6th March 2016

A good night’s sleep woke Sue up, declaring she was finally getting her sea legs. To me, they looked the same as ever; perhaps it’s all in the mind?

Since it was ‘Mother’s Day’ back in the UK (hard to believe I had to remind Sue), she opened her cards while still in bed, marvelling at the lovely words and pictures. Naturally, she then insisted I read them too!

We had an early breakfast, keen to attend the English excursion trip seminar. Despite there being 220 Brits on board, fewer than a dozen turned up. We ended up sitting next to a gentleman who turned out to be Dutch. The speaker mentioned that the British aren’t keen on early starts, perhaps a polite way of saying lazy? The talk was well-delivered and informative, though it was disappointing to learn that the excursion to Jerusalem later in the voyage had been cancelled due to ongoing unrest in the region.

After the seminar, as I hadn’t had a chance to research the places we’d be visiting or book any independent outings, we quickly made our way to the ship’s Tour Office. There, we secured a spot on a trip to Masada and the Dead Sea before it filled up.

Later, over coffee in one of the restaurants, we pored over the tour magazine and planned our activities for the other ports of call mentioned in the presentation. Heading back to the Tour Office, we found the English representative from Reading and asked a few questions about the destinations before booking excursions in Oman and, of course, a visit to Petra in Jordan. For the Seychelles, we decided to go ashore and “do our own thing,” a strategy we’ve become quite adept at.

The next stop was the library, where Sue continued her book while I wrestled with my tablet, frustrated by the lack of connectivity. Eventually, I sought help from reception, where the tech guy kindly gave me the crew’s shortcut, success! With the connection sorted, I was able to send off the blogs.

By lunchtime, we’d heard about a more formal onboard restaurant, the ‘Botticelli’, and decided to give it a try. We were seated at a table and soon joined by a Swedish couple, who, as expected, spoke excellent English. We got along famously, which was just as well because the service was quite slow. The meal stretched to two hours and might have gone on even longer if the Swedish lady hadn’t decided to voice her dissatisfaction.

After lunch, Sue settled on the deck with her book, while I headed to the gym we’d discovered that morning at the front of the ship. This time, I was sensible and stuck to the cycles and upper-body equipment, steering well clear of the treadmills. I still have one of those pesky urchin spines lodged in my foot. It hasn’t caused any trouble yet, but I’m keen not to aggravate it, at least not until it works its way out or Sue decides to have another go at extracting it.

After a shower, I found Sue still engrossed in her book on the deck. On our previous ship, tracking her down could feel like a wild goose chase, but this smaller vessel leaves fewer hiding spots, though Sue does have the knack for fitting into the most unlikely nooks. She’d borrowed ‘Scrabble’ from the library, and we spent the rest of the afternoon in battle. I chalked up my first win of the voyage just as the daylight faded. By then, the deck was nearly empty except for a few determined souls briskly doing their circuits before dinner. Sue suggested we join them, but back in the cabin, she promptly lay down and fell asleep. Well, it is Mother’s Day!

When she woke, we changed and opted for a casual dinner at the buffet before heading to the Vienna Cabaret Lounge. The evening’s entertainment was a fantastic Gospel and Tamla Motown quartet. Their superb renditions of the sixties hits and beautifully choreographed Gospel songs were a delight. Their version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ even brought a tear to my eye, a first for me (must be getting soft).

Afterwards, we took a stroll around the deck, lingering at the stern to watch the propeller wash fade into the dark and gazing at the stars, hoping for a shooting star. We were rewarded with one. How romantic.

Back in our cabin, we flicked through the TV channels looking for the news. With no BBC available, we eventually settled on Al Jazeera until sleep crept into the cabin.