Day 7 (Jan 17, 2020) – Crystal Symphony – San Diego to Guam – Fourth Day at Sea

We gained another hour last night!  We’re getting used to having some extra sleep and still being able to get up early to walk.  This morning we walked in two sessions – we wanted to extend our time, but the knees are not what they used to be.  The first session was an hour and 6 minutes – 4 miles.  We took a break for a latte and tea and then walked another 35 minutes – a little over 2 miles.  We’re not sure if that’s enough to compensate for the upcoming Grand Gala Brunch today.  Haha

Sunrise

The Grand Gala Buffet was amazing, as always.  The culinary staff work so hard on such beautiful creations that are displayed in an artistic way.  It takes them all morning (starting at 7:00 am) to set up the atrium area with the serving tables and food by 11:30 am.  The selections include, lobster, shrimp, oysters, sushi, salads, meats, vegetables, pasta, cheeses, desserts, and so much more.  We cannot even imagine the time and effort the culinary team puts into this special event.  Picture taking is allowed at 11:30 am and the Cruise Director introduces the talented culinary team at 11:45 am.  The buffet opens after the introductions.  Here are some pictures of the wonderful display:

The lectures today were:

• “Pele’s Violent Wrath-Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis” by John Malay
• “US Policy in the Middle East from George W Bush to Donald Trump” by John Freedman
• “Feel Like the Weight of the World is on Your Shoulders?” by Barbara Udell

This afternoon we decided to see the movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio.  We had previously seen this movie when it first came out.  It’s an interesting take on the life of a faded movie actor and his stunt double in the late sixties.  Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the comedy-drama. 

Pre-dinner drinks were in the Crystal Cove.  We sat at the bar so that we could chat with Petar, since he is now a bartender.  He was promoted to assistant bartender in the middle of his last contract and the promoted to lead bartender at the start of his current contract. We enjoyed chatting with him in between his duties and are reminded how busy and hard-working the Crystal Team are. Petar said that it is indeed stressful, but challenging and fun.

Dinner was in the Waterside, excellent as usual.

Julie and Bob both had the same appetizer (Goat's Cheese Cream with berries, pickled beats, and wildflower honey) and salad course (Mixed Garden Greens with green goddess dressing, red radish, cucumber, and sprouts), and then chose two different pasta dishes for their entrée (Julie had fettuccini "Al Pesto Genovese" with extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, and permesan; Bob had Spinach and Four Cheese Canneloni with truffled cherry tomato ragout).  Both pasta dishes were wonderful – neither one of us are sure which one we liked better.

The evening’s entertainment was a piano concert with Rustem Hayroudinoff, BBC Music Magazine Best Instrumental CD of the Year Nominee.  He is an accomplished musician and we enjoyed the concert. His ability to play so many notes, so quickly was incredible.

We turned in early as our plan was to get up early and exercise prior to Julie’s Birthday Breakfast in the Waterside tomorrow morning.  Details to follow tomorrow.

Today we walked 18,591 steps, 8.2 miles.