Everyone was late coming to the Breakfast Club this morning, because sleeping in a bit later was required. We all needed it at this point of almost steady port after port days. The weather sure wasn't the best however. We woke up to very cloudy skies, rough seas, deep swells and temperature in the 50's. It was not raining yet, but later on this afternoon, it did….a lot.
It was a good time to work on photos and reports, hoping the day would improve. Later in the morning, we did venture outside for a walk on the promenade deck, and realized why people were not outside today. The portside was dry, but the starboard was getting soaked with the sea spray from the high waves. If the winds increase, as Captain Frank had suggested, they may have to close these decks off to walkers. The signs warning of "slippery when wet" scares one of us.
This was also a good time to check out the shops for some purchases to use our shipboard credit that is non-refundable. It's "use it or lose it", and we have no intentions of giving it back to HAL. There was a time not long ago when we could use this shipboard credit to cover the charges for shipping extra pieces of luggage back home. That doesn't work anymore because this service is charged to our credit cards if we recall correctly. We could haul the extra two pieces we have home with us, but if it saves our backs not lugging it to and from the hotel and the airport, then it will be worth sending them with the six ones that are already covered and paid for. The only other thing we need to keep in mind is making sure each piece of luggage does not weigh over 50 pounds. Filling them to the brim was a luxury we never expected to lose. We have four days before we are back to Ft. Lauderdale to make an appointment with "Brian" who is here representing the luggage delivery company. He will be able to issue two more tags that we will attach to these suitcases. In a large envelope, we received the 6 tags for the rest of the bags that we stashed under the bed and the small window desk. We plan to begin packing a little every day and not wait until the last minute. Today there was even time to start "cleaning house" and throwing all useless papers away that have been saved for we don't know what.
The one job of the morning was to pick up the passports between 9 and 10am in the mid elevator lobby. There was no line at all, and only few passports remained to be picked up. This is the final time we have to do this as we have already been cleared for Portugal. The upcoming ports in the Azores belong to Portugal so we are good to go.
We had a phone message from Greg that they had been invited to dine with friends Ginni and Rich, so it will be a table for four this evening. Sometimes this is good, because at least three of us have trouble hearing, and this way, we can sit close together and not be spread at opposite ends of the table. The menu tonight happened to be the Culinary Council picks. Barb stuck to her guns and ordered appetizers for starters and her main meal. That worked out well, as the shrimp appetizer was her main dish. Nik added her favorite sweet and sour sauce to dip the shrimp. Oscar came along and cut the tails off, doing everything he could to make her smile. It worked…..
We ordered the tempura shrimp with the salad, then had prime rib. One was a small end cut, while the other looked like a side of beef it was so large. I could only eat half of it. Some one in the kitchen has a liking for cardamom and seasons the most unlikely items with it. That happened with the mixed veggies, and it was not to our liking. That same flavor has turned up in other appetizers as well as soups. The deep- fried mashed potato was good though. None of us ordered dessert when we placed our orders, but in anticipation, Nik brought several samples of everything. He knew Bill liked the puffy chocolate pudding-filled crunchy donut dessert and Barb liked the ricotta cheesecake. Both Woody and I had the red cactus ice cream, which was NOT melted. How about that? Now as to the flavor of this unusual ice cream, neither of us could make a guess. But Woody was most careful to avoid any thorns in it….ha-ha.
Tonight there was a most odd activity happening beginning at 9pm in the Lido Poolside, which had been turned into a bedroom. Yes, a bedroom….no kidding. Sort of like a slumber party, but for grown-ups. And the scariest part was the suggestion of wearing pajamas while enjoying popcorn, cookies, and adult hot drinks, or something stronger if you wish to pay for it. Three stages would be set up for story-telling. No, we are not making this up as we go. They were set for 20 minutes each and were titled once upon woodland, a letter, or a love story. This sounds more and more like a "Carnival" thing and not an HAL activity. We can't wait until tomorrow to hear all about it.
The better activity of the evening was turning the clocks back one hour. Don't you all agree?
Another day at sea, and we will be to the Azores, an archipelago 1000 miles west of Portugal.
Bill & Mary Ann
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