Just when it was starting to get good

Just when it was starting to get good...

It is Saturday. The last day of our cruise. Today we got up early, went to the makeshift gym on board, which consists of one (1) elliptical, which doesn't plug in, but runs on batteries, two (2) treadmills, and two (2) bikes. We did our usual one hour of cardio, then went down to breakfast. The food onboard the Orient Queen really is superior to that which was served on the Cristal. After a lovely breakfast, we retired to our cabin and basically relaxed until it was time to eat again.

As an aside, you should know that housekeeping is rather over zealous on the Orient Queen. Yesterday, we were visited no less than six (6) times for various and sundry reasons. Today, in the three hours between breakfast and lunch, we had three (3) visits. Just when we had gotten comfortable, or had dozed off for a cat nap... Knock knock knock. "Housekeeping.". It was almost as if the Cristal had sent over a copy of our pictures and said : "Keep these two on their toes!"

When it was time for lunch, we headed up to the Horizon Restaurant and when we arrived, we were seated with a family we had had dinner with last night. Let me now take this opportunity to tell you about the assortment of people we have seen on this cruise, starting first with this particular family. We saw them the first day on the Cristal: a mother, about 60 and German looking, father, 60 and Persian, and a daughter. We figured our age-- early 40's. She had this far away look about her, and we were convinced that she was probably drug addicted, or a recovering addict of some sort. We immediately dubbed her AA in da house and her parents as just mom and dad. Everyhwere we were, they were, too. Every tour, every meal. Even in the lounge... Mom and dad loved a nightcap. AA always went right to bed. But, we never interfaced with them. It became something of a running joke to say, "Oohh, AA in da house" every time they surfaced. Little did we know that they would be following us to the Orient Queen! When I discovered this, Maureen was on the elliptical and I had gone to the disembarkation meeting. They were in the same figurative and literal boat as we were regarding the screwed up itinerary. As soon as the meeting ended, I nearly broke my leg running to the gym to tell Maureen that AA in da house and mom and dad were coming with us to the next ship. When we got to the new ship and had to register for table reservations, Maureen said, "wouldn't it be funny if AA in da house and mom and dad were seated with us for dinner?". I replied that it would be funny, but we weren't that lucky...

Well, as luck would have it, THEY WERE! And as luck would FURTHER have it, they are freaking from DC! They seemed as amused by the turn of luck as we were to be seated all together. It turns out that the daughter is not AA, but she is "special." Mom and dad are super cool and we had a great time talking to them at dinner, swapping warstories, as it were, about the Cristal. AA, well, bless her heart. She seemed still to live at home, and try as her parents have, she seems to have a job as a massage therapist. The dad is a retired scientist and mom seems to have been in the hospitality industry. It was less jarring to be seated together at lunch today, as well. We enjoyed the conversation and it passed the time until we were able to go up on deck and see the entry into the port of Istanbul, which happened about an hour ahead of schedule.

We went up and got some amazing photos of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia from the Bosphorous. It made us a little sad that we were not going to see anything, since as soon as we disembarked we were going straight to the airport, as per the instructions of "mom and dad" who had told us at lunch that we were leaving during rush hour and that we shouldn't chance it, and go directly to the airport-- the traffic would be horrible. And, horrible it is. This traffic makes the beltway look like child's play. As I type this, I am in the back seat of a yellow fiat sitting in the worst traffic I have ever seen in my life. We clearly made the right decision to go directly to the airport. Hopefully, we will get in, get a coffee and I will be able to upload the last three blog entries. I know there are many people following, even if it feels like I am typing these out just for myself. I hope you are enjoying our trials and tribulations... And, Darla, send Donna D your address so I can send you your prize for identifying the Kellerman's reference ;) !