Day 32 - Sunrise at 4:30am, Christmas Magic & A Day of Speakers, Sunshine and Stillness

The Christmas elves had indeed been out overnight — and the ship looked wonderfully festive this morning. Garlands, trees, twinkling lights, wreaths… like stepping into a floating winter wonderland, despite the warm Indian Ocean sun. I’ll take some photos tomorrow to share this lovely transformation.



I woke naturally at 4:30am to a breathtaking sunrise. The sky was glowing with soft golds and pinks — such a beautiful start to the day. It’s amazing how easy it is to get up early when the sun greets you with such radiance.
(Although I suspect those dark winter mornings in Gibraltar will not be quite as forgiving!)

Today promised calmer seas and uninterrupted sunshine — a welcome contrast to the rocking and rain of previous days.

I headed straight to the gym, which was surprisingly busy. Clearly, more passengers on this leg of the voyage are committed to their morning workouts! Afterwards, I enjoyed my veggie juice and breakfast on the pool deck, basking in the gentle warmth of the day.

A Day of Learning & Inspiration

Determined to make the most of shipboard life, I decided to attend both morning lectures.

The first talk was with Michael Scott, who spoke about our next destination: Mayotte in the French Comoros. His knowledge and storytelling were captivating, painting a beautiful picture of the island’s unique blend of French culture and African heritage.

But the unexpected highlight came in the last ten minutes.
Being a fellow Scot, and with today being St Andrew’s Day, Michael dedicated a few minutes to the significance of the day — and then, joy of joys, played a RunRig video: The Story.

I hadn’t listened to RunRig in ages. Hearing it again felt like a tender embrace from the Motherland — an unexpected pocket of joy that instantly transported me home.

Next up was Paul Keyser, who delivered an insightful talk on the French Overseas Territories.
I really enjoyed learning about these fascinating regions, many of which I knew so little about.

Afternoon Rhythms

After my usual crossword and sudoku, I caught up with Joe. He had enjoyed a very lazy morning, sleeping in late — clearly much needed. Afterwards, he went to his PT session, which he later declared was the highlight of his day.

We had separate lunches, as I prefer not to eat at the buffet and Joe’s PT session meant he missed Compass Rose. He didn’t mind — it suited both of us perfectly today.

Joe then attended another speaker session, this time with Dr Stuart Hendin, on the International Criminal Court — and only realised after sitting through the lecture that Dr Hendin is one of the attendees at the Shabbat service!

He returned to the cabin afterwards to watch football and old films while I had a peaceful, creative afternoon.

A Creative Pause

I caught up with a friend and then opened the watercolour painting set that the team had gifted me as a holiday present. It felt lovely to reconnect with creativity — soft colours, quiet time, and the movement of the ship beneath me.



Later, I attended a beautiful piano recital by Aisa Ijiri. Her performance was elegant, expressive, and deeply soothing — exactly what the evening needed.



Dinner & Evening Quiet

Dinner tonight was at Prime 7, which Joe absolutely loved. We decided to skip dessert so Joe could catch the movie African Cats… but after a few minutes, he realised he had already seen it! So, we quietly slipped out and returned to our cabin for an early night.



The clocks go forward another hour tonight, and with another sea day ahead, it’s the perfect excuse to drift into sleep.

Daily Reflection:

Today reminded me that joy often appears in unexpected pockets —
a sunrise at 4:30am, a RunRig song, a quiet painting session,
or the gentle realisation that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

Highlight of the Day:
✨ Michael Scott playing RunRig’s “The Story” for St Andrew’s Day — a beautiful surprise that brought Scotland right into the heart of the Indian Ocean.

Comments

  1. Maria PalmaNovember 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM

    Happy St Andrew's Day. Don't know how you're coping with the hour changes back&forth; I would be out of salts. Really enjoying your stories. 😍

    ReplyDelete
  2. BDecember 4, 2025 at 11:55 AM

    Thank you my love sorry I missed this comment. I actually am finding the time changes ok, the only odd thing is that if it happens when we are at sea, my phone doesn't reset until we get to land so I have to make sure I look at my watch not my phone x

    ReplyDelete

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