Today was a sea day that all of us looked forward to. Not that there was so much going on, but more to have the chance to do as little as possible. For us, that began with another good breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill with the nicest wait staff. Great food and lots of piping hot coffee and we are good to go.
There was only one perfect word to describe today's weather, and that's gloomy. Windy and cold can also apply. Where has the sun gone? It wasn't too long ago that we were complaining about the heat and humidity. Now we wouldn't mind some of that warmth back.
Captain Frank delivered his noon talk confirming what we already knew. It was an overcast day with temps in the 60's at most. We have 207 nautical miles to reach the next port of Valletta, Malta traveling at 20 knots. The seas have calmed down and the winds were far less than yesterday. We can expect some sunshine, but also overcast skies with temps in the low 70's. And better yet, there is no rain in sight.
We kept busy with a deck walk, then both of us worked as we usually do….on reports from yesterday. At lunchtime, we went to the Lido and found a large section had tables set for tonight. That's when we remembered it was the Seder Dinner. And it happened to be a formal evening as well. Some of our favorite tablemates always attended the service and told us all about it the following day. It was almost like being there.
As well as formal attire, it was also the Masquerade Parade where the guests were invited to make an appearance at the three lounges starting from 6:45pm to 9:15pm. And it was suggested to wear the masks we were gifted last night or wear one of your own. Truthfully, there is something about eye masks that is creepy to us. Maybe Halloween is a better time for them these days. And perhaps if you lived centuries ago like in Venice, where there were masked balls for the elites. Surely, we will hear all about the affair tomorrow at breakfast.
Anyway, dinner was the usual formal night fare such as escargots. We remember when formal always meant caviar, but those days are long gone. You can order it in the Pinnacle Grill we think, but at a hefty price. We always ordered one for an appetizer, then passed it along to our friend Barb, who adored it. We were always happy with the shrimp cocktails and we still are. We had one of those, and one bowl of chicken soup with dumplings. Nice and hot, it warmed me up. Our entrees were the same ….the tenderloin without the crab and without béarnaise sauce or gravy. All the meat needed was a little salt and it was perfect. Desserts were strawberry sorbet and one chocolate volcano cake which looked a lot like the soufflés we used to get. Come to think about it, we don't see these on the menus anymore either.
The entertainment for this evening was Andrea Amat, the flutist virtuoso de Valencia. She had a different show tonight and will be leaving soon.
Looking forward to seeing Valletta tomorrow. It has been a long time since we were here last.
Bill & Mary Ann
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