We got to sleep late this morning! Our TV was frozen so we couldn't find out the news or weather. We eventually went down to the International Cafe for coffee and pastries.
After a lazy morning we went to the dining room for lunch. I ordered a cheeseburger. It was not cooked enough. It was mixed with spices and I didn't like it, but I wasn't too hungry anyway. I am writing this mostly so I will remember not to order a burger on my next cruise. Sorry to bore you.
In the afternoon Ken went to a lecture on the history of cruising prior to the time of the Titanic and went for a walk on the Sports Deck. I went to play bridge. I played with a nice woman from Florida who isn't used to playing duplicate. We were doing fine until we encountered a really nasty couple who made a big fuss over nothing and couldn't let it go. Thus really rattled my partner. I'm not sure if she will come back.
Afterwards, I went back to the room. The TV was still frozen, so we tried calling the purser's office. They wouldn't answer the phone, so I went down and stood in the dysfunctional line. The bottom line is they have some kind of a problem with the tv system and don't know if they will be able to fix it before the end of the cruise. Travel tip: do not go anywhere on a cruise ship that us less than 6 months old.
Before dinner we decided to go to the new production show called "What the World Needs Now." It was so loud I couldn't stand it, so we left after the first song. We deceived to go see the Sea Walk, a new feature on this ship. It is a curved extension with clear panels so you can walk out over the sea and look down into people's balconies and cabins. Although I don't like heights, the Sea Walk wasn't scary and I liked it. We didn't see anything "interesting" going on on any of the balconies, but one balcony was being used to dry a lot of laundry - bras, panties, shirts, and more.
Then we went to Crooners to have martinis. This is always fun because they have a lengthy menu of martinis, including a half page of different chocolate martinis. The waiter brings your martini in a little shaker and shakes it up for you at your seat.
Tonight was formal night and it was nice to see everyone dressed up and looking so spiffy. Except the guy in the suit jacket with the t-shirt that looked like a tuxedo shirt and bow tie.
We met Helen and Bob for dinner and had a really pleasant time. Then we went back to our cabin and just vegged out and tried to stay awake until midnight when we would be sailing through the Straits of Gibraltar. All day we had been seeing an increased amount of ship traffic as we approached the Straits.
We are on the port side so we are facing Africa, but we have been much closer to Europe as we sailed out of Barcelona toward the Straits. Suddenly, a line of lights appeared where a point of land reached out from Africa. Morocco! The Straits of Gibraltar are only 8 miles wide here, so it's easy to see both shorelines, especially at night. With the one-day-away-from-full moon shining down over the stern, it was an awesome sight.
Maybe this is the closest we will ever get to Africa. Geologically speaking, we were in Africa when we visited the Rift Valley in Israel. But politically and geographically that was NOT Africa. In Eilat we drove right up to the Egyptian border, but we didn't cross over, and if we had, I'm not sure if that piece of the Sinai would have counted as Africa either. So this time, the third time, was not the charm.
Unfortunately, the photos, taken at midnight, of distant lights did not turn out.
Personally, I think it's totally reasonable to write down about the burger as a reminder. And it was NOT boring!! (But, then again, you and I are the same age, so we both understand how to help the aging brain remember.)
ReplyDeleteAlso loved your description of Gibraltar.
You'd think that people playing bridge on a non-bridge cruise would be more relaxed, but I guess you'd be wrong about some of them. Geesh!!!