Location: Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean.
Summary: A relaxed day at sea aboard the Costa Favolosa, filled with poolside moments, quizzes, dining highs and lows, and the characters that made the journey memorable.
En Route to Tenerife
I was awake by 07:00, showered, shaved, and straight into my swim shorts before heading to the aft pool on Deck 9. I claimed a lounger, grabbed a coffee from the poolside bar, and settled in with my Kindle for a quiet start to the day.
Around 08:30, Mal joined me briefly before breakfast and a swim. During this visit, he chose the moment to tell me he was gay, apparently for the first time to anyone. I didn’t mention that most people would have worked it out long before he said anything.
The pool was more of a splash pool than a swimming pool; once three people were in, it was effectively full. I managed a few short laps before returning to my lounger to read until around 11:00.
After changing in my cabin, I headed to the Palatino Grand Bar for two quizzes. Mal and Gail joined me, and we won one of them. Mal becomes very competitive during quizzes, which is impressive considering he rarely knows any of the answers.
I had lunch with with Gail, Dwight, and Tessa. My meal consisted of Andalusian chickpea soup (excellent), pork ribs (terrible), and banana and coconut cake (very good). A mixed result, but overall enjoyable.
A Relaxed Afternoon
The afternoon passed in a comfortable rhythm of more quizzes, Kindle reading, and sampling a few different cocktails. A classic sea‑day combination.
Dinner at 19:00 was with Mal, Rosa, Ann, Keith, and Regina. The meal began well with salmon, avocado cream, cheese drops, and crunchy onion, followed by a very good fish and shellfish soup.
The main course, monkfish wrapped in ham on chickpea purée, was a disappointment. Two tiny pieces of monkfish, each the size of a euro coin, sitting on a smear of purée that looked more like an accident than a garnish. Dessert, a ricotta cheese mousse, was thankfully much better.
Evening Entertainment
After dinner, we went to the theatre. Ann and Rosalea watched from the upper deck while the rest of us sat near the stage. Before the show, the ship’s officers were introduced on stage, a ceremony that felt unnecessary and dragged on too long.
The singer who followed had a good voice but insisted on camping up every song, which spoiled it for me. Mal, however, thought it was brilliant. The performance clearly inspired him, as he then announced to the entire group that he was gay. Everyone did a commendable job of looking surprised.
I slipped out of the show early and went to the Molière Lounge for a quiet drink. Ann joined me later, and we talked into the early hours. Eventually, she reminded me that I had an excursion in Tenerife with her daughter the next day and suggested I get some sleep.
I finished my drink, returned to my cabin, and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
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