Atlantic Ocean – March 24, 2022

We are continuing across the Atlantic. The sea is a bit rougher, but nothing like the Observation Island, the Cobra Judy ship I went on in the late 80’s. The enrichment lectures and entertainment are much more than the river cruises and more than the last cruise we took in 2018 on a Viking Ocean ship. I guess they don’t want people bored on long stretches of ocean.

After breakfast, we went to a lecture on the Bayeaux Tapestry with the Resident Historian. A very interesting discussion of 1066 and the fall of Harold and rise of William the Conquerer. We had lunch in the cabin and then went to a discussion of the Tapestry itself. The walls of the stairways on the Viking ocean ships are pieces of the Tapestry and we walked down the stairwells to examine pieces of the tapestry and hear the history which is displayed.

A very interesting discussion. He told both the Norman and Anglo-Saxon stories and explained why Harold is so important to England as the last Anglo-Saxon King.

After this presentation, which involved walking down from the 9th deck to 2nd and then from 7th to 2nd again, we relaxed for some lovely music by a quartet, SATB, singing Broadway songs.

Then, we went to a presentation on Bletchley Park and the British decryptors in both WWI and WWII. He discussed the Zimmerman telegram, which brought the US into WWI as well as the decryption and image detection in WWII, including location of the V1 drone and V2 missiles of the Germans in WWII.

After that, we went to dinner at the restaurant and had a great time talking to friends on the fantail of the ship during sunset. Unfortunately, the sun went behind a cloud, so no “Sunset over the Ocean” pictures.

One more spring ahead, and we are now in the Azores time zone.