Bob:

Captain Wells started off our morning with a rip-roaring lecture on the Vikings. He emphasized their nautical achievements, which fell within his area of expertise, but also commented on the dangers of sailing the North Atlantic in those large, open boats. I would have appreciated more information about their daily life, but just recounting their exploits took up much of his time. One interesting tidbit was that the Vikings in England apparently were bathing once a week, totally at odds with the customs of the British at that time. But an Arab observer of the Vikings in Russia that I read in Roskilde, I think, had commented on how they didn't wash and where characteristically dirty and smelly, so now I have conflicting information on that point.

Jules Talarico, the naturalist, gave an interesting presentation on cetaceans in general and whales in particular. One of his most interesting slides was on the progression evolutionary changes that took a mammalian quadruped back into the ocean environment--apparently archaeologists have found representative skeletons of each of the stages in that very gradual process. On a personal level, Dr. Talarico had apparently had gotten close to whales while kayaking off California and boating down in the Gulf of California off Baja, Mexico, and he commented on their intelligence and apparent friendliness. One thing that he had observed was a new-born calf trying to come up to the boat filled with friendly tourists while the mother tried to prevent it, which suggests to me that whatever is causing these "overtures" toward humans in boats is relatively instinctual.

Monika:

Bob:

We split at that point and Monika went off to make a luggage tag while I just turned in for a preprandial nap. After reconvening for lunch, Monika and I participated in a basketball shootout on Deck 17. The small, outdoor court was somewhat sheltered from the direct winds, but it was still bloody cold and we were happy when someone finally made the requisite 3 baskets from the free-throw line and we could all retreat back inside. Brrrrr!

Monika:

Bob:

We had to sacrifice a cha-cha dance lesson because it conflicted with the performance of Irving Berlin's songs by Marlene and Chet. I had no idea that Berlin's father had emigrated to the U.S.A. in the 1890s after the Russians burned down their home in Siberia! I also didn't know that Berlin composed all those lyrics in a second language with only a 6th grade education, and composed all the melodies without knowing how to read music! Is that genius or what?

Monika: