Last Ports!

I'm about out of internet time so I'm going to combine posts for Greece and Croatia.

Greece was fantastic, as expected, but I only got to explore two of the days because I was sick the other two. The first day we went to the acropolis and it was boiling hot but I loved getting to see the real Parthenon! It's fenced off and under construction of some sort, so I couldn't climb around like I wanted, but I suppose it's people like me that are the reason it's got a fence! I ran into a friend of a friend from Nashville (not on SAS) there as well; I thought the location was perfect since I often run into people at the Parthenon in Nashville! We also went to the original Olympic stadium and drove by a lot of other monuments.
That night a bunch of friends and I went to the beach to watch the sun set (except we were on the wrong side of the harbor!) and hung out there, ate pizza (as good in Greece as it was in Italy!) and then went home. Nothing too exciting!
The last day I was feeling better and went to a beach to just relax. They had lots of blow-up toys in the water, including a trampoline, see saw, and an "iceberg" to climb! Lots of fun ensued. Greece has wonderful shopping and I wish I could have spent more time doing that, but I suppose my credit card is glad I didn't!

There was only one day at sea, then Croatia. (Fun fact: The tie was invented in Croatia!) We spent most of the time in Old Town Dubrovnik, which is the medieval part of the city. All the buildings in the Old Town have red roofs! We walked the walls and it was one of the most photogenic places I've ever been. I've also never been so hot in my entire life. Who would have thought that Croatia would be hotter than Egypt? Inside the walls there's a lot of restaurants and shopping, so we spent the rest of the day there. There's also the third oldest pharmacy in the world and the oldest arboretum in the world, but somehow I missed going to both! I slept in the next day and then spent the afternoon at the beach, and went to bed early. (I think I was getting the beginnings of sun stroke again.) The last day we finished up shopping - although it was a Sunday and the one place I wanted to go was closed :( - and went to a cafe that's on the outside edge of the wall by the sea. We watched people jump from 15, 30, 45, and 90 foot cliffs! Occasionally boats would pass and the passengers would cheer on whomever was about to jump. People who were walking the wall did the same. I'm sure my parents will be glad to hear that I refrained from jumping at all! I figure after having done parabungy I don't need any more cool adrenaline stories from this trip! Plus, the lower jumps looked (although everyone insists they weren't) a little too close to the rocks below them and the 90 foot jump was, well, 90 feet high. The water knocked one girl unconscious, busted a few peoples' lips, and just about everyone who did it emerged with black and blue bruises on whichever part(s) of their bodies that hit the water first. I personally think that jumping 600 feet with all sorts of harnesses and falling into nothing is much less scary (and less painful) than cliff jumping! Still, the cafe was the prettiest one yet!

I can't believe we have 12 whole days at sea! In the next 3 days I have 3 papers and 6 field reports (short papers about my in-port experiences) and then after those are all done we have finals. The academic situation isn't the best organized, and it's especially difficult trying to work at sea since as soon as the boat starts moving I start feeling sick. Since I don't want to pay for more internet time this will be my last post, but I'll be home in less than 2 weeks and at school in less than 3! I can't wait to see everyone!

Egypt

Overall, Egypt was my least favorite port. The city was incredibly, incredibly dirty (we even saw a dead horse in the canal!) and having to to wear long pants and long sleeves in 120 degree heat is uncomfortable. The taxis were crazy and terrifying at first - I swear we almost killed dozens of people! - but I got used to them by the end. I did an SAS sponsored trip that took us to Cairo, but I didn't know anyone on my trip, so I think that influenced the fun-factor a bit. 

However, I got to go to the pyramids, the sphinx (which is considerably smaller than I expected), the ziggurat/mastaba (the 5000 year old one with hieroglyphs and paint still inside), the bazaar, and the library of Alexandria (which, despite being the "oldest" library in the world, is a a modern building that just sits on the site of the actual library of Alexandria. Disappointing!). The pyramids were pretty cool - I got to go in one and it was so scary! The steps going in are really steep and you have to bend over halfway to walk through the tunnel, then finally you hit a landing and have to do the same thing going up. Then you hit a big empty room with a stone tomb (no elaborate decorations) inside. I pretty much looked around, then booked it out of there! For some reason I seemed to develop a fear of small, enclosed, underground spaces. The temple with the hieroglyphs was cool, but Egyptian art ceased to really interest me after second grade. The SAS trip that I did also took us out south of Cairo and we had a jeep safari in the desert and then rode camels. I liked the camel ride, but felt bad since the guides whipped them. : ( From what I hear, everyone else had a pretty good time, so I guess this is just another country that I'll have to come back to.
Also, I either incurred the curse of the mummies, or I shouldn't have eaten the Egyptian pancakes (they were a bit like sweet pizza dough, fried, with nuts and honey and fruit in them). Either way, I got food poisoning (and sun stroke, but I doubt the pancakes caused that) that kept me inside for two days in Greece.

