new seas to sail

I had almost forgotten that the central reason for this trip was my cruise with Ken and Patti. 

It was easy to lose contact with that bit of reality.  After all, my time With Bob and Fon (along with a short visit with Hilary and Ed) in Blackpool, my days with Julian in Oxford, and my excursions through London with Ken and Patti each seemed like separate (and full) vacations on their own.

But that foreplay is now done.  We are on to main event – the 12-day cruise from Harwich to La Havre, La Rochelle, Bilbao, and Vigo.  Something of a northern France and Spain sampler.

That all starts later today.  By the time you read this, we should be treading the sands of Normandy with all of its bloody memories of a hard-won triumph on D-Day. 

For this event, we chose a private guide.  It is perhaps the most day excursion in which I have ever indulged.  But the walk will be solemn enough to deserve the cost of a few extra Euros.

Yesterday was another of those travel days that seem to eat up a full day.  But it was a day that transitioned Ken and Patti (plus their friends Marilyn and John) from our land-based hotel to our ship.  And a nice ship it is.

I have made several snarky comments recently about the small dimensions of London hotels.  Snarky or not, the rooms are still small. 

On my last few cruises, I have indulged life in some rather spacious cabins.  Not so this trip.  I am in an inside cabin that has a genealogical connection to my last two hotel rooms.  Small, but adequate.  On this cruise, I will head off to the public rooms if I need a bit of sea view.

And so far?  Dinner was an incredibly good prime rib and a very clever beet and feta appetizer.  Lunch?  My mother told me not to speak ill of the dead.

The Celebrity Infinity, my home for the next week plus, started its first evening of entertainment with a menu that would brighten the hearts of Ed Sullivan lovers.  Dancers.  Singers.  A comedian.  A juggler-magician.  All presented with full-frontal joy of the staged life.  And cheesy enough not to be taken too seriously.

If I can dig deep enough into my pocket for this dear internet, I will share our on-share adventures in the next few days.  Who am I kidding?  I will pay.

See you in France.