And Finally - Zeebrugge, Belgium and the Medieval Town of Ghent

The skyline of Ghent, Belgium

The dust has begun to settle now that we have been home for a few weeks so it is time to try and wrap up the blog on these two wonderful back-to-back cruises.  Our final port was Zeebrugge, Belgium, the springboard to a lovely and historic area of the country.  We had heard a lot about the beauty of Bruges, Belgium and were looking forward to visiting it; however the excursion we had originally chosen, a panoramic tour called Bordering Bruges, didn’t apparently generate enough interest so the excursion was canceled.

I had purposely not done a tour in Brest, France so that I would have one day to try and get myself organized with packing and could enjoy the last two days on our cruise.  So I really wanted to do an excursion in Zeebrugge.   So we pulled out the shore excursion booklet and looked it over, opting for an excursion called Panoramic Ghent and Canal Cruise.  Chuck had been so busy dashing off to shore excursions in the very port-intensive last few days that when he looked at the ticket again, his reaction was, “What? We’re not going to Bruges?”  I could tell he was really disappointed so I offered to cancel my excursion (which I couldn’t have done alone) and let him do one to Bruges instead of Ghent.  But he decided that I’d missed too many ports to give up one more that I would be able to do. 

This being the last day on the ship, we would have much preferred that it be a morning excursion, but it was scheduled to depart after lunch and get back just before dinner, breaking the day up.  We headed down to the buses early, having received our excursion stickers in advance (since I had handicap priority on this cruise).  We got an excellent seat right in the front of the bus because for a change there was enough legroom for me to sit there.   Chuck later moved back to a seat by himself because the bus wasn’t full. 

The ride to Ghent took about an hour, and we enjoyed the beautiful Flemish scenery and the running commentary given by our enthusiastic guide.  I didn’t remember much about Ghent other than the fact that I knew that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed there.  At that point I didn’t even remember which war this treaty ended!  Now I know that it was the agreement reached to end the War of 1812. 

It is believed that the name of Ghent comes from a Celtic word meaning confluence as the Lys and the Scheldt rivers meet there.  There is evidence of settlements there dating back to the Stone and Iron Ages.  In the Middle Ages, Ghent became so important that it was the second-largest city in all of Europe; only Paris was larger.  The lands along the rivers were well suited for raising sheep, so wool and cloth-making became very important industries.  The making of cloth was so successful that they even imported wool from Scotland to allow them to increase production.  The political and social importance eventually shifted from Ghent and Bruges to Antwerp and Brussels. 

Arriving in Ghent, we walked the short distance to the canal boat.  It was a challenge getting into the open-air boat because there were no railings, just one shaky pole to hang onto.  Fortunately, those of us with mobility issues got assistance from the skipper and a fellow passenger who stationed himself where he could help.   Once we had all settled, we set off toward the center of the city.  With no windows and no roof, everyone had an excellent view of everything we passed.  Adding to the scenery was the clear blue sky dotted with clouds.  We drifted along, passing a couple lovely tearooms situated along the bank of the river, as well as many medieval buildings, as we approached the oldest part of town.  Many were old guildhalls as Ghent was so important in the wool and cloth trade.  Everywhere we looked we saw the proverbial “Kodak moment”.  

With the gorgeous weather and being a Friday afternoon, it looked like the entire countryside had come into the center of Ghent to enjoy the picture-perfect blue skies and warm weather.  As we sailed through the heart of the city, we passed boat after boat of people, some of which contained tourists as we were, while others held young people who were practicing rowing.   Continuing past the city center, we approached the beautiful medieval castle and then headed down a small canal with low-draped willows, in some cases, causing us to duck under the branches. 

We were given an hour of free time in the center of the city and were encouraged to find places where we could purchase Belgian chocolates (I might have indulged had we not been flying out the following day) or Belgian lace (which I decided I didn’t need, despite its lovely intricate work).  Instead I indulged in a Belgian waffle, taking the tour guide’s suggestion of just having cinnamon and sugar rather than trying to walk around carrying a waffle topped with strawberries and cream.  I found a place to sit while Chuck wandered the streets, and I got a kick out of watching small children playing and listening to the conversations of nearby college students.  It once again brought back wonderful memories of my semester in Grenoble.  Thinking back on that experience, I could imagine how those students felt, and I lamented the fact that I can’t get around like I did some 40+ years ago! 

