THE ARCTIC

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The Arctic

I enjoyed a drink before dinner with four Aussie ladies, Angela, Carol, Lynn and Laurie. I bought drinks for Angela and Carol since Angela was so helpful in getting my luggage off the Tilbury train. They are all friends from Sydney and when they got going I had no idea what they were saying. I really enjoy the Aussie sense of humor. Dinner was Parmesan crusted chicken, which would have been grand if not for the mustard sauce. I also enjoyed escargot, a special request from the evening before, and my cinnamon ice cream.
Just after dinner we diverted to a small town in northern Iceland to tender a passenger ashore for medical attention. The village was at the termination of a small fiord and the Crow’s Nest was packed. The time was 10:00 pm and it was daylight. Shortly after that we crossed the Arctic Circle and are now truly in the land of the midnight sun. Well, sort of. Today was grey and overcast, the temperature in 44 degrees, the winds a brisk 30 knots and the seas very rough at 12-18’. Still I slept like a baby and I’m looking forward to the first of two days at sea.

Sea Day One.

It was a typical sea day, Mariner’s luncheon, Team Trivia (third again), a nap and Formal Night dinner. Put a deposit down on the circumnavigation of Australia cruise for October 2012. This is a great option. I can change at any time. My final deposit is not due until July 2012. I can switch the deposit to another cruise if one catches my fancy and I get a $100.00 on board credit.
Missed the Texas Hold ‘em tournament but the live game was going when I arrived at ten. Sat down next to a gentleman who had just a tad too much to drink and bet like a drunken sailor. I was lucky to get really good starting hands that held up and after four hands I was up $140.00. Then the cards went cold and I played very conservatively. The wild man tapped out and I walked away up $160.00. Now it is 11:30 and the sun is setting. It is the first time I have seen the sun since the Faroe Islands.
We have a second sea day tomorrow as we head to Ny Alesund, the northernmost settlement in the world.
Sunrise is at 4:30 so I had better get to bed.
Travel Trivia. So far we have cruised the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Denmark Strait and now the Arctic Ocean. Pretty cool I think.

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