Wed 26 March - still cruising
Still at sea, heading for Funchal, Madeira Island (Portugal).We're about half way there, in the middle of the Atlantic. The ocean is even calmer today than yesterday, quite smooth and not so windy with a tail wind.
Today was a big art auction, which included works by major artists like Picasso, Dali, Monet, as well as other lesser-known artists. Some of the pieces were quite nice, some I wouldn't want in my closet. I'm sure they were all over-priced, and the bidding may well have pushed the prices even higher.
Although the basic cruise fare covers everything essential (room, food, beverages, entertainment), there are so many additional expense items: any alcoholic beverage (for example, a Beringer white zinfandel for $35/bottle is one of the least expensive wines), soft drinks, gourmet coffee (although regular, decaf, espresso and cappuccino are provided with meals); any of the additional services (massage, nails, hair, hydrotherapy, a private cabana, the Internet access (at almost a dollar a minute!), even some of the enrichment classes (4 levels of using Photoshop Elements to organize and edit your photos at $25/session) just suck the money out of your onboard account. Still, the trip is really a bargain, given the high quality of the food, and the entertainment is pretty good. Afternoon tea at 4 pm features an excellent string quartet, fine teas, and many little delicacies to tempt the palate.
We take our daily half-hour walk around the walking/jogging deck that overlooks the pool deck and has an unobstructed view of the horizon. The temperature was a mild 73F today, and the breeze was quite pleasant. The satellite reception for CNN, BBC and other broadcast channels was lost sometime, so we have no real idea what's happening around the world - perhaps just as well!
It's 5 pm, so time for the piano styling of Aleksander Lesinski.
Sat 29 March - great food, great music, smooth sailing
The pianist was really talented, and he plays every evening, generally just after tea time and again later after dinner.
We've been really lucky with the weather - the ship is sailing along in a high-pressure area free of rain, high wind, and rough seas. It's been very smooth, although walking on the deck is pretty windy. The food has also continued to be excellent, making the choice of which appetizer, salad, soup, pasta and/or entree interesting but difficult. Sometimes we just order several, and ask them to "small size" the portion. However, "small size" does not seem to be in any of the waiters' vocabulary.
Last night the main show was a concert by the string quartet - four pretty young ladies with very Russian names, and very skilled on their instruments. It was a very enjoyable performance of familiar pieces by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Vivaldi and others.
Sun 30 March - Wed 2 April
Last night's show was a musical night of singing. He did a number of songs, and some were familiar favorites. On 30 March the ship stopped at Madeira for a few hours. We took the opportunity to visit the two of the famed gardens (photo) on the island that were mentioned in our garden book, and especially liked the Jardin Monte Palace. We took a taxi to the garden, then after walking around, took the cable car down to the town center for about one-tenth the cost of the taxi. The 1 April show again featured Vincenzo Martinelli, a wonderful guitarist who put on a great show. He had recorded his own accompaniment with other instruments, so it wasn't really a solo guitar, but a concert. We were tempted to buy his CD, but would have to carry it around for the next 8 months, so decided not to. Stan had his first PT/INR test of the trip. He was shocked to see the result was 8.0; his target is 2.5-3.5. The doctor advised reduced dosage until the next test. We were surprised how soon the last day of the cruise came - we wouldn't mind staying longer.
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