Day 17 & 18 ~ Time Travel

 "Does anybody really know what time it is?" ~ Chicago

In 2018, on our Princess World Cruise, we sailed from east to west. That meant that after we crossed the International Dateline and a whole 24 hours disappeared into the ether, we were rewarded periodically with 25 hour days. By the time we arrived back in the US, we'd reclaimed that lost day in small increments.

Now on the Viking Star, our travels are taking us mostly from west to east, so we have to shave off an hour here and there. As of tonight, we're an hour earlier than Eastern Time. (Hello, Halifax, Nova Scotia! We're with you right now! Just on the underside of the equator...)

Yesterday,  we did what all good world cruisers do on a sea day--LAUNDRY. At least, that was the plan when we popped into the launderette at 6:oh-dark-thirty. Unfortunately, one of the washers we picked never drained, and the system that automatically adds soap kept delivering more suds. I began to feel we were headed for starring roles in an episode of "I Love Lucy!" Eventually, we were able to sort of get it to spin and rinse, but that load was still wickedly wet when it went into the dryer. And the non-dryables are still dripping in our shower. 

We didn't encounter any personal problems in the laundry. Everyone was decent and polite and willing to make room for each other as we all worked on our individual piles. But I did hear a few "Laundry Wars" stories. There's evidently a Laundry Nazi on board who knows how everyone should do their wash and isn't shy about instructing perfect strangers with a shocking expectation of instant obedience. Then there's the slightly doubtful tale about Passenger A taking Passenger B's dry laundry out of the dryer when they didn't return for it in a timely manner, and then put the completely done load in a washer to go around again. By the time Passenger B (the owner of the rewashing load returned) she was so upset, she supposedly struck the offender with the iron attached to the wall. I can't vouch for the veracity of this story. Regardless of the provocation, that sounds like assault to me, and a guaranteed trip to cruise ship jail. (Mark you, that I've only heard tell such a thing as cruise ship jail exists. No personal experience to back it up!) 

On to less violent things... But only slightly less violent...

Our guest artists yesterday were a dancing couple who specialized in the tango! My word, all those kicks and flicks! This pair really trusted each other and were a delight to watch. But I couldn't help wondering how often they'd accidentally bruised each other in the most tender of places. And the DH audibly groaned when the fellow was lying on the stage and the lady stepped on his chest with her high heels during their Masochistic Tango!

I hope they'll be giving another show before they leave us.

This morning, we decided to revisit Mamsen's. It's the Norwegian deli on Deck 8 near the Explorers lounge. The waffles, topped with mixed berries, cream and brown goat cheese, are the stuff of legend! 

Mamsen's is also the best place on the ship to get a cup of coffee. It's smooth where the coffee in the Restaurant is terribly bitter.

There is a naturalist on board to leads wildlife viewing from the Explorer's lounge almost every morning. We've yet to make it there, but have enjoyed seeing flying fish and sea birds from our verandah. Our friends Kristy and David have spotted several pods of dolphins, but no joy for us yet.

Our art teacher keeps threatening us with a show of our work. We've been instructed to bring some of our paintings back to class so she can curate the display. While I thoroughly enjoy the process, the products aren't really ready for prime time. 

For the most recent class, we abandoned beach scenes for a slightly abstract reproduction of the skyline of Panama City. (Our deepest apologies to all the inhabitants of that sprawling metropolis!)

We slipped over the equator in the night, but there is a ceremony to mark the occasion scheduled for Friday. We've traveled back and forth over that imaginary line four times, so we're already "shellbacks." But those for whom this is a first may well be involved in an appeasement of Neptune celebration that promises to be messy entertainment for the rest of us.

A few more sea days to go until we reach Chile. Our position is just off the Peruvian coast now, steaming south. We are the only cruise ship in the Viking fleet to be 100% Covid free. 

In fact, we may well be the only cruise ship afloat that can claim that status. Viking's tag line is "Exploring the world in comfort." It may be time to add "and safety!"

More soon...