Friday 8th February 2013
Day 14
A very quiet and restful day. We have the meals to break up the day but mostly we just read and puzzle. Yesterday we had so much to see and absorb. Ginette asks me to request from Gary an omelet and bacon for lunch tomorrow instead of at breakfast time. We are eating too much but it is hard when that is what breaks up the day. We both sleep till morning.
Saturday 9th February 2013
Day 15
We wake at 5am though it is 4am now with the retard. We have had a restful day yesterday and intend to go for a walk around the bow. The weather is rougher and we watch the swell on the sea. I get up and shower early and go outside, putting on my cashmere coat over the sarong. This makes it bearable and I am pleased the coat is as warm as I'd hoped. It is very windy and I don't stay out long. Take a few pictures of the dawn. Roy also gets up in time for breakfast. He puts on his cotton jumper from Country Road. We return to our cabin and watch the changing weather patterns. It is so very beautiful as the clouds are like cotton balls then we keep traveling on and a storm passes, rainbows over water and it clears again. I take a series of images to capture these frequent changes. Roy is also watching and reading. I gather up the washing and set off a load. It takes all morning and I do a session of TaiChi warm up exercises. It is difficult to maintain balance and flow with the rolling of the ship for the full 85 TaiChi. I go up to the office and spend an hour composing an email to send to the kids, as well as, the family. We both go to lunch. The Captain tells us there will be a drill at about 3pm. We don't need to attend but the alarm will sound. We again return to our room and Roy sleeps. It has rained and there is hail on deck. I ask if we can walk afterwards. When he eventually wakes, and the weather has cleared to sunshine, we dress up in our jackets. I put on the green oilskin weather coat against the wind. Roy puts on his English coat. He doesn't wear his jumper. We go to the upper deck and I call the bridge to tell them we are going to the bow. There is hesitation and then he asks the officer in charge. Permission isn't granted because of the strength of the weather and the sea swell. It is dangerous. We check outside by looking just past the door and it is sea and wind is strong. The crew are in their thick coats. We go back to B deck and Roy makes a tea. He stands outside, on the lifeboat section, while I prepare my hot thick chocolate. We return to our room and we relax again. The washing took a while and I tried the iron dry setting but it caused creases in my trousers. Roy pours himself a gin and tonic. Roy looks out the window and says maybe it is Sicily. I puzzle while he settles in bed. I sit at the window and see the lights. Maybe it really is Sicily and we have missed it. I step outside with my coat on. It is very cold and windy. The string of lights stretches away and it is soon left behind. I come inside. I doze on the couch and miss dinner.
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| It is actually Crete to our starboard. |
Sunday 10th February 2013
Day 16
At about 4am I am wide awake. I get my phone to write my diary. I hear Roy wake about an hour later. The diary writing helps me as if I have spoken to a friend. I try to return to sleep but it is impossible. Without dinner last night I am hungry for breakfast and get ready. I am very sore because I did not get into my usual front lying position, when sleeping on the couch overnight. Everything is aching and there is a catching in the right ribs. I get dressed and tell Roy I am off to breakfast. Outside our door is a carton of Heineken beer which Roy ordered. He asks me to take the thermos. Did he pay Gary a tip? He did this yesterday, when he had dinner. I go to breakfast alone. He says he isn't hungry. Gary makes a comment about my not coming to dinner but I can only agree. Ginette is not at table. Roy comes in, too, then leaves for the lift and I go too. When we get back to our room, I need to lie completely flat and return to bed. I sleep for an hour. The weather is rough and there are constant bursts of rain.
