At Sea Continued

Yesterday was spent at sea, as you know. We met several interesting Canadian couples at breakfast. Walked the Promenade Deck (3 laps is a mile) for awhile and watched as we passed through the Straights of Messina. We had an excellent view of Mt. Etna on Sicily, which we will visit in a few days when we loop back.

A pilot had boarded the ship to guide us through the straights. Watching the pilot leave our ship after we passed through the straights was fascinating. The pilot’s small speedboat (maybe a 20’ vessel) came alongside our ship as we moved along at probably 15 knots. It nudged its bow against the side of Ms Eurodam near a Jacob’s ladder (a rope ladder), and the pilot climbed down and stepped onto his moving pilot’s boat, which then moved away. He didn’t even wear a life jacket! I would think this dangerous enough to warrant that, but … Most of the daytime hours were spent heading in an easterly direction along the “bottom” of the boot of Italy. We turned north toward Croatia sometime around 9PM, I’m told.

We noticed that a couple had signed up on a games sheet looking for others who play Hand and Foot. So, we gave them a call and played a couple games in the afternoon. They play almost the same rules as us, but there were just enough differences that we had to adjust our play a bit. The women beat the men both games. I think a rematch will be in order.

Prior to dinner, we attended the show in the theater, where the captain of the ship began by introducing the principal crew members and then offered a toast. Next, the young men and women singers and dancers who make up the show crew put on a terrific Broadway-type show. This was our first dress-up dinner, so we were all in coats and ties and evening dresses. Lobster tails and crab legs were served for dinner!

We awoke this morning to watch the ship dock at Dubrovnik and are preparing to head out for our first shore excursion. Watching the process of docking is fascinating for me. How these big ships maneuver so easily is amazing. The sun is shining and the city looks very Mediterranean, with nearly all tile roofs and light-colored stucco siding. We’ll tell you about our excursion tomorrow.