Today was our last day at sea for nearly a week and tomorrow we begin our visits to various ports. We thought we would record our activities of the day and we hope this doesn’t put anyone to sleep. Just how do we while away an entire day?
Believe it or not, we set a wake up call for this morning so we could go to the fitness center and work out. Each morning I check the weather out the balcony and we had the greyest day yet today. We may have seen the last of the sun.
We also check the schedule first thing each day to see what activities we want to hit.
We have actually gone and worked out several times! Mike signed up for the spinning class—good for him! I did not. I have discovered that I do not like someone telling me what to do while exercising. So Mike got a great work out on the spinning cycles while I hit the treadmill, followed by free weights, followed by the stationary cycle. I think he worked harder, but at least nobody was yelling at me!
Mike on Bike
(Actually, the instructor is very nice and does not yell, although I admit I am not used to following directions rather than just working out at my own pace. – M)
The fitness center is located high on the bow of the ship, so the view is great. The treadmills are all lined up facing out the bow.
(Unfortunately Tami did not have me take her picture on the treadmill, I wonder why that is? – M)
After our workout we headed to the breakfast buffet. Well naturally, how else to counteract any calories lost? After grabbing a quick breakfast, we actually had to hustle back to the room to shower and make it to the 10:00 lecture on one of our upcoming ports of call.
The presenter is a very entertaining Brit who has a nice irreverent take on everything, so we are enjoying his presentations. The 10:00 lecture was on Le Havre. These lectures are extremely popular so we get there early and take a book to make sure we get a good seat, as do many others.
On our way to the lecture we had to stop by the library to pick up the daily Sudoku puzzles, which are very popular.
Following the lecture, we went to one of our favorite lounges to hang out and read for a while until lunch. Many of the lounges in the main parts of the ship get quite full, but this lounge is tucked away high at the stern, so it’s rarely occupied. The charades activity started while we were there, but there was room for all of us.
We had another lecture at 12:45, so we trundled ourselves back down to the theater where we heard all about Dover and environs. Mike left after that one, but I stayed for the lecture on early astronomical navigation in Ireland and Britain. It turned out to be a bit of a snoozer, but at least I got my afternoon nap in!
By 2:30 it was time to return to the room for some reading and completion of our puzzles. We had to rest up for dinner, after all! Now that we have had dinner, we are settling in for a few episodes of NCIS, which we brought on the computer, and looking forward to our day in Cobh, Ireland, tomorrow. We realized tonight that we are very ready to disembark tomorrow and start the second stage of the trip, visiting many places in Europe.
It is so funny to read about you going to all of these lectures! I am surprised, with all the pictures of Dad, you don’t have any of him reading a map.
“we had the greyest day yet today.”
Hey, just like home!
“We have actually gone and worked out several times!”
I admire your dedication. I’ve put on only a few pounds since returning here, but feel very unfit. It’s hard to (1) find the time to exercise, and (2) find the energy to exercise. Sometimes I am so tired in the afternoon that all I do is face-plant in bed and try to grab some rest while Dad is napping.
“These lectures are extremely popular so we get there early and take a book to make sure we get a good seat, as do many others.”
The photo of the lecture hall reminds me of Kane Hall at UW.
“the daily Sudoku puzzles,”
Have to admit that I haven’t figured out how to do those yet. For me they are right up there with cryptic crosswords: I look at them and do a Homer-worthy “D’oh!”
“Mike left after that one, but I stayed for the lecture on early astronomical navigation in Ireland and Britain. It turned out to be a bit of a snoozer, but at least I got my afternoon nap in!”
Did you have any Necco wafers to eat during the lectures? Must re-live our best moments in physics class!
We have been keeping up with your gastronautical adventures as best as we could considering our remote destinations of the last week. Although we had a wonderful week in Durango, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep and the Chaco Pueblos, we would still have preferred to be on board with the two of you sampling the good life. I say this while sitting here scratching one or more of the 200+ bug bites on my left leg alone.
You guy’s know how to do it right, we have officially put this cruise on our “bucket list”. I am concerned however, that between eating, exercising, going to lectures, movies and stargazing, that there is little time for reading the 18 books each that you were going to finish. Nevertheless, it looks and sounds like you’re having a wonderful time and we are very happy for that.
We talked to Mom today and everything is pretty much sa-mo, sa-mo. All is fairly quiet on the Alzheimer front so stay focused on your trip. Remember, don’t eat too much or you might have to charter a barge to get to shore. They’re expensive.
We look forward to additional informative and entertaining reports.
Steady as she goes.
Brent and Pam