Sea Day B Day

The next day on our cruise was the 14th, my daughter's birthday. I had packed surprises that waited until this day to be opened. She was delighted when the song was sung to her both at lunch and dinner. And she was presented with a special cake, got to stay up late and see a show. She decided not to go to the kids place for the evening, but spend her special day with my mom and me. It was a lovely day and it was calm seas. The next several days were going to be busy, with myself and mom on tours while she stayed at the Club HAL, being looked after by capable if unenthusiastic staff. We swam at the pool, and Brianna even got to swim to fetch golf wiffle balls for one of the on-ship activities. Fellow passengers tried to chip a ball into a hula hoop floating in the pool, and they mostly missed, giving Brianna and a brother/sister pair ample opportunity to retrieve the balls for the staff. Brianna's swimming was greatly improving! Just the day before she learned how to float, first with me holding her, then gradually by herself. Not everything ran smoothly, though. The ships photographers were a young and untrained group, with only one who knew what to do for portraits, so her five year portraits were not worth buying until we found the one lady, days later. My biggest frustration was with the dining room stewards and their poor performance. On every other cruise I had been on, dining stewards had gathered to sing Happy Birthday to a passenger with gusto and as many bodies as could be mustered for the occasion. But not Ketut. Oh no, he either was on the least-liked list in the dining hall, or he just didn't give a shit, because he only mustered himself. Brianna blew out the candle before we could sing or take any pictures, and I was seriously pieved. But Brianna didn't seem to notice or care. Mostly she just wanted to play ... with her new toys and her mom, and that is what she did.

Santorini

Why do I have that stupid song from Sublime in my head when I think of Santorini? They don't even say it, they say Santeria. But it sounds close enough to make my brain short-circuit and get stuck in the loop. Santorini is a beautiful island in Greece, likely the most famous one. It has the little white "sugar-cube" houses on the cliff-top and the blue-domed churches. It boasts an amazing sunset and a romantic atmosphere which is probably why I was feeling grumpy on my tour. Not only did I have the annoying song stuck in my head, but I was dragging around a cranky almost-five year old on her fourth-day-in-a-row tour, and believe me, the scenery and romance were not doing it for her. I was missing my husband, or more specifically, feeling remorseful because I do not have the kind of husband who would either come here or appreciate it. And I was hard pressed to even remember his good qualities and my daughter's at the moment. The rest of Santorini, outside of the white and ecru houses is so dry it is almost a desert. They grow grapes, but the vines are short because the wind is fierce and the sun scorching, so they grow like little bushes in the volcanic ash topsoil. There are wildflowers on the mountain top that cling to life, and the two cities we visited, Oia and Fira which are devoted to the tourist trade, cling to life on their cliff-side hoping fortune will smile. We did find beautiful souveniers, yummy ice-cream and smooth cobblestone streets. Brianna and I got to ride a cable car down the cliff-side to the tender-dock. We saw the beautiful church domes and bell pyramids. But I wouldn't recommend coming back...without a lover!