September 1, 2008 | Cruise Ship, North Sea

Our first full day on the ship was a day at sea, but I woke up at 7:30 anyway, a bit seasick and groggy from the night before. The wind was blowing and it was only about 60 outside, so instead of walking on the promenade deck, I went for 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill in order to revive myself a bit, then met Greg for breakfast. (Tip: All Bran every day on vacation is a good idea.)

Photo by John DeMaria

We vegged-out most of the day – Swedish massages at 11am, Asian buffet on deck at 1pm, espresso machiato in the bistro at 3pm, Russian lesson at 4:30pm, another espresso machiato at 5pm – before meeting for the Captain’s Cocktail Party where we were treated to free champagne (which is a nice treat when the Veuve Cliquot is $14 a glass!) and steak tartare.

We wandered into the dining room and I was so anxious to eat my meal that I forgot to photograph it (I had found my camera in the same lounge I lost it in the day prior) before I ate it. What you see below is the remains of panko coated sea bass in a champagne buerre blanc sauce with broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and mashed potatoes. (Tip: I always eat fish when on a cruise ship – there’s enough decadence in all of the sauces and sides, and eating fish instead of beef helps ward off those cruise pounds.)

After dinner I began a ritual that would prove addicting during the cruise: cheese paired with a dessert wine. On this first night I opted for a creamy Stilton with the Crystal C Trockenberen-Auslese Reisling – great pairing!