This is our last morning in Stockholm, which means that in just a few hours we will be on board a relatively massive cruise ship. But first, our last breakfast on land for ten days.
I know that there has been a policy as of late to not bore you with breakfast, but I do love these pancakes. In the States there is an institution which I believe is called the House International of the Pancake, and they serve a similar pancake with some name that makes it sound international-ish. Just like the Swedish Meatball is just a Meatball here, in this country the Swedish Pancake is just a Pancake. Adjectives in action.
We are all packed for the cruise, and Barbie's new little buddy gets tucked away in her shoulder bag.
Stockholm Hotel Lobby Candid. July, 2010.
In the lobby, Barbie check s out of the hotel while I stand by the bags while this couple was snoozing away. I suspect these lobby snoozers have bodies still in one of the USA's time zones.
We hopped into a taxi and our driver, who was from Eritrea, got us straight to the correct pier. I must say, he might be the first person I have met from Eritrea. Thanks to basic cable I know that Eritrea has a fascinating and ancient history that archeologists are just uncovering. One thing that surprises you about Stockholm is that it has quite an international population. They have emigres from all around the world. The idea that this is a homogenous land of tall, blond, Nordic peoples is completely false.
We arrived at the cruise terminal immediately after one of the official transfer buses, which explains the line. The line moved quickly, and someday if you are lucky you can ask Barbie or myself how Barbie influenced the Crystal employees to change their way of doing things to make the line move even faster. She is that good.
Our first full view of the Crystal Symphony. That, my friends and Wasters, is going to be home for ten days.
We are greeted onboard by a string quartet in the Crystal Plaza. Yes, that plaza is on a boat. Amazing what they can do these days with a boat.
Meal number one aboard the Crystal Symphony. You are used to seeing a variety of restaurants. Now, for ten days, you will see what kind of variety the chef's aboard this ship can offer.
Jeff's pureed soup of garden vegetables.
Jeff's fusilli primavera.
Barbie's cobb salad.
Barbie's apple sorbet.
My dad's sugar free chocolate mousse.
My mom's dessert, a fruit plate. Looks like my breakfasts, no?
Barbie presents our room. A fun thing about cruise ship cabins is the super efficient use of space.
One of the annoying things about cruising is the life boat exercise that you must go through before leaving port. It is required by law, based on the idea that if you make everyone put on the life preserver and walk to their assigned lifeboat, they will know exactly what to do in the case of an emergency. It must be nice to live in a world where a calm walkthrough is genuine preparation for disaster.
Fun with a crowd shot.
Spot the bride.
There!
Proof! You see, during this exercise I spotted my cousin Cyndi's in-laws, who by coincidence are on the same cruise as us. She rushed over to say hello and I got trapped behind the crowd. But I got a fun picture out of it.
Walking around the top deck, getting acquainted. I doubt I will see this area this peaceful very often.
Hanging out on the Lido Deck. My feet have been to the Crystal Symphony.
More looking around, taking it in.
Stockholm is a popular cruise port, you can see. There is actually a third ship off to the left.
If you do not like wildlife, skip forward. Though, to be honest, this is more like scavengerlife. Still, scavengers or not, these birds are graceful.
Seagull.
The same shot, cropped. What did I tell you? A crop is as good as a zoom.
Another seagull.
The same shot, cropped.
Another seagull, who came quite close.
Close enough that this one's crop is truly a close-up.
Okay, we are done with the birds. I could not help it. I took maybe thirty seagull pics, and you only had to see three. I am the model of restraint.
The sky as we pull away from port.
Dinnertime.
Jeff's crab bisque.
Barbie's prosciutto with apple and watercress salad.
Barbie's broiled fresh Mediterranean sea bream fillet.
Jeff's grilled balck angus sirloin steak.
For dessert, Barbie's Variation of Strawberry; strawberry almond cake, strawberry panna cotta, and strawberry sorbet.
Jeff's Peanut Butter Decadence; peanut butter praline, peanut butter sauce, chocolate fudge cookie with peanut ganache, and peanut butter frozen yogurt.
Yes, the desserts receive full descriptions while the other menu items do not.
This peanut butter praline was, in a word, ridicutastic. I share this close-up with Monique in mind, as she and I share a bond over the fact that our favorite ice cream is Baskin Robbin's peanut butter 'n' chocolate.
They had this map up on the ship, with thin dark lines and arrows charting our course. It was hard to see them and I added red arrows for your convenience. For those who have not memorized that Baltic Sea: Stockholm to Tallinn, Estonia to St. Petersburg, Russia to Helsinki, Finland to Warnemunde, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark. (I have discovered that, among other nifty built-in features, Mac OS's picture previewer allows you to draw arrows on pics with great precision. I shall be using this.)
After some time getting settled in the cabin, we went topside to perhaps check out the view.
Rain. Tomorrow is a full day at sea with no stop at a port. Let us hope there is no rain.
Barbie chillin' in the Symphony's night club, Luxe.
Ping Pong. More fun than a night club. (Though the DJ was kicking.) For the record, I tossed the ball at Barbie five times and took five pictures, hoping to get a shot of the ball coming off of her paddle. This is the first attempt. The next four were completely useless. It may be raining, but the Neptune of photography had my back.
Barbie loves these glass sinks, which have the best drains ever. Seriously, one push and they hold water, a second push and it drains through. Once again the cruise ship cabin proves itself as the most efficient use of space with the coolest fixtures possible.
Yes, the last pic of the night is of the bathroom. This is how it had to be. You know and I know it.
Until tomorrow...
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