One Last Day at Sea (Wednesday, February 25)

This was our last day at sea.  There wasn't a lot to be in a rush about, so we decided to take breakfast in Grand Dining Room.  The sea was a little rocky, and in earlier trips, it might have been a problem, but we've been at sea long enough that it almost seemed normal.  Breakfast was different in the big dining room, but being waited on and having a nice selection was a very pleasant experience.

We had our final lecture from Dan Ostler about earthquakes and volcanoes.  It was interesting to learn more about the plates, the history associated with being on such a volatile border, and the resulting land formations.  We certainly have observed a fairly casual attitude toward the impending next quake.

As usual with a day at sea, we spent our time blogging, working on pictures, napping, more blogging,  and reading.  It just so happened that this was another day for Purdue basketball, but this time it was the women, and following their game at Michigan was just painful.  Before we left we were really regretting missing so much of the Women's season, but I guess they were missing us just as much, as there was not so much to be missing.

We had noticed several times that the pool really picked up the motion of the ship, much more than we were doing ourselves.  Here's a video of the wave motion in the pool while we were in open waters.

We had what turned out to be our last dinner in the Grand Dining Room in the evening.  As usual, it was a very good experience with French Beef Tartare, Scallops, Smoked Pork Shop, Beef Tenderloin, a chocolate mouse cake with creme brulee, and Crepes Suzette, as well as soups and salad.

Karen Beckett, the Australian singer, presented a program entitled "Great Songs of the 20th Century".  It was a nice collection of songs made famous by mostly female performers, and was a pleasant program.

We finally had a clear night, so we ended the day with some star-gazing on the top decks.  It was certainly different to see different constellations than we do in the northern hemisphere.  In particular, getting to see the Southern Cross, which Alan had learned about many years ago in astronomy classes at Purdue, was a real treat.