April 11 and 12 with more later

April 12, another sea day

The big news of the day is that the Green Frogs, the trivia team I am on finally won! You would have thought we had won a god medal in the Olympics we were so excited. The big prize was a mouse pad with Holland America written on it in large letters.

One question we got wrong.....what sports first is Spencer (Spensor) Gore known for?

Tonight we are going to the Pinnacle Grill, the specialty restaurant with a $30 cover charge. As you can guess, we aren't paying the cover. Last year I wrote a lengthy letter to Holland American telling them the good and bad of our cruise with them and months later received a reply that as a thank you for writing we could be their "guests" at the Pinnacle, on our next cruise with the.

People are starting to talk more and more of how they will manage to pack everything. I'm just ignoring the question until I'm really faced with it. Tomorrow night there is a "garage sale" in the lounge. If anyone has souvenirs that were "must haves" while in port and are now "what was I thinking of" items, they an "sell" them at the garage sale and all monies will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It will be fun to see but Alan will kill me if I bring back anything from the sale.

A little more on the Maltese Cross (as if anyone really cares).

The cross was adopted by the order in the 13th century. It is what4e on a red background --the white cross of peace in the blood stained field of war. The four arms of the cross indicate the four Christian tenets of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude.

The eight points of the cross also signify the obligations of the order.

LIVE IN TRUTH
MAINTAIN FAITH
REPENT SINS
GIVE PROOF OF HUMILITY
LOVE JUSTICE
BE SINCERE AND WHOLE-HEARTED
ENDURE PERSECUTION
BE MERCIFUL.

Some scholars believe that the eight points represent the eight languages of the Order.

Castile, Aragon, Provence, Italy, Germany, France, Auvergne, England

Tomorrow Gibraltar.

Did you know that superstition says that as long as there are apes on Gibraltar the English will be in control of the “Rock.” Winston Churchill so believed this that when the ape population began to decline he set up a foundation to feed and care for them. Today the work is still carried on, feeding and monitoring populations. When there are too many apes for the rock to support they are thinned by removal and transfer to other locations. Zoo or into the wild....no one I asked had the answer.