2023 Spring Atlantic Crossing Part 3

After two weeks on this tub, Judy has yet to be on land, wet or dry. The ports have not been conducive for a stroll, with the exception of Funchal in Madeira. Nassau had all the young vermin from the Disney vessel, Azores not too interesting, Motril is a base for tours to Granada , and Alicante is just a great big port with no obvious redeeming qualities. So we remained on board, Judy reading voraciously and I was diligently cheating with the Times hard crosswords. Did you know that the city with the most Art Deco buildings is Miami? You did not!

Two nights before docking in Barcelona, Judy contracted a big scratchy throat and severe night sweats…soaked linens and loss of appetite. As comfortable as the cabins are, it is impossible to control the temperature; consistently on the cool side, and the bedding is just too heavy. With over one thousand passengers and mostly recirculated air, we all probably shared more than we wished to. The main dining room seats 438, so odds are good for viruses seeking new homes.

Nothing against Oceania but this is likely our last big boat cruise. Too many people, everyone comparing cruise notes, a narrowly sliced demographic, lots of trophy chicks…a floating retirement home. Yuck.

That said, the crew was great. All SE Asian, South American, or European, totally focused on great service, and happy to chat. They knew our favourite cocktails, even when we switched. Never knew I liked a Gibson. Uh-oh..

The best part of happy hour was the string quartet, Lastara. I try hard to avoid « amazing » but must take a pass here. These four exceptional musicians are from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Each is solidly grounded in classical but they have performed in rock groups as well. Go figure !

Flawlessly (how would I know?) they performed pieces by Mozart, Dvorak, Bach, the Beatles, Queen, and more than I can recall just now.

Apparently there is big demand for music scores for string quartets. Could have fooled me.

Dîna Kononova is the cellist leading the first and second violins, and the viola.

Dina’s home was hit by a bomb. They managed to get out, with kitty. Then bombed again. We are so fortunate to not have a neighbour like Putin. Although, if you just draw a line over the arctic, maybe closer than we may care…

Disembarked Thursday without much hassle. Waited until the hordes got off and then caught a taxi to pick up our car near the Barcelona airport. The directions provided by Renault were somewhat sketchy, but our driver (from India but who spoke Spanish) managed to find the obscure pickup location.

We have a teal coloured Renault Arkana. Add two esses and voila, a US state. I shall pass. It is very comfortable, and I might figure out what all the dashboard indicators mean someday. Not today.

Judy seems better tonight, after lasagna and some Rhone wine.

Tresques is still a delight. Since we moved in (!) the boulangerie has changed hands three times. This is the best incarnation. The épicerie is a mystery in terms of how it survives. It is like Costco in a very small space. She has fruits and veg, wine and beer, smokes, meats, comics, cat food, magazines, batteries, various personal hygiene products, lottery tickets, propane tanks, mustard, milk, eggs, and a bunch of other stuff. Everything except chicken noodle soup, which is what I wanted!!!

So far, a dearth of philosophy in this epistle. I hope that you were not offended by the diversion away from the joys of travel. It was just that being dropped into a boatload of peers (not pee -ers, but maybe) was pretty weird. But it’s not quite over. Given the theme of the passage of time and its inevitable outcome, can you come up with the relevant tunes of Joni Mitchell, David Clayton Thomas, Terry Jacks, and Phil Ochs? Of course, feel free to chime in with your own faves, if you have any regarding this theme. I think you can post comments on the blog but please me nice. Remember who wrote and sang « I ache in the places where I used to play.. »?

Phil who? Hint: He wrote “Changes” in the 60’s, and the classic anti-military “Draft Dodger Rag”. If you haven’t heard it, check it out. Only the good die young.

It’s now about 7 AM here, Saturday morning. My turn to quietly play Spelling Bee and continue the Wordle run. Madame passed a fairly quiet night, so perhaps she will be up for ironing or other domestic chores. Doubt it…

Enjoy your day. Pretty sure I saw Maurice the cat when we arrived Thursday, so have stocked up on kitty food. Will post pics if it’s him!

You’ll hear more in a couple of days, after we do the sweat-soaked linens and some ironing. And laundry. And cooking. And….