Smooth Sailing on the Greenland Sea this Sea Day

---

It was nice to sleep in this morning. Last night our cabin steward brought us two milk chocolate candies, leaving them with today’s “Where & When” document today’s basic information, letting us know that it will be casual dining this evening and that the high temperature today will be 49˚ Fahrenheit as well as a list of activities for the day. This schedule has not always jived with the online “Happening on Board” which is supposed to mirror the published list of events delivered to our rooms. This has not always been the case. Since we were in Dublin, they’ve been alternating two milk chocolates one evening and two dark chocolate the next; which, has made Sharon much happier. I think that she was convinced that I’d made a special arrangement with Haysim and Intan (our cabin stewards). Our delay in rising complicated our morning routine; however, with Sharon going to mass at 8AM. That and the 9AM lecture that we planned to attend required Sharon to grab something quick after mass. I went up before Sharon went to mass; which, she couldn’t do because she’s not allowed to eat for at least an hour before receiving the Eucharist. I got some perfectly prepared eggs over medium with sausage and potato cakes with a chocolate milk. James stopped by with his portable beverage cart which he circulates around the Lido offering people juice, water, coffee and tea. This is the first cruise that I’ve noticed this service, and I’ve quite grateful that James often seems to be there as I need something to drink.

Sharon was just leaving for mass when I returned to the cabin. Evidently I left our “Puzzle Sheets” in the “NY Times” summary for HAL that I’d gotten before breakfast. Sharon said they were all getting concerned when it was 5 to 8 and Father Roman hadn’t yet arrived since he’s usually very early. He ran in at that point and apologized saying that the movement of the ship had kept him awake all night. Sharon and I slept just fine. Sharon headed for the Lido while I went to save seats in the Showroom. She met me just before the lecture began. Dr. SunnyRose Marlow was giving her talk “Fish Teeth and Cod”. The talk focused on the immigration patterns for Iceland and Greenland that centered on the availability of walrus tusks and great schools of cod. Cod was a fish that when dried made a portable high protein source that would not spoil for nearly ten years; and, was undoubtedly a compact food source that made long distance voyages possible for the Vikings. The walrus ivory was a commodity that commanded high premiums when other ivory sources from trading sources would subside. Ultimately though, elephant ivory was preferred causing the viability of relying on walrus hunting as a profitable endeavor problematic. The talk was interesting and delivered with some lighter moments. Her commentary noted how one early explorer to the Northern Coast of Iceland near Isafjordur had reported that there are trees near where they landed ashore… six of them! She showed a Charlie Brown cartoon with one of his pathetic barren Christmas trees. This all goes with the advice of Oscar (our driver/guide in Reykjavik) who said, “If you ever get lost in an Icelandic forest, all that you need to do is stand up!”

We went up to the Lido and we both chose the tri-tip with potatoes. Okay, maybe I did add a mushroom quesadilla and some Norwegian red bean soup to it, and we ate out on the Lido pool deck again. We headed up to the Crow’s Nest; but, I went by way of the Front Desk to pick up another pair of “Puzzle Sheets” and then by the Explorer’s Café to get an Iced Mocha. And they had about a dozen chocolate chip cookies, so I picked up two of these complimentary treats as well (and these are the big cookies). Sharon beamed when she saw my cookie treasures (but one was for me). We did the puzzle and Sharon might be losing her touch (or she let me win because I brought her a cookie). When we finished the puzzle, we were able to stake our claim to our table by the window, as the couple that had been reading and crafting there got up and left. Soon everybody was present. Pam indicated that whatever cold she had come down with has now been passed on to Duncan. I have been borderline feeling as if I might be getting sick, so am trying to stay warm and take care of ourselves and we’re hanging in there. It would be outrageous if a “Cough in the Face” has imperiled the end of our voyage, having kept our health during the Noro-virus threat. We’re just grateful for today’s Sea Day and tomorrow’s Scenic Sailing through Prince Christian Sound.

