Sea Day, Turkey Day, with photos

 Thursday, November 23, 2023

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The sea and wind have been really loud and it's cold.  I finally give up and close the balcony door, hoping I don't wake anyone.  I've nearly got all the photos added to the blog! ... Ginger is playing something on her phone and I think I'll pack this up and see if she wants to get some tea or something.  I know she won't be hungry yet!

We're supposed to see "Six" tonight and plan the day around that.  We think having a lighter breakfast for our tummies and lunch around two should let us go to the 7:30 show and then w can have a leisurely dinner.  We're hoping there will still be some turkey left by them!  Accordingly we go to O'Sheeehans because they stay open a little later for breakfast on sea days.  I order the bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  There is a ton of salmon but only a dab of cream cheese and the bottom of a bagel!  Still, it's very good.  

After breakfast we go looking for a quiet place, since it appears that everyone is staying inside today - just like us!  First we find the library.  It's not very large at all and it's pretty populated, so we continue the hunt. Ginger finds the Spiegel Tent which is actually a large venue with very few people.  It's got lots of tables and golden chairs and the curved wall is lined with booths. It's perfect. Ginger had gotten a deck of cards from Guest Services and we can't figure out why they don't have the NCL logo on them. But we never quite get around to playing with them.  Nick is doing a crossword that he picked up at the library and he brought back a couple of Sudokus, too, and I'm reading on my phone and I think Ginger is doing her DuoLingo. 

There are fun-house mirrors outside the Spiegel Tent!
Meet the three-headed monster!

Soon Nick said he has to go to the restroom but he doesn't come back?!  Then one of his trivia teammates comes to fetch me!  The category is science and he thinks I can help. She has to help me get to the venue (I'm still not walking very well) and they're on question six when I get there. We don't do all that well and we're contesting one of the answers - the first mammal in space.  We all agree that it's the Russian space dog;  I think her name was Luka.  The cruise director says monkey.  We'll see.  Ginger actually gives us the answer to "What is a keloid?".

Now it's time for lunch. Back to O'Sheehans since our schedule doesn't work with the regular dining rooms!  I get a blue cheese burger with a spicy sweet tomato chutney, lettuce, tomato, and red onion on a sesame seed bun.  It reads like a mcDonald's jingle!  It comes with French fries and an (invisible) pickle spear. It's okay, if a little dry.

Nick's cough is very impressive and we all decide that a little nap is in order before the show.  Nick gets to the room first while Ginger and I debate staying for the fruit carving demonstration.  But there aren't any more chairs and standing isn't an option.

When we get back upstairs, Nick says a lady called Selena or Serena called to check on me and wants me to call her back.  I try a couple of times but the line is always busy. We all crash for a couple of hours and then get ready for "Six" hoping that it will really go on tonight.  I try the Guest Services line again and get through to someone who asks how I'm doing.

The seas have been so rocky all day that it seems unlikely that they can stage "Six" tonight. We also check the TV for messages and there still aren't any medical charges on my account.  YAY! 

This screen shows all the cast, gives a synopsis of the play and
shows video clips of the production.  Boy, I really want to see it now!!

Sure enough when we get down to the theater we find that the show tonight will be the Levity Comedy Show, with a PG13 version at 7:30 and the adult show at 10:00.

We stay in line and it's really easy to get our favorite seats.  There are two comics.  The first one, Travis Nelson, is mildly entertaining, although watching someone who is six foot nine is fun.  Flip Schultz, the second act is much better;  in fact his media name is "Flip is Fun"!  We have some good giggles and go to dinner.

There is a Roasted Holiday Turkey chef's special.  Good thing I'm wearing my turkey pin!  A couple of people have counted on it during the day. There are two really appealing appetizers, the coconut shrimp with orange marmalade and the baked brie in puffed pastry with baby greens toasted almonds, apple, and honey drizzle. Can't choose? Get both!

