Del, Gayle, and I are back home after a wonderful week on the Norwegian Pearl, a magnificent cruise ship of the Norwegian Cruise line.  We had a cabin, or berth, on the 11th deck.  That was the top deck with cabins.  It was deep outside-in and about 12 feet front to back so we had about a 12 foot landing outside the door where we could sit when we wished.

    On the 12th deck was the Garden Cafe, a large buffet where every imaginable kind of food was available through almost all the day and evening.  It opened on the stern with a large outside dining area.  We ate most of our meals and snacks there.  The food was fabulous and offered more different things than you could imagine.  In the morning I ate watermelon, pineapple, and sometimes muskmelon or honeydew melon but I majored on the pineapple and watermelon.  Of course I finished with solid food according to my taste for the day. Everything you could imagine was available..

    Del and Gayle had a big bed and there was a daybed they opened for me each evening which was very comfortable..

    The weather was almost calm the entire trip.  We departed from Miami Saturday Evening January 16th and were at sea until Monday morning when we reached Semana where we boarded a very comfortable bus for a trip through the mountains of northeastern Dominican Republic,

    We were again at sea Monday night arriving at Tortolla, British Virgin Islands, Tuesday morning where we chose a taxi to tour the mountains.  At the 1400 foot level there was a lookout and the driver was able to show both the British and American Virgin Islands and identify them on a map he conveniently carried.  We followed the shoreline along the beach back to the ship, viewing a much more affluent area than had been evident in the mountains.

    Overnight we moved to the American Virgin Islands arriving at the town of Charlotte Amilee on Wednesday. where we enjoyed visiting an obviously old settlement the downtown section of which consisted of huddled shops and very narrow streets.

    Wednesday evening we departed St. Thomas and were at sea two nights and a day before arriving at Stirrup Bay in the Bahamas Friday morning..  We chose to enjoy the luxury of the ship on Friday before departing for the home port of Miami in the Evening.

    Saturday morning was one last enjoyable breakfast before leaving the ship and arriving at my home in El Jobean Florida about noon.  It was a truly glorious adventure.

    When you call I’ll tell you about the Coast Guard meeting the ship and hovering overhead while picking up a person who developed a medical emergency and needed treatment on shore.

More at  a later date