February 17 - More New Island, courtesy of my friends

My friends came back from their trip ashore and they told me it was good I didn’t go. I  have to explain that I have acquired what may be an irrational fear of falling and breaking something significant.  I feel vindicated about not making the trip since one of my friends did slip and fall (thankfully she didn’t break anything but she did get a scrape).  Anyway, the climb up the hill was not really on a path; it was up some rocks and they told me it wasn’t easy, especially in clunky boots. 

They did see some cute things though and they shared their photos with me.  The attraction was albatross nests and chicks. I heard a lecture about albatrosses and it’s worth recounting a little of what I learned.  Albatrosses can go for a year without touching land.  They dive down to the water to eat fish and squid and they drink sea water. They have some kind of special gland that allows them to extract the salt and expel it through their beak.  What they do most of the time is more gliding than flying. They are able to lock their elbow joints and have sort of a fixed wing so they can just let the wind keep them aloft and propelled.  They live for a very long time. An albatross was tagged at Midway Atoll in the Pacific in 1956. She was a mature female at the time and as of 2018 she was still raising chicks.  That makes her more than 62 years old!

The albatross builds a circular nest for its eggs to hatch and chicks to grow.  If you look at the photos I’m uploading from my friends you’ll see that each chick is on his own little nest. So here they are.

These chicks have some penguin friends hanging out with them.

This guy decided to wake up to have his photo taken.

Feeding time for this one

These two look like they're kissing.

Lunch today was a real treat.  We had the return of a Seabourn tradition which was suspended because of Covid and just recently came back, the Galley Market Lunch. The galley is open for guests to come through and feast on things at lots of different stations.  We had to wash our hands before entering and I couldn't take my camera through, so I just got a shot of the entrance.  Have you ever seen so much spotless, streak-free stainless steel?

The galley staff have a line of stations going all through the galley where we can fill our plates with whatever strikes our fancy. The problem is filling your plate and then finding more that you have to try further along the line. No worries! We can go back as often as we like, the only limit being how much we can eat.  To give you an idea of the offerings today here we go.  There was a salad station (the healthy stuff) that also included smoked salmon, pickled herring, and crab-stuffed avocado.  There was a pasta station where the chef would cook you whatever kind of pasta you like with whatever sauce you like. We had roast suckling pig, prime rib, and roast chicken.  Then came a section with beef stroganoff, weiner schnitzel, bratwursts and sauerkraut, fried chicken and several things I can't remember plus vegetables, potatoes cooked different ways and several types of rice dishes.  Next was a station with king crab, lobster tails, and big prawns. There was a sushi bar, a cheese station, which included fruits and crackers, and a bread station.  Last but not least was a big selection of desserts, everything from strawberries flambéed in Grand Marnier to baked Alaska, cakes, puddings and cookies.  As we entered the restaurant we were offered a limoncello spritz - limoncello, prosecco, and soda water with a twist of lemon.  It was similar to an Aperol Spritz and it was delicious.  I knew I would be going to the galley lunch so I skipped breakfast.  Good thing!  I think most of us on the ship will be eating light dinners tonight.

After everyone has passed through the line at least once, the galley staff, servers and bar stewards who have been taking such good care of us paraded through the dining room so we could applaud them.  They do a remarkable job.