The Northern Isles Day 4
The Northern Isles
Day 04 - Sunday, July 13, 2003 - ms Rotterdam - At Sea
Just as the alarm went off at 7 AM we heard the ship’s horn give one loud blast. I looked out the window, then got up and walked outside in the veranda and saw the dense fog. One could hardly see the ocean directly below us. And it was cool.
On the ship’s TV channel it said it was 54 degrees and we have gone 315 nautical miles. We still had another 350 to go to St. Pierre. Gennie and I finally got out of bed at 7:30 and took a quick shower and got dressed to go for our morning walk.
We decided to use the promenade peripheral walkway where we joined about 20 other hardy souls. The wind was blowing, the deck walkway was wet and there was some sea spray. We had found out that 3.5 laps around equaled 1 mile so there was some measure.
The problem we found was that after several laps one can lose count. We did 10 laps and when we were about halfway with our walk the ships crew were washing the outer portions of the ship and spraying it down. As we came by they would crimp the hose so as not to spray us.
We went back to our room, dried off a little and then went to the Lido for the buffet breakfast. The offerings are so extensive - all the types of eggs one could ask. Breads, fruits, 9 different kind of juices, yogurts, etc. I had juice, fruit, bread, cheese and coffee. Gennie had a yogurt, fruit, eggs, and milk.
As we were leaving we saw Susan and Bob and they were just finishing.
We talked about the day, the fog and the slight roll of the ship. We agreed to meet for lunch in the Lido deck.
I went to the Cyber Center with the laptop and the wireless card to get set up to send the emails. Rodin Leitao help me open my account ($55 for 100 minutes)but we had to go to the center of the ship to access the net on the wireless - none in the computer room!
Once there, my wireless card recognized the ship’s network but not the guest’s. I worked it for some time and finally got my wireless to recognize it. Then I could not log in - the ship’s web page would not come on. So, once again, I worked on it as Rodin had no clue. Finally, another guy with a laptop told me to turn of ZONEALARM. I did so and it worked. I was able to receive the e-mails that awaited us.
While I was doing this Gennie had gone to the cabin and taken our clothes to the launderette. They have a good self-service system that cost $2 to wash (soap automatically dispensed) and $1 to dry each load.
Gennie had gone to the front desk and purchased a roll of quarters so she is set for the trip. By 12 noon she had clean clothes for both of us. We noticed that the fog had not dissipated and the temperature had stayed in the high 50's.
I returned to the room, created the email and zipped the six pictures that I was going to include in the mailing. I went back downstairs (Deck 4) and with my computer on I was able to quickly check for any new e-mails and send out the journal for Saturday.
At 1:15 we met Bob and Susan at the Lido buffet restaurant and had lunch. They had King Crab as one of the items. It was broken and the pieces were cut in half so it was easy to get pieces. Very good. Salad, pizza, complemented the lunch. Gennie finished with two scoops of ice cream - CHOCOLATE and strawberry.
We spent some time talking about change and how some people, both in the schools and airline industry accept and thrive on the changes in technology, where as others follow and others resist.
Gennie and I walked around, seeing people, having a coffee at the Java Café while we waited for the 1PM showing of Shanghai Knights to finish. We went into the theater at 3 PM, got popcorn and watched the film on the big screen. It was funny but the out-takes were the best.
At 4:45 we went back to the room and I worked on constructing some Panorama shots. Gennie got things ready for our first formal dinner - tonight. There were some wrinkles on her dress and my suit coat so those were steamed and pressed out. Then a quick shower and we were ready to go to the Pinnacle Grill for the special dinner as we had made special reservations for this upscale restaurant.
Our dinners were spectacular. Again, a 5 course dinner, but tonight Gennie had a piece of salmon that was at least 14 ounces. She could not eat it all. I had a 12 ounce filet that I was able to cut with my fork. So sweet, juicy, and tender. Maybe the best I have ever eaten. Gennie had a Baked Alaska with Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. The company, the service, and the meal were just excellent.
At 9:30 we left to walk around a little bit; we checked the promenade but it was quite wet. When we went to the area of the ship where the individual photos are posted - we found nothing to write home about - yet.
Susan is keeping track of our steps on her pedometer and on Saturday we walked over 13 miles while in Boston and today over 7 miles just on board the ship. Maybe this way the great food will not be as much of a concern.
Looking at the TV in our room, we are at the tip of Nova Scotia just across the mouth of the St. Lawrence River from Newfoundland. The temperature of the water and the air is the same - ergo = fog.
We have not been able to see more than 20 yards from the side of the ship all day. Sea conditions are quite calm with very little wave action. I decided to work on the pictures a bit and finish the journal so I could send it out early in tomorrow (Monday) morning.
ms Rotterdam
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