Day 200: April 16, 2025 – Willemstadt, Curaçao, Caribbean

In spite of my Polish heritage, I never learned to dance the Polish polka properly. I decided it was time to remedy that, before someone took away my Polish credentials. So for my 70th birthday, I hosted a polka party at sea for some 70+ shipmates.

My very talented friends Mary C. and Paul T. created an absolutely stunning Polish dance costume for me, complete with twirling skirt, ribbons and a flower garland. (More on that in another post.)

The evening started with a 45-minute lesson from our two dancing instructors, Ivo and Elise, to teach us the basics of polka.

With the basics behind us, we transitioned to some iconic polka music, including:

• Beer Barrel Polka (a classic)
• Barbara Polka
• Happy Birthday Polka
• The Happy Wanderer Polka
• In Heaven There Is No Beer (That’s Why We Drink It Here)
• Polish Girlfriend Polka

My niece Chrissy is on board with me this week. She’s an accomplished dancer and choreographer, and she stole the show with her dance moves. It was a delight to share this night with her.

The night ended with me taking on a very long conga line of dancers, dancing one-by-one with each until I collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. (Turning 70 will do that to you!)

My birthday celebration had so many parts; too many to fit into one post. More to come on the events and the amazing people who made it happen!