April 12th

At Sea

Yay! The internet is working again today.

Although we had the crossing of the line ceremony yesterday, we actually crossed the equator today. Welcome to the southern hemisphere.

We went to see Jenny Bond’s talk in the morning – excellent as usual and it is definitely worth hearing her if she comes to a cruise near you, and you enjoy hearing about the Royal Family and Jenny’s escapades. Interestingly enough she asked the audience whether we would be OK with a Queen Camilla, and it sounded like we were about half in favor and half against. I suppose time will tell what will eventually happen. I don’t like thinking about things like this. I want the Queen to live forever, and thus avoid the issue.

We had lunch with friends in the Britannia Restaurant. We were given a table right at the back, so it felt like we were almost sitting over the wake. I had always been concerned about vibrations on deck 2 right at the stern, but there really wasn’t a problem, and it was absolutely lovely to sit there and watch our wake go by eating the most delicious chocolate ice cream.

We stayed chatting for so long that lunch almost morphed into this segment’s wine tasting. Today’s selection was of Spanish wines, 2 reds and 2 whites as usual. This time we weren’t given a handout, so I have already forgotten what they were, which is OK. None of them was spectacular.

What was interesting is that we were at the back of the Britannia Restaurant on deck 3, and had a good view of the Promenade Deck. There was an officer on the Promenade Deck surveying our surroundings. I saw a small ship near to the horizon, and at the same time I saw it, I noticed that he was watching it very carefully through his binoculars. Keeping us safe from pirates. Good.

Earlier on in the cruise we had bought a limited edition QE2 plate from 2008 for $15, which was a great bargain. They were also selling QE2 crystal bowls for $80. A good bargain, but still quite expensive. While the plate is not really our taste, we bought it just because it would be a souvenir from our beloved QE2. The bowl is really beautiful, and I could wait no longer. Suddenly I found myself in the shop handing over my card, and the bowl is mine. When I gave it a closer look back in the cabin, I realized how lovely it really is, and I am so happy with the purchase. We just have to get it home in one piece.

We had drinks with friends in the Commodore Club before dinner. It was one of those picture perfect evenings, gliding through the Indian Ocean heading towards the sunset. It felt like the whole world was perfect, and in the beautiful setting of sipping bubbly there, I felt so peaceful and happy.

After dinner instead of a show (the show had been at 7:00, and we had missed it), they showed a movie in the Royal Court Theatre. It was called the “Viceroy’s House”, and the write up said it was about Mountbatten at the time of Indian independence. Now I love movies about India, and was hoping to see a sort of new “Jewel in the Crown” type production. Well the movie focused on the inappropriate way that the partition was handled, and the tragic loss of life that occurred during that time period. A woman whose family had suffered greatly due to the partition directed it. It certainly told a very different story to the one I learned in “O” level history. It was a very sobering movie, and you could sense that we had all sat down in the theater after dinner feeling happy and upbeat, and we were emerging with heavy hearts. It was palpable. I no longer felt peaceful and happy. I don’t think anyone else in the audience did either.

Tonight is our last night in potentially pirate-infested waters. Most of the passengers have followed the instructions we were given, and have been very careful with closing their curtains and not leaving their balcony lights on. I can’t say the same for the ship itself. The exterior lights are on everywhere. We had hoped that the ship would be in darkness so we could get a good look at the stars, but it was not to be. Bright lights and cloud cover precluded this.

I love to sleep with the curtains open, so after turning off all of the lights in our cabin, and risking life and limb negotiating a path to the balcony door in pitch darkness, Brian carefully opened the curtains. Low and behold, it was as light outside as on a usual night. I am quite sure the pirates would have been able to see us from miles away. Still, as we plough through the ocean we are not exactly silent, so the sound of the ship would have been a dead giveaway in any case.