December 14, 2024
SANTO DOMINGO one final time with the Little / Olson Family
Spent a nice afternoon with the Little Olson Family - from the left is Alonia 15 , Whitney, Lucia 13 and Doug. They are from Montana, and are on the ship thru to May. They asked me to join them on a final stroll through the walled colonial city. I enjoy the whole family very much and wanted to see more in town since I was rushed on Sunday morning.
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When Alionia was feeding the pigeons, a very nice elderly guide started speaking to us and he wanted to share so much information about his home with us. He led us all over and took us in and out of so many places, museums, hotels, restaurants and shops - non- stop for a good hour - all free. It was great! He shared so much passion and local knowledge and showed us way more than we anticipated. We shared refreshing beverages at a lovely restaurant in a converted old factory, complete with a waterfall. And saw Larimar stone being made into jewelry. We ended at a large local market. Really felt like we got to know Santo Domingo!
On April 30th, Angie and Gian , a shipboard sweet couple that meet during the dry dock delays in Belfast , seven months ago, got married with just 28 close family and friends, at sunset in the Observatory Lounge. They then did another " Tying the knot ceremony" for the entire ship on May 1st on the pool deck, officiated by Captain Val . After each service was a special dinner one in the Thistle Dining room and the other at the Outdoor deck of Palms Restaurant. The above video done by VVR Marketing shows the highlights. I ended up being the Wedding Resident Coordinator for the couple and I have a ton of the behind the scene photos of how it all came about. It was a lot of work, but I got to interact with so many great people and really enjoyed the challenge, logistics and organization of the whole thing! It brought so many residents together, in a common bond, it was really something special to have played such a major role.
COSTA RICA - PUNTA ARENAS
COLON, PANAMA