CASTELLON DE LA PLANA

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015 – CASTELLON

NOT TOO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS PORT. I HEARD THAT THIS IS A NEW PORT FOR HOLLAND AMERICA…WELL I HOPE THEY TAKE IT OFF THE SCHEDULE.

WE HAD A VERY NICE WELCOME; LOCAL MUSICIANS PLAYING, WELCOMING EVERYONE OFF THE SHIP AND UNLIMITED FRESH SQUEEZED VALENCIA ORANGE JUICE. BUT IT WAS A LONG WAY INTO THE CITY AND IF YOU WEREN’T ON A TOUR, IT WAS DIFFICULT GETTING AROUND ON YOUR OWN. SIGNAGE WAS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT.

BUT, I DID FIND A NEAT LITTLE STORE AND SINCE I NEEDED A WEDGE SHOE SO I DON’T WADDLE AROUND WITH ME BOOT, I WAS ABLE TO GET 3 PAIR…DAYTIME, BLACK EVENING AND BONE EVENING…SO I’LL BE READY TO DANCE AS SOON AS THE SWELLING GOES DOWN! ALSO FOUND A FEW PURSES AND SCARVES.

THEY REALLY DO KNOW HOW TO MAKE PASTRIES, BUT EVEN BETTER…THEIR HOT CHOCOLATE IS THE GOOD OLE EUROPEAN HOT CHOCOLATE….JUST LIKE WARM, COOKED PUDDING…SO THICK AND CHOCOLATY …HMMM, HMMM GOOD!

IT WAS BACK TO THE SHIP FOR OUR FAREWELL DINNER TO GERRY OUR FRIEND AND TABLE MATE.

I’M LOSING A DEAR FRIEND TONIGHT. GERRY IS DISEMBARKING IN BARCELONA TOMORROW AND SHE WILL CERTAINLY BE MISSED. WE WERE ASSIGNED TO THE SAME DINNER TABLE AND WE HIT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY. GERRY IS ONE IN A MILLION. SHE IS 92 YEARS YOUNG AND HAS MORE STAMINA THAN I DO!

SHE LOVES CRUISING AND HAS BEEN ON THE PRINSENDAM SEVERAL TIMES….SHE LIKES TO BOOK THE LONGER CRUISES BECAUSE HOLLAND AMERICA HAS DANCE HOSTS ON CRUISES OVER 45 DAYS.  SCHEDULED HER NEXT CRUISE FOR SEPTEMBER OUT OF SAN DIEGO AND WILL BE BACK ON THE PRINSENDAM NEXT YEAR FOR THIS SAME CRUISE. SHE’S TRYING TO TALK ME INTO DOING IT, TOO. SHE NEVER GOES INTO THE CITIES WHEN WE DOCK; SHE STAYS ON THE SHIP.

GERRY TOLD ME SHE MET HER SECOND HUSBAND ON THE PRINSENDAM AND THEY WERE MARRIED 2 MONTHS LATER. HE ACTUALLY ASKED HER ON THE PHONE!!

SHE LOVES TO DANCE AND SHE HAD HER FAVORITE DANCE HOSTS FOR CERTAIN DANCES. SHE LOVES DOING THE 2-STEP WITH GEOFF, BUT SHE ALSO LOVES DANCING WITH RAY…SHE LIKES THAT WAY HE LEADS.

EVERY NIGHT WE WOULD FINISH DINNER AND GERRY WOULD HEAD TO HER ROOM TO BRUSH HER TEETH AND THEN INTO THE OCEAN BAR WHERE WE WOULD DANCE TILL IT WAS SHOWTIME. SHE WOULD DO THE TWO-STEP, JIVE, CHA-CHA, RHUMBA, WALTZ…SHE KNOWS THEM ALL AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN BREAK A SWEAT!

AFTER THE SHOW, IT’S BACK TO THE DANCE FLOOR WHERE SHE’D GO UNTIL THE BAND TOOK A BREAK AND THEN CALL IT A NIGHT.

SHE WOULD GET SO MAD AT ME BECAUSE I KEPT TELLING ARNIE (THE GUITAR PLAYER) TO PLAY DISCO FOR GERRY (WHICH SHE HATED) AND HE WOULD THEN DEDICATE THE DISCO SONG TO HER.

I ASKED THE GUYS IN THE BAND TO PLAY HER FAVORITE SONGS HER LAST NIGHT AND THEY HIT EVERY ONE! SHE DANCED WITH ALL THE DANCE HOSTS AND THERE WERE A FEW TEARS DOING OUR GOODBYE. I WILL REALLY MISS HER!

THE DANCE HOSTS –

DANCE HOSTS ARE HIRED BY HOLLAND ON LONG CRUISES FOR THOSE LADIES TRAVELING ALONE. THEY HAVE TO PAY THEIR AIRFARE TO AND FROM, BUT THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR THE CRUISE. IF THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO ASSIST ON AN EXCURSION THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. THEY DO GET A DAY OFF EVERY WEEK OR SO.  THEIR JOB IS TO BE ON THE DANCE FLOOR FROM 5 – 6 PM,  7:30 – 8:30 PM, AND THEN 9:15PM TILL THERE ARE NO WOMEN ON THE DANCE FLOOR.  CUSHY JOB! THEY ARE NOT MARRIED (BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S A REQUIREMENT). THEY’RE A REALLY NICE GROUP OF GUYS.

STAN IS FROM VANCOUVER AND A GREAT TEACHER.  HE'S STILL WORKING IN SALES AND HE’S BEEN A DANCE HOST FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HE WAS THE FIRST ONE I DANCED WITH AND I LIKE DOING THE MERANGUE WITH HIM.

EMERO IS FROM CANADA; HE AND HIS FAMILY EMIGRATED FROM EYGPT WHEN HE WAS 10. HE STARTS A DANCE THE WAY IT’S SUPPOSE TO BE AND THEN HE STARTS PUTTING IN HIS OWN STEPS AND CHANGES EVERYTHING SO BY THE END OF A DANCE A WALTZ OR RHUMBA TURNS INTO A DANCE STYLE THAT ONLY HIS BRAIN KNOWS HOW TO DO AND HE PROBABLY COULDN’T DUPLICATE IT IF HE TRIED.

HE TOLD ME THE OTHER DAY THAT HE STUDIED PSYCHOLOGY AND HE HAS ME PEGGED….I DON’T THINK SO!

GEOFF IS FROM WALES..GREAT ACCENT AND A PRETTY GOOD GUY. HE USED TO BE A BLACKJACK DEALER IN THE U.K. AND HE GAVE ME SOME TIPS AS I WAS HEADING TO THE CASINO ONE NIGHT AND I NEVER REALLY PLAYED BLACKJACK FOR REAL (WELL, I PLAYED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND ONLY LOST $10!!! NOT BAD!)

RAY HAILS FROM FLORIDA….STONECREST (JUST A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE VILLAGES). THIS IS HIS FIRST CRUISE AS A DANCE HOST. HE’S A VERY GOOD DANCER AND HAS A GIRLFRIEND IN THE VILLAGES; THEY DO A LOT OF DANCING AT KATIE BELLE’S. I LIKE DANCING WITH RAY; I CAN FOLLOW HIM EASIER THAN THE OTHERS.

                …”All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” --- Martin Buber