Today, we have a wine tasting lunch booked at midday, so we decided to just have a coffee and croissant for breakfast. Sue wants it noted she did not have a croissant.

We have been in the doldrums for several days with flat calm seas. The weather is now a sunny warm 28° and humid. Inside the ship is air conditioned and cool.

After our coffee, we walk a mile around the promenade deck and then explore the six decks above. It is pleasant in the breeze to explore this new area of the ship.

We found an open air cafe we didn’t know about and with the sunny weather it is now open. We might try it another day.

At midday, we go to the Veranda Restaurant for our wine tasting lunch. We spend a pleasant couple of hours tasting wines matched with the five excellent food courses while being given explanations by the sommelier.

After all this activity and drinking we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting reading.

It is a gala night tonight, and so we change into our best dresses for a visit to the Chart Room for aperitifs serenaded by a string trio before dinner. Well, we did miss out on breakfast and afternoon tea.

After another excellent meal that we did not need, we went to deck 13 for a star gazing lecture on the night sky of the northern hemisphere. It was a shame that there was light cloud cover that made it difficult, but we learned a lot. Next week, they will repeat the experience but with star gazing focused on the southern hemisphere sky.

Off to the pub for a night cap with the folk duo before bed.