Mediterranean Wine Cruise

I'm in an enormous chunk of metal plowing at a great rate of speed across an incredibly deep blue expanse of sea. There is just a bit of movement, not enough to throw one's balance, but enough to make my sensitive system feel a bit disoriented. The Celebrity Solstice is enormous with a central open space 10 stories high with glass elevators and a full-sized tree suspended in the center in a triangular metal planter. The floors around the central space are open, so from a glass elevator, one can see the spread of lawn chairs around the large rectangular pool topside, the library, the internet area, and various bars, including one with a counter made from ice. Aft is the immense dining room with a chandelier that must be 60' wide and a 2-story glass wine tower on a lower floor and a buffet restaurant with countless stations offering food nearly round the clock from carved meats to pasta, salads, curry, sushi, desserts to stir fry. Also aboard is a deck covered with real grass for playing bocce or practice putting, a shopping mall full of stores, a disco, a spa and gym, two theaters...it is astonishing.

We're a week into our vacation already; on day two of the Touring & Tasting Mediterranean wine cruise. I can see that finding time to post will be difficult with so much going on. Ports to visit, yoga, reading on our deck, dinners, drinks with the group. I can now see why people love to cruise, it is a hedonistic experience.

Today off to Cinque Terre from the port of La Spezia--hope to post photos later.