Turkey? (part II)

We're no longer porting in Turkey. 

Tomorrow we're at sea, then 3 days in Alexandria, Egypt. As cool as Egypt is going to be, there were so many things I was looking forward to in Turkey! Oh well. At least we're not going to Bulgaria (which was the circulating rumor). 

Turkey?

After the shooting outside the US consulate a few weeks ago and the terrorist bombing last night that killed 15 people and wounded 150 more - the dean just announced that we may not go to Istanbul. Where we would go instead is not yet known. The official announcement is they are monitoring the situation, but it seems like they're just trying to figure out where else we could go. (I'm voting Morocco!) I was super excited about Turkey, but I can understand not wanting to let 600 American students out to wander with that going on..... I'll let you know updates when I know more! 

Italy

The first day that we docked in Naples I accidentally slept through my trip to Mount Vesuvius (which I was really really excited about and am so sad I didn't get to go!) because I had a sinus infection...
Second day, however, was much more exciting! We took a hydrofoil (hovercraft) to Capri, and while the ride there was nauseating (rough seas), Capri was worth it. I've never been anywhere so beautiful! (Although I can think of a few other islands to which I would like to travel that might challenge it!) We explored Anacapri, the town on top of the mountain, then went to Faro, which is a little "beach" area (no sand or even pebbles - just rock and then water) which had Caribbean-colored water. My camera, as it turns out, is waterproof but not wholly salt-proof. After taking some fun underwater pictures, the lens wouldn't open the next morning! Thankfully, running it under tap water seemed to fix it. We all agreed that it was a good investment! We took a wrong turn after trying to find the lighthouse, and ended up walking halfway around the island and finding an old medieval fort! After more swimming and tanning (I'm so freckly and tan right now!) we went to dinner. Italian food in Italy is nothing like Italian food in the US. I like it so much better! It isn't heavy at all and there's so much more nuance in the flavor.
The next day we went to an old villa that had pieces of Roman ruins in it. Of course it had wonderful overlooks of Capri and the artifacts were neat as well. I got to touch a 3200 year old sphinx statue! The shopping in Capri is just as good as the food and views! The euro is dangerous, though - everything costs in numbers what it reasonably should in dollars, so it never seems like you're spending as much money as you are! Later we went down to the beach by the harbor.
The last morning we went to the Blue Grotto, which was neat, but not as spectacular as it's purported to be. Back in Naples, I took the bus to Pompeii to see the ruins. I wanted to see Mount Vesuvius and the National Archeological Museum, but I didn't have time for either. Having taken Latin for 6 years, at least getting to see Pompeii was a highlight anyway! Not getting to see everything that I wanted to just means I'll have to come back for sure! Ischia and the Amalfi Coast look wonderful as well. I'd probably do Naples as a day trip, though because it is just as dirty as everyone says! Even though the trash strike was "over" there were still piles in the street and trash all over the ground. I hear there are nicer parts to the city, but I didn't see them!

I have lots of reading and two papers to do by tomorrow, and then on Tuesday we're in Turkey!

Belgium (and a Day in the Netherlands)

Fun Facts about Belgium:
1 in every 12 people works for an American company
The saxophone was invented by Mr. Sax
The duffle bag was invented in town called Duffle
A Belgian company just bought Budweiser the other morning (52 billion, I think), making it the largest beer company in the world
There are 3 US military cemeteries from WW1; the Belgians sometimes adopt graves to take care of
The government is perpetually close to collapsing because of the divide between the French-speaking south and Flemish-speaking north and economic/cultural issues related to that. Brussels, the capitol of the EU and NATO, is in the middle. The Prime Minister tried to resign a few days ago because he couldn't find a solution, but the king didn't allow it. If it were to divide, it would likely influence northern Italy, Catalonia (in Spain), and Scotland, all of which have similar problems.