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| Bursts of sunshine and rain. |
Roy has received the news@sea and makes himself a tea. I forgot my painkillers so I get up for them. I return but cannot sleep. Roy says he is going up to the bridge. He comes back full of enthusiasm. He had chatted to the Captain. They leave at Hamburg. The majority of the officers. Milos, Zoran and Darios. Almost all the Croatian crew. We will get a new replacement lot, till Southampton. He says, get dressed and we'll go out on deck. The swell is quite large and exciting. We head down to the upper deck and there are crew members washing the corridors. The outside door is shut by a wheeled locking mechanism. One man spins it open for us. We stand outside and the wind is blustery and strong. We stay close to the entrance. It is raining and not pleasant. The swell seen close up is very high and would be very uncomfortable in a smaller boat. We cross to the other side, walking just in front of the forecastle tower. It is worse on that side and I get water into my clogs. We return to the tower and Roy wheels closed the outside door. Gary is also there and looks at us, as if, what are you doing outside? We walk up the stairs to D deck. This forces some exercise. We check the gym and there must be someone in the sauna as there are sandals on the mat. The outside door is blocked, so we cannot exit there. We walk to the starboard side, along the inside corridor, and step out. This is more distant from the swell and not as windswept. Afterwards, we check the library, on this floor, and I locate Gary's room which has his name label. There are some French books in the library. Next Roy suggests the bridge. He knows he can get a tea there. We chat to Joey. Joey explains how different it is now, compared to how it was in 1990 to 2000 when ships stopped for longer, the unloading stopped at night so there was always shore leave. One could have meals on shore and stay out till morning, when duty commenced. Also since 9/11 the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, terrorist security prevents any random persons coming onto the docks. Certainly with current security nobody unauthorised could wander onto the ship. This was very different before. Now, only Thailand does not adhere to ISPS regulations and there the vendors come on board and cook fresh food right on the decks. Also prostitution is advertised and brochures are delivered. Joey laughs at this. Still I imagine ship board life has lost its appeal, with loss of port excursions. Their duties are never ending and the hours long. Roy says that if this was a French run ship there would be double the crew. The hours are not acceptable to French crew, too long and dangerous. Roy steps outside on the wing. I take a picture of the map. We are heading slightly north west. We return downstairs to our cabin and lie down. It is almost lunch time. We go down. Gary asks if he can clean our room at 3pm. We agree. After lunch we return to our cabin and read. I puzzle.
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| A favourite position. |
When it is 2pm I suggest to Roy that I attempt to play the Grand Design episodes on the TV in the lounge, while Gary cleans. I go to set it up taking the laptop, the power cord and Australian conversion plug. I thought I had the right laptop to dvd connection, but I needed another converter. I return to our cabin and find the usb memory stick. It is only a 1GB stick so I transfer only one episode of 345Mb. Roy comes as I am trying to work out the remotes. I had it up on the screen, then pressed the wrong button. The typical background static is all I can get despite switching off the TV. It seems an AV problem. I find the input button and select AV1, no luck, so AV2. At last the DVD screen is back. I put in the usb and select the Grand Design episode. We watch as a small garage spot in Sydney is converted using pre formed concrete into a five storied apartment. It is a good use of space. We enjoy watching this. I transfer the next episode. I check our room and Gary is still cleaning, so we stay in the passengers’ lounge. We watch as a Queensland couple restores an old Queensland holiday home by lifting it three metres and virtually destroying the original home. They double the living area by building a new understorey. It is also moved forward and a new building added to the rear. They live on a very luxurious catamaran which they'd sailed and lived on. When this episode is finished we return to our room. We go to dinner when it is 6pm. Ginette comes late. The officers are all at table. I thank Gary for doing our room. We have clean sheets, towels and spotless carpet and bathroom. Back in our cabin, Roy puts on Shantaram audio and I listen for a while. I doze until after 8pm then change for bed. I catch up diary. I sleep. ::::
Monday 11th February 2013
Day 17
I wake at about 3am, no retard tonight. It is all the sleep I need. Eventually I read 'Les Mis' till 5am. Roy wakes too and the heaviness of reading about the poverty and deprivation of 19th century France makes me sigh heavily. I get up to check outside the window. I can only see two ships in view but nothing else. No stars in view. The rocking is quiet so hardly any swell. Will we miss these ship noises and movements, when our cruise is over? We lie quietly until it is time to get ready for breakfast. Roy showers and I shall, too. It has all been freshened up yesterday including clean sheets and towels. Our activities will become more lively once we have the options to travel into Le Havre, Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Rotterdam. It doesn't have to be big sightseeing excursions, just a wander round the shops and cafes. A possible sightseeing bus tour if we are capable. It will depend on our fitness levels. For now it is one day at a time. We should be passing Gibraltar sometime today so I shall enjoy seeing it again, from the sea, after 35 years. These land sightings are distractions from the ocean sights. There are so few birds or other crafts to watch. Not what we had expected since one imagines the Mediterranean Sea being full of activity but it is out of sight. :::: We go for breakfast and I only spruce up, to go down. It takes time and I eat slowly. Ginette has already been. Roy talks about going up to the bridge. We return to our room and I rest before showering. I take a few images of the clouds. I play with the manual settings. We listen to a few episodes of Shantaram. This is a fascinating story, well written about Indian life. I try to get Roy interested in playing cards but he sits at the window, reading. I step outside but it is much too windy. I can barely stay upright against the wind. I go up to the bridge but the door is locked. Roy has fallen asleep. I do my Sudoku puzzles and also some crossword. I need to check the answers and some are too hard. It is a learning process. At 12 noon we go to lunch. He takes some bread and cheese back to the cabin. Ginette tries to ask something of Gary. It has to do with “small food”, for children at 4pm, 1600 hours. I believe she would like a snack at that time. Gary brings some biscuits in sachets. Then she nods but doesn't want them. We return to our cabin (Roy takes the lift and I take the stairs for exercise) and listen to more Shantaram. Later we go up to the bridge. Roy puts in the door code and we enter. Milos, the chief officer, tells us we are battling against a strong counter pressure and cannot push the engines. We will be delayed arriving at Le Havre. We watch as, out on the sea, smaller vessels battle the waves. It is a 7m swell. One vessel which is fairly close, is dipping her nose deep into the waves and the waves crash over her bow. Milos points out how she now yaws over towards us and he has to take evasive action.
