Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Second of Five Days at Sea

Tonight is the second formal night of the cruise, although I have discovered that the dress code applies only to the Restaurant.  All other venues asnd dining areas are dress as you please, casual elegant.  As we continue our journey southward down the coast of Saudi Arabia, temperatures are rising and the sun sits high in a clear blue sky. Today's blog will take you through the Suez Canal, which the Encore enters during the darkest hours of the morning, around 5am on . . .

Saturday, 26 October 2019
The Suez Canal--from Port Said to Suez

When I awake at 7am, the Encore is already sailing southward through the canal, part of a convoy of equally-spaced ships.  There are tankers both ahead and behind us, all travelling at the exact same speed.  The entire canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea, is constructed without locks.  After the recent widening of the canal there is now two-way traffic, although it isn't until later in the day that northward-bound ships become visible.

While I have breakfast in the Colonnade, the weather is overcast and drizzling--the mist and rain give the canal a mysterious atmosphere.  But by 9:30 the rain has stopped and the sky has cleared, making way for sunshine in the afternoon.  Speaking of breakfast:  today is somewhat of a disaster.  The Eggs Benedict I order are very hot and tasty, but it takes over 30 minutes for them to be brought to the table.  This is not acceptable.  I let the head of the dining area know that if Seabourn is going to recruit more solo travelers (and there are many of us on this cruise), staff needs to stop treating us as if we are invisible, a state which I often have the feeling (in other ways as well).

Unlike sailing through the Panama Canal, which I enjoyed on my cruise from Valparaiso, Chile, to Ft Lauderdale, there is little to see beyond sand, more sand, and even more sand, with the occasional break in the sand for a small village or military installation.  The 
desert, of course, has its own special beauty, but eight hours of slow saling is quite enough.

After the captain's noon announcements, it is time for my first Trivia Session (you may recall that I was randomly invited to participate).  Actually, it's kind of fun and the team, "Dumb and Dumber," does better today with its two new members (including myself), rising from next-to-last to third from the top--not entirely because of my presence.  Then it's time for lunch, from the grill on the pool deck:  cheeseburger with fries and diet coke, all prepared to order and quite tasty.  I have a big mixed salad from the buffet to keep me busy while the burger is being grilled.

In the early afternoon I re-watch "The Two Towers" (Part 2 of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy) on the large TV in my suite, and then attend Dr Dan's presentation on the building of the canal, ending with the Suez crisis of 1956.  He also shares personal photos from his trips to Egypt, many of which look just like my own photos from 1993!

Tonight I enjoy my second dinner in Thomas Keller's Grill Restaurant, this time at a much better-placed solo table.  Along with the crudities and green goddess dressing, I enjoy two glasses of champagne.  The meal itself starts with cold, white asparagus in a cream sauce (one of my favorities), a double-thick NY strip steak with Bearnaise sauce on the side, and steak fries--all excellent.  A small serving of lemon sorbet provides a refreshing end to a hearty meal.  Although there is always enough food, portions, especially of appetizer and salad courses, tend to be small (sometimes even tiny).

The two glasses of champagne knock me out really well as I head for sleep and then a welcome day at sea tomorrow.