15 November, 2024
 |
| Improvement |
After the roller-coaster ride of the previous day we woke to improved conditions, albeit still a bit choppy. Being a sea day, Brunch was on, and we made a beeline to the dining room, my opportunities to have Eggs Benedict were waning.
The mood of the dining room was significantly lighter than the previous morning, owing largely to the fact that people could stand and walk without risk of stumbling and falling. We lingered over our brunch; I augmented my Eggs Benedict with a bagel and a bit of lox and sipped a couple of additional cups of cofffee.
Our usual activities were interrupted in the early afternoon with some preliminary packing. No need to monopolize our last sea day with all the packing when we can get purchases and dirty laundry squared away in advance.
 |
| Whales on the horizon |
Having done some calendar calculus we determined our dates of opportunity in the fall, so we went back to NextCruise and booked a cabin for the first Caribbean cruise on Odyssey in 2025 after it returns from Europe. We had an Alaskan cruise on the books for July of 2025, but unfortunately planned surgeries made those dates impractical.
As we were sitting in Two70 later in the afternoon someone spotted whales off the port side of the ship. While their spouts were easy to spot with the naked eye, capturing anything with a camera was a daunting challenge. I did manage a few shots of varying quality. If you look closely you can see a white spot just below the horizon in the center of the frame - thar she blows!
I've never seen a pod of whales in the open ocean, but I can't help to think that this was an exceptionally large example. They covered well over 90 degrees of the horizon and from a few hundred yards nearly all the way to the horizon.
16 November, 2024
 |
| Beautiful |
The day dawned bright and beautiful. The sea was electric blue and nearly flat. The ship was filled with the "last day" angst as people scurried around looking for that last trinket, purchased one more bottle, or tried to win back some of the money previously donated to the casino.
The NextCruise desks were turning over non-stop as people put the final touches on their future plans.
With our packing well on the way to completion we were able to spend most of the day extracting the last bit of relaxation from a nearly three week long trip filled with new experiences and outrageous food.
In anticipation of our upcoming Viking River Cruise on the Rhine in March/April 2025 I changed my DuoLingo focus from Italian to German and started researching activities to fill our time in Basel and Amsterdam.
17 November, 2024
 |
| Manhattan Sunrise |
I pulled back the curtain Sunday morning to a stunning view across the Hudson River of the Statue of Liberty with One World Trade Center in the distance. The weather was crisp and cool, but the ship wasn't moving and the breeze was slight.
We dressed and headed to the dining room. Our car was scheduled to arrive at 9:00 to take us to LaGuardia, so we had plenty of time to enjoy one last breakfast (yes, I had Eggs Benedict – it has become a "thing" at this point) We enjoyed being able to take our time, but remained sensitive to the wait staff, knowing they're exceptionally busy on turnaround days. When we left the restaurant I gave my final poached egg report to my friend. I estimate that between the two of us we consumed no less than thirty poached eggs over the cruise. Of those thirty eggs only one had a gummy yolk, two were soft but not runny, and all the others were beautifully runny on the inside and nicely cooked on the outside – there were zero undercooked egg whites the entire trip. She promised that congratulations would be extended to the "poacher" and bid us a warm farewell.
 |
| On our last leg |
We zipped through customs and immigration (made simple thanks to our minimal purchases) and were waiting at the curb by 8:50. Our driver called almost immediately to let me know he was in the queue and should be arriving in the pickup area soon. In less than five minutes he was loading our bags and we were on our way towards Manhattan, headed to Queens. With the light Sunday traffic we were checked in, through security, and sitting at our gate by 10:30. A smooth morning in every respect. Much to our surprise we encountered one of my co-workers and his family waiting for the same flight. They were just returning from a Norwegian cruise to Bermuda. Two of their four seats were across the aisle from us, multiplying the degree of coincidence in our meeting. We got a bit of a "grandkid" fix and his children had the opportunity to entertain two relative strangers. Between good conversation and a couple of charming and well-behaved youngsters the wait passed quickly.
18 November, 2024
Re-entry.
A day of laundry and unpacking. The return to daily life is always a letdown. No one to cook for us, no one to make the bed or mix the drinks. Meal decisions require more than selecting from a menu. The dogs and cat were pleased that we were home. We were rewarded with a stunning sunset, which helped ease the pain. Now we turn our attention to the next adventure. Our river cruise will be the first time we've ever traveled with friends for anything more involved than a long weekend. We're excited, but admittedly a bit timid. My concerns are mitigated by the fact that we'll all be experiencing something new together.
 |
| November Sunset |
No comments:
Post a Comment