Today is Wednesday, September 13, 2023. We docked in Barcelona, Spain at 12:00 P.M., and we will be docked here in the Balearic Sea until tomorrow morning when a John and I will disembark. Some passengers will stay on and continue to Trieste, and some will beginning n their cruise from Barcelona.
We decided that for today we would enjoy the ship and take advantage of a little bit of mostly unscheduled time. We have visited a series of important ports in Italy and France the past few days in a row, and there hasn’ been a sea day for awhile. The only scheduled thing I had was On Deck for a Cause at 9 A.M., high is a voluntary non-competitive 5k walk on our Promenade Deck. For a small donation, Holland America will donate the proceeds to help the Refugees from Ukraine. I do love some of the humanitarian and environmental mindfulness this ship seems to be embracing.
Upon our return, the crew displayed whatever towel creature they wished to create all along the outdoor/indoor pool. I hear that the crew members stayed up last night to put this together as a good-bye to the passengers who will be disembarking. Some of these creatures were quite creatively constructed. Another very nice touch, IMHO.
Because food is never far away, theship offered a Dessert Extravaganza at around lunchtime. So much to choose from!
Of course, we had to pack because our luggage had to be outside of our door by midnight tonight. That was no easy trick because toiletries, electronics, and gadgets are always trouble for John and me.
It was also a bittersweet day, marking another imminent transition. The crew has been outstanding, and we had to say good-bye to a sweet couple with whom we spent a lot of time throughout this trip. They live in Pennsylvania, so it is always a challenge to stay in touch/keep a friendship going.
BTW, there are white jellyfish in the Balearic Sea of Barcelona! They are the Barrel Jellyfish. There are also the brown fried egg jelly fish. I saw them in the beautiful green waters of the harbor, right next to our ship!
Tomorrow morning, we disembark, and this cruise will end.
Our Travels 