We forgot to mention that last night's dinner had a King Neptune theme, with decorations of fish mobiles and balloons......many helium balloons of cute, but big fish, turtles, seahorses, and starfish. Bunches of five balloons were set on each table held by a cute seashell balloon weight. As the diners finished their meals, they walked out of the room with these weights and balloons. We have never seen the guests do this so much as they have on this trip. Well, when we got up this morning and went out our door, guess what lined the hallways for as far as we could see? Yes....balloons....fish, turtles, seahorses, and starfish were hung on the railings or taped to the door jambs. Good grief. Someone said they like them so they can find their room easier. Personally, we think they are a hazard, because when you walk down the hall, they float in your face, causing whiplash. And you can bet that the room stewards and room service waiters don't like them. We have a better suggestion. Let out the helium, flatten them out, and tape them to your door. Our travel agency put very small papermache fish on all of our doors, but they are small, and still work for us to find our room. We added bubbles (using paper circles) so we know it is our room for sure. And we do have a room number marked on the wall, and we can still read it.
The first activity of the day was a fire drill on deck three. Today they simulated a fire and an injury that required a stretcher and firehoses drawn out. It took place in the forward end of the promenade deck, and was closed off to the early morning walkers. It is a good exercise for them to practice like this, because if there was an injury like this, they will be prepared.
Barbara H. gave a talk on things to do and see in Praia and Mindelo, Cape Verde.....both new ports for most of us. We always make sure to watch her lecture on TV, but find it inconvenient when they cycle her with the two speaker series. It runs every three hours, so we do hope to connect with it before we are there on Monday. There are three tours offered through the shore excursion department, put together at the last minute we assume. A note on two of the tours warns people of the limited tourist infrastructure in Cape Verde. They also added that there may be a problem with the guides who have limited English skills. They also say not to expect air-conditioning in the coaches. Not exactly the best advertising to sell these tours.
Guest chef Paulette had a film on the food markets of the world. We did catch this on TV while working in our room, and found it to be very interesting.. We have visited many of the places she featured in the film.
Constellations was the subject again by Mr. Benedict. He will host two more star-gazing attempts on deck ten this evening. Lucky for him and the interested guests, the rain stopped this afternoon, and it looked good for the stars to come out later.
Mr. Palmisano continued his talks on exploration, physical phenomena, and persisting myths across the North Atlantic. That is where we are sailing now, after crossing the Equator.
Dancing with the Stars at Sea has begun again. Today the fox trot will be taught by the dance instructors and the Amsterdam dancers.
If you had a hankering for cupcakes, they served some fancy ones at the High Tea this afternoon in the dining room. We swear we could smell them baking when we were at the back pool. Actually, we made it to the pool today, well before the rain began. First it was hot, then the breeze picked up, and the horizon went dark. Thinking the rain was coming very soon, and it may be heavy, according to the Captain, we left around 3pm.
Spending some time in our room finally finishing up backed up reports, we decided to get some exercise and fresh air around 5:30pm. There is a small group of passengers that have created their own "sundowner" party every evening around that time on the promenade deck. Despite the deck steward picking up the lounge pads all around them, they sit tight with their wine, and do not leave. He has finally figured out that he can pass them up, and leave the pads out all night. Don't know if they will be able to do this next year, because they will only be allowed to bring on one bottle of wine each. If they enforce this new rule, no one will be able to buy local wines to enjoy in their rooms, as it will be confiscated until their trip is over.
At dinner, we had to inform everyone that we will not be present tomorrow evening, since we have been invited to the final Captain's Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill Unfortunately, it is Keith's 80th birthday, and we are sorry to be missing it. We were going to try to make it for dessert time, since our dinner starts at 6pm. However, Margaret suggested that she will invite two ladies she knows to dine in our places. So now there will be no room for us. They will have a fine time, and we doubt we will be missed all that much.
The preferred entree for six of us was the savory grilled lamb chops. Cooked perfectly, they were tasty and went well with the scalloped potatoes. Two of our tablemates always pre-order from the salt-free menu. Usually the entrees look identical to the regular ones, but tonight, Maureen ordered the steak and mushroom pie, and got something that looked much different that the slice of pie we saw in the Lido. Too bad for her, it was so different, she could not eat it. The pie was full of peas, which she likes, but these peas were so undercooked, they bounced on the table when she showed us how hard they were. Firman, our waiter, offered to replace her meal, but she declined. We were most happy with the dessert of watermelon pie, which has only been served once so far this cruise. Requesting a slice seedless, Firman laughed, because the "seeds" are really bits of chocolate. Really good.
The entertainer this evening was Andy Bunger with his second show since he boarded. Four at our table were going, and they said he was pretty talented playing a marimbaphone and panpipes, whatever those may be. He appeals to most everyone since he plays classic and rock.
One more day at sea, and we will be in Cape Verde.