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| The swell looks deceptively mild. |
He points out how our bow also shifts away from the line of travel. It is a big sea. We are very stable and don't feel it like these other ships in sight. Victor tells how terrible it will be on board for that crew. Most vessels were of that size in the past. One cannot eat soup as it is so rough. He has previously been sea sick with this swell in a smaller craft. This size swell is normal for this time of year in this place. The Spanish coast is also interesting to see. It is quite desolate with steep mountains. It is the Sierra, mostly uninhabited. On the map there are ranges of Sierra with different names along the coast. We passed Cartegena earlier but now heading towards Gibraltar. I like seeing the coast but in this weather there is little small boat activity. The sun is starting to set in front of us and the solar Polaroid screens are down.
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| Polaroid screen allow direct viewing of sun. |
Milos asks if I am writing a book since I use my camera and make notes. Not a book, but a blog. Not for money only for family and friends. I continue to take lots of images including the charts with the current position, and the radar screen. We are now familiar with the different images on the screens. The barometer is steady but the delay is bothering Milos. His tour ends at Le Havre (rather than at Hamburg, as for the other officers) and his replacement is expected to join on 14th. He lives on a small island and he wants to go home. His flight is booked from Paris. He has a teaching seminar on the 18th and this delay is upsetting him. Perhaps he misses out on seeing his family with the delay. Still he must not push the ship or something will break. The bridge crew watch everything and they communicate with the shore. Every passing ship must be identified as they pass the Spanish coast. I heard the communication as we entered on the bridge; length of vessel, 21 passengers, no dangerous or hazardous cargo. He shows me how he must adjust the ballast with sea water. I ask who decides on the various loading. It is arranged with the shipping agent and himself. This is part of the chief officer’s responsibility. To ensure balanced loading. We stay for some time watching the agitated ocean and the other vessels passing with much spray and action.
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| Sunset, out of the wind. |
At 6pm we head down for our dinner. Roy has left our binoculars up on the bridge. We return to our cabin to drop off my camera and his coat. We collect Ginette on our way down. We exit the lift and automatically turn right to walk down the corridor. As we near the end, where the dining room should be, I realise we are on the wrong deck. I had noticed a padlock on a door which wasn't usual. We are on A deck. We laugh and return to the lift. I walk up the one flight. We enter the dining mess and all the officers are at table. “Bon appetite” is the accepted greeting on board when we enter. We take our cake back to the cabin. It is a treat with a cup of tea. We hear two more episodes of Shantaram. I find I can listen and puzzle at the same time. A puzzle that seemed unsolvable before dinner falls into place. We watch as night descend over the coast of Spain. Once it is dark one cannot see anything. I prepare for bed at 8:30pm and listen to the end of the episode. There is a heap of philosophy in this book and it makes you think. Also, as I am reading “Les Mis”, Victor Hugo has a take on life and its misery in 19th century France. It seems my agonising over my life is echoed in their ruminations though my troubles are smaller ones. Poverty and deprivation of liberty is a harsh lesson. We are thankful not exposed to this. It is now 10:30pm. Roy is fast asleep. Now I shall read for a while and sleep. ::::
Tuesday 12th February 2013
Day 18
It is amazing how quickly the days pass. How unbelievable that we have traveled so far already. I wake at about 2:30am and take a look outside. The lights on the shore are stretched across the northern horizon. I believed that we would be running late to reach Gibraltar as Milos was complaining about the weather. Yet I see what looks like the Rock. It is so distinctive in shape and has a light on the top. Just in case, I take a few images. It is hardly a good picture but still marks a moment.
