On Wednesday, April 29, as the Commodore announced we were right “in the middle of our crossing,” we woke up really late. You realize how late when the steward greets you “good afternoon,” and you go straight to lunch (right after my wife’s immigration procedure). It was surprising, at least to me, that although we were half an hour late for that scheduled process, 80 people were still to show up, most of the from the USA.

The rocking (“swaying”, I am told) of the ship was less noticeable today, but it continues to makes us feel like we are waltzing all day, and makes us sleep like babies.

After another delicious lunch, we spent several hours at the library, where I revisited some works by Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Marx.

It was our intention to take a long walk around the deck, but it was closed due to strong winds. We then decided to watch “Much Ado About Nothing,” but surprisingly enough the TV program did not take into account the constant time changes (5 times during this crossing the clocks are set one hour ahead, to make up for the time difference between New York and Southampton), so we missed that too. At least we now had some improvement to suggest in our satisfaction questionnaire!

Since the entertainment or educational program for the day did not seem as appealing as other days, we decided to work with our laptops until dinner time.

The 175th anniversary of Cunard Lines was celebrated with the second of three formal nights, although no specific dress restrictions were imposed upon us (unlike the other two with “White and Black” and “Masquerade” themes) other than “formal” dress code. Fortunately, we are traveling with all our possessions, which for me means not one but two tuxedos, and a wide range of dark suits and ties.