28th January 2015

We had an excellent night’s sleep, and Sue woke up saying her wrist felt much better, though it was still very swollen. Breakfast was in Jardine, where I enjoyed a couple of perfectly poached eggs on a bun base, set atop fresh salmon and finished with a delicate sauce that had just a hint of cheese. Delicious!

We took a quick stroll around the deck, but the weather was cool and miserable, with several squalls visible around the ship, though they seemed to pass us by rather quickly. Still, it was clear we’d eventually head through one, so we wisely took shelter back in the cabin. Somewhere along the way, Sue managed to lose one of her gloves.

The first lecture of the day was on the Beatles. It was enjoyable, being from that era, most of the information was already familiar to us. Sue stayed in the theatre for a port presentation on Cádiz, while I migrated to the photography studio for a lesson on landscape photography. We met back at the cabin before heading to lunch in the Plaza.

Afterwards, I spent an hour in the Atrium reading, occasionally glancing up to watch a line-dancing class. It looked like good fun, maybe, with a little persuasion, I could get Sue to join me in giving it a try.

Following lunch in the Plaza, we attended a port presentation on Gibraltar, before I read a couple more chapters of my book and then settled into the Footlights Theatre to listen to a performance of Grieg’s music by pianist Nick Powell. The pieces were beautifully played, and I nearly drifted off during the second set! Nick mentioned he’d once performed in the Grieg Theatre in Bergen, which we visited last autumn.

I then found a cosy spot in one of the bars to continue with my book, but a quiz session soon started nearby, making it hard to focus on the story. Giving in, I joined the quiz, managing a respectable score of 17 out of 20.

When I returned to the cabin, I found Sue already dressed for the Captain’s Party. She headed off to listen to some music while I showered and changed. The party was held in the Atrium, and after a glass of wine and a photo from the onboard photographer, we listened to the Captain’s brief address. He didn’t quite have the charisma or eclectic sense of humour of the captain of our last cruise on the Oriana, we can only hope he’s a better seaman than orator!

Dressed in our glad rags for the evening meal, we were presented with a specially prepared menu by Marco Pierre. Ironically, no one on our table opted for any of the Frenchman’s dishes!

The evening’s entertainment in the theatre was a song and dance troupe performing a lively selection of musical numbers, finishing with the Can-Can. It was energetic and rather exhausting to watch, especially with all the audience clapping involved. I expect we’ll sleep soundly again tonight!