3 days at sea

I miss talking to you so thought I would provide a bit of a picture of what life is like after 3 days at sea. Many folks are going a bit stir-crazy but personally, I find it enjoyable and relaxing. I am thinking that a couple of years ago that wouldn't have been the case so I believe retirement has a lot to do with it. The weather has turned most agreeable for hikes on the promenade deck and my walking has picked up considerably because of it. It seems that doing 5K a day with the sun shining and the wind at your back (okay, well at least half way :-) is so much easier than on the treadmill. We have befriended a woman travelling solo who loves to walk and we've been inspiring one another to greater distances. She is a lawyer from Washington State specializing in elder law so it makes for some very interesting promenade discussions. After the morning walk and stretch with Dr Oz it is usually time to take in some sun (not much more than 20 mins required in direct sunlight owing to that depleted ozone I keep mentioning) and on to whatever the 11:00 lecture entails. Today we had cocktails with the Captain at noon. It was an invitation issued to all of us who are continuing back to Santiago after Buenos Aires for the turnaround. All but 33 of us are disembarking in Buenos Aires. We will do a half-day tour in Buenos Aires to get the lay of the land for our arrival back to BA on the 24th but will leave our serious touring in Buenos Aires for when we have our two week stay at the end of our trip. Tomorrow we dock in Montevideo, Uruguay and have a trip to Punta del Este planned. This is the Riviera of Uruguay where the Argentinians all come for the beaches in the summer so it should be a good view of summer life. Kind of like being in the County in July, I think :-). The following day we hit Buenos Aires and the next Montevideo again as we begin this turnaround cruise. So, after a very quiet 3 days at sea, it will be 3 somewhat bustling days and I am up for that as it will then be a few days before we get back to our penguin viewing. Tonight we had the 3rd of our 'formal' evenings for dinner. They really do pull out all the stops in terms of the menu in the main dining room on those nights. Neither of us felt like getting gussied up on the first formal night so we ate in the casual restaurant but after we went to the second one and experienced the menu we'll likely attend the 3 on the return trip. For example, tonight's dinner included filet and lobster, escargots, pear soup. I have the order reversed :-) but you get the idea and can see why I am happy that I am so excited about my daily walking. It is an absolutely necessary pastime. I have returned to a somewhat more normalized eating pattern with fruit, yogurt and some protein for breakfast and a really healthy lunch because when we first got on the ship it was wayyyy too easy to get into 3 course breakfasts and lunches and nowhere to go with it. The fitness room is quite good but crowded on sea days so I find it easier to simply walk more and do lots of stretching. A balance now seems to have been found with the incredible desserts having become a treat every few days instead of something to have with every glass of water :-) On our next leg I plan to take in more of the Digital Workshops as everyone is raving about them and the instructor is apparently very good. Perhaps I will learn how to post my pictures better. You will be the first to know. Take care and I will talk to you tomorrow from Montevideo..............xoxo