16th March 2016

The clocks went forward by one hour last night, so we woke at 6 am. Deciding to follow our body clocks, we were in the restaurant for breakfast before 7 am. It seemed that most of our fellow passengers had the same idea, as the restaurant we chose was full.

After a quick scoot around the deck (another hot one), we attended a lecture on the Greek ports of Iraklion, Kalamata, Katakolon, and Italy’s Civitavecchia in the cool comfort of the Cabaret Vienna. We spent the rest of the day reading our books and enjoying watching the various dance classes taking place in the Grand Bar.

Lunch was served in ‘The Grill’, where a traditional Indian buffet was on offer. Despite our journey through the Indian Ocean, we had yet to encounter any dishes from the subcontinent, which Sue, in particular, had been missing. The variety was impressive, and my choices turned out to be satisfyingly spicy.

Sue kicked off the afternoon by watching another performance of ‘Latin Dancers in Tango!’, while I headed to the gym. The exercise is paying off, and I’m starting to look less like Alfred Hitchcock.

Later, I attended a table-napkin folding lecture, picking up a few tricks for Christmas, while Sue enjoyed afternoon tea and continued reading her book. We met up again in the stern lounge for a social gathering arranged for the English on board. Of the 47 Brits, only 13 of us turned up: one Danish, another Australian, and two Scots. There was a fashion show happening at the same time, which may have been more appealing to the others (though we’ll never know). We had a chat among ourselves before taking part in a quiz hosted by Jessica, our English rep. We came second and won a ‘Costa’ cap, although we should have tied for first. Unfortunately, we misspelt the Captain’s name, and so did the winning team, but they still got a point. Foul play was suspected!

We sat next to a Mauritian couple at dinner and got caught up in conversation, arriving late to the evening show. By the time we arrived, we could only secure seats in the third row. We were entertained by a multilingual Spanish singer who gave a surprisingly unique performance, singing alongside Edith Piaf. Yes, I did say with, through the wonders of technology and 3D projection, she sang with the French icon. It was marvellous, and for once, I actually enjoyed Edith’s warbling!

As another sea day came to an end under a waxing moon, we made our way to our hammocks. Me hearties!