The first question demonstrated why it’s nice to have an Aussie on your team. “Australia Day commemorates the official national day of Australia when in 1788 the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Port Jackson, New South Wales. What month is this holiday celebrated?” Duncan reasoned that since the USA celebrates in July (as does Canada); then, down under they should be 6-months out of step hence January! I guess the reasoning doesn’t matter how we got there, but we got there! Linda wanted to know, “What is the name of a popular European stew whose name is derived from the words for ‘Boil’ and ‘Stew’?” Some of us were thinking “Goulash”; but, Duncan was writing down “Bouillabaisse”. And he was right again! “What would you measure on the Scoville Scale?” I scribbled down my answer and there was agreement: “Hotness of (Chili) Peppers”. We got that one as well! Linda then asked a German Question. “The German word for ‘Day’ is ‘Tag’. Every day of the week in German, ends with ‘Tag’ except one day. What is the day (in English) that does not end in ‘Tag’ (in German); AND, for an extra point, what is that word in German?” I guess I now know why I took German for six years in Junior and Senior High School. “Mittwoch” is “Wednesday” in German. It means “Mid-week”. I took a guess at the question “What is the plant whose name means ‘Lion’s Tooth’?” My guess was “Dandelion” and nobody had anything better. Best of all, Linda didn’t have anything different. We thought that we had a chance; but, then Linda put 7-points up for grabs to name the seven countries that were created when the State Formerly Known as Yugoslavia was dissolved. We knew “Macedonia” from one of her previous Team Trivia questions. We quickly listed “Bosnia and Herzegovina”. Duncan had just written down “Bosnia” and I think he was hoping “Herzegovina” was a third country. Everybody assured him they went together. We got “Croatia” and Sharon was trying to remember the port and country that we weren’t able to get into on our previous Mediterranean Cruise. Before she struggled too much with that, Rose Marie suggested “Montenegro”. “That’s it!” Sharon exclaimed. We also came up with “Serbia” and “Slovenia”. We thought briefly of “Slovakia” but realized that went with the breakup of Czechoslovakia. We only got six points; because, we missed “Kosovo”. We got 18 of 23 points. Another team got 19 so it looks like we’re the bridesmaids again!

I headed back to the cabin to finish yesterday’s blog, and Sharon decided to go Buffalo hunting. She’s pretty much given up on those Lobsters that she started out with because they haven’t treated her very well. On the way she managed to wrangle another pair of earrings, this time Icelandic Volcanic Rock, which she made at the Arts and Crafts venue that seems quite popular. I’m convinced she only does this to see how many pairs of earrings it will take to fill up her new earring organizer. She brought perhaps half a dozen pairs with her for this cruise, and I’m not sure that I’ve seen her wear more than a pair or two on Gala nights.

Sharon returned in time for us to head up to the $17,500 Jackpot Bingo. It was Sharon’s turn to buy Bingo cards; but, she thought that I should buy them since we’ve had four wins on the cards that I buy and no wins on the cards that she buys; but, I wasn’t having any of that. Then she completely ignores our practice of waiting to buy our cards near the end, to where they’re saving the really good ones! You don’t want to get the very last card; but, two or three before that seems to work out well for us. I’m just saying. And the cards that Sharon brought us pretty much stunk. I didn’t even get within one! Though Sharon did get within 1 on both of the first games. If only they’d called 51 instead of 52. It took a while for the first Bingo to be called, and Tino recalled how somebody had won the previous time with just six numbers, then he corrected himself, just five numbers called; which, Sharon had. Not today though! Then came the Four-Corner game. It took a while for the second Bingo, and I was within two on four cards; but, a dozen others were within one and even though Tino thought there would be three or four Bingo’s called, only one person claimed “Bingo”! And again, it wasn’t us. I thought that Tino was going to go with his typical Small-X game because those first two games had taken more than usual; but, he surprised us with a much longer game, The Small Picture-Frame… It’s sort of like the Small-X on steroids or the Small-X combined with the Small-Cross. Eight numbers are required. I thought, “Well, this could be very good, or this could be very bad!” Hopefully it would be more fun. I was getting multiple “Poke-and-Folds” with each number called; which, is always good. (It’s much more fun to be having numbers to “Poke-and-Fold” than not!) For those of you not familiar with the HAL Bingo Cards, each small number box is perforated; so, instead of using a dauber, you just poke-and-fold the numbers as they’re called. It actually works quite well. To make a long story short, after just six numbers called I had a Small-X on one of my chances, which in this game was worth exactly nothing. Again, I got within two numbers needed; but, again No Cigar! The blackout game was no better. I guess next time, I’ll just have to show Sharon how it’s done when buying Bingo cards.

