Seven AM on the 7th dawned as the sun emerged from the low cloud bank to the East. Sunlight skipped across the waves to of all places our bathroom window! How I wish my laptop was working so I could share the joy of peace and calm and hopefulness that gave me. More that two years since I was last on a cruise ship and the feeling is overwhelmingly one of rightfulness. The world is returning to the place it should be. (You may get a slew of photos all at one time which I will label for us to enjoy together!
Today our 'schedule' found us in the Living Roomat the bar for an early breakfast (coffe, tea, sweet rolls) so we could get a good seat in the Star Theater for Mr. Lee's second talk, "Mutiny on the Bounty - The Story Behing the Story." Did you know that the unbeloved Captain Bligh and his nemisis, Christian Fletcher, were best friends? Fletcher was on the ship at Bligh's invitation. He was promoted on board and made Master even though he was only 17 at the time! The men who urged him to take control of the Bounty ended up being the ones who escaped the wrath of the British Naval Authorities. I will have to rewatch the movie to see how much of my newly acquired insight is demonstrated on screen. This talk, that except for the dynamism of the speaker I would have skipped, fascinated me!
We skipped Munch Moments to learn from Dr. Kenyon about "Corals, and Coral Reefs - Colorful Gardens of the Sea." I guess I didn't pay good attention in high school because I never knew that the color of the coral comes from the kind of algae living in it's thousands of tubes on the surface of the skeletal form. Mass bleaching is wiping out coral reefs around the globe. Oh, and did you know, that Coral is mostly found on only the East coast of a continent? That explains why the Caribbean Sea is the best, close by dive site. Carol and I scheduled a snorkel day in the lagoon of Bora Bora. Which I also didn't know isn't even an island but an atoll!
Tonight we had dinner in Manfredi's, the Italian Restaurant. On Viking the 'specialty restaurants' are included and I couldn't wait to dine here again. Veal Scallopine Limone is a mouth watering delight that this time I paired with Pappardelle Limone and Pinot Grigio. I chose a Zabaglione with fresh blackberries, strawberries, and raspeberries floating in the softly whipped custard.
After savoring the excellent, friendly service of our leisurely meal in the quietly elegant, softly lit, distinctive atmosphere of Manfredi's we moved to the opposite end of Deck 2 to complete our first day of real cruising in more than two years! "The ABBA Songbook " was so well done by Dan and his team of entertainers. They really took on the energy and personality of the originals. The Star Theater is equipped with a full stage LED screen sytem that so beautifully integrates the performers with scenery. It gives great depth perception to the stationary band and enhances the movement of the singers. Of course, the audience sang and clapped along at all the right moments. I think most of my fellow passengers have been on Viking Ocean before. They know what to expect and and are never disappointed. No one has made a four week journey to the South Pacific their first try at cruising and cruising in subdued style!
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