Saturday, Jan 26 - Day 6 of holiday and Day 4 on board Island Princess

I started my day with my usual routine of e-mail, Internet access, setting up the blog etc.  Why I put so much pressure on myself I will never understand.  Timed Internet is a bad thing as it cramps creativity and ensures that you make mistakes that you would not normally make on the computer. 

We breakfasted in the Horizon again and managed to secure a spot to eat at the bow again.  We were alone and didn't spend too much time there as it was once again a nice day. It seemed like a pressure day as we identified more than one important time where we wanted to be at something.  Funny as we normally have a dozens of commitments and to be mildly stressed because we had a couple of things is very much unlike us.  I think we have adapted to our sloth-like planning techniques.

 After breakfast Freddi took me on a walk about to some areas she had found on the ship that were of interest.  We played another game of mini-golf and got my title back again.  There wa sa team of Canadians following us through the course.  That didn't disturb our competitive game and we had a bunch of laughs as we did our 9 holes.  We then went to the aft and played a quick game of chess  with the three foot high chess men.  It was fun as I had to explain the roles and moves of the chess men as we went along.  I laughed lots as Freddi kept saying "Well that makes no sense" when I described the moves and strategy of the game.  That did not last very long and I think it will be a while before Freddi asks about chess again.  WE then wandered through the Sanctuary where you pay for peacefulness.  It is in the stern of the ship and it is very comfortable if you want to get away from the maddening crowd of people.  Considering our passenger compliment, this place will likely be pretty empty during the cruise and will likely be a spot where we will spend some time.

We retired to the inside pool area as we had too much sun the day before.  The lounges were much more comfortable that the one outside and a short read, a short sleep and some additional reading brought us to meal time again.  We decided on buffet for lunch as we didn't really want a sit down or formal lunch. 

After our brief lunch I went off to a photography seminar that reinforced some of the things I knew about photography and shared little in the way of insights into how this Australian photographer went about his business.  He was the on board photographer and some of his work is displayed around the ship.  It was interesting and it was very focused on the Nikon camera.

Our next stop was the wine tasting that we signed up for when we joined the ship.  It was hosted by Mario who was a Romanian who trained in the world of wine in San Francisco.  He may have been knowledgeable but his "storyline" left a lot to eb desired.  He bounced around and did not tell a contiguous story of grapes, wine, wine making and tasting.  I am sure my friend Denise would have jumped up and released him of his position and continued the seminar if she had been in the room.  None the less we were introduced to some new wines as outlined below. 

Nicolas Feuillante - brut champagne style wine $60 (here on the ship) Pairs with just about anything except maybe beef

Santa Margherita - Pinot Grigio ; (Italy) $41 (a favourite of Freddi) - pairs well with light fish, salads and shell fish

Pouilly Fuse - France  Chardonnay based wine $34 - White burgundy  with high acidity that pairs well with cheese, salads and stronger fish

Barolo - Stephano Farina Italy $45 (my favourite) pairs well with prosciutto and Italian meats and cheeses - I like with red meat also but it is light similar to a pinot noir

Don Melchor - Chilian Cab Sauvignon $58 deep red fruits, complex and expressive with chocolate and tobacco tones - (becoming a new fav) pairs well with red meats and game as well as strong cheese

Robert Mondavi - Napa Reserve $125 - very well blended and stable wine that demonstrated full berries and long finish (too expensive to become a fav)

All in all the wines were good and the small nibbles of food provided to have that food and wine party in the mouth were adequate.  I was less impressed with this presentation and delivery than on other Princess cruises.  But I did learn some things and had tastes of good wines so the time was well spent.

We then wandered up to the Lido deck to sit and watch Mamma Mia with the great cast of current stars as it was filmed a few years ago.  Who knew that Merril Streep could sing!  It is a fun story and well played out on film.

That took us to dinner time - does it ever stop?   We dressed for sinner and went to the Bordeaux Dining Room to sign up and had a wait time that was pretty short.  We chose to dine with others and were placed at a table with 8 other people.  Only two of the people were not Canadian.  Funny how that works out.  The two from Great Briton lived outside of London and they have travelled extensively.  The lady (lost her name) sat beside me and we chatted pretty much all through dinner about places we have been and want to go to.  We enjoyed a shrimp cocktail each and I had scallops that were to die for.  Freddi had chicken dinner and we both had a little dessert - something chocolate to go with the Don Melchor cabernet sauvignon........

That brought the day to an end as we crashed at about 10 PM.