We certainly had a laid back day at sea, which is nice sometimes. The weather was warm and sticky as heck, even at 10am when we went out for a stroll. We did have some wind, but mostly because the Captain is "flying" at 23 knots. Most of the deep swells are gone, which is good for everyone. And occasional showers kept the deck damp most of the day.
As for us, we spent a good part of the afternoon working on the computer. Our room is so comfortable, we don't mind relaxing there, and catching up on news and the home improvement shows.
And at 2pm, we even attended the shore excursion talk with port guide, Glenn-Michael. His lecture was on the next port of Recife and outlying areas. Yes, we have visited this city at least twice, but took tours to Olinda at the time. Glenn could not stress the importance of being careful enough when we get to this city. He may have even scared some folks from going off of the ship there. For good reason, we suspect, as we have heard so many stories of robberies in a lot of places around the world. With maps up on the big screen, he outlined the areas where he suggested we do not walk. The good news was that there will be a mandatory shuttle to the terminal, then another free bus that will take us to the old prison-turned-into-a-shopping-center. That will work for us. At least there are still complimentary shuttles in many ports on the grand voyages. Now we remembered that was the same reason of high crimes that we chose to bypass Recife, and spend our time in Olinda, the nicer, but touristy town. And we discovered that the Mainstage was full to the brim with people. Now we know where they go on sea day afternoons. Another popular spot has to be arts and crafts. The entire side of the Lido has been occupied with crafters.
Leta, our buddy, visited us at lunchtime. She had a good book she wanted to lend us, since she knows what we like to read. Usually at home and on the ship, we are on the move so much, we spend little time reading books. We used to like reading the short version of the newspapers onboard, but they are no longer printing them. Yes, we can get them on the computer, but how do you do crossword puzzles on that? By the way, we still get many flyers for booking future cruises or daily ads with the When & Where brochures we get every night.
On our way to dinner tonight, we noticed feathers of many colors littering the carpets in the hallways and elevators. Forgetting to read the theme nights, we soon discovered that tonight had a Samba theme. The waiters were dressed in brightly-colored velour shirts, which must have been unbearably hot. Lights of all colors were illuminating the ceiling, and every lady got a feather boa in blue, green, or yellow. And they were shedding rapidly. By the time we left the dining room, the waiters were vacuuming up the mess. The party continued up in the Crow's Nest, and we are certain Barb will report on what went on up there.
One of us got creative with their entrée. It was a mixed salad with a nice piece of salmon on top. The other dinner was egg-dipped pork piccata. And again, both very good. A shared dessert of berry crisp with ice cream was just enough. Barb, Susie, and I donated our boas to two young ladies at the back table. They were on their way to continue the fun on deck nine. When we left the room, we followed the trail of feathers to the elevators.
It was only 9:30pm, so we decided to check out the show. The performer was Mark Donoghue, who was a multi-instrumentalist. He was brilliant with the violin and also the harmonica. Unfortunately, many of his other instruments went astray at the airport, and he will catch up with them in Recife in two days. That was also his reason for wearing white sneakers and his casual clothes while performing. Did not matter, talent trumps clothes for sure.
Happy to have another sea day tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Report #69 Day at Sea January 14, 2020 Tuesday Mostly cloudy, showers & 75 degrees
