20250917 Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Departing Qingdao

20250917 Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Departing Qingdao

There was an incredible squall that hit the port last night.  It caused the ship to rock like it as at sea, despite being tied up to the pier.  Lightning was flashing overhead and the winds were gusting to 40mph, blowing things down and around the pier.  

This morning, things looked a bit calmer, but the weather had clearly changed.  There was dense cloud cover with a forecast of rain.  The temperature outside had dropped below 70º F for the first time this whole trip.

  
We had another round of Mamsen’s Norwegian waffles for a quick breakfast this morning and discovered our waitress up there calls Qingdao home.  She was able to visit her family yesterday and was quite happy to have been able to overnight in her home town.  She shared a postcard poem with us in the local Qingdao dialect.  

This northern dialect is distinct from Mandarin.  While in Mandarin the phrase “drink beer” sounds like “Huh pee-jyoe” in Qingdao-ese it sounds more like “Ha-pee-joe”.  She was excited to see her grand parents and play with their new puppy.  We have not seen a lot of dogs during this trip.  There are no stray dogs on the streets, and the few pets we have seen have been on leash with very attendant owners caring for them.

Cruise Terminal from the Explorer’s Lounge

Our waitress from Qingdao did a May Wind Sculpture for my cappuccino!

The ship did run a complementary shuttle back into old town this morning so we went back into town together.  The sun came out while we walked through the old town and visited the Liyuan Museum.  We walked through several courtyards and alleyways full of history and charm.  Most of the shops and restaurants were just opening, and all of the food carts were boarded up along the streets.  

In the old town square, preparations were being made for an upcoming festival and a couple of stages were being assembled in some larger open areas.  Turnstiles were also being positioned to control access for the future event.  

We caught the next shuttle back to the ship and were back on board by 11am.  All aboard was at 12:30pm.