A Quiet Day at Sea

A Quiet Day at Sea

With no ports of call and no excursions, today was a leisurely day aboard ship.  We didn’t meet for breakfast until nearly 9, and we ate so slowly that I had to hurry to make the 10 am briefing on our upcoming stops in Warnemünde and Kiel.  I find the ship’s guide amusing, but he gets some of history wrong (e.g., the Wall came down in 1989, not 1991).  Afterwards, I tried to get some exercise by doing laps around the Lower Promenade, all while enjoying the sunniest day we’ve had so far.

We had received a generous gift of lunch in the Pinnacle Grill, so Matt, Shayna, and I headed over there for lunch (dad didn’t want to skip his beloved daily chopped salad).  Besides, he said, we’re eating there for dinner tonight, too.  I was curious how the lunch service would differ, and it’s a distinctly lighter meal.  Some of the choices are the same, but they had sandwiches at lunch, and each of us chose a different one.

Afterwards, I met dad in the Lincoln Center Stage for their 1:00 pm concert, and then we both went back to the cabin to nap.  I slept an hour; he slept longer.  I went up to the dining room for the “classic afternoon tea,” more to get the caffeine than the finger foods.  I sat at a group table and we had such a nice chat that we closed down the room.

I found a nice quiet place up in “10-Forward” to read my novel, until dad woke up and joined me.  I then went and got my computer and caught up on some work, scheduling speakers for the fall speakers series, and then went back to Lincoln Center Stage to save seats for dad and I to listen to the evening concert.  It was also a good place to read.

Tonight was the gala night, so we all got dressed up again for dinner.  Dad decided to order the steak, since he hadn’t had any on this cruise.  Matt and I each got the surf and turf, while Shayna had some lovely ravioli.  The desserts were excellent, though we were stuffed and none of us were able to finish them.

They announced earlier today that at 9:30 pm, they would be having a “chocolate surprise” in the public areas of Deck 2.  I told Shayna that if we went, they would pour hot chocolate on us, as that would certainly be a surprise, and it would be chocolate.  We were curious what would happen, and at 9:30, a parade of waiters bearing trays of small chocolate confections paraded out.  All the guests, most in dress clothing, pressed after them, eager to get the chocolate.  As I told one woman, “it’s like they’ve been starving us all week.”  She laughed.

Dad got the chocolate-covered marshmallow, but was disappointed as he thought it was ice cream (far messier).  I had the tiny cone filled with chocolate ganache.  That was about all I could eat.

Tomorrow will be an early day, as Matt and Shayna and I will be travelling 3 hours by train from Warnemünde to Berlin for a quick visit.  Here’s hoping everything goes smoothly.

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