Wednesday, April 21, 2004 05:09 am
Subject:	arrival report

Greetings from St. Lucia, Arrived in Barbados at 10 pm Tuesday and went directly to the ship and had a dinner of potato chips and dry sherry. Total visit time in Barbados 1 1/2 hours, but it counts at country #87. Awoke yesterday morning to my lactose free pastries already ordered by maitre d' before I had arrived and available at early bird coffee. Chocolate desserts already ordered for tonight, etc., and cabin stewardess (Italian cutie of much too young age) had been briefed about my schedule by my previous stewardess. Number of old friends I didn't expect to see are on the ship. Ship is beyond all expectations so far. Went off the ship this morning and was surprised to see a parade and speeches for the opening of the St. Lucia parliament. Now back and to the pool.... 7 days a sea starting yesterday evening at 6 pm. M. 15 47N 57 22W at sea

Sunday, April 25, 2004 04:29 am
Subject:	from mid-Atlantic

Hi Jim, Today is 5th of 7 days at sea. Now about 500 miles due west of Western Sahara, Africa enroute Funchal, Madeira Islands. I booked a four hour jeep trip into the rain forest there. Should be nice. Last time I just took the cable car up to a mountain but didn't see much else of the island. Weather is getting cooler each day. It was 87 in St. Lucia. Now about 70 but sunny and very nice. Seas have been almost completely calm for the entire crossing--with some rain showers but mostly very nice. Pretty nice for a "crossing". Eating and drinking too much. Go figure. Thanks loads for making the trip down to Miami. It was super seeing you and rag chewing. Hope you can make it to Boulder this late summer. Take care and talk to you when I get back. 73, 'cbu/MM 27:25N 28:57W, heading 66 degrees, 18 knots

Date:	Sunday, April 25, 2004 11:35 am
Subject:	from 27N 29W

Hi, Fifth of seven days at sea, arrive Funchal, Madeira Tuesday 6 pm. Booked jeep trip to rainforest on island. Gotta work on using up the $375 on-board credit. Asked tour desk to arrange proposals for Gaudi site tour in Barcelona and Herculean visit from Sorrento. Will see what they come up with and drum up some business from the other guests. Crossing has been great. Temps now down to 70 but sunny and smooth seas. Nose peeling already. Read 3 1/2 books so far. Other passengers all multiple repeaters and very well behaved. Wife of friend, Bob, from Arizona will have ceremony at sea tomorrow and of course asked me to come. Captain will officiate scattering his ashes. Kinda spooky but he was a good friend--even if I don't remember what he looked like. Food and service fantastic. Had terrine of foie gras last night followed by Kobe beef. Chocolate mousse cake (lactose free, of course) and decaf espresso. Friends, the Doctors Desai, are on. They are the famous Indian couple who traveled for the UN and had a Nova program about them. They also were the ones who introduced Kathy to whatshisname on that 'last' cruise. We had a very nice private dinner a couple of nights ago. They are good friends. About to dress (formal tonight) for dinner. Having dinner with Safety Officer. Probably will say to wear a hat when it's windy or not to stay in cheap motels. All the security guys are Nepalese. Ya can't make this stuff up. All the passengers are coming to me instead of the Communications Officer for internet and computer problems. Maybe that's because he speaks mostly Croatian. HE came to me this morning to ask advice about getting the Grande Prix race tomorrow for the captain. He had gone to www.drdish.com and got the uplink frequencies for the C-band TV dish and didn't realize it. I got him the correct downlink freq and now he is asking my advice about the computers. My Croatian is very limited but about the same as his English. Oh well. The owner of my cruise travel agency is on-board. He will have a proposal for next year for me, tomorrow he says. Singapore to Sydney sounds nice--or maybe around South America. More in few days. Hope the snow didn't stick. ...from the high seas, M.

Saturday, May 01, 2004 02:48 am
Subject:	Play it again Sam

Just took a quick look (again) at Casablanca. It's Labor Day here in Morocco. Big parade of workers is going on. Very interesting. City is just as lovely (right) as I remember it. Shuttle bus driver only had to bribe one cop to drop off passengers. Visited Seville yesterday from Cadiz (pronounced Cadeef by the locals). The annual city fair was going on. Women all dressed in gowns, and lots of horse carts in street. 1000 (!) tent/restaurants set up, all for families or businesses. All residents of Seville go for lunch, then home for nap, and then back at 10pm for dinner and party all night. This is for an entire week! We were told that the folks drink Sherry mixed with 7 up as a "special drink" to keep hydrated. Gotta love the Spanish. Once in a lifetime experience. Also Seville is very lovely city. Ship is still fantastic. Lots of friends on-board. Good trip. Tomorrow in Malaga on the Spain costa del sol. Pass Gibraltar middle of the night. Temps cool but weather is ok. Regards from North Africa (on day US issued travel warning). We sail out in a couple of hours. No problems here. Everyone at parade. Mike

 

