Just a few minutes to reflect on the past 3 weeks of - firstly going to Toronto and visiting the Egglestones there and then on to Santiago direct for four days land touring before a 15 Royal Caribbean Cruise on Radiance of the Seas with Clive and Mom. What a trooper Mom is at 82 and going strong!!! Up and down the streets of Santiago and then really up and down the hills of Valparaiso before the luxury and convenience of the cruise with all its five star dining, shows, music, pools, a deck to walk round and for me the steamroom! Not to mention advanced bridge lessons for three who are - well pretty well not advanced bridge players. Definite learning to be done in this game.
Mom managed the trip so well in spite of a fall in Toronto after a hottub. Thankfully the hospital made her a half-cast that she wore for the first 10 days. Then thankfully Mom could again cut her own meat and wash her own hair. It must have hurt and been a frustration having me tie her shoelaces and such! But alas that didn't stop Mom or anyone from scoffing down and enjoying several courses at each meal. I do love all of those chilled fruit soups and for someone who doesn't eat dessert, I didn't miss one on the ship! But no in-between meal snacks for me and then a little jogging around the deck or yoga to earn another eating experience.
It was a beautiful ship with all of these glass elevators to watch the music of the sea if you chose to ride the elevator. We had a room with a large window (instead of our usual inside room) so we knew the time of day by the light and took a guess at the weather. Mom enjoyed her room up on deck 8 with the balcony where we all enjoyed our ritual before dinner wine - the colossal amount of Chilean wine that we had picked up in Valparaiso that we were obliged to drink. We took it onboard in our suitcases since it is against cruise policy to supply your own drinks. Needless to say we all really enjoyed Chilean wine more than before we left home (a bit like our attitude towards South African wine and even Portuguese). Needless to say I really seem to enjoy it all - or the social situation that is there. I also really enjoyed the evening shows in the theatre. There is music all over but after a while it loses my interest. I prefer the daylight hours of food, exercise, relaxation (including my almost daily steam) - hardly enough hours in a day to do all of that relaxing stuff.
The evening dinner table is always with the same group of people though we sat in different seats each night though each couple always stayed together - no risk there - so always the same but different?. We were at a large table in the centre of the centre of the dining room! Three couples and us - and so typical if there is such a thing. A retired teacher (70 years young) on this cruise from Toronto and his wife who have cruised on many lines and several times with RCI; a couple from the midWest who were on there 34th cruise with RCI and a couple from Florida (he being 68 and a practising real estate attorney and she a retired banker)who have done numerous cruises everywhere and then us - relative neophytes in the cruising world. Hard to have a joke when such impeccable service is required! One gentelman here pointed out to the maitred' in a very serious tone the gravity of having a tablecloth with a tiny cut in it - since indeed the captain might one day eat here and heaven forbid the damaged tablecloth. This same gentleman had us moved from a huge table to the empty captain's table next to us since it was even huger and then we could have more room for our elbows - or do knees project? Then we can really try to shout across the table to connect - or maybe talk to who might be beside you. Unfortunately the captain did dine one evening and we squished into a table meant for six. Then there was the day where the same gentleman kept a wire or hair-like object at his sideplate until the maitred' could take it away and create havoc in the kitchen with it. Twice he would not let the waiter take it. Oh well, he tried to get Clive to say that he wanted him to take our photo with the captain dining behind us (his back facing us)for memory. Of course Clive responded that "Who is going to believe (or care) that is the captain behind me?" Not one to give up, he got my attention and I agreed that if he wanted he could take our picture so if it arrives in our email I will put it up for all to admire - with envy! And then the couple from the midWest on their 34th and counting cruises. After all, you get a gold brooch (worth something) when you cruise this much! Lovely people but the old guy didn't like much conversation and gazed down a lot. His wife was enjoying the beading classes for the multi-time cruisers that come "free" and she was not on the class list early enough she spent an hour or more waiting in a hallway to get into the class. Then she tells me about the occasional grabbing for the coveted beads. I walked through one day - kind of the long way to bridge class and at that point I didn't know much of what was going on. Anyways though ALL of the staff and ANY of the staff are always so polite to the 'guests' this teacher was not impressed by my walking through and taking a peek. Then the third couple from Florida staying in a suite with a bathtub that really is a little too narrow (she was skinny and didn't like showers) but managing with 2 washbasins and one toilet. Really a sweet couple and he an avid ball player trying to heal his shoulder with acupuncture and exercises from the sports trainer. Interesting! And the perfect waiters who took ever comment ever so seriously - Clive tried a joke but between cultures, languages and their previous experiences that was not going to work.
I can really enjoy a cruise but I am also a cynic. So I enjoy the good stuff and try to ignore some of the stuff that I don't like - treating the 'guests' like gods - everyone must greet you as they pass and overpriced land tours that I don't take (with a lot of guests that prefer the 5star version to a little spontaneous interaction and maybe the occasional glitch or decision to make). Maybe when I am even older I might like this more - or be unable to do it my way. So Mom was a trooper and opted to come with us - gee with my attitude did she have a choice?... She walked tons and participated like a teen. By the end, I think that she was coming home to recover from her vacation. I am so grateful to have had this experience with Mom. My goal this year was to have a holiday with Mom and it is only May and we have been! How lucky I am!! May we all learn, love, and understand each other more each day. Time changes and time passes but thank you for today and the opportunity that I had to spend time with my Mom - and Clive, of course. Namaste.
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