Sunday, June 24th, Vancouver

We went to the top deck for our departure from Vancouver. It was partly cloudy, but clearing. By the time we cleared the dock, the sun was shining brightly and it was so warm, Lois even took off her shawl. I kept forgetting that it was Sunday afternoon, which accounted for the vast number of sailboats and other pleasure craft on the water.

Before we set off we had the mandatory emergency drill. It was like herding cats. Although there are a few families onboard, most passengers are down-right old. By nine o'clock the dining room was pretty deserted. Since I have no idea what time it is most of the time, I think that would be 11 or 12, which explained my tiredness, since we had been up and moving since 5:00 am.

The scenery is beautiful. Tree-lined shores with snow-capped mountains in the background. The water is very smooth, lake-like in many respects since we are so close to land. You can feel the vibration of the engines, but that is rather soothing.

We opted for a late dinner, missing Bingo, but what the heck. Lois started with a Fresh Fruit Medley for an appetizer, I had the Parfait of Salmon and Tuna Tartars. Both were very good. I could have had six more of mine. Following was a nice salad of mixed greens with caramelized apple, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries and a cranberry-ginger vinaigrette. Lois had the Salmon with basil, tomatoes and capers and I had the Parmesan coated veal loin for the entrée. It came with the creamiest polenta I have every had. The sauce was so good it would have been drinkable. Lois had the Passion Fruit Mousse Torte for dessert and I had to try the backed Alaska, not only did is seem appropriate, but it was chocolate.

By the time we finished dinner, we were too tired to do much else than go back to our room and unpack, which we hadn't started yet. We spent most of the afternoon on our varanda as it was sunny and warm. Some of the homes along the water were incredible.

It was still pretty light when we finished dinner, which was about 10:00 p.m. It remained light for at least another hour or so. We went out to look at the moon and stars about midnight and there was still light on the horizen. The sky was beautiful.