Tracy-Shane-Trips

So today we were “at sea”. This means that the entire day, this was pretty much my view. This one was from the balcony. I started the day at 730am with yoga. I really appreciated the breathing techniques. It was for super beginners, so no downward dog or tree poses. Very relaxing. After a shower, I went out to sit by the pool. At 9 am, everyone was eating breakfast so the chaises were empty.

Here was my view, hot tub and pool, and then off the back of the ship.

Shane joined me around 1130 am and we chatted until lunch at noon. Fresh pasta today. It was fettuccini alfredo and penne bolognese. Didn’t take any pictures since it wasn’t very fancy, but it was very good.

We went back to the room, and I sat on the balcony in the sun and read for a while. It was so gorgeous today, with temps in the mid-70s and sunny. We are on the starboard side of the ship, so we got the sun all day. Shane was on his computer. Not a very good signal out in the middle of nowhere, so he was limited in what he could watch or play. Nevertheless, he found something.

At 2 pm, I went to a wine tasting. Of course, there is a sommelier on board, along with a whole group of wine bartenders/experts, and they gave a presentation on 5 different wines. While I am a pretty experienced wine “drinker,” I am not a connoisseur by any means. I learned a lot about how to taste wine, from looking at the wine (they actually recommend you first check whether there is anything floating in the glass) to smelling “the nose” (apparently you sniff first with one nostril and then with the other), to how eating cheese before you take a sip really changes the flavor of the wine. These were all pretty good ones, but I learned about one new wine today that I will most certainly be looking for at home: the one in the lower right: Dow’s Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port from Portugal. Didn’t know I liked port… this is going to be dangerous.

One other thing I learned is that there is a wine which is a blend of three grapes called GSM or Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre which apparently everyone in the room but me had tried at some point. They all agreed that it was the most amazing wine every so I had to look it up to see whether I could get some in PA, USA. Yes of course I can and Google recommended Barossa Valley Estate GSM for $8.79. Hmmm, not sure about that price?? Not that I “want” to spend a lot more, but a 9 dollar bottle of wine? I guess I’ll have to do a little more research.

Class was over at 315 pm, and I headed back to the room to get Shane for the 4pm High Tea. Shane had Rose and French Vanilla tea, and I had Darjeeling.

At 6 pm, I headed downstairs for a lecture on the Vikings. Here are some shots from the lecture. I learned some interesting things from the resident historian, Dr. John Wineland. He travels with Viking all over the world and entertains passengers with lectures on a wide range of historical subjects, depending on where the cruise is going. He was an excellent speaker and is also a teacher. I imagine his students enjoy his lectures. I wonder if any Viking passengers would be interested in hearing about Risk Analysis? Do you think Viking would offer me a job?

I also learned that there was a 10th-century Scandinavian king named Harald Bluetooth, and that’s who the inventors of “Bluetooth” tech named it after.

So after the lecture, I went back up to get Shane, and we went to dinner. Lots of good choices tonight. Sushi, veal schnitzel, hanger steak, orvietto ragu, and some forgotten white fish. It was ok, but not good enough for me to remember its name.

It’s still gorgeous and sunny, but 830 pm here now, and we are back in the room for the night. Here’s how Shane ended his day. Gelato and a cookie on the balcony with the sunset. Hope you’re having a great day. When we wake up tomorrow, we’ll be in Dublin, and Shane and I have the tour of the Jameson Distillery. Irish whiskey is called the “water of life,” and Jameson’s, founded in 1870, was one of the world’s largest whiskey distilleries until it closed in 1970. BTW, the drinking age in Ireland is 18. Just sayin’

G’nite all!

Tracy