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simulator on the seatback screen

Other than some brief confusion on where to return the rental car, we had an uneventful trip from West Palm Beach to Marion.  Our flight even arrived 30 minutes early, so we got home at about 5:00 PM. 

One of the first things we had to do was go through the house, advancing the clocks from standard to daylight time.

Tomorrow comes the dreaded unpacking of the suitcases.

It was a sub-optimal vacation for me, given my illness during the back half of it, but we still had lots of good times on it.  

Visit to West Palm Beach

This morning, we returned to the east coast of Florida, and our final destination this trip.

After driving around West Palm Beach, we checked into the Hilton West Palm Beach and then headed out on foot.

We spent much of our time exploring the gardens of the Norton Art Museum.

This evening, we went to dinner at the RH Rooftop Restaurant, where we had a fun meal with great people-watching.

Back to Naples

Good morning, Marco Island beach-goers.

Still feeling miserable from a cold that had now morphed into a severe asthma attack, we changed our plans to visit friends in Jupiter. Unable to extend our stay at the hotel on Marco Island, we drove back up the coast to Naples to spend the night with my sister and brother-in-law.

On to Marco Island

After having lunch with our friends Ken and Sue, we checked into the Hilton Marco Island Resort and then connected with our friends Larry and Nancy. 

 

The following day, Larry and Nancy took us on a tour of Marco Island. One of the highlights was the Marco Island Historical Society.

The world-famous Marco Island Cat

We had a fun dinner at The Oyster Society.

Our Day in Naples

 We had a relaxing day with Connie & Paul, highlighted by lunch at Celebration Park. 

There were eight food trucks with offerings that spanned a wide variety of tastes.  There was a full-service bar. After you placed your order at a truck, they gave you a pager that went off when the food was ready to be picked up.

copied from their website

The park, which was privately owned and bears little resemblance to a park unless food trucks being parked there counts, was also accessible by water via a narrow channel.

If you want nice views and immaculate dining facilities, Celebration Park is definitely not your destination.  If you want good food and a fun atmosphere, give it a try the next time you are in Naples.  

Pam recommends you get the homemade potato chips regardless of what else you order.

In the evening, we watched lightning storms pass by, unfortunately, given the extended drought, not accompanied by any significant amount of rain.  

Miami to Naples

 

The ship docked before 7:00 AM. We disembarked about 9:00.

The Budget Rental Car experience was horrific. We waited nearly two hours for the van to take us to the rental center, followed by another hour in line to pick up our car.

Finally on the road, we had an uneventful drive across the Everglades and Big Cyprus Swamp to Naples. 

Given how crumby I have been feeling with a post-COVID cold and cough, it was nice to settle in with sister Connie and her husband Paul at their comfortable condo.

Two Sea Days

 

From St. Kitts to Miami took two days at sea. 

The first day was sufficiently lumpy in the morning that the upper weather decks were closed. Pam and I had no problem with it. The same could not be said for our room housekeeper, Henrietta, who was a bit green. The seas gradually calmed once we reached the north side of Hispaniola. 

The second day was smooth sailing.

Procrastination being the future of tomorrow, Pam & I put off packing as long as possible. Once we finally got started, we did it with admirable efficiency. 

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Having been released from quarantine at 8:47 a.m., at 10:15, we left the ship for a train ride around the island.

The train was made in Romania. One could wonder how a Romanian train wound up on a Caribbean island, but I decided to leave that as an unnecessary imponderable. Looking at the collection of derelicts behind the station, a more interesting question would be how many Romanian trains it takes to assemble one that works.

Most interesting to me was that the train traveled on a narrow-gauge track. The rails were only 30 inches apart. The train cars were about 6 ft wide. We soon discovered this meant that when the rails were slightly uneven, the car's swaying was significant, all the more so because we were on the upper deck. Most of the track was in that condition, but some was worse.  This explained why the train traveled at 9 miles per hour.

Going under the first couple of bridges was a bit of a knuckle-biter since we were in the front seats of the first car. I had observed that the tin roofing over our head was not damaged, but thinking back to the junkyard, it could have been a new cover. Fortunately, even with the swaying, there was (barely) enough clearance.

Originally, the train had been used to bring sugar cane from the plantations to the processing locations. When sugar cane was abandoned as a crop in 2005, the railway was turned into a tourist attraction.

As we rolled along, there were opportunities to look south to see Nevis. Later on, we could look north to see Saba.

The railway no longer runs around the entire island. Property on the Caribbean side was too valuable for homes, hotels, etc. Whatever the reason, we had to forward buses for the last 40 minutes of our circumnavigation.

Looking at the map, there were no roads that transected the island. This was not a surprise given the size of the dormant volcano that juts up in the middle of the island.

Free

After nearly six days in the stateroom, I was released from quarantine at 0847 (+4 UTC).

Since I could order from any restaurant on the ship while in quarantine, I was lucky that I could fit through the door into the passageway.

Kingstown, St. Vincent

RIVIERA ghosted into her pier early this morning, soon joined by Oceania's SERENA, the ship we took in 2018 from Miami to Buenos Aires. It was interesting to note the comparative size of the two ships, although it is far less than this picture suggests.

While I began what I hope is my last day of COVID quarantine, Pam was off the ship early for a sailboat cruise among the Grenadian Islands.  Fortuitously, two friends we had made while aboard were on the same tour, giving her company and me some added peace of mind.

- - - Pam's report on her trip ashore begins - - -

Just after arriving in Saint Vincent, I hopped on a Catamaran to the island of Bequia. The island is 7 square miles and very mountainous.

Our first stop was Port Elizabeth on the island of Bequia. Front Street is the main street on the island. It has several little shops.

A market of local produce on Front Street.

A private home in Port Elizabeth.

The local church.

A local eatery. A crafty islander.

A view of the harbor in Port Elizabeth.

Heading out along the beautiful coastline

This is Moonhole, a cluster of quirky stone homes built under a natural arch in the coastal cliffs. Few of the homes have windows or doors, some are partially constructed with whale bones, and all of them use rainwater collected in cisterns. Some are for rent. We dropped anchor here and had a lovely snorkel.

After snorkeling, we continue down the coast, stopping at a lovely beach for lunch and swimming. I purchased Harry a hat at Fay’s. She told me she has had this spot for 20 years. We had a lovely day with a fabulous sail back to Saint Vincent.

- - - Pam's report on her trip ashore ends - - -

Other than watching activities on the pier, there could have been a better view for me to see from the veranda.  The ship was bows-in at the head of a cove with a wall of dense, uninteresting growth occupying most of the view.

After backing away from the pier, when the ship turned around, I discovered that there had been a panorama on the port side. Given that I had the side with the view for the two preceding days, I had no grounds for complaint.

Here's hoping not only for a negative COVID test tomorrow morning but one that will let me go on the tour we have scheduled.