January 20, 21,23

January 20 Inauguration Day. At Sea
Another sea day with speakers, dance lessons, casino, and more plus an ice carving demonstration and a bbq on deck. The waiters were decked out as Uncle Sam serving hot dogs, hamburgers, shrimp and other goodies.
The Queen’s Lounge was decorated in red, white and blue, had a buffet (even though we had just finished the bbq) and showed all the inauguration celebration on large screens.
The day was pretty rocky so I watched the festivities from the comfort of our cabin.
The wind was across the bow with the waves coming in a different direction. We were in a shallow part of the Atlantic (about 300 feet) and had 12 foot swells. Things were supposed to get better when the depth went to over a mile but I didn’t see any improvement. There is a big difference in motion between this ship and the Amsterdam. The Prinsendam is 669 feet long and 37,848 gross tons and the Amsterdam, 780 feet and 61,000 gross tons. The seas aren't as bad as we had in the Tasman Sea last year but they are more than I like.
I don’t know who planned the Captain’s Black and White Ball for January 20 but you can be sure it received several humorous comments. At dinner the men were all given black or white fedoras and the ladies feather head dresses. It was all great fun and almost everyone was in either black or white or both. In the lounge the Captain lead off with the first dance, most of the officers were present to dance with passengers and several prizes were given out….including a lovely pearl necklace and ear ring set from the jewelry shop on board.

January 21, Fortaleza, Brazil.
As we travel down the coast of Brazil we are beginning to see the white sandy beaches it is famous for. In and around Fortaleza the coast is tropical and beautiful but just inland are the arid interior plains regions where it is very difficult to eke out a living.
Fortaleza has nearly two million people and is the state capital.
We have onboard representatives from H. Stern, a jewelry company with stores in several South American cities. They provide shuttle vans to and from their stores. In Fortaleza the vans also took folks to the market, the Centro Mercado.
You could spend hours in the Mercado, a large metal building of several floors accessed by winding ramps and stairways circling around an open center. It was very, very crowded, noisy and the aisles narrow. This was the market for the people, although the merchants were more than happy to sell to tourists. You can buy leather shoes, lace tablecloths, foods, herbs, pocketbooks, clothing and everything in between. I’ve never seen so many “shops” selling baby clothes as here.
We were heading for the old prison which now houses artisans but it started to rain very haard so when we spied a Sterns’ van we returned to the ship.
Our departure was scheduled for 5 o’clock but about 5:30 our affable captain came on the speakers and announced that because of a medical emergency and the need to take a passenger to the local hospital we would be late leaving. About 45 minutes later the Captain was on again…..another medical emergency, this one involving a crew member. Because the ship had been cleared before the second emergency it had to be cleared again since someone left it. I think it was about 8 o’clock when we finally got underway.
We never found out what the passenger’s problem was but the crew member had broken three or four fingers in his hand either taking in the gangway or when a hydraulic door closed on it. It depends on who tells the story which version you get.
We were supposed to go to a cocktail party in the Captain’s quarters sponsored by our Cruise Critic Group but it was postponed as I guess they needed the Captain on the bridge more than entertaining passengers.
Tomorrow another sea day. And a cocktail party sponsored by Cruise Specialists.
January 22 At Sea
A wonderful relaxing day with a party hosted by Henk and Lucia Barnhoorn our Cruise Specialists (aka CSI) hosts in the early evening. Both the Captain and Cruise Director were in attendance together with most if not all of CSIs passengers. Most were familiar faces as it seems that once someone books with CSI they are with them for life.
January 23 Maceio (Mah say oh)
Another capital city, this one the capital of Alagoas, with a city population in 2006 of over 900,000. Maceio is famous for its beaches and has become a lively seaside resort area for Brazilians and Europeans with many hotels lining the road across the street from the beaches. In this area buildings cannot be more than 9 stories so you do not get the hemmed in feeling of some Florida cities.
This is the first time the Prinsendam has stopped at Maceio but things went smoothly. The night before the Captain announced he didn’t know which side of the ship would be next to the dock but we would be docked.
We took a Highlights tour with only three photo op (read buy local souvenirs) stops but we saw a great deal of the city from the cool, comfort of the bus. One of the stops was at a little neighborhood with only one street. The town/village/neighborhood seemed to consist entirely of tiny shops selling lace work. With the help (and a loan) from another passenger I bought a white blouse with lace inserts. According to the woman whose money I borrowed, the blouse would have cost me three times as much back in the states, and twice as much in a South American city. As we walked along the dusty streets and peered into the little shops we could see women (and a few men) making the lace.
Our final stop was at a national monument on the beach road with the predictable shops next to it. Another blouse. So far I haven’t seen anything that anyone in the family would want or use (or I would dare buy). We haven’t even seen good postcards but we keep looking.
Alan spent the afternoon reading, writing and attending lectures. I took a log nap---not like me at all.