I went to the Diamond Museum the first day. It had a few replicas (which I don't think were even real stones because they were supposedly the largest or only of its kind) but a lot of nice jewelry. I like looking at sparkly things. They didn't allow cameras, though.
Church of Our Lady that housed 4 (of the more famous) Reubens paintings. I noticed on the train and bus rides that even the small towns we passed by have very impressive churches!
I ate a wonderfully delicious Belgian waffle, complete with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate, and it definitely topped any waffles we make in America! (Sorry, Waffle House. I still love you.) I didn't get a chance to have an Belgian fries (Belgium is actually where french fries were invented.) but they come smothered in mayonnaise and according to my friends, nothing spectacular. The chocolate, on the other hand, lives up to its reputation! I didn't buy any for myself; they gave us a few free pieces before the bike ride in the Ardennes. The last day I bought a box for the family, and I already told Mom this but it's a testament to how much I love them that it will go uneaten!
The bike ride was nice. At least, the countryside that we rode through was nice. I won't be able to show any pictures because we hardly stopped for breaks and were going much too fast to take any proper photos! I'm not horribly out of shape, but I've been getting sick for the past week or so (flu-ish bug, going around the ship) and I'm just not used to not being able to go at my own pace. Summary: It was painful. Plus, the other guy in the back and I got lost because the group turned and went over a hill (Bad outdoorsmanship! One of the first rules of any kind of outdoor sport is always wait for the group at crossroads/forks!) so we got to bike a lot extra while the group waited for us to eventually find them. I also fell over about five minutes before the end and have a big (6x2ish") bruise on my calf and my other knee is scraped up. It's probably a good thing that my parents never let me bike to school! I'm not very good at it. After the bike ride, we got lunch at a fancy pants restaurant (in all our biking clothes!) which was, of course, amazing. I can't praise Belgian food enough! The town, Oudenaarde, was famous for tapestries a few centuries ago, and still has them on display in the church.
The next day I went to Amsterdam by myself, meaning to meet up with my friends, but I'm dyslexic sometimes and I read Jeana's phone number wrong (multiple times) so I never saw them. I wandered around on my own for awhile (In the daytime! No worries, it was perfectly safe.) and then found a SAS group and hung out with them and went to the Anne Frank house. It was really neat being able to go into her room and see the place where her family actually hid. Since I couldn't find my friends, I didn't end up spending the night, so there wasn't time for the Van Gogh museum or Dappermarkt, which is a really big open air market that National Geographic ranked highly. Even though I wanted to see those places, Amsterdam isn't high on my list of places to go back to. It wasn't very clean and was very geared toward the "nightlife" (which was going on at all hours, including 2 in the afternoon!). It did have wonderful pancakes though! (Crepe-like, but much much thicker, with perfectly sweet-but-not-artificially-so syrup!)
The last day I mostly walked around and looked into expensive shops. Antwerp is one of the famous fashion cities, so there were lots of things to look at!

We have 5 whole days on board before Italy. I'm going to be so bored so send me fun emails! (I'll actually have a lot of work to do, but emails are nice regardless!)

In addition to friends and family....

I miss:

driving, Diet Coke (they only have Coca Cola Light here!), small furry animals (mainly Bella and Ashes), going to the gym without having to sign up for a time the night before, Anthropologie, fast internet and sites with pictures, phone calls, Naked Juice, control over inside temperature

Denmark (and Sweden)

The first day in Denmark we walked around the small town of Korsor a bit, then took a train to Copenhagen. We shared an awesome flat between 9 people (7 beds! 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, and shower) and wandered around Copenhagen a bit that night. Also, I had the absolute best Chinese food I've ever tasted in Copenhagen!
The next day the group split up and some of us took a train to Sweden. More wandering. Being a small town (Malmo) there really wasn't anything to do at night, so we went to bed early and went shopping and then back to Copenhagen the next day.
Copenhagen is home to the second oldest amusement park in the world, Tivoli Gardens. (The oldest in also in Denmark, but farther away and not as cool.) Our night there was definitely the best in Denmark! The atmosphere reminded me a lot of Opryland and all the rides had themes, as opposed to just being giant metal structures like in 6 Flags parks. It's in the middle of the city, also, so it isn't very big, which means it's easy to walk around and the lines were really short.
We stayed almost until closing, and then went to the Icebar. It was neat, but overpriced and a bit of a disappointment. Everything except for the floor was made of ice (including the cups), but it was really small inside and we got there right after the rush. I felt a bit bad for the bartender; Thursdays aren't normally busy nights, but they had over 200 people in 2.5 hours! (Almost all Semester at Sea kids.) I have no idea how they fit so many people in there! Despite the boots and parkas that they provided, it was freezing (obviously) so we didn't stay long.

