Fortaleza

Our final stop in Brazil was the northern city of Fortaleza. Not much of interest for tourists, but
we did get to finish our shopping list of souvenirs. Visited a fairly new Cathedral here, and were
both amazed and repulsed by the grandeur of the building and splendor of the stained glass
windows. Built in the last century, it has the most spectacular stained glass, both quality and quantity, of any building we’ve ever seen. The surrounding city is so poor that beggars patrol the pews amongst parishioners, competing with the collection plate. We could only imagine what the long term effect would have been if a portion of that money had been invested in a school instead.

Just finished watching the inauguration in Washington DC. All of a sudden the crowds we
experienced in Salvador didn’t seem so big. Noisier and less organized, but not as big.

A few other pictures that captured Phil’s eye, but that didn’t really fit in any of the previous
narratives:

Helicopter taking our picture, near the domestic airport in Rio de Janeiro.

Crossing the approach path to the same airport.


The ship’s bridge is on deck 10, and extends the full width of the ship. Bridge and engine room
tours have not been available since 9/11, so we can only speculate what sort of toys they have
either place. However, there is also a wing extending out beyond the side of the ship as a pair of side extensions to the bridge. These are used for close maneuvering in port or through a canal. Looking down from the forward observation area on deck 12 we are able to watch the Captain, and thus decipher the controls. Phil now feels qualified to land this baby, should the need or opportunity arise.

Meanwhile, Margie hasn’t missed an opportunity to sun bathe, even in the middle of the night.