Day Three

Another Day at Sea

                   Not much to report

                   We basically killed time between meals  😊

                   I attended a lecture on older, fondly remembered cruise ships, the highlights of the lecture were the Star of Bermuda, the Queen Elizabeth II, and the France. The gentleman who gave the lecture is aboard for at least the first leg of the cruise and will talk on some other topics, all having to do with ships, including my favorite guy, Captain James Cook, who’s voyages of discovery in the 18tgh century stand out as having as much impact on our knowledge of the unknown as the Apollo missions did hundreds of years later. It will be interesting!

                   Paula attended a large gathering of Bridge enthusiasts and quickly found out that the Brits play by some different rules. Paula did her best to keep our good relationship with the Empire intact!

                   Two naps (Each! There was a first nap and a second nap) later we found ourselves waiting on a line to get into the dining room. More on that situation as I go undercover as a Foodservice Crewmember and bring you the real story!

                   Film at 11.

                   Anyway, we found ourselves with two older couples, one of which was much older, like ancient!

                   But here’s the lesson we learned, “Don’t judge a couple by their walkers!” The older couple were on their seventh World Cruise! How they get around is a sight to behold. The gentleman is the one using the walker and his speed is akin to the proverbial snail. His wife could be the sweetest person we’ve ever met. Both had great careers, his was in aerospace technology and she taught surgeons and wound care specialists how to do their jobs. She had some high-ranking position at Rutgers in the Medical School. They’ve been EVERYWHERE but couldn’t get enough of what everyone else had done with their lives. Their attitude was actually quite inspirational and we wouldn’t hesitate to sit with them in the future. We were able to get a small hike in on the Promenade Deck. There was some maintenance being done so half of it was closed, hence the shorter walk.

                   But it did provide a good photo op! The results of which are displayed here.

                   As I write this, I can see the lights of Cartagena on the horizon. It’s still dark here (we are still in the Eastern Time Zone as we basically sailed due south since embarkation.) Old and historic, Cartagena promises to give a taste of what the New World looked like back in the day. The old city and its ramparts are a UNESCO World Heritage Site as examples of what typical old fortifications looked like when the likes of Sir Francis Drake attacked the city, so Spain poured a ton of money into building fortifications.

                   It’s these fortifications and the Old City, which they surround, that will be the subjects of our Excursion in Cartagena.