Day 8/At Sea

6/15 At Sea

Well I didn’t stay in bed til the steward kicked me out; but I didn’t get up til 10 am. Room service breakfast came right away. This morning was raspberry yogurt w/ raisin granola, coffee & my leftover prime rib from last night. Melita called about 10:30 & said they got up at 10 also. All of us had pharmaceutical help; & slept well for a change.

They say it’s nippy outside; but at least the sun is shining again. Since I was another 3 days behind in my journal keeping, I went up w/ the laptop to continue “working”. Everyone onboard knows me as the computer lady. But by now I know where every electrical outlet is in the 2 lounges that have excellent (actually, “good” in comparison to broadband at home) wifi signals. Spent several hours trying to upload a group photo from our Cruise Critic “party” to the C.C. message boards w/o success. About 1:30 I started looking for Melita & Bill; & found them already in the buffet line in the Lido Café. I fixed a big salad; & had ½ of a fontina cheese, sautéed vegetable & pear grilled panini (fabulous). I had a small taste of the curry chicken as well as ziti Bolognese.

Melita rushed off to a lecture entitled “Key to Memory, Unlock the Hidden Power of your mind”. Bill & I both accept the fact that we are beyond help (or hope), therefore we decided to pass on this one. I did some more writing on the computer; & met them again at 3 for a port lecture on the Arctic Circle ports. Afterward, we felt like contributing the contents of our collective brain to the afternoon session of team trivia. We found a Cruise Critic couple; & joined their team. Since you could only have 4 players per team, I chose to sit out since I expected the questions would be highly intellectual. Melita & Bill being voracious readers, have great knowledge on a vast range of subjects. So, I sat close by w/ my laptop out preparing to edit photographs. Several people come rushing to the stage accusing me of cheating for “my team” by looking up answers on the internet! I stood up & showed them my computer screen so they could see what I was doing. But some of those old farts still had scowls on their faces so I moved a little further away; & made it a point not to talk to “my team”. In retrospect, the questions weren’t that hard; but they did well enough w/o me. They didn’t win; but did themselves proud. I came “home”, showered & washed my hair for our special dinner at the Pinnacle Grill at 8 pm.

The Pinnacle Grill is a fancy alternative restaurant that charges $20 surcharge ($10 for lunch). The food & service is outstanding. Their specialty is sterling beef (only the best can be graded sterling). They serve on unusually shaped dinnerware; presentation is impeccable. The Chef sent out an appetizer sampler which had a tiny mushroom quiche, ceramic spoon that had salmon tartar on it & a single shrimp w/ a spicy corn salsa. All were as delicious as they were beautiful. Next I had a fabulous bowl of Thai chicken soup w/ coconut milk & lemon grass.

For my entrée I had 3 small lamb chops w/ apple spice chutney & mint sauce. It was pretty good; but not as good as Crystal’s. Side vegetables were a delicious (if not runny) cream spinach & asparagus spears w/ hollandaise sauce. Melita granted me special dispensation so I could have chocolate lava cake w/ crème fraiche. It was divine. They both had the trio of crème brulee, which they let me taste. One was chocolate, one coffee & one vanilla w/ the hardest crunchy top on it I’ve ever seen. It also was outstanding.

I retrieved my laptop & went back up the Explorer’s Lounge, where the string trio was playing. The room was packed. The scenery outside the windows was breathtaking. We were sailing so close to a long string of very mountainous islands w/ snow up on the peaks. This went on for hours w/ no signs of civilization in sight. The internet was lightning fast (well, fast for being on a moving ship); my journal entry & the attached photos loaded w/in no time. When I came down to my cabin at 11:30, the sun was still pretty high up in the sky. There should only be about 1 ½ hours of “twilight” tonight. We have a full day tomorrow; so I’m seeking pharmaceutical help again to make sure I’m bright eyed & bushy tailed.