Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Second of Five Days at Sea

This will be my second posting today, as I move closer to the present.  The blog is now only three days behind the ship.

Sunday, 27 October 2019

Day at Sea:  Sailing to Aqaba

Today is a relaxing sea day after all the strenuous activity of yesterday’s sailing through the Suez Canal—only kidding, of course.  Even breakfast starts later today, at 7:30am rather than 6:45.  The weather continues to grow warmer, even becoming somewhat uncomfortable to spend much time outdoors.  It is supposed to be a little cooler in Petra tomorrow, but we shall see.

I have breakfast in the Colonnade, with all the usuals.  But why does the ship’s staff insist on serving liquids at room temperature, including water and juices.  It gets a little annoying to have to make a special request for ice at every meal.  But to compensate, my fried eggs are cooked perfectly, although I can’t say as much about the flaccid and cold bacon. 

After breakfast I take advantage of the light breeze on my veranda, where I relax until it’s time for the next activity, watching passengers vs officers playing bag toss on the pool deck.  This offers some pleasant things to watch.  Then it is on to Trivia, less interesting each day, and then to lunch.

Cruise Director Ross, (back to camera, blue jacket) Sets Up the Game

The Encore’s Captain Takes His Turn

The First Mate Shows His Forward Throw Skills . . . 

. . . and His Backhand Through the Legs Shot

Finally, Cruise Director Ross Tries His Skill

I plan to spend the afternoon blogging when I discover that my site has been invaded by malware—first time in the 10 years I have been blogging that this has happened.  At least Google is good at warning me not to continue using the site and I send out an email to my readers warning them not to sign on until further instructions from me.

Tonight I have dinner in The Restaurant, the ship’s formal dining area, although jackets are required only on official Formal Nights.  The meal begins with the tiniest shrimp cocktail I have ever seen, three very tiny shrimp on a flat plate.

This is followed by warm potato ravioli—just one!  The main course is a decent Wiener Schnitzel, with cabbage and warm potato salad.  Dessert is coconut gelato—and it’s pretty hard to ruin that.  I skip the champagne tonight.  Whenever I am seated at a table for two I always feel I am being rushed so that the table can be cleared for the next guest—there just aren’t enough small tables.  I even see the Maitre’D give a secret hand signal to the servers to get my table cleared quickly.

Atrium Entrance to the Restaurant 

Restaurant Chandelier 

The Restaurant Ready for Dinner

But nothing can kill my excitement about visiting Petra tomorrow, so I shall settle in for an early night.