Our departure from Korsor was anticlimactic. Like our arrival, there were lots of people outside the ship waiting to see us leave, the the local marching band performed around the square for probably about an hour, and then our captain announced that, contrary to plan, we wouldn't actually be leaving until 4am. (Instead of going around Denmark, we got permission to go through the Kiel Canal in Germany, which saves about 1/2 a day. It's the busiest canal in the world - more so than Panama - and has over 42,000 ships pass through it a year! It was neat sailing through it because land is so close that from the windows on the upper decks you can't even see the water, and the water since the water is so smooth when you look out the window it's like being on a train.)

Being in Denmark made me want to watch "The Prince and Me," but sadly I left it at home. Also, I'm jealous of a friend who got to visit Hamlet's castle. (I was surprised that most people didn't know Hamlet was set in Denmark!) 

I have a midterm later today, and then tomorrow we're in Belgium!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Denmark, having usurped the name "The Happiest Place on Earth" from Disneyland, is already living up to its title - and we aren't even off the ship yet! We're porting in Korsor, which is a small fishing town about an hour away from Copenhagen. As we were sailing into port, there was a crowd of people (despite the rain) and a band playing "I'll Be There For You" (the theme song from Friends). 

Best welcome ever!! 

"Niet Paruski" ("I don't speak Russian.")

That's a (very) rough and phonetic translation. 

We've been in Russia for the past five days and had our "4th" of July party as we left port today. Finally, good food! After wandering around a country where I can't even understand the alphabet, it was the perfect "coming home." I don't think I've ever been so happy for barbecue, lemonade, and American flags! No fireworks, though. : (
Russia was definitely different than I expected - St. Petersberg is really pretty and not as gloomy as all the literature lead me to expect - and it's much much bigger than Bergen. I spent most days just walking around exploring with people, looking at buildings and monuments. We had "Russia Day" instead of classes the day before port, and they scared us all with horror stories about the metro, Russian vodka, pick-pocketing, xenophobia, and lost/stolen passports. Thankfully, no one I know of had a problem with any of those things, and most of the Russians I met were friendly.
The first night I got to go see Swan Lake at the Hermitage theater, and it was really pretty but I felt a bit uncultured because I expected it to be obvious that this was world-class ballet, but it looked normal-amazing, as opposed to amazing-amazing, to me. I could even see the main ballerina's arm shaking from our box! A few nights later we went to see another ballet at the famous Mariinsky theater, but it was modern (Glass Heart) and so strange. It seemed less like ballet and more like modern dance; they used more arm movements than leg movements, and there were a lot of (very confusing) props. Not knowing the story always makes it a bit more difficult, I suppose.
We went to the Hermitage (Catherine the Great's winter palace, which is now a museum) this morning and it was HUGE - we only made it through two (out of 7?) floors, but managed to see Rembrant, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, Van Dyck, Cezanne, Picasso, Pissarro, Rodin (my favorite!!), Matisse, Kent, and a WHOLE lot more. Not to mention the palace itself is the most opulent building I have ever seen. Then we went souvenir shopping, which wasn't quite as cheap as I'd hoped, but everyone got very cool presents. Also, I got to hold a baby bear. (We were walking through the park near the Bronze Horseman, and saw a very strange looking dog, which upon closer inspection turned out to be a bear, and it was only 100 rubles ($4) for pictures with it, so I got to hold it and feed it from a bottle. It was only 10 months old and very cute, though a bit dirty.
There are so many places that I didn't get to visit - including Moscow - so I'll have to come back some day, though preferably with translator and car!
We only have two days of class before Denmark, and it's incredibly easy to get out of the habit of doing work while in port!

Send me emails! I like updates from home! (jesimpson@semesteratsea.net)

Norway!

