Cruising

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A large proportion of the passengers on this boat are ancient mariners who yearn for the sea and so spend as many weeks yes weeks of the year at sea as possible on one of the many cruises on offer around the world. For the rest of us, learning to live with life on board ship brings on strange cravings; such as the man I spotted yesterday who had grabbed the vaccum cleaner from one of the crew and was making himself feel better by hoovering the stairs. I have done my washing and our cabin looks as if it celebrating a knickerfest.

Our dear Captain, Gere Larson, was interviewed in the Broadway showlounge this morning and was answering questions posed to him by the bright spark passenger on board such as "Where do you get the vibrating beds from?' Quick as a flash he replied that they must have been left switched on after the honeymoon cruise a few weeks ago. He also reminisced about the time he sailed to Gran Canaria and one of the passenger died. The body was offloaded when they docked and sent home. On the next leg of the voyage, an old lady asked if the remains of her husband which she had brought with her in an urn could be scattered over the side of the ship. The Captain agreed and with some of his officers organised a nice ceremony which he said went well , apart from getting some of the ashes in his face and they all sailed on.. ... He was surprised to be inundated with letters of congratuation commending hiim on the very excellent and moving way he dealt with a death at sea. The majority of the passengers thought that the body of the passenger who had died had been cremated on board ship.

We are sailing along the coasts of Sweden and Germany at the moment and I can see some wonderful beaches. The Swedes have lined their sea shore with huge wind farms.

The ship called into Gothenburg today, the second largest city in Sweden, but the temperature has soared and we were wilting even in the Museums. George asked if the Viking ship was on display at the Floating Maritime museum and they barely disguised their smirks. We found out why later in another museum where a few disconnected planks and prows were laid out on a sandy bed. We went round a destroyer and Geo went round a submarine which made his day I think. A brass band complete with pompom girls came on to the quayside to wave us off and now we are on our way to Oslo. I watched the exit from the city from the tenth deck of the ship and it was like moveing through a city on the top of a skyscraper. Mill pond sea and clear blue skies.

Have avoided the smart restaurant since the debacle two evenings ago. Just go and help ourselves in the canteen and sit at a table of our own choosing, by a window and leave when we want to. No point dressing in silk for such an awkward dinner. Not that the waiters have a clue who they are mixing with who, bless them.

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