Our second day at sea found the skies overcast, but cooler than yesterday. Oddly enough we are located 3 degrees above the Equator, so you would expect it to be hotter and much more humid. What we should have remembered was that the intense rays of the sun can be powerful, even if that sun is not out. More about that later.
On last year’s world cruise, there was a series of the usual activities on sea days. Towards the end of the voyage, we found out that some of these activities would end, or change with the times. So we wanted to take the time to let you all know what is still here. Exercise classes begin the day at 7am with morning stretch, abs class, sit and be fit, Qi Gong internal health, and tai chi. The instructor Cathy is not here this year.
Some other classes have a $12 charge, like yoga, pilates, or indoor cycling.
Watercolor painting, knitting and needlework, drawing workshop, and arts and crafts are still in progress. They seem to be the most talked about activities onboard, besides team trivia. Carol is back for the watercolors and new instructors are doing the arts and crafts.
The new America’s Test Kitchen is in full swing with cooking demos for a larger group. Since there are so many 5 star members, it was necessary to change the format, we understand. Today’s subject was an Italian favorite with tagliatelle with prosciutto and peas. Tomorrow several of us have a date for ravioli-making, which normally should have been hands-on. We’ll report on that tomorrow.
We’ll continue on the other activities as the week goes on.
Back at the Seaview Pool, we found that the pool was closed for emergency repair. It had been completely drained, and the tile flooring had been re-grouted. Several deck workers were creating a dust cloud that blew over the entire area. Since the sun was not out, and the wind was blowing a gale, few people were back there. And this is where we sat for a few hours, mostly in the wind, and also in occasional showers. The drizzle was light enough to keep the breeze cool, so we did not feel the effects of the filtered sun toasting us. Despite using sunscreen, one of us was sizzling by early evening. And because the wind was so strong, a hat or visor was impossible to wear.
Tonight was Dutch dinner complete with the Dutch hats. Not many of us wore them. The dining room was illuminated with orange lights, and the wait staff was wearing orange long sleeve t-shirts with matching sailor hats. Dutch pea soup was offered and a couple of Indonesian/Dutch entrees were the popular items. We doubt there will be many if any, hanging decorations, since they are considered flammable. They did go to the trouble of covering the dining room chairs with white covers, even though tonight was not a gala evening.
A vocalist by the name of Helen Wilding was the entertainer in the Queen’s Lounge. From her photo in the daily newsletter, we guessed her age to be perhaps 30 or so. However, the description of her theater, opera, television, and film career had her in the business for 20 years. We’re missing something here……As we got out of the dining room at 9:15pm, it was way too early to wait for the show, so we missed it.
Bill & Mary Ann
