Day 4 ~ O Me, of Little Faith

 When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are...Anything your heart desires with come to you! ~ Jiminy Cricket

Pinch me, somebody! I still hardly dare believe the joy I'm experiencing is real. Yet, here we are gently making our way southward toward new adventures on the beautiful Viking Star! 

I slept in till 6 this morning. (Yes, that is sleeping in!) There's something about the whoosh of the waves against the hull that puts me right out and keeps me in a state of somnolent bliss. When I finally woke, the sun was just rising over the mountains on the Baja peninsula. We lucked out in being assigned a port side cabin. (That means we're on the left hand side as you face front.) And for right now during our voyage, it means we're on the landward side. In addition to the land in the distance, we've already seen flying fish and a pod of dolphins from our verandah. 

As you can see, the ocean is very calm. If I hadn't already put on a scopolamine patch, I don't think I'd need one. We are definitely enjoying fair winds and a truly "pacific" sea. What a contrast to the rocking and rolling we experienced in our early days on the Pacific Princess in 2018. We bucked the whole way to Hawaii back then.

After breakfast at the World Cafe, we did a little walking (still trying to maintain at least 5K steps a day. I know, I know, I'm not really tearing up the track, but for me, it's a good goal!) Then we went to an acrylic painting class. Neither of us are going to give Van Gogh a run for his money, but the process is so relaxing, I wish they'd offer a class every day. Tomorrow, the teacher will be leading the group in making collages. Not my favorite thing since kindergarten. 

We rested and read and generally frittered away the day, skipping lunch because we knew we'd be meeting Kristy and Dave for tea in the Wintergarden. This is a lovely, inviting place and while I sipped my Bombay Chai, we were serenaded by King, our very talented acoustic guitarist in residence.

Kristy & King

Then we met up again at about 6 PM for Munch Moments in the Atrium while the resident pianist played pieces by Edvard Grieg, Norway's most famous composer.  I snapped some pictures of the Munch paintings on display and will devote a whole post to them soon.

We booked supper at the Chef's Table, one of two specialty restaurants on board. The menu is fixed, so there's no wondering what to choose. It's already done for you. It's a five course "tasting" menu with a wine pairing for each course. Tonight the theme is Chinese cuisine. There is no upcharge for this , but we did have to make a reservation. 

The meal starts with an "amuse bouche," which I take is supposed to amuse my mouth. We were brought really small servings of a hot and sour soup. It was heavy on spices and vinegar, and I'm afraid I got choked on it a bit. (I do the same with hot Chinese mustard.) Believe me, a coughing fit is not smiled upon when everyone around you is thinking, "Oh, no! What if she's positive for Covid?" (I'm not, BTW. We are tested every morning here on the Star.) But suffice it to say, my mouth was not amused.  

Then came the appetizer, Tiger Prawns. They were delish! Lightly breaded and seasoned delicately. They made up for the hot and sour soup. Instead of assaulting my taste buds, this dish soothed them. 

Each course is paired with a specific kind of wine. The first two courses were accompanied by light, refreshing white wines. However, since I'm pretty sure mixing booze and scopolamine is contraindicated, I only took a sip or two from each wine offering. They were very nice, but I'm using my brain at the moment so I didn't feel like overdoing it.

Then because the appetizer was a gift from the sea, a palate cleanser was in order before we reached the main course of beef. 

This granita is composed of shaved ice, sugar, and hints of coconut.

The main course was beef with vegetables in a rich sauce.  The DH and I were able demonstrate our prowess with chopsticks because the beef was already cut into manageable bite sizes and was so tender it could have been cut with a fork.   

Fried rice was served as a side dish in a leaf of some kind. We were to spoon it out of the leaf bed and mix it with the beef. Very yummy!  

Lastly, the dessert was a light mango flavored tapioca. The DH wasn't wild about this because he was thinking about the creme brule he might have had if we'd dined in The Restaurant. (That dessert is part of Viking's "always available" options.) And I'm not sure what I thought of the mango tapioca either. Tapioca has the consistency of caviar, little round globes of almost pure carbs. Mixing it with fruit doesn't really work for me.  If I'm going to carb out, I need chocolate to be involved somehow. 

The menu at The Chef's Table rotates every three days to completely different spice palates and regional dishes, so I'm sure we'll give it another try. 

But we may have to sneak down to The Restaurant afterward so the DH can get his creme brule. 

I've really enjoyed the music on board and the evening shows have been very good. Last night was no exception. Wendy Law, a brilliant Juilliard trained cellist, regaled us with some wonderful pieces, backed up by the very talented Viking band. 

She was very engaging as she introduced us to Sebastian, her two hundred year old instrument.  People who play this type of legacy cello typically regard themselves as caretakers of a treasure, not an owner.  The quality of the artist playing it somehow infuses a deeper tone, and more richness to the instrument that can then be passed to the next lucky musician who becomes its keeper. I wasn't surprised when Wendy admitted that when they flew out to join us, Sebastian had his own seat. In first class! 

Wendy rode in coach.

So ended another lovely day filled with moments of pure delight on the Viking Star.