Day 2 – Library and learning at sea

A pleasant but cloudy day at sea so it was breakfast in bed for me.

This morning I made a visit to the ship’s library. It is adjacent to the Cunard Shop which sells books and other newsagency-like material.

Today, the anniversary of 911 (which I always think is in November) is also the release date for the new Bob Woodward exposé on Trump and there were a number of enquirers asking if it was in stock, which was not the case.

I discovered that there is a daily crossword and quiz available and now sit among passengers reading books and doing crosswords in the Carinthia Lounge.

I did borrow a book from the library. I found a rather pristine facsimile copy of the original print of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Murder at the Vicarage’. How inconvenient that the Vicarage should have Miss Markle as a neighbour. For me, Margaret Rutherford is Miss Marple (which my phone keeps changing to Markle – how times have changed).

Shortly, at 12 noon we begin the first of five changes in time zone – the instant loss of an hour per day until we arrive in England.

If you walk into the gym at non and step out again, you can say you spent an hour at the gym.

A Carinthia sandwich for lunch, serenaded by the Sunrise Strng Quartet.

It’s very relaxing on board and my lectures today are in the afternoon rather than morning. Firstly, a further lecture by Giles Ramsay. This one ‘Christopher Marlowe: Poet and Spy’.

No formal dinner this evening, unlike last night.

Our post-dinner show this evening was Gary Lovini, who played a variety of musical instruments.

At 11pm we will pass within 200nautical miles of the testing place of the Titanic, and the Captain told us the story of the Carpathia who came to the assistance of the survivors.

Then at 11pm, (12noon AEST), I had to be on-line to buy tickets to the Australian Open tennis next January. I was dubious that the rather slow satellite internet was up to the challenge, but is was adequate for the purpose.