Day 4…Circumnavigation of the Australian continent aboard RC Radiance of the Seas…Wine drinking…

The sun is setting over the industrial area at the port of Brisbane.

“Sighting on the Cruise in Australia”

Interesting metal “chair” art.

It’s already Day 4 on this Australian cruise. It’s a sea day today and tomorrow resulting in a flurry of activity in all areas of the ship as passengers mull around partaking in every possible activity and venue.

At the moment we’re situated in the Latte Tudes coffee shop overlooking the Centrum, a central area with lots of seating where passengers flock to listen to presentations, dance, drink, and commiserate.

We’d love to be able to sit in that area while preparing the post but the seating isn’t adequate for working on my laptop. In this café, there are tables and chairs along the railing overlooking the Centrum. Today, unlike other days, we were fortunate to find two available seats at a small table.

From the ship as we pulled away from Brisbane.

While I worked on today’s post Tom waited in line for the required onboard immigration processing. On many cruises it’s required to part with our passports for a few days, picking them up after they’ve been processed for upcoming ports of call.

Today’s particular immigration process is for Indonesia (here we go again, more Indonesian immigration) since we’ll be arriving in Benoa, Bali in a few days. Based on the four months we’ve already spent in Bali, we doubt we’ll get off the ship in this congested port and town. Most passengers do so for shopping based on Bali’s bargain pricing on many types of merchandise (mostly brand name knockoffs).

Last night we had yet another fine happy hour in the Diamond Club lounge and also during dinner in the dining room. For the first time in many years, I ordered a mixed cocktail, vodka, and Sprite Zero on the rocks. I rarely consume any types of soda so this was a stretch for me.

Freighter and tug boat in the bay.

Again after two drinks stretched over several hours, I was feeling it. Although I’ll admit having a cocktail was rather enjoyable especially while we were sitting with others doing the same. 

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’ve had plenty of good times not drinking alcohol.   don’t need it to have a great experience. But, it’s fun to “step outside the box” and partake of the festivities after all these years of almost completely avoiding alcoholic beverages.

I’ve avoided drinking alcohol for health reasons although my way of eating allows it in moderation. I suppose two drinks a day during cruises only isn’t imbibing in excess and shouldn’t have a deleterious effect on my overall health in the long run.

We’re having no trouble getting in the 10,000 steps a day on the FitBit when we often walk down these long hallways.

After last night’s foray into drinking a mixed cocktail, I intend to stick to with wine. It affected me less than the cocktail and I can nurse a single glass for a few hours. 

White wines have slightly fewer carbohydrates and sugar than dry red wines although I’d always preferred reds in my old life. Twenty-plus years ago I loved having a tasty glass of red wine prior to and during dinner.

Here’s information on the carbohydrate content of red vs. white wine from this site:

“Dry wines contain minimal sugars. Choosing red or white doesn’t matter as much as opting for dry over sweet. Dry wines generally have less than 1 gram (g) of carbohydrates (sugars) per ounce while the carb content of sweet wines can be upwards of 1.5 to 2g per ounce. These sugars can add up quickly: Technically one serving of wine is five ounces, but six to nine ounces is generally more realistic, especially when you’re pouring a glass at home to unwind. However, it is impossible (and unnecessary) to avoid sugar completely, so just adjust your wine intake to fit your personal sugar guidelines.

Dry Reds
Pinot noir: 0.68g carbs per ounce
Cabernet franc: 0.71g
Merlot: 0.74g
Cabernet sauvignon: 0.75g
Shiraz/syrah: 0.76g
Zinfandel: 0.84g
Dry Whites
Pinot blanc: 0.57g carbs per ounce
Sauvignon blanc: 0.6g
Pinot grigio: 0.6g”

Shared puzzle making where anyone can pick up where others left off.

With the intent of keeping my daily carbohydrate count under 20 grams and the efforts I’ve made on this cruise to go a bit lower based on eating twice a day, as opposed to my usual once, I have sufficient room to factor in two glasses of wine each evening. 

The differences in carbs from white to red is relatively insignificant. I think I’ll give a glass of Cabernet or Pinot Noir a try sometimes in the next few days, maybe this evening if the mood strikes me. 

A few of our readers have thoughtfully inquired as to how my spinal injury is doing. It’s not 100% improved but at this date, five months later I’m feeling much better. Certain activities (or inactivity) seem to exacerbate the issue, mainly when sitting too long.

This morning’s breakfast table in the Cascades dining room.

This morning I worked out for the best session I’ve had since resuming nine days ago. Usually, I  find myself returning to a decent level of fitness after about three weeks of working out regularly. 

Today I began the HIIT (high-intensity interval training). I’m not certain I’ll ever be able to return to my highest performance but I’m carefully working on it with the intent of continuing after we arrive in Tasmania.

Tom is doing great after a smidgen of “overly grumpy” during the first day on the cruise as he became familiar with everything. The smallest inconsistencies and nuances may contribute to his angst-ridden state but now, he’s his otherwise usual chipper self and we’re having the time of our lives.

Tom, during this morning’s breakfast.

We’ll be back with more each and every day. If you don’t see a post in the usual time frame please keep in mind we’ll be posting a few or several hours later. A late posting will be due to our participation in activities, conversations, seminars, and tours.

Thanks to all of our readers for following along with us and a special thanks to all of you who have written. We always delight in hearing from YOU!

                                           Photo from one year ago today, November 3, 2015:

A blowhole spouting in Fiji. For more photos please click here.