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| Passing Gibraltar at night. |
I return to bed and watch the passing. Roy wakes at 3am and gets dressed. He is going up to the bridge. I doze. He comes down again at 4am. We have passed Gibraltar just when I had looked out. We both sleep till just before 7am. It is still very dark out and misty. I get ready for breakfast but Roy is staying in bed. He ate too much yesterday. I am glad I took the image as we passed Gibraltar. It marks a transition to the Atlantic Ocean. It is not rough or rocking. We know it will get darker and darker as we head north. I go to breakfast alone walking down the stairs taking the thermos. Gary knows I help myself. Vido engages in conversation asking how I am finding the food. It is very good. At home we eat more variety with curries and Chinese meals but the food is very varied and interesting. Vido explains that this chef is excellent. The others can be terrible, not really trained at all. I enjoy the soups and the vegetables. It is sufficiently varied to keep looking forward to meals. Vido goes to work. He seems keen to chat. I finish my breakfast in silence. As I leave I tell Gary that we really appreciate all his attention. It is good to give praise and he smiles. But he seems preoccupied today. I return to our deck by climbing the stairs and meet Joey. He hands me the newsletter for today. I wonder if he was going to take it to read, for his breakfast. I find Roy asleep. I read the newsletter first then set off the washing. I gather some other dark items to wash and go to the laundry. I select a quick wash, no pre-wash, a double rinse and low temperature drying. Roy is reading in bed. I puzzle and look out the window. Suddenly I can see land again. This must be Portugal. When I go to check my washing, Ginette stands at her door to chat. She wonders if she will be getting off tomorrow. I think it is the following day. She is nervous and still has to organize her trip home to Marseilles. By taxi and train. This lonely sea trip has been too long, too lonely and she just stews inside her head. I try to cheer her up. Soon she will be able to speak her own language and be understood. Things are not good at home either and she is afraid she might die. I explain to her that I must lie down a lot because of a bad back. Even at home, I must do things lying down. But I read, puzzle, write, watch TV and keep busy. I try to cheer her up, call fear excitement and she will be looking back at a memory very soon. It is nearly over! She thanks me for listening but it is nothing. My French is very poor but I try to be positive. She appreciates the attempt and we laugh. I return to our cabin. :::: I have set the drying on for another hour. It is good for me to write this all down because when I miss filling in days, it becomes blurred and uninteresting. It does fill in many hours, too. Joey meets us just as we go to lunch. He hands Roy three emails in a wad. I am very curious as we haven't heard from our son. We all travel down the elevator to lunch. It is difficult to watch Ginette complain about only one scoop of potatoes. Not that asking for a second helping is a problem just the negative attitude is dismissive. Roy reads the emails and then passes them to me. It is great to get mail. Roy finished quickly and goes back alone. Ginette talks in French. She asks me about how to make a payment onboard; she refers to a dossier. I am not certain if she means tipping but how can I ask in front of Gary? Roy thinks maybe she wants to pay for bought items from the slops chest. She calls it a tax. After lunch she shows me her credit card. I know the Maris Freighter Cruise online hints talked about discretionary tips and that was why I had asked about the custom in the email to the Maris people. Ginette is not an email writer. I presume this is what she is referring to. It had said only cash is accepted. This might be a problem for her. I suggest she talks at disembarking, when they return her passport. We return to our rooms and Roy reads then sleeps. I leave him and go to the office to reply to the emails. I thank everyone and write more news about life on board. Some things I shall keep for later, as emails are open to be read by officers. I do write about the passing of Gibraltar last night, the excitement of the smaller ships in 7 metre swells. Today we can see the coast of Portugal in the distance and we still have to cross the Bay of Biscay, which is notoriously stormy. The crew is busy easing down the ship. They are well covered in oilskins top to toe, balaclavas and gloves so it is cold. The coast had disappeared. I write a long letter describing some of our impressions. I don't respond specifically to their emails because mine is already a lengthy one. It is just an acknowledgement that we have read their