May 11, 2012: Lisbon, Portugal (Day 1)
	May 9, 2012: Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal
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From the Ship's Log:   Thursday, May 10, 2012 At Sea Position at Noon:      38°03'N, 018°33'W Weather:      Gentle southerly breeze, moderate seas, low swell. Overcast skies, I011hPa, 18°C/64°F

Today was a typical, routine, uneventful sea day, except for an early morning surprise.

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I awoke quite early, and I was not sure why. As I lay in bed for a while in the dark room, I heard the ship's horn give a long, slow blast. Inside the suite it wasn't particularly loud, and it didn't wake either Fred or Greg. But as I lay there, I heard it again, about five minutes later. So I got up and went to the curtains drawn across the verandah door, and peeked out. What I saw made me get dressed quickly, grab my camera, and head up on deck.

I decided to go to the stern, which had the best view off the ship, and as soon as I got there, I made the movie that you can watch with the player at left. When you watch it, you'll understand what it was that I saw (or, more properly, didn't see outside.

Later on in the morning, when I actually sat down to have my breakfast, I happened to run across a ship's officer, and I asked him about the ship's horn, which was still heard every five minutes. It turns out that it is, indeed, regulation when visibility falls below a certain threshhold, for ships at sea to sound their horns frequently. I asked him why the ship needed to do that, since they had radar, and he explained that heavy fog can confuse radar equipment, and it's possible that another vessel, particularly a smaller one, could be missed. So I got a bit of education in ship operation.

The fog began to lift about nine-thirty in the morning, and by ten o'clock or so was pretty much gone. But before then, I went up to the front of the ship to the observation deck in front of the gym. You can see what the view ahead looked like here. I don't ever recall fog this thick on any cruise we've taken; it was certainly eerie.

Today, we got back to the same routine as on our previous sea days- playing bridge with MaryEllen and Jim, having lunch, playing duplicate bridge in the afternoon and then doing the gym, the LGBT meeting and dinner. It was a restful day.

I suppose the biggest change was that Fred and I went to an early show before going to dinner- leaving the LGBT meeting a bit early to do so. The show was the pianist David Howarth. He is, apparently, quite well-known among pianists, and does most of his work on cruise ships. His Internet bio lists every major cruise line I could think of, and he does other tours as well. He was quite good, I thought, although I would have preferred more "Ferrante and Teicher" and a little less "high-energy show." We did not take our cameras to the show; the picture at left is David performing on the QE2 in 2009.

The shows are usually at 8PM and 10PM, but tonight they were at 6PM and 8PM to make way for the Officer's Black and White Ball in the Vista Lounge at 10PM.

We did not "attend" the ball, but we did go up to the balcony of the show lounge and look down on it, just to see what it was like. Essentially, it is a night set aside for the cruise patrons who like to dance, but don't do the modern dances that are the staple of the Northern Lights Lounge. The Captain and all the available officers dress up in their formal uniforms and make themselves available as dance partners for those who might need them. Of course, couples are invited to dance themselves, and we saw all sorts of people- from old folks to kids- out on the dance floor.

With all the balloons and other decorations, it was festive affair.

Fred and I did some walking around the ship; this was the chilliest night we had so far (and it would turn out to be as chilly as it got on either cruise).

This Evening's Towel Animal  

Monkey Business

Of course, when we returned to the room, we found this evening's "towel animal," and it seemed obvious to us that it was a monkey of some kind.

You can use the links below to continue to the album page for different day.

	May 11, 2012: Lisbon, Portugal (Day 1)
	May 9, 2012: Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal
	Return to the Index for Our Cruise to Europe