Day 4 (At Sea)

Wifi very dodgy, so it's almost impossible to spent any time online. 

We're finding that this trip is busier than last year's. There are more people, with the result that people you meet and chat to, you may not bump into again for days. I was talking to a Scottish couple at the hotel, who had hilarious stories of their (mis)adventures - they were on that ship on the Norway coast a couple of years ago that the engines failed and they were drifting for three days towards the rocks in a violent storm. They started another story of a cruise to Russia that went wrong, but then their transport arrived. And I can't find them again!

A day at sea, but it's cloudy and cool. I think everyone is glad of a rest day, especially Americans, who have come such a long way, many of them with tales to tell of delays, missed connections and lost luggage.

There are a LOT of replacement hips, knees and probably hearts on this cruise. A few people with walkers, dozens of walking sticks, and even a couple of blind or partially sighted folk. But quite a lot of younger folk, too.

JR went to the gym, and then forgot to come to the lecture talk on The Wonders of Ancient Egypt - Dr Philip Freeman again. Fascinating history, but don't ask me anything. Though one snippet I have retained is that how long ago we think of Cleopatra being alive, she would think of the pyramids as the same distance in the past. He's VERY excited to be in this area.

In the afternoon we went to the second lecture talk, about the Troubles in the Middle East and Rise of Islamism by Sir Tony Brenton. He was Britain's ambassador to Russia 2004-2007, and was posted to Washington to deal with the consequences of 9/11.

We finally bumped into a friend we'd spent a lot of time with at the hotel. She'd told us her room number as we boarded ship, but as we can barely remember our own room number, there was no chance we could find her! But she was at the lecture talk this afternoon. We accompanied her to dinner this evening, after the 'Meet the Officers' event. And yes, it seems that Peter Murrel, Nicola Sturgeon's husband, whom nobody ever sees in Scotland, is now a captain of this ship, and he puts on a very convincing Ukranian accent.

A super evening, meeting lots more people, not remembering names... dinner at our favourite restaurant (steak again). We went to the show too! ‘Swing’ tunes. I think it’s the same troupe as last year, and they’re very good.

I know there is a lot of interest in my ‘capsule wardrobe’… This is actually ‘an outfit’ on its inaugural outing…

Stop press: We're not stopping in Israel, surprise surprise... it has been deemed too dangerous.