Page 169 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2020 South Africa

combo coffee and cocktail bar and the shore ex-
cursions desk. The place buzzed too much for tran-
quil reading on gloomy, windy days but was a good
venue for lectures and programmed activities. The
two pool decks were the most vibrant areas, with
burger and pizza stands and bars featuring the
day's tropical cocktail. Happy hours were im-
mensely popular in the Crow's Nest and comfy
Ocean Bar. There was plenty of entertainment,
with staged shows, a small casino, a classical music
stage and a pair of dueling pianists in the Billboard
Onboard venue.
Meals consumed large chunks of time—we're
not used to three solids per day. Buy hey, if some-
one else is fixing the food we'll be there. Overall,
the Eurodam's culinary offerings were satisfying,
plentiful and occasionally exciting. We often dined
alone any time we wished (thanks to open seating)
and thoroughly enjoyed Tamarind, the Asian spe-
cialty restaurant. I learned a lot about Holland
America's loyalty Mariners program during group
meals in the busy dining room—all raved about
their fondness for the exceptional crew.
Latin Interludes
I've spent a lot of time in Central America over
the years and felt at home everywhere we landed.
Our itinerary started in Cartagena, a UNESCO
World Heritage site and the setting for some of
Gabriel García Márquez's most mesmerizing sto-
ries. The old walled city looked exactly as I'd ex-
pected, exuding the tropical vibe of Havana and
San Juan.
I immediately searched for La Gorda Gertrudis
(Fat Gertrude), a voluptuous bronze nude by
famed Colombian artist Fernando Botero, and
found her reclining in front of a church in the Plaza
Santo Domingo. We took a coffee break at a cafe
in the plaza, charmed by a local hoping to show us
his friend's emerald store, and then proceeded to
walk the streets in absolutely blistering heat
(Cartagena's temperatures are infamous).

Left: Fruit sellers called palenqueras await
customers in front of a colonial-era church.
Top: Botero's Fat Gertrude dominates a small
plaza in the walled city.
Bottom: Palenqueras on break

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