The Long Cruise: Follow Me! - Off The Coast of Morocco

Day Eight: MS Rotterdam
At Sea, Heading for the Canary Islands

Mid seventies and sunny today, and a nice day to catch up on emails, on reading, on getting a tan. One of the little luxuries on this cruise is the laundry. You send your dirty clothes away in a laundry bag and the next day it is returned, all clean and folded and neatly wrapped in tissue paper, like a present.
We were very lazy, enjoying a late lunch by the pool . I am reading Ian Rankin, lovely , complicated spy thriller, with lots of blood and murder and not too much concentration required. Bob is reading the life story of The Widow Cliquot and the history of her famous Champagne house. A real feminist icon at a time when such women were rare.
It’s easy to lose track of time when all there is to see is sea. The coast of Morocco is off to the left somewhere, but it is out of sight.
This evening we attended a special reception held by the captain for his important guests - we were invited only because we are Press - and it turned out to be an interesting event. We all ended up crowded into a narrow corridor in front of the elevator, with the doors to the reception room closed until the opening time of 7:30. Bob and I tried to move over to one side to get out of the crush and a rude old American man scolded us for “getting in front of us in line!”
“I’ve been waitin’ for twenny minutes to get in first!!” he growled (Add the accent in your imagination) I wonder if he thought there would not be enough champagne to go around, or if being the first to shake hands with the captain was a special prize - I think his wife was embarrassed by his rudeness. At least I hope so.
We moved back, and Bob being Bob, he made it known that he thought the fellow was an idiot, and a very nice Dutch couple behind us agreed. We made friends with them, Matthew and Gabriela, and sat with them during the reception. He’s a banker, she’s an artist, and they are completely charming and great conversationalists. We have arranged to dine with them n a few night’s time. So it is an ill wind that does not blow some good.