LA CORUNA, SPAIN

THIS POST IS OUT OF ORDER BECAUSE I AM HAVING TROUBLE UPLOADING THE INFORMATION FROM YESTERDAY SO I WILL JUST PROCEED AND PUT THE PREVIOUS POST ON WHEN I CAN. TODAY WE ARE IN LA CORUNA, SPAIN WHERE THE WEATHER IS GREAT. WE LEFT THE SHIP EARLY AND TOOK A LOCAL TRAIN TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA AND VISITED THE BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRAL. AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, A SERVICE FOR PILGRIMS WAS JUST BEGINNING. THIS IS A BIG THING HERE. PILGRIMS TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAINS BY FOOT IN A VERY DIFFICULT PILGRIMAGE FOR MANY REASONS AND THEIR LAST STOP IS THE CATHEDRAL. IT IS A MAGNIFICENT BUILDING WITH MORE GOLD THAN I HAVE EVER SEEN IN ONE PLACE.

AFTER GETTING A QUICK DOSE OF RELIGION WE WENT TO THE PARK TO SIT WITH THE REST OF THE OLD FOLKS. THEN WE HAD AN EMPANADA, SOMETHING LIKE A SANDWICH AND ICE CREAM. WE ARE HAPPY HERE SINCE WE SPEAK THE LANGUAGE. WE ARE NOW ON THE MAIN PEDESTRIAN WALKING SREET IN AN INTERNET CAFE BEFORE BOARDING THE SHIP.

ROUEN, FRANCE

HERE I AM SITTING IN A CYBER CAFE IN ROUEN, FRANCE. WE DECIDED NOT TO GO TO PARIS BECAUSE THIS PLACE SEEMED MORE INTERESTING AND WE HAVE BEEN TO PARIS MANY TIMES. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL MEDIEVAL CITY CENTER DATING FROM THE TIME OF JOAN OF ARC, WHO WAS BURNED AT THE STAKE RIGHT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN. IF FACT, I AM STARING AT THE PLACE RIGHT NOW. THE PLACE IS FILLED WITH ANCIENT MONESTARIES, CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS AND OLD, NARROW WINDING STREETS TOO SMALL FOR CARS AND MAGNIFICENT OLD BUILDINGS DATING FROM THE MIDDLE AGES. IT IS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY, HERITAGE DAY, AND EVERYONE IS STROLLING AROUND, EATING AT SIDEWALK CAFES AND GENERALLY JUST CHILLING OUT. IT'S REALLY NICE. WE WALKED ALL AROUND THE OLD PART AND TOOK A SIGHTSEEING TRAM TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING. TO GET HERE WE TOOK A TRAIN RIDE FOR AN HOUR AND WILL HAVE TO DO THE SAME THING ON THE WAY BACK TO GET TO THE SHIP. SO FAR, THE WEATEHR HAS BEEN DELICIOUS AND WE ARE REALLY HAVING A GOOD TIME. WE ARE GETTING ALONG QUITE WELL WITH OUR FRACTURED FRENCH AND PEOPLE SEEM TO APPRECIATE OUR ATTEMPT TO SPEAK.

ZEEBRUGE, BELGIUM

THIS WAS A SHORT PORT STOP FOR US BECAUSE JERRY WASN'T FEELING WELL AFTER ALL THAT SEX. HE HAD A LITTLE STOMACH ISSUE WHICH WE KEPT QUIET FOR FEAR THEY WOULD QUARANTINE US. SO WE WENT INTO THE SEASIDE TOWN OF ZEEBRUGE WHICH WAS PRETTY MUCH LIKE ANY OTHER EUROPEAN SEASIDE TOWN WITH A LARGE BOARDWALK, CABANAS ON THE BEACH, AND A WALKING STREET. THE EUROPEANS HAVE IT RIGHT. THEY TAKE A LONG LUNCH, EAT AND TAKE A LEISURELY STROLL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY INSTEAD OF EATING AT THEIR DESKS. IT IS A MUCH BETTER LIFE AND THEY SEEM MUCH HAPPIER IN GENERAL. WE AMERICANS SHOULD LEARN FROM THEM. BY THE WAY, IN ZEEBRUGE THEY SPEAK FLEMISH, AS THEY DO IN ALL THIS PART OF BELGIUM. IT IS VERY GUTTERAL, SOMEWHAT LIKE GERMAN. JERRY OWES ME A TRIP TO BRUGES, THE MEDIEVAL TOWN WE MISSED BECAUSE WE LEFT THE SHIP TOO LATE.

