Asea & Lisbon

It's been a busy couple of days!  Our first full day on the ship was chock full of activities for us.  We started the day with a wake-up breakfast appetizer, as we've come to call it.  (We can order coffee & tea and a small danish to be delivered.  It's our alarm as well as something to get us started for the day.)  Then comes the real breakfast at the buffet--yum!  We went to the safety drill so we'll know what to do should there be an emergency.  Following that we split up and I attended the first workshop given by RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  There are six members of RADA on board who give workshops and will also perform.  The workshop was energizing and fun.  I hope to attend the other two workshops that they offer.  (If I do go to all three I get a certificate signed by all six RADA members!)

The three of us met up again for lunch and then went to separate activities following.  I chose the exciting activity of doing laundry.  What fun, what excitement…but now there are clean clothes to wear.  Following that big time, I met Allen at a workshop about digital cameras.

Then followed our first of six formal nights.  So we all got ourselves into our dress-up duds and off to dinner in the Britannia Restaurant, the largest of the three restaurants on board.  Of course formal means a variety of things--Allen was in his tuxedo, I was wearing my black suit with a bow tie.  Marilyn had on a lovely ensemble of black slacks and blouse and a brown and black cover.

Then came the entertainment time…Appasionata, a mostly dance program that ranged from tango to swing.  After a stop at the late-night buffet for a snack, we all tucked ourselves in for bed.

Because today we woke early to be on the top deck to view Lisbon Harbor as we entered and docked.  A bridge which is quite similar to the Golden Gate Bridge spans the entrance to the harbor.  As we approached the bridge the sun started to appear on the horizon and rose as we neared.  It was a beautiful sight.

We had a quick day in Lisbon, the capital, of course, of Portugal.  It's a very old city with an interesting history, including a disastrous earthquake and fire in 1755, which they believe (for those of you reading in the Bay Area) registered as a 9 on the RIchter Scale.  Yikes!  Marilyn set off on an excursion that Cunard offered but Allen & I were on our own.  We took the shuttle bus to the old part of the city and walked around there finding one of the elevadors that moves people from one level to the next in this very hilly city.  At the top of this elevador was a the shell of a large church that had been destroyed in the earthquake and fire. (A helpful sign told us that the fire came along and "ruined the church stuffing"!)  The shell is now an archeological museum which had some intriguing items.

After a brief respite with a drink and the special little custard pies that are famous in Lisbon, we wandered up the street and took one of the funiculars down to another area of the city.  We walked along a broad tree-lined boulevard and enjoyed the gardens and people we encountered.  After a quick subway ride, we took ourselves back to the old section of town for a bit of shopping (not much buying) and some lunch.  A little more wandering and then we found our way back to the place to meet our shuttle bus once again.  

Lisbon is a charming city and as Allen has already written on a postcard, if San Francisco were in Europe, it would be Lisbon.  Just from this taste, I know I'd like to return for a longer time to get to know Lisbon and Portugal better.

 

PS--This blog program is not really cooperating--I have no idea how it's going to end up.  There should be four pictures, and the text shouldn't be underlined.  Who knows if it will come out that way.  Sorry.