We visited Recife (three syllables, rhyming with “recipe”) and took a tour of the city and an upscale suburb, Olinda. The metropolitan area has about 4 million people and is the 4th largest in Brazil.
Our tour included a monastery built in the 1500s, some parks and beaches, a museum and other highlights of the city. A few photos are below.
We are busy every day. We have a priest on board and can attend Mass every day. Multiple daily lectures teach us the history and culture of the ports we will visit and sights to see while on shore. Almost daily while at sea we have an intriguing cooking demonstration of cuisine associated with the countries we will soon visit. We have a mainstage show each evening, with a singer, an instrumental or vocal musician, a comedian, the Holland America singers and dancers or some other entertainment. We also have a classical music instrumental group for easy listening and a piano bar singer to enjoy or sing along. The food has been excellent and we had our second formal dinner this evening (the 17th). Combining all that with exercise, puzzles, books and movies and an occasional bridge game keeps us quite busy – and loving it.
We have been busy with so many distractions in our lives that it is a comfort to log in and see what our special friends are doing each day of their adventure. Mary, you look as sweet as you always do. And Dave looks like he is really enjoying the whole experience. We are thrilled to follow your exploration.
I love the picture of Grandma under the 1000 year old tree. We are tracking your trip on our world map.