It’s not looking good for Denver…

Or so we’ve just been told.

I thought I’d use a little time this evening to do a bit of a catch up on what’s been going on.  We’ve enjoyed a super quiet dinner this evening because almost all of the ship’s company is sitting in the theatre watching the SuperBowl.  Having not a clue about the game (?match?) we are mere onlookers.  But that’s not to say we don’t enjoy the emotion of it all!

As you’ll gather, we are really enjoying our cruise.  We had a great time in Cartagena and will take fond memories home of the time we spent there.  As we left on our tour that afternoon, the crew were moving furniture around and I referred to them clearing the decks for a party that evening.  Now, we’ve heard of such events but have always narrowly missed them, because we’ve been going home before they took place.  But this time, we were lucky!  An overnight stay in Cartagena was a great opportunity to have an outdoor event on the pool deck and whilst we were out in the afternoon the crew managed, somehow, to transform the whole place into a huge, elegantly dressed dining room.

There was a place for everyone to sit at a table and food enough for three times as many!  The buffet and grills were arranged around the pool and we couldn’t believe the range of food on offer.  Suffice to say, we were spoiled for choice.

But what was really impressive – and I apologise for the blurry photograph – was the speed with which it was all cleared away.  When the time came for the buffet to close, to make way for the band and the dancing, the way the whole crew came together to wheel away those grills, the serving tables and all the associated equipment was remarkable.  That it was all done with such fun and spirit was particularly special, because as we realised, most of these people had been working hard all day to get it all ready, too.

The Beatles show which followed was good fun too and well targeted to those of us who were there!  The dance floor was full and the party really would have gone on all night but for the fact that many of us had an early start the next morning, to continue our tours of Cartagena.  Never mind – but quite what the local inhabitants made of the rousing choruses of Penny Lane and She Loves You on such a still, quiet evening, who knows?

The other thing which I’ve not really mentioned here is the range of talks available to us when we have time to go and listen.  This morning, we were treated to two particularly memorable presentations: Firstly, David Pogue’s “Tech Update 2014”.  David is an influential writer and presenter on several media platforms and his talk this morning was not only thought provoking and informative, but was also very funny indeed.  We’ve added YahooTech to our bookmarks and will follow it with interest, the more so for the lack of irritating advertising!  He was followed by Terry Breen, who offered another of her insights to our next destination – Ecuador.  Now we know exactly what to look for when buying a Panama hat and will bear her advice in mind tomorrow when we’ll be in Manta and visiting Montecristi, the home of the original and best.

This evening’s theatre show was scheduled as a matinee today, because of the SuperBowl and once again we marvelled and Hana and Alex’s remarkable strength, balance and sheer courage!  Every time we see them, I think they perform more breathtaking routines and they are really the stars of every show they participate in. 

So, this evening, the ship was quiet.  Well, shall we say most of the ship was quiet – the theatre was anything but!  As we went to the bar for a pre dinner drink, we noticed the crowds waiting to get in to see the SuperBowl and wondered if there would be anyone left to join us in the dining room?

Well, not many, that’s for sure!

So, we had a quiet table for two by the window and enjoyed rather more time than usual chatting to those who are normally way too busy to spend very long standing around.  It was an interesting menu tonight too – I began with the intention of taking photographs of each course to share here but sadly was enjoying it so much, I forgot!  So, you’ll have to believe me that the gravlax was great, the monkfish moqueca was interesting if not quite as spicy as I expected and that the chocolate fondant hit the spot perfectly.  Oh, and the white frascati was pretty good, too.

When we’d finished, we couldn’t resist taking a look at what was going on in the theatre, where it was shortly after half time.  One lady wearing an orange, Denver Broncos shirt came to get another tub of popcorn and shared her disappointment that her team weren’t doing so well.  We commiserated and declined the offer to sit and watch the rest of the match in favour of returning to our quiet, comfortable suite and following the match on TV.

Sadly for the lady in the orange shirt, it’s still not looking good for Denver, but our friends supporting the Seahawks will be thrilled when we see them tomorrow!  (Not that the match is over yet…)

At 3am tomorrow, we’ll cross the equator and we are told that King Neptune will be dropping in for a drink in the evening.  Now, the last time we encountered him was a bit of fun but I guess there won’t be quite as much time for such an elaborate celebration on a day when most of us are going out all day.  Because, of course, we’ll be arriving in Ecuador first thing in the morning – yet another new country for us both and so there will be a loud “kerching!” when our feet touch the ground.

What fun!!