Oh, today is a totally do nothing day. For real.  There is absolutely nothing on the schedule that we will do until Alex’s last lecture at 2pm.  Tjalling has no coffee chat, and the 10am presentation is City at Sea, which we have seen.  At 1pm there is the traditional HAL Origin Story presentation, which of course we have also seen – multiple times – but will again to get seats for Alex.

So – the morning progresses slowly with our typical coffee, gym, breakfast, then a diversion to the Crow’s Nest to sit and clean out our email on the computer while the boys (or as the Housekeeping Manager calls them, the “Couple” – which just tickles me pink) clean the room.  The rest of the morning is spent in the cabin, it’s too cold and windy to sit outside, drinking mimosas to try to finish our champagne bottle on this leg because we’ll get another one tomorrow. 

A quick salad for lunch, afterward grabbing shrimp from the lounge then back to the cabin to finish the mimosas with our shrimp snack.  We head to the World Stage a little early, because Tjalling is doing the Origin Story (again!) and we want to try to get good seats.  Which doesn’t really happen until the Origin Story is over and we manage to move to aisle seats next to the chatty old ladies.  Ugh. Better than behind them, or worse yet, in front. These 3, well, actually 2 (they are in a group of 4; 3 women and one long suffering husband) never shut up.  We mean never!  We were originally behind them during the end of the Origin Story and I had to shush them twice and kick the back of the row of seats twice to get them to shut up.  Being next to them at least drowns out some of their ridiculous commentary.

Alex’s presentation is on the Future of our Ocean, which is basically his self described rant on what to and not to do to protect and preserve the Ocean.  He provides a little ocean going history, explaining how the Phoenicians used animals such as cormorants to lead them to land as well as follow dolphins for food (we still find that amazing!).  Then he describes the Challenger expedition of 1872 – 1876, which was the first-time anyone had made it around the world researching the ocean.  Then came back to his rant about  different organizations who say they are doing one thing, while not really providing solutions. Essentially, we are custodians, once we intervene, we need to take care of the animals and the ocean.  His non-profit plans to focus on this and help find solutions to the problems he sees a endemic in ocean research and uses.  At then end of the presentation we all gave him a long – like 3 minute – standing ovation, which brought tears to his eyes.  What a great guy.  What a great couple of speakers – Alex and Dr. Steven. We really lucked out with this crossing and lecturers.

That being said, Alex is the end of our daily activities. There is nothing on the agenda after him – at all.  Not for us at least.  We missed (oh horrors!) the Lido Fun Fair, we aren’t interested in Final Bingo or Mixology Class (extra cost), Team Trivia – not on a dare, Pickleball?  Um, you get the idea.  So, it’s back to the cabin before our afternoon gym, where we chat with Brandon, the sweet gym manager from Cape Town.  Down to the lounge, drinks on the balcony, then dinner in Canaletto which was good – if not too filling.  Even though neither of us had pasta, we were still stuffed.  I had a shrimp appetizer and shrimp main – and realized just how filling shrimp can be! 

Last night of this leg is spent, where else?  In the cabin with drinks and nice weather on the balcony and TV to end our T-A to Barcelona.  Tomorrow?  Another world, we are sure!