morning so I sat on our deck which had an excellent view of the ships logistics. I watched as we refuelled, got rid of our garbage and emptied 5 containers of supplies and brought them onboard. Even got watch the port sniffer dog make sure our supplies were drug free to bring on board.
Yesterday while in Montevideo we added another magnet to our door. Quiet night ahead of us - I am getting a pedicure and Adrian will be practicing his guitar. We’re at sea again tomorrow.
We participated in our second last Bridge lesson - we’ve really enjoyed learning but are looking forward to playing over the next leg.
It’s a beautiful day and we were able to snag a table outside for lunch. Eating outside just makes the food taste even better! After some afternoon Bridge playing we took some time in the sun - I can’t remember the last time we lounged on the pool deck.
Yesterday Adrian had some work to do in the morning so I sat on our deck which had an excellent view of the ships logistics. I watched as we refuelled, got rid of our garbage and emptied 5 containers of supplies and brought them onboard. Even got watch the port sniffer dog make sure our supplies were drug free to bring on board.
Yesterday while in Montevideo we added another magnet to our door. Quiet night ahead of us - I am getting a pedicure and Adrian will be practicing his guitar. We’re at sea again tomorrow.
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Another wonderful day - Montevideo is even more inviting than Punta del Estes. We've had a blast bin Uruguay. Today we had our second Asado lunch - this one even more authentic than yesterday!
We had a fabulous lunch with a lovely Rose wine followed by tonnes of walking, a beer break and more walking. We were so lucky that we had Asado for lunch, if we'd have waited until dinner time it would hall have been closed. The ship sailed at 7:30 pm during a great sunset. Fabulous day - our dinner tonight turned out to be Dulce de leche and champagne.... we're definitely coming back here!
We had a fabulous lunch with a lovely Rose wine followed by tonnes of walking, a beer break and more walking. We were so lucky that we had Asado for lunch, if we'd have waited until dinner time it would hall have been closed. The ship sailed at 7:30 pm during a great sunset. Fabulous day - our dinner tonight turned out to be Dulce de leche and champagne.... we're definitely coming back here!
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Our second day exploring Buenos Aires with Alena Wilson was equally awesome. We enjoyed another coffee together and then walked a lot in search of an authentic Asado experience.
“Asado” is a term used in Argentina and other South American countries that means “barbecue,” but it doesn't quite describe the way you do your standard outdoor grilling. This is meat cooked over coals or wood embers, a system developed by Argentinian gauchos who needed to grill their food out on the grasslands.
Alena found us a fabulous restaurant where we samples two types of meat, short ribs and another cut of meat with fries with garlic and parsley along with weet peppers and more garlic. Lunch included an excellent bottle sof wine.
We followed this great meal with ore walking and exploring and ended enjoying an Aperol Spritz before having to say goodbye so Alena could catch her flight and we could return to our ship. So grateful to have had this time together!
“Asado” is a term used in Argentina and other South American countries that means “barbecue,” but it doesn't quite describe the way you do your standard outdoor grilling. This is meat cooked over coals or wood embers, a system developed by Argentinian gauchos who needed to grill their food out on the grasslands.
Alena found us a fabulous restaurant where we samples two types of meat, short ribs and another cut of meat with fries with garlic and parsley along with weet peppers and more garlic. Lunch included an excellent bottle sof wine.
We followed this great meal with ore walking and exploring and ended enjoying an Aperol Spritz before having to say goodbye so Alena could catch her flight and we could return to our ship. So grateful to have had this time together!
