L'anse Aux Meadows, CA

Captain Vincent gave us an update from the bridge at 12:00 noon yesterday. I believe he said the wind was at 35 knots. He noted that the weather would continue to remain the same until late this evening.  
 
It was great that there were five different NFL Football games broadcast not only on guests Televisions but also in public areas and with three TV’s in our room we could watch two games simultaneously.  LOL
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Below is the Waterside Dinner Menu from last evening.

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The winds and sea wells continued as we made our way to dinner and continued through dinner but once seated it was not bothersome. The good news is this is what we expected as part of the crossing and it could have been far worse, so we are very fortunate. Over dinner we talked about how the Pilgrims arrived in much smaller vessels and how others have done the same or at least in vessels far less luxurious than being on a beautiful and luxurious cruise ship.
 
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Last evening we dined at Waterside with friend Ida. It is always interesting how we make cruising friends. Over the years it has happened many ways from pre cruise hotel and pre cruise group tours or transfers, to on-board tours, to even the laundry room. Keith met Ida and her late husband at the hotel that was used for the pre and post Endeavor stays in Reykjavik. We had just concluded our cruise, and they were getting ready to start their cruise. In 2021, we both got to know them when we walked on the Promenade Deck and inside the ship. Last year, we saw Ida again and here we are back together on this cruise. 
 
One of the benefits of sailing with Crystal is that with a small fleet this increases your odds that you will know fellow guests when you cruise and that you will see many of the crew you know from previous cruises. And this is truly one of the attributes of cruising which is the ability to get to know others compared to staying on land other than an extended land tour but even then you may never see the people from that tour again.

Dinner was wonderful with great conversation, superb service and outstanding cuisine. 

Many thanks to the wonderful waitstaff team.

When the entrees came it was ironic that we all had ordered the same entrée but didn’t realize it at the time. What was it? Turkey. So we said Happy Thanksgiving.
 
And in case you wanted to know the special butter was Pesto Butter. 
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The entertainment originally included three shows. Due to the sea swells the first one was at 8:45 PM called Sweet Soul Music had to be cancelled for the safety of all, particularly the dancers. 9:30 PM featured Andrei Cavassi and the final show was at 10:15 PM in the Avenue Saloon called Late Night Jazz Club.
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This is todays daily Reflections Program.

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Today we anchored off L’Anse Aux Meadows, Canada. This is not a town. Rather it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national historic site. It is in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America. It confirms Viking presence in North America in the 11th century. 
 
Crystal offered one tour appropriately called The Great Viking Experience with three different start times.
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Today we wanted to recognize the ships Florist.
 
The Florist on-board Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony is one person operation. The florist prepares floral arrangements for selected suites and for several areas around the ship including Deck 5 where the Crystal Plaza is located and the Vintage Room on Deck 7. She also takes care of the living wall found on Deck 12 in Beefbar.  All of this adds to the beauty of the ship. She also creates the bouquets and boutonnieres for those individuals and couples recognized with a special milestone at the Crystal Society Parties and for guests who order them such as for a special occasion.  

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith