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American Queen - Part 2
Written by: Dominick A. Miserandino
Photography by: Margherita Miserandino
Dominick learns a little bit about how to relax while steamboating up a river.
Today, being Sunday, Margherita felt it best to go to the devotional service offered on board. I being lazy, thought it not best. However, as with most of these types of arguments, the Almighty wins and we went to the interdenominational devotional service in the Grand Saloon.
After the devotional service, we stayed in the Grand Saloon for the Riverboat Rally orientation. As I said, we were the youngest demographic around, so we entered all of the games to win a prize, and walked away with quite a handful of riverboat memorabilia. This is another reason that people in their 20’s and 30’s need to consider getting on the boat. Whenever there is a game with prizes, you have youth on your side and are more apt to win.
Well, all that prize winning certainly burns up an appetite, so we ran to lunch to refuel, then it was back again for the Steamboat Races to win more prizes. In this case, it was a matter of rolling the dice to see whose steamboat won, and betting on it like the races. We lost, which balanced out the winnings earlier in the day.
From Steamboat races, we went to the Paddlewheel Lounge in the back of the ship to try our luck with a wine tasting. It was there that we met Brian our Dining Room captain and also the wine tasting "host". I’ve always been a bit perplexed by wine tasting, socially speaking that is. I mean, most people seem to be there to drink the wine. People like wine and they drink wine, but are they there really to learn anything about the wine and their tastes, or just to get a free drink of wine?
I attempted to learn something this time and came away with the knowledge that I don’t like "Oak-y" wines, but I prefer "Fruity" wines. This key piece of knowledge that I learned from Brian came in handy on just the next day.
Anyway, the rest of the day we spent looking at the shore. Yes, it’s a simple activity, but we sat there just watching houses go by. Margherita would imagine which one she’d like to buy, and I would nod my head as if I were listening. Occasionally, I would look into people’s backyards and just watch life "drift" by.
I’ve said it in yesterday’s entry, but it’s worth repeating. Traveling at walking speed forces you to slow your life down and think of the little things.
"Yes dear, one day we’ll get a house along the Mississippi."
Later in the day we passed our last lock on the way to Cincinnati. A lock is the kind of thing that causes the adults to run over to see everything like children. Basically, a wall closes behind the boat, and then in front of it. Then the boat, is enclosed by the walls in a rather large "bathtub". Water rushes in and the boat lifts up. This way it can pass over different heights in the river. If there’s a waterfall, or a damn with a difference in height, the boat can then be lifted above it.
For me though, it was amazing to watch the entire boat standing on the deck watching the river rush into the lock, raising the boat. Everybody from the age of 6 to 96 were standing on the deck, watching the lock and the entire event like it was Christmas Day.
The only other major event was my nightly stroll around the deck, watching the river float by. Nothing is more relaxing. I might have said it before but it’s the type of thing that deserves to be mentioned quite a few times that the concept floats somewhere between redundant and well reinforced. This boat is the most relaxing thing that I’ve ever done.
Day 1 - On the boat and Memphis
Day 2 - On the boat
Day 3 - New Madrid, Missouri
Day 4 - Paducah, Kentucky
Day 5 - On the boat again
Day 6 - Louisville, Kentucky
Day 7 - Madison, Indiana
Day 8 -Cincinnati, Ohio and Goodbyes Indiana
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