Victoria

Yesterday was our day at Buschart Gardens. Always beautiful plants and flowers. We had about 90 minutes on our own. We used about an hour before we were pretty much pooped. Jill did a little shopping and we returned to the bus early.

Getting off the ship was a chore. Crowds crammed into hallways, stairways and elevator lobbies. It was a zoo. On the bus, I commented to someone from the Cruise Directors staff about the people packed like sardines and the safety issue. She told me that, if I was going to just complain, she would change seats on the bus. When Jill and I started to explain how other cruises have controlled such crowds, she blamed the passengers and said this is how they have handled such things for 3 years. It's a irritating story and she was ruder than anyone I have ever encountered on any cruise.

The wind was cold and biting. When we got off the ship, we had about a 100 yard walk to the busses. It was much worse coming back because we had to walk directly into the wind - one of those winds where you must lean into it to walk.

But, at the Gardens, it was quite pleasant. We both had to take off a couple layers. Lots of flowers - I don't know the names. But, very pretty. They have Rose, Japanese, Italian, and Sunken Gardens. We cut a few short because they involved too many steps or long upward slopes.

Didn't get back to the ship until 8pm - too late for our regular dinner. Luckily, we had made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill. We ate in this special restaurant 3 times. The food is as good as any top notch restaurant on land. I had filet mignon twice and lamb chops once. Chocolate souffle and creme brulee were great. Jill had filet mignon, a beef skewer and a chicken/turkey skewer - all were delicious but too much food for her. She went for the souffle all three nights.

It was a very late evening - complicated by the fact that we had to pack for departure today. We are taking advantage of expedited luggage handling. Once we put our luggage out last night, it goes directly to the airline and we don't see it until the Indy airport. Hope it works well.