The entree comes with apple chestnut stuffing, honey butter yams, green bean casserole, and giblet gravy. Nothing like our Oleson Bird Day feasts, but it honors the day.  Nick and Ginger have the traditional pecan pie for dessert, although it's really a little pecan tartlet with butterscotch sauce and caramel ice cream.  The thought of that makes my tummy explode, so I choose the Warm Blackberries and Dark Cherries with powdered sugar and grand marnier sabayon. Not quite what I was expecting when it arrived but it was really delicious and much lighter, if not less calorie-laden.

It's about 9:30 and we decide to give the comics another shot.  The adult show is funnier, at least Flip's set is.  Several really good laugh-out-loud bits.  We make it back up to Deck 12, find our suite, and make a discovery!

The audience is sparse but responsive.

Quelle surprise!!

Guest Services has left us a large fruit basket with bananas, strawberries, grapes, an orange, and some other things!  We don't know if everyone in our category got one, or if it's their way of saying "Sorry our ship bit you!". We'll go down in the morning and say thank you!

I'm down for the count while Nick and Ginger are still going strong.  It's pretty tiring hobbling around;  but after I took some Ibuprofen I wa able to get around much better and I think I'll be able to see Bermuda.  Thank goodness for these sea days.  Once again, timing is everything!!

 

  

An Uneventful Sea Day, Thank Goodness! (with photos)

 Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Another day on the briny.  I'm up early - surprise - and get some more photos added to the blog.  I should be all caught up by the time we get to New York! Nick isn't feeling great so when Ginger is feeling s bit peckish we swing through the cafeteria, grab a few snacks, including a sampling of the spicy Indian potatoes and the pouri,  and head up and out to sit facing the never ending, ever changing wake behind the ship. We've brought all our toys and entertain ourselves and each other.  Ginger is working on her calendar and actually gets it finished and ordered!  I'm pulling photos to make a book of this trip.  I'd love to have it finished and in hand by Christmas.

When we go down to check on Nick he is just getting ready to go to lunch and we head to one of the dining rooms.  It is nice to be waited on at every meal;  it's a fair exchange for not having all the choices in the cafeteria, and the menus do change every day. I have the cream of mushroom soup and it's divine! The Monte Cristo sandwich is all right and the tiramisu with coffee sauce is lovely.  It's a good thing Ginger helps me finish it, though! I'll have to fast for a month when I get home!

There's some reflection in the glass;  but it's too hard to get
out of the lounge chair to take the shot standing up!  I'll be better tomorrow!

Nick's trivia competition is right now!  He leaves quickly to find his team and we follow in a bit.  Again, their fourth player hasn't shown up and I reluctantly step in while Ginger goes to Guest Services to offer suggestions about how they could mitigate potential damage from the wind tunnel effect.  The lady admits that they have that happen a lot!  But she says she'll inform Housekeeping which seems like a very strange choice.  Hard to imagine that they will be authorized to add handrails to that corridor. And I'm sure they won't be allowed to suggest to the captain that he make an announcement when he sees rain and wind on the horizon, so that people can get inside before the weather arrives.  Oh well, as long as no medical charges show up on my bill, I'm okay.

Anyway, back to trivia.  I'm the only one who knows that hasenpfeffer is made with rabbit and that mousse is the French word for foamy or frothy. We don't do too badly and afterwards Nick wants to lie down for a while before dinner.  Ginger and I gather our toys and go back outside. 

Dinner has to be early because we have reservations for "Six" tonight and that only guarantees us admission, not particular seats.  We need to be early to get in line.  For dinner I have the stuffed mushrooms caps (all two of them) and the the pan-seared Pacific hake fillet with spinach mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and a lemon-butter sauce. It's very good.  Before the appetizers arrive Ginger and I have a glass of wine, shiraz for me, merlot for her, and Nick orders hot tea.  We know he's really not feeling well! And it's interesting that he can get hot tea since the crew member in the cafeteria this morning said there was no more tea for the rest of the trip! Happily they had an urn of chai, so that worked for us.

It's fun when people decorate their doors!

