8/29
It was so soothing last night going to sleep with the boat gently rocking us. We woke up this morning and decided to go to the actual dining room for breakfast. This was to be a full day on the boat with no land to see (just making our way to the first stop, Ketchican, which we won’t reach until tomorrow), so we thought the leisurely pace of the meal would suit the day. The food is ridiculously good! I had some sweet fresh fruit, melon and pineapple, then a and ended with an omelette that had so much delicious stuff in it, you couldn’t tell it was made with only 1 egg and the rest whites, except that it was lighter in color than the others’. We once again were sitting at a table by the window, and this time our table mates were interesting: a brother and sister who had been born in Germany, and a Mennonite pastor and his wife from Lancaster, PA. The boat was definitely in rougher water and rocking more, but it didn’t particularly bother me.
After breakfast we decided it was time to burn off some of what we ate with a run around the deck again. It had been raining during breakfast, but the rain had stopped and the temperature wasn’t too cold. The run felt so good—the sky had some patches of blue in it, we were surrounded by the ocean—it was so beautiful! Running against the wind was really tough, but on the other side, with the wind—heavenly!! We ran for about 45 minutes—along the deck, across the back of the ship, along the other side, up the 17 stairs to the sky deck, around that small loop and back down the starts—about 30-35 times!! But there were only a few people around, so there wasn’t anything to stop us or get in the way. After a short dip in the pool, a soak in the Jacuzzi and a shower (and watching some crazy people try to chip a golf ball into a life preserver in the pool, led by the ever peppy Australian Cruise Director, it was time for lunch. Again, delicious—fresh melon and banana with a lemon sherbet sauce, a chilled pear soup (chilled fruit soup is the BEST—I need to find some recipes for it) and a wonderful salad of mixed greens with fresh salmon, and frozen yogurt for dessert. This time our companions were from Michigan—he was in the Air Force and worked on Phantoms, she was a teacher, so we had lots in common. We decided to take it easy in the room for a while after lunch (Yoram took a little nap and I did some work)—the view from our window never ceases to amaze me! At times I forget that we’re actually on a ship and then I look out the window and there we are, sailing along, surrounded by blue waters and even some whitecaps at times!
We didn’t really need any more food, but couldn’t resist the allure of Dutch High Tea (delicious banana cake and shortbread), and then decided to try out the exercise machines in the gym. We tried the elliptical? (I think that’s what they call it—feet in a circular motion and hands moving back and forth on handles like XC skis. After the workout we were approached by a guy who asked if we had a good run. Turns out he’s the boat’s Hotel Manager, but a CRAZY extreme runner—just finished a 150 MILE run in Namibia—with no support crew. He carried everything he’d need for the race on his back for the entire time! What an interesting life he’s led…
After the workout it was time for dinner—formal this time, and Yoram was a stud in his 30-year old navy blue blazer and tie. Shrimp cocktail, watermelon soup (detect a pattern here) and a lamb dish that was OK, but not great. Maybe I should have tried the quail? Then we went to the captain’s welcome party (free champagne for Yoram, and it was fun to see our new friend the runner up on the stage in his fancy uniform as the crew chiefs were introduced) and the evening’s show, a selection of Broadway songs. The singers are talented—beautiful voices, but some of them felt the need to over sing everything and just got out of tune. Others were good, though, and I love the music they sang.
Back in the room, we got ready for tomorrow. It’s our first port of call, and we have a hike planned for the day. . They say it might even be only partly cloudy in Alaska’s rainiest city! So we filled out our room service menu for breakfast (It’s ridiculous how excited I am at the thought of Room Service!) and got everything ready. Soon the movement of the ship will rock me to sleep after a full but relaxing day.
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