At Anchor in Osaka Bay

The not a sea day sea day

We dropped anchor in Osaka bay at about midnight. When I looked out of the window this morning it looked like we were still out to sea, but as the fog lifted the factories appeared, and we had a good view of Osaka.

We will be here at anchor until 6:00 AM tomorrow. Stuck in the middle of the bay watching the comings and goings of the other ships. It is now very bright and sunny although there are still large waves and apparently it is very windy outside. I have chosen to remain indoors.

It is somewhat frustrating that the ship could not go closer in to the port, and then we could go into Osaka using the tenders. It is sunny today, but it is predicted to be rainy tomorrow. Oh well, I am sure Cunard has good reasons for our current predicament. It must be frustrating for the locals who can see their home city, but are stuck on the ship. However, if they are upset they certainly aren’t showing it. When I walked by the Queens Room the dance floor was full of eager line dancers, and the Lido is very crowded with happy eaters. They seem to be having a great time taking selfies all around the ship. The logo shop was full of people, and what remained there, was flying off the shelves. I quickly bought a T-shirt for our grandson as I am sure there won’t be any left by the end of the day.

A talk on the History of Time caught my eye, and although it was well done, it was really a plug for buying watches on board. Still, I did learn a lot about the history of the wristwatch so all was not lost.

Lara was playing her harp at tea today, so I headed down the Queens Room.

I arrived just at 3:30 and was able to get a seat, but a few minutes later there was a huge queue. It looked like 1821 of the 1822 guests on board also wanted tea. The one who didn’t was Brian; it doesn’t go well with his low carb diet. I sat with an interesting lady who had grave concerns about slipping standards on board (“very poor quality toilet paper”). I agreed with some of them, but I must say I had not noticed the others. Anyway, the standards are still good enough for me. It was perfect to be sitting there, enjoying a good cup of tea, listening to the harp music, and overloading myself with carbs. After cucumber, smoked salmon, and cheese and pickle sandwiches, chocolate cake, a chocolate éclair, and 2 scones (the other lady didn’t want hers), I was feeling very happy, but regretting having consumed the chocolate éclair that had suddenly leapt onto my plate when I was walking through the Lido earlier this afternoon. I hate the way that keeps on happening.

We had booked to eat in Coriander, the Indian themed alternative-dining venue, tonight. However, we received a phone call saying that Coriander was cancelled for this evening as they were having bento boxes instead. I was initially upset. I had really been looking forward to Indian food. However, I soon got over it, and booked for tomorrow night instead. Then I read to Daily Programme, and there is an Indian Buffet in the Lido tonight, so all is not lost and I will get my Indian food anyway.

As it turned out the buffet food was excellent. I am not a huge fan of the Lido in general, but at night it really looks much better. They have low lighting, place settings with tablemats, and soft music in the background. It was indeed a good experience.

The show tonight was a comedian juggler. He was actually very good at comedy and juggling for the most part, but I did cringe at some of his jokes which were very insensitive. Funny, but uncomfortable. The singers and dancers also performed. They were fantastic as usual. I still don’t know how they do it. The ship wasn’t moving at all tonight, but on some nights we are pitching and rolling all over the place, and they perform perfectly. Very professional.

It has been a strange day. We have been in the middle of the bay, with land all around us, sitting and watching ships coming in and out of the harbor. But we have just stayed put. Despite the angry looking waves, we have not been bobbing around. I won’t even have the swell to rock me to sleep tonight alas.