Here we are with day two at sea, and 395 nautical miles to go to reach Recife our next stop in Brazil. Captain Rens said in order to arrive on time, he will need to do an average speed of 20 knots. That is fairly fast and might contribute to the rocking and rolling of the ship even more than usual. It sure did not appear to be that rough this morning when one of us went for that morning walk on the promenade deck around 10:30am. But the winds had picked up and the rain showers were keeping the teak decks wet. They must have considered it was not safe to walk out there, because some of the doors were roped off. It wasn't long before a security officer requested the walkers to go inside. Those folks who have lanai cabins could stay outside as long as they were sitting on their teak lounges.
I have to confess that I have personally done no more than 6 laps on the walking deck since we boarded in Ft. Lauderdale. I have needed to give my back and neck a chance to ease up with the arthritis that seems to have set in the last few years. And it has gotten a bit better in the last couple of weeks. I will continue to walk as much as I can and that will include promenade walks as long as the weather cooperates.
So it was a good morning to work on photos from two days ago in Belem. Lectures have been ongoing in the World Stage with Life of the Open Ocean by Dr. Douglas, and Brazil as an Empire by Ida Kolte. We did catch the port talk on Recife even though we have been to this city and neighboring Olinda several times over the years. Our last visit here was in 2020 on the Amsterdam where we took a shuttle to a prison-turned-shops. Guess we will do that again.
Lunch for us was room service and mini sliders with a few potato chips. We kept the meal light because we had an invitation to another cocktail reception for the President's Club members, Pinnacle suite guests, and Neptune folks. This time it was held in the Atrium deck three from 6:30 to 7:30pm outside the offices of the managers. The hallways had been roped off and tables and chairs were scattered around the center obelisk. A few high-top tables were here and there. That's where we joined friends and stayed for the hour session. The officers present were the Captain and most of his officers. Other crew members joined us and chatted with each and every group. Nice canapies were served as well as drinks of our choice. We had a nice time visiting with friends.
Arriving a little late for dinner, our table was ready and waiting for us. Our waiters seemed to know we were at a special party. Starters were one shrimp cocktail, a Caesar salad and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. One of us was fighting off the effects of the motion of the ocean once again. And I was not alone as many others were also a bit queasy tonight. Our entrees were the same, veal and sage meatballs on top of a creamy polenta. Not huge servings, they were just right and good as well. Dessert was a slice of chocolate/coffee pie and a sliced banana with chocolate sauce as a dip.
The entertainers in the World Stage were the Gold String Duo with violin hits again. The Mix had piano bar player Grace and the Ocean Bar had the Dam Band. Both venues were loud enough we could hear them in the elevator lobby on deck 6. Good thing the rooms are very insulated. Once the door is closed, there is silence.
Bill & Mary Ann
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