Wanderung 14

The Plane to Spain replaced by the Bounding Main!

April-May 2007

Day3: Wednesday April 18 2007, At Sea

Position at 11:00 a.m.: 25 degrees 46.555' N latitude, 065 degrees 29.147' W longitude. Course 090 degrees true, speed 27.1 mph

Bob:

That little interruption from my "crash and burn" dream did put me a little short on sleep for the night, so I started off the day a bit tired. After breakfast we did the Walk-a-mile at 9:00 (we actually walked two miles to try to keep in shape for walking in Spain) followed by the "Fun Fitness" exercises at 9:30. Then Monika split off to attend a gourmet cooking session while I read a book in a shady nook on deck.

Monika:

Today our quest for the Ship Shape Dollars started at 9 with the 1-mile walk. So we had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast. Bob was delighted to find that the short-order cook would make an omelet with egg-beaters. Life is good! After walking we went to learn a line dance. Then it was time for me to join a gourmet cooking demonstration with the Sous Chef in the beautiful atrium of the ship while Bob went up on deck (in the shade!) to read his book. I did enjoy learning about how to make the perfect steak - season it, sear it and then put it in the oven for 10 minutes -. He also made a seafood pasta dish which we could try afterwards. While he was working a second guy was quickly carving all kinds of animals out of all kinds of fruit. Rather fun to watch.

Bob:

We had an early lunch because we wanted to attend the Salsa Dance Class (with "Elvis", no less!) at noon followed by a ballroom dance class on the cha-cha-cha at 1:00 and a lecture on Lisbon, Portugal at 2:00. But during the Cha-cha lesson we were both so tired that the combination of the ship's motion with the quick swings and movements of the cha-cha made us dizzy at times. And when the lady doing the travel lecture started droning on and on about Portuguese history and politics, we both had our eyes closed and were perilously close to falling asleep. Heeding the signs of imminent collapse, we headed back to our stateroom where I took a much needed nap and Monika rested by reading a book. Thus we missed the afternoon session of Walk-a-Mile, but we were re-energized enough by 5:00 that we tried the Sunset Stretch class and learned some very nice stretching routines. We simply couldn't attend all the exercise classes offered on the Brilliance, and clearly one could keep reasonably active physically if one so desired.

After a quick shower we had another nice dinner with Rick, Brigitte, and Dave. Dave showed us brochures of the motorcycle tours in the Alps that he was leading. Since I am a motorcyclist from way back when, the trips he was leading looked really interesting to me. There is really no better way to completely see a landscape than to either walk through it or drive through it on a bicycle or motorcycle. The 360-degree panoramic view you get with any of these methods of locomotion gives you a true appreciation for the beauty of an area. After dinner we returned to our stateroom where I brought the journal up to date while Monika worked on a Su Do Ku for a while before we read a bit and went to bed.

Monika:

Dance lesson after lunch was first half an hour of Salsa and then a full hour Cha Cha. Again we were surprised to note how much we had forgotten in the last few years and how quickly it came back. The afternoon lecture was on Portugal. Interesting but very soothing so that Bob immediately went for a nap, while I got myself a cup of coffee and started writing. We got up in time for a sunset stretching program which probably should have been offered on Tuesday before the aerobics. After that it was shower and change for another delightful dinner. We decided to skip the evening entertainment for quiet time in our cabin.

Copyright 2007 by R. W. Holt and E. M. Holt
Prolog Map of Cruise Map of Spain Epilog

April 2007
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