January 23, 2013 (Sea Day)

It is Kent’s birthday today. He received cards from the captain, our travel agent, new friends onboard and Mark. He made a special request that he did not want to have a cake and all of the waiters singing for him at dinner.

We attended Good Morning Amsterdam this morning as we usually do on sea days. Today’s guest is the Chef Kevin who oversees the Culinary Center onboard. He is from Vancouver and has a fine arts background.

David Pasta lectured on “When Will the World Run Out of Oil”. He discussed how the world’s oil supply is unsustainable and that it is mandatory that we find alternative fuels.

After a delightful lunch in the main dining room we attended a classical music appreciation lecture where we listened to classical music that has accompanied motion pictures. That was followed by the movie of the day, which was a documentary on Ethel Kennedy that was produced by her youngest daughter, Rory. It was a moving documentary chronicling the life of her mother Ethel Kennedy from the time she grew up until 2011. It had a wonderful collection of family photos and film clips from her life including her very public life with husband Bobby Kennedy and their eleven children.

For Kent’s birthday dinner we dined at the specialty Italian restaurant called Canaletto. The German boys Allan and Matthius joined us for dinner.

Canes, walkers and scooters – Old People.  There are many older people on the cruise who are still out there enjoying life.  Many are slow and use all sorts of tools and devices to get around.  At least they are still here!  Many passengers get frustrated with them, but we say, “Go for it!”  We have heard stories about some passengers whose families have put them on the ship to keep them in a safe place where they will get food, care and have social opportunities—all for less money than a nursing home.  Sounds like a good deal for me.  Some say that some of those passengers “just aren’t right in the head.”  But, they are here.