June 14, again. Right after I posted the previous entry, the afternoon went from pleasant to totally frustrating. I got all the way back to my cabin and found that I had the wrong key card. So all the way aft and up to Metropolis. After some confusion there, it was back down to Reception, where it appeared that the cards had been switched in one of the shops where I had bought a small souvenir. Whoever wound up with my card had been having a good time at the shops and Bingo. Those charges did finally get cleared from my account. Meanwhile, they made me a new card. Number 4! By this time, I was totally exhausted from hiking around the ship, but I got downstairs to my cabin and Number 4 didn't work in my door. After trying it multiple times, I went back to Reception and had a nice fit of hysterics for their benefit and edification. The clerk looked at me as though I was crazy while maintaining that there was nothing wrong with the card and went away with it. After a long enough period for a new card to be made, he came back swearing that Number 4 was a good card. So I insisted he accompany me and prove it, which he did (damn it, I still think I'm now on card #5). I am not leaving this cabin again until time to get off the ship. I'll just order room service again. Pfui.
June 15, Southampton, England, also again. We disembarked at the same pier where the Royal Princess will sail tomorrow. There were already huge bouquets in place in preparation. I can't wait to see it all tomorrow!
Meanwhile I got back to the Novotel about 9:00 a.m. but my room wasn't ready until about 1:00 p.m. But now I'm in a room with a bathroom bigger than a phone booth! Lovely! And now that I've thoroughly enjoyed that, I'm watching the horse races on BBC4. Hmmm ... on to the weather forecast. It's odd to realize what a small area they're talking about and showing on the map as compared to our US weather maps. The UK map shows probably less area than just the South on our Weather Channel maps. The same sort of applies to news reports, like a missing teenager. The reports felt more like a state-wide alert back home. It really brings home the difference in the scale of life. I've noticed some of this in my travels to Norway in recent years. Many of the things I admire about the way their society operates in Norway would never be possible in the US because Norway is only dealing with a population of 4.5 million people.
1 comment:
Yow, Didi. You're invited to join my walking group given the workout you've had lately.
Yes, too many Americans don't realize it ain't so easy to run a country made up of "countries" - better known as "states" with different ideas and populations, etc! and the Jet Stream!
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