March 20, 2016 Sea Day

We sailed north in the Red Sea and the water was extremely calm and smooth. The temperature had cooled to the high 70’s making it more pleasant to be outside on deck.

The morning included a lecture by Bill Crews on the British legend, Lawrence of Arabia. He gave a detailed explanation of his life his military achievements and his influence on the Arab world. He was an officer in the British military stationed in Cairo early in the 20th century when he befriended many leaders in the Arab world. He wore local clothing and was able to help unite the Arab world, allowing them to create self-governing regions that now make up Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan and Syria. He only lived to be 46 years old but his books continue to be popular to this day as is the movie Lawrence of Arabia.

For lunch we were invited for a delicious collector’s voyage lunch in the dining room. A collector’s voyage is when you travel multiple segments back to back on the same ship. In this case our voyage is broken into six smaller segments and guests have been embarking and disembarking at each of these segments.

The afternoon included a lecture by Martyn Green on an upcoming port of call, Naples, Italy. He gave an excellent presentation on things to see and do in and around Naples. Mark then attended the watercolor class where he created calendars and Kent went to the gym and sauna.

The evening was a gala night where they ask you to dress up for dinner and the show. The entertainment was the show called Iris by the Rotterdam singers and dancers. This was our third time to see this show this voyage but we still enjoyed it.