Parked along one bank of the river right near some of the many open-air cafes we spotted a long beer wagon loaded with barrels.  Harnessed to the wagon was a pair of huge horses (perhaps Clydesdales, though I don’t know horse breeds).  There just wasn’t enough time to take it all in! 

As we climbed back into the boat, we overheard a man comment, “Last year we did an excursion to Bruges.  After having been to Ghent, I think I have to say that I like Ghent better than Bruges!”  That made both of us feel better because we were thoroughly enchanted by the gorgeous beauty of the city! 

As we headed back to Zeebrugge, the guide commented that the weather can make or break the excursion.  He said that if it’s raining, they put up a plastic roof and plastic windows, but the plastic doesn’t do a very good job of keeping the rain out.  This was my fourth “water” excursion, and the other three days were very overcast, and in a couple of cases, rainy.  What a relief that this was the day that the weather cooperated!  We couldn’t imagine trying to visit such a magnificent city in the rain! 

The only thing that “dimmed” the day was the realization that we had a long night ahead of us:  we had seven suitcases to seal up for shipment home via DHL and two to take with us to the airport (along with our carry-ons).  Not only did we have a long night, but we knew it would be a long day on Saturday, up early for breakfast and then back to the room to get a few more things done before leaving the ship one last time and heading to the airport in Amsterdam.   When we got up at 6:15 that morning, we knew we would be going to bed at our “home” time zone.  6:15 AM in Amsterdam is 11:15 PM in Chicago.   The last several days on the ship were a whirlwind of packing, exchanging addresses and email addresses, saying good-byes, and trying to make sure we brought home all of our belongings. 

As we arrived back in New Lenox, Chuck commented that we had managed to get through all ten weeks without incident.  That is always a relief, but this year it was particularly significant:  I had left home in mid-March having been released from physical therapy the day before, having severely broken my sacrum in January.  So the fact that we got home without incident is a tremendous relief!  I have said several times that it was a great way to continue my recovery!  I didn’t have to cook (not that I cook that much anyway), nor did I have to serve my food, do the dishes, do laundry, clean house, go grocery shopping, or fight the ice and snow that had plagued us during the long winter of 2013-2014.  I didn’t see as much as I would have liked, but I did see a lot, and I had the opportunity to relax and continue to recover. (I still have some months of recovery to get through, but I have greatly improved!!!)  Others waited on me, and I am so grateful for all the assistance I received from the wonderful staff of the Prinsendam, not to mention our tablemate Alice and especially Chuck! 

BT

Cherbourg, France: Destination, Normandy

Utah Beach, D-Day Memorial, Normandy, France

Back in the 1960s there was a French movie called The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.  I can’t remember exactly how umbrellas came into play in that movie without doing a little research, but we definitely would have had use for umbrellas today in Cherbourg!

Unlike our trip to Normandy in 2010, the weather was very, very overcast.  We had really been looking forward to revisiting two of our favorite destinations from the 2010 World War II Venues Tour today: Sainte-Mère-Église and Utah Beach.  The best laid plans were waylaid by the French pilots, those expert seamen who guide the ships into and out of port.  We were supposed to have the pilot board at 7:00, but they hadn’t started work yet, so we ended up docking quite late.  We were out and on our way as quickly as possible, but the shore excursion, Sainte-Mère-Église and Utah Beach, set off a half hour late due to our late arrival.

As we drove through the countryside toward Sainte-Mère-Église, the skies were extremely overcast, but our guide had hopes that it would clear by the time we arrived there. 

Normandy is another of the French regions (like Brittany and Pays de la Loire), and it is comprised of six departments.  Cherbourg is the “capital of the department of La Manche.  Because of its strategic location, the port of Cherbourg is very important.  During World War II the Germans were concerned that the allied troops would take over Cherbourg so they destroyed it. Our guide told us that until now, the people in this area liked Americans.  Uh-oh!  Were we in trouble?  (Of course since her English is far better than our French, we didn’t have a leg to stand on!)  She really meant that to this day the French in Normandy revere Americans.  Her mother well remembers that time when the Americans arrived, and she instilled that feeling of admiration in her daughter.  We had also found this to be true when we visited in 2010. 

