November 11 - Veterans’ Day at Sea

There’s not a great deal to say today. I was turned loose at 2 PM yesterday as they had promised, The funny thing was once I knew I could go out I was perfectly happy sitting on my veranda , writing in my journal and watching the sea go by. This morning at breakfast I met 3 of my trivia teammates. They wouldn’t tell me how they did yesterday because they said it was embarrassing. I told them “it’s only a game” again. They are three sisters on a girls’ cruise. I think that’s so nice! They laugh a lot and that’s always a good thing. Before trivia today one of the lecturers gave a talk on the “Real Anna,” she of The King and I fame. It turns out that most of her life story as is popularly known is a fraud. She herself invented the story for a lot of social reasons. The part about being an English teacher for the King of Siam’s children and consorts is true and she was an influential advisor to the king as time went on. Most of the rest about her husband being a British officer and her childhood she made up. Interestingly, her son Louis who is a character in the play and musical returned to Siam (Thailand) after he finished his education and founded a large company which is still in existence there today. At 11:11 AM we observed two minutes of silence all over the ship for Remembrance Day as the Brits and Canadians call today. On Sunday we are having a service with several veterans who are on the cruise. Seabourn does a very nice job with lectures and activities. We have a gentleman who lectures on things more political. So far I’ve avoided those. They are far too serious for relaxing on a cruise and getting away from it all. There have been get togethers of knitters and needlepointers. There is bridge every day and I think they have had golf-putting a couple of times. I’m hopeful they’ll have some art classes. I know they have on previous cruises. There has been at least one wine tasting. That was yesterday when I was in isolation. There are more to come. Well, that’s today’s report about not much of anything. I see that I could very easily become a lazy slug of a person. Oh, the ocean is like a millpond. If we were on one of Columbus’ ships we might be becalmed without all the splendid food, drink and amenities we’re having to suffer through on the Ovation.