Dessert was créme caramel with fresh berries and mint, and lovely.  Ginger ordered the flourless chocolate cake and halfway through we swap.  We both agree that the créme caramel was the winner! After dinner (and the second glass of wine that came unbidden) Nick and I go to stand in line for the show while Ginger goes to get him some cough drops. I need a little help to get there, between the wonky hip, the rocky ship, and, I guess, the second glass of wine! 

When we arrive we are told that there are some technical difficulties to work out and our reservations have been transferred to tomorrow night.  We get back to the suite before Ginger leaves and we spend a few minutes looking at the Freestyle Daily to see what else is going on tonight.  Basically nothing, so we watch whatever free movie comes on the TV before dropping off to sleep.  We see part of "Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret" which is just as cute the second time, and part of "National Treasure" and I've had enough.

For the first time in a long time I have a lot of trouble getting to sleep.  All the food and the wine aren't sitting well on my tummy and I have to add a second pillow to get my head higher than my stomach.  By 11:30 I'm back on an even keel and drop like a stone.  The loud wind and waves outside make quite a lovely soundtrack and that helps.  Tomorrow is another sea day and Thanksgiving!!  I wonder if they will do something special for us!

Sea Day with an Adventure (with photos)

 Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Well we were supposed to be spending the day in the Azores, specifically Ponta Delgado, but the captain and the harbor master agreed that the winds and the swells were just too bad to risk docking so we’re heading straight for Bermuda.  That means we have five consecutive sea days.  It’s disappointing but I’d much rather miss an island paradise than the wonders we’ve already seen!

That's as much as we're going to see!

I had a really productive early morning, adding photos to several days’ worth of blog posts!  The workings of the internet out here at sea are bewildering, the the connection disappearing at will (but not my will!) but perseverance will out!

We went to breakfast at O’Sheehans and I tried the Belgian waffle with bananas, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. Oh, and crispy bacon and my own pot of hot tea. It was nice but I won’t do it again.  

It doesn't look bad;  but I guess they know what they're doing.

We’ve come down at the end of breakfast, so no one is waiting for our table;  but the guys need to get ready for lunch, so we go back upstairs to the cabin.  Nick thinks he caught a cold from the lady on our tour a few days ago who was coughing all the time.  He’s going to take a nap and Ginger and I grab our goodies and head up to Spice to get the air and watch the sea.  Ginger is working on a book for her grandkids for the holidays. It’s going to be so cool!! I’m learning to use Nick’s iPad to see if this is what I want to use the next time I travel! Typing takes a little getting used to because the keyboard is so much smaller;  but it's manageable and might be worth it!  I just have to figure out how to introduce photos since my phone doesn't see it.  But that's a question for another day.

There is a bit of breeze back here!

Eventually we figure we need to check on Nick, since it's been a couple of hours, and go back to the room. He sends us a message just as we're sitting down and we meet him for lunch.  I have a Cobb salad appetizer and the orange chocolate mousse. I don't need an entree.  Goodness knows I have had more food than any two humans should consume!

silky, creamy, fluffy chocolate!

We all go back to the cabin.  Nick is going to read and, maybe, go back to sleep. We're going back outside and Nick suggests the spot he had been in before lunch.  It's on the side of the ship and he said it was warm (ish) and out of the wind.  We find it and get comfy.  The chairs are a little deep for short people, but I can put my feet up on the table and that compensates. Ginger is working on a calendar of photos of her late brother-in-law's paintings that I think will be beautiful.  It gets a little chilly and she uses the table cloth she's been embroidering as a shawl! 

These were taken less than a minute apart, it came up that fast!
Ginger had just said it looked like a horror movie just before the sea monster
rises up! Who knew it would be a wind monster!?

