Very enjoyable puzzle yesterday, unless you mind being “mooned.” Yes, I think the constructor, Brad Lively, mooned me! At 24A, “Provide a brief glimpse?” was DROP TROU. And just above it, at 14D, “Nincompoop” was ASS. Very funny, Lively — now pull up your pants.

Here’s our tour group partaking in a little “train mooning” yesterday.

43A was good too, IMO. The clue was “[Can’t talk, eating],” and the answer was OMNOMNOM.

Speaking of eating, breakfast today on our cruise was terrif. We opted for the buffet and took scrambled eggs, potatoes, mushrooms, sauteed carrots, sausage, with freshly baked rolls, smoked salmon with cream cheese and toppings, and muffins. Good coffee and OJ as bevs. Not used to being pampered like this. The late Steve Post could never have survived a cruise. He’d bite your head off if you said “Good Morning” to him. The staff is so cheery and sunny it would kill him.

One of my favorite constructors, the beautiful and brilliant Wyna Liu, did not disappoint with yesterday’s New Yorker puzzle. Started off wonderfully at 1A: “Generic term for a scrunchie or ponytail holder.” Answer: HAIR THING. Also learned “Word coined to refer to the fear of being without one’s cellphone” is NOMOPHOBIA. And how about this? You know the cyrillic alphabet, used in Russian, e.g.? It’s named after Saint CYRIL. Here’s Ms. Liu.

Getting back to the “moon” for a moment, a few years ago I had to get a shot at the doc’s office and I started rolling up my sleeve. But the nurse — a wonderful Black woman — said, “No, honey, this one goes in the rear.” So I said, “Okay, but I have to worn you, mine isn’t as cute as my grandson Leon’s.” So she chuckled and gave me my shot and then said: “It’s pretty cute.” Now, that’s a memory you take to the grave with you.

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We had a free afternoon in Am’dam so I plotted a route for us to get from the ship to a big art museum about two miles away (The Rijksmuseum). We got there beautifully but on the way home I got us so lost it was ridiculous. I didn’t think we needed my phone because the route was so direct. Really only one turn which I was certain I remembered. We barely made it back for dinner. Walked ten miles total, though — great city.

The town is awash in bikes. There are 1.6 bikes per resident. The guide said he has two bikes, but most people have 1.6. (That was his joke.)

The museum was a gorgeous enormous building with grounds. I sent a shot of this painting to Caity — a 17th century Zoey, but Riverdale Joe rightly noted Zoey is way prettier.

And this one you should recognize or demand a refund of your college tuition.

The note next to it pointed out that Remmy (to his friends) painted it so that the men are looking up to see you (the viewer) — as if you were intruding upon them. It was his way of involving the viewer. Sounds like he was a bit of a card. We also saw some gorgeous Vermeers. Great art is generally lost on me, but it was neat to see this stuff on its home turf.

“To herr is human,” my bro said without fail whenever the topic of herring came up. You never know what will trigger fond memories; it might as well be herring. On our first guided excursion — a stroll through Am’dam, we passed a herring (or “haring”) stand. How great is that? A man from our group jumped over to it and soon returned with a roll stuffed with herring. He wolfed it down, noted Avi droolingly. Note to self: Make sure to get a herring sandwich if/when we pass a herring stand later on the trip. Sure enough, on our walk back from the museum I exclaimed: A herring stand!! We rushed over but were told, to my horror, that he was out of herring. My heart sank. There were other fish behind the counter. I said “What’s closest to herring?” He smiled ruefully and said: “There’s really nothing like herring.”

But, get this: At the end of our walk in Enkhuizen today the guide said he was told to get us back in time for a fish trial. I said to Linda: “Guilty!” But it wasn’t that kind of trial. A cafe near our ship produced waves of herring and some other fish, the latter breaded and fried, and it was wonderful. I had “seconds, thirds, and fifths,” to quote a line from — anyone remember? — The Boys in the Band. I could see God’s purpose in denying us the herring yesterday — how often does that happen?

The herring was so fresh and delicate — not salty. Our penance was sticking to a light salad for lunch, although the waitress talked us into sharing an outstanding warm apple crumb thingie a la mode for dessert. One last herring memory, if I may. A line from Bellow’s Herzog: “Stuff your face with herring, Shapiro, and mind your own fucking business.” (Or something close to that.)

Herring played a large role in Enkhuizen’s early, prosperous period. You can see three herring on the town’s coat of arms set in the facade of this public building.

This was the view from our “stateroom” this morning, and we’re headed back to sea for our next destination in about 30 min. So we’ll be able to have dinner overlooking the water.

Let’s end with a few items from The Onion tonight. See you tomorrow!

Cardinals Begin Placing Stickers On Vatican Relics They Want When Pope Francis Dies

Pete Hegseth Blows Into Breathalyzer To Unlock Phone

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