Europe Trip Day 4: First Day At Sea

Today was an "at sea day" as we make our way toward Croatia.
Most of the sightseeing was in the morning, and unfortunately I missed the
best part. We sailed right past Stromboli Island, which has a very active
volcano on it. Apparently people got a great view of smoke rising out of
it. I was still in bed at the time (hey, it was like 7am!).

Later we passed through the Messina Strait, which
is between the "boot" of Italy and Sicily. A pilot was brought aboard to
navigate us through this fairly narrow passage, which had noticeable currents
as well. Seas are a bit choppier tonight than last night, though the boat
is pretty stable for the most part.

Otherwise there isn’t too much to write about today. I
seem to be feeling better, so hopefully that bug is finally out of my system.
Tonight’s dinner had a formal dress code, so I got to wear a suit, which
is something I don’t get to do very often. And finally, my luck in the Casino
continued, as I won $125 on the same slot machine that gave me $100 last
night. I’m up about $160 so far on the trip!

That’s all for tonight… tomorrow is Dubrovnik which sounds
pretty cool! I’ve got a few pictures after the link.

Looking toward Sicily

The pilot boat which followed us through the Messina Strait

The Crystal Symphony was going the other way. That’s Italy in the background.

The Norwegian Jewel is docked in Messina, Sicily. Our ship will be in that
spot on the 19th.

A beach resort at the tip of Sicily

This is the showroom on the ship… amazing how they can have this much open
space and still keep the ship from falling apart!