The wind and waves are picking up and it's beginning to rain so we - and everyone else - quickly gather our things and head for the closest door.  Unfortunately, people on the other side of the ship do the same thing and the doors are exactly opposite one another. As I come around the corner to go inside I feel the resulting gale force wind throw me into the wall of commemorative plaques (with lots of sharp corners and decorations) where I bounce off and plunge to the floor. There's another lady who does the same thing.  Thank goodness Ginger was just enough ahead of me that she was able to avoid the collision with the wall.  Two strangers help me up while Ginger gathers my things that went flying.  She gets someone else's hat and another person's glasses as well. It felt like a giant's hand shoving me forward.

I was pretty sure I hadn't die but I wasn't sure what all is damaged.  I know there's an abrasion on the back of my hand from one of the plaques, and at least my shoulder and hip hurt, and I'm a bit woozy and shaky and really need to sit down.  There's nowhere handy to do that and Ginger helps me get to the closest chairs, in a venue called Shakers down the hall.  She goes off to get me some ice while I take inventory of the damage and try to reconstruct what happened! 

Ginger comes back with a female crew member who strongly suggests that we and the other lady, Linda, go to the medical facility. When we get down there the door is closed and she has to call someone to take care of us.  Once she's passed us off, she leaves and I'm not even sure I thanked her.

It turns out that Linda is from Tampa!  And she is a PT;  you might remember that Ginger is an OT!  And she has a daughter who performs on cruise ships, while Ginger has a nephew who performs on cruise ships!  Outrageous!  Anyway, she had damaged her wrist and thinks it might be broken, so I let her got first.  I know I haven't broken anything.  I just hurt.

We fill out a million forms and Ginger has to help Linda since it's her right wrist that's damaged and, of course, she right handed. Eventually it's my turn and the nice male nurse takes x-rays of my hand in two positions although it's just bleeding a bit and certainly isn't broken.  And he does my shoulder and hip and gives me a breathalyzer test. Good thing I didn't have a drink with lunch!  Then the doctor comes in and confirms my belief that nothing is broken or dislocated.  I've just got some ouchies and I need to rest my shoulder for a day or two.  He prescribes a painkiller shot (Toravel???) and gives me a tube of topical Ibuprofen and some more cream and bandages for my hand.  I go back to the waiting room and find Nick with Ginger.  They had called the room to try to find me because Ginger had asked for ice!

We have to wait for the security guy to come and ask questions.  He takes a picture of my shoes, hoping, I think, that they will have slick bottoms.  They don't.  And he asked if I'd been drinking.  I hadn't.  And he asked if Iwear glasses.  I don't unless I'm reading.  Basically he wanted this to be my fault.  It wasn't.

Then we go back to the scene of the event and I show him exactly how it happened, with the sharp decorations on the plaques and Nick shows him how the wind whips through the corridor even when there isn't much of a wind. Eventually he says he has enough information and we are able to leave.  The whole affair took about two hours and Ginger and I both need a change of clothing and a bit of clean up.  I can't remember the last time I wet my pants!  I'm just thankful for the extra padding around my hip and the twenty years of yoga (thank you, Nat)! Ginger says if I'd lost that weight I was hoping for before this trip I might have flown all the way out the other door!

Soon Nick goes down to get us a place in the seating order for dinner and quite quickly messages us to come down and meet him.  We are shown to almost the exact table we had for lunch! Ginger and I both want a strong drink and order Rusty Nails because we have had a hard afternoon! I order the Eggplant Caponata appetizer to honor my mother.  It was her favorite! And it's delicious! And the pork loin which I so enjoyed the last time.  And for dessert - the orange crepes with Grand Mariner sauce. They are little and delicious and perfect. 

We sit for a bit after dinner and realize that we don't care what's going on in the ship;  we just want to go to bed.  I'm down almost immediately and find that if I'm careful I can find a comfortable position.  I don't think I move until the next morning!

Sea Days Can Be Fun (with photos)

 Monday, November 20, 2023

I’m up really early and actually get to post yesterday’s entry with photos!!  And the seas are calm!  I don’t know if we missed the gales or if they are still ahead of us, but I’m hoping we get to stop at the Azores, since I’ve never been there.

There's no sunrise to speak of, but much calmer seas than we were expecting!

