At Sea

A day of rest is welcomed. Rest from a port visit, not from the gym.

Today was full of activities that mark the end of our adventure aboard the Volendam. The “on deck for a cause” walk around the promenade took place this morning. $25 gets you a t shirt and you can walk around the deck. 5k or 3.1 miles. 10 laps around the ship. The organization benefiting is “Direct Relief”, a humanitarian aid organization. Of course anyone can donate to this organization at anytime but without the t shirt for recognition, no one will do that.

Just in case anyone lost a few calories during the walk, the kitchen has decided to present “Cake Me Away”. Desserts guaranteed to create a huge line on the Lido deck. Just in case you shed a few calories waiting in line at 11:30, an ice cream social is scheduled at 2 pm. Consuming all of that ice cream can make one hungry. Luckily the Chocolate Surprise is scheduled for 9:30 pm. People worry when their belt begins to loosen. Thankfully that is not a problem here.

We skipped these activities but did notice plates full of desserts and bowls of ice cream being consumed. It’s easy to reward yourself when you have exercised so vigorously and donated to a good cause.

We received a notice about the immigration procedure in Portland, ME, our first stop back in the USA on Tuesday. Everyone has to get off of the ship and have a face to face meeting with a custom official in port. No such meeting took place in Canada, Iceland or Greenland. I guess the thinking may be that no one is trying to get into those countries.

Trivia was extra tough today

Which composer composed the Ring Cycle? Richard Wagner

What is the official language of Mozambique? Portuguese

Which particle is referred to the God particle? The Higgs Boson

What is the name of Jupiter’s largest moon? Ganymede

Math term that has magnitude and direction. Vector

Term meaning very, very fast in music. Presto

Who was the longest serving British Prime Minister in the 20th Century? Margaret Thatcher

Type of dough used to make Bakalava. Phylo

Name for plants that complete their life cycle in one year. Annual

Reptile that is able to detach its tail to escape a predator. Lizard

What is the August birthstone? Perdot

Who used the term “Blood, Toils, Tears, and Sweat? Winston Churchill

What was the title to the sequel to the book “To Kill A Mockingbird?” Go Set a Watchman

Which is the most developed human sense at birth? Smell/hearing

What is 3 under par on a single hole called? (golf) Albatross

What is growing plants without soil called? Hydroponics

Which poet wrote the leaves of grass? Walt Whitman

Where is the metropolitan museum of art located? NYC

Extra challenging?

It was dressy night in the dining room. I had on a suit and Terri a dress. Not many follow this anymore. I think it will be eliminated soon. It is expensive to keep having your fine clothing tailored to fit your growing body. Why not just wear stretchy gym clothes to dinner instead?

The evening entertainment was the Cape Breton Thunder. They performed traditional music from their hometown of Cape Bretton. Definitely an Irish flair to the tunes. Perfect for a kitchen party! I learned about this at our last stop. A kitchen party takes place in the kitchen. Why? This is where the food and cold beer is! The music this group performed was outstanding! 10