Crankiness

Our wake-up call came at 5 a.m., just as we had requested. My, that felt very early. We threw on some warm clothes and made our way down to the Royal Promenade to grab a cup of coffee to take up to the 14th deck with us. We saw one other person in the hallway, and I thought, “Wow. There is one other hearty soul that wants to see the Strait.”

Well, as we got closer and closer to Deck 5, the sound rose. It turned out there were many, many other hearty souls, and apparently the ship's food management hadn't anticipated that kind of interest in seeing the Strait of Gibraltar. It was crazy in the Royal Promenade Cafe. They were out of regular coffee (Really? Decaf at 5 a.m.?) They had no sweet rolls in the showcase; instead they still had their sandwiches that they offer in the evening.

We got our decaf coffee and a cookie to get us going, and went up to Deck 12. As soon as we stepped outside, the wind hit us. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the wind nearly knocked me off my feet as we made our way to the front of the ship. I've never felt anything like it. Luckily there is a bar up on Deck 14 that remains unlocked even when it's not open, and that's where we parked (along with many, many others).

The trouble was, it never got light enough for us to see anything but some flickering lights in the distance. We knew the ones on one side were in Africa and the ones on the other side were in Spain. By time it was 6:30 and still no light, we went back up to our room and checked the ship's location on the GPS they have running on one of the TV channels. Sure enough, we were past the Rock of Gibraltar. So, we crawled back in bed and slept until 9:30.

It's very chilly out today. I find it interesting that it was so sunny and relatively warm as we crossed the Atlantic; however, as soon as we reach the Mediterranean Sea, it turned chilly. My guess is it will be somewhat cool in Barcelona, and then will warm up in Nice.

In addition to noticing the cooler temperature, I'm also noticing how cranky people have gotten. Seriously, everywhere we were today, we ran into people complaining about one thing or another, or simply scowling at each other. An example: After lunch, Bill and I got a little frozen yogurt cone from the wonderful soft serve machine. We stepped into the elevator, and there was a man already there. I grinned at him, pointed to my ice cream cone, and said, “Calcium!” He looks at my cone, snarls, and says, “Fat pill.” I kid you not. I was so taken aback that I said, “That was mean.” He didn't seem repentant.

Anyway, I don't know if it's the cooler weather, or if people are just getting tired of being on this ship and sick of each other, but I hope there is an attitude adjustment tomorrow after we enjoy ourselves in Barcelona.

But I'm happy to report that when we got to our table for dinner, all of our dinner companions were as cheerful as always. They really have been such a joy to eat with each night. Harry, who is 86, is totally dismayed by the fact that he hasn't been able to get any Mets scores. If anyone reading this blog can give me a rundown on how the Mets have been performing, please let me know via the comments and you will make a sweet man very happy. Don't bother with the Yankees, because apparently if you are a Mets fan, you hold your nose over the Yankees. It's the Mets and the Giants. A hex on the Yankees and the Jets!

Tomorrow we'll be in Barcelona.