Interestingly, we were talking just last night at dinner about how there are so many activities taking place simultaneously on most sea days that folks have to make tough choices: bridge lesson or lecture, workshop or music, crafts or choir.

Because neither of us does the lessons or group activities, we rarely have a problem taking in the lectures or workshop sessions we want.

Today, I actually had the opposite problem. I’m not doing yoga, learning bridge, playing mahjong or Baggo – and today only one of the three lectures interested me – so I was actually “free” almost all day.

So what to do?

I took the opportunity to sleep in, but not long enough to miss putting breakfast into my stomach. That anti-seasickness strategy seems to be holding, and the World Café’s omelettes are delicious.

The sun was shining today, after two days of wind and rain that precluded the pool deck roof being open. When it’s closed, here at the equator where “cloudy” definitely does not mean “cool”, the pool deck gets so hot and humid that it’s almost uncomfortable for people like me who run hot anyway. Today it was glorious, with a gentle breeze wafting through, which made it a wonderful place to read, relax, and watch the ocean.

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The water outside was not smooth, so neither was the water in the pool. It’s actually kind of interesting to listen to the waves loudly sloshing INSIDE the ship! The movement of the pool water is always a reflection of what’s happening in the ocean. In rough seas, the water level in the pool actually gets dropped to prevent the deck from flooding; in really rough seas the pool gets closed altogether.

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Ted attended the 10 a.m. photography workshop on “ISO Madness”; I took in Captain Tom Anderson’s “World Heritage Sites in Oceania” at 11 a.m.

Tom’s role as a medical officer involved him enforcing the provisions of the Geneva Convention, and spurred his interest in UNESCO.

He talked mostly not about Oceania (that was a 5 minute piece at the end of his 45 minute talk), but about the UNESCO program, which protects and encourages people to preserve and visit some of the most beautiful and sacred sites around the world. The initiative originally came from The League of Nations, which was unsuccessful in implementing it, but eventually led to the creation of UNESCO.

I found it really interesting that it was in 1954, when Egypt announced their decision to build the Aswan Dam, that UNESCO finally found its purpose. The call actually came FROM Egypt to the international community for help in preserving the Nubian artifacts that would be submerged by the lake that would need to be created in the dam’s construction. The answer to that call led – among other things – to the monuments of Abu Simbel being moved, and led to the creation of UNESCO’s World Heritage program.

UNESCO does not go out looking for sites. The World Heritage List requires a country to identify sites – cultural or natural – in danger of degradation or destruction. A location then becomes a world heritage site if after a favourable review by UNESCO its value is verified, using 10 criteria, 6 cultural and 4 natural.

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More sites are added all the time. As of September 2023, there were over 1,199 UNESCO World Heritage sites, located in 168 countries. Each site is protected by the World Heritage Convention. Protection by the international convention can be removed if sites are intentionally (like through logging) or even unintentionally damaged in a way that impacts their significance.

At noon, the Captain did his usual status report: weather, longitude and latitude, speed, etc. Ted and I often comment that the Captain Markus often sounds like he’s struggling to find something interesting to share. Today, for instance, he randomly commented, “it is a very big ocean”. He always ends his noon update with “all is well”.

Ted and I met for a “light” lunch: pizza and oatmeal raisin cookies for him; a slice of lovely rare roast beef on a slice of fresh dark rye, and some German-style buttered cabbage with caraway for me.

I’m loving the opportunity on sea days to talk to new people. After a few casual chats prior to lectures, I’ve managed to meet some really interesting folks. Step two is usually to arrange dinner together. To that end, Ted and I will be having dinner with Paul and Claire in a few nights – adding some new relationships to those we’ve been renewing from prior Viking cruises.

While Ted stuck to his sea day routine of briskly walking laps (16 today, for 4 miles) and then going to the spa, I was feeling a bit at loose ends, especially since my iPad needed recharging before I could get back into my latest book. A quick cup of tea (cinnamon Ceylon) in the Wintergarden while listening to Enrico play soft classical music was the perfect interlude – a word that reminded me of our very first Viking Wintergarden experience (AfternoonTea 2019).

Dinner in the casual dining venue offered two “special events”: a surf and turf station on the Aquavit Terrace, and Viking Cherries Jubilee & Bananas Foster in the World Café’s dessert station. Those options meant that we didn’t change for dinner tonight (although what we were wearing would have allowed us into the more formal venues too).

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We ate on the terrace under a magnificent night sky.

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The after-dinner show was Mark Donoghue’s second performance. He leaves us in Tahiti, I think. Given how terrific his first show was, we expected a full theatre – and were not surprised for the need to line up early for good seats. Once again, he amazed us with his mastery of violin, guitar, piano, and harmonica in a high-energy show.

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After nightfall, we headed to the top deck to look at the stars being revealed as clouds moved away. While we were there we discovered a late-night worker in the upholstery workshop, where repairs to all of the soft furnishings on the ship are made. Since we’d come upon it inadvertently, I asked permission before taking this photo.

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We ended our evening in the Explorers Lounge having a nightcap whole listening to Paolo on guitar.

All is well indeed.