Some additional photos taken yesterday afternoon. It is really hard to put into words how beautiful the scenery was. Unlike say Alaska with a Glacier and lots of trees this was a combination of the Glacier with mountains that look like they have been painted and designed with such beauty. Before dinner last evening we attended the first of two Crystal Society Parties. On most sailings there is just one party. However, with all people on this sailing Crystal Society members except for only 26 people they decided to have two parties. It also allowed them to recognize a few more people. After the party we had dinner at the Crystal Dining Room. The dining room was fairly busy as if it was a formal night Food was delicious. Second photo is with friends Hector (organist) and Lieve who Keith also plays Paddle Tennis with. We have had the pleasure of sailing with them several times the past few years. For one of the few times we each had steak last evening. A few minutes before early dining ended, we heard the chime on the speakers indicating an announcement from the bridge was being made. It turned out it was from Cruise Director Rick. This one is not your typical announcement. It indicated that toilets on one side of the ship would not be working from 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM and on the other side of the ship from 8:00 to 8:30 PM. Probably good that most guests were out of their rooms anyway. In keeping with the approach for this cruise of inviting some of the more popular land based entertainers who have performed for Crystal for many years, last evening's entertainment featured Broadway Sensation and Tony Nominee Christine Andreas who we absolutely enjoy. We appreciate the way she sings along with the songs that she performs and we were pleased that she is part of the many fabulous entertainers that have been performing on this voyage. This morning we awoke to just a little bit of snow on the verandah. Well to be more specific on our lounge chair. We were going to take the unexpected excursion involving a fast boat this morning, but had to pass on this one. We are posting photos that we took from the ship. This also included the two helicopters that have been used for several regular and unexpected adventures. Today’s program featured two morning lectures. Lois Harwood gave the first one. She spoke about changes that have taken place over the past few decades with respect to the Arctic Marine Ecosystem. She spoke about the study that she and several of her colleagues have conducted related to fish, seals, whales and seabirds. Later in the morning, photographer Flip Nicklin who has dazzled us with his commentary and so many photos he has shared with us spoke about how to photograph people. This was a change from his previous talks which focused on other areas such as animals and sea life. For the second time of this cruise a buffet was offered for lunch outside the Crystal Dining Room. This one is the Grand Gala Buffet. Speaking of food, on the Daily Morning Show Executive Chef Werner Brenner made a guest appearance. One of the questions related to provisioning food for this unique voyage. Clearly this is a collaborative effort between several members of the Food & Beverage Department and Los Angeles. He spoke about the items that were brought on board in Cambridge Bay which were mainly fruit produce items such as fruit, lettuce, carrots, etc. When we are in Nuuk the final provision will be received to get us through to the end of this voyage in New York City. Even with the best of planning the key is for the fruit and produce to be of high quality when received so that it has a longer shelf life. We are reminded that when sailing in Brazil in 2013 that a big challenge was the lettuce products because what was provisioned end up having a short shelf life. Fortunately, they were able to pick up additional lettuce at a local store in one of the larger ports. This would not have been an option for this type of voyage. We skipped the Grand Gala Buffet. Instead we had lunch at the Lido "Grand" Buffet as we called it.
We walked around the outside of the ship to take in all of the beautiful sites surrounding the ship. Also caught up on a couple of lectures. Later in the afternoon there will be the daily expedition and recap briefing with expedition leader Tim Soper. The focus will be tomorrow’s visit to Pond Inlet. We will be on tomorrow's community visit. Keith & Anne Marie Comments are closed.
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