Day 40 of 111. Osaka, Japan We visited Osaka Castle today with its huge tower. We took an elevator to the fifth floor then walked up to the eighth floor observation balcony. On the way back down the tower, we saw exhibits about the shoguns and their history. The Castle was built for protection and…

When we stopped for lunch at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Kyoto, there were two girls dressed in kimonos in the lobby. We asked, and one of them posed for a photo. In one of the handicraft shops, I saw a Hoberman Switch Pitch ball that we use in chemistry class totally covered with Japanese…

Day 39 of 111. Osaka Japan Here we are at the Heian Jingu Shinto Shrine. The visit was great, but the garden must be amazing in the spring. The stand full of wishes and the offerings of saki barrels were interesting things to see. I really liked the trees covered with papers. All of the…

Day 39 of 111. Osaka, Japan We arrived in Osaka at 8:00 a.m. The sea was very calm (a welcome change) but the air was cold (35 F). In my down coat I was comfortable, but my ears were cold. I went shopping later for a knit cap. (2,000 yen) We visited the Golden Pavilion…

Day 38 of 111. Sea Day in the Northern Pacific. A fun event today was a backstage tour and a chance to meet the ten performers who travel the entire cruise with us. Four are singers (on the left) and six are dancers (on the right). They come from the US, Russia, Ukraine, and England….

Day 37 of 111. Sea Day Today we got a tour of the galley where they prepare almost two thousand meals a day. I was very impressed with the 80 gallon soup kettles. The soups onboard are very tasty. The head chef, Petr, greeted us during the tour. One detail I found very interesting is…

Day 36 of 111. Northern Pacific Besides the photo competition and the cancer walk, Ron and I attended a hands-on cooking class. Once again, it was fun and educational. After we finished our cooking of the four dishes, we went to the fancy dining room across the hall from the Culinary Arts Center show kitchen…

Day 36 of 111. Sea Day in the Northern Pacific It is rather a grey day and while the sea is not totally flat, the travel seems fairly smooth. Today, there is a cancer fund-raising walk called “On Deck for a Cause” which occurs on all Holland America Ships. Since this began, the line has…

Day 35 of 111. Saipan, Mariana Islands No stop in Saipan today. The seas are too choppy to make a safe stop at Saipan, so we are simply moving on to Osaka, Japan. The staff here on board regrouped smoothly and there are classes and lectures to attend. We were able to attend a cooking…

Day 34 of 111. Guam Guam is the first island of the Mariana Islands and is above the deepest part of the ocean. One third of the island is owned by the US military. Guam is a strategically very important location and has been occupied by the Spanish, the Japanese, and currently the USA. We…