we leave in Falmouth in June we have to sign in and out anytime we want
shore leave. It's kinda cool, if a little weird.
We all got our own cabins so it's quite nice. I'm right by the mess so
making meals hasn't been a problem so far ;) The meals are at weird times.
I don't normally make a breakfast that finishes at 8.30. Lunch is
11.20-12.30, which is a bit too early for my liking. Dinner then is
5.30-6.30. My days are now defined by meals. A scary thought if, like me,
you have to work to stay the same weight! Prior to the cruise I thought I
might actually loose some weight. Seeing the set-up, there's not a hope of
that! There is a gym on the boat but I'm not sure I could manage the
exercise on a rolling boat when I can't manage it on a non-moving surface
at home ;)
After a safety briefing and tour of the ship we had a practice
fire/evacuation exercise, where we put on heavy clothes and life jackets
and got into the covered life boats. All at 36oC! It was more than a
little toasty. At least we all looked as daft as one another, with
jumpers, hats and life jackets. I had seen it before at the sea survival
course we went to but it was obvious again at the drill: Life jackets are
NOT designed for women! They don't sit comfortably at all if a girl has
any sizable chest. The jackets are also more likely to ride up around your
neck and almost smother you. Who ever designed life jackets definitely
didn't take women into account in the design process! Then again, I'm
hoping I am never in an emergency situation with the need to wear a life
jacket.
As a last ditch attempt to see something of Lisbon before we set sail
tomorrow, I convinced Trev to join me on a nice long walk into the city
centre. It actually wasn't that long but we did get to see some of the
sights. The architecture here is impressive, with lots of statues and
squares. I would like to have seen the city in daylight but I guess I am
here to work a little :) I enjoy people watching in cities so, after the
tourist drag, we sat outside a bar to watch the world go round. I was
surprised to find very few younger people around the areas we walked
around. It was all middle aged, middle class clientel. Maybe there is a
trendy end of town we didn't find? We did run into a good few younger
people coming into town as we passed the train station on our way home.
Maybe they drink at home and party in town after? I think I'd need to ask
a local that one...
The long walk into town was great but, as it was late and colder, we
decided to get a tram back to docks. It was a real dinky little thing that
seemed to travel a lot faster than it was able for. But we got there in
one piece so I can't complain! As we saved some time getting the tram we
called into the bars on the marina waterfront near the docks. These
include two 'Irish' bars that I can't say looked very Irish and two clubs
right beside one another who are in direct competition with each other to
see who can blast the loudest music out to attract punters. It was a
little much even for me!
We ship out in the morning. I'm really looking forward to it now. A big
improvement from my panic attack moments prior to coming out here!
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