Yes, we both got up at 6:00 AM to make sure we arrived at the 7:00 AM stretching class. That’s just plain insane as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, we arrived at the class and immediately decided NO WAY -- it involves a lot of work on mats on the floor, which means you have to get down onto the mat and then back up and that is just not going to happen with this body and these knees. But to our credit, instead of just wandering to the buffet for breakfast, we did some treadmill time and some bicycle time. The treadmill machines face huge windows at the front of the ship so I had a great view of the Mediterranean. My mind wandered for a bit to all the ships over all the centuries that have traveled these same waters on this same course. It is an interesting feeling of connection to other seafarers through time although my voyage is far more luxurious than most.
Decided on the spur of the moment to get a manicure because my nails were in terrible shape -- I find it difficult to keep my skin and nails in good shape when traveling because I use so much disinfectant every time we eat something and that stuff does terrible things to your skin and cuticles. Anyway, the manicurist turned out to be from a town that is only 30 miles from where I live -- what a small world. I’d rate the manicure about a B or B-, not bad but not nearly as good as my usual at home. And I really did not appreciate the constant up-sale pressure. In the guise of simple conversation she tried to sell me overly-expensive skin and nail products then tried to sell me several overly-expensive extra hand massages. I declined and as a result, the massage that usually comes with every manicure was very lackluster -- almost nonexistent. Although I am very aware that the spa is in business to make money, the constant pressure to buy more detracts significantly from the overall spa experience. But I will be back in 2 weeks for my regular manicure-pedicure because my nails can’t wait until I get home. When I first booked the cruise I was secretly thinking of booking a massage or two, but even a simple 40-minute Swedish massage costs $120, which I think is outrageously high. So I’ve sworn off massages for this trip.
We got ourselves to show up on time to pick up our free ice show extravaganza tickets. Can you imagine doing ice skating tricks while the ship is at sea? Well they manage to do it, although if the sea is too rough they cancel the show. We explored several more places on the ship and then we engaged in the classic shipboard activity of reading and napping. Actually, I think I’m catching up after several weeks of frantic getting ready for this trip and then several busy days in Barcelona. My body is trying to achieve balance and who am I to thwart such a goal.
My sister went to the theater in the afternoon to see the movie The Help and we decided to skip the fancy dining room for dinner and went to the buffet. Wow, they really had quite a selection -- really good Mexican food, Indian food, and fresh made-to-order sushi. Brought some cookies to our room and watched old, silly movies on the TV.
The temperature is absolutely wonderful, the slight breeze generated by the ship is delightful (we’re traveling at about 22 knots, diagonally across the Mediterranean -- saw a glimpse of Sardinia off to the left in the late afternoon) and the sea is very calm. This is the life!
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