Day 48 (or 49, it depends on how you count it) ~ Sea Day Odds & Ends

 February 27, 2022

68 degrees, sunny with a riotous sea.

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Chock-a-Block

This term was used to describe something filled to capacity or overloaded. If two blocks of rigging tackle were pressed so tightly together that could not be tightened further, there were said to be "chock-a-block." 

As I type this, we are cruising just west of the Canaries, a small chain of volcanic islands, off the coast of Morocco. (Fun fact: They aren't named the Canary Islands because of an abundance of birds, but an abundance of dogs, AKA canines! We saw a lot of stray dogs in Cape Verde as well, and it reminded me of the Polynesian islands we've visited where dog is often an item on the menu. I resisted the urge the ask our guide if the citizens of Sao Vicente also eat dog.) 

Each day we receive a printed Viking Daily, detailing all the activities available, what entertainment options are planned, and (most importantly!) when the restaurants are open. This little newsletter reminds us when we need to turn our clocks forward, which has happened with regularity. We're now six hours ahead of our family in the Central Time Zone. 

But in addition to practical matters, the Viking Daily also offers interesting tidbits of information...like explaining who was the father of ichthyology--the scientific study of fish. (Who knew there was such a thing?) It was Peter Artedi, a Swede, who started classifying fish by precise measurement of the size of fins, tails, and such. I suspect the Daily carried this story mostly because Sweden is an ancestral Viking country. The Daily does lean toward Scandinavian topics. 

Tomorrow, we'll reach our next port of call--Funchal, Madeira, a lovely tropical island that is as lush as Cape Verde probably used to be. (Turns out the drought has lasted much longer than the four years our guide mentioned. According to Kristy, seventy years ago Cape Verde lived up to its name as "green.") 

I confess that I'm feeling down and more than a little guilty today. Here we are on this luxurious, safe ship while people are dying in Ukraine in a needless war. My heart aches for the mothers and fathers, for the displaced children, I even pity the Russian soldiers because I can't believe all their hearts are entirely in this act of aggression, propped up by false accusations of antisemitism and genocide. (Why is it that tyrants always accuse their enemies of the very same sins of which they are guilty?) 

So at our on board church service this evening, I prayed for everyone involved in this horrid situation. Even Putin. 

(I have a beautiful sunset photo I snapped as we were sitting at Table 137 in The Restaurant with Kristy and Dave. I'd love to share it with you, but I've been watching the computer chase its tail for about half an hour now with no joy. I'll have to load it later. Heavy sigh...)

Look at that! It finally uploaded. Technology makes a liar out of me every time!

More soon... or as soon as we get a better WiFi connection!