Luxury, libations, and lamentations

2 days after arriving in Rome, Jon and I left the quaint comfort of our sewage-smelling youth hostel for the extravagant luxury of a penthouse suite on Crystal Cruise’s 7-day Mediterranean voyage. After being issued my cruise ID photo that made me look like Quasimodo’s ugly stepchild (note: do not let a photo taker hold the digital camera next to your face), we boarded the gangplank and entered the Twilight Zone. We were ushered to our penthouse with a private veranda, stocked bar, Jacuzzi tub, and fancy bottle of champagne already cold on ice. Like country bumpkins transported to Dubai, we took photos of the room, gaped at the multiple buffets on the boat, and sat on the deck gorging on veggie burgers (okay, this was just me). I swear my eyes teared at the waste already piling up on plates, but I pushed through my guilt when I saw individual bottles of Heinz (another waste product I ignored) ready for my sweet potato chips. Already tipsy from champagne at 6pm (can’t blame the boat for lack of balance if you’re still docked), we dressed for our first of the week-long Biogen mixers – the welcome cocktail party! Appetizers of caviar, shrimp, and even a veggie roll marked the beginning of our feel-like foie-gras festival. I even managed more than an hour surrounded by Jon’s work mates without mentioning starving children in Africa or HIV! 4-course dinner (double salad for me!), too much wine, and way too much mingling later, we retired to our turned-down penthouse bed and let the ocean rock us to sleep…tough life, eh?

More photos and details to come!