One of the things I enjoy about a cruise is the eclectic mix of people aboard. I'm suddenly thrust into the middle of a huge melting pot of people from around the world, each with their own languages, customs, and style of dress.
More than once, I saw a large group, possibly from China or Japan, sitting together. They would gather finger food on several plates and then serve themselves family-style. One day, we were sitting at a table waiting for the changeover to lunch service. The kitchen staff were busy loading up the stations with food and had plastic wrap on the outside to keep people from taking food early. When that same large group came through and saw that there was a huge bowl of lychees at one of the stations, they went crazy. They ripped through the plastic wrap and started grabbing lychees like it was a gold rush. It took a while for the kitchen staff to get things back under control again. The entertaining show was hilarious.
There were a variety of activities for the time we spent at sea. None of them interested us much, but it was fun to walk around, check things out, and take pictures.
It was beautiful and sunny as we circled for a landing in Vancouver. As I love bridges, I was enamored with this one crossing the Fraser River. It's called the North Arm Bridge, and it runs trains up top and bikes and pedestrians underneath. Vancouver and the surrounding area also have many skyscrapers and highrises.
