Around South America in 80 Days

February 2, 2019

At Sea

Another leisurely morning. It was a foggy morning (and it remained that way all day) so very few people were in the Crow’s Nest. I got up there for Knitters and Stitchers about 10 but we only had a handful of people.

We had an early “Name That Tune” trivia at 11:30. Only Pat and I were there from our team, so we joined three other people. We tied with another team for the win and after two tie-breakers were still tied so we left it at that.

After lunch in the Lido we had a regular trivia and we won with 11 out of 17.

1) Sacher Torte is traditionally made with what kind of jam?

2) What is the name of the capital city that is also the name of the old man in “The Old Man and the Sea”?

3) What popular phrase came about because of a certain seed’s ability to pop open at the slightest touch?

4) What do frogs and toads not have that other amphibians do?

5) In 2004, Tainan City in Taiwan was brought to a halt due to the explosion of what?

In arts and crafts we made a pair of earrings.

At four the christening of the latest HAL ship, the Nieuw Statendam, was broadcast live from Fort Lauderdale. Oprah Winfrey is the godmother of the ship.

It was then time to get ready for the cocktail party and dinner. At 6:25 we met on deck 11 and were escorted to the Captain’s quarters. There were about 35 of us. He has a very large “living room” and mentioned it was one of the largest on any ship. After drinks and canapes (delicious scallops!) we were divided up into groups to be taken to the dining room. The Captain apologized for not having dinner with the group but had to stay close to the bridge because of the fog.

The six of us from my “other table” were seated together and were hosted by the Hotel Manager, Rene, and his wife, Judy. We had a set menu with an amuse bouche of mushroom (which I did not eat), then a salmon and caviar appetizer (which I also did not eat), then a really good soup with chicken and avocado in it. There was a choice of tuna, veal, or a vegetarian dish. Dessert was a choice of a pear “purse” or a raspberry mousse torte.

We missed evening trivia because of the dinner.

When dinner was over, Sherita, Patty, Pat and I sat in the Ocean Bar for the Winter Wonderland dance Then we went to see the “Shades of Buble” group. They put on a great performance and there was a surprising crowd for the 10 pm show. We had a great time and Sherita was chosen to go up on stage and dance with the trio.

When I returned to my cabin around 11 pm, I was exhausted (after doing nothing all day) so I checked e-mail and went to bed at just about midnight.

With the theme of "Winter Wonderland" the penguins were in their element all over the ship!