After four days in Norway, we're back on board and back in class. Thankfully, the boat doesn't go too far off shore since we get to Russia in a few days, so the sea is really calm and I don't feel sick at all. 

Norway was amazing. Extremely expensive, but amazing. (Even though the dollar is worth 5 krones, everything costs exponentially more, so that even something as simple as a hamburger was 20 USD!) 

Bergen, the city we ported in, was so cute - very European, old, and with great architecture and lots of twisting alleyways. The first day we wandered around and explored the city and took the cable car up the mountain. Noway (especially the tourist shops) has an obsession with moose and trolls, so there were lots of random troll statues around. 

The next day we took a train to Voss, where it was the official Extreme Sports Week. These people are crazy. Seriously, who would parasail up (with the largest parasail in the world) 600ft and then bungy jump from the parasail (which is the highest bungy jump in Europe)? It's completely insane and I would never ever do it. 

On a completely unrelated note, it sometimes makes me sad that sarcasm isn't easy to transmit through the internet. ; ) 

Otherwise, there were a lot of paragliders floating around - we even saw one crash into the water! Then we went kayaking in the fjords, which are so gorgeous. (And cold! Even though we had the only blue sky in weeks!) I got to wear a wet suit and paddle in a single, closed-top kayak, which I hadn't done before. 

We got back to Bergen and wandered around some more, and then it was time to get back on the ship. It feels like we were there for so much longer than we were! I'm excited for Russia, but it's going to be a lot more of a culture shock because not everyone speaks English (which they did in Norway) and it's dirtier, less safe, and apparently you're not supposed to smile at people. 

Land, Ho!

No, we aren't in Norway yet (tomorrow!) but we did pass by Scotland and it was so exciting to see land! A cargo ship passed during class today and we had to stop discussion to look at it because it's so rare to see anything but the sea. 

Everyone on the ship is ready to be on land and have something to do. So many days in a row with class and no real activities (and lots of sea sickness) have caused a general sense of ennui to descend. I can't even spend free time cleaning or organizing, since every day they vacuum, clean the bathroom, change the towels, and make our beds. (We are so pampered!)

There isn't much else to report, and no fun pictures, but soon! I promise! I think we're about 6 or 7 hours ahead of Nashville time (+2 more for West Coast time) and it doesn't get "dark" until around midnight. Even then, the moon is so bright that it may as well still be dusk. 

That's all for now! Miss you all!

Fun Facts and First Days!

Fun Facts:
*We are the fastest cruise ship in the world.
*We received a 100% (norm is high 70%-80%) for cleanliness at the US and Canada surprise inspections. (Virtually unheard of!)
*Guy to Girl Ratio is 1:3.
*We're already 3 hours ahead of Nashville time, 5 hours ahead of West Coast Time.

First Days:
*Lots of meetings that basically review the handbook, which it seems only I have read.
*Lots of meeting people whose names I will likely not remember, but they're all very nice.
*We saw whales today! 4 or 5 of them! We all started shouting, gathered at the window, and called in people from the hallway.
*It's cold. Really, really cold. I packed for the second half of the trip, so I'll be living in my one sweatshirt for the next month or so.

Happy belated Father's Day!! Mom and I were so excited about the Bluenose replica (which I'm assuming you've opened by now and I haven't spoiled the surprise)!

Nova Scotia (Ancestral Homeland)

Our hotel! 

The MV Explorer (as seen from our window)

Random picture #1

Random picture #2

Sadly, the Bluenose II is off in Montreal, and we couldn't find the Oxner Grocery. 

The Joys of Travel

Dear Delta, 

I hate you. 

Sincerely, 

Jennifer

Today:

1. Didn't sleep because I was packing.

2. Flight got cancelled because they spilled cleaning fluid on the plane. 

3. The re-route involved an extra airport and 3 more hours of traveling. 

4. Both my checked bags were overweight. 

5. On the flight to Atlanta, the only available seats were in the emergency row, so we were the only row without TVs to watch.

5. The flight to Toronto was tiny and cramped. 

6. In the Toronto airport, we discover that Delta forgot to give me part of my ticket, meaning that I couldn't check in for our next flight. 

7. We ride the train back and forth (and back and forth) between Delta and Air Canada terminals trying to get checked in, because obviously no one knows how to use a phone. 

