Last Night of Brilliance...
At the landing of every staircase are niches that house pieces of art. Here are a couple examples of what can be seen around the ship. In addition to the sculptures, wall art is sold in the auctions. Ironically, many of the artists were former Collector’s Editions (who I used to work for) artists who are out on their own. Pino and Marko were two I loved at Collector’s Fine Art and can now be found in the auctions. I guess it’s as good a time as any for people to purchase art… time to relax and enjoy.
Apparently, my goal of wearing a different outfit every day did not go unnoticed. Considering I am either wearing a uniform or casual clothes, Barry and I consider every night on a ship a date night. Therefore, we dress up. I’ve spent quite a bit of time collecting pieces of clothing that look nice but more importantly, pack easily. A couple of the “group” asked Barry how many steamer trunks we packed to keep up our nightly wardrobes. I had to take photos of my packing to prove I don’t have 20 bags… in the suitcase is 10 outfits. Nice and compact.
More sculptures from around the ship. The pieces go from basic to thought provoking like the head in the chair. What’s that about???
In addition to the ten dresses in the suitcase, I had five other outfits. The gowns for formal night to in the garment bag. This was a great purchase that we travel with all the time. It’s a SkyRoll from Men’s Wearhouse that holds four pairs of shoes (2 mine, 2 Barry’s) in each end.
https://www.menswearhouse.com/mens-clothing-accessories/luggage/skyroll-roll-up-garment-bag-890800
For dinner, we enjoyed a bottle of Luce. I will be forever thankful that our favorite Sommelier, currently on Navigator of the Seas, introduced us to this piece of deliciousness. Nikola knows our tastes and makes suggestions. So far we have LOVED everything he has picked out for us! The mussels were amazing but of course, Barry wouldn’t think of trying them!
After dinner, was a time of debauchery! After spending many days together on the rough seas, we had become quite fond of each other. Realizing it was soon coming to an end, we were all anxious to exchange contact information and give proper “good bye’s”.
The hardest “good bye” was to this little gem… The Queen of Brilliance of the Seas, Milica. We were instant friends after being “cyber” introduced by Nikola. They are besties. Mili provided impeccable service and we exchanged many secret jokes. After the stress of our flood situation, serious laughter was the BEST medicine. I’ll miss this beauty from Montenegro!
The sincere hugs between new found friends was truly heartwarming. With the world in such a crazy state, it was proof that people are good. People from all different areas… socialized nations, capitalist countries and in between, can set politics aside. There is SO much more to talk about. We had some great conversations and shared many stories of past experiences.
More good byes… do we really have to go? This was one of the rare cruises where no one was doing a back-to-back because Brilliance of the Seas was going into drydock in Hamburg. So… we enjoyed our last moments together!
Though less outgoing than Mili, Mr. Wilson was a warm soul who provided awesome service. As the cruise neared an end, he was almost giddy. I thought it was because he was getting rid of us… actually it was his vacation time. Mr. Wilson was going home to family! He even allowed a photo of him by the ship photographer!
This lovely Irish woman entertained us every night. Amanda trained as an opera singer and it was evident in the way she could carry a tune… for days! She really got the room going, singing songs from days past. “Those Were The Days My Friends” for example. Keen sense of humor and warm heart. Can’t wait to see Amanda again on a future Brilliance of the Seas cruise!
Well… all good things must come to an end. In the wee early hours of the morning, we passed through the locks entering Amsterdam. Who knew? Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep because I HATE to miss ANYTHING. Barry slept like a baby… I had to get up and look out the balcony every five minutes! When we finally arrived, the port was drenched in sparkly lights reflecting off the water. It’s sad to disembark but we have a whole new adventure starting when we disembark!
