Two days of early starts and tendered landings got the better of us. We decided to give Dublin a miss and instead, enjoy a day to ourselves catching up and pottering about.

With another couple of busy days on the horizon and Dublin already familiar to us, it wasn’t too difficult a decision to make and we enjoyed spending time on board this beautiful ship and noticing all the stunning detail. I mean, how many times have we walked by that lovely Lalique vase without paying it much attention? This morning, the flowers were extraordinary too. So, we had a late breakfast, read our books and caught up with friends, had a couple of conversations with Amy and Edward who are keeping everything at home running smoothly. The delivery of our new fridge (at last!) at 7am must have been a surprising wake up call for them though!

Later in the day, we gathered for Trivia again and flushed with success we went our separate ways for dinner. We had a booking in Chartreuse, the French restaurant tonight, so put on our finery and headed for an aperitif.

It’s fun to ring the changes at dinner each evening, sometimes gathering with a bunch of friends for a fun dinner in the main restaurant and occasionally, dining à deux as we planned to do tonight.

I particularly love the design in Chartreuse; the Art Nouveau styling and the palette of dark wood, Chartreuse green and cream. The menu isn’t that bad either!

As we perused the menu, Sommelier Severina brought over champagne cocktails and asked for our wine choices this evening. I’d already spotted the terrine on the menu, so it wasn’t long before a glass of Sauternes appeared. Lining the glasses up already, eh?

My Hero had also spotted his favourite Tournedos for his main course which was the perfect prompt to line up another of his favourites, a glass (or two!) of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Opting for the Filet de Veau, I asked Severina for her advice. A Chablis, perhaps, or a glass of Pouilly Fuisse? Thinking of our dear friend Jane, I plumped for her favourite Sancerre and as we do whenever we drink that particular wine, we raised our glass to her.

I love these glasses too, each one designed especially for the wine of choice.

As darkness fell - a little earlier each night - the atmosphere became more subdued and the small domed lanterns on each table glowed. We were sitting on a lovely table in a quiet corner of the restaurant and appreciated the peaceful ambiance.

Our main courses were brought by the very sweet Divina and were perfectly proportioned. After several days of dining like this, I begin to feel overwhelmed by large plates full of food. So, a carefully plated selection of tasty, well cooked ingredients like this is spot on. After all, I need to leave room for dessert!!

For once, my Hero declares that he is too full when Severina comes over to ask if he’d like a glass of port with his cheese. Of course, we’d had a relaxing lunch earlier and I seem to remember that he’d particularly enjoyed a small selection then.

I spotted another favourite of mine there however.

Ile Flottante is mostly air after all, isn’t it?!

Declining the offer of coffee and noting the time, we offered our thanks and said our goodnights to Severina and Divina and headed up to the theatre, meeting friends along the way.

Sharing stories over a nightcap and watching a fun performance in the theatre was a great end to what had been a really good day. As we returned to our suite however, the Captain made an announcement and warned of lively seas and a heavy swell tonight. We noticed that Rafael and MaryAnn, our housekeepers had secured all the bottles and other loose items already and climbed into our wonderfully comfy bed expecting to be rocked to sleep. With a gentle creaking and the occasional bump, thankfully the storm wasn’t too severe, though this morning we learn that it’s not safe for us to make it into port today. Instead, we’ll have another sea day on our way to Falmouth tomorrow and our plans to visit Kinsale in Ireland will have to be on hold for another visit.

Here’s hoping the storm passes over soon!