I expected to wake up in a different country this morning. However, due to some high winds, the captain reported that the Venice, Italy Port had been closed all night and we were lucky to even get out at 5 a.m. The Port had then immediately closed again just after we departed, or we would have been “stuck” in Italy for another day (I never thought I would think that!). These same high winds prohibited a landing in Slovenia, so there’s a country that I won’t be able to cross off my list.

We had plans to visit the Farmer’s Market and do a panoramic tour of Koper, but rather it’s a lazy day at sea in search of a quiet, safe landing spot somewhere along the Croatian coast. Koper changed to Split with the weather conditions, and will probably change again before the day is done. We do have an 8:30 dinner reservation in one of the ship’s private dining rooms called the Chef’s Table. Also, my wife had wisely scheduled two spa appointments for later this afternoon that suddenly became a popular idea with little left to do while stuck on-board. She’s been having trouble sleeping and just collapsed for a nap, afraid that she might nod-off and miss the pleasurable experience of an 80-minute Swedish Mindful Massage. That will be followed by a 50-minute Hydrafacial. After our late dinner, I feel confident that she will finally get a good night’s sleep.

I ran 5 kilometers on the treadmill this morning since the outdoor promenade deck was slippery and wet. The skies are at least showing patches of blue, but the sea is choppy and the winds strong and chilly. I hope this paints a clear picture (See Post #466) of the white caps on the blue water churning outside our stateroom balcony on deck number four because I don’t have a photo to share with any of you “visual” thinkers. Hopefully, my content here is descriptive enough for you “word” thinkers. I’m happy because I’m at my writing desk, and not trudging through the Slovenian streets in search of history with a tired wife.

After a hearty breakfast this morning in conjunction with a traumatic moment on the scale, it is clear that the unlimited food supply will soon be a problem, especially if we continue to be confined to the boat. We did book another trip on Viking this morning to take advantage of onboard discounts. It will be in October two-and-a-half years from now (928 days and counting I think she said). That should give us plenty of time to plan and pay, as we look forward to 12 days on the Nile River exploring the ancient Egyptian monuments that we’ve always dreamed of seeing. I can even ride a camel if I want.

I spoke to an older gentleman (at least I hope he was older) last night who would be exceeding his bucket list goal of visiting 100 countries once this trip was complete. I hope the one we missed today doesn’t leave him short. It made me think about how many countries I’ve visited outside of Canada, the United States, and Mexico? Before this adventure, there was only England, France, Italy, China, pre-China Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Macau, Belgium, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Cayman, Saint Martin, and French Polynesia (Tahiti & Bora-Bora). I will get to add now only Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece since we just passed Slovenia without stepping foot on land, and will also cruise by Albania with just a wave. If the weather holds up, it will bring my countries visited total to 23 – a long way from 100. We do have booked plans to visit both Thailand and Egypt along with any related airport stops so it will take the World Cruise that we envision five years from now to achieve that one-hundred milestone – if not longer. I don’t want to wish my life away at the expense of achieving this lofty goal.