Oh! The Places You Will Go Series Weaver France 2007

Bob and Marilyn Go To Prom Sep 5, 2007

Marilyn here... Even though we lost an hour last night, we woke early to look out of our balcony door to see nothing but ocean. Of course we're 300 miles away from New York City on the Atlantic -- what did we expect! If we are going to continue to enjoy the vast offerings of food, we are going to have to maintain some semblance of an exercise program. Thus we did 6 laps on the Promenade Deck to reach our two miles; it's a bit disconcerting as you walk aft on the port side of the ship (that is "walking to the rear on the left side of this sea-born hotel that we're living on" for those of you who didn't serve in the Navy) with the water flowing past you -- kinda like the movable walkways at the airport. Sailing out of NY last night was very, very cool as we went past the Statue of Liberty with Snoopy II ballooning above us. The presence of the security helicopters and the police boats with men manning extremely large guns (I think there's a Freudian slip in that last bit of words) made us feel quite important and a bit apprehensive. But nothing that a glass of champagne couldn't fix. We spent the day unpacking (with 12 drawers, a walk-in closet, two other closets and two sets of shelves, I think we have one article of clothing in each spot!) and exploring the ship with its theatre, planetarium, library --- why, it's just like WVHS only with bars -- 13 of them to be exact. Bob and I are both in grown up clothes today -- no tee shirts and shorts for us. Off to lunch with a stop for a glass of wine in the Queens' Grill Lounge -- just us and 4 other folks who could have been our grandparents only with English accents. Bob here with the lunch report..... Lunch: M - cold melon soup, Greek salad. B - chicken/leek terrine with red pepper coulis, spinach ravioli with herbed butter sauce. 2005 Pinot Bianco Alois Lageder. Crisp, well balanced northern Italian that perfectly accented the food. More exploration and it's time to get dressed for our first formal evening and the first time since Sher and Todd's wedding that I am wearing pantyhose. (Oh, it's back to Marilyn now). It's a "Bob and Marilyn Go to Prom Evening", only I'm not standing at the entrance shaking hands and sniffing breaths like I've done at every other prom I've attended. There are actually photographers set up just like high school -- we eschewed this opportunity and headed for another glass of champagne. One of the perks of our cabin level is the use of a private lounge where, like Cheers, everyone knows your name (and your cabin number so you can be billed). Drink prices are reasonable given Chicago prices for the same -- $4-$8 for a mixed drink $4-$10 for a glass of wine and $9.50 for a glass of French champagne. We are served little nibblies while we sip as good jazz plays on the sound system. One of the internet hot spots is also located in this lounge. And, we are the youngest by decades of anyone else in the room Dinner: B- Foie gras as a starter. M- smoked salmon. We both opted for the ala carte mustard bread crumbed rack of lamb with potatoes, onion rings, mushrooms, asparagus. We finished the meal with a selection of cheeses from the cheese cart. Drank the Pinot Bianco with the starters and moved on to a 2001 Santenay Faiveley (Pinot Noir) an excellent Burgundy. Bruno, our sommelier, is very efficient with saving unconsumed wine and serving it the following day -- just like home but his refrigerated cabinets are much more elegant than our refrigerator. After dinner we visited the Chart Room where a very good jazz trio was playing and then (at the other end of the ship) on to the Commodore Lounge where there was a pianist. The ship is the length of three football fields (and there I go with another high school comparison!) And we lost another hour again tonight. One of joys of this cruise is the people watching. Several nationalities are represented -- French, Canadian, German, Australian, and of course British and American. We've witnessed some boorish behavior from both the Brits and our fellow Americans -- made us want to start singing "Oh Canada" so no one would think we shared a country.

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