HEADING SOUTH

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Today is the start of two glorious sea days as we head south to Alesund, Norway. The Svalbard Islands have disappeared. Watching them as we sailed past was like looking at the Rockies, if the Rockies were on a shore; craggy, steep, snow covered peaks.
Went to the coffee talk. The cruise director interviewed the dining room manager, the cellar master and the executive chef. They were all charming and informative and gave interesting insights into provisioning, cooking and serving wines at sea.
Then it was Team Trivia time and WE WON!!!!!!! I have also received my Proclamation from King Aegir certifying that I have crossed the Arctic Circle and I am a member of the Ancient Order of the Blue Nose.
Enjoyed dinner as always. I am so lucky to get a great table. There was supposed to be live poker game but the timing was terrible and no one showed up. Then it was time for the Black & White Ball. I was very surprised to see that the vast majority of the guests were formally dressed and in black and white. The officers were out in force and soon the dance floor was crowded with couples and officers and their partners. I got my courage up and approached Firman, the hotel manager. He danced very well and was so funny. Then I ask Daniel for a dance. He is our travel guide and stands about my height and about half my age. He also was a good dancer and I think he thought I was a cougar. Now that was funny.
This will be our last night north of the Arctic Circle. Tomorrow we will actually have a sunset and a couple of hours of darkness. It has been strange to have daylight 24/7 but I like it. While most passengers seal every crack in their cabin drapes, I leave mine wide open. Whenever I wake up its daylight. The seas are moderate and I can feel a bit of motion. Rock a bye baby.


We are getting closer to the Arctic Circle now. It’s still chilly outside. I took a behind the scenes tour of the kitchen and provisioning area. This was a very popular tour and we were split into groups of twenty and staged every five minutes. Visited the crew lounge, big screen TV, computers, a bar/sundry shop (slop chest), tables and chairs, crew mess, everything you would expect. The Viking Lounge (officers mess) was surprisingly plain but of course they have private quarters to enjoy.
After the tour Donna and I plotted time together in Amsterdam. We are staying at different hotels and she has been there before but we will meet for dinner. That will be nice.
The afternoon was packed full with first Team Trivia (boy did we stink) and then a brilliant show by John Lenihan, comic and magician. He was on stage when the power went out and the way he handled the situation has been the talk of the cruise. Evidently he didn’t miss a beat and the passengers were quoting his one-liners ever since. He had me in tears.
After dinner our table went to the show room to see a harpist and two vocalists. All were excellent and we stayed for the Indonesian Crew Show. This is the first time I have ever stayed up to see it and it was great. The crew has so much fun doing it and there their enthusiasm is contagious. The two solo vocalists were very, very good. The show ended with a standing ovation.
When I opened my drapes it was DARK! What a surprise that was. It was only 12:15 am. Oh well, back to the real world.

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