AMSTERDAM

IT IS VENICE WITH BICYCLES! BICYCLES EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK AND YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET RUN OVER BY THEM. THERE ARE NO FAT PEOPLE IN EUROPE BECAUSE EVERYONE EITHER WALKS OR RIDES A BIKE.

THE ARCHITECTURE HERE IS VERY UNIQUE WITH MOST DATING FROM THE 13TH, 14TH OR 15TH CENTURY. ALL THE BUILDINGS HAVE PULLY SYSTEMS TO GET HEAVY THINGS TO THE UPPER FLOORS BECAUSE THERE ARE NO ELEVATORS AND VERY NARROW STAIR CASES. THE FACADES HAVE VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION, EACH WITH IT'S OWN UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS. WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A CANAL TOUR AND SEE THESE MAGNIFICENT BUILDINGS.

WE WENT TO THE ANNE FRANK HOUSE WHICH WAS A VERY MOVING EXPERIENCE. IT WAS SO AMAZING THAT THIS POOR LITTLE GIRL SURVIVED FOR AS LONG AS SHE DID. I WAS GLAD TO SEE THE PLACE WAS CROWDED SO THAT HER STORY WILL PASS ON.

THE HIGHLIGHT FOR JERRY WAS THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT. THE SCANTILLY-CLAD GIRLS WERE POSING IN THE WINDOWS TRYING TO ENTICE CUSTOMERS TO ENTER. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO THE IMAGINATION. JERRY WAS RUNNING FROM WINDOW TO WINDOW. THEN THERE WERE THE COFFE/MARIJUANA SHOPS, THE SEX SHOPS, THE LIVE PORNO SHOWS, THE PORNO ITEMS STORES, THE PEEP SHOWS AND JERRY'S FAVORITE, THE SEX MUSEUM. IT WAS PORN OVERLOAD!

WE WALKED OUR FEET OFF AND WERE TOTALLY EXHAUSTE BYTHE TIME WE RETURNED TO THE SHIP. BY THE WAY, I AM IN LOVE WITH THE CAPTAIN.

THE NORTH SEA ON

WE ARE SAILING ON SMOOTH, CALM SEAS. THE ONLY THING WE SAW WHEN WE LEFT COPENHAGEN WAS A WIND TURBINE FARM. WE WENT TO THE MEET AND MINGLE THIS MORNING WHERE WE MET ALL THE PEOPLE WE HAD BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH ON CRUISE CRITIC.

OUR DINING MATES ARE LOVELY PEOPLE AND THE CONVERSATION IS ANIMATED AND INTELLIGENT. WE EXPECT SMOOTH SAILING FOR AT LEAST A FEW DAYS. THE SHIP IS A NICE SIZE WITH A PLEASANT CREW AND GOOD FOOD. WE HAVE LEARNED HOW TO RELAX A LITTLE INSTEAD OF RUNNING AROUND LIKE LUNATICS SO WE ARE REALLY INTO THE CRUISE MODE.

THE SHOW WAS CUTE AND I ONLY HAD TO WAKE JERRY UP TWICE. WE ARE ALMOST CAUGHT UP WITH THE JET LAG SO WE SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO IN AMSTERDAM TOMORROW.

TIVOLI GARDENS AT NIGHT

COPENHAGEN

THE HARBOR IN DOWNTOWN COPENHAGEN.