news. I return to the cabin and I am quite sore from sitting. I used the ball-in-the-bag this morning for nearly an hour to ease the tight problem areas. Now it is all tight again. Roy puts on another episode of Shantaram then falls asleep. We have heard how cold it is in UK and how hot in Perth. I’m putting on the cashmere coat on deck. It is very warm and comfortable. I relax, make a tea and check outside for a short while. It is surprisingly mild. The wind has a nip but even with the ships own created wind, It is bearable in just a jumper. The sun is shining bright and clear. :::: We read and relax, drinking tea. I decide to go to the bridge. I just want to pinpoint our position on the chart. My elbow is aching from the heavy doors. The bridge entry door is especially difficult and causes great pain. Milos is on duty with Victor. I watch a ship in front with a great amount of rear spray. Milos tells me we have already passed this ship earlier but for safety of the vessel we have had to show down. Despite the 6 hour delay. Our current ETA at Le Havre is now 4am on 15th Feb. This puts his plans to disembark at Le Havre in jeopardy and his wife's traveling to meet him will be changed in mid trip. He is on permanent staff, paid all year round even when off duty on shore, at home. But if we miss the deadline for his replacement they don't want to pay taxi fares and accommodation so he will have to continue onboard to Hamburg. If we then miss Hamburg's docking and unloading, it is a tidal river and can only be entered at high tide, we may wait an extra day. It is all logistics. He just wants to get off and have his replacement come a day late. It is a policy of the company to not allow certain disembarking. So Le Havre is not an approved point of departure. He has received an email, this morning, hoping that he will still be able 'to eat his soup'. He shows me and laughs but I don't get it. He points to the forward mast with its switching movement. This indicates strain on the ship. The ship in front has put on speed to meet a deadline but his and the Captain's responsibility is the ship's safety, cargo is a different company. Pushing too fast will cause yawing and this is damaging. It would also cause one to “spill one's soup”. It is a subtle warning, a slap on the wrist. I want to see the charts and our position so move to the table. The coast lies to our starboard. It is out of sight. It is not a designation that I recognise so I take an image; Sao de Vincente, either Spain or Portugal. We will presumably reach the Bay of Biscay tonight. I forget to ask when. It is dinner time and I head down to collect Roy. Victor has already been relieved. We are ready for some food. We also enjoy the red wine. It is called Maylynn, a Merlot from the Central Valley region of Chili. It is served too cold, so I wait before drinking it. It is always good. Roy and I return to our room/cabin and read. It is still light. The ship is definitely moving with much more rocking and rolling. It might get tough without warning. As a precaution I stow the laptop, camera and put away my small bits. It cannot do any harm and if things start to fly, better safe than sorry. Finding spilt earrings and toiletries, or picking up a dropped electronic device could be unfortunate.
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| The cabin feels lived in and comfortable. |
I join Roy in bed. I feel quite unstable standing and am tottering everywhere. Lying down is safest. I catch up diary and then read. ::::
Wednesday 13th February 2013
Day 19
I wake at 11:30pm but settle back down again. There are no lights outside and it is cold and misty. I sleep again till 3am but that is all I need. I read 'Les Mis' and it had turned philosophical. It is an exposé of thinking about the nature of revolution, where the French reinstated the king. The needs of the people for production and proprietorship. It is so much deeper than the musical. Roy wakes later at 6am and we are both ready to eat. I wash, do teeth. Roy shaves, too. It is still dark even after 8am. We are on our own. I walk up and down the stairs now as a form of exercise. I shall take some images of the flights later. We don't have anything to do so we read and puzzle in our room. I watch the sun rising outside our porthole. The mammalian clouds begin to colour, and the constant changes as the golden flash of the sunrise begins to peep through them causes me to continue to try to capture the incredibly beautiful sight. The sun’s rays spread out onto the water and I also try to play with the manual settings on the camera to intensify the depth of beauty. What my eyes see is not what the camera captures. I take so many with the porthole as the frame. I have tried to capture so many passing scenes through this single spyhole onto the passing ocean and sky.
