Panama Canal Transit

What an exciting day it was for Vann and me to make our first trip through the Panama Canal!  It was a full day, passing under the bridge on the Atlantic side, Puente Atlantico, before 8:00am and then proceeding into the first two Gatun locks.  Once on Gatun Lake, it was a pleasant (if uneventful) float across the lake before arriving at the Pedro Miguel lock and finally the Miraflores lock, arriving at the Pacific Ocean at around 4:00pm (but, oddly enough, still in the eastern time zone!)

There was an interesting ship in the channel beside us, a yacht transport.  Someone looked up one of the boats, the Calliope, and discovered that it was offered for sale at 12,900,000 Pounds Sterling.  (I wondered if it were being delivered to its new owner…possibly a .com type in Silicon Valley.)

Another thing that surprised me was a grandstand filled with people just there to watch the comings and goings of the ships.  I remember that in Italy there were always cars parked at the end of the runway at our airbase, watching planes take off and land.  I think the fascination must be the same.   Much waving from their side and ours as we passed in review.

Once on the Pacific side, the skyline of Panama City came into view.  Our itinerary did not call for a visit, but I went to Perplexity, our AI source, and asked for a few adjectives to describe the city.  The list included: Vibrant, Modern, Historical, Tropical, Diverse, Bustling, and Urban.  Panama City’s skyline:

Christmas Day in Colon, Panama

We have come to expect delightful surprises from Viking, and Christmas Day did not disappoint.  We returned from last night’s dinner to find that a pair of panettoni and a bottle of Prosecco had been delivered to our cabin.  (Only one panettone pictured here, as the other was breakfast!)

Even though it is Christmas Day, a welcoming group of Panamanians greeted us as we started out on our planned excursions or, in our case, a discovery walk around town.

Colon is the Atlantic gateway to the Panama Canal, so cranes and containers dominate the landscape.  We were happy to find that the port was quiet, however, as the many drivers, crane operators, etc, had the day at home with their families.  Things will swing back into action tomorrow morning, and we will join the precious cargo making its way through the canal.

Guest lecturers onboard have given talks on the Panama Canal.  The ones we did not attend in person are available on the ship’s television channel, so we got caught up today and will attend the final one this evening.  Our Viking Sky is small enough to go through the original Gatun locks, delivering us into the Pacific Ocean by day’s end tomorrow.

Phone calls and messages from family and friends, together with warm holiday greetings from those onboard, have made this a lovely and memorable Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve in Cartagena, Colombia

Our port of call today was the very colorful Cartagena, Colombia, where we had a panoramic tour of the city.  The Viking Sky docked not at a touristy port, but rather at a serious working harbor with loaded container ships at sea and countless stacks of containers on land.  Numerous overhead cranes were hard at work getting all that cargo arranged.  How anyone can keep track of it all is impossible to fathom. 

Naturally, there were lots of vendors everywhere we went selling the usual souvenirs.  “No, gracias”  worked well in most cases.  Colombian emeralds were tempting, but knowing nothing about them, we passed on the opportunity.

It’s Christmas Eve, and we have a dinner reservation at Manfredi’s, the Italian restaurant onboard.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Sea Days

As we approached this cruise, we wondered what Viking would do to foster the spirit of community among its guests.  There are about 900 of us, and we’ll be living together for several months, so we felt sure there would be opportunities built in so we could meet our fellow travelers.  Sea days provide that chance.

One of the guest lecturers onboard is an expert on marine birds and their behavior.  Vann has enjoyed his talks and joined him and others out on deck to observe and take photos.  Our cabin is ideally located to study the fishing skills of one particular bird, the brown booby.  As we speak, there are a dozen of them swooping and diving just off our balcony, eyeing and snagging the fish that get churned to the surface by the passing of our ship.

On sea days I enjoy the craft lesson taught by a friendly woman who has been doing this for 30 years.  She told us this morning that she arrived on board with five suitcases filled with 100 pounds of craft supplies!  Last time we made a clever little gift pouch, and today we painted glass ornaments.

On sea day afternoons, all needle workers are invited to bring their projects for a Sit and Stitch in a lovely room downstairs.  Turns out that most are knitters, but there are also quilters and needlepointers in the group.  My project is one I have owned for many years but barely started…appliqué and embroidery mostly.  Hoping to have made good progress by the time I get home.

                                                    

                                                   

                                                                       Vann’s Brown Booby

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Where in the World are Vann & Mary?

Perhaps your question is not, "Where in the world..." but rather, "What in the world..." "What in the world were you thinking when you signed up to spend almost five months on a boat?" 

 It all started last July on a Viking cruise through the fjords of Norway. At dinner one evening we met a couple who had taken this cruise the year before; they liked it so much they were doing it again! Their enthusiasm was just contagious enough to get us looking at the brochure and then talking with the Viking representative onboard. Long story short, here we are! And you're invited to come along! 

 If you'd like to follow our blog, you may visit it any time at our website https://vannandmaryatleisure.blogspot.com 

 Posts and photos will be added "as the spirit moves," and we look forward to reading any comments you may wish to leave.