Feb. 22, at sea

I went for lunch at the buffet and that was it for awhile, I couldn't walk or eat any more. All the hair primping, makeup and choosing what to wear was wasted with me back in the sack within 30 mins. We are talking about starting to pack already, can't believe our time is running down so quickly. But tomorrow we wake up in Palermo, Sicily and we've booked an excursion to see it. If i'm well enough to go I expect it to sap my energy but how often do i get the chance to go to Sicily....it was built between 510 BC and 430 BC and i'm sure it will be well worth it as there's at least eight Greek temples preserved there. The next day will be Naples and we have an excursion booked for it as well. Then it's on to Rome and the wait to go home so guess i really do have to take my packing seriously, time is definitely running out.

Today is my birthday and my good friend/roomie/nursemaid Pat took me out to my choice of pay restaurant. I chose the Jasmine Asian cuisine which was very nice. We ordered similar appys but for my entrée i had lobster, Mongolian style and it was hot with mysterious spices and fragrant and wonderful. Then the waiter asked which one is the birthday girl and we were both surprised because neither of us had told him or the management. (the info is on your ship card and everything you do and everywhere you go onboard is on their computer but even so i found it to be amazing that they can zero in on exactly which eatery out of 12 choices that you went to and then get the birthday word to your waiter before you even finish your dinner)
He then asked me if i wanted him to celebrate it and at first i was stunned and then realized he might come out with the whole song or a band or a sparkling cake or something loud and obnoxious so i said no, i'm not comfortable with that. The fact is i prefer to be anonymous, no need for everyone to know. He then very sweetly and discreetly bent and whisper-sang a few bars of happy birthday into my ear which was very nice and gave me a good chuckle too. After crème brulee which was in three little pots each with a different flavor and very good we then departed to the art gallery.  I wanted to once again admire the fabulous mixed media piece that had taken my breath away and almost made me cry a few days ago. It was still as awesome as I remembered, the texture delicious, the composition superb, the colors perfect and the price tag still wayyyy out of my league at $25,000. But a girl can always dream right? I am so glad i was able to enjoy this amazing piece of art by Wassily Kandinsky. This artist is now deceased but his artworks will  continue to delight and dazzle everyone who comes near and will forever increase in value, so thank you and RIP sir.
My card from Norwegian Cruise Lines, thank you very much.

The Jasmine restaurant

My spicy lobster

 Pats pasta and veggies

My dessert; orange, coconut and tamarind crème brulee
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/tamarind.html 

What a wonderful piece of original mixed media art. The pic does not do it justice nohow. When first encountered it literally takes your breath away and you're stunned as you stop dead in your tracks to drink it all in. Amazing is all i can say.