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| Sunrise over the Bay of Biscay. . . |
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| . . .it changes every minute. |
I settle down to progressively harder and harder puzzling. The Killer Sudoku and Grandmaster Sudoku are certainly a challenge. Each one takes a few days to solve. This is just the level I need. The Telegraph cryptic crossword is impossible for me to complete but using the solutions I am learning their methods and ways. It will never be possible because I don't have the background knowledge to solve the literary, geographical or historical clues. Still I manage to get at least 2/3s of the clues on my own. Roy sleeps a lot during the day. We go to lunch. This is ample. The Captain comes over to our table. He also cannot speak French. He seems uneasy but tries to tell the French passenger, Ginette, that the ship will be arriving at Le Havre at 2200 hours. Does she want him to order a taxi for her to take her to the station. I translate as best I can and she understands. She agrees and the Captain asks if 9am is a good time? Yes. We discuss between us if we should go at the same time to visit the town. Towards the end of lunch I ask the Captain how long we will be in port and if we could visit the town? He says maybe ship is leaving at 12 noon. This is not long enough to securely return to the ship. I am very disappointed but have to accept it. He is not encouraging a shore visit. He says Hamburg is a better town to visit. Also Bremerhaven is a lovely city. So we will wait and see. Our shore visits must be approved and we must submit to the ship’s schedule. We return to our cabin and Roy lies down. There is a news@sea newsletter for us to read. He sleeps and I puzzle, watching the ocean pass. Later when Roy is sitting watching the ocean too and we drink tea, Joey calls on the telephone. Roy answers and doesn't quite comprehend his meaning, something about Hamburg and sorting paperwork. We always have our door open and he comes to visit. It is the slops chest reckoning. This is part of the Captain's responsibility and therefore it is settled before her leaves the ship. New Captain might have a different arrangement. He has printed out our account and has calculated the exchange rate which the Captain sets. Also the beers were from the Captain's private stock. But Joey has even brought the account of when the Captain bought the beer so we know the price is correct. It is all very open and reasonable. We are paying US$2:50 for a bottle of excellent red wine. The huge bottle of gin is only US$26 dollars. The beer is about US$1 per can. The total bill comes to US$113. It hardly breaks the bank. As we are concerned about not being able to go shopping for snacks tomorrow, we ask if we might order just a few things. I want another Toblerone for my sweet craving, Roy wants some nuts, only cashews available which is fine, also two bottles of red. Though we did order them, we will leave the case of beers and the Mountain Dew for the crew. We are not drinking it. Joey will recalculate the account with these additional items added. We relax again and Roy undressed we listen to Shantaram. Two episodes and he falls asleep. I see a RoRo passing. I go out to take pictures of the stairwell, corridor and exit door. There are two ID cards on the door handle that fall off as I exit. I bring them inside and these must be our passes to allow access when in port.
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| Our ID when we enter every port. |
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| Just one flight between decks. |
Later when Roy wants to sit outside, he has opened the porthole and it is quite mild outside despite it being winter. He finds the slops chest order at our door with the paperwork. Later Joey calls to ask if he can collect the money. Roy gets dressed and counts out the €130 which is just over. We invite Joey in and we chat. I explain about the taxi being ordered for Ginette on 15th at 9am. We are expected to berth at 2200 hours on 14th, tomorrow, and the port agent generally comes to arrange any transfers. We can receive a visit from him then. I agree even though it will be a bit late. If it is possible we should like to take a stroll in Le Havre. Not for very long and Joey believes the departure will not be until 6pm. That is plenty of time. He will arrange it. This makes us happier. Joey did not deliver the ID pass, that must have been his colleague. He looks around and also comments on the large size of this Owner's cabin. It is very spacious and comfortable for us. I suspect even the five star liner cruises do not have this much expansive space. With our ocean views, this has been a most luxurious trip. Roy and I have a discussion about taking a more coastal ship another time. Perhaps one that stops more frequently. This stretch was very long but nevertheless we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was unexpectedly special. We relax until it is time for dinner. It is coincidental that Ariola is also in the lift. He asked if we received our ID pass and I thank him. Ginette does not come down. Her door is closed. All the officers are at the Captain's table. Gary asks about Ginette. He says her door is never closed. He looks concerned. Later he says he has called and she isn't eating. Maybe nerves. We offer to take her some cake but he has already suggested this and she refused. Maybe for breakfast. He laughingly says, maybe she is upset about leaving the ship. It is a joke. We return to our room and relax again. Roy has had a glass of red earlier and I join him. He sits at the open window and I catch up with my diary entries. Everything is new, it is all a learning curve and this shore visit will be something to savour. It surely will not be a tourist town. I have no internet to research what is to be seen but that will be the experience, the novelty. As long as we return to the ship in time for departure. We will do some shopping, buy snacks and a cappuccino. We are looking forward to it, if we are permitted. :::: We settle down to read and eventually sleep.
Thursday 14th February 2013
Day 20
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