We plan our day backwards, because we have 5:30 reservations at La Cucina, the ship's Italian restaurant.  That means an early lunch and, maybe, no breakfast.  Well, actually, it means a visit to O'Sheehans where Nick can get his super thick French toast and Ginger and I get tea and fresh fruit.  And we bring the last of our custard tarts! Nick says that he's had enough carbs and Ginger and I can split his second one!  We make a token effort to talk him out of that;  but we don't try too hard!  

The tarts are not a work of art;  but oh my goodness they are still good the next day!
Nick has gone on line and found the receipt and also the real name, which is Pamela de Nata.
They were created to use up the egg yolks left over from making meringue!

They don't need our quiet table in the back and we hang out for a while before deciding that we need at least a little exercise and we walk around the deck and check out the seas - still fairly calm!  Maybe we'll make it to the Azores after all.  Nick canceled our rental car when the captain said the seas would be too rough to be able to dock, so if we do go ashore we'll have to come up with a Plan B. We find some lounge chairs right by the water at Spice and relax for a while, being mesmerized by the wake of the ship.

It's time for that early lunch and Ginger and I really want to Ruben we saw on O'Sheehan's menu.  That means waiting while they wrap up breakfast.  We should have just stayed at our table!! But we really needed to move a bit.  Anyway, we're only second in line so there's no problem getting seated.  The girls order a Caesar to go with the sandwiches and fries;  but we're right by the atrium where the games go on, so it's pretty noisy.

When we're finished Nick goes down the atrium level to find his trivia team for the one o'clock competition.  Ginger and I stay up here and watch the game.  It's the one where you have three words and have to figure out their common denominator.  It's fun to play and when it's over we go down to find the team and be cheerleaders.  Turns out they've gone back upstairs and we could have just stayed put!!  We go up and find that one of the team hasn't shown up.  I get drafted to fill her spot and Ginger goes up to Spice to hold our spots.

There's a little tiny bowling alley hidden away!

We don't do too badly and I contribute a couple of answers, so I don't feel too stupid! I go up to Spice but I don't see Ginger (I learn later that she is hidden behind one of the hot tubs, even though I thought I looked everywhere!).  I've got photos to edit, now that I can add them to the blog posts, so I find a shady spot and spend about an hour and a half being somewhat productive.

Hmm, guess I'll go back to the room and see who I can find.  It's Nick! We share a companionable silence playing on our devices until he and Ginger exchange texts and we go up to be with her for a bit.  Then it's time to dress for dinner and call Christine to say we are going down to the restaurant.

We claim our table and she joins us presently.  It's nice to have reservations for a change instead of being tied to a beeper and an uncertain schedule. We start with a "nice chianti" since it's an Italian restaurant and I have the Calamari Fritti with marinara sauce.  There's more light breading than actual calamari, but it's tasty!  My entree is the Osso Bucco alla Milanese (braised lamb shank, lemon, garlic and parsley Gremolata and saffron risotto) We've been told that it is a house specialty.  The meat is very tender and the risotto is creamy.  But the hit of the meal is the dessert selection.  There are five choices and four of us, so it takes a while to decide what to leave out!  We make excellent choices and do our round robin thing with Tiramisú, Panda Cotta alla Vanilla (blackberry marsala compote with meringue crunch), Cannoli  with pistachio, chocolate and tutti fruit fillings, and Torta di Chocolate e Lamponi (chocolate tartlet with raspberry, pistachio, vanilla sauce)  Oh!  Who cares about the Osso Bucco?  This makes up for everything.

The prize winner!

First runner-up

Pretty close

Nick's fav

Apparently we are old farts!  Our tummies are full and we're ready to go to the cabin!  We watch something or other about saving the sealife in Australia and I play a bit with the computer.  This is where I learn that most of my photos won't download from the cloud out here in the middle of the ocean, so I can't really post what I want to.  I guess anything is better than nothing!  I give up and go to bed thinking the middle of the night will be better. (spoiler alert - it isn't!)