I did not leave the ship. I visited the entire island, including Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona in 2005, so I just hung out. I practically had the entire ship to myself. It was too hot to sit outside without the breeze from the ship's motion, but there are plenty of lovely venues inside for reading or napping.
February 10-13 en route to Pago Pago, Samoa
What is amazing is that there are thousands of island in this vast ocean and we only come within 200 miles of any of them, until our destinations. Makes the voyages of the first explorers positively awesome in the true sense of the word. We've seen no marine life, either, a couple of birds one day....too far off to identify.
Well, my routine is pretty much the same, except that on Sunday, I had my full English breakfast, as I do every Sunday at sea. Yum! Some rain and clouds during the morning, otherwise weather is glorious. Started an interesting series of lectures on the origins of the Micronesians, the Melanesians and the Polynesians. Are you confused yet? Fascinating from every point of view, including linguistic. These peoples were the great voyagers, originally from China, long before the European explorers who will be the subject of the next lecture. The range of their settlement is enormous....from Madagascar to Hawaii and from Taiwan to New Zealand. Incredible! The following days included the European explorers, mapping the Pacific and the voyages of Captain Cook.
On Monday, we got 19/20 at Trivia, but the unbeatable team got 20/20. Close but no stamp......for our prizes card! That night, we went to see the second show, "A Night at the Palladium" - songs of the 60s and 70s and terrific dance numbers. Great costumes. Amy and I were trying very hard not to sing along.
Tuesday, we got 9/20 at Trivia. Our prof, Chuck, was absent, so we reckoned it was all his fault! We crossed the line, the Equator, at 1:15 and at 2:15 we had the Crossing of the Line Ceremony. It was fun, but nothing can compare to the one on the QE2 in 2008! That evening, we went to another cocktail party with ship's officers, after which we dined in the Verandah. Paul and I had the 6-course degustation menu. It was wonderful ......every bit as good as it was two years ago. Here are a few details: pigeon in bitter chocolate sauce, scallops on a truffle reduction, foie gras, lobster and scallop salad, filet mignon, and a dessert plate with 6 miniature desserts. All washed down with a great Italian wine and, for me, a post-prandial Poire William!
Wednesday, with Chuck back on board, we managed 18/20 at Trivia, but still only came in second!
We went to the single malt tasting in the afternoon. Nicely set up with little tables and armchairs in the Commodore Club. We tasted five single malts...Glenkinchie 12 yr, Glenmorangie, 10yr, Cragganmore, 12yr, Talisker, 10yr and Bowmore 10yr. the origins ranged from Lowlands, to Highlands, to the Western Isles and Speyside, home to more than half of all the distilleries. Taste ranged from light and easy to the "peat monsters". Amy and Paul really like the peaty malts. I do not. I liked the Glenmorangie and the Cragganmore.
The wine steward gave us a great deal of fascinating information, such as many single malts are aged in casks that have previously been used for bourbon. Jack Daniels is a large supplier of these casks. Others are aged in casks used for sherry. Nan and I learned this when we went to the "1776" Macallan tasting. This time we learned how to approach each tasting: color, "legs" (the design the oil makes when you swirl the malt in the glass), nose, taste and finish (how long the taste lingers). It was interesting to hear other tasters' takes on the various notes they could discern and particularly on the finish. De gustibus......
So many more details...too many for here, but I will end with a quote from Mark Twain:
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much of a good whiskey is barely enough."
In the evening, after dinner and before he show, Amy and I go to the Queens Room to watch the sequence dancing. I've never seen it before, even though it is as old as the hills...almost literally, since, with the exception of the waltz, all dancing was sequence dancing until the 20th century. There are currently some 4000 dances!The British have been keeping it alive. You should see these couples, some well into their eighties, perhaps a few nonagenarians. All doing the same steps, with few personal flourishes as they progress round the room. They are fantastic! The Asians love it too, but are still learning. Ballroom dancing has always been a big part of the Cunard experience, but we have not seen this before.
Tonight's show was another terrific show which featured the Cunard orchestra, band, harpist, string quartet and the four singers. Songs from Sondheim, Billy Joel, the Monkees, the Mamas and the Papas and more. Great fun.
Tomorrow we reach Pago Pago. We then lose a day and arrive in Apia. I will post again after Apia.
Here are some photos:
Above: the judge, Neptune and his wife at the Crossing of the Line ceremony.
Below: Amy and I wearing our necklaces that we bought in Bhutan in 2008.
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