Queen Mary Day 2

Wow what an exciting day! I got up at 7 and had some breakfast then went out to spy on the pool and only one other person was there so I went for a swim! She didn't stay that long after I got in so it was my pool! And the boat was really smooth so the water was barely moving, not like on the way here. I also sat in the hot tub for a bit and it felt much warmer than on the way over. On the way back to my room I realized that the door next to the towels at the end of the pool didn't say private or anything so I went in to see where it went...and found it just opens onto deck 6 and all the rooms. That is good to know so if it is windy and cold I can just sneak out there and into the pool instead of walking along the open deck on 7! There also were not as many joggers - I saw one while I was swimming and another one this afternoon. That is still more than on the way over (I don't think I saw any), but significantly less than yesterday.

Then, after a small second breakfast so I wouldn't starve before the end, I headed off to watercolor class. Today's picture was more loosey goosey and I am not good at that. I have realized I am not good in a group class setting where we are all doing the same thing. I get too rushed like I have to finish it up before the next step, especially when everyone else seems to be keeping up, when really I should just take my time and finish later if I have to. I can remember what she says to do and do it in my room afterwards. So it was 2 glasses of wine and we started with the red one and I didn't take a photo after class, but it looked so so bad. Like so bad. Not good at all. We started on the yellow one when I started feeling sick again, not horribly so, but something about that room makes me motion sick after a while (or painting in that room does). So I only did a bit of that and I was realizing I was rushing so I made sure to slow down and take my time and it came out much better. I still didn't get it done in class time, and I left right after she showed us the last part, but it was still fun. The Mexican couple did not return, but the guy from the UK was there.

I forgot yesterday the UK guy was talking about how good this boat is for sailing around the world. He was saying they have more things they can put out to stabilize the ship in rough seas than other cruise ships and that it is faster so it can go around the storms, instead of through them, and not lose time. All very interesting and maybe why people were upset we got in late coming, but I imagine it is hard to make up time against a very strong wind blowing right at you!

We had set the clocks ahead yesterday at noon, and the captain does an announcement every day at noon with the weather and such and made sure to mention that. Plus it was listed multiple times in the itinerary for yesterday and all the clocks all over the boat are adjusted. Well some people showed up to watercolor class an hour late thinking it was 10 when it started and we told them it was half over and there is another one at 2 and they were just like but it said 10??? We were like the time went forward and he was all no one ever said anything about that! Like how do you miss that? Just not listen or read the paper you literally have in your hand right now? We were like it moves forward again today at noon so you will need to set your watch ahead 2 hours! I don't know if he will as he didn't really seem to get it for some reason. Oh well.

I don't love the time change at noon...it makes the day feel so much shorter! All of a sudden it is 1 and then I am like well I need to eat lunch so I don't eat dinner super late, but then I am not hungry at dinnertime as I had lunch "late" and it is a mess. Plus I look at the clock and I am like how is it 3 already??? I don't really know why they do it this way, but I prefer overnight as then I don't notice it (and that is what they did on the way over)! Tomorrow we don't skip ahead so that will be nice, but we must the other 3 days to get on UK time by Sat.

After class when I got back to my room I was feeling much better. If we do have a rockier day like we did coming over I don't think I will be able to go to class...but I can always paint in my room.

The noon message from the captain was very brief today as there was a medical emergency and we were rerouting close to an island in Nova Scotia where the coast guard could come with a boat or helicopter to get the person off the ship. I hope they are okay!! And if it were to happen it was lucky it was now when we were still close-ish to land and not in the middle of the ocean where I don't know what you would do. So this afternoon they asked us all to stay off the balconies and the decks and not take any photos while the coast guard came (it was on a boat as I did pop my head out after an hour just to spy on the water a minute and the boat was just getting there. A helicopter was flying around as well, maybe a backup?). So it took a while but we are now back on our way to Southampton. I was planning on getting off and wandering the town while we are there, but we shall see tomorrow if they say we are behind schedule or not (if they mention it - they didn't mention it today).

When they made the announcement that the coast guard was coming and please stay inside I realized I had almost forgotten to go do my UK immigration passport check. They have someone on board to check your passport and I was supposed to go down this afternoon and do that so it was lucky I remembered! (I am sure I could have gone tomorrow when other floors have their checks too if I had forgotten). The lady was super nice and it is handy that they do that on board to save time. I wish they did that for the US too! The photo of the room is the restaurant I would eat at if I ate with other people inside, and is where the passport check was taking place, and the watercolor class takes place on the level I was on and off to the side.

I also signed up for the bus transfer to the train station in Hamburg as it was cheaper than a taxi would be, I won't have to wait for a taxi, I will probably be able to get off the boat later but will have priority debarking so they will make sure I get to my train in time (and I should be there at least a half hour before my train leaves) and I won't have to lug my suitcases off the boat! They will do that for me and I will just have to get them onto the train! That will be great as the boat is carpeted and the suitcases do not roll very well on carpet! It should be perfect.

This afternoon I spent finishing my painting (and fixing it so it is so much better than it was!). I am really glad I went to this class! Even though I don't think painting in the class setting is for me, I am loving painting in my room and getting back into it. Friday is a makeup day to finish anything we started and didn't get to finish, so I might try and do this painting again myself that day and see if it comes out better by myself...we shall see what else we get up to first. But it is so much fun sitting here, looking out at the water, and watercoloring!

I also finished my book that I had from my favorite author and it was so great! I loved it! On the boat over I didn't read that much, there was too much to do, it was all new and exciting and I did all the things. This trip I am like I will swim in the morning, then paint and read and relax and wander the deck all day. I could do the trivia, but today I was like eh. I would rather read or paint. So it is really nice. Maybe one day I will do some other things, but right now this is making me happy.

It has been so foggy all day! It was pretty foggy when I woke up, but after I came back with breakfast it was even more so. All day now it has been that I can barely see any water when I look out my window. Right now it just looks bright white. It's not until I get closer that I can see water. When I got up and opened my balcony door I can hear the horn blowing every 2 minutes (on the way over when we hit fog we did get an announcement that they have to do that since visibility is low). My other room was farther back and I couldn't hear it, and I don't know when it started overnight but if I had slept with my balcony door open it would have woken me up. It is not crazy loud and I started to tune it out during the day, but loud enough. I keep the balcony door open when I am in here as it is still warm outside and it is nice listening to the water, but don't sleep with it open because it is warm and very humid so too sticky to sleep. I close it and turn on the AC to cool the room down (and I need it pretty cold as the blanket in the room is so so so warm!). I also realized today that I have a watercooker in my room and don't need to go upstairs and get hot water every time I want some tea! I don't know why I kept forgetting that, but it is nice I can just make it myself in my room (and just bring the mug back when I get food).

So there you go - my exciting day! Relaxing, but a lot of fun! Can't wait to see what we will paint tomorrow :)Read more