Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Tonight was the formal night on the ship. We had a nice dinner at one of the restaurants here on the ship. We were sat with 3 other couples, one from Topeka, Kansas, another from Raleigh, North Carolina and another from a small mountain town in Northern Arizona. We were sitting directly next to the couple from Arizona so we spent much of our time talking to them. They are both retired teachers. He was a fourth grade teacher and she taught kindergarten. I don't know how old they were, but I would put them in their early 80's or so. He was a pilot in the Air Force for a few years and was station at St. Andrews and is originally from Franklin Park, IL. They were nice people and interesting to talk to. The other interesting topic that came up was somewhat political and lead Chris and I to look at each other and realize we were in good company-they were all clearly on the Conservative side of things, which was unusual to find in a simple dinner conversation but still enjoyable for us.
Speaking of politics, you'll all find this very interesting. Alaska loves their Governor, Sarah Palin. In Alaska, don't you dare say anything bad about her, because in their eyes, she is an excellent Governor and they really like and respect her. I can't say I've ever been anywhere where people liked a public figure like this before. Coming from Illinois, it's somewhat refreshing. On the other side of things, they absolutely hate Obama. I saw a few bumper stickers that said OBAMA: One Big A!# Mistake America-and those were one of the nicer ones that I can type! There was also a political cartoon in the newspaper everyday bashing Obama. Honestly, some of the things they said in the newspaper here they would never be able to get away with in the lower 48. It's bordering on uncomfortable. So politically, it's a very different climate.
After dinner I spent some time in the Casino. I spent about an hour playing Roulette and ended up breaking even. The dealer was from Hungary and we were talking about food and what kind of food is available in different parts of the world. I was telling her about the great produce and beef of the Midwest and she was talking about the best and freshest meats from South America where she worked on a cruise ship for 3 years. It's interesting the conversations that come up around the Roulette wheel.
I was also taken hostage by this stupid quarter machine-you put the quarter in the machine and it shoots up and there are these little shovels that push these stacks of quarters to the edge until they fall off and you get them. It was an oddly addicting game and I played on 10 bucks for a good 25 minutes. It's a losing proposition and you know it, but you play it anyways. Not a game for a serious gambler, but then few casino games on a cruise ship are.
While I was gone wasting time in the casino, Chris saw some whales. He tried to get some pictures, which I will post soon, but the thing about the whales is once you see them, they're gone. They do not appear for long and you and your camera just have to be in the right place at the right time. I'm anticipating tomorrow while we're in Glacier Bay we'll see a lot more.
The other really cool thing about a cruise ship is the entertainment. Chris and I have not gone to any shows per se, but quite frankly, we're a bit young to be enjoying the type of shows they have on this cruise. I did stop by one of the many lounges and sat and listened to this Jazz trio for a bit. It made me wish I had brought my saxophone on board so I could have joined them! Everywhere you go in the evening, there are some excellent musical acts of many different kinds. I was also listening to a string quintet for awhile after dinner. There are many different genres, but Jazz seems to be a favorite-probably because it appeals to the masses (especially when they're dressed up and drinking) and being a musician myself, I have a feeling the majority of the musicians they get to work for the cruise line are excellent Jazz musicians.
As we head south, the days are getting longer. Our sun sets tonight around 10:45 PM and tomorrow it will set at 10:10 PM. So the days are slowly getting a bit more manageable. Unfortunately, that also means our chances of seeing an Aurora are slim to none soon. Tonight and tomorrow right are probably our last chances to see one. Hopefully tomorrow night's a clear night-tonight definitely won't be. That's okay though-it would have been cool to see, but we have and will see many very cool sights besides.
- comments