Saturday

Sea day Dec 24

Cruising the Chilean Fjords
December 24, 2010

Well, it was certainly an exciting ride last night.  You had to pretty much lie flat, spread eagled in bed so as not to flop around.  I slept great; until I heard a thud about 6:45.  A glass & bottle of water fell off the dresser.  Had to chase the bottle as it rolled under the bed.  The Captain’s plan of action was to duck back into a protected channel by 7 am; but we were obviously still sailing in the Pacific.  We were to have scenic cruising in the fjords all day.


I turned on the TV to the bridge camera so I could hear the narrator when he started his commentary at 7; but I never heard him.  The seas calmed; & the scenery passed; but nobody spoke.  The scenery was similar to what we saw sailing into port yesterday.  And you could see numerous waterfalls from the melting snows on top.  The Capt. is altering our itinerary a little bit.  Instead of visiting Amalia Glacier, he wants to take us to his favorite spot…..Asia Glacier (or as he calls it the Brujo, pronounced BREW-HOE).  He feels that Amalia Glacier isn’t quite so spectacular since it has receded so greatly.  So, in order to see Brujo Glacier, one must be up at 6 am in the morning!  He promises that WE will have a white Christmas.


 I lounged & read until it was time for lunch at the Pinnacle Grill.  My reservation was 12:30; & I enjoyed a fabulous meal, great service & gorgeous scenery of the fjords.  I narrowed the choice of appetizers down to 2; & still couldn’t decide.  So, they said I could have both.


 The first was bruschetta, topped with grilled jumbo prawns & a corn relish.  The 2nd was seared scallops resting on a pillow of soufflé.  The plate was drizzled with a garlic infused oil with minced red pepper & garlic.  It was very garlicky & definitely memorable.


 For my main course I chose the fillet (rare) with grilled asparagus & scalloped potatoes.  The beef was so tender, you really didn’t need a fork.  I passed on the special brown dessert special; & had pineapple sherbet & cappuccino instead.  Although I preferred to dine there for lunch, I would have liked to try their lobster macaroni & cheese which is only served for dinner.  Maybe another time.


 I checked out all the activities going on around deck 7 & 8.  There were a few lectures going on; some watching football on TV; some shopping; a lot just sitting & staring out the windows.  It was chilly, grey & raining off & on all day.  I wonder what the fjords would look like under a sunny blue sky.  I’ve never seen sunny fjords in Norway or in Montenegro.  Maybe it’s just not possible for the sun to shine in fjords?


I went to the room & packed up my office stuff; & parked on the port side of the Lido restaurant where I spent the entire afternoon & evening either editing photos, composing the blog or on the internet.  Every so often I’d run out to the back deck & take some photos.  I’d offer to take photos of others if they’d take photos of me with the beautiful scenery as a backdrop.


As the afternoon wore on, people would stop & chat.  Ken & Shirley sat with me while they ate their ice cream.  Lou sat for a while after her massage; & Jean stopped to chat after her workout in the gym.


Before long it was dinner time.  I waited until 7:30 to eat.  I had set up my office on the port side of the Lido, which is the side the crew uses at dinnertime.  Since I was already working there; I carried my food over to their side.  They didn’t look real happy; but how can you be upset with an old lady with reindeer antlers on?

There was one item on the buffet that made me think of Daddy, Norwegian crackling pork belly.  I don’t know how the Norwegian version differs; but Daddy would have loved that.  I passed.


For my appetizer I did have a Scandinavian salmon sampler.  All were smoked salmon, either shaved or cubed but with different condiments.  It was quite good.  For my entrée I had nice, tender rare prime rib with a baked potato, & steamed veggies.  I also tried a small taste of the chick pea salad with artichokes & wilted arugula & a delicious chicken salad with walnuts & dried cherries.  No dessert tonight.


By 8:30 pm we were back out into the Pacific; & the seas got a little rocky.  The Capt. had announced that we would sail the inland channels on our way to the Glacier so that it would be a smoother ride.  But I overheard one of the crewmembers! say that we would have to go at such a slow speed in the channel, that it would put us behind schedule.  So, the Capt. reversed his decision & is going the faster, more rocky route.  I also overheard another crewmember say that one of the Christmas trees fell over in one of the lounges.  See, you learn things sitting over at the crew tables.


I really would like to stay up & out for the crew’s Christmas choral performance at 11 pm.  And there’s a midnight mass that follows.  I also want to be up at 6 am for the Glacier visit in the morning.  And the morning after that I have a very early date with the penguins.  Something tells me I should pack it up & make it an early night.

No comments: