Split, Croatia was a bust. It was starting to get a little rough as we got into the later evening last night and by this morning the waves looked worrisome. It wasn’t that rough on board because of the direction of the wind and the way the Captain had placed the ship, but after only a few minutes of watching those poor tenders go to shore, I knew we weren’t going to get off here.
So, some entertainers and crew were disembarked, other crew picked up and those two tenders rocked and rolled their way back to the ship. I couldn’t figure out what was taking so long, but as I watched the water fly over the top of the tenders, then they were jostled from side to side, I got the picture. Thank goodness I wasn’t on board them. If I had been one of those entertainers, I would have had to call in sick, for sure.
Just some funny happenings from Venice that I remembered too late to add in the correct place. I just love the Italians and their attitude. The port agent came on and told the medical team that since it was Sunday on the first day we were there, they should keep the patients who needed consults on board. She said that the Italians work better if they are under pressure, so if we waited until Monday and were leaving Monday, we would get better service – and it worked!
Also, Venice was an important port for picking up supplies. There were truckloads of stuff. And not one thing was taken off the containers until Monday morning. It was all accounted for, but I was worried.
April 10, 2008
Valletta, Malta
We got to Malta about 12 hours earlier than intended. Carter had a patient who needed to get to the hospital quickly, so the Captain had extra time due to the skipping of Split, so he sped up and we landed here at 5pm. The ambulance people were so efficient, it was a little mind-boggling. Within 15 minutes of docking, I heard the ambulance siren going and the patient was off to the hospital. That would never happen in India! The other thing that was remarkably efficient was the rapidity with which the restaurants in Malta opened up and were serving food. This is still not their high season, so most of them were closed as we came into the harbor, but once there was word that the ship was docking early, lights started to come on and food was cooking. Carter and I stayed on board last night because we had been here before, so the rest of the crew took off.
Then today, after clinic, Carter and I walked to the top of the fortified hill, bought some bread and water and took a 3 hour hop on, hop off bus around the north part of the island. Most people go to the south part, but we wanted to see all the sights that our friends Freddie and Steve experienced during their week-long stay here several years ago. Carter took over 200 photos. The one smell and sight that I will always remember was a lady feeding about 6 homeless cats right there on the steps leading up to the main cathedral in town. She didn’t pet any of the cats, probably because they were feral, but she spoke to them very lovingly. The cats were happy.
I’m beginning to realize that we have only a little time until we return to real life. Back to cooking, making my own bed, washing the bathroom. And then to do taxes, fix my checkbook after 4 months. This is depressing to consider. I’ll just have to enjoy the last 2 weeks and remember how nice it has been.
Labels: Personal
posted by Hills @ 10:52 AM
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