Day 4 - The Big 50

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Geo: 22.4682, -72.1078

“...inside every older person is a young person wondering what happened.” Terry Pratchett.

April 22nd 2014. The first day of my 6th decade on this planet. Where better to spend that day than onboard a cruise ship heading towards the Caribbean. Breakfast on the balcony. Eggs Benedict it is. Soft yolk, creamy sauce, salty ham, crisp muffin. Perfection on a plate, eaten with ravenous gusto. Sun kissed orange juice to follow. A great start to the day.

I had already decided that today would be a lazy day. Fearful of my decrepit ageing overnight I was scared of doing anything remotely energetic that might compromise my now extremely brittle bones. And so I spend a better part of the morning gazing out at the ocean as we drift southwards towards Puerto Rico. I catch up reading all the birthday thank you's that are popping up on Facebook. Later that morning we head up for coffee and cookies in the Diamond lounge. We meet with Sue (also enjoying her birthday today...or not), Malcolm, Mhairi & Tam. We natter endlessly (or rather they do I should point out). Lunch in the Windjammer and then back to the cabin. I read some magazines, write my blog and even snooze for an hour (that'll be an age thing apparently).

Dinner tonight is at Giovannis Table. We are not sure what to expect as our experience of this specialty restaurant has been a bit hit and miss on other ships. We need not have worried. It was amazing. Our waiter was brilliant. He assessed what we liked and brought us a huge plate of Antipasti to start with. It was gorgeous. We then had Mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto which melted in the mouth. I personally ordered Sole for my main course which was delicious. The waiter placed a large bowl of seafood penne in the middle of the table. Not a good idea with me sat there. I do not have a switch off button when it comes to pasta and this was good, really good. Home made Tiramisu for dessert was a delectable. My birthday dinner was a triumph.

We waddled out of Giovannis and made our way to the casino as we fancied our luck with the slots. We each tried our hand at the free slot pulls and got a few key-rings for our efforts. Sadly the machines were being mean tonight and we lost more than we won. Never mind, always next time. Having cashed in we headed to the Royal Promenade and sat outside the English Pub and ordered some wine. As there is no Vintages Wine Bar on this ship it is the next best thing for people watching. Am not sure what time it was that we headed back to our cabin but it was at the end of a very enjoyable birthday.

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