I wasn’t sure if I could handle the walking at Sainte-Mère-Église based upon what we did in 2010, but I was pleased that the bus dropped us off right in front of the Hotel de Ville.  I knew that the walk to the church would be quite short.  Our guide pointed out the kilometer marker that signaled the beginning of Patton’s Voie de la Liberté (Liberty Way) as he and his troops marched toward Bastogne, Belgium.  What we didn’t know was that there were 48 stars on the marker, representing each of the 48 states of the US at that time.  The flame represented liberty, and the blue stood for the water (beaches of Normandy).  Each marker tells where the previous marker and where the next marker can be found. 

We made the short walk to the church and had a few minutes inside to take pictures of the stained glass windows.  Outside hangs the effigy of John Steele, who parachuted in the early hours of June 6h and got caught on the steeple.  We had both always thought that he had hung there without moving pretending he had died to avoid being captured.  However, we learned that he was actually captured by the Germans but managed to escape a few hours after his capture. 

There was extremely little free time to do anything in Sainte-Mère-Église. I did manage to race into a shop and look for a sweatshirt (with no luck), coming away with a t-shirt.  We were very interested in what looked like big preparations for the 70^th Anniversary of D-Day celebration, which will take place two weeks from tomorrow. 

As we headed toward Utah Beach, the skies once again opened up, and this time we got hail.  The bus driver suggested to the guide that perhaps we might want to get out for a group photo of the tour!  He did have quite a sense of humor.  The guide told us a story about one of her early tours when she was telling the group about going to Utah Beach, and each time she said it, they laughed.  She couldn’t figure out why until they explained later in the tour that she had been mispronouncing beach.  Just as one does when not a native speaker, she had thought she was saying beach, but she was actually pronouncing it like… well, a female dog.   She is now very careful to say the word correctly in English!

Happily, by the time we reached Utah Beach, the rain and hail had stopped, and the sun was trying to peek through.  We had about a half hour to wander the area.  I opted not to go up to the top of the dunes to look down at the beach.  I had done that four years ago, and my back was starting to bother me.  So I stayed on the main road and enjoyed (finally) having an opportunity to browse some gift shops! 

We were glad that the weather had cooperated enough to allow us to be off the bus without rain.  As we headed away from Utah Beach, we drove along the beaches, passing many abandoned German bunkers along the way, part of the “Atlantic Wall” which was built between 1942 and 1944.   The guide commented that the people use these bunkers for several purposes, and at one point we saw a bunker next to a playground where a group of children were playing.  She said that the children had probably parked their bikes in the bunker. We made a final brief photo stop at Crisbecq Battery, where we could see up close one of the series of buildings that were built to protect the coast from the Allied Forces.  We had seen some similar batteries back in 2010 when we visited Longues-sur-Mer and Pointe du Hoc.

As we arrived back in Cherbourg, we could see the true scope of the enormous harbor that had been built there.  Our guide explained that this was the largest manmade harbor in the world, covering an area equivalent to 3700 acres of land. 

We were disappointed that we didn’t enjoy the excellent weather we had previously experienced, but we were glad that we had had the opportunity to once again visit these very historic sites.  We were especially sorry for those who had never been to Normandy, both those on our tour as well as those who had opted to take the much longer excursion to Arromanches (which is Gold Beach) and the American Cemetery.

Because we have been so busy packing, we haven't had time to select pictures from the last two ports. We are hoping that we'll have time to upload them later.  We visit our last port, Zeebrugge, Belgium, tomorrow.  Because our excursion isn’t until the afternoon and the evening will be spent packing, we will not be posting a blog for this port… at least not right away.  Hopefully when we get home one of us will remember that we need to wrap up this wonderful cruise by writing about our final port, but we know what it’s like when we return after having been away for 10 weeks and our best intentions may not come to be.

BT  

Brest, France: A Bit of Britain in French Brittany

Water wheel on Aven River, Pont Aven, France

I am frustrated!  So much to do in so little time.  We are charging headlong into the end of our cruise with ports every day and so much to see there seems little time for packing!  This has been a wonderful extension to the World Cruise but usually we have a day at least for packing, but not this time.  The room is a jumble and we get something packed that we think we won’t need and sure enough, we need it!  And then comes the search to find out where it is.  Somehow it has to get done because I am sure when it’s time to go, Holland America will want us OUT!   But Saturday morning, ready or not, we are off in Amsterdam and straight to the airport for our KLM flight to Chicago – and back to reality! 

So the alarm went off early this morning – not early be standards of when I was working or even as recently as March when I was subbing, but early by cruise standards.  I elected a shore excursion called Brittany Countryside, Concarneau and Pont Aven, a nearly 8 hour excursion. while Barb (with a bit more sense than I) chose to stay put because she knows we have to go home on Saturday AND that we are doing excursions on both of our last two days!  The upside for me was that it was one of the best shore excursions of the entire cruise and it had the best lunch served on an excursion of any lunch we have had with the excursion this year.  Never having been in this area, I wanted to see a part of the area near the west coast of France.  It was the longest excursion offered today by Holland America but it was well worth the time. 

The topography of Brittany was formed over the millennia as the glaciers receded, revealing the new land formations.  Thus there are lots of bays and inlets forming the shoreline of the Atlantic.  This part of France, Brittany, does have its own language which France had banned from schools for many years so that the language was nearly lost. However more recently it has permitted it to be taught and about 250,000 people out of 3.5 million in Brittany are able to speak the language.  It’s related more to Welsh, Gaelic, and Cornish than French.

The major city, Brest, was heavily bombed during World War II and mostly rebuilt quickly after the war ended.  Thus, according to our Travel Guide Brett, the city is very functional and lacks the character and beauty of other French cities such as Bordeaux.  We quickly skirted Brest as we headed out to the gently rolling green countryside which resembled the terrain of upstate New York.  Our first stop, after a ride of about an hour was in the quaint village of Pont Aven, named of course for the picturesque bridge over the Aven River in the town.  When we arrived it was still before most businesses had opened, but our guide pointed out the rest room facilitie, an old, stone building with flowers winding up the façade which looked quite pretty from the other side of the river.  When we got in line (as tourists know all so well, we found it quite unique to say the least, and very European as some in our group commented.  There were two blue doors for stalls at either end.  In between the two doors, but with no doors at all were two urinals in either corner.  Thus as the men took care of business as discreetly as possible, the woman waited in the typical women’s line.  As we walked down the path on the other side of the bridge, comments were made about how attractive it was from that side.  Our guide, Isabel, who by the way had been born in Austria but had moved to Brittany about 15 years ago, laughed and said originally the bathroom had merely had holes in the floor and waste products dropped into the river!  Needless to say, that practice has been ended!!!!  She took us on a walking tour of the lovely village with people stopping for pictures along the way.  The only problem was that so often the sun was in the wrong place for that perfect shot.  When the short tour was concluded, we had a bit of free time to check out more of the village or the shops which were now opening.  Most were opening after we were to leave because as she pointed out, it isn’t tourism’s high season yet.

When we returned to the bus, I saw her and the bus driver engaged in a conversation in French.  She commented that he had said he knew a back roads route that would take us on a picturesque drive through another village that  had several nice homes with thatched roofs.  That was another reminder of the connection with Britain.  Occasionally he would point something out along the route and she would point it out to us.  I don’t usually get the absolutely front seat on the bus because they are typically identified as reserved for physically challenged individuals.  However, thse seats were empty on this tour so the guide offered the seat to any that wanted it.  No one seemed to want it, so I had taken the opportunity for it. 

We arrived at the town of Concarneau, another walled town.  There is something about walled cities that always seems intriguing.  The guide took us into town and pointed out the relevant landmarks of the town.  We  walked through the village and past the open shops selling local specialties including the biscuits that are well known in Brittany.  At that point she told people that they could continue seeing the village with her or break away to wander on their own and that we would meet at the designated time back on the bus.  I walked with her to the interior of the wall.  As we reached the wall, it appeared there was a stage with stadium type seating. There were a bunch of kids seeming to practice for a production.  Most of us snapped pictures and when the kids saw that, they really performed.  They walked to the front of the stage in a line, and then bowed to our applause!  They got a kick out it our seeing them as much as we enjoyed seeing the kids being kids.  We climbed the wall for the view over the wall, seeing more of the pretty village as well as the harbor filled with lots of pleasure boats as well as fishing boats.  Concarneau is the fourth largest fishing port in Europe, so while most of us don’t know this village, clearly it has its importance in the economy of Europe.  She led us down the wall at one point and allowed us some free time to wander and shop.  When we returned to the bus and the count was taken, the guide came up one person short.  One lady said she knew who it was and volunteered to go back to the entrance to the walled part of town to find him.  Making a long story short, the guide went off with our tour “lollypop” so the missing man would come toward her if he spotted it.  I’m not sure it was husband and wife – it may have just been acquaintances, but they had decided to meet at the bridge to return to the bus together.  The lady was on the late side and decided he had gone back.  In reality he had waited as they had agreed, she hadn’t seen him on the busy bridge and came back without him.  No harm done and he apologized for holding up the group.