Tonight, when they asked, “Do you mind sharing a table?” I told them, “That’s fine; but, only at a table for six or less.” With multiple conversations going on at the table for ten last night you couldn’t hear yourself think. The table dispatcher didn’t bat an eye and I guess that’s what we were going to wind up with anyway. We sat at a table in the rear on the starboard side, snug up against the rear window. One couple had already received their first appetizer. At the start of the cruise they had only been able to reserve a table for three nights; but, in Rotterdam with the demand for reserved tables dropping they reserved it for the remainder of the cruise. It meant however that they were supposed to arrive at the reservation time. They had done this with one other couple who this evening were AWOL. Another couple had been seated just ahead of us; and, I guess the dispatcher had given up on the couple that was supposed to be seated at the table of showing up. I ordered the Watermelon and Feta for my first appetizer, and it was surprisingly good. I decided to give their Classic French Onion with Short Rib Soup another try; because, I remembered how much I enjoyed it on the Nieuw Amsterdam; and, my suspicions were confirmed. This time it came as I remembered it, with chunks of short rib and a special toasted French Bread that was easily broken apart. This was not what I’d received previously on this ship, which I now know must have been the Everyday French Onion Soup that is almost impossible to eat without making a complete mess of things. You’re virtually forced to use a knife to cut into smaller pieces the congealed Mozzarella atop the soggy French Bread (which is what I’d been forced to do). For my entrée I enjoyed Lobster, and it wasn’t even Gala Night. When the server presented me with my lobster, I think he must have remembered me from the other night; because, I must have broken protocol and removed the lobster from the shell by myself, and perhaps maybe all that well (there might have been some fingers involved). He let me know, “I will be back to remove the tail for YOU.” Sharon needed to resort to the Everyday Steak and a baked potato. Today’s specialty Beef Entrée was their version of Filet of Beef Wellington. It sort of looked like a Beef Roll with an outer pastry wrapper. I went with the cheese plate for dessert, and they again got the cheese correct, and again there was blue cheese in the mix. Sharon chose the Ice Cream Sundae; but, substituted the coffee ice cream for vanilla (coffee was the daily special) and she had them hold the nuts. Just another example of Sharon’s tailored meals; although, her custom choices were nothing compared to the two we were dining with that had reserved this table. I had asked him what his appetizer was; because it looked good but didn’t look like anything on the menu from which I was ordering. “Oh, that’s not on YOUR menu. This is only on the special vegetarian menu and you must order a day ahead of time. One of the people we normally dine with is a vegetarian and they do a great job with vegetarian dishes on HAL.” By the time the entrées had come, they had been served at the same time. He had gotten the grilled portabella mushroom with carrot and zucchini spaghetti. Every bite he took he emphasized “Mmm. THIS is so good.” Yes, this meal that makes ME special, and that YOU can’t have is “So Good”! Scintillating dinner conversation! At 7PM they excused themselves and left after seeing the dessert menu, not wanting to miss the show.

We were done with dinner at 7:15PM and arrived to get good seating in the upper starboard balcony. Tonight’s show features “Voce”, featuring four internationally featured soloists. Sharon had spent time at dinner telling people how she thinks that we’d seen this band before, and that they weren’t very good; but, that she couldn’t be sure that this was the same group. Well, Sharon had lowered my expectations enough that I thought that they were quite good. During their opening they each introduced themselves, and they hailed from around the British Isles, one was from Scotland and one was from Wales. There was a mezzosoprano (“I sing all of the in between notes”), there was the Lead Soprano (“I hit the really high notes”), there was the Second Soprano (“I help her hit the high notes”) and there was the alto (“I hit the low notes). Their “Ave Maria” rendition was a traditional hymn that morphed into a more contemporary sound, and I wasn’t surprised that Sharon didn’t much care for it. Even I could tell the difference from this and what the singer back in our Ohio church could do with this song, and that really was special. Even Sharon agreed though, this was not the group that we’d heard before (or they’ve learned how to sing since then) and most of the show was very good.



I decided to call it a night and Barry from Boston had the night off so Sharon spent some time with her buffalos. She didn’t win or lose but got to play for quite a while.

---