Today was our first of two days at sea. We arrive in Turks and Caicos tomorrow.
It’s really been a quiet day; days at sea have usually been among our favorites because days in port can be so frenetic. Unfortunately, though, a quiet day means no pics. 😔
We slept in late (for us) until 7:30 this morning. You know how you get those songs stuck in your head that won’t let you sleep? Ear worms? Well, last night, for me, it was Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie.” By 2 o’clock, I was ready to throw myself off the balcony. Instead, I got up and read for about an hour. I’m on a Booker Prize kick right now and am in the middle of Girl, Woman, Other. Meh. The structure is a somewhat interesting riff on poetry, but I don’t have a frame of reference for the characters—all Black women in England whose lives are loosely intertwined. It’s not that I don’t care about them, it’s just that the challenges they confront and the histories they live are largely foreign to me. I guess the book is giving me some of the context I need. At the very least, I’m sitting here now trying to analyze and understand my reaction to the book. Anyway, an hour was enough to get Neil out of my head and fall asleep.
I’m proud to say that I’m sticking to my workouts. Monday through Friday, biking through one episode of Suits each day. It probably would have been nicer to watch the ocean flow by than to bury my head in my iPad, but a routine is a routine, and when it comes to going to the gym, that’s everything.
While I was pedaling away, Mark went up to the Lido deck for breakfast, and I joined him and Alex and Dan when I was done. I skipped breakfast, though, because there were too many people scuttling about like mice chasing cheese; I was starting to have a panic attack. Alex said I had “Dan face” when I returned to the table with an empty plate. 🤣
We really just wandered for much of the morning and early afternoon. We found a quiet space near the back of the ship and lay out there for a while reading and sunning until a brief rain chased us inside. Since lunch service was beginning, we just went ahead and ate—spaghetti and meatballs for me, which was actually quite good. Getting a plate before the great unwashed showed up helped with my bout of social anxiety, too.
Mark and I spent most of the day by ourselves today. We thought about taking a look at the art that was going to be auctioned, but, well, you know what cruise art is like—overwrought, badly framed, pedestrian. The art that Holland America has hanging is MUCH more interesting than the art they’re selling, which is too bad. Two examples that jump to mind were largish compositions of Starry Night and Sunflowers rendered with plastic toys.
Eschewing the art (can you tell I’m trying to flex my vocabulary?), we went instead to the Crow’s Nest, the café/bar all the way at the front and on the highest deck of the ship. Its 270° views are relaxing and wonderful, and lots of games and puzzles are available. We discovered it yesterday afternoon, and it’s hands down my favorite spot on the ship, which is saying something; it’s a lovely ship.
Some games were scattered throughout the room inviting visitors to the nearby sofas and comfy chairs, so Mark taught me how to lose at Chinese checkers. But after two games, we bagged it. He needed to get his workout in, and I wanted to get cleaned up and to write to you folks. I’m sitting on our private balcony right now watching the white caps wave hello and goodbye and listening to some of my favorite songs. Ducks (?!) and gulls are flying alongside the ship, drafting in our wake. Once Mark returns and gets cleaned up, we’re meeting Mark and Matt for group trivia. I’ll write about tonight’s adventures and about Turks and Caicos some time tomorrow and, I hope, post some pictures.