Highlights Cruise Day 2-Marseilles
We arrived in port before 8am. This is the cruise pattern: underway in the evening from one port, arrive early the following morning in the next. I enjoyed a latte made by someone not named Ralph (that man bears watching) as I observed the port entry from the lounge. The included tour was of the Panier (“basket”) district on foot. Back on board, I sampled the Afternoon Tea experience, exercising significant care lest I ruin my appetite for supper (my mother would be proud). My blazer and I watched the sunset from the stern of the ship as we proceeded to Monaco.
A man wearing a wool blazer
Notable Items
I enjoyed watching the entry to Marseilles. I didn’t often have the chance to do this in the Navy once I became nuclear trained. I’ve brought a ship into harbor in the morning a few times before, but I was more focused on not hitting anything than appreciating the scenery.
My tour wasn’t scheduled until 1:15pm, so I examined the “Who Were the Vikings?” display case. They were the economic immigrants of their day, but came with an agenda that didn’t include seeking employment. Why work when you can rape and pillage? No wonder people have strong feelings about immigration.
Despite getting room maintenance twice a day, I kept my room tidy and “stowed for sea.” Blame it on Navy training, but I don’t want people picking up after me (my wife may have something to do with it). The other reason I prefer not to leave things out was that you never know when a rogue wave is going to hit (that’s why they aren’t called anticipated waves).
At lunch, I had the Pancho Villa Burger. I won’t normally post, “I had a burger” as a notable item, but some things stood out. The burger was already cooked and heated on the grill before bun insertion. I don’t normally have grill visibility, but perhaps this happens more than I know. Second, living in New Mexico, I’ve visited a town named Columbus. Some of Pancho Villa’s men stormed across the border and wreaked havoc until the Army showed up and started shooting at them. Note to wannabe revolutionaries reading this, don’t execute a cross border pillage effort right next to an Army fort. According to the local museum, Pancho’s presence and participation in the raid were uncertain (most of the local eyewitnesses were keeping their heads down). I’m not surprised that this is disputed by the U.S. Army’s account. You don’t get public support and budget increases for sending thousands of soldiers on a military mission hundreds of miles into Mexico to find Pancho Villa if all you can say after the attack is “We think he was nearby.” Regardless of where he was, all accounts agree he wasn’t asking for feedback about hamburger recipes!
I attended the Egyptian cruise sales pitch by the onboard Viking sales rep. It was well attended, so I sat in the back of the room. The presentation included before and after excursions that made the trip look just as interesting as the website. It finished with an overview of the post-excursion to Petra, Jordan, which included the final scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade filmed in that location. I might take the cruise after the shooting stops in the region.
At supper in one of the two sit-down restaurants, I sat between one couple who had taken many cruises and another for whom this was the first. I learned a lot from the questions the new couple asked the experienced cruisers. The experienced couple had tried several other cruise lines before deciding Viking was their preferred choice. The reasons were: adult focus, no casino, and nearly everything they liked about the experience was included. They mentioned that you don’t want a stateroom under the 8th deck lounges because furniture gets noisily relocated late at night. Important tip.