From there we went to a nice restaurant for our lunch.  I’ve gotten a bit jaded by shore excursion lunches because they have often left something to be desired, but this was the best I have had on any shore excursion this trip, and I told the proprietor.  He seemed pleased with the compliment.  I seldom comment on the tour group, but this was an unusually congenial group.  I knew no one at all and only recognized two couples from having seen them on the ship.  But the people at the table seemed to enjoy the conversation.  I sat near a couple from near Baltimore where the man was pretty shocked that I was near the end of 71 days on the cruise. He commented that 14 (the length of this extension) seemed about right to him.  So I explained how much there is to do on the ship during the Grand Voyages and how people on the long voyages became better acquainted and new friendships were made much more easily when we were on the ship with them for several weeks.  A couple from New Zealand, just north of Auckland, sat next to me and across from a couple from Adelaide, Australia.  So the conversation was quite interesting and was a rare visit with 10 people involved in one conversation for part of the time.  As I indicated, people were pleased with the meal.  it seemed to have been prepared as a meal for us rather than for a cast of thousands which seemed to be the case on some tours we did.  The people on this bus seemed to develop a quick rapport that’s absent on nearly every other excursion.  It reminded me of the group that bonded so well when Barb and I did our World War II land tour over D-Day in Normandy in 2010.  We remember that group as a fantastic group to travel with and remarked how random people came together for 12 days and how much we had enjoyed that group.

The bus returned us to the port, pretty much right on time and just before the final boarding time.  Our ship continues to move north, toward Cherbourg in Normandy. We look forward to visiting a favorite part of France again.  We’d like to do the long excursion that would take us to Arromanches, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery, but that would be too much for Barb yet.  Instead we will go on a shorter tour to Ste. Mere Eglise and Utah Beach.  Then we return and get down to the very serious business of packing to go home.   Two more days to go .... 

CT

Nantes, France: Chateaux and River Cruise

We had been advised that when we arrived in the port of Montoir de Bretagne we would be in a very industrial area with not much to see.  That was an understatement.  Not only was there not much to see, but the skies were heavy with thick dark clouds.  Not much to look at for sure, and of course we had a river cruise scheduled.  (I had scheduled three shore excursions which focused on scenic cruises.  I guess if it were baseball, I’d have totally struck out.  Each time the cruise was on a very cloudy and somewhat rainy day!)  

We were off the ship early so we could get a decent seat on the bus for our excursion, Cruise on the River Erdre.  Since I have “handicap priority”, we had gotten our stickers without having to report to the Showroom at Sea to pick them up.  We barely got off in time – we were just boarding the bus when the skies opened up and the rain came down!   Ugh!   But at least we were on the bus! 

Since we were so early, I had a chance to visit with the man I thought was our guide.  It turned out later he was the bus driver.  He was very friendly and commented that my French pronunciation was easy to understand, which I appreciated.  (If I could just spend a few more days in France, I would probably be able to do more, but I can’t get the language back if I’m only here a few days every three or four years!) 

Our destination was Nantes.  France is divided into 22 counties (and further divided into departments). Nantes is in the county of Pays de la Loire, or Loire Country, and in the department of Loire Atlantique.  This is an agricultural region that produces grains, most of which are used in cereals: wheat, corn, oats, and barley.  They also do a lot of cattle breeding, both for dairy cows and meat cows.  In addition there are lots of small animals that people enjoy hunting: deer, fox, wild pigs, pheasant, partridges, etc.  In fact one forest nearby is associated with the knights of the round table. 

The people work 39 hours a week; they don’t work on Sundays, and usually don’t work on Saturdays or bank holidays.  In addition everyone gets five weeks of holiday each year.  There is a high rate of unemployment (about 5 million people unemployed). Part of the cause of such high unemployment is that in 2002 they opened the European borders and many people wanted to move into France because of the excellent social laws.  People are provided for even if they don’t work.  (Sounds strangely familiar!!!)

Just north of the Pays de la Loire is Brittany.  Nantes was once the capital of Brittany but now it’s the capital of Pays de la Loire.  The Dukes of Brittany have their castles in Nantes.  Many die-hard residents of Nantes insist that they are still part of Brittany.   At one time Nantes was also part of the infamous triangular trade – taking slaves from Africa to the Indies and bringing goods back to France. 

We had left the port a little late, and we got caught in a gaper’s-delay traffic jam on the expressway so our arrival in Nantes was behind schedule.  As a result we only had a brief tour of this lovely city.  Our main goal was to arrive at the river where we would take our boat cruise along the Erdre River.  Things were a little confusing and hectic at the pier – two busloads of passengers and one bathroom with only three stalls will do it!  But once we’d taken care of the necessities, we headed out to board our boat, which reminded me greatly of the Bateaux Mouche that ply the waters of the Seine in Paris.  Chuck had gone ahead to procure seats which would be convenient and at least somewhat comfortable. 

We settled in for our cruise just in time for the skies to begin brightening.  It was a 2-hour ride, leaving Nantes, and heading into the suburbs and countryside.  As we rode along, we had an escort of cormorants and grey herons.  The cormorants were really enjoying putting on an exhibition of landing (it looked like they were digging their “heels” into the water) and then doing surface dives to find the fish that the boat had stirred up. 

The Erdre River is about 60 miles long, a little over a half mile in width in certain places, and about 10 feet deep.  No wonder the fish were coming to the surface as the boat sailed along the river.  The scenery was lovely.  We assume that it must be a tributary of the Loire River, though we never found out for sure.  The fact that there were so many manors and chateaux along the river indicated to us that we had to be near the Loire River valley.  I had visited the Loire and a few of the chateaux (my two favorites being Chenonceaux and Chambord) on other trips to France, but I’d never heard of the Erdre River before.  On our river cruise, we passed several lovely mansions as well as about a half dozen castles.  And the weather had cleared enough to allow people to go out on the front deck to enjoy the scenery and take pictures. 

All too soon we found ourselves back at the pier in Nantes.  We were given a few minutes of free time to shop and pick up a few of the very limited souvenirs available before boarding the bus.  At least that was the original plan.  However, when we got out to the bus area, bus 6 was there for the other group, but no bus 7 for us!   The original bus had dropped us and left; we had been told a different bus would pick us up.  We waited and waited, and the tour guide was frantically phoning various people.  Turned out the bus had been there, but the police wouldn’t allow him to stay because there were already too many buses there either dropping off or loading passengers.  We finally boarded and discovered that the bus was not up to HAL expectations – no working microphone, and pretty dirty.  When we got back to the port, the driver was really confused on how to get to the ship’s docking area.  He was just about to turn around when he was waved through.  His lack of knowledge of the port really mystified us.  However, when we found some things out later, we cut them some slack.

We arrived back at the ship about a half hour late.  After a quick lunch, I made myself scarce to give Chuck some time and space to do some serious packing.  I sat in the Crow’s Nest, reading and writing in my journal.  I overheard a man telling someone else that there had been quite a ceremony in the Crow’s Nest that morning, with the Captain Andre and a couple of mayors present.  He said that the captain was discussing with the mayors what might be done to attract more cruise ships and tourists. 

Before trivia, I was talking with a couple teammates, and they wondered why, if we could sail all the way up the Garonne River to Bordeaux, we couldn’t have done the same to get to Nantes.  I commented that on the excursion I’d learned that the river there was less than 10 feet deep – way too shallow for the Prinsendam!

Just before we set sail, Captain Andre made his sail-away announcement.  From what he said, we gather that this was the very first Holland America ship to visit Montoir de Bretagne, and possibly one of the first cruise ships ever.  This would explain the lack of organization on the part of the locals, who did want to make a good impression, but who weren’t used to handling such large crowds of foreign tourists.  It also explained why the bus driver hadn’t known how to get to the dock. We were docked in a cargo area, and he probably thought he was going into a dock area that was restricted to passengers.

We also found out that the local gangway had to be used, and the restrictions allowed only nine people at a time on the gangway.  Therefore, people had to be stopped while others got on and off.  The captain explained that he advised the locals to either provide sturdier gangways or allow the ships to use their own.  The Prinsendam gangway can hold up to 33 adults at one time. 

It wasn’t the best day or the best excursion we’d ever done, but it was an interesting day, and we were glad to be “pioneer tourists” in an area that apparently is just starting to open its doors to the cruise industry. 

BT