11.32 hrs, enjoying a decaff coffee in the Artisans’ Foodhall.

This morning, at 2 o’clock, the clocks were advanced one hour as we continue towards La Coruna in Spain.  Surprisingly, this has been the only occasion the hour has been changed, but the day after tomorrow, we will be back on British Summer Time.

Last night marked the halfway point of my travels.  For some reason, during the night, I had difficulty sleeping.  While I like my cabin, even at its lowest air-con settings, the room can feel stuffy.  I broke the rules and opened the balcony door for a short while, discovering outside an almost full moon casting a gorgeous reflection on the ocean.

The next thing I knew, it was almost 10 am. I just made it for breakfast. I enjoyed my usual cruise concoction of porridge, honey, banana, raisins, and a scoop of plain yoghurt.  

The rest of the day was one of relaxing.  I did join friends for lunch, only my second in the Britannia Restaurant with almost floor to ceiling views of the ship’s wake. My main dish was vegetarian moussaka as well as somebody else’s unwanted spaghetti and meat balls.  My initial good luck at bingo continues to elude me. John, however, won $200!

One of the advantages of sometimes being part of a group is that I get to places I might not otherwise experience.  Today, we attended a cabaret in the Bright Lights Society, based loosely on Moulin Rouge. 

Continued Wednesday 22/5/24, 10.35 hrs

The Bright Lights Society is a venue close to the Queens Room and Golden Lion Pub on Deck 2.  The interior is what I imagine a sophisticated city night club might be like.  There is certainly no sensation of being on board a cruise ship.  Capacity is limited, and pre-dinner shows (all very civilised) have to be pre-booked.  After dinner, this venue becomes the ship’s disco, similar to those on other Cunard ships. I thoroughly enjoyed the cabaret, which included much high energy dancing, a superb keyboard player, and a fabulous quality sound/lights system.

For the first time, I felt slightly exasperated at the slow service of dinner in the Britannia Restaurant. Most of us had dressed up for Gala Night when dinner one of the important events.  Malcom and Martin skipped the dessert to enable them not to miss the start of the show I the Royal Court Theatre.  Donning the tuxedo hardly seemed worth it!    John and I sneaked in moments after the show had begun.  Lisa Marie Holmes gave a convincing account of songs by the likes of Adele, Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey, and others, these being punctuated by lengthy accounts of events in her life, which I found tedious. She could sing, however, and the Royal Court Theatre Orchestra backed her magnificently. 

I just managed my 10,000 steps target for the day. However, John completes over double that as a matter of course and takes great pleasure in letting me know!  After the show, John and Martin resumed nocturnal deck walking.  My injured heel was “killing me,” and I took a long route to my stateroom via the Bright Lights Society, now the onboard disco.  I used to frequent similar places (on land, of course) in my early twenties. Last night, the dance floor was full of people, many still my (present) age!  It felt weird!  I went to bed and slept well.

I awoke at a respectable 8.30 this morning and took a peek through my curtains.  The view was similar to that above.  Leadened skies and temperatures announced as 13°C did not incline me to move fast.  History actually was repeating itself. When we arrived here on the maiden voyage, it was wet and cloudy.  Today, just like before, patches of blue sky are increasing, and it may be quite a nice day.  I really should take a walk.

Many thanks for reading,

David, still in the Artisans’ Foodhall.  (12.08, 22/5/24)  Lunch ?