Super Late Second Post.

Hey everyone.  Hopefully this begins a patter of my updating this blog more frequently.  There are a lot of things to get organized when you try to transplant your life to a place that is foreign in so many ways.  Here's a note I sent out to someone early on.

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Hey,

I’m sorry that I have done such little correspondence. I’m still getting all the strange systems of living on the ship up and running. Such as my A-pass which is a card that takes the place of cash on the ship, which I think I accidentally overdrew, so I need to go to a particular office and pay up so I can again buy things and also I think that is what has caused my interwebs to be disabled. Thus the minimal contact. Also had to get my room key (magnetic, like in a hotel) replaced today because it decided it didn’t want to open my door anymore. Stupid plastic keys. Add to that, trying to remember to attend all the training sessions, go to work, and see all the amazing things on the ship and it’s a little busy or disorienting or both. But I do have time to relax, I just worry a lot that maybe I’m forgetting something when I’m not running around. I got off the ship at the first port of Madiera, Portugal which was beautiful, but I only had an hour and a half or so to walk around. Still, amazing. Gorgeous.

I might have a cold. Hopefully not.

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 But enough excuses.  On to the blog.

This is the plane to London.

Oct 19, 2010

So here I am at Heathrow.  Got through immigration and customs fine.  Now I’m at terminal 5 and I need to get to terminal 1, 2, or 3 to catch the bus to the hotel.  I just bought a $6 juice.  Orange.  Tastes fresh.  They speak English here.

Made it to the Holliday Inn and pretty much just chilled out.   Thought  a bit about trying to get out to London a bit, but wasn’t quite driven enough after an 8 hour flight and noon in London being 4am at home, I was feeling a bit like just relaxing.  Great room.  9^th floor, nice view.  The weather is pretty much like Seattle.  It was drizzling when I got to the hotel and it was on and off throughout the afternoon.  I’m pretty happy to have just stayed indoors.  Fixed some pants.  Had dinner at the hotel restaurant and had the buffet.  I’m really going to have to learn to eat less when there’s more than enough available.  Didn’t really overdo it tonight, but I definitely ate more than I would at home, and rich stuff too.  The dessert was probably the best though, kind of a chocolate and cherry cake with chocolate sauce.  Mmmm.

On a similar note, British Airways is doing it right.  They came around with free drinks for everyone, and not just, “here’s your half can of coke over ice,” I asked for beer and my stewardess gave me a can and a glass and then handed me a second can.   Wow.  And they served a very reasonable dinner too, with more beer.  I didn’t really need 3 beers, but what do you do when someone hands you a beer?  Anyhow, I heard there was breakfast too, but I’m not sure, I was asleep.

Catch the bus to the ship at 6:30 tomorrow morning.

My first view of the ship.