Day 9 – At Sea (toward Malta Island)

We are experiencing the calmest waters since we left Portugal. The temperatures are in the 60s and the winds are only about 11 mph. Looking out our window this morning we saw the coast of Algiers. Wow!

Ross was finally able to climb the rock wall today (2 times)! I didn’t get any pictures, but no doubt he’ll be doing it again. It was a delightfully relaxing morning. We were able to spend a great deal of time just reading (I’m enjoying John MacArthur’s new book, Slave. Ross is reading his commentary on Ephesians). Unfortunately, Ross was unable to make internet connections because the satellite was down, which is why yesterday’s update was late.

We attended another class, led by the same California professor, on the history of Malta and the things we’ll want to see and do once we arrive. He has such a marvelous way of explaining the long and complex history of a country. For example, he even tied in the significance of the movie, The Maltese Falcon, in his talk. We feel pretty prepared for our time in Valletta, Malta, tomorrow!

Salmon for dinner tonight! The food is just so good! We couldn’t possibly eat everything offered, but it’s been fun trying. Since we arrived on board we haven’t taken the elevator.  So, several times a day we’re hiking up about 6 flights of stairs several times a day – that accounts for some burned calories doesn’t it?

Below is a picture of our wonderful dinner party. They are, from left to right: P.J. and Connie (west coast of Ireland), Monica and John (east coast of Ireland), Becky and Chris (newlyweds from Toledo), us, and Mary and Joe (west coast of Ireland).

The show tonight featured a young woman from England. What a voice! She received a well deserved standing ovation. It’s kind of funny, but she was supposed to join the ship in Gibraltar and she began by telling us that she was there and we weren’t (remember that we couldn’t dock because of the sea conditions). That meant that she had to rent a car and drive all the way to Cartagena, driving from the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road (from what she was used to in the UK )using a Spanish GPS. What a trooper!

Our dinner table

42nd Street Theater before the show