Day 36 Elbe River

Thursday, visibility 2 miles, foggy. Saw some sea birds. The tops of the whitecaps are blowing off in spray. Last night and this morning weren't too rough, but the swells caused considerable roll. Secured almost everything well before I went to bed, which was a good decision. Heard things crashing in other cabins. I forgot to move the plastic plant to the floor, but that takes care of itself. Square 1 gallon water bottles behave much better than any size round bottle, which will tip and roll back and forth. The swells in the North Sea are typically closer together than in the Atlantic, with high amplitude. In the Atlantic, the rolls were about 8 seconds apart. In the North Sea, they were 6 seconds apart. There is time at night to figure out things like this. From the 6th deck, it is difficult to acurately judge the height of the swells. The shower was challenging this morning. Staying vertical and drying require special care. The tray under the sink mirror has a 1inch metal lip. During the night, everything in the tray fell over, but stayed inside the metal lip.

The ship slowed and took on a pilot at noon. We have entered the Elbe estuary, which is still very wide. The roll has stopped. I can see land on both sides. We should arrive at the Hamburg dock in the early evening. Meal conversations are often interesting. Almost everyone has an opinion about the election. Status of snacks brought from home. Ann's special trail mix; Cashews, almonds, dried cherries: less than a cup. Most of the soynuts. 1pk Whole wheat crackers with fake cheddar cheese. Several pieces of delightful pear candy from Yonezawa. 10 mini salted nut rolls, I think I'm covered until Asia. Other Belgian dark chocolate, 2 bottles of Merlot from the Slop Chest, and 9 gallons of water for coffee, Nescafe instant regular and decaf.