April 2, 2025

3:32 pm GMT-1

We have been so busy today that this is my first chance to write.

Our location at 7:30 this morning was 45°28.2N, 041°13.8W. Speed was 18.4 knots. Air temperature was 7°C/45°F and sea temperature was 3°C/37°F. It’s foggy, seas are slight, and wind force is Beaufort 5.

A few hours ago the fog lifted and I can now see the horizon. Perhaps tomorrow I will try for sunrise photos.

10:12 pm

The day in review. We actually set an alarm so that we would not have another rushed morning. I also wanted to have breakfast in the Britannia restaurant as I prefer its ambiance. (This has got to be the most beautiful restaurant at sea.) I ended up awakening before the alarm and did some reading.

Breakfast was wonderful. The menu was larger than the one a few days ago. I started with half a grapefruit and then I had my favorite—eggs Benedict! So very good. And I ended up skipping lunch later as breakfast was so filling.

After breakfast we did the immigration inspection. Cunard arranged it so that we attended according to our stateroom location. I believe the first group was a couple of days ago. We were in the last group along with those staying on Deck 11. It was quick. All we had to do was show our passport and Cunard Voyage card to the immigration officers for scanning.

Neil had a Masonic brethren meetup this morning. One of the people he met was a photographer who was on the 1996 Titanic expedition where the Big Piece was attempted to be raised.

In the early afternoon Marty and I went to the Royal Court Theatre to listen to classical guitarist Carlos Bonell. He was great. Before each piece he told us a story of what it was about. My favorite was his interpretation of Strawberry Fields Forever, which was absolutely fabulous.

Then it was tea time. A highlight was pianist Emmanuel Vass, whose repertoire included an excellent version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

At 5:00pm I attended Brian Hawley’s Q&A on Titanic and the Biltmore, topics he’d covered in his 2 talks so far. It was great. He had the chairs arranged in a circle, which made conversation easier and more natural.

Dinner was exceptional again. I started with an appetizer of shaved fennel, celeriac, and raisin salad. For my main course I truly treated myself—herb-crusted rack of lamb with gratin potatoes, ratatouille, and thyme jus. Our waiter added mint sauce. My, it was delectable! It cut like butter and had just the right amount of kick to it. And it was gorgeous. No dessert for me tonight as I had no room.

After dinner we caught the end of the Liverpool vs. Everton Premier League game in the Golden Lion Pub.

The big news of the day was the lifting of the norovirus protective measures. Passengers can now serve themselves at the buffet, the self-service laundry rooms are open, and bar menus are back on tables.