Saturday, May 01, 2004 10:21 am
Subject:	supplemental

Hi, Gibraltar strait at about midnight tonight. I'll try to stay up to see rock and how big our military escort is. Quiet afternoon at pool. Finally saw Englishman order "chips" and got "crisps" from Pilipino busboy. Austrian waiter explained to busboy that in England crisps are chips and chips are fries. Poor busboy just shuck his head and went back to get the fries. (Waiter refrained from calling them "frites", which would have come with mayo.) I intercepted and ate the chips. Staff member told me that chips/crisps thing happens on every cruise since lots of the Englishmen "use American English." I had to order another beer. (In England, it's called beer.) The pianist/bar singer friends have been great to have aboard. They were so nice to me last summer when I was so sick onboard. We have become good friends. Unfortunately, he dislocated his shoulder during rough seas day before yesterday. Really bad. His wife came running to me. I was looking for her when I heard about it (every passenger and crew knows about everything in 10 seconds after anything happens) to offer canceling my tour to Seville to go with them to the hospital. He sat in great pain overnight until we docked in Cadiz yesterday and then until 2 pm waiting to have his shoulder fixed. Christine called me this morning in tears to tell me the ship is sending them home (and canceling the rest of their contract) tomorrow. They invited me to have dinner with them tonight. More emotional trip than I expected with this and the burial at sea last week, but I'm ok guy on this one. Oh well. Hope all is well. It's beginning to seem like a very long time I've been away. See you soon, From 30 miles off the coast of Morocco, M.

 

Wednesday, May 05, 2004 08:48 am
Subject:	Re: Should decide on a new careeer...

Hi Marc, Thanks for the endorsement for a career change. Usually they have come in a different form. All my stops in Spain must in in the Plain. Even the Costa del sol, wasn't. Sun did come out this afternoon here in Barcelona, an event I celebrated with my first rum punch of the cruise. All too delayed. Resultant nap wasn't bad either. I took a morning tour of Gaudi sites including a fantastical park that was to be a 1910 planned community. The building boom never happened, but the land became a park. Gaudi envisioned shopping malls, a fruit market complete with rain water system catchments and distribution system, and a two level plaza. A new group of passengers came on the ship today bringing the total revenue guest count to 270, up from 137 for the crossing. There were about two groups of 50 Spanish travel agents on for two days each of the last four. Not much of a problem since the Spanish live a half day delayed from the rest of us. We sail in a few minutes for Valencia. I will look for oranges. See you in a week or so. Regards from m/V Silver Whisper, Mike

 

Saturday, May 08, 2004 08:32 am
Subject:	in Italian waters

Hi, Just entered Italian waters (such as Pellegrino?) by transiting the strait between Sardinia and Corsica. An Italian NAVY plane (Citation jet: not bad--must be EU money, hopefully entirely funded from Ireland) buzzed us at about 50 feet above the water: more like circled us as the ship is 150 feet high. Guess he was checking us out to see if we looked like a cruise ship. We most have as we weren't captured. The strait--by the way--has a name like, "Buttafuco", but that can't be quite right. We arrive at Sorrento early tomorrow morning. I'm taking the tour to Pompeii. Heard something happened there some time ago. Hope everyone is ok. The last leg now has officially 317 passengers but with 375 staff, still more of them to serve me; so it isn't all that bad. The crowd is much younger and kind of stupid. (My dad talked about people with "more money than brains.") They get very drunk at night--long after I'm asleep fortunately--but there are constant reports of late night silliness. But mostly it's just overhearing dumb conversations. A woman asked me on deck today, "Will we turn before we hit those rocks?" There are still a number of people asking the traditional cruise ship questions such as if the ship makes it's own electricity, and does the crew go home at night, etc. (My answers are, "long cord", and, "they have a shuttle bus that runs each evening.") One guy asked for paste-er. The waiter said, "I don't understand you." I giggled. Think I'll wear my Mr. Potato Head tie tonight. Gotta be festive. I'll fit right in. First time I've felt old on these ships. Lactose free chocolate desserts keep coming. Last night was ravioli with dark chocolate source. Think they might be getting a bit too creative. No complaints from me though. Back late Wednesday already. Boo. M. ('cbu/I)

 

 

Sunday, May 09, 2004 11:30 pm
Subject:	update

Hi, Trip has been great, but now is about time to come home. Today ship is anchored off Sorrento, Italy which is one of the most beautiful settings on earth! I will send a picture or two upon my return, and you can agree. Isle of Capri is about a mile away (hope this isn't where I meet "her"), and I can see Pompeii and Naples. Went to Pompeii yesterday. Heard something bad had happened there some years ago. The place was in ruins. Must have been true. Something about a big mountain nearby. Regards, Mike

 

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 06:42 am
Subject:	signing off

Hi, Just got back from morning tour to Pisa. The tower does indeed lean--more than I thought. They should do something about it. So do all the other buildings--but in various directions. Rest of city of Pisa is ugly and the only part of Tuscany that must be. Oh well. I refrained from having someone take a picture of me holding the tower up although quite a few other tourists were doing that very thing. How crude! (I considered a picture of me attempting to blow it down. Now that's cleaver. Maybe next time.) When I returned to the ship my bags were on the bed--even including my carry-on that was in the closet. I said in a loud (but unheard) voice, "Goodbye to you, too." To add injury to insult, I went to the "free area" on the computer--to print out a possible future cruise itinerary--and it charged me $2.65. When Silversea is through with you, they certainly are! But all my excursions were free due to a $500 onboard credit my agent arranged. Even had $27 left over; so I bought sweat socks (Jockey brand, just like in Foleys in Boulder). The customs people will be impressed on my European purchase. Cruise was in some ways best ever. Had nice dinners with various folks each evening, never had to put myself in the hands of the Maitre d' and get seated with a bunch of people how speak only Hungarian or worse. Read lots of books and met nice folks. Only problem is that the walk-in closet seemed to have shrunk all my clothes. I will complain. Time to come home and resume my life... More when I return home. Very best, Mike Livorno, Italy