"The Only Way to Cross" -- if time allows!

Well, we're here! With a few days under our belts, we are starting to feel a bit more at home with each day although the house is still an echo chamber with the few pieces of rental furniture - exactly one seat on a couch for each of us and no more! The bedroom furniture looks quite literally like doll furniture! But, IKEA was here today and set up all the wardrobes. That would never have worked if we were trying to build them! And, we now have room to put away the air freight stuff which arrived the same day.




The cruise from NYC to Hamburg was, as hoped, a fantastic and relaxing time. The “enforced” nature of the relaxation, being ship-bound, made it a vacation unlike anything we’ve ever done. With the kids old enough to explore the ship and decide what to do on their own, it was even more so. Eight days was about as long as I’d go, because there is a point of too much of a good thing.

The first few days were spent getting used to the idea that the only decisions of the day were which deck faced the sun and had available deck chairs for reading (or napping!), what time to meet for meals and whether we wanted to attend concert/show or ball that evening! Compared to the usual daily pace and the more recent daily pace, it actually was a bit disorienting. Nevertheless, we managed to adapt!! I will say, though, that I wouldn’t want to do every vacation that way but it was just what we needed this time. And, we arrived with no jet lag as we moved the clock forward just one hour each night and never set an alarm clock.


Apparently, the rule of thumb for cruises is to expect to gain one pound per day of cruise. The food was quite good but, it was served from a menu not a buffet and in a nod to the health-conscious, there was a trio of “Canyon Ranch Spa” selections at every meal in the dining room – most of which were quite tempting and good. So, I think we escaped without gaining 8 lbs each, thankfully!

The clear highlight of the “entertainment” was a historian/lecturer who gave a talk each morning on the history of ocean liner travel. He is about 80 and a Scotsman with an American mother and thus now an American living in Manhattan. He has turned a passion into quite a lifestyle/good living. He wrote a book about 25 years ago called “The Only Way to Cross” and about 20 years ago pitched the idea to a cruise line that their passengers might enjoy talks on the subject. His second, retirement career was born – he now cruises various transatlantic crossings with his wife for about 3 months a year (for free) and gets paid to do it! He is an excellent speaker for the audience – mixes anecdotes, humor with factual info. He had been involved in community theater as a hobby and clearly has a “stage presence.” In any case, all five of us thoroughly enjoyed his talks.