5547 This is the Penthouse Bath. Jacuzzi tub with underwater lighting. The water comes out of the North Wind’s mouth to fill the tub. Off to the right is a separate throne room with bidet. That room is larger than the whole bath in our room. To the left is a double sink and past that is the walk-in closet. Yikes!!
5550 This is most of the living room. There’s a small veranda off the living room through the glass doors on the left. Behind me is the dining room and there’s a huge veranda off that room which also has floor to ceiling glass walls and doors.
5558 A real king-size bed resides in the bedroom The room continues to the left with a large dressing table with theater style mirror set up and built in drawers for madam’s cosmetics. To the right is the laird’s drawer space. This is just for bedroom essentials as the walk-in closet has not only hanging space but stacks of drawers as well.
5562 Feeling hungry? No problem! Just ring up the butler and he’ll whip up a quick snack in the in-suite galley, fridge, oven, cooktop, microwave all ready to make a meal fit for a king.
3369 Diana and I at celebration evening dinner, complete with pointed dunce caps and my play it straight tux.
Nov 24 – At Sea. Well we’re still in the Doldrums. Not me specifically but the ship itself. The Doldrums is an area roughly 10 degrees on either side of the Equator. This area of the globe is under a more or less permanent low pressure zone. It can expand and contract in its width by a few degrees. It’s here that, back when the ships were wood and the men were iron, sailors tended to avoid because you could be becalmed for days and even weeks. No wind, no progress. The weather may be hot and humid and the sky sunny or cloudy, but the seas are almost always very calm.
Today has been designated ‘Celebration Day’ on board the Amsterdam. It’s a day to celebrate anything you want, birthday, anniversary (both either early or late), some life event, just being on a cruise, whatever. They’ve decorated the ship with heart shaped balloons of all colors and it looks very festive. It’s a formal evening and that’s always fun. I’ve decided to play it straight, black tux, black cummerbund, black bow tie and white pleated-front shirt.
The jewelry shop on board is holding a special show in the penthouse suite on board. There are two of them and I’ve wanted to see one and this is my chance. What a space. Their veranda is bigger than my room. It’s got an entry hall with bathroom, a dining room, a living room, a huge bedroom with full size king bed, a huge bathroom with a separate throne room that’s larger than my whole bath. A wood cabinet lined walk in closet. The real kicker is the pantry off the entry hall; it’s fully equipped for having the butler prepare dinner and eating in suite. Amazing! True it’s not as opulent as the 1,500 square foot, two-story Prince of Wales Suite on the QM2 but then few are.
Just before dinner they’re holding the Mariner’s Society meeting. This is where HAL recognizes various awards for longevity at sea with the line. It’s fun to observe the goings on at these functions. Some people take it very seriously, others not at all and everything between the two. What’s especially sweet is to see an elderly couple (since I’m mid-60s, elderly for me is defined as mid-80s and up) holding hands heading to the front of the showroom to accept their medallion for reaching a certain plateau of days on board. These are the folks that inspire me. They may be aging, certain body parts may be failing them but they keep going, stay happy and appreciate the life they have. Awesome!! At the other end of the spectrum are the selfish, snobbish, self-important, pushy, rude, condescending jerks that strut up like they’ve been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. To find the positive in it, these are the people that motivate you not to fall into that particular trap as you age.
Observation on Aging Note: It’s my theory that at a certain age you reach a fork in the road. Down one path is the sweet, kind, positive, caring elderly person that is absolutely a joy to be around. In fact, you seek them out for their wisdom. Down the alternative path is the sour, negative, nasty, rude, selfish elderly person that you flee from as quickly as you can. I’m not sure if that’s everyone’s experience but I find that people tend to fall into one or the other of these states and as they age the gap between the two grows larger. Maybe they’ve always been in that group but the traits grow stronger and more set over time. I could guess about that but I don’t have the data to really give an informed opinion. For myself, there was a time in my early 30s where I believe I could have gone either way. Events and circumstances in my life could have been used to push me either way, depending almost entirely on my reaction to them.
After dinner they held the Dessert Extravaganza. They had the Atrium on decks 3, 4, and 5 surrounded by tables that were packed full of deserts. Of course there were ice, butter, chocolate, marzipan and fruit sculptures mingled in with the edibles. They opened it up at 9PM for photographs; the locusts couldn’t strike until 9:30. By 9:20 I had my pictures and was heading away from the carnage.
The ship’s cast performed “Moments to Remember” a show which we’d seen at least twice before. Of course, every time it’s with a different cast and each group brings their own special skills to the songs and dances. It’s a great show, no Andrew Lloyd Webber. Mostly old nostalgic songs and I’m a pushover for that sort of music. As you would expect, Moments to Remember was the finale. The tradition at Fountain Hill High School was that the graduating class had to perform at their baccalaureate. Our two songs were There’s a Place for Us (aka Somewhere) and Moments to Remember. I’m not sure what the mechanism is but every time I hear that song I’m transported back to the school gymnasium and I’m standing on the bleachers as we sing that song. I remember thinking, where’s my place and what will I remember? Clearly, over all the years since then (It will be 50 next year) that place has been pretty much resolved and I’m amazed at what I remember. It’s a cascade phenomenon. Each memory evokes another, then another until I’m hip deep in feelings and thoughts I haven’t had for years. The amazing thing is that they are not often the same memories. Each time it happens there’s a new set of events and feelings that sweep over me. Most times they are happy, warm, often bittersweet feelings but sometimes they are sad, cold and lonely. I guess it’s a testament to how strange I actually am but some of the sad feelings have a wistful, warm component because the sad memory send you further back to happier times. I can’t explain it. It can be triggered by a sound, smell or sight.
I remember walking into a room that had an oiled wooden floor and lots of musty old books. The smell transported me back to my first grade classroom. I felt the emotions and had the thoughts of that time wash over me. It was a little spooky. It faded quickly and when I tried to get it back, no luck. I can tell you that first grade was not a happy time in my life and the feelings were easy to understand as an adult but as a 5 year old boy I was having problems with them. I didn’t know it at the time but I do now. I guess even then it was in my nature to just chomp down on the bit and keep going.
Well enough of the personal digressions and on with the journal. The show was great. This case is disembarking with us in San Diego and a new cast will replace them. After doing the holiday cruises the Amsterdam will leave very shortly after New Year’s Day on the world cruise. That will keep her busy from early January to at least mid-April or May.
No comments:
Post a Comment