8. Finally, a nice flight. Canada Air rocks. Nice seats, free meal, free personal movie (or TV or music). Well done. 

9. We arrive in Halifax! Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my luggage. Although Delta assured us multiple times that we were only to check in and not pick up our checked baggage in Toronto, it is international flying protocol/law/whatever that you have to take all checked baggage through customs, regardless of connecting flights.

10. Halifax is pretty, the hotel is wonderful, and our window has a straight view of the ship. There are lots of semester at sea people wandering around, but I'm sitting in the hotel room because I only have grungy plane-dirty clothes and am very very tired. 

Whew.  

 

In honor of my new landscape...

here are some of my favorite quotes and poems about the sea: 

"The fishermen knew that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore."

-Vincent Van Gogh

"To whoever is not listening to the sea

this Friday morning, to whoever is cooped up

in house or office, factory or woman

or street or mine or dry prison cell:

to him I come, and, without speaking or looking,

I arrive and open the door of his prison,

and a vibration starts up, vague and insistent,

a long rumble of thunder adds itself

to the weithg of the planet and the foam,

the groaning rivers of the ocean rise,

the star vibrates quickly in its corona

and the sea beats, dies, and goes on beating. 

So, drawn on by my destiny,

I ceaselessly must listen to and keep 

the sea's lamenting in consciousness,

I must feel the crash of the hard water

and gather it up in a perpetual cup

so that, wherever those in prison may be,

wherever they suffer the sentence of the autumn,

I may be present with an errant wave,

I may move in and out of windows,

and hearing me, eyes may life themselves,

asking, "How can I reach the sea?" 

And I will pass to them, saying nothing,

the starry echoes of the way,

a breaking up of foam and quicksand,

a rustling of salt withdrawing itself,

the gray cry of sea birds on the coast.

So, through me, freedom and the sea

will call in answer to the shrouded heart." 

-Pablo Neruda, The Poet's Obligation

"He loved the sea and for deep-seated reasons: the hardworking artist's need for repose, the desire to take shelter from the demanding diversity of phenomena in the bosom of boundless simplicity, a propensity-proscribed and diametrically opposed to his mission in life and for that very reason seductive-a propensity for the unarticulated, the immoderate, the eternal, for nothingness. To repose in perfection is the desire of all those who strive for excellence, and is not nothingness a form of perfection?" 

-Thomas Mann, Death in Venice

"for whatever we lose (like a your or a me)

it's always ourselves we find in the sea"

-e.e. cummings, maggie and millie and molly and may

"The sea is calm to-night. 

The tide is full, the moon lies fair

Upon the straits; on the French coast the light

Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand;

Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.

Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!

Only, from the long line of spray

Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,

Listen! you hear the grating roar

Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,

At their return, up the high strand,

Begin, and cease, and then again begin,

With tremulous cadence slow, and bring

The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago

Heard it on the Agaean, and it brought

Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow

Of human misery; we

Find also in the sound a thought

Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith

Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore

Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.

But now I only hear

Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath

Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear

And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true

To one another! for the world, which seems

To lie before us like a land of dreams,

So various, so beautiful, so new, 

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; 

And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night."

-Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach

Itinerary

It's a reasonable assumption, right?

I just thought of something.... there shouldn't be many bugs on the ship, right? Or fewer, at least, given the limited period of entry.... Awesome.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

While I've made my share of Helen Keller jokes,* I have to say, this quote by her certainly rings true. I know a lot of people consider Semester at Sea a "life-changing" experience and the "trip of a lifetime" or something of the sort, but that idea seems limiting to me. I plan on having daring, life-changing type experiences until I'm senile. Even then, I'm sure given the opportunity I'd drag my decrepit self up the Andes just to see Machu Picchu. At the very least I'll convince my children (grandchildren?) to let me tag along on their adventures. That being said, I'm definitely extremely excited about meeting Canadians in Canada for the first time, getting horribly seasick for the first time, using my own credit card for the first time, wandering around Europe for the first time, and being snubbed for being an American for the first time! (Lots of firsts on this trip!)


Also: I just got a shiny new camera. Isn't it pretty?


8 days until Nova Scotia!
Jenn

*One of my favorites (and one of the least politically incorrect): "Why can't Helen Keller drive?" "Why?" "Because she's a woman!"