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Monday, May 21, 2012

I'd Rather Be .........

Sunrise Over the Atlantic Ocean
We've seen the slogans here, there and everywhere and everyone would fill in the blank differently, depending on her/his  favorite hobby. I would fill in the blank with my favorite activity: I'd Rather Be Cruising. Someone recently asked me why I like cruises and I tried to explain the charm it holds for me. I can't think of anything I don't like about cruising. I could easily take up residence on a cruise ship if money were no object, but it is, so I have to content myself with the occasional trip.

 

The thing I notice most about the interesting people I meet on cruise ships is that the ones I talk to at least, really like cruising. I assume people who really don't like cruises don't show up on cruises. Either you love it, or you hate it. I enjoy talking to lots of new people and getting to know them. I think the people are the most interesting part of a cruise. I am an observer of people and try to imagine who they are, what they do, what they like, etc. It always surprises me to find out how wrong I am in my guesses. It is a great lesson to me personally, not to make assumptions about people and never judge a book by its cover. I like to be open to talking to new people and learning what they're all about. People are so friendly and eager to talk to each other.


The National Museum of Bermuda
My latest cruise stopped at Bermuda and several islands in the Caribbean. We like to explore and look for interesting historical spots and take self-guided photographic excursions. We have visited Bermuda before so we tried to see something different on this trip. We explored the National Museum of Bermuda. We learned more about histories of the island slave trade; yacht racing; and the role of Bermuda in WWII because a German submarine was captured and secretly towed to Bermuda for hiding and further study. Bermuda housed POW's from the Boer, First, and Second World Wars.


Prisoners in Paradise

Having recently cruised into Puerto Rico twice, I have a new appreciation of San Juan. We docked within easy walking distance of two beautiful old forts, Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro.









Between the two fortresses is the Old San Juan with charmingly colorful building fronts down long, narrow, cobblestone streets. We walked for hours and explored shops and parks.



Even if the cruise ship never docked during the trip, for me, it would be great to be on the ship for days and days. I didn't even mind the night we passed through a tropical storm in the Atlantic. I like to explore the ship, take part in the events, or sit on the balcony and look for flying fish and dolphins. We were able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the bridge and the galley, both of which are enlightening. There is always something interesting to do on a cruise ship. Some people like to be part of a car enthusiasts crowd, or maybe a motorcycle crowd, or fans of Burning Man, or rock concerts or professional sports events, and I like to be part of the cruise crowd. After taking hundreds of photos, I will restrain myself and post only a few. I post a slide show at another site and it is available if anyone wants to request it by e-mail.

Sunset viewed from the Atlantic Ocean






6 comments:

  1. I've only been on a cruise ship once, and it was wonderful except for the expense. I'm so glad you get to indulge in this favorite activity, and I enjoyed very much your descriptions and pictures. I don't think I've seen a picture of you before. Thanks!!

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  2. Is that you up there? If so, you are very pretty! I have never been on a cruise and worry about sea sickness. When I sailed on a 27 foot boat between islands of Hawaii, I was seasick. Unpleasant experience that I don't want to repeat. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

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  3. Oh yes, I'm the one under the cap and hidden behind sunglasses. I don't post many pictures of myself. I have to get back on my diet after a foodie holiday. When returning to the ship, for security purposes, everyone has to remove the sunglasses and the caps. I tell them nothing is hiding under the cap except a bad hair day.

    People who get seasick get prescription skin patches from their doctor and it has to be replaced every three days. It seemed to work for them.

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  4. yes, cruises are lovely. thanks for bringing us along on this one.



    Friendly Aloha from Waikiki
    Comfort Spiral

    > < } } (°>

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  5. I love the idea of a cruise... so many activities and beautiful views, interesting people, different ports to see, etc.
    If I didn't have such horrible motion sickness I might have enjoyed the two cruises we went on years ago a bit more. After the first experience, I got better meds and planned the trip differently... drove to a terminal near us instead of flying to Florida, etc. We still had problems though. A man jumped overboard, never found, on the cruise before ours which put ours off schedule so we lost out on certain ports and a couple pre-planned excursions. I ended up getting very sick again too. *sigh*
    So for us, cruising is done.
    Wish we had better experiences.

    Lovely photos! Beautiful sunset.
    Glad you enjoyed the trip.

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  6. Loved seeing these photos. We were in San Juan last year on a cruise and enjoyed it tremendously.

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