Thursday, January 18 - At Sea

 After dinner last night I went for a stroll around the ship.  Bars and casino were empty.  Someone said everyone was in the main theater so I went to check out the mentalist who was performing.  I know it's not fair to judge a performance after only ten minutes but that was plenty for me.  I was in the very back of the theater so was able to leave without drawing attention.  

I love the string trio on board.  The bands in the lounges in the evening are terrific.  I enjoy watching people ballroom dance.  But, HAL can save the money on the entertainment in the main theater, as far as I'm concerned.  

The big news this morning is the motion of the ship.  Yesterday the Captain announced we could expect 10 foot swells and he was correct.  When I dashed (if you could see me creaking and groaning as I hobble to the door you'd know how ridiculous that verb choice is) to the balcony for my photo of my first view of the day, I got a surprise.  The movement of the ship woke me several times through the night, in a good way.  I like being at sea with a bit of motion.  But, the wind was so strong I couldn't open the door with one hand.  And I figured if it required both hands to shove the door open, I wouldn't enjoy being on the balcony in my robe.  I just noticed one of the cricket/roach critters that we saw a lot of in the Amazon.  Ocean movement and winds be damned, that bug was enjoying my balcony.

Now, on to the good stuff.  Photos!

I usually start the early morning on my balcony.  Today, I couldn't open the door with one hand because of the wind

But the view from the loveseat was great

Cool clouds

At first I wasn't sure what this was.  A boat.  10 foot swells in a cruise ship is no big deal.  For a fishing boat?  Big deal.  We're about 12 miles off the coast of Brazil

Breakfast was warm yogurt with strawberry compote mixed in.  The temperature of the yogurt was a surprise

Showering and walking are a challenge today.  I'm paranoid because of my habit of breaking my leg (two spiral fractures, same leg, same bone) and seeing a couple of passengers who've experienced falls.  Happily, the woman in the cabin down the hall who broke her leg had it set in Manaus.  She didn't need surgery so is back on the ship

Tonight is formal night and they're planning a champagne tower.  Meanwhile, Project Linus is going strong.  Folks knit and crochet baby blankets to donate.  HAL provides the yarn

Art on my daily stroll

What do you do with these?  I never bothered to frame my diplomas so this will likely go to the recycle bin

I strolled on a lower deck today because of the ship's movement, so got to see new door decor

When I was on this ship before I fell in love with this large painting.  I'm working on ways I can bring it home with me

I ate a healthy salad for lunch.  Then ate an entire bag of M&Ms 

Second formal night of the cruise.  This is about as formal as I get.  Hey, I'm sparkly!

Dinner was excellent and fun with everyone dressed up.  They've gone back to enforcing the dress code.  If you want table service, you need to dress on formal and dressy nights.  I started with mussels

My main was perfectly cooked and sweet scallops with a cauliflower mash

The staff created these napkin birds for each table

Dessert was a chocolate Paris Brest

After dinner we went to the event they had in the Bill Board/Casino area.  The champagne tower bore no resemblance to ones I"ve seen in the past.  I'm not sure if that was a budget or rough sea decision.  I've seen them before in the atrium and they were a story tall and involved someone on an upper deck pouring the champagne.  This one would have fit on my kitchen table.  But there were a lot of people, all having fun.

I enjoyed the people watching for a few minutes before retreating to my balcony, where I read and watched the stars and listened to the water

There were a lot of sparkly outfits.  I was trying to get a shot of the couple wearing matching sequin-covered tuxes

My first towel animal - a lobster

We've crossed the equator twice and are celebrating today.  I'll be on my balcony.  There's a theme.  I cruise because I love being on the water.  This morning I watched schools of flying fish skimming along the wake of the ship

Don't we look special at the formal dinner?

The Champagne Tower