After a fun-filled night of making my way into the Shanty Gang and singing up a storm, I found it very hard to roll out of bed this morning. The Sea Cloud graced me with a gentle rocking, which led to the strong desire to stay in bed. However, the amazing aroma of breakfast brought me to my senses quickly. I guess it was food over sleep!
Since today is a sailing day, I want to reflect on a most wonderful trip aboard the Sea Cloud. It all started in St. Julian’s, Malta, where we met the other guests at the welcome dinner overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet the other guests I would be spending the next two weeks with. The guests were from all over the U.S . and Canada. As we arrived at the magnificent Sea Cloud, I was happy to meet up again with Tom and Pati, our expedition leaders, our purser Mirko, Simon our hotel manager, and Roger the maitre d’hotel. I settled into my cabin, where I felt like a queen, at least for a few minutes; then reality set in as I had to unpack my bag and organize my belongings.
As our journey began, I tried to imagine what it would have been like to live so long ago. Visiting the Ggantija Temples, that are older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, I found myself unable to put myself in their place . . . no iPad, no iPhone, no tv, no cars, no electricity . . .
As we sailed to Sicily, I enjoyed the warm sun and nice sea breeze. A fishing boat got too close to our ship and his fishing net got tangled in our anchor. After some words between the harbormaster, our captain, and the fisherman, the fisherman finally left. Upon arrival to Agrigento, we walked through the valley of the temples of Hera and Zeus. As we continued our tour around Sicily, we visited more ancient sites and fishing villages. We tasted the yummy foods from the area and of course I tasted all the gelato I could find! We visited more medieval towns, climbing narrow cobblestone streets and well worn steps to see how the local folks enjoy their days.
We spent a few hours after dark waiting to see the “burps” of the Stromboli volcano that should appear about every 20 minutes. We waited and waited and waited some more . . . but I guess she had other ideas that evening because we only saw faint glows. But it was still really fun sitting in the dark and listening to Peter’s wonderful piano music.
After arriving in Siracusa, I decided that nothing in Sicily is easy. But it’s fun to listen to the negotiations between all the different men talking with their hands moving a mile a minute.
My time on the Sea Cloud is better than any day at school. I have learned so much about history and different cultures. I feel like this trip was a success on every level, and I will always remember my voyage through antiquity.
