I had set the alarm for 7am so we could get up and walk a mile round the decks. The alarm went off, I turned it off, and went right back to sleep. We had spent the night tossing and turning, trying not to roll out of bed, and waking up worrying about the creaks and bangs the ship was making in the force 8 winds. And it was no better when we finally got up at 9.00ish. But we weren't worried, we're seasoned travellers now, right...?
We gobbled down some breakfast in the buffet restaurant and then made our way to the theatre for the port talk on Madeira, which will be our first port of call in 3 days time. The presentation was very interesting, and it looks like a beautiful place with lots to do. But the theatre is at the very front of the ship and the waves were big, so it felt rather like sitting in a fairground ride for an hour. By the end I was feeling so queasy I abandoned the other activities I'd been planning, went back to the cabin, put on my seasickness bands, took a pill, and lay down on the sofa! Where I stayed for most of the day, dozing and watching the sea through the balcony window. I did at least get to try out the in room wifi for the first time which thankfully worked perfectly from my iPad (I'd been handed a leaflet at the Internet cafe warning of all sorts of potential problems for iPad users)!
Jean-Louis was slightly less of a wimp and went to explore the ship, looking for quiet places to relax and read, and investigating the casino - which sadly no longer does the poker championships he so enjoyed on our last cruise. He also went to a talk about the swinging sixties. He kindly brought my lunch to me in the cabin (a bread roll!). The pool is not yet open due to the temperatures/ sea state so he was a bit lost!
By 5.00 I was feeling a little more human and so got up, had a cup of tea, and dressed for our first semi-formal evening. We went and joined the queue outside the restaurant at 5.45 so we could be guaranteed a table for two by the window! Dinner was good, but the Quorn Fillet I had requested the night before turned out to be some sort of mash of Quorn mince with vegetables - apparently the head waiter had not understood about my special box of Quorn that should be onboard somewhere! It was interesting.... Hopefully they will have located it for tonight!
At 7.15 we went to the Playhouse which is a medium sized theatre/ cinema, where there was a classical pianist playing. This was the first of several concerts he will be doing onboard and was most enjoyable. We debated going to watch a singer at the larger theatre at 8.30 but in the end opted for an early night after our sleepless night the evening before! Thankfully the waves seemed to be calming down by this point...
Well done Emmylou, did you get my WhatsApp message and text earlier?
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